Selina stood at the helm of the ship with one hand resting on the rail, her gaze fixed on the frozen staircase that descended into the darkness beneath the sea. The evening light had begun to fade, spreading dim gold across the ocean and casting long shadows over the deck, but Selina paid little attention to it. Her eyes remained focused on the opening in the ice, watching patiently for any movement.
After some time, two figures appeared within the darkness.
Leo and Elna slowly climbed the frozen stairs, their shapes becoming clearer as they neared the surface. Thin mist drifted up from the ice behind them, and the cold air followed them out of the deep passage. Selina watched them approach without moving, and when they finally stepped onto the upper ice and walked toward the ship, her attention shifted immediately to Leo's face.
There she noticed a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
"It looks like you got what you were looking for," she said as they came closer, her voice calm and steady.
"Easier than I thought it would be," Leo replied in a matter of fact tone. "But I have a feeling that the next one will be a lot harder."
Selina studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly as she considered his words.
"What now?" she asked.
Her gaze briefly moved to Elna, who stood beside Leo with a curious expression, before returning to him again.
Elna tilted her head slightly. "Should we head back ourselves?" she asked. "It would certainly speed things up."
Selina had been necessary for their journey to this point, and Leo did not need to explain why. She knew the sea better than anyone he had met, which meant he had not needed to waste time scanning the horizon or searching across the endless water for their destination. Her strength had also ensured that if they encountered danger along the way, they would not face it unprepared. At the same time, Leo had needed to concentrate on searching for Leviathan, something that required constant focus and careful control of his mana.
Because of that, traveling with Selina had made sense.
But the return journey was different.
Leo already knew the direction they needed to travel. His compass could guide him without difficulty, and even if he chose not to rely on it, he could still sense the presence of every person who had pledged themselves to him. Their locations existed faintly in his awareness, like distant signals that he could follow whenever he wished. That alone was enough to guide them.
Leo looked at Elna for a brief moment, then turned his attention to Selina.
"That depends," he said, his eyes settled on hers, steady and searching. "Are you willing to help us save this world?" he asked, his voice sincere and direct.
Selina held his gaze without answering right away. The wind moved across the deck and tugged lightly at the edges of her coat as she stood there in silence. After a moment she closed her eyes, as if pushing aside every other thought to consider the question properly. A few quiet seconds passed before she opened them again. A small crease had formed between her eyebrows while she thought it through.
"I do," she said at last, "but with one condition."
Leo waited without interrupting.
"I'm not leaving my crew behind at sea," She glanced briefly across the deck where several sailors worked near the rigging, unaware of the conversation happening at the helm. "The Red Rose has plenty of enemies, and if I'm not there to keep them in line, someone will eventually try their luck. Without me, this ship becomes an easy target."
Her gaze returned to Leo.
"And bringing the ship with us isn't simple either," she added. "You can't just move something like this across half the world without thinking about what happens after. The sea protects us in its own way. On land, or wherever you're planning to go, this ship would need protection from the elements, from attacks, from things we can't even predict. Preparing something like that would take time."
Leo listened calmly, and when she finished, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"That won't be a problem," he said with quiet confidence. "We'll all go together. I'll make sure your ship is safe."
Selina frowned slightly, about to ask what he meant.
Before the words left her mouth, Leo raised one hand.
Mana gathered around his palm, and a sphere of creation expanded outward from it, spreading through the air like a ripple in clear water. The energy moved across the deck and around the ship until the entire vessel stood inside a faint, shimmering field.
Above them, the air began to distort.
A massive shape slowly formed in the sky, its outline first appearing like a shadow against the fading evening light before solidifying piece by piece. The structure grew larger with every passing second until a colossal Zeppelin hovered above the Red Rose, its body stretching across the sky like a floating fortress.
Along both sides of the construct, two enormous engines took shape. As they completed their form, power surged through them and a deep hum filled the air, their energy crackling faintly as if lightning flowed inside their cores.
Simultaneously, five massive chains descended from each side of the Zeppelin.
They slid down from the immense structure above, heavy links clanking against one another as the metal lengths uncoiled through the air, their polished ends twisting and adjusting with almost unnatural precision before locking themselves firmly into the massive clamps that held the Red Rose in place. A deep metallic groan echoed across the deck as the mechanisms tightened, and with a sudden jolt that rippled through the hull, the ship began to lift from the surface of the water, its wooden body creaking as it slowly rose upward as though some unseen giant had taken hold of it.
The crew of the Red Rose stared around in stunned disbelief, their eyes wide as the familiar sway of the ocean vanished beneath their feet and was replaced by the unsettling sensation of rising into open air. Faces that had remained fearless through storms and sea battles now looked pale and confused, men grabbing onto ropes, railings, and anything else they could reach as they tried to steady themselves.
Even Selina's normally composed expression faltered for a moment, her sharp eyes widening slightly as she watched the impossible scene unfolding around her.
Then, without warning, the sails began to unfurl on their own.
The thick canvas snapped open as if caught by an invisible gale, the ropes tightening and whipping against the masts while the sails billowed outward in a powerful surge of wind that seemed to come from nowhere. The sudden motion startled the crew, several of them stumbling backward as the deck lurched beneath their feet while the ship adjusted to its new position in the sky.
Leo reacted quickly, wrapping an arm around Elna's waist to steady her while keeping his gaze locked on Selina.
"You'd better grab something!" he called out.
Before she had time to question what he meant, the massive engines attached to the Zeppelin ignited with a deafening roar, glowing lines of energy flaring along their sides as power surged through them. The entire structure shuddered for a split second before the engines fully engaged, and suddenly the Red Rose shot upward through the sky with breathtaking speed, the force of the acceleration sending several crew members tumbling across the deck.
Some sailors collapsed onto the planks while others clung desperately to the rigging, their coats and hair whipping violently in the rushing wind.
Selina, however, remained perfectly steady.
Her boots held firm against the deck despite the violent gusts sweeping across the ship, and while the wind pulled at her hair and coat, she stood as though the chaos around her barely existed, her sharp gaze fixed directly on Leo.
After a few moments, she spoke, her voice somehow carrying clearly even above the thunderous roar of the engines.
"I didn't expect this," she said dryly, a faint trace of sarcasm coloring her tone.
Leo grinned back at her, his expression bright with confidence and excitement.
"Get ready," he said, raising his voice over the storm of sound around them. "We'll be at Aclisa soon."
His words were nearly swallowed by the engines' relentless roar, but Selina still caught them, her eyes glimmering with a complicated mix of anticipation and uncertainty as she turned her gaze outward toward the vast, unfamiliar sky stretching endlessly before them.
...
Paul stood in the castle yard, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon. Beside him was Alina, her expression firm after weeks of fighting alongside him. They had carried out several small attacks on the orc camp, striking quickly and retreating before the enemy could respond, but now that Thavuk, the ruthless leader, had returned, Paul knew things would be different.
He had already given the others their instructions, leaving only one final step.
Dave finished the teleportation spell, a faint shimmering aura forming around them. Paul gave a short nod, and the three of them stepped into the light.
In an instant, the castle yard vanished.
They reappeared on the north side of the orc camp, far from the direction of their usual attacks. The rough structures of the camp spread across the area, and the sounds of the orcs carried through the air.
The plan was similar to their earlier missions, attack, cause damage, and retreat, but this time Paul had given Dave and Alina a clear order: if anything happened to him, they were to fall back and regroup.
Paul's gaze quickly found the figure he had been looking for.
Thavuk.
Even from a distance, the orc leader stood out among the others as he walked into his tent. Paul had planned to strike and escape as before, but a thought crossed his mind.
What if the enemy had a way to stop him this time?
Taking a steady breath, Paul clenched his hand and gave a small signal for Dave and Alina to be ready.
Then he moved.
With a sudden burst of speed, Paul rushed forward, disappearing into the chaos of the camp.
...
Thavuk sat inside his command tent, the thick smell of sweat, leather, and damp earth hanging heavily in the air around him. The camp outside was never quiet, but this time the noise was different, shouts, crashing wood, and the unmistakable sounds of battle spreading through the rows of crude structures.
With his eyes closed, he listened.
The ground trembled slightly as something exploded somewhere in the camp, making the tent fabric shudder against its wooden supports.
Thavuk slowly stood.
His long hair, tied back in a tight ponytail, fell down his back as he straightened, revealing a sharp, angular face marked by a thin scar above his left eyebrow that caught the faint orange glow of the nearby torch.
A soldier rushed into the tent, breathing heavily.
"Warlord, the enemy that has been plaguing us for weeks is here again," he said quickly.
Thavuk's lips slowly curled into a smile, a spark of excitement appearing in his eyes.
For weeks this enemy had struck from the shadows, attacking and disappearing before anyone could stop them. Now they had returned, and this time Thavuk was here.
He stepped out of the tent and began walking toward the growing chaos, his boots crunching over the dry dirt of the camp as shouting orcs rushed past him.
Steel clashed somewhere ahead, and the air vibrated with the force of battle.
The warriors around him were struggling, their movements frantic as they tried to contain the attacker, but Thavuk could already feel it.
This was no ordinary opponent. Among the noise, the fear, and the confusion, he sensed a single presence, powerful, controlled, and far stronger than any of the orcs around him.
An S-rank had entered his camp.
As Thavuk caught sight of Paul for the first time, his eyes widened just slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his sharp features. The man was enormous, rivaling even the largest orcs in sheer size, his muscles taut beneath the worn leather armor that bore the marks of countless battles. Every movement was precise, every strike delivered with an efficiency that spoke of long, disciplined training. A single punch sent an orc sprawling to the ground, the torchlight flickering off the sweat on Paul's arm as he struck.
Thavuk kicked aside a fallen orc casually, his gaze never leaving Paul as the man advanced. "You fight like an orc, not a human," he said, amusement coloring his deep, gravelly voice.
Paul's stance remained steady, eyes burning with controlled anger. Thavuk chuckled, the sound echoing slightly through the chaos of the camp, and the void around him began to stir, responding to his will. The air shimmered unnaturally, as dark tendrils of energy stretched out like ghostly fingers, reaching for Paul.
"You would make a fine void pet for me," Thavuk said, each word dripping with malice.
With a flick of his wrist, a thin, whip like thread of void energy shot forward, sharp and twisting through the air, but Paul moved faster. His fist shot out, colliding with the void and shattering it midair, sending fragments of darkness swirling back toward the orc leader.
Thavuk's eyes widened in shock. His spell, formed of raw void energy, had been obliterated by nothing more than a human fist, no magic, just sheer force. The impact surged forward, aimed straight at him. He raised a hand, summoning a shield of void, but it was already too late; the pressure made by the punch broke through, dissipating his energy before it could form a proper defense, making him bring his arms up in order to defend himself.
When the shock passed, Thavuk's lips curved into a grin, sharp teeth catching the firelight. "This fight is going to be exciting," he said, his voice low but filled with anticipation, his eyes glinting as he shifted into his battle stance, ready for whatever came next.