There were two mountains sitting on the flanks of the grand city of Nexulai, both known to the city's inhabitants as Sort'Vol and Wek'Vol. Wek'Vol overlooked the metropolis from the west. It was sparsely populated, to the point where some didn't even consider it to be part of the city proper. To the northeast was Sort'Vol, which had a much higher population, and for good reason; Sort'Vol was unique in that it gave researchers an excellent vantage point from which researchers could identify the potential locations of new rifts via high altitude triangulation and detectable energy flows. It also helped that both sides of the mountain provided incredible views, with one side overlooking the Crater Citadel, along with the rest of the city, while the other side faced off into the distant horizon, where the sun could be seen sinking below the earth late in the day. Because of these factors, Sort'Vol was very popular with scientists, entrepeneurs and various other upper-class members of Nexulaian society.

It just so happened that Aiden Toft was born into such a family. He strolled along the path leading to his estate. It was a three-story manor, the rich red brickwork contrasting well against the serene shades of greens belonging to the grass, trees and other foliage surrounding it. Several mullioned windows were crafted into the walls of the building, spread out evenly on both floors. A pair of Gothic pinnacles were planted on the ogee roofs on each side of the building. The manor was reasonably large, but not ludicrously so. The average citizen would certainly be impressed with it, but Aiden had definitely seen fancier residences in this neighborhood. Not that he desired such an extravagant, conspicuous mansion for a home. This manor served his family well enough over the past several years, and he couldn't imagine living anywhere else.

Speaking of which, that was why Aiden had traveled back here, not just to retrieve his gear and prepare for the journey, but also to inform his parents, Stefan and Morgan Toft, of his new assignment. They were both among Nexulai's top scientific officials on the rifts. In fact, their past studies were vital in improving Nexulai's ability to control the portals' stability. As a result, they had a large influence on Aiden's interests as he grew up.

The explorer stepped up to the manor's large wooden entrance, taking the house key out of his pocket and unlocking it before slipping inside. One would expect to find a grand lobby, complete with dual staircases leading to the upper floor, but that was not the case here; instead, the entrance led to a rather narrow corridor with several doors on the side walls leading to other rooms on the ground floor. The stairs were a bit further down a hall leading towards the right end of the building from an T-shaped intersection at the end of the entrance corridor.

"Mom, dad?" Aiden called out as he shut the door behind him, "I'm home! Got some news to share, so..." He trailed off as he waited for a muffled reply from one of the other rooms, only to hear none. "Hm." They had to be home; Aiden made sure to come back after the end of their shifts, which left him with two possibilities; either they were held up by an unexpected occurence, or they were on a higher floor. Placing his bet on the latter possibility, he traveled to the stairs, but before he ascended to the second floor, he noticed that the door leading to the parlour was slightly ajar. Pushing the door open, Aiden discovered that his guess was correct.

Sitting around a marble-topped pedestal table were Stefan and Morgan Toft. Aiden took after his father in many ways; both had similar facial structures, physical builds and tan skin tones. However, there were a few notable differences, an example being that Stefan was slightly taller than his son at 6'1". His grey hair was neatly combed, and his face was mostly clean shaven, leaving a thin, simple goatee that encircled his thin lips. He appeared to be in his fifties. His mother had a lighter pigmentation and looked to be in her late forties. Her wavy brown hair reached down to her shoulders. Both of them were dressed in buttoned long sleeve shirts, with Stefan's being of a dark grey color and Morgan's a clean white, along with trousers and loafers.

"Thought I'd find you here," Aiden said with a smirk, which prompted his parents to look up at him in surprise. They were busy discussing the contents on a file Stefan held in his hands when the explorer interrupted them. It seemed that they'd just got off of work, and it was still fresh on their minds. Both of them smiled, glad to push such thoughts to the side in favor of their son.

"Aiden," Exclaimed Morgan, leaning forward in her seat with an keen look in her eyes, "We were just wondering when you would be coming home!"

"Indeed! It's been a long day for us both, as you can probably tell," Stefan cut in as Aiden pulled out a chair across from the couple to sit in, "Of course, no doubt you've had quite the eventful day yourself. Please, tell us how the meeting went!"

Aiden chuckled nervously. He remembered telling his parents about his scheduled meeting with the Grand Ambassador shortly after receiving the news. To say that they were surprised was quite the understatement; rather, they were struck speechless for almost a minute. They didn't know how to feel about it. They knew that their son had talent, but to attract the eye of Sokolniki himself? It didn't help that none of them knew anything of the meeting's subject matter, so they didn't know what to expect. Eventually, they settled on an odd mix of pride and apprehension. Now, with their son back home safe and sound, they were eager to learn the truth.

How would he go about it? Aiden had been bestowed with a great honor. He would be considered a genuine pioneer among his peers for being the first man to record such an important Caelestine ritual in person. He wanted some time to think his approach through, but his parents' stares prevented him from doing so. There was no other way around it; he just hoped it wouldn't give them a heart attack.

"Well..." Aiden started with a sigh, "it went well. Great, actually...the Ambassador personally gave me my first assignment."

"...Are you serious?" Stefan asked, intrigued, "That's...wow. Executive orders are a rare thing to see from the Grand Ambassador... so, what kind of assignment is it?" He smirked. "What, did he set aside an unknown realm just for you?"

"Heh, no, no, but it is a big one. Huge, really...I'm going to be heading to Ceciderunt Dea."

His parents turned to each other briefly, unsure of what to make of what they had heard so far. The lands of Ceciderunt Dea had been covered extensively by other explorers in the past, and both the Caelestine and Dalimos did much to help inform Akreaus of their world. There were still many secrets to find in that world, especially those concerning magic, but neither Stefan or Morgan could guess at what Aiden's assignment could possibly be, if it was as huge as he described.

"Really now? Fascinating. You know, we've been meaning to set some time aside for us to visit The Aviary at some point when work starts to let up, but I suppose you'll be beating us to the punch," Morgan ruminated, chuckling a bit at the end.

"Well... I wouldn't say I've beaten you there. I highly doubt I'll even set foot in the Aviary. I'm actually heading to the Blade Rim Caldera."

That wiped Morgan's smile off of her face. Now she looked confused, and a bit worried. "What for? That's a long trek, and it's through-"

"Dalimos territory, I know," Aiden interrupted, "But I won't be alone. I'm going to be traveling with a Caelestine and some others. We'll be acting as her guardian as she travels on her Pilgrimage...my job is to observe her ascension, record my findings." He leaned towards his parents with a wide smile on his face. "I'm going to be the first Akreausian ever to witness such an event...pretty wild, wouldn't you say?"

For a long time, Stefan and Morgan sat there in silence, staring at Aiden. He worried that it would be a repeat of last time, but he was quickly proven wrong when his mother suddenly rose out of her seat. "Oh god," She breathed, quickly circling the table towards her son, who rose up to meet her as she took him into a tight embrace. Stefan quickly followed suit. Aiden awkwardly returned the hug. Once he was finally released, he noticed his mother's tearful grin. His father's reaction wasn't as strong, but his joyful grin was more than enough.

"Aiden...after you finished your training... god," Stefan spoke softly, struggling to find the right words to say, "We thought you would be sent to... to follow up and add onto the findings of a previous expedition or some such. We would've been perfectly happy with that, but this...this goes beyond all my expectations. Er, not to insinuate that you, you aren't-"

"No, no dad, it's fine," Aiden replied with a hearty laugh, "I didn't expect much more than that either. I am a greenhorn, after all..." That actually made him start to doubt himself a little.

"Yeah...this is so much better than that, Aiden," Morgan cut in, wiping her tears, "This path you're about to take, it won't be anyone's but yours! Years from now, all our knowledge gathered on the Pilgrimage, no matter how much it's expanded upon, it will all be based on the source: you."

"This is a major undertaking, son. Sokolniki's asking you to be a true pioneer. Do you believe that you can handle this responsibility?" Stefan asked, his expression turned serious. Aiden paused for a few seconds, mulling over the implications of this task. It would be unknown territory, and it could potentially result in a very messy death for him if things went south, but really, all explorers faced such a risk. It helped that he would have a party to rely on along the way, ensuring that, whatever he would face in Ceciderunt Dea, he wouldn't face it alone.

"...Yes. I can handle it. I know it."

---

Aiden spent the rest of the day gathering the supplies necessary for his survival on the journey and studying the geography, history, races and cultures of Ceciderunt Dea as much as he possibly could within a single day. It was all truly fascinating to him, and he couldn't wait to encounter it first-hand. The next morning, he bade his family farewell and left Sort'Vol for the last time before beginning his quest. It did hurt to leave his parents behind like this, but regardless, Aiden proudly walked towards Libere District, a confident smile on his face the entire time.

He would never forget his father's parting words:

"For the past twenty years, we've had the pleasure of watching you grow up to be an incredibly bright, driven young man. We've always supported you and your dreams...and nothing pleases us more than to see them realized. From this day forward, you will be one of the few who will guide our people into the great unknown, paving the way to a better future for us all. We are so proud of you. Go on, son... infinity lies within your grasp."