Gravely injured and stripped of divine power, the protagonist is found near death after a desperate escape from the Underworld's forbidden zone. A companion questions why they risked such danger so close to their eighteenth birthday. The scene shifts to another man, Laius, who was mauled while gathering rare healing moss for the protagonist. The healer is pressured to prioritize Laius's urgent care, leaving the protagonist's fate hanging as their severe wounds are temporarily set aside.