Amidst the bustling streets of the market, a group of men were rat racing. Standing on my toes, I managed to catch a glance over the shoulders of the musty-smelling men. There was a bowl filled with money and a racetrack with several mice. Each one of the mice had a number marked on their bodies, and men cheered as their number approached the goal. The winning rat got rewarded with a piece of stale bread and the winner nabbed all the money to himself.
"I SWEAR YOU FUCKING RIGGED THAT SHIT MAN!" one of the men erupted.
"What are you talking about, my rat won fair and fair."
"On my mother's soul and on my sunburned friend's life, you cheated. I swear man, if you don't admit to cheating I'm gonna-"
"Nah, what are you talking about?-"
The loser stomped on the racetrack still filled with mice, crushing one poor rat while the rest scattered into the crowd. He then picked up the broken wooden walls and threw them at the man.
The man, realizing that the situation had become dire, fled into the crowd before they could jump him.
Then suddenly I felt a hand grab onto me and pull me into the crowd. In the gray and brown world I was in, the bright shining colors of Aylin shone through. Her pink hair contrasting with everyone else's dull-colored hair, her smile and blue eyes casting a warmth like the Nautilus' evening sun as she dragged me closer to the docks.
As we neared the docks, I could hear the sound of rope tearing as the waves pulled on the anchor. The sound of the rope hitting the sails as winds blew their cold breath over Nautilus.
Aylin pointed at one of the ships that had arrived this morning. It wasn't as well endowed as Captain Sekito's Serenade Mary, but it was still of the same caliber in size. She called out to some of the workers on-board and they greeted her back warmly.
"This ship was actually one of the Captain's old military ships she owned. When the construction of the Serenade Mary was completed, the old military ships were given out to her old crewmates who retired. Nowadays they are simply used as fishing ships or transport vessels," Aylin said, slamming into the wooden planks of the ship a few times.
The old man working on the ship asked Aylin if she wanted to climb aboard for a quick view.
"You used to love getting onto my shoulders to get a better view of the ocean when you were a kid."
The ramp was lowered down for us to get onboard. Aylin stared at the ramp for a few seconds before reaching her hand out and grabbing mine.
Some of the trepidation in her eyes had faded. It seemed like the view of the ocean a few meters above sea level was enough to tempt her out of her rabbit hole.
With her hand wrapped around mine she took big steps forward. The wooden boards creaked and bent as we made our way up onto Sekito's old ship. There were tanks full of fish and sea life. Men stood next to them stirring the water with long wooden sticks. The old man smiled at Aylin and asked her how she had been ever since he retired.
Aylin smiled and told him about her leaving the Serenade Mary due to some bickering with the other crewmates. But she was taken in by Ellie after she retired too.
"Ellie? Iron Lady Ellie retired? Who would have thought a lady with her level of toughness would retire. Before I left she looked like she could strangle a grown man for at least another 2 decades... but look at you now, you are all grown up, so beautiful. And is this your husband?"
Aylin was still holding my hand when she said that I was the person she held most dear in her life. A very good friend that had been with her for a year now.
The old man walked over towards the railing and leaned over, looking out into the sea.
"Far over the horizon. Do you remember Aylin? Far, far beyond what our eyes could see we went."
"Even though the hunt for the Pallid Whale always continued despite fruitless efforts, my time on the Serenade Mary was never in vain. Do you know why, child?"
"Because we are people of Nautilus and the sea is our home," Aylin quoted.
"Exactly what Sekito would say during her speeches." The man chuckled.
"But the Captain speaks the truth, the ocean is within all our souls, it is our mother and our father, it has given us life. Without it the people of Nautilus would be nothing."
Pink hair fluttered in the wind as Aylin pulled it back behind her ear with her hand.
The old man told her that it would be best if he got going now before his boss scolded him for slacking off. We nodded and thanked him for the opportunity to get on the ship and he waved us off.
That afternoon I visited Devina's house due to being summoned by her. As I was knocking on her front door, I looked around her front yard and saw that she was growing a few flowers.
But then the door creaked open and Devina peeked through the small gap. Upon seeing it was me she opened the door and welcomed me in.
She explained the reason for the summoning was that she wanted to inform me about the report Eirlys had written to her. The situation in Wien had, according to the Academy's interpretation, been a civil dispute between the Umstürzlers and the Königsteurers. Devina further explained that the presence of third parties had been detected, for example the intervention from several high-ranking members of the Fivindus family.
Devina deduced that it was mostly in coordination with the Royal Family that the families were acting out. She poured a glass of juice for herself and for me before sitting down.
She had also gotten reports that several civilians from the city of Wien had vanished alongside their documentation. It was like a missing blank in the archives, someone had been trying to cover up their tracks and it most likely involved human trafficking.
Normally the Academy wouldn't intervene in political matters but due to some of the people who went missing being students of the Academy they reserved full rights of defending their students. So she informed me that the Academy would be intervening in Wien and finding these missing students. They would at first act as a neutral international organization and inquire about the students. If information or compliance wasn't met then they would use the proportionate force needed to retrieve what they needed.
"And why are you even telling me this?" I asked her.
"Well there is an individual that I want you to bring back to me. And it was such a convenience that you snuck into the city once before."
"But that was with Lilith's help."
"Lilith Yunestra? The eminator of Nihility? I will write her a letter later, you don't need to worry about it," Devina said nonchalantly.
"How many connections do you even have?"
"Oh boy, you wouldn't know how many I have with the authority of Head Principal of the most prestigious school in the world."
"Anyhow, I have reasons to believe that the Royal Family is keeping an Aeon in captivity in Wien. And is planning on using the Aeon's powers for their war effort against the Luvian Empire Eirlys warned about."
Keeping an Aeon in captivity? Was that even possible? From my encounters with Viego and Sekito, they seemed impossible to contain. Even a non-combative type of Aeon like Aylin would not easily be contained.
"The Aeon I believe has been captured is the Aeon of Rejuvenation."
Devina threw a few photos onto the table. Depictions of humans with animal-like features were all over the table.
"I'm sure you know about the Lusians. The Academy actually had the opportunity to meet one once though it was heavily confidential with only a few selected staff being able to know. Though one of our staff murdered it and took off with the corpse. His name was Matiligax and after that incident we expelled him from the Academy."
Devina continued with explaining the story about the Lusians and why they were impossible to find. It was due to their lox-rich bodies and their connection to the Aeon of Desire that they managed to channel so much energy. Humans, realizing the infinite potential of this trait, captured thousands of them centuries ago and enslaved them. The Lusians, who were pacifists and creatures who didn't invoke violence, never rebelled, which made them the perfect slaves for humanity. But the only downside was they required moonlight. Many slave owners realized it too late and many Lusians died in dark cramped basements from starvation.
"I fear that the Royal Family and the researchers in that facility have yet to realize this fact about the Lusians. That they require moonlight to function. Therefore as the head director of this Academy I refuse to let such a rare opportunity slip from our hands."
Devina smiled, pointing at me.
"That's where you will shine, you will get these Lusians out of that city and bring them back to this Academy."
"But are you sure that there will be no accidents like last time? That taking the Lusians back to the Academy is the correct decision?"
"There won't be any accidents."
Uncertainty washed over me and a sense of dread.
"Let me catch a break Devina... it's summer break..."
"Fine, I will accompany you on this mission, how does that sound?"
"And who is gonna run the Academy while you are gone?"
"No clue but I will just have one of the teachers pick up the slack for me."
"Did you know that you are a horrible principal."
"I did know in fact, thanks for reminding me."