Vale, Eskar, and Drago continued their journey for several more days, the desert stretching endlessly beneath the merciless sky. Yet something had changed. The sand no longer felt infinite. The air had begun to shift, it became less dry and faintly cooler, carrying with it a distant, salty smell.
On the fifth day, it finally happened.
The ocean revealed itself.
At first it was only a thin line on the horizon, a strip of deep blue cutting through the pale gold of the desert. But with every step forward, that line widened, until at last the vast expanse of water stretched endlessly before them, waves rising and falling like the slow breathing of a sleeping giant.
Vale slowed his pace without realizing it. His eyes lingered on the water, reflecting its color, a quiet, almost disbelieving smile forming on his face. After everything, the heat, the monsters, the constant pressure of survival, they were finally here.
Only a few kilometers remained.
He murmured something under his breath, barely audible, as though afraid the ocean might vanish if he acknowledged it too loudly.
Eskar noticed immediately.
The crimson-haired boy walked beside him, the bloodscale egg held close to his chest in its carefully made pouch. He let out a faint chuckle, closing his eyes for a brief moment before glancing at Vale from the corner of his eye.
"You seem… unusually happy," Eskar said.
Vale turned his head slightly, his grin widening. "Of course I am. We're finally leaving this desert behind." He let out a short breath of laughter. "Though I have to admit, this was one hell of an introduction."
Drago, walking a short distance ahead, turned his head just enough to glance back at them. "If introduction is what you want to call it," he muttered, before facing forward again.
Vale raised a brow. "Then what would you call it?"
Drago didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the distant ocean, his expression unreadable. Finally, he spoke.
"A punishment," he said plainly. "The only redeeming thing about this place is the Temple of the High Priestess."
Vale's smile softened at that. His thoughts drifted back to the temple, the knowledge he had gained, the truths uncovered, and the countless questions left unanswered. The more he had learned, the more he realized how vast the unknown truly was. Each answer had splintered into ten more mysteries, leaving him with the unsettling feeling that he had only just begun to understand the world around him.
"Yeah," Vale said quietly. "One hell of a punishment."
They walked on in silence for a while, the sound of the waves growing clearer with every step. The desert slowly gave way to softer sand, darker and damp beneath their boots. The blue water rolled gently toward the shore, retreating and returning in a steady rhythm.
It would take less than an hour to reach it now.
Vale glanced sideways at Eskar again, his gaze settling on the crimson egg. The shell seemed almost alive in the sunlight, faint heat radiating from it.
"Did you make any progress with the egg?" Vale asked.
Eskar nodded slowly. "I can feel it heating up on its own now. Even when I'm not doing anything." His expression softened. "If I had to guess, it'll hatch within a few days."
Vale smiled, genuine and warm. Then, after a moment of hesitation, he spoke again.
"Hey… I don't know if you've thought about this much, but, Nova." He paused. "You're going to see her again soon. Probably in Irea. Have you… made up your mind about her?"
Eskar blinked, clearly caught off guard. Then he let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head.
"I think that's a question I can only answer once I actually see her again," he said, looking down at the egg.
Vale nodded. "Yeah. I figured."
Time passed quickly after that. The final stretch vanished beneath their feet, and before they realized it, the desert had ended entirely.
They had reached the ocean.
Vale's eyes practically sparkled as he stepped forward, boots sinking into wet sand as cold water rushed over his feet. He planted his spear firmly into the ground and turned sharply toward it.
"Shade!" he called out. "Come out!"
Darkness surged from the spear, twisting and unfolding until Shade stood before them, ruby eyes blinking in visible confusion. Vale stepped backward into the shallow water, grinning.
"Come on," Vale said. "This is your first time seeing the sea, right?"
Shade hesitated, then nodded slowly before stepping into the water himself. His movements were careful, uncertain, as though the sensation confused him on a fundamental level. Vale laughed softly, crouching down and letting the cold water wash over his hands.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
Vale dipped his head into the ocean, letting the water soak his hair and skin. When he rose again, droplets streamed down his face. He shook his head, slicked his hair back, and tied it into a low ponytail.
Drago and Eskar remained on shore, watching silently.
Eventually, Shade dissolved back into his spear form, and Vale slung it across his back before walking back toward the others, his expression bright and relaxed.
"Enjoying yourself?" Eskar asked with a faint smile.
"Very," Vale replied easily.
Then he turned to Drago. "So… shouldn't there be someone here to pick us up?"
Drago paused whatever he was doing on his device. Slowly, he looked up at Vale, his expression complicated.
"Not someone," Drago said quietly. "Something."
Vale frowned slightly.
Drago's gaze shifted toward the ocean, his voice lowering. "And it's already here."
The waves ahead stirred, unnaturally so.
The water began to pull inward.
Something vast moved beneath the surface.
Slowly, unnaturally, the water itself began to rise.
Vale froze.
At first, it looked like a distortion, as if the ocean were inhaling. Then the surface split, water climbing upward in a towering column before cascading back down like a living waterfall. Sheets of seawater poured off something massive, something that had been waiting beneath the waves all along.
Vale's eyes widened as deep azure scales emerged from the falling water, catching the light like polished stone. The creature continued to rise, revealing more and more of itself until the sea could no longer hide it.
It was colossal.
Its shape reminded Vale of a serpent fused with a crocodile, long, powerful, and ancient, but magnified to a terrifying extreme. The thing looked as though it could swallow the desert tyrant they had fought earlier whole, without even noticing the effort.
Water streamed endlessly from its body as it surfaced fully. Its scales were jagged and worn, layered thickly like ancient armor, dark blue along its back and fading into a stark white belly beneath. The head was slightly wider than its neck, flaring outward like that of a cobra, giving it a regal yet predatory presence. Its midsection was long and lean, built for movement rather than bulk, and its tail stretched endlessly behind it, disappearing into the sea.
But it was the eyes that held Vale.
They were a deep, endless blue, so dark and reflective that it felt as if the ocean itself had been condensed into them. They watched with a calm that was neither hostile nor friendly, simply aware.
The creature moved closer, the shallow water churning around its immense body. Each subtle shift displaced waves, sand, and foam alike, until it finally lowered itself near the shore, resting partially in the sea.
Vale swallowed hard.
"What… is that?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
The massive creature lowered its head slightly, its gaze locking onto the three of them. Even resting, it dwarfed everything around it. It had to be at least a hundred meters long, no, more. Far more.
Drago stepped forward without hesitation.
"This beast," he said calmly, "is what we call a reef leviathan." He paused, resting a hand against the creature's massive head. "They're gentle giants, usually." His tone sharpened just slightly. "But don't misunderstand. They are still apex hunters."
Vale stared as the leviathan's teeth became fully visible, jagged, bone-colored structures that seemed less like individual fangs and more like a single, brutal helm fused into its skull. Everything about it screamed ancient dominance.
The leviathan stared at Drago for a long moment.
Then, slowly, it closed its eyes.
Like a mountain deciding to rest.
Drago turned back toward Vale and Eskar. "Come on," he said. "This is our ride."
Both of them stiffened.
Eskar blinked. "…You're joking."
Drago did not answer.
After a moment, Eskar let out a long sigh, tightened his grip on the pouch holding the egg, and stepped forward anyway. He climbed onto the leviathan's head, carefully navigating the uneven, jagged scales. It felt less like climbing onto a creature and more like scaling a living platform.
Vale followed shortly after, shaking his head. "This just keeps getting crazier," he muttered to himself.
He settled near the center of the leviathan's cobra-like head, the scales beneath him solid and warm, faint vibrations pulsing through them with each breath the creature took.
Drago climbed up last and gave the leviathan a light, familiar tap.
"All right, Levi," he said. "We're ready."
The leviathan released a deep, resonant sigh, low enough to be felt in the bones, and began to rise. Its massive body shifted smoothly, water and sand parting effortlessly as it turned back toward the open sea.
Unlike what Vale expected, it did not submerge.
Instead, the leviathan remained partially surfaced, gliding forward with slow, powerful motions. Waves broke harmlessly against its sides as it swam.
Vale's eyes widened as Drago pointed ahead.
"There," the old man said.
Vale and Eskar stood, squinting toward the horizon.
At first, it was only a silhouette, a faint cluster of towering shapes rising from the distance. But as the leviathan carried them closer, the image sharpened.
Massive buildings. Towers and walls of impossible scale. A city standing where land met sea.
"That," Drago said quietly, "is Irea."