The ship groaned as it settled into harbor. Steam rose, gulls screamed above, and workers hauled luggage into the belly of the massive vessel.
Sofie handed over the tickets. "Alright, we're in Cabin B-17. Let's go!"
Klaus nodded, shouldering his bag, and they both made their way through the corridors to their shared cabin. It was modest—two bunk beds, a small window, and neatly folded linen on the beds.
Just as Klaus threw his bag onto the top bunk and Sofie collapsed on the lower one, a soft gasp echoed from the doorway.
"Miss Sofie… Mister Klaus?"
It was the boy from the port—Rowan. His bruises had faded somewhat, replaced by awe in his eyes.
Sofie immediately lit up. "Rowan! You're here!?" She ran over and hugged him tightly.
Klaus offered a faint smile and a nod.
Behind Rowan stood a kind-eyed woman and a tiny girl clinging to her leg."This is my mom, Serena. And this is my sister, Alina."
Alina, the little girl in pink, blinked up at them wide-eyed. Her pigtails bounced as she stared curiously, then hid behind her mother's skirt again.
The ship rumbled beneath them. Horns blasted. The ocean pulled them slowly away from the dock, bound for Japonica.
Everyone settled in.Serena helped tuck alina into a small hammock near their bunk.
Klaus climbed to the top bed and was already drifting, eyes half-shut.
But Sofie sat across from alina, entirely captivated. "She's… she's so cute! Look at her little face!"
Alina tilted her head. "You're really loud," she muttered innocently.
Rowan, meanwhile, hadn't taken his eyes off Klaus. He finally worked up the courage and stepped forward. "Uhm… Mister Klaus?"
Klaus blinked lazily. "What is it?"
"I… I want to be stronger. Will you train me? Teach me a few moves?"
"No," Klaus said immediately.
Rowan flinched.
Sofie snapped her head toward Klaus and smacked him with a pillow. "What do you mean no, you brick wall?!"
Klaus rubbed his head, groaning. "I don't teach kids."
"You didn't teach me, either, and look how great I turned out!" Sofie huffed with puffed cheeks.
Klaus sighed. "...You really want me to teach him?"
"Yes!"
"Fine."
Rowan beamed. "Really?!"
"Just don't die during warm-up."
---
Later That Night – Ship's Cafeteria
The mess hall was already packed. The smell of stew and bread drifted from the lower deck. Long lines had formed—Economy, Business, and First Class clearly separated.
Klaus, Sofie, Rowan,Serena and alina joined the Economy queue.
Alina tugged at Serena's dress. "Mommy, I'm hungry…"
"I know, sweetheart. Just a little longer," Serena whispered, trying to soothe her.
Alina started fussing, then whining. The sound drew judgmental glances. A group in the First Class line—dressed in silk and arrogance—began to sneer loudly.
"What kind of trash brings a wailing brat onto a ship like this?"
"Must be beggars—they even smell like one."
Serena's face turned red, but she held alina protectively.
Sofie's eyes flared with rage. She stepped forward, but before she could speak, a gentle hand tapped her shoulder. An old woman in a shawl smiled kindly.
"Dear, cut the line with me. Your group too."
Sofie hesitated, then nodded, guiding Serena and the kids ahead. "Thank you…"
But just as they passed the aristocrats, another comment came—louder this time
"Maybe next time don't breed like rats if you can't afford the space."
That was it.
Sofie froze.
The flames in her hair ignited without warning, licking the ceiling. Her eyes glowed like embers. She turned slowly, her boots scorching the floor.
Klaus watched from the back, arms crossed.
Rowan nervously asked, "Aren't you going to stop her?"
Klaus didn't even look down. "She's the boss. I don't interfere."
Sofie marched to the First Class group. One of them, smirking, raised his hand—
SLAP.
The sound cracked the hall. A mark bloomed across Sofie's cheek.
Silence.
Then—
"Th-that's Monarch Ignar's daughter—Sofie Ignar!!"
The crowd gasped.
Sofie didn't speak.
She moved.
In a blink, she erupted in fire, obliterating two of them instantly. Their screams echoed as they were incinerated—bones turned to ash mid-sentence.
The others tried to flee, but Sofie's fire chased them down like hunting beasts.
A man lay nearby, half his body melted, fingers twitching.
One survivor crawled backward, trembling. "W-wait! I'm the son of Senator Auron! My father—!"
But Sofie stepped forward. Her body fully engulfed in demonic flame. Her eyes burned like the abyss, her mouth twisted in righteous fury. Her form, her very soul, mirrored a flaming skull—a goddess of vengeance incarnate.
She grabbed him by the cheeks.
He screamed.
"LOOK INTO MY EYES! WREATHED SOUL! BEAR THE WEIGHT OF YOUR SINS!"
His scream cut short. His eyes boiled in his skull.
Then he was silent.
Dead.
Burnt black. Charred. A husk of a man with tears frozen on his face.
The room was deathly quiet. The only sound was the soft crackle of fire dying down around Sofie's feet.
Alina, no longer crying, clung silently to Serena's waist.
The ship glided across the skies like a silent predator, wind slicing past its hull. But inside, the mood was strangely muted. No one even looked at each other anymore.
They later sat at a long side table in the mess hall. They ate quietly, shoveling in mouthfuls of food.
Rowan, however, kept stealing glances at Sofie like she was some sort of mythical beast. He practically sparkled.
"That was SO COOL how you split that guy's arm off clean—like shwhhhp! And that throw! The wall CRACKED!"
Sofie beamed, eating it up like dessert. "Keep 'em coming, lil Rowan!"
He puffed his chest proudly, offering a salute. "Yes, ma'am!"
Klaus rolled his eyes. "Oh no. She's got a fanboy now."
After dinner, the group returned to their cabin. The exhaustion hit quickly — the kind only earned through violence, adrenaline, and hard silence. They each drifted to sleep, some faster than others.
---
Morning came.
The sunlight spilled through the windows in soft, warm beams.
Sofie stretched, sitting up on her lower bunk, yawning and rubbing her eyes. Her hand reached up to feel the top bunk. Empty.
She blinked. "Hey... Rowan, have you seen Klaus?"
Rowan was still curled up under his blanket like a cocooned animal. His sleepy voice answered, "He got up real early… like, scary early."
Sofie nodded, pulling on her hoodie before quietly stepping out.
She found him at the very edge of the upper deck, seated calmly, staring out into the endless sky. The ship's hull curved slightly under him, wind brushing through his hair. His cloak danced gently behind him, silent like a whisper. Klaus looked... serene.
Sofie smirked mischievously and crept closer, raising her hands in full sneak-attack mode.
"I see you trying to sneak up," Klaus said flatly, without turning.
"Ugh!" she groaned, defeated. "Ruined the whole ambush."
She flopped onto him from behind anyway, hugging him tightly. "Good beautiful morning, Klaus."
He reached up, pulled her arms tighter around him, and then with a gentle tug, spun her to sit facing him on his lap. The wind swept around them as he leaned in and kissed her.
Right as they heard
"AHEM!"
They turned.
There stood Rowan.
In pajamas.
Holding a bowl of cereal.
"I am literally just trying to eat my cornflakes in peace and I have to witness THIS romantic crap?"
Sofie cracked up, burying her face into Klaus's shoulder. Klaus just looked at Rowan blankly.
Rowan pointed a spoon at them. "I swear, if you start slow-dancing in the wind I'm throwing myself off this ship."
A few hours remained until arrival.
Klaus stood out on the main training deck with Rowan, teaching him a few basic counters and footwork.
"Step into it, not away," Klaus instructed. "Energy needs direction. Don't just dodge—redirect."
Rowan wobbled. "This is HARD."
Rowan tried again. And again. And again.
Then something clicked.
He nailed the form. Then again. And again.
Klaus blinked. "Wait... that took me two days to get right."
Rowan laughed.
A voice called out from the upper balcony. "Rowan, sweetie! Come get your boots cleaned, we're almost there!"
"Coming, mom!"
Klaus watched him run off.
And then…
BOOOOOOOOONNNGGG—
The horn blew from the ship's tower.
Klaus turned, the wind catching his cloak again.
There it was.
Japonica.
Klaus narrowed his eyes.
"...Let's see what this place holds."