Tales of the Endless Empire

Chapter 495: The Right Direction

Spending time with the three gods turned out to be a far greater boon than Thalion had first expected. It didn’t take long before one of Pikar’s insects discovered a small casket. Inside, they found a map—with what looked like a riddle written on the back.Or at least, that was how Thalion interpreted it.

The riddle wasn’t the only problem. The map itself didn’t show the desert, but rather how the land had looked before it turned into one. There were no tribes, no buildings—nothing of the sort. Instead, locations were marked with symbols: terrifying beasts, towering trees, and ponds with strange, shimmering water.

And there was no convenient path leading to a big red cross.

“You were right. Searching the starting area was important,” Ricarda, Ferniel’s Chosen, said. “But I think we got unlucky. This looks like a fragment, but we can’t even use it for navigation.”

Pikar, however, was staring at the map with growing excitement.

“Maybe. But I think you’re missing something important—because I think we can use it to navigate.”

A wide grin spread across his face as he began explaining, his words speeding up with every sentence.

“Look at the text on the back:

They’re giving us directions—precise ones.

The ‘ancient rite’ likely refers to the Wild Hunt. It was described as a tradition, something deeply rooted. That means the place where it began could be where the hunt starts.

Then she mentions looking toward the sun. That gives us a direction—but it’s still unclear whether she means sunrise or sunset.

That’s where the next part comes in. The ‘coming darkness’ doesn’t follow sunrise—it follows sunset.

So the hunters will come from the direction where the sun sets.”

Pikar paused briefly, clearly pleased with himself.

“Right now, the sun is at its highest point. If we move in the wrong direction… we probably won’t survive.”

He looked at them, smiling.

“Hah… that actually sounds exactly like something Lyrian would do,” Thalion laughed. “I wonder how many people are already heading the wrong way.”

Pikar frowned slightly.

“That’s not all. I don’t think we should risk flying too high. No one has left the valley yet—which likely means no one has spotted us. But the hunters might already be watching. Staying hidden should be our priority.”

That was something both Thalion and Ricarda could agree on.

The map showed two ponds, but only one had a large stone nearby. That made it clear how the map was oriented. A few trees were marked as well, and Pikar quickly pointed to what he believed was the next clue.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“Back on Earth, birds were known for their songs. According to this map, a large bird should live here. That could be our next location—and possibly the entrance to a catacomb where we’ll have to face whatever this ‘darkness’ is.”

Thalion had to admit—it made sense. With clues like these, this was probably as precise as it would get.

It also meant they needed to adjust their path—slightly to the right, instead of heading directly away from the setting sun.

Then another thought crossed his mind.

“If someone figures out where the hunt starts and just runs in the opposite direction… they won’t find anything. At least not according to this map.”

“You’re right,” Ricarda said quietly. “My patron told me a lot about system events—but I didn’t expect the beginning to be this dangerous. If we hadn’t found this clue, we might have walked straight into our own deaths.”

She played nervously with her hair, clearly unsettled.

Thalion smirked slightly before looking up at the sky.

“It should be obvious… your first steps always need to be taken with extreme care.”

Of course, he didn’t believe that for a second.

But just to make sure the gods were watching…

He gave the sky a thumbs up.

“The ‘darkness’ is probably also a hint about what we’ll be facing next. Thalion, since you’re our strongest fighter—do you have a form that’s effective against darkness? I’d assume your flames would work best,” Pikar suggested.

“Are you kidding me? I’ve got the form.”

Thalion grinned as he shifted into the Eclipsari—the Scion of the Void. The light around them dimmed slightly. He had no idea how far that effect could be noticed, so he kept his aura suppressed.

Pikar only nodded, as if he had expected something like this. Ricarda, on the other hand, stared at him wide-eyed.

“You’re an Eclipsari… with black eyes. No wonder you weren’t worried about the purple-eyed ones hunting you.”

Thalion knew he wouldn’t be able to keep his forms hidden for long—especially not in this trial. And since Ricarda had just given him the perfect opening, he took it.

The only one mildly annoyed was Pikar.

“Great. But we should already be planning our next steps. There will likely be more clues once we reach the tree with the bird. I think we need to focus on finding the next clue, not just the treasure.”

He pointed at the map.

“There are three beasts marked along that path—a griffin, an eagle, and what looks like a tiger or panther. That’s too much. I’m guessing most of these marked creatures are distractions… or even traps. Agreed?”

Ricarda and Thalion both nodded.

“Hm… what do you think? The sun already seems to be moving in that direction,” Thalion said, glancing upward.

“Yes, I think so too. My plants can feel the shift—it’s subtle, but the angle has changed,” Ricarda replied with a small smile. She was clearly relieved to be putting distance between them and the Wild Hunt.

“I agree. Let’s move—but first, one important question,” Pikar said. “How do we make sure they can’t track us? Suppressing our aura is one thing, but experienced hunters can follow mana signatures.”

“They can,” Ricarda said. “But fully suppressing our aura makes it much harder—and at longer distances, nearly impossible. I’m not sure about scent, though. If possible, we should stay close to the ground.”

That made Thalion frown.

“I don’t think flying is a good idea. At least not if we use skills. Skills release mana—and that leaves a trail, even if we suppress our aura. I don’t know how to hide that yet… or if it’s even possible. Maybe if we could reabsorb the mana from the air, but I’m not sure how that works. My wyvern form could fly low—but I don’t think I can fully suppress its aura. It’s… too powerful. Blood control might help, but—”

He was cut off by Pikar.

“I believe running or walking is the best option. The wind is fairly strong. In half an hour, any tracks will be gone. If there are mana traces—or even scent—the wind will scatter them, making tracking nearly impossible.”

He paused, then added:

“You said survival is more important than treasure, right?”

“…Yes,” Thalion replied, unsure where he was going with this.

“What if the hunters can enter those catacombs too? Or wait outside them? Many people will rush toward the first treasure, thinking it’s the goal—while the Wild Hunt is still closing in on them.”

That made Thalion pause.

Pikar’s reasoning… made a lot of sense.

“This trial isn’t just about solving riddles. It’s about staying hidden.”

Thalion exhaled slowly.

The start of this trial was already more dangerous than the last one. He just hoped the ending wouldn’t escalate the same way.

“Alright. We move on foot,” he said.

“But we should go now. We can talk while moving if needed,” Ricarda added.

“I think we should only speak when necessary,” Pikar replied. “Who knows how far our voices carry? This trial is more like hide-and-seek than anything else. We should do everything we can to stay unnoticed—even if it feels excessive.”

He turned and started climbing the nearest dune.

Ricarda followed immediately.

Thalion shifted back into his human form and went after them.