Sea salt and mist mingled in the strong gusts of the ocean breeze, slapping the main sails of a giant merchant ship currently cleaving through the Eastern Ocean. The evening sky radiated a golden-orange hue, reflecting on the rolling waves breaking against the wooden ship's bow.
Standing near the front deck's guardrail, two elf girls stared at the vast open sea with sparkling eyes.
Dina, the White Elf, let her long blonde hair flutter in the sea breeze. Her face, which used to always be adorned with dirt and fear due to the harsh life on the outskirts of Hjaðningavíg village, now radiated peace, while her pair of green eyes sparkled with hope. Beside her stood Vena, the Dark Elf. Her exotic skin contrasted with her loosely tied silver hair. Vena's slender arms were crossed casually, while her pair of red eyes glared sharply at the rolling waves. A wide smile graced her face.
Dina raised her right hand. Behind her thin glove, a magical gem was embedded—an Anemo-Calyx—radiating a warm emerald-green glow.
"Do you feel it, Vena?" murmured Dina softly, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "The wind on this ocean... it feels as if it's breathing with us. Pushing this ship from behind, sweeping away the storms ahead. As if we are being guided."
Vena snorted softly, her laugh sounding crisp yet full of energy. "Of course I feel it, Sis. The owner of this wind is the figure who freed us from Evilus's rusted steel caravans. He saved us from chains, gave us this power, and stopped the stupid war that has been going on for centuries in our homeland."
Vena looked down, staring at her own palm which also held an Anemo-Calyx. The memory of that night of despair was still clearly imprinted in her mind. The smell of blood, the screams of her people, Morgath's cruel laughter. Then, from the midst of that absolute darkness, a warm clump of light—a small light form, as that entity introduced itself to them—descended like a miracle.
One touch from that light form, and the steel shackles binding them shattered. Wild and liberating elemental power flowed rapidly into their veins, transforming two outcast girls into storm fighters equivalent to mid-to-high tier adventurers.
"But... honestly I am very curious about the true form of God Barbatos," said Dina, opening her eyes and staring at the orange horizon. The tone of her voice was filled with a mixture of reverence and logical confusion. "I mean... you just learned about the rules of the world from the adventurers on this ship, right?"
"About the gods being forbidden to use their power in the Gekai?" Vena raised an eyebrow.
Dina nodded. "Exactly. The world system binds them. If a god uses their divine power, Arcanum, they will be instantly punished and forcibly sent back to heaven. Then... how could Lord Barbatos bestow such terrifying elemental power upon us without triggering that punishment?"
Vena fell silent for a moment, also pondering the impossibility. "Not to mention Lady Aria. If his messenger alone possesses such illogical power—capable of withstanding thousands of arrows and crazy monsters from Evilus without a scratch—what is Lord Barbatos himself actually capable of?"
"Twisting the laws of the world without consequences."
A cold, elegant voice, laden with aristocratic arrogance, suddenly interrupted their conversation from behind.
Dina and Vena turned in unison.
Standing in the shadow of the mainmast, leaning his back against the sturdy mahogany, was Hedin Selland. The man with flawlessly styled straight golden hair wore a long-sleeved white shirt and a very neat black vest. Thin-rimmed glasses perched perfectly on the bridge of his nose. In his hand, he gripped an elegant long magic wand. His expression was flat, but behind the lenses of his glasses, his pair of coral eyes stared at the two girls with an evaluating gaze as sharp as the tip of a scalpel.
Beside Hedin, sitting huddled on a wooden barrel filled with apples, was Hogni Ragnar. The Dark Elf man with messy silver hair and a pair of green eyes was seen muttering to himself, hugging his knees, and staring at the deck floor as if there was something terrifying there.
"You're only realizing that oddity now, you wild girls?" sneered Hedin, stepping forward with perfectly upright posture, his magic wand tapping the deck floor softly yet rhythmically. "Bestowing power outside the Falna system without triggering Arcanum... that is an act of weaving the laws of nature themselves."
Vena instantly growled. Her eyes sharpened. The wind around her began to rustle wildly, responding to her emotions.
"Watch your mouth, Hedin," hissed Vena, stepping forward to position herself in front of Dina. "You might be the former King of Sis Dina's people, but on this ship, we all have the same status. We are prospective followers of Lord Barbatos. And in case you forgot, it was this 'wild girl' who knocked your proud body down to its knees in the middle of the Hjaðningavíg battle."
A gripping silence instantly froze the air on the ship's deck. Several human sailors working nearby hurried away, not wanting to be caught in the murderous aura that suddenly wafted thickly.
Hedin narrowed his eyes. Fine veins popped on his temples. His pride as a mad mage and former king of the White Elves was deeply scratched by the insult. The memory of that day—the day the lightning magic he chanted through his wand was successfully blown away by Dina's storm—remained a dark stain that bothered his ego.
On Hedin's chest, right beneath his shirt, an Ego-Calyx emitted a dim purple flash from the Electro element. His grip on his magic wand tightened.
"That was a tactical error because I underestimated the anomaly of your green gems," replied Hedin coldly, his voice as sharp as a razor. "However, never think that a one-time victory makes you my equal. Especially after I received this power."
"Oh? Want to test it now, Your Majesty?" challenged Vena, clenching her fists. The wind around her hands began to form small vortexes.
"U-um... p-please don't fight," muttered Hogni from atop his wooden barrel, his voice trembling softly and full of hesitation. "T-the aura here is getting very dark. This ocean... this ocean will swallow us if we kill each other... Yes, the darkness from the depths is calling out..."
"Hogni, shut up!" snapped Hedin without turning, still glaring sharply at Vena.
"Y-yes sir!" Hogni immediately hid his face behind his knees again, looking very pathetic for a feared former Dark Elf King.
"That's enough, Vena!" exclaimed Dina, grabbing her sister's arm and pulling her back. Dina looked at Hedin with a firm gaze, but not looking for an enemy. "We are not on a battlefield. The stupid war between the White Elves and Dark Elves ended when you two dropped your crowns."
The word "crown" made Hedin's gaze soften slightly, although his expression remained hard.
Dina was right. Everything had changed. When Evilus held thousands of their people hostage on the battlefield, both Hedin and Hogni were faced with absolute despair. Their pride was trampled, their magic power unable to protect the people they led. It was in those most humiliating moments that God Barbatos's light form came to them.
The cute spirit did not ask for worship. It only offered a path to punish the sinners who disturbed the peace. Hedin received a deadly prototype called the Ego-Calyx that awakened the pure Electro element within his body, while Hogni received the dark blessing of Pyro-Darkness. With the power of those anomalies, assisted by Lady Aria who protected the hostages, the two former kings leveled the Evilus fleet without leaving a single bone.
After the slaughter was over, Hedin and Hogni realized one undeniable thing: they were no longer fit to wear crowns. Their arrogance almost drove their people to extinction. They discarded their titles as kings, handed over sovereignty to the village council united by Dina and Vena, and chose to step toward Orario to beg for shelter under that anomalous god.
Hedin let out a long sigh, tidying his shirt collar with an elegant movement. The electrical element that had crackled around him vanished without a trace.
"I have no intention of starting an inelegant fight on this fragile wooden ship," said Hedin looking away, his voice returning to being calm and analytical. "I was merely commenting on your confusion. Lord Barbatos is no ordinary god."
Hedin walked closer to the deck's guardrail, staring at the expanse of the orange sea, his magic wand resting on his shoulder.
"Bestowing power equivalent to a Falna without triggering Arcanum... that means he is using a system beyond the reach of the gods of Orario," Hedin began his analysis. "Not to mention the giant pillar of light on the eastern horizon that night. We all know that is the sign of a god being forcibly returned to Tenkai. The fact that a god was sent back to heaven that night—which I believe was the mastermind behind the Evilus forces—yet the blessing Lord Barbatos gave us did not disappear in the slightest..."
Hedin turned his head, his eyes flashing with calculation. "That proves He still remains in this lower world without being punished by the world system. He is a strategist who stands outside absolute boundaries. An entity who understands every loophole in the law and manipulates it unseen."
"W-working in the shadows..." murmured Hogni suddenly, raising his head slowly. His red eyes now glowed with a different light—sharper, darker, and losing all the hesitation that had consumed him earlier. Hogni's combat personality began to take over just by talking about deadly tactics. "Our god... is a storm lord who weaves the laws of nature undetected... Ahhh... his enemies won't even realize what they are dealing with until the whirlwind swallows them alive."
Hedin ignored Hogni's terrifying murmurs and looked back at the two elf girls before him.
"That is why, you must ensure your manners are not embarrassing once we arrive in Orario," Hedin gave a stern warning, his voice containing authority. "We are heading to Orario to beg for protection and shelter under a god with extraordinary intelligence. If you act like uneducated girls in His presence, you will only get us rejected before we even get to speak. I refuse to be associated with prospective followers who lack elegance."
Vena opened her mouth to reply to the lengthy sneer, but Dina quickly held her shoulder and smiled faintly.
"We understand, Sir Hedin," said Dina in a surprisingly peaceful tone. "Even though you delivered it with annoying words, I know you actually respect Him as deeply as we do. Besides, you were willing to leave your homeland to go seek and beg to be his follower."
Hedin snorted softly, turning his face back toward the ocean. "Don't misunderstand. I threw away my kingdom because of my own stupidity. Choosing to serve this anomalous god is merely... a form of rational accountability to hone this new power."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say," chuckled Vena, her annoyance evaporating seeing the former White Elf king's stiff attitude.
The intergenerational debate subsided, replaced by the sound of waves crashing against the ship's hull. Four elves originating from mutually hating races—two outcast girls and two former kings—were now bound by the same blessing and the same goal: seeking acceptance from the wind god.
"Land ho! Land ho to the northwest!"
The shout of the ship's captain from the crow's nest instantly broke their silence.
Dina, Vena, Hedin, and Hogni simultaneously stepped forward to the edge of the deck, squinting through the glare of the setting sun. Far on the horizon, a massive landline began to reveal itself. And in the middle of that land, soaring through the clouds like a giant spear challenging heaven, was a grayish-white structure that couldn't be mistaken.
The Tower of Babel. The center of the labyrinth city, Orario.
"So, that is the stage," murmured Hedin, his eyes staring sharply at the giant tower. His fingers reflexively clenched the handle of his black magic wand. "The city where heroes gather, and where the world's greatest rot congregates."
"Incredibly huge..." Vena swallowed hard, slightly intimidated by the majesty presented in the distance. "No wonder those crazy monsters from Evilus came from this place."
Dina smiled broadly. She raised her right hand, letting the sea breeze sweep between her fingers fitted with the Anemo-Calyx. The gem pulsed warmly, as if giving a welcoming response from afar.
"Our time is not long now," said Dina, her voice filled with conviction and hope. "We will soon arrive at the gates of that city. We will finally meet Lord Barbatos, and Lady Aria... and beg to start our new lives."
Hogni, who had now returned to his timid original form, also stared at Orario with his body trembling slightly. "T-there are so many people there... what if they are hostile to us? What if He actually rejects us... ah, no, the outside world is too scary..."
"If anyone blocks our path, then I will silence them," answered Hedin absolutely, without looking back. "We have burned the bridges behind us. There is no going back."
The east wind blew stronger, billowing the ship's sails and accelerating their pace cleaving the ocean.
The four elves fell silent in their respective thoughts. In their eyes, Orario was the holy land where their new master resided. A city where they hoped to serve and find a new purpose in life.
However, they were completely unaware that in the depths of Orario they were heading towards, a smuggler Familia was sharpening their fangs in the darkness. A trap had been set for a "Level 1 rookie", who was none other than the wind messenger they so highly respected.
The ship sailed faster, bringing with it the potential destruction from the anomalous elements they carried. Orario would never know that when Hedin Selland, Hogni Ragnar, Dina, and Vena stepped through the city gates, the deadliest pieces of the storm were finally gathered.
And for those who dared to set a trap in the shadows of the Dungeon... an unparalleled whirlwind was already waiting for them.
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