When the sun started to peek at the horizon, Nireus and the others left the village of Heos to go to the city of gold. They have a single carriage with them. Boarded inside were Lyra, Theresa, and Neoma with Konon as their coachman. Riding around the carriage were Arsen, Nireus, Eluard, and Aeneas who had Tiriara behind him.
Donos was left to overlook the Caspius manor. And as always, Nireus left Cylon in charge of his place and everything else. The reason why he wasn't with them when they first moved to Heos was because Nireus asked him to sort out important stuff. Well, Cylon felt great honor in doing many things for the lord of Arsida, be it his paperwork.
Starting from Heos, the journey towards Khrysos would take around half a day of nonstop travel. Since it was a long journey ahead, it was part of their travel plan to make some stops to let their steed rest, as well as the children. Besides, the group didn't need to rush the journey as they already had a place to stay when they arrived at the capital. The king prepared it for them, and its location was indicated in his letter.
As they venture into the Panteran lands, Neoma has her paws clasped on the opened window of the carriage. The common scenery of houses, trees, open grassy plains, and even crop fields was a sight of wonder for the girl who used to only dream about the outside in her compacted room. Without saying anything, the two who were with Neoma in the carriage could tell how joyful she was. The girl's eyes would widen and her mouth would open whenever something in the distance caught her attention. She would even point at families of creatures and tell Lyra and Theresa to look at them.
When she saw Aeneas and Tiriara chatting and laughing as they rode the same mount, she smiled and imagined herself being part of their conversation. Once Tiriara noticed her looking at them, she waved at her with a grin, and Neoma waved back.
After four hours of travel with several stops, the group reached the border of Arsida. To reach the Nyros region by land, where the capital city of Khryos stood, the group needed to pass through a paved path between two vast mountain ranges.
Legend has it that the two mountain ranges were once a single entity that separated the Great Verdant forest of Pantera from the region of Lapoli. Then, with a single sword strike from the Proud Lion himself, the range was cut in half. Paving a way for the people of Pantera to pass through the place with ease. As a tribute to the Proud Lion, and because many prides of actual lions call the ranges home, the pass was given the name, "Lion's Tail."
When the group arrived at the entrance of Lion's Tail, there was a small hut with two Panteran knights outside. They were there to warn the people who wanted to go through the path, about what to do whenever they encounter a pride of lions.
Lions are one of the most fearsome creatures in the vast continent of Nusterra. Mostly seen in Pantera, these creatures are masters of elemental magic. They are capable of mastering magic from any of the four elements, including the fifth one which is light. It is said that a single one of these fearsome creatures could wreak havoc on a town the size of Pergis. But, they are too proud to do it. These beasts won't attack unless it is for food or to defend their territory. No one knows why, but they don't touch humans, especially those that bear the Proud Lion's Zeal.
Awe and admiration were felt by the two knights when they saw Nireus. One of them even knew Arsen. They bowed to them and let their group pass through without telling them anything. The two know that Nireus and his group already know what not to do whenever they encounter a group of lions.
There are only three things to remember. The first is to stop and never charge toward them, the second is to look away when you lock eyes, especially if it is with a male one. And the last one is to let a curious or playful cub be if they go near you. Although their intelligence is far from humans, lions are believed to be capable of telling human emotions by looking at their faces, so playing with the cub with a smile wouldn't be seen as a threat. You would know when to continue your journey when the lion on your path walks away, looks away, or proceeds to nap.
The group lowered their speed as they traversed the path. From the distance, Eluard spotted a male lion standing atop a huge rock.
"Woah," Tiriara muttered as she stared at the majestic creature.
It was looking at them with its curious yet intimidating gaze. Everyone stopped and observed the beast meters away while also averting their eyes once they met with the beast. After minutes of scanning them, the male lion went on to lay its head on the rock and took a nap. An action that signaled for the group to proceed.
When they became closer, they noticed that there were female ones and a few cubs behind the rock. Tiriara had a grin on her face as she observed them. While everyone took glances and kept their distance.
The path was long and could be perilous due to the fearsome creatures' presence. After hours of traversing the path with a significant decrease in their speed, the group managed to reach the exit and step on the soil of the Nyros region.
They proceeded on their journey and decided to pass through the city of Abos which was near the Lion's Tail. Similar to the city of Katalos in Lapoli, there were only several engine-powered vehicles in the vibrant streets of Abos. The streets were filled with shops, stalls, and customers.
After a short rest in Abos, the group proceeded to Khrysos as they only have a few more hours till the sun sets. And hours later, they've reached the city of gold.
Khrysos is one of the few mega-cities in all of Nusterra. It is only smaller than the biggest city, Laochyro, in Decatris. Old gilded houses and buildings remained standing in some parts of the city. In Pantera, the city of Khrysos has the greatest number of engine-powered vehicles, though it only surpasses the other cities by less than a hundred. The port was visibly bigger than the one situated at Katalos. New buildings were made with a touch of modern architecture similar to Decatris. But, they also incorporated tradition by gilding some parts of the building, since the city was once a place where everything was covered with gold. At its core was the ancient golden castle that still stood through time.
Once they arrived at the place the king had prepared for them to stay, Arsen realized that it was the king's manor. Aside from Nireus who has been in the place, everyone marveled at its sight. It has more buildings, all coated with gold. The main residence was twice bigger than the Caspius manor. Servants and knights roam around the place.
"You didn't say that we're going to stay at the king's manor, Father," Tiriara said.
Nireus chuckled, "I forgot that the address was his place," he said.
They were immediately let in once the guards saw Nireus. The king's wife and her fourteen-year-old son went out of the main residence to greet their guests.
Everyone bowed to them, and they returned the gesture.
The king's wife told them that her husband was still at the castle, and wished to meet them on the morrow.
"Please make yourself at home and relax," she continued.
Nireus and the others were assisted to the building next to the main residence. Although it wasn't the main one, it was more extravagant compared to both the main residences of the Caspius or Chronis manor.
Servants assisted them inside. The meals were luxurious and delicious and the overall experience was great.
Stories were shared at the dinner table. The king's wife, Zita Aurusmane, was thrilled to have guests to dine with since most of the time, it was only her son and her sharing the giant table. Zita's tales were mostly about their son, Andreas Aurusmane. Andreas has the same features as his father; golden-like hair and eyes, and pale skin. Similar to the king, Andreas is already known as a prominent fighter at his current young age. He was in his seventh consecutive win in the tournaments. And although it falls behind when compared to Arsen's record, it was the closest.
Andreas was also kind and tried his hardest to interact with the three kids among the guests. He made sure that they were comfortable in their stay and that he wouldn't do or say anything that might offend them.
After spending the night, Nireus and the others left the king's manor and went to the castle to meet the king.
There were a lot of knights around the castle. Most of them were training. Instead of going to the spacious throne room, a knight who recognized them led Nireus and the others to an office-like chamber.
A long rectangular table was at the center of the room. At its end sat a burly man. His hair was like silk made of gold freely falling to his shoulder. The color of his eyes was the same as his hair. And like Donos, he has a perfect beard, though it was golden. He wore a golden robe and tunic made of the finest materials, and a crown made of pure gold rests atop his head.
He was the Panteran king, Ander Aurusmane. The pinnacle of might and wisdom who come atop everyone else at the previous enthronement ceremony.
Sitting at the same table as Ander, were five people. Each exuded an intense air around them. They were members of the king's council and the heads of the five main departments of the Panteran government.