In the forest, a young boy hid among the tree branches.
His age should be around twelve and the way he cloaked himself showed that there was still a long way before his hunting skills could reach the level of true professional.
First, the chosen spot was not suited at all, as the coverage still left many openings through which he could be seen.
Second, the posture was off, giving a chance for trouble to brew. When he attacked, even the slightest excessive movement, would end up causing a fall.
However, his eyes showed a great spark, letting seep out this boy's great excitement.
The reason for this was the prey that just appeared, a clumsy-looking baboon.
"Wind Blade."
Swoosh.
The strike landed on a less than ideal area.
There were so many places where a skilled hunter could hit in order to cause a quick death. But the boy was just too inexperienced and his spell provoked a massive bleeding.
This prey would most certainly die, but this death was less than clean.
"Ohhh!!!"
The wind blade made him lose balance for a moment, but, fortunately, further problems were averted as he firmly grasped a thick branch.
"Uff! That was close."
Immediately after this almost disaster, he climbed down the tree and packed the carcass.
Gillian, this young human sorcerer needed to return home before his parents found out where he was.
....
It would be too generous to call this place a village as it had little more than fifty inhabitants.
On the center of the hamlet, a crude building made of wood towered over the others. And today, all were gathered there to pray.
This was a church of Marduk, humanity's patron and god. They offered tributes, on this occasion for a prosperous harvest.
"We all reap what is sowed. This is the truth uncovered by our ancestors when they started practicing agriculture.
The same applies to the gods. When goodwill and devotion are plowed in our relationship with the divine, great blessings will befall us all."
The one who spoke was Owen and he was both the chief and priest of this hamlet.
He was a bald man wearing a simple white robe with no decorations. It was a simple appearance yet filled with dignity.
He stood behind an altar and above an elevated platform. While most of the public remained standing as well since the few available chairs were reserved for the elderly.
"Today we offer the first reap of wheat as well as our finest bull. May Marduk be pleased with our humble gifts."
On his right hand, there was an iron knife and, with a precise movement, the bull's throat was cut open.
As the creature emitted its final painful noises and tried to break free, the priest kept it under control with abnormal strength ultil the creature perished. And all the blood flowed towards a richly decorated basin.
Lifting this container, the priest turned to face a wooden statue behind him.
"Oh, Great Benefactor! Take this as a sign of loyalty."
The statute was covered by yellow light and started to transform. In its place appeared a transcendent door. This was about as far as mortals would get to Marduk's Divine Kingdom.
The bull stood up once more. Yet now his eyes burned yellow with a fire that did not consume its host.
"Good."
A thunderous voice echoed.
"Extract the seeds from this sacrificial reap. Plow the fields with them and water it with the basin's blessed blood."
The majestic animal walked towards the door and entered it, never to return. It was Marduk's now.
The crowd was amazed by this development. To have the voice of a god to manifest during the ritual was a rare occurrence.
Chief Owen was so elated that he started crying uncontrollably.
During this commotion, no one noticed when the small Gillian entered this hall.
....
A gigantic turtle stood by the rocks, mesmerized by Morgana's gaze. If even a unicorn could not resist her charms now, what hope would an ordinary beast have?
The dark wizard pointed towards the Horizon and the turtle instinctively understood her meaning, getting closer so Morgana could easily climb its shell.
"Invisibility."
As soon as she got up on the creatures back, the wizard shrouded herself as well as this new mount with a magical cover. The river still bore many secrets, despite her painstaking research before dispatching the homunculus for this mission.
There was no reason to travel in the open when she did not yet understand all of the potential challenges lying ahead.
Morgana thought about her goal this time and felt ambivalent. On one hand, she was curious as to what Saci's map referred to, something which deeply enticed her greed.
But on the other, that strange man always made her feel coerced and powerless. Almost as if she was permanently moving on his web and acting according to his design at every step of the way.
If there was one thing Morgana hated was not having control of her own destiny.
The thing about relying on someone else's ambitions and desires is that your footing will disappear the moment your interests no longer align, causing a great fall.
"I need weapons of my own, yet the magic from Griseo is a child's play as far as he is concerned.
No. My hope lays in Agatha. This world is filled with mysteries. Perhaps there is something of value here. Something that even the Whirlwind Rider knows nothing about."
Thinking about this Morgana resolved herself once more in order to regain control over her life.
As she was lost in contemplation, Morgana noticed a pink dolphin looking at her with interest.
"This...
Can he see me or am I just paranoid?"
The dolphin answered on her mind as if responding to her secret thoughts.
"Yes. I see you, beautiful lady."
After this brief exchange, the creature once more sank beneath the waters, vanishing from sight, leaving Morgana very confused.
"Did... Did he just wink at me?"
There was nothing normal about this whole situation.