Aknon's POV

The road wasn't too tricky to find, but it was a little disorientating trying to figure out which way we had come from. Judging by the aches and pains in my body, Char had taken me to the forest and then began dragging me through the uneven terrain, instead of dragging me along the road and then to the forest. It had taken me about a full hour before I realised I was walking in the entirely wrong direction.

After another hour and a half of walking in the right direction, I came across a disturbing sight. There were blood splatters along the road, and I knew that this was where I had been when I saw the riders. I recognised the rock I hid behind, but that was the only landmark of importance.

I followed the blood splatters into the forest, holding my sword in my hand as I cautiously looked around. I didn't know if the prisoners would be awake, but I wouldn't blame them for being on high alert. I knew that holding my sword wasn't the ideal picture of peace, but I wanted to ensure that I could defend myself.

Char was acting odd, lingering by the edge of the trees, but I didn't know if that was a good thing or not. He looked nervous, but not fearful at least.

The carriage wasn't too far away from the road it had once been travelling. It was in complete disrepair, but what caught my attention was the lack of horses, and the state of the riders.

They were thrown a few feet away from the broken carriage, definitely dead. The cause of death was peculiar though, as they all seemed to have been impaled with arrows. I knew for certain that I didn't have any kind of archery equipment on me, and I doubted that Char could've summoned arrows. I entertained the thought of perhaps conjuring some arrows when I was in my panic-induced state earlier, back when I had blacked out. But I knew that wasn't the case as I examined the arrows.

They were all made of some kind of lightweight wood, which were almost white in colour. I knew for sure that my magic had never created anything like this, especially not by accident. It was only then that I figured that Dwi must have something to do with the magic which I produced consciously and unconsciously. Even if I tried to create something soft, light-coloured, or bright, I had never been able to. It made me feel somewhat bitter, but it also told me that I must have some kind of speciality somewhere.

I snapped out of my thoughts and stood. I stared at the forest for a few minutes, before taking a few steps further in. There were no footprints on the ground leading further into the trees, but there were also no footsteps leading back to the road. I wondered where the two prisoners had gone.

I shook my head and made my way back to Char, a deep frown on my face once again, "I can't find them," I told the horse. "Do you know what happened?"

Char nodded his head, as though he actually understood me.

I stared at him expectedly, waiting for the time when the horse stopped his neighing and actually used a human voice. "I'm going utterly mad."

He nodded again.

I pinched the bridge of my nose before getting on Char's back, sheathing my sword beforehand so I didn't accidentally hurt him. "They might be a little way up the road, but we've probably lost them considering we went the wrong way." I patted the side of his neck, and we began moving once more, hopefully to the wandering village. And if we saw any dishevelled wanderers on our way, making sure that they were safe.

It was incredibly boring, riding a horse all day along a road which basically never changed. I took some time to admire a lake we passed, collecting water, thinking of the mermaid we had met a few months back. I cleaned my wounds and got back on the road. There weren't even any thumbs or bandits running around trying to knock me down and steal from me. I should be grateful for that, but I was just far too bored.

I talked to Char a lot, which only further confirmed my thought process and that I was going insane. The day turned into night, and night turned into day. I had completely run out of food when I came across the next town, and I didn't have a lot of money for some more, but I scavenged what I could and continued.

I didn't come across those who had been kidnapped, the ones who were involved in the carriage accident. I thought maybe that was a good thing, as I remained perplexed about the arrows which had been embedded in the rider's bodies. I had tried to look through my book to try and get some answers about them, but I couldn't figure out much. I remembered all the warnings I'd received, telling me not to rely on the book too heavily.

But I couldn't help myself.

I sat in front of the fire reading my book. The air was chilly, and I was slightly shivering. I hated the fact that I didn't have more to keep me warm. I put my book down and wrapped my arms around myself, pulling my coat tighter to me in order to preserve my body heat, trying to make sense of the pages in front of my eyes.

"Can I share your fire?" a strange voice said from behind me.

On reflex, I closed my book and turned my head. I was seconds away from pulling out my sword when I saw who it was. I didn't recognise them, there wasn't much to recognise. They wore a black cloak, and I could only see their pale chin and thin lips. They looked and felt suspicious, but as I thought over their question, I didn't see anything wrong with it.

"You may," I replied and gestured to the opposite side of the fire. I was now on high alert, and watching everything this stranger did, but I didn't want to deny them the warmth from the fire.

"That's kind of you, sir." The figure moved to the other side of the fire and sat down. They were relatively slender and tall from what I could see. They had frail-looking hands, which were covered in what looked like black gloves. They put their hands out, trying to get closer to the flames. "It's a dark and cold night tonight, this autumn is being harsh."

I didn't even comprehend that it was autumn. We had moved so much that we didn't really keep track of the seasons, only the day-to-day weather conditions. "It is," I agreed with their earlier statement. "I'm not a fan of the cold."

"I know," the figure said with a chuckle. "Dwi isn't either."

Alarm bells rang in my head, and I gripped the handle of my sword, staring at the figure like they were going to die if they made a single move. I didn't mean to be so intimidating, or to show the extent of my shock, but I was too tired to deal with over-dramatic revelations.

"Oh, you act nothing like them," the figure said with a laugh and a shake of their head. "They would've impulsively cut my head off."

"Well, so would my siblings," I said in a slightly more guarded tone. "It seems impulsiveness runs in the family."

The figure nodded. "So, it seems. That isn't a trait within all the deities though. We may not be related by blood, we've spent an awful amount of time around each other." Their words were making my brain ache. I knew what they were getting at, but I didn't want to deal with a deity right now.

"What do you want?" I asked quietly, not intending it to sound as rude as it did. "I'm tired and confused, and don't have the power to think." I was stuck with who I was even talking to. The deity who it is most likely to be was one I didn't want to cross.

They laughed and nodded. "Then you should go with your intuition."

My intuition was telling me that this was Odon, and that I was in trouble if it was. Odon barely came out of their domain, books, to meddle in the lives of mortals.

"Please tell me that my intuition is wrong, all of it's wrong, and I'm hallucinating." I knew that I was getting ruder, but there was just a certain edge to the atmosphere which made it harder and harder to stay polite.

"At least you're being truthful," the figure commented before shaking their head. "Fortunately for me, you are correct. I am Odon." They didn't remove their hood, but black lines began to decorate their pale chin. "I was witness to your conversation with Buruh earlier, and I believe you could help us."

"Help you?" I repeated. "How could I help the deities? I'm just a single person, and I'm nowhere near as powerful. They said that you're facing a similar situation to me. How can I help you with yours if I cannot help myself?"

Odon let out a sigh and straightened their back. "Whoever said we didn't have the same issue? The very same issue."

My eyebrows furrowed as the pain increased in my head. "My sibling is missing." The statement was simple and obvious, just stating the fact. "But what's wrong with the deities?"

"A follower of Buruh's has also gone missing," Odon informed. "Alongside Aero and Coy. They are being more subtle about it, not asking around much. But I am not afraid to take initiative and ask for help." They sighed again. "I do not know who has stolen them, but I am aware that it is the same person who has stolen your sibling."

"I was told to give up," I pointed out. "I was told to stop looking for them, and that I should go find Sarphi and Prin instead." My shoulders were tensing, a rather dramatic reaction to simple conflicting information. I knew that I would have to follow Odon's advice, given the fact that they were the deity of knowledge.

"You should never give up," Odon protested. "Not when you have the facts. You should go find your sister so she can help, but don't give up." Odon stood once more; hands still outstretched towards the fire. "The village comes to those who need it, but it only moves at night. Remember that." They nodded, and vanished.