3.78 The Quest for the Lost Gold

         Almost a whole year had gone by since the day the Atlan Empire had been incinerated, regardless of hardship and loss, every day the survivors in Anur were grateful to be alive, it was a miracle to have lived to tell the story of how they survived the war. Without the Atlan Empire, there was hope for the future, confidence was building, they could only pray that Aquilla was still alive, somewhere, just in case there were aftershocks. It was almost the Solstice again, would they get to see it this year?

        

         With the Vimana's grounded, the trip to Atlan had to be made by ship. Loaded with supplies, the gods prepared for a worst-case, post-apocalyptic scenario. The Quest for the Lost Gold was Tabloid headlines, the aribu of Ebar expected nothing but success from the handsome new flaxen-haired Crown Prince. This was his ultimate challenge for the throne, this quest would either grant him the respect he needed to capture their hearts, or it would plunge him to his death. They waved the ship off in great fanfare, praising him for finding their Lost Gold already.

         "Keep waving!" Medena elbowed him sharply the moment he took a rest. "Just hold your hand up and rotate it gently!"

         Being famous was hard, Nolan appreciated all the god's hard work now as the ache of fatigue weighed on his arm.

         "Look, they love you already!" Seton was impressed with the turnout. "They'd do anything for you! Ha-haaa! If you don't find the gold you could probably tell them you did, and they would believe you!"

         "Just like they believe the gold is actually lost?" The perceived fame and faith in his abilities hardly gave Nolan the same confidence Seton exuded, an aching dread called Reality was dampening his spirit. This was a setup, he knew that now, he wasn't stupid. Face Torus? Facing Torus presented a dangerous scenario. Did Torus know he poisoned the wine? Did Torus die?

         Hidden beneath the glossy façade, the venture came with real dangers. Of course Torus would suspect his involvement if this all had been staged, if someone told him. It was staged. Was Seton deliberately sending him to his death? Would the gold really be in Kergal? Why else would they dump him in Lemuria without any help, equipment or supplies? It was a cruel challenge, they were making it much harder than it needed to be.

         "Are you sure the gold is in Kergal?" Seton seemed to be deliberately taunting him. "They could have just as easily unloaded it all in Mu you know!"

         It was going to be a long voyage. Nolan studied the disappearing harbor as the ship sailed out to sea, desperate to lower his waving arm, but so long as the crowds and their flapping flags were still visible to the naked eye, so was he. Who told them what? The pop-up fans were disturbing, how was it possible to be so popular? He was a landed Immigrant, locked up in a tower, disgraced, and now they worshipped him? Golden King Nolan? Just because of a Tabloid headline? Nothing made sense, was it all just a giant test?

         Orius listened in on the banter as Ebar faded away, perhaps for the last time. He hoped they were right about Nolan, the idea of being stuck in Lemuria to kiss Torus's ass was worse than death itself, it wasn't going to happen, he would escape, somehow. Deep in thought he pondered his misfortune as the ship ploughed through the choppy sea. Was Atlan okay? Had they indeed managed to annihilate Aquilla? 

         The New Nefilim race was off to a rocky start, but Malodon wasn't too worried about that, environmental issues always sorted themselves out and sometimes offered positive results, above and beyond anything he could dream of. He would need to deploy Plan B, due to the technical difficulties of the disappeared land. Failing was part of the fun, he took it in stride and called it a challenge, Torus's imperfections were a case in point. He lifted his hand to his lips and blew into one of his rings as he made moves on Bella, once again taking things too far.

         "Stop it!" Torus spun around, rage lit up in his eyes, fists clenched with frustration. "You’re just  jealous!"

         "No, I told you to leave her alone" Malodon scolded.

         "She's mine!" Torus hissed, advancing aggressively now.

         "No, she’s mine, actually" Malodon reminded, lifting his ring to remind him. "I’m taking her with me to Ebar, I want her in good shape."

         Bella's ears were burning, her heart leapt for joy, a rush of hope suddenly brightened her world... She was going to Ebar after all?