"Theo... Theo,"
Theo opened his eyes to find himself lying on the ground. Directly above him, he saw Gwen watching him with a faint smile. He looked left and right, realizing he had been resting his head in her lap. He quickly sat up, his eyes widening at the sight of the ruins—massive structures merged into the cliffs as if the buildings themselves had been carved straight out of the canyon walls.
Theo scrambled to his feet. He noticed only a single horse hitched to a post nearby, but his attention was quickly pulled back to his surroundings. Ancient buildings, draped in creeping vines and thick roots, were etched into the towering cliffs that encircled them. It was a sight that was breathtaking and mystical, yet it was enough to make his skin crawl.
Theo turned to look at Gwen. She was still sitting on the ground, head bowed as she hugged herself. Her expression was hard to read—was it sadness? Guilt? Fear? It was impossible to tell. Theo moved closer, reaching down to take her hand and help her up. Gwen kept her head down, which finally prompted Theo to ask,
"What's wrong, Gwen?"
"I... I'm so sorry. Because I forced you to go to Castletown, you ended up seeing something you never should have seen... I am truly sorry," Gwen answered softly, her eyes fixed on the ground.
Theo looked at her, then immediately pulled her into an embrace and stroked her hair. Even though the memory of what he had seen burned in his mind, he knew he couldn't change the past. Besides, he felt a sense of relief that Valentina's head hadn't been there; he still had a mission and a glimmer of hope—finding Casey. As he held Gwen, feeling her warmth, his mind finally cleared. The raw emotion faded, replaced by a sharp awareness of their current situation.
"It's okay, Gwen. I chose to be with you. You don't need to blame yourself... but... where are we right now?" Theo asked.
"This is... the Valley of Death," Gwen answered.
"Huh... the Valley of Death? The place where anyone who enters never comes out again?" Theo asked, startled.
"I... I'm sorry. I panicked... I didn't mean to bring you here... please forgive me," Gwen replied.
"No need to apologize, I'm not upset about it. Come on... we need to get out of here before something bad happens," Theo said, scanning their surroundings.
"Alright, but once we're out, where do we go?" Gwen asked.
"Castletown... we still have to find Emperor Barrington's bastard son," Theo answered, smiling down at her. Gwen could see a new, steady determination in his eyes.
Gwen, who had been crying just moments ago, looked up at him. A wide smile spread across her face, and she nodded with renewed energy. But before they could even let go of their embrace—
"Syuuut,"
Suddenly, they saw three small children run past them. "Huh," they both gasped, clutching each other even tighter as they scanned the area. The world around them began to shift. The towering cliffs on either side vanished, and the buildings that had been trapped within the rock were no longer ruins. Everything suddenly looked normal—a vibrant city with sturdy, beautiful buildings, as if time had wound back to its greatest glory.
The two of them kept looking around, taking in the beauty of the ancient city. But there was no aura of life, making the atmosphere feel heavy and chilling. Despite the pristine buildings, the streets were empty. Not a single soul could be seen in the entire city.
"What... what is this... are we hallucinating?" Theo asked, holding Gwen tight.
"I don't know... I don't understand it myself," Gwen answered, clinging to Theo just as tightly.
"We have to get out of here," Theo said.
"But how? Where's our horse?" Gwen asked, looking around.
Without daring to move or let go of their embrace, they stayed rooted to the spot, their heads darting left and right searching for an exit. Suddenly, the sound of galloping hooves echoed through the air—not just one, but a whole cavalry, as if a troop was charging into battle. Yet, as far as the eye could see, there was no one there. Along with the horses, they began to hear the muffled sounds of people talking and the bustling noise of a crowd, all while the streets remained completely deserted. It was an eerie, bone-chilling sensation.
"This... this isn't normal... don't panic. We need to find a way out, but for now, stay still," Theo urged.
"How can you be so calm?" Gwen asked.
"I've been trained to watch the walls and look for the hidden truth... maybe that's it," Theo answered.
"Alright, I trust you," Gwen replied, burying her face against Theo's chest.
Theo closed his eyes and tried to listen to his surroundings, his arms still holding Gwen tight so they wouldn't be separated. Suddenly, a firm, clear voice echoed around them.
"Hey... what are you doing there?"
The voice of a man came from above. Theo opened his eyes and looked up, but all he could see was the blue sky and white clouds drifting by.
"Hey... can you hear me?"
The man's voice called out again. Theo didn't answer yet, but he kept staring upward because the sound was definitely coming from above.
"Hey... do you see me... you're looking right at me,"
When the voice spoke once more, Theo was finally certain that someone was indeed calling them.
"Ya, I hear you! Where are you? There's nothing above me but the sky!" Theo shouted.
"I'm going to throw down a rope... forget your horse and climb up," the man yelled back.
The surroundings fell silent again, save for the phantom noise of a crowd that wasn't there. Suddenly, a length of heavy rope dropped from the sky, stopping right in front of Theo and Gwen. To anyone looking, the rope seemed to be hanging from the clouds—a complete impossibility. Theo released his embrace and grabbed the rope; it felt solid and real. He immediately told Gwen to take hold of it.
"Wait... why me first," Gwen said.
"Pull her up!" Theo shouted to the person above.
"Hey... wait," Gwen cried out.
But the rope was already pulling her up. Gwen kept looking down as she rose toward the sky, watching Theo standing alone below, looking up at her. Before long, Gwen vanished from Theo's sight. He quickly scanned his surroundings. Suddenly—
"Theo... I'm at the top! I'm throwing the rope back down!" Gwen shouted.
The rope dropped again, and Theo grabbed it instantly. But in that second, everything changed. The blue sky turned a blood red. The beautiful buildings instantly looked dilapidated and horrifying. The bright light was swallowed by darkness. Dark shadows, shaped like skeletons wearing black robes, emerged from the buildings and moved with terrifying speed toward Theo.
"Pull me up... hey... hurry!" Theo screamed.
The rope yanked upward. As Theo rose higher, he looked down to see those dark shadows—lingering spirits—gathering below him, staring up. Their skeletal sockets were filled with flickering green fire, watching him. Theo, trembling with terror, gripped the rope as hard as he could. Finally, Theo kept his eyes upward, his heart pounding. Then his vision shifted once more; he realized he was being pulled up a cliffside. The end of the rope seemed to lead into a cave situated halfway up the high cliff.
When he reached the top, Theo saw Gwen pulling him in, aided by a handsome young man with brown hair. He was thin and looked to be about eighteen, the same age as Theo and Gwen. Once Theo stood up inside the cave, Gwen hugged him tightly, and he returned the embrace. After they pulled apart, Theo looked at the young man. From his clothes, he looked like a craftsman or perhaps a researcher. He had goggles perched on his forehead, wore gloves on his hands, and looked quite disheveled.
"Who are you?" Theo asked.
"Sorry, my name is Calvin. Nice to meet you," Calvin answered, extending his hand.
Theo shook it, but he couldn't stop studying Calvin's face. He felt like he had seen him somewhere before. Suddenly, Gwen leaned in and grabbed Theo's arm.
"He was in my vision... I told you there were ten people standing with a king and two queens on the palace terrace... he's one of them," Gwen whispered.
Theo studied Calvin again. He looked at the shape of his jaw, his green eyes, and his thin brown hair. Calvin's features were strikingly familiar and reminded him of someone specific. He asked point-blank:
"You... are you the son of Emperor Barrington?"
Gwen immediately turned to look at Theo, who was still pointing his finger toward Calvin's face. Calvin flinched at the question, falling into a stunned silence. His reaction gave Theo all the answer he needed.
"Are you... sure, Theo?" Gwen asked.
"No doubt... his facial structure and those eyes are a dead ringer for Emperor Barrington... can you explain to us who you really are?" Theo asked, even though he already knew.
Suddenly, Calvin dropped to his knees before them. He bowed his head in silence, leaving them both confused.
"I'm an archaeologist who studies the history of this world and uncovers what happened in the past. Please, don't take me back to Castletown... I don't want to go there," Calvin pleaded.
"Huh?" Theo and Gwen exclaimed, shocked. Theo reached down and helped Calvin stand back up.
"I'm sorry... but let me ask you something. Do you actually want your father's throne?" Theo asked.
"Not at all. Like I said, I'm an archaeologist. My passion is digging up the past and showing the world the truth of history. I have zero interest in taking the throne of a man who refused to recognize me and threw me away. But some nobles are trying to force me into it. That's why I ran away to this place... the Valley of Death is a goldmine of knowledge for someone like me," Calvin answered.
Hearing this, Theo and Gwen exchanged glances. They felt a wave of relief, realizing they had indirectly prevented a rebellion from happening before the rightful king and two queens from the south arrived to claim the throne.
"Thank you for saving me and Gwen," Theo said.
"No... you should thank the gods. Me being here to help you wasn't a coincidence. Last night, I had a dream that I had to rescue two people who were about to get trapped in this valley—and both of them had silver hair," Calvin replied.
Theo and Gwen were stunned. But this time, Theo felt certain that the visions were real. He put his arm around Gwen and smiled, momentarily forgetting the grief that had weighed him down.