Shana ventured into the outside world for the first time.

He beheld a magnificent city, embarked on a long journey, and glimpsed the endless sea for the first time.

Shana stepped aboard a merchant vessel headed to the Land of Sunrise. The ship bristled with cargo and held only a handful of passengers.

The captain allowed Shana to board only after recognizing him as a nobleman.

They set sail from Coastal Town’s harbor in eastern Suinhor, bound for the City of Gold in the Land of Sunrise.

Tales described it as a place overflowing with gold.

It was said that alchemists there could turn stone into gold.

Yet, rumors earned their name by straying far from the truth.

Camon revealed the true story to Shana.

In reality, the city was not flush with gold. The alchemists were masters of tool-making, metal refining, and potion brewing.

Stone stayed true to its nature, never turning into gold.

Shana cared little for gold. He lingered on deck with the crew, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon. Behind him, sailors bustled about scrubbing decks, hauling cargo, and lashing ropes.

Still, Shana and Camon stayed remarkably calm amid the activity.

Leaning on the railing, Shana watched the endless sea and asked Camon, who rested on his sword, “What lies beyond?”

Camon assumed he was referring to their destination. “The City of Gold!” he exclaimed.

Shana shook his head and clarified, “No, I mean beyond Ruhe Beast Island.”

“Beast Island” was more than just an island to the Snake People, for it represented their entire known world.

Camon had never ventured beyond and knew nothing of what lay outside.

Nevertheless, he replied, “Apart from the first Snake People ancestors who left Ruhe Beast Island, only the legendary Avel People ventured out to the world beyond.”

“That happened one or two hundred years ago,” he added.

“They claimed that beyond Ruhe Beast Island lay a world vastly broader than ours.”

Camon’s eyes sparkled as if lit from within.

“In the distance, there exists a new world.”

Shana, already familiar with the legends of the Avel People, asked, “You mean the Avel People, the daughter of Mother of All Snakes Sermos, that ancient hunting tribe from the old times who left Ruhe Beast Island?”

Camon nodded, “Alcina was the ancestor of the city-state people, Pence was the ancestor of the beast-herding tribes, and the Avel People once lived in the northernmost wastelands below the frozen plateaus.”

“Most of them crossed the sea and left Ruhe Beast Island. The remaining few integrated into various city-states and northern tribes.”

Shana asked, “Do you really believe it?”

“The story that the Avel People left Ruhe Beast Island and found a new world.”

Camon leaned in and admitted, “Actually, I’ve been there.”

Shana paused and asked, “Where have you been?”

Camon grasped Shana’s shoulder and drew him near as they stared out to sea. “Haven’t I told you?”

“I bathed in the first light of dawn on the vast sea.”

“Yes, I saw it then, a black storm raging on the horizon,” Camon said, his voice filled with both awe and regret.

“Like you, I once longed to uncover what lay beyond Ruhe Beast Island.”

Turning to face Camon, Shana pressed, “And then?”

Camon chuckled softly. “And then?” he echoed.

“I gave up, of course!” Camon admitted with a wry smile.

He sighed deeply. “The black storm is terrifying. No one can brave its fury, not even those with extraordinary abilities. Its endless darkness devours everything in its path.”

In that brief confession lay experiences beyond ordinary imagination.

Incredulous, Shana asked, “Then how did the Avel People get through the black storm?”

“They migrated as an entire people, surely including many ordinary folk.”

Camon shrugged. “I heard that during that great migration, the black storm over the sea had weakened,” he remarked.

“After the Avel People left, the door to the outside world closed again.”

“What rotten luck. Why couldn’t I encounter such good fortune?”

Shana nodded in thought.

“Perhaps,” he mused, “this is the divine plan!”

More than merely pondering the fate of the Avel People or if they truly sailed a stormy sea to discover a new world, Shana’s curiosity deepened about what Camon sought beyond Ruhe Beast Island.

Was it simply to crown his travels with glory beyond compare?

But Camon remained tight-lipped.

The voyage proved grueling, starting with relentless seasickness and worsening with food and water shortages.

Midway through their voyage, they were suddenly caught in a storm.

A tempest surged in from the horizon, carrying dark clouds and jagged lightning.

The captain bellowed orders from the deck as he gripped the helm to steer the ship.

Shana and Camon hurried to join the crew, fighting against the raging gale and relentless downpour.

The captain was soaked to the bone, looking like a drenched rat.

He kept a frantic eye on the storm behind them, shouting orders in desperation.

“Hurry!” he roared.

“Pick up speed!”

“It’s gaining on us!”

His face twisted in a grotesque manner, as if possessed by a fallen demon, every muscle contracting into a maze of wrinkles.

Despite their best efforts, they could not escape the storm’s grip and were swallowed by its fury.

The ship lurched violently as wave after wave crashed over it. Barrels tumbled across the deck, and crew members were swept overboard amid frantic screams.

In the savage wind, a figure was suddenly lifted into the air.

A man had tied himself to a rope and soared like a kite, his screams echoing into the storm.

But his cries were cut short as he vanished from sight.

Thunder boomed and lightning slashed through the darkness like sharp blades.

For the first time, Shana felt the raw, unbridled power of nature.

In the face of such forces, men seemed utterly insignificant.

They watched helplessly as the storm closed in, unable to escape its inevitable embrace.

No matter what power you possessed, no matter how loudly you shouted.

Nothing could change its course.

All that remained was a desperate hope that luck might be on your side.

That overwhelming feeling filled them with despair.

It made them wish to fall to their knees and beg the storm for mercy.

Unable to contain his fear, Shana shouted to Camon, “Is this the black storm?”

Camon roared back over the tempest, “The black storm?”

He deliberately enunciated each word, venting, “It is far more terrifying than this!”

Since it was Shana’s first sea voyage, he could hardly imagine a storm worse than this one.

Shana cried out, “Even worse?”

“What could be so dreadful that anyone might not survive its sight?”

Camon’s voice reached its maximum volume as he declared, “It all depends on fate!”

“Ahhhh!”

Both men unleashed raw, primal roars.

After what felt like an eternity, the storm and torrential rain subsided.

At last, the sun emerged once more to shine upon the ship.

Survivors across the vessel stirred and rose.

Some cheered with relief, while others laughed wildly.

Camon and Shana leaned against the hull, shared a knowing glance, and burst into laughter as waves pounded the side of the ship.

“Hahahahaha!”

“Hahahaha!”

Laughter and tears are our most common emotions, yet laughter often wins out.

Laughter can express joy, bitterness, forced resilience, or even despair.

Sometimes, it needs to express nothing at all.

Laughter, whether born of joy, bitterness, or sheer exhaustion, often needs no reason at all.

After their emotional outburst, those who had battled the storm lay exhausted, like spent corpses.

Shana and Camon lay side by side, their heads close though they couldn’t see one another, yet each felt the other’s presence.

Suddenly, Camon called out, “Shana!”

He asked, “What are you seeking in Thunder Marsh?”

Shana replied, “Fate guides me.”

Camon pressed, “If fate had not intervened, what would you choose instead?”

Shana had never pondered this. Since childhood, his family had prepared him for an ancient mission and a long-held wish.

“As for me…”

“I think I would become a scholar!”

“I enjoy the simplicity of quiet reading.”

Camon added with a knowing smile, “You’re picturing it, aren’t you? A spacious, bright library or a sunlit garden, the finest pastries and wine on your table, and a serene lake just outside. It would be perfect.”

“Isn’t that right?”

Shana suddenly sat up and fixed Camon with a knowing look, as if he had read his very soul.

With his hands behind his head, Camon teased, “You’re too easy to read.”

Though the rest of the voyage brought its own challenges, they paled in comparison to the storm and their near-death encounter.

First, Camon and Shana arrived at the City of Gold, and then they traveled by beast-drawn carriage to the City of Lights.

At last, they stood before the towering statue of Iva they had once discussed, ticking off two-thirds of their “must-see before we die” list.

The hundred-meter-tall divine statue towered by the city’s moat, holding a glowing lamp high.

Before dawn broke, the lamp would cast dazzling rays across the land.

It bathed the entire City of Lights in radiant glow.

Legend said that Iva first appeared in the Land of Sunrise in this very manner.

As the sun lit the Land of Sunrise, Iva brought enlightenment to all who dwelled there.

Near the Miracle Temple, Shana observed the statue of Master Xin Ji, the very first Grand Elder of the City of Lights.

“Has Grand Elder Xin Ji passed away?”

Grand Elder Xin Ji of the City of Lights had lived for over two hundred years, ranking among the longest-lived mortals in Snake People lore, surpassed only by divine beings and apostles.

This long life made him a legend.

Tales of his longevity echoed through Suinhor and the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Snakes.

Camon regarded the statue with a shrug. “Even though he lived for over two hundred years, bending mortal limits, he eventually died.”

“After all, he was merely mortal,” Camon added.

Shana sighed in disappointment. “I was hoping to meet the longest-lived person in the world.”

Leaving the City of Lights behind, they trekked along a rugged mountain path in the north, eventually arriving at Thunder Marsh.

By this time, Shana had been away from home for over six months.

Thunder Marsh was not one endless wetland but a maze of small islands and intricate terrain.

They boarded a small boat bound for Silver Fish Island, hidden deep within Thunder Marsh, famed for its precious silver fish cherished by nobles, elders, and alchemists in the Land of Sunrise.

Their boat sliced through a silent watery forest of deep blue.

Emerging from a tree-entangled passage, the boat revealed a world transformed.

A vast lake, as boundless as an ocean, stretched out before them, its surface eerily still.

The lake mirrored the pristine blue sky, its edge blending seamlessly with the clouds and mist into infinity.

The blue sky seemed to merge with the lake as dense clouds pressed down onto the azure waters.

Shana felt as if he had stepped into a legendary spirit realm from old folklore.

The Snake Person boatman noticed their awestruck expressions and said, “Esteemed guests, isn’t it beautiful?”

Shana and Camon could only nod in silent agreement, the word “beautiful” failing to capture the scene.

Any further description would seem to diminish its perfection.

Yet, the boatman routinely offered a word of caution.

“But it is dangerous,” he warned.

“Never venture into the heart of Thunder Marsh, that forbidden death zone.”

“The white mist consumes all living things, sparing only the dead.”

All too often, reckless souls ventured into those depths to reach the mesmerizing clouds.

Shana wondered aloud, “Why does the white mist only consume the living and not harm the dead?”

“Does it have a mind of its own?”

The boatman answered in a solemn tone, “It is divine will. The gods forbid mortals from setting foot there.”

When it came to divine matters, further questioning felt futile.

The boat fell silent.

In that moment, a slanting ray of light broke through the sea of clouds.

The light leaked through the clouds, spreading like a gentle glow across the lake.

In that moment, the world seemed to shift.

At the edge of the horizon, a faint city emerged amidst the clouds.

Sunlight bathed the cloud city, revealing its ancient, weathered grandeur and a bygone prosperity.

Both Shana and Camon rose from their seats and stepped forward.

Shana exclaimed, “The Lost Kingdom!”

Camon fell silent, his eyes unfocused in awe.

Indeed, it was real.

Before them, it appeared.

It was the divine city depicted in the “Lost Kingdom” mural at the Temple of Fire Protection.

A city built by the strength of beasts and adorned with miraculous forces.

It was the first land-based city founded by the second-generation Wisdom King Yesael, one of the oldest cities known.

Though Master Breman’s painting was a masterpiece, it was still just a painting compared to the real spectacle.

It could never compare to the scene unfolding before their eyes.

When Life Sovereign Shelly commanded, “Do not hide it, reveal it,” the God-Descended City unveiled itself completely to mortals.

Yet, Ruhe Beast never received another command to hide it.

Thus, the city appeared periodically to mortal eyes whenever the mist thinned.

Still, it was meant only to be seen.

No living soul could set foot in that heavenly Lost Kingdom.

Shana stared for a long moment before finally speaking.

Excitement surged within him as he never expected to find such an answer so easily.

“It is real,” he whispered in awe.

“It truly exists.”

Camon’s voice trembled as he finally managed to say, “How magnificent.”

Shana pointed at the cloud city and told Camon,

“I must enter that place,” he declared.

Camon asked, “How do you plan to reach it?”

“Besides,” Camon added, “the depths are filled with perilous white mist and dreadful creatures.”

“Are you sure you want to go?”

Staring steadily at the cloud city, Shana replied, “I must enter.”

Camon watched Shana closely, noting the unwavering determination in his eyes.

After a long, silent moment, Camon nodded in agreement.

“Yes, you will enter.”

“You pay, I work.”

When their boat finally reached Silver Fish Island, the scattered clouds and mist thickened once more, hiding the cloud city completely.

Shana and Camon ceased gazing skyward and turned their focus to disembarking onto the island.

The island looked like an earthly paradise.

In the southern part, wooden buildings clustered together.

Every home showcased fishing nets hung outside, with dried fish swinging nearby.

The village thrived on its catch of silver fish, a prosperous community built on the sea’s bounty.

Snake People women busied themselves mending garments, while the men hauled boats ashore. Everyone wore coarse fabrics, their hair tied back with rope or trimmed short.

Children raced along the shore, their laughter echoing as they played.

Shana caught a mother shouting, “Stop running!”

“If I catch you I’ll spank your bottom raw.”

The child looked back, making funny faces, darting with a speed no adult could match.

The mother grew angry, “Don’t come home tonight. Let’s see how tough you really are!”

Camon surveyed the island and remarked, “This place is wonderful.”

“When I’m no longer a mercenary, I’ll settle here for sure,” he added.

Shana couldn’t help but smile, memories of his hometown Johan Town flooding back.

Noticing their arrival, curious children gathered around Shana.

Camon’s intimidating presence quickly sent the children scattering, steering clear of him.

In contrast, Shana carried an air of scholarly refinement.

Even the mischievous child who had once angered his mother now observed Shana with wide eyes, fascinated by his longsword and ring, rare treasures on the island.

“Where are you from?”

“You must be from somewhere grand, like the Land of Sunrise,” they guessed.

Shana replied, “I’m from Suinhor.”

That was far beyond the Land of Sunrise.

The children’s eyes lit up as they exclaimed, “You’re from the city-states!”

Their excitement grew; visitors from the Land of Sunrise and the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Snakes were common, but city-state folk were rare.

“I heard there are countless people there, a city of a hundred thousand, and when the king shows up, people get crammed like meat patties. Is that true?”

“They say your king is immortal and houses divine spirits within him,” another child chimed in.

“I also heard…”

Such rumors were as unreliable as the tales of gold that paved the City of Gold.

Shana answered their barrage of questions, satisfying the children’s curiosity.

The boatman led Shana and Camon to his humble home, where they would stay.

After setting up his room, Camon came to check on Shana.

He asked seriously, “How do you plan to ascend?”

Shana replied, “I possess extraordinary power.”

Camon warned, “In this death zone, you’re just like any other ordinary person.”

“Even though Thunder Marsh is considered one of the less dangerous forbidden zones.”

“It remains a death zone regardless.”

Camon spoke earnestly, “You must brave that terrible white mist to reach the cloud city.”

“And aside from the dangers above, how do you intend to cross the mist?”

Shana responded, “It’s only our first day. There’s no need to rush.”

“Let’s give it a try.”

“We will find a way.”

Shana told Camon, “The price I paid covered bringing me here, you needn’t participate further.”

Camon slammed his sword onto the ground and declared, “I never accept half-finished missions!”

“Every task I begin, I finish perfectly,” Shana insisted. “I’ve never failed.”

Camon declared loudly, “I won’t let my perfect record be tarnished because of you!”

Shana looked at Camon, suddenly touched by his words.

“Camon…”

Camon’s stern expression softened into a smile. “So you’re suddenly moved, huh?” he teased.

“Ready to pay more, then?”

Later that night, as Shana slept, the mark on his hand began to glow softly.

White threads emerged from his body, weaving through the entire room.

The threads interwove constantly, merging as they danced in the air.

They eventually coalesced into a humanoid figure with four limbs.

This thread-formed being stood beside Shana as it watched him, its writhing white strands giving it a somewhat eerie appearance.

The being first glanced at sleeping Shana before moving towards the window.

It pushed open the window and silently observed the moonlit lake and the sea of clouds beyond.

Lifting its head, it fixated on a distant point.

Even though the city hidden within the cloud sea remained unseen, the being knew exactly where it was.

“The God-Descended City!”

The being’s words echoed in the unmistakable tongue of the Trilobite People.

“Shana has come, so it must be here,” it proclaimed.

“It cannot be mistaken. It is here.”

“Within lies the Wisdom Stone.”

“At last, it has emerged.”

“The threads of fate unravel, drawing everything to its end.”

“Or perhaps, this is only the beginning.”

Then the being turned its gaze toward the ocean.

“Master,” it whispered.

“Where have you gone? Why can’t we find you?”

“Have you left Ruhe Beast Island? Are you in the world beyond?”

“If you have ascended to divinity, if you have truly achieved immortality!”

“Please return to us!”

“Don’t keep us waiting any longer!”

“Please come back!”

“Return to where it all began.”

Before the window, the thread-formed humanoid twisted, its shape growing frenzied and indescribable.

It burst apart into countless threads that swirled around Shana’s room, coiling around his bed.

Only a head remained, slowly drifting towards Shana’s sleeping face from above.

Their faces came close to touching.

One face was closed in sleep, the other a deep void framed by threads.

The being spoke flatly, yet its words hinted at an intimate familiarity with Shana.

“Shana.”

“We have waited too long.”

“Far too long.”

The thread form twisted ever more, a sign of its mounting madness.

“We died long ago. We no longer exist.”

“What is death when compared to our despair that far surpasses even death?””

“They all perished, yet we remain eternally bound by time.”

“It must end…”

“It must end…”

“Get it. Get it at any cost!”

“You must secure it!”

Time passed in an endless blur.

Amid dense white shadows and distortions, the thread being finally dissipated.