The carriage had been repaired.
Supplies were stocked.
Horses stood ready.
Everything was in place.
Convincing the local lord to provide additional men had not been easy. The memory of previous failed expeditions still lingered too strongly.
But in the end, gold—and perhaps a certain twisted admiration—won out.
After all, there was always a strange appeal in funding a group of selfless fools willing to march straight toward their deaths.
Of course, it wasn't luck that secured their support.
It was careful planning.
And Yun's exceptional charisma.
Morell and Elincia welcomed the reinforcements without hesitation. Although weak and inexperienced.
Militia at best.
Whether they trusted them or not didn't matter.
They needed the numbers.
That was reason enough.
"I was hoping we'd at least get an escort of professionals until we reach the border," Ning muttered, speaking through Valen's body.
Bao glanced at him.
"With that kind of funding, we could have just hired mercenaries for the whole journey," he suggested aloud.
Elincia shot him a flat look.
"Do you really think the lord didn't consider that?"
Bao shrugged.
"You won't find a single mercenary band willing to march into the Forgotten Lands," she continued. "Not even the most reckless."
Her tone turned colder.
"And if one does accept, it's only to take your coin, disappear into the wilderness… and leave you buried beneath a tree."
A pause.
"At least you'd get a decent grave."
The first rays of sunlight crept over the castle walls, painting the stone in shades of orange.
They had gathered before dawn, before even the first rooster's call.
The square before the main gate was quiet.
Still.
Until—
"Mount up!"
Bao's voice rang out.
Clear.
Steady.
His own voice.
Yet somehow… different.
They weren't the only ones awake that early.
But they were, without question, the most noticeable group.
Nearly twenty people.
Armed.
Prepared.
Marching toward the unknown.
The gates opened.
And they left the city behind.
The journey to the frontier took nearly a week.
Days of travel.
Nights of uneasy rest.
Until finally—
They reached it.
A mountain range stretched across the horizon like an unbreakable wall.
Jagged peaks clawed at the sky, their shadows swallowing the land below.
There was only one way through.
A narrow pass, winding its way through the stone like a scar.
At its entrance stood a small fortress.
Weathered.
Silent.
Watching.
"State your business."
The guards at the gate didn't move. The portcullis remained firmly shut.
Bao stepped forward.
"We are an expedition sanctioned by the crown and the local lord," he called out. "We're heading into the frontier."
The guards exchanged a glance.
Then one of them stepped closer.
"Not that I'm eager to stop you from riding to your deaths," he said dryly, "but do you have proof?"
Before Bao could respond, Morell stepped forward.
Massive.
Unmissable.
He handed over two sealed letters.
The wax seals alone were enough.
The guard's expression shifted immediately.
He nodded.
"Open the gate!"
The second guard shouted—his voice oddly high-pitched, almost comical against the grim setting.
With a heavy jolt, the portcullis began to rise.
Metal groaned.
Chains rattled.
And the path forward revealed itself.
"Good luck," the guard said, stepping aside. "I'll include you in my prayers."
He gave a small, almost pitying smile.
"Well… that was easier than expected," Bao muttered as they passed through.
"That's because they're not here to keep people like us out," Ning replied. "They're here to keep what's out there from coming in."
Bao glanced back.
The gate was already closing.
Slowly.
Heavier than before.
"This check was just a formality" Ning added.
The climb through the pass was brutal.
The air thinned.
The path narrowed.
Horses struggled. Men panted.
Every step forward felt harder than the last.
And then—
They reached the peak.
A cold wind swept over them, carrying the scent of something wild… and ancient.
Bao stepped forward.
And froze.
Beyond the mountains—
The world opened up.
A vast expanse stretched before them.
Dense forests.
Endless plains.
Untouched.
Unclaimed.
Alive.
And in the distance—
Towering above it all—
Stood the Monolith.
A colossal structure, rising into the heavens.
Its peak vanished into the clouds.
Too far to see clearly.
Yet close enough to feel its presence.
Like something watching.
Waiting.
"From here on…" Elincia said, stepping beside him.
Her voice was quieter now.
More serious.
"It's just us."
No walls.
No reinforcements.
No safety.
"Us against the frontier."
A pause.
"Us against whatever lives out there."
Bao didn't respond.
His eyes remained fixed on the Monolith.
On their destination.
On the place that could decide everything.
And for the first time—
He truly understood.
There was no turning back.