While Freya was finishing up the final phase of moving everything into the house—once and for all, to finally close the chapter on setting up the back-end logistics and move on with her life…

  Anfield

  Deep in the forest, ten kilometers in—

  Dan and Nora were out surveying the remaining parts of the land, jotting down notes and naming each location systematically.

  Even Nora had never ventured this far. If the palace found out, it would surely be a big deal—but then again, she was free now. She could do whatever she wanted.

  And if a tiger jumped out of the trees to make Dan its dinner, well, he didn’t need to worry—Nora could easily kill it. Having a princess as your bodyguard had its perks.

  “We’ve come really far in, Mr. Fury. I’m honestly worried we might get lost.”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t get lost.”

  “You’ve got a good sense of direction, then?”

  “Not really. I just know where home is. I can feel it.”

  “Huh?”

  Nora turned to him.

  “Seriously?”

  “Honestly, you could dump me anywhere on this planet and I’d still find my way home.”

  “How is that even possible, Mr. Fury?”

  “Casca once said we’re like homing pigeons.”

  “…Wait, do you have some kind of organ that senses the magnetic field?”

  “I think so, yeah.”

  Like messenger pigeons returning to their lofts.

  Or salmon swimming upstream to lay eggs where they were born.

  The people of Diablo had that same latent ability embedded in them—a natural, evolutionary trait that allowed them to navigate back to their birthplace using the magnetic field of this world.

  “I think so?” Nora raised an eyebrow.

  “Come on, Nora. Even you humans don’t know exactly how your brains work. Don’t expect us to have all the answers.”

  Dan turned—and found Nora scribbling in her notebook.

  “Diablo… similar to… salmon…”

  “Pigeons. Give us some dignity, please.”

  “But salmon taste better. Snowhaven’s full of them.”

  “Are you saying no humans have this ability at all? I asked Casca once—she said she wasn’t sure.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “I don’t think any humans can do that, Mr. Fury. That’s why we rely on written records.”

  “You saying that makes me think…”

  They stopped to sit on a log.

  “Maybe because humans don’t have that ability, that’s why you invented writing in the first place.”

  “We’ve documented a lot, Mr. Fury.”

  “And that’s why my homeland has no written language at all.”

  Dan continued,

  “When I was in Snowhaven, I saw the carved statues of the Ophilis line—stretching back for generations. I thought they were beautiful. Totally different from what we have.”

  “You don’t record anything in Diablo?”

  “I don’t even have a family name.”

  “…That’s true. We’ve always just called you ‘Fury’… but we never knew ‘Fury of what.’”

  “Exactly.”

  “So you don’t know anything about your lineage?”

  “Not a thing.”

  He shook his head.

  “I don’t know anything about my ancestors. And one day, it just hit me—I started wondering… Where do we Diablo even come from?”

  “That’s the question of life itself, isn’t it, Mr. Fury?”

  “Same as when you humans ask where you came from. I wonder the same.”

  “I don’t really ask things like that. It’s simple—God created us.”

  Dan rolled his eyes.

  “Not the first time I’ve heard that answer.”

  “Let me guess… Casca?”

  “Yep. That’s exactly what she said.”

  “So what are you still unsure about, Mr. Fury?”

  “Hmm… I don’t know.”

  He scratched the back of his neck.

  “I just think the answer ‘God created us’ feels a little too easy.”

  “What do you mean, ‘too easy,’ Mr. Fury?”

  “If God created us, then why? What’s the purpose of our existence?”

  “All those answers are written in the CIS scriptures. If you’re interested, I can lend you my copy.”

  “And who wrote those scriptures?”

  “The prophets, of course.”

  “So how do I know the scriptures haven’t been edited? How can I be sure it’s really God’s word?”

  “Didn’t Casca already answer that for you, Mr. Fury?”

  “She did. But it still doesn’t make sense to me. There’s no way to know if those words really came from God, right?”

  “You’re sounding like you don’t believe, Mr. Fury.”

  “I heard there are several versions of the scriptures.”

  “Yes… about five versions.”

  “Then if they were truly the pure word of God, why are there five? Why not just one? Why allow edits or rewrites at all?”

  “Well, they had to be translated into other languages. Adapted to fit the context of different countries. Some were rewritten from memory because the originals were destroyed in wars.”

  “So then the content could be distorted.”

  “Of course, Mr. Fury. That’s why interpretation is important.”

  Nora hugged her knees and explained patiently,

  “Some words in the Luminus language might translate into multiple meanings in Snowhaven—or not exist at all in Zentinel.”

  “But God’s supposed to be all-powerful, right? Why didn’t He just speak once and magically implant it into everyone’s brain worldwide?”

  “God doesn’t force belief, Mr. Fury. Only those who truly have faith will find Him.”

  “But don’t the scriptures command people to fear Him? Isn’t that a contradiction?”

  “!”

  Nora froze.

  “C-IS, Chapter 2, Verse 3: ‘All mankind shall fear your God.’ Chapter 4, Verse 12: ‘O people, fear your Lord. The tremors of the Day of Judgment are severe indeed.’ And there’s plenty more ‘fear.’”

  “You seem to know the scripture pretty well yourself…”

  “Casca recited it to me every day, trying to convert me… But that’s the part I still can’t wrap my head around. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”

  “That’s… well…”

  Nora’s eyes wavered with uncertainty. She looked down, searching for a counterargument—but came up empty.

  “If you believe in it, I’m not judging you, Nora… I just think that kind of answer feels too convenient.”

  “You seem really serious about this question, Mr. Fury… Why do you even want to know?”

  “I just do.”

  Dan leaned back against the log.

  “It’s been sitting in the back of my mind for decades now… A simple question I keep thinking about: Who are we? Where did we come from?”

  “You sound just like those Mathema philosophers, Mr. Fury.”

  “God probably wouldn’t be too happy with me.”

  “Probably not, Mr. Fury.”

  Suddenly, Nora reached toward him.

  “Wha—? Nora, what are you doing?!”

  Her hand swept toward his shoulder, grabbing a large venomous centipede that had crawled up the log and onto him without his notice—and tossed it to the ground.

  “!”

  The prince’s eyes widened.

  “See? God’s definitely not happy with you.”

  Dan watched the creature writhe on its back before skittering away.

  “...Since when was that thing on me?”

  “I just saw it a moment ago. Good thing I got it off before it bit you.”

  “I don’t know what to be more shocked about—you or the centipede…”

  Nora scribbled in her notebook.

  “Diablo… has… no religion…”

  “Do you have to write everything down?!”