The darkness of night had finally descended upon the sea, the sky a bruised purple that matched the calm, ink black water. As the ship prepared for the evening's grand concert, Arlienne, Seraphyne, and Nyxelle split up, moving in separate directions to cover more ground. Arlienne had calculated that the music and the crowd would provide the perfect window to locate Emerion.
She moved like a phantom through the "Officers Only" corridors, her ears protected by thick cloths wrapped tightly in a fashionable headband a precaution against the siren song she knew was coming.
As the first haunting notes of the concert began to echo through the ship's hull, Arlienne remained immune, her focus locked on the task at hand. The hallway behind her was littered with the unconscious bodies of the ship's security; she had dealt with them efficiently, leaving them slumped against the steel walls.
She finally reached the heavy bulkheaded door marked Control Room. But just as her hand reached for the handle, a voice hissed through the shadows behind her.
"Finally found you."
Arlienne turned slowly, her brow furrowing. "Ryuuken..."
The guard stood there, his chest heaving, a wild look in his eyes. He looked like a man whose pride had been shredded and replaced with raw, unadulterated fury. Behind him, the corridor was empty, but Arlienne knew better than to assume he was alone.
"Now, will you tell us where our Lord is, or will I have to force it out of you?" Ryuuken growled, a predatory grin spreading across his face as he cracked his knuckles, the sound like dry wood snapping.
"Well, if I knew where they were, I would have surely found my brother by now," Arlienne replied, her smirk never wavering despite the tension. "It seems the Captain has tricked you just as thoroughly as he tricked me."
"I'll deal with that rat Captain later," Ryuuken spat. "First, I'm going to teach you a lesson for what you did to us in the dining hall."
In an explosion of speed that neared the speed of sound, Ryuuken vanished and reappeared inches from her, his fist aimed directly for her face. Arlienne didn't panic.
She dropped her center of gravity, sinking into a low crouch as the punch whistled over her head. In one fluid motion, she jammed the butt of her trident into Ryuuken's leading hand, using his own momentum against him, and heaved.
She didn't just push him; she launched him. Ryuuken went flying toward the Control Room door like a human cannonball.
The moment he made contact, the world turned white.
An immense explosion rocked the corridor the door had been booby trapped with high level explosive seals. The blast sent both Arlienne and Ryuuken flying backward as the shockwave tore through the narrow hallway. Rui, who had been lurking silently within Ryuuken's shadow, was forcefully ejected by the sheer magical pressure of the blast, tumbling across the floor.
Fire began to lick at the edges of the jagged hole where the door used to be, the smell of ozone and burning metal filling the air.
"Brother..." Arlienne muttered, coughing as she forced herself to her feet. Ignoring the heat, she walked cautiously toward the blackened frame of the Control Room.
The smoke was a thick, grey curtain, making it nearly impossible to see, but she pushed through, her trident held ready.
She stepped inside, her heart hammering against her ribs, but as the smoke cleared slightly, she froze.
The room was empty.
There was no sign of Emerion. No sign of Anathema. Just smashed consoles and flickering monitors.
Behind her, in the burning corridor, Rui's desperate voice echoed through the roar of the flames.
"Ryuuken... Ryuuken, wake up!" Rui screamed, frantically shaking his partner. Ryuuken lay face down, blood flowing from a massive wound on his back like a crimson waterfall, staining the cold metal floor.
Meanwhile.
Seraphyne moved with a predator's grace through the damp, claustrophobic corridors of the lower decks. The air here was heavy, smelling of salt crusted iron and stale oil. Like Arlienne, her ears were bound tightly with thick cloth to dampen the siren song echoing from above.
Her brow was furrowed, her face a mask of cold focus.
She reached a maintenance hub a dark cathedral of hissing steam and massive iron pipes. The only light came from a few guttering candles, their flames dancing wildly in the drafts. Suddenly, the low murmur of voices drifted through the dark. Seraphyne melted into the shadows behind a cluster of valves.
"This should be over soon," an officer whispered. "Within a few hours, this ship will be under the sea."
"The Captain is going all out," the second replied, voice trembling with dark excitement.
"He's pissed because he lost potential business yesterday. That's why he moved both the silver haired boy and Anathema out of the way."
"Do you think the boy could stop him?"
The first officer laughed harshly.
"Don't be stupid. Veryn is coming. He's a beast who killed a hundred people alone when the Captain first started. The Captain might even sell the organs of both those boys after his plan succeeds."
Seraphyne's fists clenched, her knuckles cracking in the silence. Her expression darkened into something lethal.
"Hey! Who are you?"
She turned. Four officers stood a few feet away, with the two she had been eavesdropping on joining them. Six men now formed a jagged circle around her.
"Explain yourself, woman," one demanded.
Seraphyne said nothing. She kept her gaze fixed on the ground, the flickering candlelight casting a shadow over her eyes.
"Perhaps we should have some fun with her before we finish her," one officer suggested. The others began to grin, their eyes traveling over her.
"Yeah, I heard blondes are the best. Even in this dark, her hair glows."
Their lewd laughter was cut short by Seraphyne's voice cold, level, and terrifying.
"Where is my nephew?"
"How the f*ck are we supposed to know, woman?" the leader spat. He stepped forward, reaching for her shoulder. "Just strip your clothes and.."
The fight began in a blur.
Seraphyne didn't just strike; she flowed. As the officer's hand neared her, she pivoted on her heel, her movement so fluid it looked like she had turned to liquid.
Her palm, glowing with a faint, toxic emerald green, slammed into the man's solar plexus. There was no loud crack, only a dull thud that vibrated through the air. The man was sent skidding back ten feet, his boots screeching against the metal floor.
The others barked in laughter. "Haha! Your fragile hands are good for cooking, not fighting!"
But as the officer tried to stand, his face contorted. He doubled over, a violent fountain of dark blood erupting from his mouth. He looked at the floor in disbelief as his legs turned to jelly.
"I will ask you again," Seraphyne said, her voice dropping an octave. "Where is my nephew?"
The remaining five didn't wait. They drew jagged daggers from their sleeves, the steel glinting in the candlelight. Two rushed from the front, while two circled to her flanks and the last leaped from a crate behind her.
"Vital Reversal."
As the man from behind lunged, Seraphyne didn't even look. She leaned her head an inch to the left, the blade whistling past her ear. She grabbed his wrist, using his own momentum to swing him into the two attackers in front. As they collided, she stepped into the gap.
Her hands were a blur of "Tai Chi" mastery. An officer swung a heavy overhead strike; she met his wrist with a soft touch, guiding the blade into a nearby pipe. Hiss! Steam blinded the man, and in that split second, Seraphyne delivered three rapid fire palm strikes: one to his throat, one to his inner thigh, and one to the base of his ribs. Each touch left a faint green residue on his clothes.
The other three tried to corner her. One swung low, aiming for her hamstrings. Seraphyne leaped, performing a mid air twist that felt like slow motion. While upside down, her palms touched the heads of two attackers. She landed silently, her back to them.
The officers turned, breathing hard, their eyes bloodshot. "Give up, woman! You can't win!"
They launched a final, desperate coordinated assault. Six men, including the one who had been coughing blood, converged on her like a closing fist.
Seraphyne's green mana flared, illuminating the entire room. She parried a knife with the back of her hand, spun, and delivered a palm strike to the attacker's chest. She ducked a swing, swept the leg of another, and as he fell, she tapped his spine with two fingers.
It was a dance of absolute precision. She wasn't using brute force; she was rewriting their biology with every touch.
Suddenly, the leader stopped. He tried to scream, but only a dry rasp came out. He looked at his arm; the veins were turning a sickly shade of purple. One by one, the officers began to seize. Their limbs went numb, their joints locking as if they were turning to stone.
"W-what did you do to us?" they gasped in unison. Then, as if on cue, all six doubled over, choking on blood that poured from their noses and mouths.
"I am not sure if people like you would be able to understand such an ability," Seraphyne said, walking slowly through the center of the paralyzed men. "In simple words.. I messed with the mana flow inside your bodies. Every time you moved to strike me, you pumped my mana deeper into your organs. If you move now, your heart will simply stop. If you want to be healed, answer my question. Where is Emerion?"
They collapsed to the floor, eyes wide with the terror of the doomed. "W-we don't know! We swear!"
"I will change my question, then," Seraphyne said, her voice colder than the sea outside. "Where is the silver-haired boy?"
Silence. Only the sound of blood dripping onto the metal floor and the hiss of steam remained. "We really don't know... the Captain... he didn't tell us..."
Seraphyne looked into their eyes and saw only the truth of cowards. She turned away, her cloak billowing.
"If you don't know... then die slowly."
She ignored their gurgling pleas for mercy as she reached a porthole. Outside, a massive pirate ship had latched onto theirs. Passengers were being led across planks like cattle but they weren't fighting. Their faces were fixed in horrific, wide eyed smiles, looking like frozen statues of joy.
At the same time
The muffled sound of singing could still be heard, though it was subtle and unclear, drifting through the walls like a ghost.
The raven haired boy was the first to wake, roused by the distant melody. His brow furrowed at the sound, and a sharp pain lanced through his skull as he tried to remember where he was and what had happened.
"Where am I.... Damn it, my head," Anathema muttered to himself, clutching his temples. He felt as though he were suffering from a severe hangover, yet he knew for a fact he hadn't touched a drop of wine. He strained to remember the sequence of events.
Standing up, he scanned the room. There was no light at all, save for a faint, illuminated glow bleeding in from another room or perhaps a nearby hallway. The continuous singing made his head throb with renewed intensity. Adding to his frustration, his leg suddenly struck an object on the floor, causing him to stumble.
Irritated, he reached down to lift the object he had tripped over. His breath hitched; the object felt thick and unmistakably like skin. As he ran his hand along it, he realized it was a human hand. The sudden contact dragged up unpleasant memories from the depths of his mind, and his eyes widened.
For a fleeting moment, he wondered if he had somehow been transported back to his past, but he found no logic to support the thought.
He desperately tried to peer into the person's face, but the darkness was too thick to see.
'Is this person dead? What's going on here?' Anathema thought. He reached out to check the person's pulse, to his relief, it was steady. The person was alive. Mui didn't know who they were, but finding he wasn't alone in this dark, unfamiliar situation brought a small measure of comfort.
"Um hmm.." the person muttered, stirring as they began to wake.
The person rubbed their eyes and sat up, revealing a pair of glowing blue eyes. Anathema watched as the blue light cut through the shadows, and a wave of realization washed over his face.
"Emerion.. Dawnveil," Anathema muttered. His eyes turned cold instantly, and he let go of Emerion's hand as if it had burned him. Anathema now remembered exactly how he had ended up here. He had been betrayed by the Captain.
Hearing the voice call his full name, Emerion looked toward the source. He recognized the voice immediately, but he was struck by a sudden realization he had never told Anathema his full name, yet the boy knew it.
"Anathema.. where am I, and how do you know my name?" Emerion asked, standing up to examine his body. To his surprise, he wasn't tied up or chained. He remembered falling into a deep sleep caused by that blonde girl's singing.
"Your aunt told us. I don't know where we are, but I should finish my business now," Anathema said, his hand finding the hilt of his sword and drawing it.
Hearing the ring of steel, Emerion immediately took a defensive stance. In this pitch black room, he was at a clear disadvantage; he couldn't see Anathema's movements, but because of his own glowing blue eyes, Anathema could see him perfectly.
'I need to avoid fighting here... will this guy even be willing to listen? I wish Arlienne was here; she is always missing when she's actually needed,' Emerion thought.
Suddenly, a sharp sensation cut through his thoughts. He barely noticed the edge of a sword lunging toward him through the dark, and the blade bit into his shoulder.
'Damn it, I can't sense his mana either,' Emerion thought, gritting his teeth. 'I could use my blue flames, but it could end up destroying us both. How do I negotiate with someone like him? Every human has something they desire, someone they want to protect.'
He heard Anathema's heavy breathing nearby. The sword swung again, aimed directly for his head, but Emerion managed to dodge at the last possible second. Anathema's blade struck something solid and became stuck, causing the fight to halt for a few moments. Anathema tugged at his weapon, but it wouldn't budge.
'I need to get out of here... and to do that safely, I have to avoid fighting Anathema. I need to turn him to my side, but how? I could finish him with ZALTREIGN right now since his back is exposed and he's without a weapon. But if I can avoid that, I can avoid fighting Ryuuken and Rui as well.'
Suddenly, Emerion's eyes lit up. He had found his point of negotiation.
"Hey, Anathema, how about we make a deal?"
Anathema ignored him at first, focusing entirely on pulling his sword free. However, as soon as a blue light began to illuminate the room behind him, he turned around, momentarily forgetting his weapon.
"Are you going to attack me when I am weaponless now? It's shameful for a noble," Anathema said, his eyes narrowing at Emerion, whose hands were now wreathed in blue flames.
"What makes you think I would do that? I said I wanted a deal," Emerion said, stepping forward. Anathema remained in a defensive position, pulling his hands together.
"A deal with an enemy is like inviting your own death," Anathema said, his eyes sharp and ready to dodge at a moment's notice.
"Probably. But I am as helpless as you are in this situation. Killing each other won't help us get out. So, I suggest we work together temporarily, since we both have a common enemy," Emerion said, trying to keep his voice calm.
Anathema seemed to consider it for a second, but the thought vanished as quickly as it appeared. "The Captain has betrayed me, and he will pay for it. I am not so weak that I need an enemy's help to defeat another enemy," Anathema said, his voice thick with stubborn pride.
Emerion felt a surge of annoyance at the resistance, so he played his trump card.
"If we fight and waste time here, your guards may get hurt by the Captain or worse. If he can trick us, the same goes for them. I have my sister out there, so we both need to get out of here as soon as possible," Emerion said, his expression turning grave. He was using this as a form of manipulation, but there was no lie in his words.
"What makes you think I care about those garbage guards?" Anathema huffed. His words were cold, but his body language told a different story.
"Then why did you jump into the blue flames when we were fighting yesterday? Clearly, you care about them," Emerion said, a small smile playing on his lips. Anathema snapped at the comment.
"Any Lord would care for their assets! They are my assets, and I care for them in that way. It doesn't mean I have any connection with them as a human. Don't mix duty with emotions," Anathema said stubbornly.
Emerion sighed. The way Anathema spoke reminded him painfully of his father's cold words. For a moment, Emerion's expression darkened.
"So is that how it is, huh? I thought only my father thought that way. Isn't it the duty of a Lord to protect his people? They don't have to be an 'asset' to deserve your help. If they are helpless and look up to you, it's your duty as the strong one to help the weaker one!" Emerion snapped.
The blue flames in his hands flared with intensity, responding to his emotion. The light finally illuminated the entire room, revealing a giant boulder in front of them where Anathema's sword was wedged. Anathema stayed quiet, looking as if he hadn't expected such an outburst from Emerion.
"It's my duty, you say..." Anathema's voice shook slightly, as if he were remembering a painful memory. "From what I have seen, the strong always hunt the weak. What if I help them? They might say thank you, but if things don't meet their expectations, the same people you tried to protect will be the ones to curse you."
"I don't know what you have gone through, and I don't know what you have seen," Emerion said, closing his eyes. "But I don't agree with your idea of seeing your own people as assets. If you don't want to help, it's fine. Maybe it was too much to expect."
Emerion turned his attention to the boulder. 'I need to break this. If there's an exit, it's probably behind it. How did the person who put us here leave? Anathema needs his sword if he's going to help. I also need to avoid that singing once we get out.'
With those thoughts, Emerion let the blue flames disappear, plunging the room into darkness for a split second before it lit up with an even greater surge of blue energy. The sheer force of the mana shocked Anathema. He watched as Emerion's palm began to glow with an unfamiliar, powerful spell.
"ZALTREIGN!"
A wave of blue mana slammed into the stone. The boulder didn't just break; it was completely destroyed from the inside out, shattering into countless pieces. Anathema's eyes widened.
'So this guy was holding back during our fight... yet he still managed to defeat Ryuuken and Rui,' Anathema thought. He realized then that he never stood a chance if Emerion had fought seriously from the beginning.
"Hey, Arlienne! Open it!" Emerion shouted.
Anathema turned his head toward the wall. He hadn't realized that the wall of the room had suddenly become transparent. He could see the room in front of them it looked like the Control Room, but it was engulfed in fire. Further ahead, he saw Ryuuken lying unconscious and bleeding heavily in the corridor while Rui desperately tried to wake him. Arlienne was looking in their direction, but based on her expression, it wasn't clear if she could see them.
"It seems they can't see us, but we can see them. They can't even hear us," Emerion said in frustration. He punched the transparent wall, but it didn't even crack; it seemed to absorb the mana itself.
Emerion turned to see Anathema. The raven haired boy's face showed clear worry and panic for his guards. He grabbed his retrieved sword and swung it at the wall, but it had no effect. Suddenly, both boys froze as a chorus of hisses erupted behind them.
"Snakes," Emerion said, his eyes widening at the sight of hundreds of venomous serpents sliding toward them.
"I hate to say it... but let's work together," Anathema said, gripping his sword and facing the swarm.
"Was I singing a lullaby to you all this time?" Emerion sighed in annoyance, though Anathema looked a bit embarrassed.
"I will deal with the snakes. You try to find a way to bypass the wall," Anathema said, rushing toward the snakes. Emerion nodded and turned back to the transparent barrier, focusing on the challenge ahead.