Hidden in the back alleys of Sea Fallen was a soon-to-collapse Aaron who looked paler than a ghost.
Blood dripped from his ruined arm; however, with Eleanor and the sword behind him, he continued to move.
『How far are we going to keep running?』
The voice echoed in his mind, releasing feelings of boredom and annoyance at his unending hike.
"Y-You said there was someone as powerful as you there…"
His body swayed under the weight of not only keeping itself from falling but also the girl balancing precariously on his shoulder.
『Hmm… I barely had time to conceal your presence when he arrived… Whoever it was is someone far more powerful than you are now…』
Sounds of the undead still resounded through the streets, leaving the gruesome images ingrained in the boy's mind as he thought of a response to the weapon.
"S-Sword… Do you know who the Sea Kings are?"
He sputtered the short question before doubling over in a coughing fit, resulting from everything he had faced in the last twenty-four hours.
『The term is unfamiliar to me, but more importantly… Did you just call me 'Sword'?』
An angry flash of red glowed from the blade, illuminating the stone road with its majesty.
"W-What else would I call you? Do you have a name?"
His feet continued to move as he conversed with the weapon, ensuring he dodged any large hordes of zombified humans or animals.
Earlier, he might've been capable of fighting a small group of the creatures; however, after being repeatedly injured to the point of death, it wasn't even a possibility.
『Of course I have a name! Behold, I, Ocean's Bane, divine weapon forged from the waves themselves to slay gods!』
It spoke with such grandeur and arrogance that Aaron couldn't help but stifle a laugh.
"Forged to slay gods? The only thing you did was cut the ground open…"
His mocking of the magical weapon resulted in a bright flash of light that temporarily blinded the boy.
『Hmph! Your thoughts don't matter to me in the slightest…』
There was a pause as his eyes adjusted to the radiance emanating from the sword.
『But just in case they did, it's because I've lost most of my power from being separated by that man for hundreds of years…』
Aaron laughed inwardly at its reply, yet his humor quickly faded as he came to a clearing ahead.
The northernmost point of Sea Fallen, where the secondary port resides, burned with flames that consumed houses, ships, and zombies alike.
Sea Terrors lay siege to the foundations that supported the coastline, plunging it into the sea, where it hastily sank into the eternal depths below.
"T-This isn't good…"
As he spoke, a wave of nausea overcame him, causing him to collapse to the floor, where Eleanor fell atop him.
"Ouch ouch ouch…"
Her braided hair stuck into his eyes, making him yelp out in pain, resisting the urge to push her off him.
『If you continue to push yourself to this degree, the damage will be permanent…』
The blade's irritated tone from earlier had vanished, only leaving a compassionate voice of reason that echoed in his mind.
Aaron's arm crunched and cracked as he lay backwards staring up at the orange sky that was illuminated by the rising sun far into the heavens.
Thoughts about what had transpired throughout that one hectic night flashed through his head, leaving him exhausted.
Within forty-eight hours, he had experienced extreme backlash from the Ocean Rifter, entered Eleanor and Adam's mindscape, and fought the Dark Angel after he was corrupted.
Not only that, but after escaping, he had made an insane deal with a psycho buried under the Abyss, fought hordes of zombified people and animals, and straight up died.
So this is what an Adventure is… How terrifying…
Scattered memories had found their way into his skull after exiting the mindscape, leaving him alone to piece them together into coherent thoughts.
Previously, he had no time to even consider this, but now, by being forced to wait until his body regained enough energy, he could begin the grueling process.
"Ocean's Bane is such a long name… Do you have an easier one…?"
He stuttered out a question to his sharp companion, who hovered close to his side, sensing any approaching threats.
『Why would I deface my title that I wear with honor? Though… If you insisted… No, I couldn't… I shouldn't…』
Whispers immediately clouded Aaron's mind as the weapon argued with itself inwardly, much to Aaron's dismay.
There goes my peace and quiet…
…
Stone cracked, buildings collapsed, and the seas roared as Lepaie Quinn stormed through the streets of Sea Fallen.
Any creature that dared approach the man was immediately crushed to dust by the immense bloodlust that surrounded him.
In his right hand, he held a sleeping Arianna whose hands had been cuffed with a blackened material resembling charcoal.
His face was contorted into a strained expression that betrayed anger and rage, but more importantly, fear.
The woman's sudden reveal left the man confused and startled; however, as he tried to question her further, she just collapsed onto the table, snoring loudly.
"This damn Order and its secrets… Even six years ago, they nearly destroyed half the planet just for their bosses' delusions of grandeur."
Quinn's muttering roused the silver-haired woman slightly, yet as soon as she opened her eyes, she closed them again.
Arianna had received explicit orders from when she had been trained about what to do if captured by an enemy leader.
Such cases where the opponent was at the level of a Sea King were rare; however, there were still options available to her.
I could either accept my sentence and rot away in the darkness for the rest of my life or…
She took a deep breath, moving her tongue to the furthest point of her mouth, touching one of her molars.
Instead of the usual bone, there was a thick metal plate engraved into the flesh with a microscopic lever attached.
It was an invention built after the war, but it was infinitely superior to anything the Oceanic Association could produce in terms of efficiency.
It's filled with the acid of a naga. It would melt my brain faster than I could blink. Instant, painless, and better than torture.
Slowly, she placed her tongue on the tiny switch, preparing for death; however, a pang of regret flashed through her mind as her life flashed before her eyes.
Images of her younger days, when she lived on the street with her sister, begging and struggling for food, helplessly, like animals.
Abandonment had left them starving and alone, without anyone to turn to, but the cold streets they slept.
Another memory showed her clawing at a man's leg as he so easily lifted her sister by the throat in the air, choking her until she couldn't breathe.
The sound of her neck breaking into pieces still echoed in her nightmares as she slept at night, waiting for the inevitability of death.
The memory quickly changed to a moment when a mysterious man threw her a loaf of bread with a small notecard attached.
Without hesitation, she pounced on the food; however, the paper confused her as it pointed in the direction of the Svall auction house.
She had believed that she had no use for the item, throwing it to the side like a piece of garbage.
Days passed, and as she grew hungrier, she eventually dug out the small slip of paper.
She followed the directions laid out for her, leading her straight to the building where people went in and husks walked out.
This single auditorium, where humans were sold as property, had driven the once lush city of Svall into a hellish nightmare with death only a hair away.
She entered the large structure with hope, yet left with despair after being taken and sold to wealthy merchants.
Years of torment, grueling labor, and relentless emotional abuse slowly wore the young girl down, draining her life away.
One summer evening, as she was about to pass out from dehydration, succumbing to an early fate, a dark-haired man appeared beside her, catching her as she fell.
He had offered her a bottle of water, which she had refused as memories of the bread flashed through her childish mind.
Her attitude surprised the man; however, he simply laughed it off as he picked her up and began to carry her away.
Arianna had struggled, yet the man reassured her that she would be free to live her life how she wished soon enough.
He was right after all; he had always been right without flaw, for that was the night when she first killed someone.
The feeling of ending the man who had enslaved her all those years ago never left her as she grew older and older, eventually joining her new Master's side as one of the elites.
More time passed as more members joined the Order, with the attention she received from the man she thought of as a father waning.
She grew unhappy and discontent until a certain event changed her life for the better.
On a cold winter night, the Master appeared with a tall teenage girl by his side.
She had beautiful black hair that was matted with dirt and grub and magnificent vermilion eyes that were focused on the ground.
The Master had said she was to be trained in stealth swiftly and that she needed a mentor.
Arianna had not been thinking when she instinctively responded, nearly shouting aloud, startling Adam and Esme, who watched from beside.
Was it because she looked like her sister, or was it because she reminded her of herself?
The silver-haired woman didn't know why she took that young girl under her wing, but as the months passed, a bond formed between the two.
Adam laughed at her for being sentimental; however, she scoffed at his harsh words, instead focusing on training the girl.
The only knowledge she had pried from the girl was her name, Sylvia, and that she had been sold in the markets of Svall.
Time flew by until the day of the battle in Sea Fallen, where the three slipped unseen into the city, splitting up into separate missions.
Arianna was told to cause as much destruction as possible after destroying the Great Sea Wall using a mysterious code transmitted by radio.
Adam was ordered to enter the Mausoleum of Dreams and attempt to bond with the core to become a being that even the gods would fear.
And finally, Sylvia's mission was by far the most demanding, with a nearly impossible aim that even the Master contemplated.
Gravely injure or kill the King of the Sea, Lepaie Quinn.
These memories flashed past the silver-haired woman's mind as she felt the cold switch that could end her life in a moment.
Sylvia, I know you're watching from a far-off roof even if you're hiding your presence. I will give you the only opportunity that you will ever have to complete your mission. Please succeed… Little sister…
With that thought, an unexplainable shock of warning buzzed throughout Lepaie Quinn, who held her.
His gaze immediately shot to where the Arianna sagged in his hand before a tiny noise graced his ears.
Crack.
A single tear fell from her eye as the acid took effect, ending her life immediately.
What followed was a horrifying scene where her skull exploded into a mess of red and green fluid that covered the man's outfit.
As he was about to let out a surprised shout, a piercing, agonizing pain struck his back, digging through flesh and blood to the other side of his chest.
"S-Sister…"
Muffled sobs racked the girl who drove a dagger through the older man's chest, puncturing his lung straight through the middle.
Her tears blurred her vision as, within a millisecond of turning around, the Sea King slammed his heavy arm against her head, knocking her to the ground.
Sylvia's body bounced twice off the stone as she looked up through watery eyes at the man whose bloodlust threatened to rip apart the very world itself.
He reached his hand around his back, grabbed the hilt of the weapon, and pulled quickly in one motion.
Crack. Rip. Spurt.
Gut-wrenching sounds echoed off the empty streets as the black-haired girl looked up in horror at the approaching Sea King, who grabbed her by the throat.
"Y-You're… A… M-Monster…"
Her choked words were quickly cut off with a deafening crunch as her head imploded from his grip, leaving her body to fall helplessly to the floor.
Quinn coughed up blood as he looked down at his wound with a grimace, speaking in an out-of-breath manner.
"Y-You should've aimed for the heart."