## Control Deck
Inside, the pilot remained at the controls.
Lucien and Tharic stood at their stations—steadier now, more accustomed to the flow of systems they were only recently learning to read.
Lyriana sat nearby with the artifact resting in her lap. The cultist stood close beside her, silent and observant as ever.
Aldric lingered lazily near a side panel, drink in hand, looking like he had been there long enough to stop caring about anything that happened.
His crimson eyes shifted first.
"…There he is."
Draven entered without responding.
The slime remained hidden within his cloak, unmoving.
His gaze swept the room once—brief, assessing—before settling on the pilot.
"…Status."
Flat. Immediate.
The pilot straightened slightly.
"We'll leave the Velkaris Expanse soon," he replied.
"A few hours until we cross into the next territory."
Draven listened without interruption.
"No interruptions so far," the pilot added.
"Flight systems stable. Supplies within acceptable range."
Draven gave a single nod.
Acknowledged.
Nothing more.
Lyriana looked up briefly from the artifact.
"…We maintained speed," she said calmly.
"As instructed."
Draven's eyes flicked to her.
"…Good."
Lucien and Tharic remained at their stations, no longer panicking—just working, learning the systems in real time.
Aldric took a slow drink.
"…They haven't broken anything yet," he muttered with a faint smirk.
Lucien stiffened slightly. Tharic visibly held back a response.
Draven didn't react.
His attention had already moved past them.
The ship continued forward through the sky.
Steady.
Uninterrupted.
---
Then Draven moved.
He stepped past the pilot's station, past the others, and lowered himself into one of the unused control chairs as if it had always been assigned to him.
The pilot stiffened slightly.
Lucien glanced over.
Tharic tensed before forcing himself to stay focused.
Draven ignored all of it.
His free hand lifted and settled on the console.
Not random.
Not hesitant.
Precise.
Aldric noticed immediately.
"…What the hell do you think you're doing?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"…You shouldn't just start touching things. You don't even know how an airship works."
A short scoff followed.
"…If you want us to crash, you're going about it the right way."
Draven took another slow sip from his bottle.
Didn't look up.
Didn't respond.
His fingers continued moving.
Then—
a soft tone sounded.
Followed by another.
The control deck subtly shifted in attention.
Because then—
music began to play.
Soft.
Structured.
Flowing through the ambient system as if it had always been part of the ship.
Silence followed it.
Lucien blinked once.
Tharic's eyes moved toward the speakers.
The pilot's grip loosened slightly on the controls.
Even the ship's hum felt different beneath it.
Aldric blinked once.
Then leaned back.
"…Alright."
A slow exhale left him.
"…So he does know something."
Draven finally leaned back in the chair.
Bottle still in hand, completely unbothered. The slime rested on his shoulder, as still as ever.
He took another sip while watching the systems respond to his input.
Not surprised. Not impressed. Just confirming.
Because this world, this ship, these systems were not unfamiliar to him. Only built differently. Advanced in structure, not in concept.
His gaze stayed on the interface as he thought quietly.
Different world. Same principles.
And that was enough. For now.
Time passed.
One song became another, then another. The control deck no longer felt as stiff as it had before. Music filled the space, sometimes soft, sometimes louder, echoing lightly through the mana-lined walls of the ship.
Somehow, the pilot had completely given in.
"…♪…"
He was singing now. Not well, not terribly either, just enough confidence for someone who assumed nobody would care.
Aldric stared at him for a long moment, beer still in hand.
"…Look at this bastard," he muttered quietly. "…Seems like he's having a great time."
The pilot ignored him entirely, still focused on the controls, still steering the ship steadily through the skies. But the faint grin on his face remained.
The music shifted again, another track beginning softly in the background.
Lucien glanced around the deck briefly. Even Tharic looked less tense now. Not relaxed, but no longer waiting for death every second.
Lyriana remained seated, the artifact resting in her lap, still studying it between moments of listening.
The cultist sat nearby on the floor, quietly eating while monitoring the mana flow.
Draven stayed leaned back in his chair, drink in hand, expression unchanged. The cat remained on his shoulder, tail flicking once at the sound of the music.
Then the pilot spoke again.
"…We're approaching the airspace of the Arkvareth Dominion."
His voice immediately steadied, returning to work.
"…We'll cross the border shortly."
The mana lines across the front display shifted faintly, mapping the route ahead.
Lyriana looked up calmly.
"Keep moving forward."
A pause.
"Once we fully cross into Arkvareth territory, we'll prepare to drop them off."
Silence settled lightly after that. Not heavy. Not tense. Just acknowledged.
Lucien and Tharic exchanged a brief glance.
Because now the temporary nature of all this felt real again.
Soon, they would no longer be part of the ship, or part of his path.
Aldric took another drink.
"Good," he said flatly. "Less wasting supplies."
Kaelira was not there to argue. Probably for the best.
Draven remained still, listening, watching the shifting map ahead.
The ship continued forward, steady, cutting through clouds toward the vast territory of Arkvareth.
And beneath the music, beneath the calm, change was getting closer again.