Titan

The Adventures Begin

At sunrise the following day, they all dispersed to their respective destinations, each riding off into the distance with purpose. The journey ahead was uncertain, and the air carried a sense of urgency. After some time, Atlan, Gin, and Harold arrived at the mouth of a cave. Dismounting their horses, they exchanged brief glances before Atlan alone proceeded inside, leaving the others to stand guard outside.

The cave was damp and silent, save for the echoes of Atlan's footsteps as he ventured deeper into its dark embrace. After a short walk, he reached what appeared to be a dead end. Just as he was about to turn back, the cave began to glow with an eerie yet calming light.

"Welcome, your majesty!" A voice resonated within the cavern, its source unseen.

Atlan exhaled, shaking his head slightly. "Not yet, Arloa."

"I can sense your presence, king of the Arvins," the voice insisted.

"Well, I haven't been crowned yet."

"You are the rightful king of the Arvins. A coronation is merely an awareness ceremony."

Atlan crossed his arms. "Let’s just leave it at prince for now, shall we?"

"No problem, Prince Atlan. I assume you’re here because of the titan. I can sense the presence of the beast and the Hakuri outside."

Atlan raised an eyebrow. "How do you know about that, exactly?"

"We hear things—from people, from animals, even from trees. The land speaks if one listens."

Atlan nodded, taking a moment to process the thought before continuing, "I need to find the Trivia. You’re sure it still exists, right?"

"Of course it does. I recall telling you to find it before, but you dismissed it. And now, here you are." Arloa’s tone carried a hint of amusement.

Atlan sighed. "You can’t blame me. It’s been nearly a century since anyone’s laid eyes on it. Makes it difficult to believe in."

"Well, we haven’t had a Zurani in almost that time either. Yet, here you stand. As real as the day."

"Is there a map I could follow?"

"A map?" Arloa’s voice shifted, as though considering the absurdity of the question. "No, there is no map. But I do have a piece of advice. Keep the one who dives, and protect the one among the three. Below the light, is the light that will save humanity."

Atlan’s expression fell flat. He had come here to untangle mysteries, not create more of them. "You do realize you’re making this worse for me, right?"

"This riddle will aid you in your quest. My prince, I believe you know what to do."

"Err, no, no. That’s why I’m here."

"Oh? Well, neither do I." Arloa chuckled, a faint, disembodied amusement filling the space.

Atlan sighed deeply. "And the riddle?"

"You’ll need to figure that out yourself."

"You don’t know what it means either, do you?"

"You got me. I have no idea. Another guardian told me to relay this to you, saying it was all you’d need. He would have told you in person, but he doesn’t believe you two will ever meet. Well, good luck in your quest."

"What are you—"

"You may leave the cave," Arloa interrupted. The light in the cavern abruptly vanished, leaving Atlan standing in the darkness.

Atlan exhaled sharply. "I guess time’s up. It just keeps getting shorter," he muttered, turning on his heel. As he stepped toward the exit, the cave brightened once more.

"The dragon in Losvayne might know. Ask him," Arloa’s voice echoed one final time before the illumination disappeared entirely.

"Thank you," Atlan murmured under his breath as he exited.

Harold perked up as soon as he saw Atlan emerge. "Any information on the Trivia?"

"Arloa suggested we speak with the dragon in Losvayne," Atlan replied.

Harold scoffed. "So nothing’s changed then."

***

The trio mounted their horses and set off once more, their journey taking them toward the Ner and Zari fortress. The path was arduous, weaving through rocky terrain and dense forests. Eventually, they reached the base of an immense cliff, towering at least four thousand feet into the sky.

Harold stared up at it. "This cliff isn’t just going to open up and present a passage now, is it?"

Gin rolled his eyes. "Are all you Hakuris this naive?"

Harold shot back, "Shut it, beast. I didn’t bring your bone along."

Atlan burst into laughter but quickly stifled it as both Harold and Gin turned their death glares on him.

Harold turned back to the cliff. "There’s no way around this, is there?"

"Nope," Atlan confirmed. "We climb. This shortcut will save us at least ten days. That’s a whole lot."

"I don’t have a problem with climbing," Harold said. "But can Gin handle it?"

Gin smirked. "Not all of us were bred on trees, but we’ll manage."

"First to climb wins," Harold declared suddenly, grinning at his companions.

"Deal. In three, two—" Gin began, but before he could finish, Atlan had already started scaling the cliff.

Gin and Harold exchanged a glance before pulling Atlan back down. "The Zurani shouldn’t cheat," Harold said smugly before launching himself upward.

"It’s called being smart, i***t!" Atlan yelled as he dusted himself off and began climbing again.

The ascent was brutal. Harold took large, powerful jumps, scaling with unrelenting speed. Gin, on the other hand, took smaller but rapid steps, almost as if crawling along the cliff face. Atlan found himself somewhere in between, making calculated leaps. The three raced each other, the competition driving them upward.

“Are you trying to kill yourselves?” Atlan yells, as he tries earnestly to catch up with them.

“Ha! Don’t stress it Atlan, you’ll never catch up!” Harold yells right back, as he steadily increases the gap between he and Gin, who are both well ahead of Atlan.

Harold gets to the top first, then Gin some moments after before Atlan shortly after too. As Atlan gets to the top, he is a bit bothered that Gin and Harold have barely moved from the edge of the cliff. “Why are you two still---” Atlan says but is cut short, as he realizes what lies before them.

The three of them stand still and no one makes a sound. About a hundred yards or so in front of them, lies a mega dragon! No, even worse, a colossal dragon and it was asleep beside a tree. The entire area is covered with grasses that are almost a foot high. Atlan looks to Harold on his left, to Gin on his right and back at the colossal dragon whose head is pointing in their direction. Harold tries to turn back but Atlan holds him. “I told you, you were not allowed to run away.” Atlan says in a hushed tone.