"The moon shone brighter in the Wild Woods."

It peered down upon Honey's sleeping body, like a giant eye as the god stared up into the sky littered with stars, a look of longing painted within his gray eyes. That was his home. The heavens above this world, where they knew no darkness and no cold, just everlasting warmth and light. 

It was paradise to most, but the young god knew there were some who only found happiness in the gaining of power or the suffering of others. They were the reason the heavens had been divided. They were the reason there was this war. Honey's eyes fluttered open and she began to cough, and the Fire God simply turned his head towards her.

Lekki and god stared at one another as Honey got her first real look at the god. He was tall and broad-shouldered, well built, though not overly muscled. He still looked pretty young. Probably about Honey's age, though he was likely thousands of years older. But perhaps a thousand years was just a blink to a god.

The god had dark and creamy brown skin and bleached blond dreadlocks, that were tied back. His lips were full and tilted upwards in a smirk as his gray eyes that reminded Honey of the smoke that danced above a fire.

"So you're finally up," he commented, looking over her tattered red dress, that was a bit short on her, as it only fell to her calves. Honey sat up slowly, looking around as the memories of what had happened hit her. "My name is Lukas, the twelfth god, and the god of the flames," he said, introducing himself with the pride that only gods felt. 

Honey nodded, although she wasn't fully awake yet. A part of her had thought the entire ordeal was a dream, and she was about to wake up any moment. "It's... nice to meet you, Lukas," Honey said, in between yawns. "My name is Honey, of Astrakane," she said, stretching as she sat up, then realization flashed through her, and she stumbled to her feet. "My brother, Aldwin, did you... is he..."

"Yes," the god said, nodding. "He'll live, that much I know, but I cannot tell you if he'll ever be mentally whole again," he said, and Honey looked to the ground. Aldwin would probably assume she was dead. Perhaps that was for the best.

A lone tear fell from her eye, dancing down her cheek, as she looked at the ground thinking of her now lost brother. Her deal had saved him, that much she knew, and that much she was proud of. Now was her chance to do something great, even if it was just for her brother. She'd saved him. 

It was a choice that Honey knew she wouldn't regret, that much was clear. "So...you said you needed a Lekki," she started, her voice devoid of emotion. "Could you please tell me what...exactly...for?" Honey's question echoed through the air as Lukas rose a curious eyebrow.

"I need you to help me find the Rose Book," he said, simply.

"The rose-what?"

"The Rose Book," Lukas repeated, somewhat annoyed as he hated repeating himself to those who didn't listen. Especially a simple-minded Lekki girl.

"What's a rose book?"

Lukas sighed, loudly. He had forgotten how the mortal world forgot the most important stories so quickly, and all the knowledge they once possessed, disappeared within a mere thousand years, replaced by new, silly stories so twisted from their original form they were unrecognizable. 

Mortals were pathetic and weak in the eyes of the Fire God who, alone, possessed more strength than any mortal could even imagine possessing. That was why they needed protection, why they needed the assistance of the gods. It was so they didn't make the same mistakes over and over again.

"The Rose Book is a book of truths," Lukas said. "A book of stories that once belonged to my mother, queen of the heavens, herself. We are going to fetch it for her," he said. "For, if one finishes the book then at the end the greatest power known to the world will be gifted to them."

"So your mother is the Balance Goddess?" Honey asked, mind elsewhere, and heart not in the mood for silly stories. "You really are a god aren't you?"

"Of course I am!" Lukas snapped, glaring at Honey, who simply gave a weak smile. "Now we are still missing one little piece of our puzzle," he said, his lips a pressed together to form a perfectly straight line. "A Mutare."

"One god, one Lekki, one Mutare," Honey whispered to herself softly, the gears in her mind slowly beginning to click together. "Why do you need one of each of the races?" she asked, looking at Lukas with her eyes that had returned to their original chocolate color, with a bright curiosity burning beneath them.

"So you do have a quick mind underneath all that messy hair," he commented, purposefully avoiding her question. "No matter," he said, before turning away to face the moon. "We'd need to make our next stop with or without a Mutare, anyways," he explained. "I know this may come as a shock to you Lekki, but the Mutare actually have cities, just like the Lekki, except they tend to make things bigger, and better. Built to last for centuries," he sighed, shaking his head in disgust.

His words hit Honey like the time Aldwin had thrown a bucket of cold water on her one late summer afternoon when she'd been taking a well-deserved nap. So the Mutare did have their own cities and their own nations. That meant they were smart. 

That they were smart enough to make these things and not just mindless beasts who only sought Lekki blood, that much was becoming clear. "And what do we need there?" Honey squeaked, her voice sounding smaller than it usually did as she faced the God of the Flames before her.

"Supplies," Lukas said, with a shrug. "The city is called Muurin, the walled city, and it was once the wealthiest city in all of the Wild Woods, but after the war began, that soon changed and it has been overrun with the worst sorts of Mutare," he said.

"Soldiers?" Honey asked, and Lukas shook his head.

"No. I do not feel guilt whilst running my blade through a Mutare wearing that halfmoon, but there are some who choose to live outside the Wild Woods laws. Murders and thieves alike," Lukas said. "They call themselves Renegades, and they are the real ones you should fear Honey," he warned, his eyes narrowing. "Yet, they would not care if one of their own is taken unless they are of some value to them, so I see them as the perfect targets." 

It was with those words Honey felt her stomach lurch and her heart began to pound in her chest. "So we're going to take one of the murders as a prisoner?" she asked, sounding skeptical of the god's plan. "And that's if we can even get into the city! Why would they let a god and a Lekki through their gates?"

"They'll let anyone through these days," he said with a sigh. "The soldiers stationed in Muurin fear the Renegades too much to question anyone who enters the city," Lukas said. "There is no need to fret. I've been to the city several times before."

Honey let a defeated sigh escape her lips. She couldn't believe this was all happening, but she knew there was no point in arguing. This god...Lukas had his mind made up, and there was no way, she a simple Lekki girl in his eyes, would ever be able to change it. She was going to a Mutare city. "Okay," she said, and Lukas gave her a bright smile.

"I knew you'd see it my way," he said. "The city is a three-day walk from here, so we best get moving," he said, before leading Honey on a path that only he could see, with Honey following helplessly behind him.

Honey had made this god a promise that she'd stay by his side until they found this rose-thing. She knew that if she didn't then the god would just find someone else to take her place, and another innocent Lekki would be forced into the place what she had fled from. 

No, she knew she would never be able to do that to someone, even if it was someone she didn't know. Running would haunt her for the rest of her days. She knew she had no choice but to keep her promise and find the Rose Book, whatever it might be, not just for her brother but also for herself.

A U T H O R ' S N O T E

And thus our hero's journey begins.

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Until next time!