News, no matter how promising, remained only words until it took shape in reality. For Luke and Ilyrana, life did not suddenly change just because the crusade was drawing near. Days still passed in familiar rhythms: mornings spent at the hidden harbour with sleeves rolled up and hands stained with tar or dust, afternoons filled with discussions, sketches, and revisions, and evenings returning to the castle tired but content.
Hope remained their anchor.
They inspected her hull, checked her ropes, tightened fittings, and listened closely to the creaks of wood and metal as though the ship itself were speaking to them. Researchers recorded measurements while crew members—those who had already returned—practised routines nearby. Naeva moved between groups with sharp attention, ensuring nothing slipped through unnoticed. And Luke and Ilyrana were always there: sometimes teaching, sometimes learning, sometimes simply working in silence, side by side.
