Chapter 29: A Word Arrives

Past the tumultuous ranges and passes of Thessaly, beyond the troubled gulf of Salonica and its trying waves, through the moors of Kitro and Lepsti, a voyage of adventurers landed in the central parts of Macedon.

Through the hilly lands of Kara Veria, they fought, past the monsters of Kato they tread.

And then, at the peaks of the ranges, where wind rustled their hair and the sun caressed their cheeks, peeking down the ranges, they saw.

The swirling waves of mist and magic moving around the grounds, the trees waving in fierce pressure from the very presence of what once was.

Beyond the cover of the mountains and the veils of the mist, stood below, a land formed by the gods.

A land of the gods.

"My, goodness…"

"Report this to the emperor, right now."

***

Isaac flipped open the newspaper as was his every day. The cup of freshly ground beans on the table and the scent of freshly bloomed flowers on his nose. The aroma of the two mixed well, but he had to admit, the Chrysanthemums he had forcefully planted enriched the scent a notch higher.

He gently dragged the cup to his lips and downed a sip. Packed a punch, made him pucker his lips by half a millimeter.

"Was it prepared differently today?" He asked.

"No, sir." the maid next to him bowed. "If anything is wrong, should I brew one more?"

"No, I believe about three milligrams of sugar was missing. It is fine, Miss Barnet."

"Apologies, young lord."

"Do not."

Isaac shook his head and flipped the pages of the newspaper, it was then, that a section on the second page caught his eyes.

[New Labyrinth Discovered in Kara Veria.]

His brows went up by a slight, slight amount. If there were two things that had all his interest then it was Kristine et Kaiser, and magic.

And Labyrinths were at the core of that subject. It had been professed by oracles and seers that gods which now live beyond the farthest reaches of the sky once lived here, with the people, amongst them. Guiding them, strengthening them.

That was what had brought Magic and Aura into this world.

And Labyrinths were natural phenomena, lands contoured and molded by the stretches of mana, forming sights one couldn't hope to see and experiences one couldn't hope to feel. Beyond humanity, at their cores were the mortal vessels that the ones above once occupied.

Powers, knowledge, and treasures beyond what remained in the mortal realm, all the way from the dark ages, were stored in those places.

Isaac, too, had visited a labyrinth once.

And he knew danger was not scarce. Sanity was a commodity in those places that tried their best to keep all intruders of all forms out of their borders.

Isaac decided he needed to keep an eye on this matter, consult some of the other professors in the Magic Tower and learn all he could.

Truth be told, though, he was beyond wishing to participate in such affairs. He was but a researcher now, fighting for his life and the lives of many others wasn't his style no longer.

But he knew someone who would be quite interested.

It was when he finished sipping down on the last of his coffee that Joel entered his sight.

"O, Young Lord! You look as wise as a sage and as bright as a sun today too—"

"You have three seconds Joel, fit your conversation in that."

Joel took in a deep breath.

"Young Lord who is as wise as the sun and the bright sage please sell sea shells on the sea shore your elder sister wants to meet you you look great today and charming ten on ten." The old man grasped his knees and leaned down, heaving out loud.

Isaac winced, just slightly enough for no one to notice, but it was a wince nonetheless.

This old butler of his had even managed to shove in a tongue twister.

Next time he'll give him one second.

"Elder elder sister or younger elder sister?"

"Elder elder."

Isaac sighed and stood up. Did he mess something up in Poseidonia?

Oh, right…

He was so obsessed with the meeting with Kristine that meeting others left his mind.