The farther we rode, the wider the road became. The arches grew taller, the leaves on the trees shifting through every color of the rainbow.

  Vergo called this an altar, and my imagination ran wild instantly. The changing scenery only fed the fire. I expected something unimaginable from this place—but when we finally emerged into a wide clearing, all we found was a rock. Just a big, gray rock with crows perched on it. They scattered as soon as they saw us.

  "Someone stole the altar?" I asked, disappointment thick in my voice.

  "What? No. The rock is the altar," Vergo said. "To be precise, this is where you can mingle your blood with Xiu, the Titan of Nature."

  "Mingle blood... You mentioned that when we first met," I recalled. "Which means I probably can’t Follow any Path."

  "True... But isn’t it worth a shot anyway?"

  "You’re right. But do I even want this Path specifically?"

  "Don’t rush. First, you feed the golem your blood. It’ll wake up and give you a trial. Only if you pass will you be granted magic. The trials vary from altar to altar. Once, a golem asked my friend to do five hundred squats in three minutes. Naturally, he failed—had to find another place."

  Now that I knew this was a golem, I couldn’t unsee the hunched, ball-like creature. Grooves were carved all over its body—channels for the blood to flow through.

  "So all Titans have these golems?" I asked.

  "No. To gain the power of Justice, I had to step into a den crawling with snakes. A test of courage and conviction. To Follow the Path of Crimson Flame, you must find the egg of its unborn offspring. Wrap the skeleton around your arm, and you gain healing powers. You were wearing gloves when we first met, so I didn’t realize immediately." Vergo dismounted. "To Follow the Path of Heroism, you must perform a feat in the Valley of Arcadia, where Victoria herself resides. The Path of Midas is the easiest—his altars are everywhere. The sweeter your offering, the more luck he grants. Nearly every merchant in the world Follows his Path. Some never leave the road, traveling from altar to altar. The others... I don’t know much about."

  Who hadn’t he mentioned? Reality, Evolution, Pleasure, Creation—and, of course, Desire.

  "You’ve impressed me," I said. "Never pegged you for the type to willingly walk into a snake den. Why not copy your friend? Controlling elements sounds way cooler than contract magic."

  Vergo’s expression darkened.

  "Twirl and I left Wardenhau at the same time. Like me, he was fascinated by dead Titans. He thought long and hard but decided Xiu’s power would be more practical for long journeys. I tried to talk him out of it. He wouldn’t listen. Our only fights had been over grades at the university, but for some reason, he thought he could handle a real battle. Result? Twirl was dead within two months. Meanwhile, I’ve been traveling for six years because I leave the fighting to those who know how. Making contracts, I knew no mercenary would ever try to rob me." His voice strained under the weight of the memory.

  "Smart. And... yeah. Sorry."

  What an empath I am! Everyone see that?

  "Nothing to be sorry about. Twirl was always reckless. Just sucks my pleas couldn’t change his mind."

  "Maybe he was just scared of snakes?"

  "Ha-ha..." Vergo let out a weak chuckle. "Guess we’ll never know."

  "Speaking of your research—I keep forgetting to ask. Why? And how do you even learn about dead Titans if we’ve never stumbled on their remains?"

  "Thought you’d never ask," Vergo said, feeding the horned horse a carrot. "I’ll start with the second question. See, as I travel, I document local monsters—appearance, behavior, abilities. If I’m lucky, I get their blood. Studying it lets me trace their lineage. Sooner or later, I reach the source of their mutations. You following?"

  "Honestly? Not really."

  "Just like people gain magic by mingling blood with Titans, every monster in this world was born from drinking that same blood," Vergo said, locking eyes with me.

  Oh.

  "Most were just dumb beasts, but there are plenty of humanoid abominations descended from people. They’ve bred for centuries, mixing their blood with other monsters, making it damn hard to trace the original source. But find it, and you’ll know exactly what abilities the ancient Titans who bled here possessed. History books only list their names—nothing about how they died. My theory? Thousands of years ago, a Titan War raged across the world. Only the ten strongest survived. But why couldn’t they rule together? Why tear each other apart? And most importantly—how did mortal beings become immortal? My research could reveal who fought whom, maybe even uncover the truth."

  I was so engrossed, my lips curled into a grin without realizing it. His words painted vivid history in my mind.

  "Really lucked out running into you," I said.

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  "Don’t get ahead of yourself. Six years, and I’ve got nothing to show. After hitting walls at home, I came to Shaya—smallest continent, fewer variables. Still no breakthroughs. Until I prove my theory, it’s just speculation."

  "Sounds damn convincing to me. I’m sold."

  "Hah... Thanks."

  "But aren’t you scared the Pantheon might take issue with your snooping? If it’s hidden, there’s a reason."

  "Terrified. But what choice do I have? If I uncover the truth, I’ll die smiling. If I don’t? Yeah, it’ll sting. But I don’t regret dedicating my life to this. I’ll leave my mark, filling in the blanks. Pretty cool goal, right?"

  "Then I’m rooting for you. And don’t worry—your secret’s safe with me."

  "Wasn’t worried. Believe it or not, I’ve started trusting you this past week."

  "I might cry..." I fake-wiped a tear.

  "Enough stalling," Vergo chuckled, and I dismounted.

  "You think my immortality’s tied to the Titans?" I asked as we approached the golem.

  "Been wondering since you told me. Wanted to sneak a blood sample while you slept, but turns out you don’t, you bastard!"

  So that’s why he eyed me like a snack every night! I burst out laughing.

  "Would’ve been pointless anyway. Your immortality’s weird. I could never study your blood properly."

  "Why not? Drain a couple liters—it’ll take time to regenerate. Speedrun the analysis, might work." With that, I sliced my palm and sprinkled the golem’s back with red.

  The blood flowed through the grooves, rushing toward its head. The stone creature stirred, first stretching its arms. When it fully stood, I noticed moss covering its... unmentionables. Roughly three meters tall, maybe taller.

  "What now?" I asked, staring at the bearded rock.

  "It’ll speak. If you choose to Follow the Path of Nature and pass the trial, the golem will grow a thorned rose soaked in Xiu’s blood. The thorns will pump it into you. Like the snake bites on my palms, your forearm will bear the mark. Every mage has one."

  "Doubt I’ll scar. By the way—can you change Paths?"

  "No. But you can Follow multiple. Takes insane strength, though."

  Interesting. Then I should try the Path of Nature, even if the odds are slim.

  "Feels like it’s staring at us. What’s it looking at?" I waved a hand in front of its eyeless face. "Hellooo? Wi-Fi acting up?"

  "Monster," the golem growled.

  Before I could blink, its stone fist shot toward us.

  "Vergo!" I shoved the historian aside.

  I barely dodged, but it caught my right leg, pinning it to the ground. Screaming, I twisted free—leaving the lower half of my leg behind. It swung again, but I rolled clear. Chunks of wet earth exploded around us.

  "Monster!" it repeated.

  Our tethered horse shrieked, and the golem turned toward the sound. One blunt strike—its spine snapped. The horse collapsed, crushing Vergo beneath it. He howled in pain.

  The golem raised its fist to finish him.

  No.

  Damn it.

  It’ll kill him.

  No!

  "AAAAAAAAAAH!!!" I screamed louder than ever, throat tearing.

  The living rock halted, turning toward me instead. No eyes—just sound.

  My leg needed another two minutes to fully regrow. But Vergo was still trapped. No time to stall.

  Fight? With what? What good’s a sword against stone?

  "AAAAAAAH!" I kept screaming, voice ragged.

  Think, think, think!

  Nothing to think about! My only weapon’s the sword. If it’s really some artifact, time to see what it can do.

  Balancing on one leg, I drew the blade and braced.

  The sword didn’t fully block the impact—I still flew five meters—but it didn’t break.

  "AAAAAAAH!" I kept screaming, wiping blood from my brow.

  The blade felt heavier. Or was my arm just numb?

  Despite its strength, the golem was slow. I dodged another swing, circling behind it. One desperate slash—deep scratch. The sword grew heavier again, steel gleaming. Momentum left me open, so I blocked the next strike.

  Another flight. But this time, something changed. The stone on its fist crumbled. The sword weighed more, shining brighter. Now I needed both hands to hold it—awkward with the short hilt.

  I spat out shattered teeth and kept screaming, scrambling for a plan.

  Every clash made the sword stronger. But how much heavier could it get? Could I even lift it? Attack or block?

  Screw defense!

  The golem swung both fists. Only way through—between its legs. I rolled, sprang up, and spun. Gritting my teeth, I slashed diagonally from its right shoulder—cleaving the golem in half. The shockwave kept going, felling trees beyond the clearing.

  The stone beast and I hit the ground, but it kept moving. No surprise. If altars died this easy, no mages would exist.

  The sword was so heavy now, it pinned my arm. The golem’s upper half dragged itself toward me. No dodging from here.

  Then I remembered the blacksmith’s words—the sheath was part of the artifact too. I ripped it from my belt, struggling to slide the blade in. The weight vanished, the glow fading.

  My leg was almost healed—just needed skin. I scrambled to Vergo, groaning as he tried pushing the dead horse off. Grabbing the horns, I yanked it free.

  The golem clawed at the earth, dragging itself toward us, picking up speed.

  "I can’t stand! I can’t stand!" Vergo panicked, face red.

  No time to diagnose. I hauled him over my shoulders and bolted, weaving through the arches.

  Turns out, the golem couldn’t leave the clearing. With a final, furious screech, it returned to its spot.

  "You okay?" I set Vergo down, panting.

  He whimpered, face buried in his hands.

  "Betsy... If I hadn’t tied her... Why did I tie her? She was such a good girl..." Guilt choked his voice.

  "If anyone’s to blame, it’s my damn blood."

  "I’m the one who suggested this... We both knew it wouldn’t work."

  "Relax. Neither of us saw this coming."

  "Need to get our things... Bury Betsy."

  Since Vergo was lying flat, he couldn’t see the vines that had sprouted from the ground dragging the horse’s corpse underground. I was about to rush over, but our gear and supplies were already gone.

  "I'm afraid we’re out of luck," I said, wiping sweat.