After returning to Avindors' Wake, the group went to bed for the night. The next morning… "So… Keo! What's our next destination?" asked an excited Avi. “I… don’t know…” Responded Keo. "You don't know?" Rei walked into the room. Both Rei and Avi looked at Keo in disbelief. "Don't worry, it's not as bad as it seems… we can ask my father for assistance!" Keo said, going for the door. "But don't you know EVERYTHING?" asked Rei. Keo paid no attention to Rei's tomfoolery and left the building. Rei and Avi followed behind.

  The three headed for the castle. Avindors' Wake was quite busy at this time. People were going in and out of buildings, filling the cobbled streets... "So, I get to see that King again. I do have to thank him for not keeping Avi and me locked up. If he didn't let us out, I wouldn't have gotten a chance to get along with you two!" Rei smiled as they were nearing the castle. The drawbridge opened at Keo's signal, and the three entered. They went down the main corridor and up the stairs. King Sholventus once again greeted them.

  "Oh Ho! The heroes return! How are you, my son?" asked the King, emerging from his throne. "We're in a bit of a pickle, Dad, we don't know where to find the next artifact," Keo responded. Avi stepped forward and bowed. "Um... my... King... sir..." "No need to bow to me, ma'am! Just call me Sholvy!" Said the King to Avi. "Oh... uh... OK!" Avi responded. "We need to know our third location... I know that your knights have explored four different regions... is it possible that it is one of those? Avindor isn't huge, so having one artifact in every region would make sense..." Sholventus stepped down the stairs leading to his throne. He walked over to Keo.

  The King put his hand on Keo's shoulder. "My son..." Keo looked up at his father... with the sun glistening directly on them like a spotlight. “I purposely didn't tell you that each artifact has to be collected in perfect order. Meaning, that if you were to collect one that was not meant to be collected, serious injury, or possibly even death would occur. I apologize for not telling you, my son, I put you three in grave danger, and expected you to figure it out." A tear fell from his eye. "Dad... It's not that bad... look. We're fine, and now that you told us, you can show us where to go next!" Keo responded to his father

  "Come back to my castle, with both artifacts you have collected, and I will show you the correct path." Rei's group returned home, fetched the artifacts, and returned to the castle. On the way back, a tremor occurred. "Oh... that doesn't look good..." Avi said. The Storm of the End had expanded. It was nearly triple the size it was initially. Anomalous Thunderstorms formed around the storm, emitting purple and white lightning. "Let's not pay attention to that, Avi, let's just focus on bringing these artifacts to the castle, everything will be fine," Keo said. Rei and Keo walked towards the castle. Avi stood still and stared up at the sky. "Ardonous... It seems like it's not too late to change your mind... please... I beg of you... Give us a second chance..." Avi said quietly. She turned her back on the storm and followed Rei and Keo to the castle.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "So, here they are, Father, what do you think we should do with them?" Keo handed his father the two artifacts they had collected. "Excellent! Come with me, I need to show you something..." Rei and Co. followed the King into a back chamber. There was a pillar with an opening for the first artifact. The King placed the artifact inside it. It started glowing, pulsating, and some colors and magic manifested, creating a vision of the Cortex Marshes. "We've already been there; we just got back from there," Rei said. "Then why don't you do the honors with the second artifact? Here, take this key, and enter the gate behind the castle. There, you will find the outskirts of Avindors Wake. Another pillar should be located somewhere there. Place the artifact in the pillar, and your next destination will be revealed. Now, off you go!" The King shoved Rei and his group off to place the artifact in a pillar on the town's outskirts.

  The group walked behind the castle and was stopped by a gate. Rei unlocked it with the key he was given. "Wow! This place is so cool! I've never been back here before!" Avi said excitedly. "None of us have, Avi. This is new to all of us." Keo replied to Avi. Several paths led to different locations, all with signs obscured by some magic. The one legible sign had a symbol of a brain on it. "This looks like where we need to go." Rei and the others went down the path, which went on for quite a while. The path eventually reached an open area with no walls and a far stretch down. "Keep your feet steady," Rei said.

  They made it to the other side. A couple of furballs, similar to the ones found in the Gilded Groves, were roaming the area. They noticed Avi and tried to attack her. "Not today, cuties!" She said, taking them out. The three walked ahead and found the pillar. Rei placed the crystal on the pillar. It glowed and manifested into a visual of a lava-filled desert. "That looks like the Scorchsand Dunes... I didn't expect we'd have to go there so soon." Keo said. "It looks hot there!" Avi said. Rei took a closer look at the visual. A path could be seen leading up to it from the southwest. "Looks like we need to go southwest from here, and we'll reach the dunes. Let's go, the storm in the sky isn't growing, and we won't stop searching." Rei said, leading the group out of the tunnel.