The Vast Expanse shimmered under the sudden rise in temperature, the air growing heavy and dry as the distant desert came into view. This was it—the Land of Armagh. Golden sands stretched endlessly, punctuated by patches of lush green jungle, promising both beauty and danger ahead.
Up ahead, the docks came into sight, marking their point of arrival. And there, standing with composed poise, was a woman Chiaki immediately recognized.
"It's her," Chiaki murmured, a soft giggle escaping as she turned toward the figure with controlled enthusiasm. She raised her hand and waved, her tone warm yet measured. "Hey! Yumiko! We're here!"
Yumiko's posture remained composed, arms crossed initially, but then a soft smile broke across her face, eyes lighting up warmly. She raised her hand in response and waved back, her voice clear and cheerful. "Chiaki! Razor! Welcome! I'm glad you made it safely!"
Her medium-length lavender hair was tied into a high ponytail with a black ribbon, a few loose strands framing her face, giving her expression a gentle charm. Her striking cyan eyes glowed faintly, hinting at her latent abilities, yet now they radiated a welcoming, happy warmth. She exuded calm confidence, ready for whatever might come, but for this moment, she simply returned their greeting with genuine pleasure.
Chiaki's smile widened in response, feeling the reassuring presence of her friend as the boat slowed toward the dock. The Land of Armagh awaited just beyond the shore, a place both dangerous and alive with possibility, now softened slightly by the simple joy of reunion.
However, something immediately struck Yumiko as odd. Everyone else had arrived safely, yet there was no sign of Temoshí—or even Fioren. Her calm demeanor flickered for the briefest moment as unease crept in. She lowered her hand from her hip, her gaze sharpening, and whispered to herself in a quiet but firm tone, "What's going on?"
Before anyone could answer, a loud, wild shriek echoed across the water. "Woohoo! Flying shark attack—watch out, sea sandwiches!" Razor exploded from the ocean like a missile, water spraying in every direction as she shot upward with the force of a jet. A twisting vortex formed in her wake, churning the waves into a chaotic whirlpool.
Venos, caught completely off guard, flailed helplessly as the sudden surge yanked the boat violently. With a loud yell, he was lifted into the air, spinning wildly before splashing into the ocean some distance away, sputtering and coughing. "Oh come on! I'm not a fish, I'm a man, you water-demon menace!" he shouted, wiping water from his eyes and glaring up at the chaos.
Razor landed on the dock in front of Yumiko with a dramatic flourish, one knee bent, arms spread wide like a triumphant performer, and a tongue sticking comically out of her mouth. "Ta-da! Missed me, Captain Frownypants?" she shouted, spinning around on the spot, water dripping everywhere. "Your local shark-human has arrived! And yes, I do take bows and applause!"
Yumiko blinked once, her cyan eyes narrowing slightly, but then a gentle smile spread across her face. "Razor…" she said lightly, shaking her head, "always the storm, huh?"
"Hey, Lady Laser Eyes!" Razor grinned, pointing at Yumiko with one hand and saluting with the other. "You're not looking as scary as usual today! Or maybe I'm just too dazzled by your shiny eyeballs!"
Chiaki stifled a laugh behind her, shaking her head slightly. "Some things never change…"
The sun beat down mercilessly, the golden sand of the Land of Armagh already radiating heat waves. Razor, undeterred by her theatrics moments ago, leapt off the dock in her usual over-the-top fashion—arms flailing, tongue sticking out like a mischievous cartoon character.
The moment her feet hit the sand, she let out a weak squeak and collapsed flat on her belly, flopping helplessly like a fish out of water. Her tongue lolled limply to one side, her arms sprawled lifelessly, and her entire body seemed to melt into the sand.
"Whoa! Hot… ohhh… HOT!" she groaned, voice weak and breathless, wriggling slightly as if she had been drained of all life. "I—I can't… I'm melting! Somebody… bring ice… water… a tiny swimming pool… or just… carry me back to the ocean!"
Chiaki, having gracefully jumped off the ship to join her, landed beside Razor and crouched down, eyes widening at the pitiful display. "You do know it's just sand, right?" she asked, trying to stifle a laugh.
Razor only managed a faint, drawn-out "Ugh… hot… too hot…" her voice barely audible, her movements sluggish and exaggeratedly weak. She rolled onto her side, one arm flopping uselessly, and let out a soft, helpless gurgle as if the heat had stolen her life.
Yumiko, standing a few steps back with her usual calm smile, shook her head lightly. "Some things never change," she murmured, her cyan eyes scanning Razor with quiet amusement.
Chiaki reached out to gently nudge Razor. "Come on, get up. Try not to melt completely, alright?"
Razor weakly lifted her head, blinking slowly, tongue flopping. "I… can't… sand… kill…" she mumbled, already sinking back down with a dramatic sigh, making her look completely defeated.
Chiaki sighed but smiled. "Yeah… some things really never change…"
Yumiko looked down at Razor, crossing her arms neatly below her chest. "Looks like we found Razor's weakness. Heat. All that energy… gone with the wind."
Following Yumiko's gaze, Chiaki scratched the back of her hair and let out a sigh. "I warned her this might not be the best place for her, being a shark on dry land, but she insisted. And look where it got her."
Before Razor could moan further, Chiaki grabbed a bucket of cold water and poured it over her. Razor gasped, spluttering, then immediately shot up to her feet, shaking off the water like a soaked, overexcited performer.
"I'm alive! I'm alive! And I'm ready to fight!" Razor announced, waving her arms wildly, jumping from one foot to the other. She spun in place, punching the air with exaggerated motions, as if battling invisible enemies. "Take that! And that! Eat my tentacle fury! I'm the ocean's terror on land! Fear me, sand people!"
Chiaki raised an eyebrow, half-amused and half-exasperated. "You call that a fight?"
Razor didn't even pause. She leapt forward, spinning and twirling, kicking at the air with dramatic flair, arms flailing like she was conducting some invisible orchestra. "I will conquer this desert! I will claim victory over this treacherous sand! No heat can hold me down, no wind can stop me! Prepare yourselves!"
Yumiko's faint smile deepened slightly as she watched Razor's chaotic antics. "She really doesn't change, does she…"
Razor's momentum carried her a few steps before she suddenly slipped, sprawling face-first into the sand with a wet thud. Her limbs flopped helplessly, tongue lolling out like a cartoon shark that had been overcooked. For a moment, she simply lay there, utterly defeated, letting the sun bake her dramatic collapse.
Chiaki crouched beside her, arms crossed and lips pressed into a thin line. "Razor… really? Again?" she muttered, exasperation dripping from her voice. "This isn't a swimming pool, it's a desert! You can't keep flopping around like a dying fish!"
Razor lifted one lazy eyelid, letting out a faint wheeze. "It… it's… hot… so… very… unfair…" she mumbled, still sprawled in the sand, arms spread wide as if pleading with the world.
Chiaki groaned, kneeling and holding a canteen of water in front of her face. "Fine. Since you're clearly incapable of standing on your own, drink. Hydrate. Maybe you'll survive a minute longer without melting entirely."
Razor's eyes sparkled slightly as she dragged herself toward the canteen, flopping over like a fish trying to crawl. She took the water in tiny, exaggerated sips, occasionally gasping dramatically between each one. "Ahhh… life… water… sweet… nectar of the gods…" she groaned, rolling over onto her back and letting the last drops trickle down her chin. "I… I feel… slightly alive… maybe…"
Chiaki pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering under her breath, "Some things never change…"
Yumiko, standing a few steps back with her usual composed smile, shook her head lightly. "At least she's back on her feet… sort of."
Razor, now semi-upright but still flopping occasionally, waved a hand weakly toward Chiaki. "I… I'm… ready… for… battle… again… maybe… careful… I might… attack… or… flop… again…"
Yumiko turned to face Chiaki, her expression softening as she placed a hand lightly over her heart. "What happened out there? You're alone? No Fioren… no Temoshí? What went on?"
Chiaki noticed the genuine worry in Yumiko's gaze, but she didn't hesitate to explain.
"Well… Temoshí's with us on the boat, in the cabin," Chiaki began, her voice steady despite the weight of the words. "But he's in a coma. Someone… dislocated his soul from his body, and I managed to restore it. But the moment I did… this happened. He's been unconscious for months. He's alive, yes, but he hasn't moved an inch. Not a single word… nothing."
Yumiko didn't take the news lightly. The thought of their captain—the man who had saved her homeland and stopped the disaster at Harventona Park—reduced to lying motionless for months struck her deeply.
"I see... I knew Lyvoria Crest was dangerous when you first told me about it, but I didn't expect Temoshí to be hurt this badly. To think he's just… there, unable to move or show the slightest sign of life."
She lifted her chin, turning her torso as she pointed behind her. "Our ship is anchored at the far edge of the island, tucked away in the jungle zone. It's not too far, but not exactly close either—about a day's journey on foot. We've kept supplies stashed there. If we can bring him back with us and let him rest aboard, he'll be safe. From there… we'll figure out a way to wake him."
Chiaki and Razor exchanged glances, silently agreeing that Yumiko's plan was the most reasonable way forward. Still, Chiaki tilted her head, frowning.
"I suppose that works… but why sail the ship all the way out there? What was the point of hiding it?"
Yumiko exhaled and shifted her weight before answering.
"Well, we ran into some trouble when we first reached the desert kingdom's docks. Shanya assumed they'd let us anchor peacefully, but instead her people turned on us—ships came out of nowhere, and they opened fire. We had no choice but to retreat before the vessel was completely torn apart. Thankfully, Tarot managed to patch most of the damage, but they remembered our ship. Shanya figured the only safe option was to slip it away to a more… secluded spot, tucked behind the jungle's brush and trees."
Chiaki's chest tightened with unease—her crew had stumbled into the very kind of trouble she'd hoped to avoid. Still, from Yumiko's tone, she could tell they had made it through unharmed.
"And you even managed to find clothing to blend in with the locals… That was clever. Since you're here wandering freely without any hunters breathing down your necks, I'd say it worked. No one suspects you—or the others."
Yumiko snapped her fingers and winked, grinning wide. "Exactly. But if the townsfolk had seen us climb aboard that ship, they'd have put the pieces together in a heartbeat. Then we'd be rotting in some cell right now, gnawing on our own kneecaps just to pass the time."
"I brought some of the uniforms we picked up here since we knew you'd be coming," Yumiko explained, holding up neatly folded clothes. "They're better suited for the weather and the terrain. Since Temoshí can't get up, the most we can do is get him changed into something less obvious… and I had another set I suppose Razor could use. But it's a bit—" she frowned, glancing at the squirming limbs, "—larger than her, and I honestly don't know how her… tentacle arms are supposed to blend in with the rest."
Yumiko sighed heavily, watching one of Razor's slimy appendages slap against the wall with a faint squelch. The sound alone was enough to draw looks if it happened in public.
Then Razor puffed her chest, her gills fluttering, and suddenly raised a finger as if declaring something monumental.
"No fear, my lovely soldier! For I—Razor! The greatest fish on land—" she stumbled over the words with absolute pride, "—can disguise myself as any human can!"
To prove her point, she dramatically threw on the oversized cloak and trousers Yumiko had tossed her. Unfortunately, her tentacles instantly betrayed her: two slipped through the sleeves, wriggling around like living eels. Another poked out of the trousers and gave an involuntary wave at Chiaki.
The outfit sagged comically on her tiny frame, making her look less like a "disguised human" and more like a child buried inside their father's clothes—if that child also happened to be a sea monster. She tried to walk, but the loose pants dragged against the floor, catching under her tentacles until she tripped forward with a smack.
Flat on the ground, she muttered into the floorboards, "…human… blend in…"
Chiaki pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Razor… just change your arms into something a little more… human, like you did before. It makes you look less… uh… fishy," Chiaki said, her finger tapping thoughtfully against her lips as her gaze trailed to the massive shark tail swishing behind Razor. "As for the tail… we'll figure something out."
Razor froze mid-wag, her eyes widening as if someone had just reminded her the obvious.
"Ohhh, right! I can do that, can't I?" she said, smacking her forehead with one webbed hand. "Here I was, parading around like an octopus at a tea party—watch this!"
With a dramatic flourish, her tentacles twisted, folded, and snapped into shape until they resembled perfectly ordinary human arms. She flexed them proudly, showing off biceps that weren't there before. "Tada! Now I'm just your everyday gorgeous human gal! Totally nothing suspicious about me. Nope. Just a normal woman with normal—"
Her tail thumped loudly against the floor, nearly knocking over a chair. Chiaki exhaled through her nose, already imagining the scene Razor would cause in public.
"…The arms are fine," Chiaki murmured, still pressing her lips with one finger. Then she snapped her fingers. "We'll wrap your tail under layers of cloth, bind it down, and make it look like a long skirt or robe. With the right outfit, no one will notice it. Just… don't wag it around like a flag."
Razor blinked, then grinned wide. "So you want me wrapped up like a burrito? Hell yeah, I'll be the tastiest burrito in the kingdom!" She gave her "normal" arms a triumphant flex again, utterly oblivious to the absurdity.
Razor did as Chiaki suggested, coiling her tail around her waist until it fluffed out like some ridiculous skirt beneath her oversized clothes.
It worked. Sort of. From a distance, maybe she looked like a normal girl… but up close? It was like she'd been stuffed into a lopsided costume at a bargain festival.
She glanced down at herself, lips curling in disgust. "Oh, fantastic. I look like I lost a fight with a carnival booth."
Chiaki tilted her head slightly, her expression calm, her voice soft but teasing. "Actually… you look kind of… cute."
The word cute hit Razor like a dagger. Her tail twitched wildly, puffing up the fake skirt even more until she looked like she was standing inside a feather duster.
"I am not cute." Razor jabbed a thumb at herself, scowling. "I'm supposed to be terrifying, unhinged, bite-your-face-off material! Not—" she kicked at her own tail and snarled "—whatever this is!"
The kick only made her tail bounce, which made the skirt poof up more—like a tutu.
Chiaki stayed calm, observing her with a small, understanding smile. "It's alright. It's just a disguise, nothing more. You'll get used to it."
Razor stomped her foot like a furious kid denied candy. "This is humiliating! I look like I'm auditioning for some messed-up ballerina show."
The tail betrayed her again, wagging happily despite her anger.
Chiaki gave a reassuring nod. "You're doing fine. We just need to keep your tail hidden; the rest is nothing to worry about."
Razor froze, glaring, but her flustered movements betrayed her. Slowly, she lifted her hand, furious salute.
To be continued..