“I don’t feel like wearing these clothes… they look like something the Moors would wear,” Rodrigo complained as Ana and Epona showed him the outfit they’d bought for the battle.

  It consisted of a turban, a black cape, and an orange tunic with a dark belt.

  Ana and Epona were already wearing their totemas.

  “We’ll be traveling through space, so we need to move much faster than light. We can’t do that without our totemas,” Ana said while showing him the outfit.

  “Space? You mean… outside Earth?” Rodrigo asked nervously.

  “Yes. These are distances light itself would take thousands of years to cross. Divine-speed movement lets us travel at levels no normal matter could withstand—but our bodies suffer no consequences,” Epona explained.

  “But I’m barely learning how to fly. I can’t move as fast as you two say,” Rodrigo replied.

  “I’ll carry you in my arms, Rui—don’t worry,” Ana said.

  Rodrigo stared at the outfit they had bought for him and didn’t like it.

  It reminded him of Almanzor’s warriors, and the memory made him nauseous.

  “Just put on the damn outfit and stop wasting time,” Tania snapped, her face gaunt and clearly irritated.

  The goddess had long, dark bags under her eyes. She too was wearing her totema.

  Rodrigo sighed and nodded.

  At least she talked to me again, he thought.

  The four gods walked to the central garden, where Sol and Mitras were already waiting—along with two individuals dressed in Egyptian garments. Rodrigo remembered seeing them at the banquet the night before.

  Behind them stood Khine, the silent African god who wore a mask, and beside him, a squad of about a hundred malakim, all in full armor with flaming swords.

  “Epona, g–guys, we were w–waiting for you,” Sol said.

  The blond god looked exactly the same as ever—because he never removed his totema.

  The rays of light from his head formed what looked like a golden crown.

  Sol wore an orange tunic and a dark blue cape. His right arm was still completely wrapped in bandages to prevent even a speck of his skin from showing.

  “We’re just waiting for Athena and Horus,” Mitras added, also wearing his totema.

  Like Sol, Mitras always wore his totema religiously: a red Phrygian cap, red tunic and trousers, and an aquamarine-blue cape. A curved sword hung at his waist.

  Then the two Egyptian men approached.

  “An honor to meet you, Lady Tania, Lady Ana, Lady Epona, and Lord Rodrigo. We are the elite disciples of the great Horus,” they said in unison.

  “My name is Maahes, an Egyptian god of war,” said the first man.

  He wore a conical crown decorated with feathers and a lion mask over his face. His hair was golden, giving him the appearance of a real savannah lion.

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  His chest was bare except for a golden-and-black Egyptian usekh collar. He wore a golden skirt and carried two knives at his belt.

  “And my name is Montu, another Egyptian god of war,” said the second.

  He wore a crown with two enormous golden feathers and a white falcon mask. His thick, black-blue hair reached the nape of his neck. His outfit was similar to Maahes’s, except he carried a massive staff instead of knives.

  “We wished to inform you that Lord Horus will be delayed, but he will still join the battle,” they said together.

  “No wonder I don’t see him. And my master… Athena?” Ana asked.

  “Unfortunately, she will also be delayed,” came a voice from behind.

  Everyone turned and saw Asclepius and Myrddin walking toward them.

  “Master Asclepius, Master Myrddin, are you also coming with us?” Rodrigo asked, bowing.

  “No. We’re not warriors. We came to wish you good luck,” Asclepius said.

  Myrddin approached Ana and bowed; the goddess returned the gesture.

  “Remember, Ana,” Myrddin said, “you can only use that attack if you’ve run out of manna. Understood?”

  “Yes, master. And thank you for teaching me to resist the sacred element too. After this is done, I’ll continue your lessons,” Ana replied with a slight bow.

  Asclepius approached Rodrigo and put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Rodrigo, you still haven’t aligned all your chakras, but you’ll be able to use a portion of your tannin powers. However—don’t force your body, or something disastrous may happen. Understood?”

  “Don’t worry, master. I’ll fight with the power I managed to awaken,” Rodrigo said.

  Asclepius and Myrddin nodded.

  Meanwhile, Mitras and Sol stood in front of Epona and smiled at her.

  “We wish we could offer you some advice, Epona, but we know you’re strong enough to fend for yourself,” Mitras said.

  “I’ll do my best,” the horse goddess replied.

  Sol then walked to the center of the group.

  “A–alright, if there are no mo-more delays, I’ll open the por-portal to leave Pa-Palas,” he said.

  Stabbed into the ground before him was Athena’s labrys, used to open dimensional gates.

  He lifted the axe toward the sky. It shone so brilliantly that a blinding light burst from it.

  Everyone began to glow—and in an instant, Rodrigo, Ana, Epona, Tania, Sol, Mitras, Maahes, Montu, Khine, and the hundred malakim vanished.

  They found themselves traveling inside an enormous labyrinth of translucent walls, with the outer space visible beyond them. The labyrinth was massive—far larger than Palas itself.

  Everyone felt their bodies moving automatically through it, as if they instinctively knew which passages to take.

  “T–this labyrinth has tri-trillions of different paths, and they change every yocto-yoctosecond. The only way through it is to move faster than that,” Sol explained as they sped along.

  “But… doesn’t speaking take more than a second?” Rodrigo asked.

  “Rui, haven’t you realized? When our divine energy is active, we’re not actually speaking. We’ve been communicating telepathically. Your lips move as a reflex, but it’s too fast for real sound to form,” Ana answered.

  “A y–yoctosecond in Pa-Palas, with divine energy at minimal levels, can feel like ne-nearly two hours. The la-labrys is already set to exit the ma-maze right… about… now,” Sol continued.

  “So once we exit, it’ll feel like about half an hour,” he added.

  For Tania, that half hour felt like an eternity.

  The moment we exit… I have to cut off Rodrigo’s head, she thought, trembling.

  I have to do it. No more people should die because of me. I have to… I have to…

  Her fists clenched hard. Her lips bled as she bit them.

  Rodrigo is just a tannin. I shouldn’t have compassion. Do it. Do it. End this nightmare, she repeated to herself.

  “Alright… we’ll exit the labyrinth in ten… nine… eight… seven…” Sol counted as Tania felt like she was hallucinating.

  Just a quick cut. Rodrigo won’t even feel it. He’ll rest beside his mother, she thought.

  “Six…”

  Ana and Epona will hate me. But I’m used to being alone. I’ll lose them… but save so many lives…

  “Five…”

  And if they condemn me to death, so be it. Today, I decided I will die. I can’t keep living like this. I want to rest.

  “Four…”

  Then I’ll be free. My soul will dissolve into cosmic energy. My body will become stardust. My life of suffering will end today…

  “Three…”

  Just a little more, Tania… a little more and you’ll be free…

  “Two…”

  Forgive me, Rodrigo. Please… forgive me. Soon I’ll join you in non-existence…

  Tears streamed down her face.

  Ana looked at Tania and saw her eyes red and full of tears.

  “And we’re out!” Sol shouted.

  A blazing light engulfed them.

  When they reappeared, they were floating in open space.

  Do it! Tania thought.

  In that instant, she shaped her hand like a blade, flames erupting around it—

  and with lightning speed, she slashed at Rodrigo’s neck to decapitate him.