The group of four made their way up to the front entrance. A sizeable crowd had gathered, welcoming Zenith and Arabella home. Ray and Erith waited as all the staff who worked in the castle and all of Zenith’s children welcomed them back. Almost an hour later, the crowd finally dispersed enough for Erith and Him to walk up.

  “Excuse me, Zenith,” Ray said, walking up.

  “Ah, what can I do for you?” She turned her piercing yellow eyes to Ray.

  “Can we talk in private?”

  She looked at him and Erith for a few moments before nodding. They made their way into a more secluded part of the castle.

  “So, what is the nature of your request?”

  Ray summoned the screen showing the quest and the countdown to her.

  Time limit

  66 days, 19 hours, 44 minutes

  Ray thought he saw a smirk appear on Zenith's face, but after blinking, she was frowning.

  Must have imagined it.

  Zenith let out a sigh when she reached the bottom of the quest. “So, what do you want me to do about this?”

  Ray opened his mouth and closed it again, his eyebrows furrowing.

  “Don’t you want to prevent the horde from spreading to your land?” Erith asked with a confused expression.

  “Let me correct you there if the horde spreads to my land. It will be wiped out in hours.”

  “So you're fine letting all those people die?”

  Zenith looked at Ray with a look of indifference. “Yes.”

  Ray took a step back. He no longer saw a woman in front of him but a cold, unfeeling monster. He recalled everything he had learned about Zenith over the past months, and a new image formed in his head—the image of a monarch only interested in giving if she got something in return.

  “So, what would it take to get your help?” Ray said, glaring at the woman-shaped beast.

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  A grin formed on Zenith's face. “I am unsure you are ready to give me what I ask for.”

  “Try us,” Erith said.

  Zenith’s mouth widened into an inhuman grin as a voice like a rolling cliff echoed through the room. “If you want my help in return, I want everything. I wish to have you both belong to me for the rest of your lives. I'm a bit of a collector, and two humans that should reach the first stage of ascension within the next few years would be a fine addition.”

  Ray balled his fists. Glaring at the woman. His thoughts were whirling as he struggled to decide what to do. He wanted to tell Zenith to screw off but something in the back of his mind wouldn’t let him.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Erith shouted.

  “Oh, come now. You will still be allowed to move around the castle as you please. My two eldest daughters have taken a liking to you two, and I would hate to deprive them of that.”

  “Yeah, that was my concern, not you equating us to nothing more than belongings.”

  “How long do we have to decide?” Ray asked.

  “Ray, why would you even consider what she is saying?” Erith yelled, turning to him.

  “What if it's the only way to save our home?” Ray asked, looking into Erith’s eyes for any reassurance. “50% of the forest could be wiped out. Shouldn't we try to prevent that if we can?”

  Erith frowned while looking at him. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. “We will find another way. We don’t need her help.”

  A snort of laughter came from behind her. “The lord of a horde is on par with an ascended being. You two aren't going to achieve that in 60 days.”

  “We will find a way,” Erith said, glaring back at Zenith.

  She snarled at the pair. “Fine. I’ll give you until 20 days remain to make your choice. By then, you should be able to see how futile your attempts are.” Zenith began to chant an incantation as she finished speaking.

  Golden energy rushed over Erith and Ray, covering their body.

  “What did you just do?” Ray asked.

  “Insurance. I wouldn’t want you getting yourself killed out there.”

  Ray shuddered at the thought of whatever spell Zenith had placed on him. He could make out some words normally used in healing magic, but most of them were so complex he had never heard them before.

  “Let's get out of here,” Erith said, staring daggers at Zenith.

  The left and elder scale kin gave a small wave as they did, and her unnatural grin remained affixed on her face.

  “I never would have thought,” Ray said, holding his head in his hands while sitting on their bed.

  “I know what you mean, but it explains a lot.”

  “Like what?”

  “Do you think someone who has ascended and has access to healing magic on the level Zenith does would need help from us?”

  Ray lifted his head. “Now that you mention it, that is strange.”

  “I think she has been lying to us since the beginning. I just can’t figure out why.”

  Ray rubbed his chin in thought. He considered everything Zenith had done since they first met and tried to form a clear picture of her goal, but nothing fit into place. “Do you think she wanted to collect us from the beginning?”

  “Could be, but I can’t shake the feeling that there is more to it.”

  Ray let out a long sigh. “Well, we can think about it back in the forest. Now that we're on an even tighter time limit, we need to get back to leveling quickly.”

  Erith nodded. Ray opened a gateway, and they stepped back into the forest, looking for their next leader to hunt.

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