The Half-Giant's Guide to Seeing the Future

The Day I Stared Into The Void

I followed Abel through the skies as we backtracked towards the compound. I wasn't sure exactly where we were going, but we soared directly over the compound and past the grove of trees with the portal.

Abel slowed down as the ground and sky came to a sudden halt. He landed a dozen paces from where the continent itself dropped into nothing. The ground beyond where the earth stopped was a void full of smoke.

I landed beside Abel and gaped at the vast emptiness. My wings folded into my back, and I stepped towards the edge and reached out my hand.

"Be careful," Abel said. "You go fully into that mist, and there's no ground. You'll fall into the great unknown."

I looked down. "How far is the bottom?"

"No one knows," Abel said. "You fall over the side, and you fall forever. As far as anyone can tell, Jontun's continent is removed from everything, and if it lost its portals, there'd be nothing holding it anywhere."

That was scary. Jontun's only connection to Earth was four portals, one of which was in my family's backyard. It was no wonder they were zealously guarded from both sides.

Abel walked us down the continent's border. I tried to look away from the misty darkness, but it kept drawing my eyes. Was it magic? What was beyond this point? If I stepped into the mist, would I really fall forever?

"The border is tricky on the mind," Abel said. "Giants who believe in Tusi, an omnipotent magic god, make pilgrimages to the continent border, claiming it helps them see what is and isn't. Personally, I don't buy into much of the mystical stuff, but you can't deny there's something holding Jontun together."

"Giants believe in gods?" I asked.

They already believed themselves superior to humans in most cases. I was surprised there was some sort of religion since so many giants were named after human mythologies.

"According to believers, Tusi is more of a force than a god," Abel said. "Their spirit allows giants safety. It was Tusi's mercy that created and removed Jontun from Earth. Tusi is thanked in quarterly festivals. Those who connect with whatever divine magic makes this continent run say that Tusi desires order and gives magic to the worthy of restoring love and peace across their land."

I thought about my own powers. That made me worthy, according to some. I certainly didn't feel worthy. I was an eighteen-year-old girl forced to leave home because I was hunted.

Even if I could see the future, there was no grand prophecy. Fixing Jontun wasn't my problem. I just had to stay clear of my grandfather and mother. That was how I stayed safe.

Still, I was reminded how Victor couldn't let his country fall apart. He knew how toxic the other members of our family were. Ellenora couldn't be allowed to rule, and Tytan wasn't making things easier on anyone by doubling down and causing a civil war in the royal family.

I was half-human, but that didn't make me belong here—at least not entirely. Still, I had power that somehow made me worthy in the eyes of giants.

I shook my head and focused on the ground below my feet. I was here and now. Abel and I needed to find Moreno.

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I spotted Alana standing ahead of us. Moreno was slumped against her shoulder, and she was barely supporting his weight.

Abel ran forward and helped support Moreno's body with his shoulder. The soldier was limp between them, but as I jogged to help, I realized Moreno was awake and muttering something rapidly in Spanish.

"Is he okay?" I asked. 

Moreno was sweating, and his body quivered. I pushed his hair back and realized Moreno's pupils were blown wide. A sickly bitter smell, mixed with smoke and something earthy, radiated off his skin.