"Boom!"
High Priest Rakis was hurled through the turbulent waters by the irresistible force of the giant blood-mist hand, crashing awkwardly onto the broad yet mostly empty deck of Noah.
Struggling back to his feet, he planted his staff against the deck and breathed heavily.
Not because he was injured.
Because of the humiliation.
The anger.
And a faint, indescribable fear.
A fear born from helplessness.
Throughout his life, every disaster he had foreseen had been mitigated through careful preparation and planning. His prophecies had always given him a path forward.
But this time, there was nothing he could do.
Those two monsters were simply too powerful.
He raised his head and looked through the island's protective bubble coating toward Fish-Man Island in the distance.
The streets were empty.
For the first time in his life, a crushing sense of failure settled over him.
He had failed to stop the invaders.
Failed to protect the princess.
And now, even he had been swept onto this unfinished ark like discarded debris.
He had failed the king's trust.
Failed the hopes of the island's people.
"Your Majesty... this old servant has failed you..."
Looking toward the king, who stood aboard Noah as well, Rakis lowered his head in shame.
In his eyes, his own incompetence had forced the king and part of the population to abandon their homeland and seek refuge aboard this unfinished vessel. Their home had fallen into the hands of demons.
He did not know what fate awaited them next.
But after living so many years, he understood one thing clearly.
Falling into the hands of enemies rarely led to anything good.
That was why the king had always considered him an exemplary high priest.
Even now, he did not resent the king's lack of trust.
He did not blame Princess Poseidon for what he perceived as betrayal.
He blamed only himself.
His strength had not been enough.
His plans had not been thorough enough.
He had failed the late king's expectations.
Yet the king's reaction caught him completely off guard.
Though concern lingered on the king's face, there was no panic and no trace of blame.
Swimming closer, the king gently placed a hand on his trembling shoulder.
"Rakis, do not blame yourself so harshly."
His voice remained calm and steady.
"I trust Poseidon."
Rakis' eyes widened.
"Your Majesty! You saw them! Their power, their actions, everything about them resembles the destruction described in the prophecy! The princess is still young. She cannot yet distinguish right from wrong. She must have been deceived, perhaps even coerced! We must..."
"We must trust her."
The king interrupted him firmly.
"Rakis, I know my daughter better than anyone."
His gaze was unwavering.
"She may be timid. She may be innocent. But her bond with the sea and the kindness in her heart have never failed her. If she chose to trust those two outsiders and allowed them to drive us here in such an extreme manner, then there must be a reason."
"A reason tied to a danger far greater than anything we currently understand."
The king looked around at the frightened citizens who had been "herded" aboard by Joy Boy, as well as the large stockpiles of food and fresh water already prepared under his orders.
"Look around."
"The preparations we made in advance are proving useful now."
"Isn't that a form of foresight as well?"
He smiled faintly.
"The difference is that it wasn't born from prophecy."
"It was born from a father's trust in his daughter."
Looking into the king's eyes and seeing that absolute confidence only made Rakis more anxious.
He could not understand it.
How could the king remain so calm when the princess was supposedly being held by dangerous outsiders?
He was exhausted.
To prepare for the disasters shown in his prophecies, he had pushed himself for far too long without proper rest.
But he could not stop.
"Your Majesty! We cannot hesitate any longer! The prophecy is unfolding before our eyes! Please allow me one final attempt. Even if it costs my life, I must bring the princess back from those demons! Otherwise, I cannot face the late king!"
As he spoke, energy began gathering around him once more.
He was preparing to leave Noah and make one last desperate stand.
"Rakis!"
The king's voice suddenly rose.
He would never allow his most respected advisor, the man who had once been his teacher decades ago, to throw away his life because of stubbornness.
This time, he did not speak as a friend.
He spoke as the ruler of Fish-Man Island.
"I order you, as King of Fish-Man Island, to remain where you are and stay calm."
Rakis froze.
Never before had the king addressed him in such a manner.
"Your Majesty...?"
Then the king's voice softened.
"Teacher."
"Trust our princess."
"Trust Poseidon."
Rakis opened his mouth to argue, but the king continued before he could speak.
"Teacher, you have protected Fish-Man Island your entire life. Your wisdom and your prophecies have saved us countless times. I respect you. I trust you."
"But this time..."
The king turned his eyes toward Fish-Man Island.
"I believe your prophecy saw the disaster."
"But it mistook who would bring it."
"And it mistook who would stop it."
His voice carried both respect and sadness.
"When I was young, you taught me to look at every problem from multiple perspectives."
"You taught me to trust my heart."
"You told me that no prophecy should ever be accepted as absolute truth, because the future contains endless possibilities."
He paused.
"Yet because of my own shortcomings, you have shouldered too much responsibility for too many years."
"So much that, little by little, you began believing that prophecy itself could never be wrong."
The king gazed toward the island, as though he could see through the layers of crimson mist and find his daughter's small but determined figure standing within.
He squeezed Rakis' shoulder gently.
"Rakis."
"As king, I believe it is time for you to set aside your foresight."
"Sometimes true wisdom is not about seeing countless fragments of the future."
"Sometimes it is about choosing who to trust when surrounded by uncertainty."
His expression hardened once more.
"Now, as the King of Fish-Man Island, I assign you your final duty as High Priest."
"Calm the people."
"Maintain order."
"And wait..."
"Wait for our princess to bring us the real answer."
Rakis stared at the king's unwavering eyes.
Then at the frightened but orderly citizens around him.
Then at the abundant supplies stacked across Noah's deck.
The storm raging within his heart slowly began to settle.
At this moment, royal authority and prophetic authority had collided.
In the end, before the king's unquestionable command and his absolute faith in the princess, Rakis' trembling grip on his staff finally loosened.
His hand slowly lowered.
Defeated and uncertain, he stood silently and stared toward the distant island.
Could he truly have been wrong?
Had the princess seen the real future?
And was the prophecy he clung to merely a fragment distorted by fear?
At last, he abandoned any thought of rushing back to Fish-Man Island.
Turning away, he began carrying out the king's orders, using his aged yet still powerful voice to comfort the frightened citizens aboard Noah.
Meanwhile, the king remained alone at the bow.
His hands gripped the railing tightly.
His eyes never left the homeland hidden beneath the crimson mist.
And in his heart, he prayed.
"Poseidon, my daughter..."
"Please be safe."
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