Mesyla was laughing, but Talo was not amused.
“The Immortal King will die.” She repeated in a mocking tone. 
For a second, all he could do was blink back at her.  
“Are you done?” He asked. 

Mesyla placed a hand over her mouth, attempting to suppress her laughter, and nodded. Slightly annoyed, Talo stomped towards her, taking both of her hands into his, desperate for her to see the truth.

“Odre yu pallor sen verac.” He professed. A lie has been isolated from its truth.
“I don’t understand, Talo.”
“Do you trust me?” 
Mesyla nodded.
“Then close your eyes and let me show you.” 

***

8 Days Ago

A once vast land of many vibrant kingdoms, the Meadows, a vast grassland in Arla, is now mostly a land of darkness and death. However, far east, there still lies a hot, glowing kingdom of fire and fury. A kingdom defined by its ring of volcanoes, shielding insiders from aspiring invaders. A kingdom of scars and smoldering traditions. A kingdom once ruled by Fyr, the God of Fire. This kingdom is the Kingdom of Flames and Inferno… the only kingdom to defeat the ‘Immortal’ King and his quest to rule the Meadows. 

And for Talo, as he was exiled from his own rightful land, and prohibited from entering the remaining kingdoms that had been conquered by the Immortal King in the Meadows, this kingdom was the only land Talo was welcomed in. 

So after his fight with Mesyla, Talo decided he needed a break, away from the mountains, and packed for an overnight trip to the only place he found safe.

Now here he was, in the land of fire, strolling through the notorious Open Market, where one could sell and buy almost anything. Talo had only been there for a couple of minutes before he decided to stop by a vendor that was selling his favorite dessert, Ochre Berry Cream. A rich and decadent whipping dessert prepared hot from berries. But the man he was attempting to buy from kept trying to also sell him meat. 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t eat meat.” Talo apologized.
“What about your kin?” 
“I’ll just take the ochre berry cream.” Talo said, for the fifth time.
A look of disappointment was visibly seen across the seller’s face. He had been pleading with Talo for minutes, begging to buy meat. But Talo was a vegetarian.

“Well, it’ll be 7 Kyn.” The gentleman huffed. 

Talo, relieved, handed over the 7 Kyn and avoided eye contact with the man. That was when he noticed the gray-haired woman staring at him. The woman, wearing a long black hooded robe, was standing near a vendor selling knives. For a long moment, they just stared at each other. It was only when the older gentleman began shouting at him that Talo remembered where he was.

“Sir! Sir!” The older gentleman shouted, demanding his attention.
Talo’s eyes shot back to the man.  “Yes?”
“Your ochre berry cream, sir.” He said, as he held the bowl containing the dessert. 
“My apologies.” He offered, as he accepted the container.
Now ochre berry cream in hand, Talo was determined to seek the woman out. But when he returned his gaze, she was no longer there.

***

After no luck finding the mysterious woman, Talo made his way to the Sanctuary of Fyr. Made of red brick, and as old as Arla, the God Fyr himself once lived here. 

Inside, the walls were covered with marvelous, vivid paintings. Artwork of the Kings and Queens who came before. Of Fyr and how he slayed two of Trykar’s beasts. Of the legendary princess who burned through the roots of Arla and defeated the Immortal Army. 

Stories of victories colored these walls. 

And as centuries passed, this sanctuary became a historic and sacred site. A site where generations of Ascended Incarnates have been born… and flesh is burned.  

And for Fyries, residents of this kingdom, it has become a place to pray to their ruler, in hopes of reaching them. Seeing the half God, half Arlan was a desire for many…including Talo. And just like many other nights, Talo wasn’t alone. The sanctuary was crowded with worshippers. And very noisy. Chatter could be heard everywhere. 

Talo was sitting on a small bench in the back, eyes closed, and head angled towards the ground. He was in his own head, conversing with Arra, when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps, coming towards him, and coming to a stop right at his feet.

“Hi!” A high pitched voice spoke. 

Talo raised his head, and was greeted by the sight of a woman wearing a lavish robe adorned with hanging teardrop crystals, and a white, sheer veil covering her face.

“Hello.” He responded. 
“Would you like some company?” 
He didn’t. “Sure.” 

The woman took a seat next to Talo, keeping a small distance between the two. Talo noticed her crystals were huge. ‘That dress must be heavy.’ He thought to himself. 

“So, what did you bring?” She asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. 
“I’m sorry?” 
“Offering.” The woman responded.  
Talo immediately stiffened. 
“You brought something, didn’t you?” The woman asked, eyes narrowing. Talo didn’t respond.

“Talo, it’s very rude to walk into a sanctuary and not bring an offering.”
“I…” He stuttered.
“But King Kyran doesn’t like the gifts anyway.” She interrupted. 

After a long moment in silence, the woman rose from her seat. But when she went to walk away, a strong hand grabbed onto hers, pulling her back. 

“How do you know my name?” Talo questioned, eyes wide.
“I didn’t think you noticed.” The woman squeaked. She was excited.
So she returned to her seat, getting as close as she could to Talo. This time, she made sure there was no distance between them. 

“How do you know my name?” Talo repeated.  
The woman was avoiding eye contact with him. Instead, she was staring at the Shrine of Kyran, at the front of the room.
“When I saw you earlier, I couldn’t believe my eyes. You’ve grown.” 
“What are you talking about? Who are you?”

But she didn’t answer. Instead, still avoiding eye contact, she began to laugh. 

“What are you laughing at? Tell me who you are.” He barked.  
But the woman continued to laugh. It was only until Talo withdrew his knife when she stopped… but so did everything in the room.  Seeing this, Talo jumped from his seat, knife raised. 

”No need to get feisty.” The woman declared. Instead of running from his blade, she removed her veil and revealed her face. A face full of freckles and rosy lips. A familiar face. 

“I am Reyna.” She announced.
“You’re the woman from the market.” He realized. 
She nodded.
“I was sent to help you, Talo…Although, my mother did have second thoughts. Arra was not her favorite.”

“What are you? What is going on?” He rambled. 
Talo kept looking around him, waiting for someone or something to move, to hear the voice of someone else…but nothing happened. 

“I have a riddle for you.”
“Are you serious? What is going on?”
Talo breaths began to quicken as he kept glancing around the room.

“I thought you wanted to go home.” She said. 
“How is a riddle going to take me home?’
“Do you want to hear it or not?”

Talo wasn’t interested in her games. He just wanted the truth….so his eyes began to glow. 
“Tell me who you are.” He commanded. But it didn’t work. 

“I’m sorry, love. Your powers will not work on me.” She revealed, as she ran her fingers down her dress, gently caressing the fabric and the crystals. 
Talo’s eyes widened, and his heart began to race even faster. 
“Now, about that riddle … A heart that lives forever, but can live in many.” She recited. 

“A heart that lives forever, but can live in many.” He repeated. A hint of confusion in his tone.
“The Immortal King, my love.”
“What about him?”
“What do you know about his immortality?” 
“Are you saying he’s not immortal?” He asked, voice shaky. 
A malicious grin then broke across Reyna’s face.
“A heart that lives forever, but can live in many.” She repeated, slowly this time.  

Then it dawned on Talo.

“The heart. Remove it and he dies? That’s too easy.” He said. 
The woman, now standing, closed the gap between them. Talo’s knife, still raised, was now directly at her throat. 
“Well, it’s a bit more complicated. Only one person can remove it.” She revealed. 
“Who?”

“Blood.”