Eighteen: Free at Last 

The next morning is nice. Layre allows Mageus to sleep for some time longer after he wakes. Mageus has his back to Layre’s chest, his hair flowing beautiful over his bare chest. Layre digs his thumbs into the muscle in his back experimentally, smiling to himself when the Demi-God smiles lazily in his sleep.  

Layre hears some shuffling coming from outside. This means that the women have woken up, so he figured he must wake Mageus up too. Who knew a Demi-God needed so much rest? Layre planted an uncountable number of kisses on the side of Mageus’ neck, who woke up laughing.  

“That tickles, dear!” He sputters, swiping his hand behind him to playfully smack at Layre, who dodges successfully.  

“It is time to wake up.” Layre whispers, sitting up now and looking down at Mageus. He truly was beautiful; a thing made of Godly desire. Layre runs his fingers down the man’s muscular arm, letting out a long, dreadful sigh. Layre was not sure he deserved this. 

They both get up a minute or two later, pausing for rushed, hushed kisses. 

“You two have no decency!” Viessa scolds as they unzip the tent, crawling out ungracefully. Viessa, of course, was speaking about last night. Layre feels his face flush red, and he glances away. Mageus just shrugs, not bothered by the night before. 

“At least they were quick with it.” Anima comments, face shriveled with disgust. 

“Men always are.” Viessa clicks her tongue.  

With that horrible conversation out of the way, the four disassemble their tents and make the journey to the Vatoun border. They pass through the town now, enjoying the bustling nature of the streets. Anima had disguised both herself and Mageus. As walking through town undisguised would prove too risky.  

When they passed by the Valna Inn, Layre stopped to say a final goodbye to Madris and Cyran.  

Leaning in, he saw that Madris was busy washing dishes and Cyran was running around, putting everything in its rightful place.  

“Welcome in!” He calls, not even stopping to look at him.  

“Cyran, Madris!” Layre calls, and they both startle at his familiar voice. When they both see him, their faces light up with joy.  

“Layre!” Madris cries out in shock, running to him with outstretched arms. “What happened to you?”  

She means his face, of course, so he tells them the story of the monster deep in the cavern. 

“That’s incredible, son.” Cyran grins, proud of Layre for having made it that far. “I really think you can do it, you know. If anyone will free Solmeris, it will be you.”  

Layre leaves shortly after, as he did not want to grow too fond of them again so much he stayed for another few months. He had not the time. 

⊹₊⋆☁︎⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆☁︎⋆₊ ⊹ 

The high valley walls are a pure sight for Layre. This is where his journey truly began, and far beyond that lied the meandering Crying River and the giant, Iyelian red oaks, waiting for him to come home. Hand in hand, Mageus and Layre approach the edge of Vatou. Layre can feel Mageus’ racing pulse through where they are connected, and he wonders if Mageus can feel his.  

This would be the first time, ever, that Mageus had left the Shaded World.  

With the Sword of Sapphirus raised high above her head, Viessa charges at the edge. Anima had supplied them all with Guiding Potions, this time with the intent of seeing divine energy. Layre found the guiding potions the most interesting of them all, if you made them with certain desires in mind, they would change accordingly.  

Viessa strikes the wall of energy, but it does not budge. She strikes it again and again, but to no avail.  

“What’s the deal with this thing?” She groans, throwing it in the dirt. It kicks up a small dust cloud where it lands.  

Anima nears it, inspecting it closely. She lifts it, something having caught her eye. 

“A piece is missing. It must need your necklace, Layre.”  

Layre’s heart sinks. The necklace was the only thing he had to remind him of Elisen, but if he needed to rid of it to save Solmeris, he would do it. He reaches in his shirt, grabbing hold of the necklace and drawing it out. The piece glows and shakes; it was trying to get back to the sword. Layre unhooks it from his neck, and the piece flies to the sword. It settles right where it was missing, right by the sapphires surrounding the handle.  

The sword trembles, shakes, and glows bright.  

“Try it now.”  

Viessa picks it up again, raising it above her head and charging at the energy. This time, when she swings the sword down, a horrid ripping sound drowns their ears. The glimmering, sparkling energy rips in two, creating a large opening in the energy. Layre lets out a joyous laugh, and Mageus sprints through the opening.  

They had made it, Mageus was free! 

“You’ve done it!” Mageus cries now stepping foot outside of Vatou. He lifts Layre easily, spinning him around and landing a chaste kiss on his lips. “You’re brilliant, dear!”  

Layre, flustered and embarrassed, looks to the women, but they just smile at them.  

Back on normal soil, not the kind to burn his feet, Layre felt at home. This landscape was familiar to him, and it was easily traversable. They still had an entire mountain to climb, and that would be no small feat, but that would come in time. They first had to discuss a plan for killing the Almighty Four, but Layre had one for that, too.  

They had stopped along the Crying River. It was night now, and they all bundled up by the riverbed, under the same shady oak Layre chose to rest under his first night away from home. He has his journal sprawled across his lap, the notes he took on the Gods were ripped out and passed around the group.  

“It will be easier if we can lure out one God at a time.” Layre explains, waving his hands in passionate, frantic movements. “Each God has a weakness. Once we scale the Great God Mountain, all we must do is lure them each out, one by one. Sumus will be the trickiest, as he is the strongest. But the others, as egotistical as they are, can be fooled one way or another. They will try to play games with us, they will try to kill us, taunt us, ridicule us, but we must stay strong. We are nearing the end, and I believe that we can do it.”  

With hearts full of hope and strength, the four travelers slept next to the Crying River, under the stars and unaware of the severity of the challenges they had yet to face.