Michael asked Atul, "What do you mean—no rank?"
Atul's eyes softened for a moment. He sat straighter, choosing his words as if measuring them on some invisible scale. "There comes a time when a human—or any other race—becomes so powerful that their strength can no longer be measured by ranks. Once someone becomes that powerful, every land opens to them. People like to say you can't simply cross from one continent to another at will. There's truth in that, but it's not as absolute as others assume. In short: if you become that powerful, you will be able to travel to other continents too."
"Ah," Michael said. "So that's it."
Chris cut in, voice muddled with surprise and an attempt to steady himself. "So—are we people of the Black Continent? In our fields—"
"Atul!" someone scoffed. "Which continent do you think you belong to? Black? Are you joking?"
"Come on, Dadu, why would we joke?" Michael replied, annoyed.
Chris slapped Michael on the head. "Ow," Michael snapped.
Atul leaned forward. "Do you know where you are? Any idea?"
Chris thought for a moment. "I thought we were in the region of Mount Ekidna…"
Atul called out, "Nixon, tell them—"
Nixon scratched his head. "Sir, how do I explain? I know this area by name—Iki. They've called it Ekidna from the start. I suppose outsiders might know the region by that name."
Atul paused, then continued, his voice edged with reluctance. "You may or may not accept it, but this is not Mount Ekidna. This is Iki Kingdom of the White Continent. I've heard of Mount Ekidna too—said to be a forbidden city. Our region is similar in some ways, but outsiders can come here."
Atul's words left Michael and Chris momentarily stunned; they looked almost foolish, as if a comfortable belief had been stripped away. Chris asked in bewilderment, "Then how did we come here?"
"Atul," he said slowly, "I think you somehow surpassed the Great Law that the Creator made. Perhaps for that reason, a terrible calamity fell on some village here—sudden, violent."
"Is there no way to fix everything?" Michael asked, panic threading his voice.
Atul's expression was neither angry nor mournful—only firm. "There's no scope for me to scold you. But if you try to leave this place, you will die."
"Is there any way to survive? What can we do?" Chris pleaded.
Atul thought a moment, then offered, "You can train to become un-ranked. That's the best choice."
"How do we do that? Who will train us?" Michael demanded.
Atul smiled faintly and, in the elf language, called someone over. From the shadows a shape detached itself and approached. A young elf woman emerged—mysterious and composed. Her eyes were covered with cloth; a long ribbon bound her hair down to her waist. The hair itself was soft black with a faint red sheen, like dye catching light.
A boy followed her—smaller, younger—but both bore a resemblance, as if one were a smaller echo of the other.
Atul introduced them. "These are my two grandchildren—Emily, the elder, and Enel, the younger. They are practicing becoming un-ranked. You can practice with them."
—Meanwhile, in the Cromon Kingdom—
Ren sat in a room, Arre standing by his side. Ren spoke up, "What is our true purpose? What will the Empire accomplish?"
Arre paused, choosing his words carefully. "That's a good question. You know we are one—our souls are one, though our bodies are separate."
Ren replied, "Yes, I know. Our thought processes differ, but the soul is the same."
Arre continued more quietly, "Ren, the part of the soul you carry is incomplete. I am incomplete as well. A portion of us remains unknown."
"So our purpose is to go back to where this all began?" Ren asked.
"Yes," Arre said.
Ren nodded slowly. "You want to go to the Void Continent, don't you?"
Arre answered simply, "Yes."
"Man of Imagination is in our path—" Ren began.
"Shut up," Arre cut him off sharply. "Stop talking. I cannot bear this title and that name."
At that moment there came a knock at the door.
Cross entered. He sat down opposite Ren and Arre and began, plainly, "Fallmouth Empire has declared war against us."
Arre shrugged lightly, almost amused. "They rush for such small matters? It's nothing. These Empires have grown bold. I—regarding their emperor—"
"You do not need to go," Ren said. "Later we'll see if the Empire destroys itself."
Cross said nothing more. He had already realized these were not ordinary people. Their power was not less than that of gods. He could only watch and wait.
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