“Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Orin Irythros, a knight of the Aetherian Blades.”

  Orin’s voice echoes in my ears, his gaze steady as he looks at us.

  Stella tilts her head slightly, “So you are from the Irythros Bloodline. Is that right?”

  He nods solemnly. “That’s right. My bloodline, the Irythros, is associated with Seryna, which is the moon of clarity and balance.” A faint breeze stirs his dark hair as he continues, “I am a master in tactical prowess, and a chief commander of the Aetherian Blades.”

  The words sink in, heavy with meaning. The way he speaks, it is not with arrogance, but with a certainty that makes it clear: he’s someone who knows his purpose.

  Aric asks, “So where and what exactly is this place? It too must have a name, right?”

  “This is Solivern, the land governed by moons. As for where it is located…” His voice trails off as Orin seems to be in thought. He continues, “It’s not exactly a different world altogether. It can be said that it’s situated on Earth, but is part of a different dimension or plane. Normal humans can’t see or interact with it.

  “And at the heart of this land lies the city of Sael’vithar, the headquarters of Aetherian Blades. That is where the order was formed, and it’s been the hub of our activities from centuries.”

  Solivern and Sael’vithar… It all seems like its straight out of a dream.

  The Ruvh’nael perched on Orin’s shoulder stirs, and it flutters off into the distance.

  “Where is it going?” Elara questions out of curiosity.

  Orin replies calmly, “It must have been wanting to return home. After all, it’s been a long time since we both left Solivern.”

  She nods, and her gaze stretches into the distance.

  The landscape stretches endlessly, shifting in colors that shouldn’t exist together but somehow do—deep blues and silvers, muted golds and reds that pulse faintly as if the land itself is breathing. The sky is an endless twilight, neither day nor night, painted in swirling hues of indigo and violet. And above, the seven moons—wielding an air of authority—watch like quiet sentinels.

  The air feels different here. Lighter, yet charged with something unseen.

  The land is alive.

  Kate suddenly gasps and rushes forward, her brown hair waving.

  “What—Kate?” Maya asks in confusion as she takes off, her boots barely making a sound against the strange, soft earth.

  Aric snorts. “What now?”

  “A cat!” she calls back, voice laced with excitement.

  I follow her gaze and spot it—a sleek, shadowy feline-like creature, its fur shifting between deep purple and black as if woven from the night itself. Its bright eyes flick toward Kate, unbothered by her approach, and with a slow, fluid movement, it slinks away into the strange grass, disappearing as though it had never been there.

  Kate slows to a stop, pouting. “Aww, too bad. I just wanted to pet it.”

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  Orin chuckles softly. “That was a Velmari. They don’t take well to being touched. But consider yourself lucky—it didn’t run because it feared you. It simply chose to leave.”

  Kate crosses her arms. “Still. Would it kill them to be a little friendlier?”

  “Considering their nature, yes.”

  That makes her pause, staring at him as if to gauge whether he’s joking. He does not clarify. She gives up.

  Elara, still watching the sky, murmurs, “I can’t believe we’re actually here. It does not feel real.”

  “Maybe because it isn’t,” I say under my breath. I half-expect to wake up any moment, back in my bed, my mind fogged over like always. But the cool air brushes against my skin, real and tangible. The ground is firm beneath my feet. The strange, luminous plants ahead glow faintly with every shift of the wind. No, this isn’t a dream. This all is very much real.

  Stella turns to Orin. “How much longer until we reach Sael’vithar?”

  “About four to five hours,” he answers.

  Orin’s words settle over us, and I glance at the vast stretch of land ahead. The terrain is unlike anything I’ve seen before—rolling hills that seem to shimmer under the light of the moons, winding rivers that glow faintly, and trees with leaves that reflect colors I don’t have names for.

  “Four to five hours?” Aric sighs. “You could’ve lied and said two.”

  “I could have,” Orin replies with a smirk, “but I did not.”

  Aric mutters something under his breath, and Kate snickers.

  Rose, her gaze still fixed on the landscape, suddenly points ahead. “Hey! Is the land… moving?”

  I look where she’s pointing. At first, it seems like a trick of the dim light, but then I see it—the terrain itself looks to be shifting ever so slightly, like the earth is breathing. The distant hills ripple, their forms subtly changing, as if Solivern itself is alive.

  “What the hell…” I trail off, watching in stunned silence.

  “The land moves,” Orin says simply, as if it was something obvious. “Solivern is not static like your world. It is always changing, shifting. It breathes.”

  Kate takes a hesitant step forward, “So if we are walking… and the land moves, will we not get lost? That sounds terrible!”

  Orin shakes his head. “Not while I’m here.”

  I’m not sure if that’s reassuring or ominous.

  Elara studies the ground carefully, then glances at Orin. “So, does this place have any actual wildlife, besides that Velmari?”

  “Oh, plenty.” Orin gestures toward the horizon. “Some creatures you will see. Others… will see you first.”

  Aric groans. “Yeah, that’s definitely not creepy at all.”

  “Is there food here though, or will we have to make do with plants?”

  He winks at me.

  Putting a hand on his shoulder, I reply, “Yeah, it’d be best if we can have something better than boiled beans.”

  Orin looks at us in confusion. “You need not worry. The cuisine of Seal’vithar will certainly satisfy your appetite.”

  Kate perks up at that. “Wait, there’s actual food here? Like, proper meals?”

  Orin nods. “Sael’vithar is a thriving city. You’ll find food unlike anything in your world. Some of it may take getting used to, but I assure you, it is far better than… boiled beans.” He gives me and Aric a curious look, as if genuinely perplexed by the concept.

  Aric sighs in relief. “Thank the moons. I was already dreading some mystical diet of glowing leaves and air.”

  We keep walking, the terrain shifting beneath us in slow, seamless waves. It’s unsettling at first, like walking on something that isn’t fully solid, yet I never lose balance. The world is alive, adjusting to us as we move.

  Then, something in the distance catches my eye.

  At first, it looks like a cluster of stones, scattered across a field of silver grass. But as we get closer, the shapes shift, revealing themselves to be creatures—large, quadrupedal beings with smooth, glass-like skin that reflects the surroundings. Their bodies ripple with faint colors, mirroring the twilight sky above.

  Stella’s breath hitches. “Are those…?”

  Orin follows her gaze. “Ah. The Luriths.”

  Kate takes a cautious step forward, watching the creatures with wide eyes. “They’re beautiful.”

  “They are harmless,” Orin assures us. “They roam freely, feeding off the energy of the land itself. They are drawn to movement but will not attack.”

  As if on cue, one of the Luriths turns its head toward us. Its eyes—if they can even be called that—are deep pools of shifting light, like reflections on water. It watches for a moment, then lowers its head, continuing its slow, graceful movement across the field.

  Kate smiles. “I kinda wanna touch one.”

  “I would not advise it,” Orin says, amused.

  Kate pouts but doesn’t push her luck.

  The air grows cooler as we continue onward, the path ahead leading toward a distant glow. Sael’vithar awaits, but for now, Solivern stretches endlessly before us, a world unlike anything we’ve ever known.