Bonus: Escape From Animshin

Long before Melissa and Lucius fled from Dionysus’ wrath and slipped through Hermes’ portal into a new world, two of their future companions experienced an adventure of their own.

Far from Tiberun and Yashar, across the sea, lay the Empire of Animshin.

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The moon shone bright above, bathing the old pagoda in silver light, while the surrounding walls sank into shadow.

It rose from a garden, standing just beyond a sprawling estate, separated from it by tall stone walls.

A hooded figure slipped through the darkness, pausing at the base of the wall.

Silently, they drew out a rope with a heavy iron hook fastened at the end.

With practiced ease the figure swung the hook, let it fly, and with a metallic clang it caught, holding fast even after several hard tugs.

In a flash the figure scaled the rope, vaulted across the roof tiles, and leapt onto the opposite building of the estate.

Light-footed, they darted across the dark shingles, ducked past a guard patrolling below, and finally dropped onto a beam, swinging neatly through a half-open window.

A faint creak sounded as boots touched the floor.

The figure straightened, pushed back the hood, and at last, a face was revealed.

Tairaku.

In the pale moonlight he scanned the room, as if to make sure he had chosen the right one.

And there, right in the center, arms and legs flung wide, hair tousled around her head, snoring loudly:

Meiruna.

Tairaku cleared his throat softly.

No reaction.

He cleared it louder.

She rolled to the other side, mumbled something incoherent, and kept snoring.

With a sharp kick he struck the bedframe.

Thunk!

Meiruna suddenly shot up.

“WHAT?! A raid?!”

Her eyes fluttered open, she blinked at him, then yawned.

“Oh… it’s you. What are you doing here?”

Tairaku sighed.

“What I’m doing here? Rescuing you, obviously. We talked about this, remember?”

“Rescuing me?” She tapped her chin as if trying to recall which conversation he meant.

“Ohhh, that one! Well, I’ve been thinking… maybe marrying the governor isn’t so bad after all. Influential, wealthy, educated, not unattractive… maybe I could get used to that.”

Tairaku stared at her, dumbfounded.

“And what happened to ‘Over my dead body!’?"

“I... I changed my mind!” She flopped back down and pulled the blanket over her head.

“Meiruna.” His voice sharpened. “You know exactly what that means: washing laundry. Running the household. Hosting guests. Cooking! And you know your cooking is...”

She bolted upright, cheeks flushed red.

“M-my cooking is WHAT?! What’s wrong with my food, huh?!”

“Do you really want me to answer that?”

“Tch!” She folded her arms, though the corners of her mouth twitched.

“So?” he asked, quieter now. “Do you really want to lock yourself in a golden cage… or are you coming with me?”

Meiruna stared at him, pride and stubbornness visibly warring inside her.

“But… doesn’t that mean wandering like some vagabond? And… what if we run out of money?”

Tairaku glanced around her lavishly decorated room.

“You’ll have to give up many comforts. But in the end, you have to decide whether freedom is worth that price.”

A moment of silence.

At last she sighed and straightened up again.

“Fine... But if we end up stranded somewhere, you’re the one getting us out of it. Deal?”

“Deal.”

He stood, brushing his clothes straight.

“Then pack your things. Quietly. The guards outside mustn’t hear us.”

She huffed, gathering her few essentials.

“I still can’t believe Father put me under house arrest in our own home…”

“After the scene you made at the announcement, it’s hardly surprising,” he replied so dryly that she shot him a glare before tossing a blanket over her bag.

One final, silent nod between them.

And so it was that the siblings left their home that night, no longer heirs of a governor’s household, but runaways.

A few weeks later

Rain hammered down through the jungle so fiercely one could hardly see more than a few paces ahead.

Meiruna sat blankly beneath a massive, heart-shaped leaf, water beading and rolling off its slick surface.

A crack above.

A sudden rush of rainwater, gathered in the branches, came crashing down onto the leaf.

It bent, groaned, held for an instant, then folded under the weight.

The water dumped straight over Meiruna, soaking her to the skin.

For a moment she sat motionless, drops running down her brow.

Then she exploded.

“AAAHHH! I hate it here! Why did I ever agree to this?!”

"I could be lying in a nice warm bed now...", she sobbed.

Suddenly, a crack sounded behind her.

“I found its trail.”

She whirled around.

Through the mangrove roots Tairaku emerged, drenched, hood thrown back.

In his hand gleamed a slick, iridescent scale.

“It seems to have settled north of here.”

Meiruna grimaced.

“Don’t tell me we have to slog through more of this swamp!?”

“If we want the bounty, then yes.”

She groaned, pushing wet hair from her face, and rose.

“If I catch a cold, it’s your fault,” she grumbled, following him into the thicket.

The water reached their knees, cold and murky, every step pulling strands of muck and algae around their legs.

Only the patter of rain and distant croaks of frogs disturbed the silence.

Then, just ahead, a swell of bubbles boiled up as if the water itself were cooking.

“Get ready,” Tairaku muttered.

Meiruna instinctively stepped back and downed an Essence.

Her eyes flared bright blue as she leveled her palms at the surface.

The water split, and with a guttural hiss the creature burst forth.

A body like some cross of toad and serpent, skin glistening, two bulbous eyes protruding.

It opened its gaping maw and a huge tongue lashed out.

Meiruna snapped her arms up, voice piercing through the rain:

“Sei sui sen ai senshi!”

Bolts of scalding steam shot from her hands, striking the tongue and driving it back with a hiss.

The monster shrieked, body shuddering with a deep, wet growl.

“I think you made it angry!” Tairaku called.

“Rest assured, dear brother, I’m DEFINITELY angrier!!” she snapped, already shaping her next spell.

The battle raged.

They dodged whipping strikes, flanked the beast, until at last their combined attacks brought it crashing down.

Spent Essence vials sank, gurgling, into the swamp.

Tairaku crouched, cutting carefully at the heavy tongue.

“...You could at least lend a hand. This thing weighs a ton.”

Meiruna only folded her arms.

“Pff, not a chance! You insisted on this job. I told you already, I hate slimy monsters!”

Once the trophy was stowed, they turned back toward the village.

The rain had stopped, but mist still clung heavy in the air, and over the mangroves the village shimmered like an island in the fog.

Stilt houses rose high above the stirred waters, palm-frond roofs dripping with the last of the showers.

Wooden walkways bound the homes together like a net strung between roots and channels.

“Finally out of that swamp,” Meiruna muttered wearily.

Her clothes clung damp to her skin, hair plastered in dripping strands.

“All I want is a hot bath…”

Tairaku only smiled, the sack with the severed tongue slung over his shoulder.

“First we collect the reward.”

They crossed the planks to the largest house in the village:

A broad stilt hall, lanterns glowing red along its frame, a carved dragon cresting the gable.

Inside, a familiar atmosphere embraced them: long tables, a counter at the side, a noticeboard crowded with requests. Like any adventurers’ guild, only scented with rice wine and incense.

“Adventurers Tairaku and Meiruna?” A clerk in red robes stepped forward, a pouch of clinking coins in hand. “Here is your quest reward.”

With a heavy thunk he dropped it onto the counter.

Meiruna’s eyes sparkled at once. “Finally! Bath time…”

But before she could bolt, Tairaku stopped her.

“Wait. What’s this?”

He was already studying the board of notices. In the center hung a fresh parchment, elegantly inscribed:

High Academy of Valdrath – Republic of Tiberun.

Learn the mysteries of magic, study the Essences of the Western Continent: Entrance examinations now open to foreign students!

Meiruna blinked, stepping closer.

“An academy? In… Tiberun? Don’t tell me you want to go there.” Her voice wavered between doubt and intrigue.

“Why not?” Tairaku folded his arms.

“In Tiberun, magic is taught in entirely different ways. Their Essences, their formulas, so unlike ours in Animshin. And besides, we finished our training last year. This would be the perfect chance to build on it.”

She frowned, torn.

“But… that’s the far side of the world! We’d have to cross the sea. Do we even have enough gold for that?”

Tairaku grinned faintly.

“If not, we’ll just take more jobs.”

His eyes gleamed.

“And think about it: being a student again means… a soft bed. Every night. Warm meals. And a bath.”

That was the killing blow.

Meiruna’s lips twitched, her eyes brightened.

“A… soft bed?”

She didn’t need to say more.

“Then it’s settled.” Tairaku hefted the coin pouch and nodded at the board.

“Looks like we’ll be here a while longer. Let’s see what else is posted. I hear there’s a swamp dragon west of here…”

“NO MORE SWAMPS!” Meiruna bellowed at once.

With a gentle laugh, Tairaku put his hand on her shoulder while they left the guild.

And so their journey westward was decided.

Little did they know, their escape from Animshin was only the beginning of a path that would one day lead them into the war of gods in a distant land.

But that story is already told.