The port is absolutely lively with people hauling freight and cargo to and fro. I feel a little giddy despite already having made this voyage before. Perhaps this time it's because I'm going with such a great story! A mage, a prince, and a warrior all going to vanquish some great evil … like it's straight out of a fairy tale!

I'm sitting on top of a crate just a few minutes before boarding. Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice call my name from the town side. I looks to see a familiar redhead. It's Chartette!

"Oh, it's good to see you!" She swings me about in a bear hug, "Thank the gods you're unharmed!"

"Chartette, what're you doing here...?"

"Hell, we've been doing well on the battlefield. 'Heard from Bruno you were departin' with Big Sis, so I figured we might as well see our general off!"

I look past her to see the troops clustered about and waving goodbye.

"Thanks, Chartette. Germaine's already aboard but … she'd appreciate this."

"Yo! Yukina!" Speak of the devil, she's already hurrying me, "Let's go! They're raising anchor in a few minutes!"

"Alright!" I sigh and hug Chartette one more time, "Give my regards to the troops. And see to it they can learn a little chess."

"Huh?"

I grin mischievously.

"Ah, well. I guess this is goodbye for now. Oh wait!" She unhooks one of the swords hanging at her belt and hands it to me, "This is for Germaine."

"Oh..." Germaine's rapier had broken, I remember, "I'll be sure to give it to her."

"Heh, tell her I really want her to use it."

"Last call for Marlon!"

"Ah!" I hurry to get aboard, "See you Chartette!"

"Come back safely!" She hollers and waves fervently. The soldiers crowd around her on the pier to join in the sending off. I feel a touch on my shoulder. Germaine towers over me to get a visual. She doesn't notice the sword in my arms.

"What are those idiots doing?" She clicks her tongue, "HEY! Get back to the barracks! You better do your job or I'll kill you all when I get back!"

She's tough alright. But I hear some playful jeers in response and I know she's joking. She smiles wryly and walks away. The ship picks up speed and soon, the pier and the continent becomes one with the horizon. It's all blue from here on to Marlon!

I stretch my arms out to embrace the salty air. The weight of the sword reminds me I better hide it to surprise Germaine. I'd only gone three steps under the deck when a call from the crow's nest rings out.

"PIRATES!"

I hear cannon fire, and the whiz of the ammunition overhead. A hand clamps firmly on my shoulder. I turn to see Kyle, a stern look on his face.

"You should get down."

A violent shudder runs through the ship. I nearly fall down the stairs, but Kyle keeps a tight grip on my arm. We'd been hit. Out of the nearby porthole, I glimpse the side of another ship. They'd rammed into us and were already boarding. I glimpse the pirates swing from their masts and land on our deck. Kyle makes an annoyed sound with his tongue and rushes past me to the upper deck.

My, what a dramatic development! Just a few leagues out in sea and already the dogs of the sea have caught a scent!

...

"AARGH!"

The pirate captain's breath smells of old ale and mead. His teeth are rotten yellow, one of them is adorned with a gold piercing. His underlings sneer and leer as he blusters.

"This be a fine ship! Too fine for the likes of you noble landlubbers!" He snarls, shaking his mangy beard, "We're taking this ship!"

How exciting! We'd only set off into international waters when pirates suddenly attacked. I know I really shouldn't be so ecstatic, but something like this is straight out of fairy tales! The pirate's left eye is made of a sparkling ruby. I believe him to be the infamous Yarera. The bounty on his head has been changed many times, mostly due to his unpredictable plundering behavior. I say all this while peeking from the door to the lower deck. I did not want to miss any of this excitement. Germaine's sword remains in my possession.

"Try me yourself, brigand!" Kyle and several of his men have drawn their swords. Germaine is not among them. They charge into fierce combat with the pirates and their sabers. The pirates had the greater numbers. While a good deal fought, several of them have snuck away. One comes at my direction.

I stick out my leg without thinking. He yelps before shortly tumbling head over heels to the foot of the stairs. The severity of the situation dawns at last, and I hop over his unconscious self to find Germaine.

I forget which room she was in, near the captain's quarters or the hold …

After a series of throwing open doors to empty rooms, I chance upon the Beelzanian general. She looks like she'd been drinking, but I see agony in her body language. She lurches forward, covering her mouth, at my entry.

"What … eugh … do you, urp, want?"

"Uhh ..." Is she seasick? "There's a pirate attack aboard and I thought you should know...?"

"Ohh..." Germaine cradles her head in her arms and flops back in bed, "Leave it to the great King, why not..."

"This is serious Germaine! There's too many of them-"

"Hey, YOU!" Uh oh. The one I tripped seems to have regained consciousness. He's running over quite steamed. "Wait til I get my hands on you...!"

I slam the door shut and prop up a chair against it. While that holds, I try to rouse Germaine.

"For Levia's sake, Germaine! We'll be taken and sold as slaves if we lose!"

The door shatters under the pirate's cutlass. He eyes me with utmost contempt. Germaine suddenly sits up and shoots him a look. I'm not sure what was in the glare, but the pirate's face suddenly paled and he skedaddled like Death was afoot. I hear him screaming down the hall as he flees.

"It's her! It's the Red Knight!"

"Oof..." Germaine looks like she'd vomit soon. I guide her to the lower deck's rail, where she throws up over into the water. Or so I thought. A wind blows and her upchuck ends up blowing back at the ship. As luck would have it, there were pirates underfoot who got hit with the gunk.

"AAGH! Who's that vomiting on me from the upper decks?! Imma' kill you!"

Great, a seasick warrior and the pirates are closing in. I pull Germaine along with hopes we can regroup with Kyle before they find us.

We reach the spar deck just when many of the pirates have, thank goodness, been dispatched of. However, I hear the angry cries behind us and I know they'll be regrouping as well. Kyle right now seems to be fighting only Yarera and his notorious accomplice of a brother. Sweat is showing on his forehead, but he seems to be calm.

"Germaine, go help him!"

She groans, tottering a little. I'm afraid she'll collapse on deck. The pirates emerge from below deck and surround us. "G-Gimme a sec ..."

I shove Chartette's gift into her arms. She looks at me, confused.

"Please, use it! Chartette meant for you to ..."

A pirate charges forth. In one stroke, Germaine pushes past me and snaps the attacker like a twig. A shrill cry from one of the pirates is one I recognize from below deck: the one who ran screaming his head off.

"I told you! I told you, she's the Red Knight! The one who took down the Daughter of Evil's entire army!"

"Urgh ..." Germaine swayed a little, but her movements did not seem in vain. They were like the swaying of a master I once read of, one who used the unpredictable movements of a drunk to effectively defeat all who opposed him. Sure enough, her seasick facade fooled the pirates and they rushed in like idiots. Germaine swings her sword in a wide arc, catching many of them off guard. Chartette must have put many hours into the make, because it cleaved many of the pirate's weapons into two, like they were made of butter.

I must have been quite impressed if I stared so long. One pirate lunges at me in my dazed state. In a thrust, Germaine's sword impales him under the chin. Blood spatters by my shoes and the body jerks a little before going limp. I see that she alone has dispatched of all the remaining pirates, save the captain and his brother. Those two are slowly being pushed back by Kyle. They take a second to look at their fallen men and think better of fighting a losing battle.

"You'll get your due!" Yarera swears as he and his brother hop back onto their ship. They unhinge off our starboard and begin sailing away.

"Cannons! On the ready!" Kyle signals his crew.

Before a single ball can be loosed, however, I glimpse a sudden change in the waters. The patch beneath the pirate's fleeing vessel darkens. Suddenly, flailing tentacles, as high as the main mast, shoot out of the water and curl themselves tightly around Yarera's ship. The cries of them and their men can barely be heard as their ship sinks beneath the waves, taken by some sort of sea monster.

"Oh no..." I hear Germaine murmur through her sickened voice.

"Captain! Aft, aft!" Kyle barks. The crew seem shaken by what they just saw. I realize the shadow beneath the surface is now moving closer to us.

"Behemo's gut! Hurry men!" I hear the grizzled captain shout, "We'll be in Davy Jones' locker if she takes a hit from ol' Ziz!"

"Ziz?" I look to Kyle, "Is that the name of the sea monster?"

Before he can answer, the ship is rammed violently from below. A great shudder throws many people off their feet, including me. I land smack-back on the deck, regrettably hitting my head first. Tentacles, lined with suckers larger than my hand, rise out of the water and tower like hydras.

"Get the magician from downstairs!" I hear Kyle say. His voice sounds garbled. Did I hit my head too hard?

"Come on," I feel Germaine's tug on my shoulder, "You're bleeding. Get below deck."

"What? No, I-"

One of the men on the quarter deck fire a harpoon. I hear the explosion of fire from the gun deck below. A loud, high-pitched shriek from Ziz sounds. The ship is suddenly thrashed about like a toy. Germaine loses her grip on me, though I wish she hadn't. The giant mollusk's strength swings several people off the deck, without even needing to capsize us. I hear cries and splashes below. My hand flies to my temple to still my swimming brain. I feel something slick. Germaine was right. I am bleeding.

Another horrid screech. I look to starboard and look eye-to-eye with the beast. It has hoisted itself above the surface and revealed its large, slimy body. The eye itself is yellow and black, with a great diamond pupil in the center. Its skin is a bright pink, spotted with pores up close. I gape slightly at the bulging brain of the creature. Ziz is an overgrown octopus.

"Yukina!" Kyle calls to me, "Get away!"

Ziz begins rocking the ship violently. Sprays of seawater splash aboard, like in a storm. I get a mouthful of salt. Coughing, I find its hard to stand with so much water wetting the deck. Another splash crashes down like a wave. I feel the deck suddenly disappear beneath my feet. I look up and see Kyle disappearing from view...

…

"YUKINA!"

I slip and slide on the deck and reach out, grasping empty air. Before I can dive in after her, the ship bounces back, throwing me to port. I smash into barrels containing sea salted fish. The stinky oils run all over the deck. Great, now it's even harder to move about on the already-slippery floor!

Germaine is nowhere to be seen. Damn, she might have fallen overboard like Yukina. The crew is running about like chickens with their heads cut. I see some huddled behind the stairs, saying their prayers. I feel like saying mine too right about now, actually.

"Get up, my king!" I hear ol' captain Posthaus call to me. I look over to see the old codger armed with a harpoon gun. "There's still a chance for you to escape!"

Escape? My mouth smiles at the mere thought of the absurd possibility. The seas around us are foaming, worse than a storm. The creature has us trapped. I'm afraid to think of it, but perhaps … this is punishment sent from mother for my disobedience.

"DAMMIT GUMILIA!" I cry out in despair, "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

"... Even a king knows how to beg, I see."

The magician appears right next to me, as if from thin air. She looks at me through her spectacles, speckled with sea spray, with a snide smile.

"Sir, I can't find her down-," The useless crewman I sent to fetch her turns up, "Oh, she's here, sir!"

"I can see that!" I growl. I make two attempts to stand, succeeding on the second and slipping in fish oil on the first. "Well, magician?!"

"I'm no lowly magician," She speaks with a voice like air, "I am a sorceress."

Her eyes flash electric blue. Ziz brings a tentacle crashing down, but with a single flick of her finger, the appendage flies back at the octopus, smacking it on the head. It looks down at her, confused, then angry. I hear something like a growl from its underside.

"... Can I leave this to you?"

"Of course," She doesn't even look at me, focusing on the octopus instead, "My dear, I'm fond of octopi. Maybe you'll be glad to join my collection …?"

I jump over the railing just as she shoots a bolt from her fingers. I barely hear Posthaus call after me before I slide into the waves.

Planks and debris from the ship are sinking all around me. I see the creatures' lower body through the darkness beneath the surface. There are many of our men floating about in the water. I break to the surface for air. Some of the crew is trying desperately to keep afloat. A splash sounds behind me. I look to see Posthaus has dropped us a rope. He shouts something to me. I quickly call out to the ones able to swim to scale back aboard.

While some sailors make their return on the ship, I have a few assist me in rescuing those beneath. Its hard, pulling up dead-weight bodies from the water and then having the men form a line to transport them safely up the side of the ship. I notice the waves have calmed and the ship is no longer rocking. The creature's tentacles are still wrapped about the ship, but they no longer move. Did Gumilia succeed? Agh, never mind that! I have to find Germaine and Yukina!

After what feels like hours, we have found most of the crew to be accounted for. One sailor calls out, having found Germaine floating face down in the water. She is quickly ferried up the rescue line. I go back under for a fifth time. The water is taking its toll. My muscles ache from being in the water so long, and my lungs are tiring. Near the forecastle, I glimpse Yukina's small figure. I reach her after moments of kicking vigorously. Her eyes are half-open, but I know she's unconscious. I pull her quickly to the surface. All overboard have been found, luckily. I make the trip back up the ship, Yukina in my arms.

Back on deck, I see Gumilia standing in close proximity to the mollusk. Her hand is touching where its forehead could be. The both of them are still.

"What are you all staring at!?" I bark to the crew, "We have many in need of medical aid!"

Many of them set to revive those submerged. I lay Yukina down carefully, minding her head. She's not breathing and her skin is cold and pale. As per the captain's instructions, I place the heel of my palm and apply pressure in quick thrusts on her chest.

"Only one hand, y'hear?" Posthaus says gruffly, "We don't want to injure 'dem child's bones."

I feel heated despite the chill of the sea soaking through my clothes. The rhythm of my hand, pushing, bending the chest bones and facilitating a pulse … The thought of it nearly plunges me into queer and strange ecstasy. I fight to maintain composure. Come on, Kyle, a life is on the line here … The burning rushes up to my face when Posthaus tells me to breathe into Yukina's mouth. I look at him for a second, to see if he wasn't kidding. He shoots me a stern look back like "what are you waiting for?!"

Nervously, with Keel's angry expression at the back of my mind, I close her nose with two fingers and pull her jaw open with my other hand. My body is shaking slightly, from the ecstasy or utter mortification, I don't know. Good Levia's mane, I'd take an army and more rather than be stuck in such a situation ever again. Our lips lock. Hers are startlingly cold. Desperate to escape, I exhale twice quickly and pull off in haste. I don't dare look back to Posthaus as I resume compressions.

Coughing and sputtering sound around behind me. Sailors are slowly becoming conscious. One sailor calls the captain to help him with the "woman in red." If I'm having such trouble with Yukina, I can only imagine the chagrin of the poor sap in charge of kissing Germaine. Again, I lean down to breathe for Yukina. Each second becomes unbearably long without response. Her bones feel like they want to break under my forceful hand. Three repetitions later, I feel the unmistakable palpitation beneath her skin and she sputters. I turn her on her side and a small trickle of water leaks out of her mouth. She's unconscious, but she's breathing, just barely. A sailor wraps her in a blanket and takes her down below deck, with the others.

I hurry over to Germaine, who's already been awake for a while, apparently. Once they popped her armor off her, she'd shot up, vomiting water. She's sitting on the deck, looking a little dazed. Water still dribbled from her lips, but she wouldn't let anyone move her. Posthaus looks at her, a worried expression on his face.

"She looks a bit hit on the head, y'know what I mean?" He makes a disapproving tsk, "I've had men who were fine after a near drownin'. They die a few hours later. Water in the chest, doctor said..."

"I've read of that. What was it … The Dangers Past the Hydra, chapter 13, Second Drownings ..."

"Shaddup..." Germaine coughs and waves her hand dismissively, "I'm fine, y'hear? Ugh ..."

"I believe she's merely seasick," I turn at Gumilia's voice. She's out of trance, "Curious. A little water won't kill you but the motions certainly will."

"What of the Ziz?"

"Look for yourself."

Me and Posthaus turn to see the giant mollusk, placated. It croons affectionately and its tentacles simply hang about, droopy. It has relinquished its hold of the ship. I see its eyes. A rhombus pupil of darkness amid golden orbs. I inadvertently shudder.

"What's wrong, prince?" Gumilia snidely chuckles, "Scared of some seafood?"

"What did you do to it?"

"Simple love charm for beasts. It now is under my control."

"Blimey ..." Posthaus lifts his cap slightly to scratch his scalp, "I knew the wizards were good, but I was always too cheap to hire one ..."

"Don't." Gumilia says sternly to the captain, "Half of them can't even cast an amateur growth spell. They're all frauds. A simple charm for your ship usually suffices."

"Wait, did you just say that thing is in love with you? Anyway," I say hastily, "We'd best be back on course."

"Aye, if she hasn't taken too bad a beating ..." Posthaus adjusts his hat, "This is quite the Ziz. We sailors always fear large ones like 'em."

The ship seems to creak in response. There's no telling how bad the bilge may have been damaged. A detour to a nearby port would take too long, seeing as we're far out at sea. Gumilia sighs and raises her arms, chanting.

A shudder runs through the ship's body. Cracked boards magically repair themselves and ropes recoil around the masts. The slicked floor dries and the broken railings come back together.

"I think that's enough repairs to make the rest of the trip," Gumilia stretches, "Not a bad job, if I do say so myself."

"Alrighty, men!" Posthaus calls to his able crew, "We're back on course! Forward to Marlon!"

He goes to man the wheel. Gumilia, before she turns to recede downstairs, tosses me a knowing look.

"I won't tell Keel you enjoyed that with his daughter."

I feel my face go hot. My mouth moves, but I'm so flustered that no words come out.

"It seems Lust still has traces on you, I guess..." She walks away, chuckling.

Good Levia! I feel the cool ocean air begin to cool my beet-red face. It's a good thing Yukina's brother is below deck. There's no telling if he'd be any better of a secret keeper than a magician.

Seagulls squawk as they breeze by on an air current and I feel the ship lurch into motion. The Ziz, now quiet, waves a single tentacle in farewell before disappearing below the waters. I stare back at the pink stranger from the deep. It's such an odd color … I feel like I've seen it before. I lose the thought once it completely fades from view.

We're not too far from Marlon now. In about a day, we will have reached Jamet. From there I plan to go to Bariti, the Marlon capital … where I will confront my mother... I'm not completely on board with all Gumilia told me, but there is indeed something goading me home. A tiny voice, but sharp and edged, like a sword, is ringing from in my head. It sounds familiar actually, like I've heard it before. Perhaps it was a long time ago, when I still painted pictures of that green haired woman on the beach …

Sea water sprays at my face when the side of the the boat takes a small dip. I glare up at Posthaus, who gives me a goofy smile behind the wheel.

"Better wash yourself, yer' highness. You still smell of fish oil."

…

Arkatoir looks up from his study at the sound of a heavy door. He shuffles out, careful not to trip over his new robes. The candle in his hand did not shake, for he had the angel over his shoulder. He did not fear the dark.

A wispy gust blows out his light and he feels a deathly pall pass through him. As though a great shroud had lifted, he could suddenly see again, and the flame had returned. He is undaunted, and makes his way to the royal chambers in the middle tower of the estate. He pauses just outside the door. His hand is poised, just about to knock. A thin whisper of low voices comes from within. Against his better instinct, he listens.

"Are you sure? He's coming back to..."

"Yes, Prim. My sister's got him wrapped around her finger. He'll be here … with questions."

"Behemoth's stool … Both he and Ney … are nothing but disappointments!"

"We still have a chance. Ney will still function. Don't forget. We still have the Freesises..."

The Freesises? Arkatoir swallows. The conversation was turning sour to his ears. He knocks loudly. Twice.

"Ah, j-just a minute!"

Soft footsteps across the padded floor. They stop. Arkatoir sees the slight shadow in candlelight beneath the door coming from inside. The door handle creaks and the door opens a crack. Arkatoir almost flinches at the scowling face of Prim Marlon. She shoots him a glare, venomous as a viper.

"Arkatoir … what are you doing here at this hour?"

"I … heard a noise. Your highness." Arkatoir quickly adds the honorific. No matter how much time he spent in fear of this woman, he always felt the urge to call her mother, "A door slammed. I thought it was you..."

"Ah, yes, that was me. I was incredibly upset and must have closed it too loudly, do pardon my temper," She says, not sorry at all, "... Did you get here just now?"

"Yes, your highness," He lies.

"...Well, get back to your quarters. I won't have a snooping secretary about my premises."

Before he could even say "good night," she slams the door in his face with a bang. It's happened so many times it no longer dampens his spirit. No, he had an angel watching over him, after all.

Still, that was an unnerving conversation he overheard. Who was the queen convening with at this hour? The only person so possibly intimate with her majesty had to be the decrepit old mage, but she passed away weeks ago, only to be replaced by none other than Elluka Chirkrassia herself. Strangely, the Dowager had ordered this not be sent in updates to Kyle in Lucifenia. In fact, there'd been little official exchange at all lately in front of the court.

And that tidbit about the Freesises? That was the most startling thing. He'd visited them before, on a trip accompanying Kyle. Their scullery maid, Gerda, was quite the dear to the poor boy, who'd lost his mother at a young age. Arkatoir's piety blushed at the notion that he'd had a crush on such an old woman prior to his devotion to the church. She was a nice person, yes, but no replacement for his mother, and certainly not a lover!

He returns to his studies and notices his candles are out. Try as he may, his own candle would not ignite the others. Puzzled, he looks closer and realizes the wax columns are mere stumps now. Sighing, he goes to the cabinet for the back-up oil lamps. Something hisses and lashes out, scratching his nose. He stumbles back, covering his bleeding skin. A svelte Abyssinian cat, with oil dripping off its whiskers, hops out and lands on the floor. It flashes him a snide look and struts off, exiting through the window.

"Behemo's stool..." He looks ruefully at the empty oil jars, "I must consult the castle pest master."

Using only his small candle, he focuses his pained eyes the best he can on the words swimming across the page. The words he'd overheard still nagged him. Kyle was returning to Marlon? He and Ney were supposed to be in the mainland of Evillious sorting matters with Beelzania and Elphegort. Lucifenia's annexation was another issue that was causing headaches within the caucus these days. Prim was firm, however, on maintaining a military presence there, and no one dared oppose the dowager, not with the court magician nearby, anyway. Dissenters often seemed to disappear, and many assumed it was magic. Soon people simply stopped talking of it.

"Oh, Kyle ..." Arkatoir sniffs and draws his robe about him. He gazes out to the hallowed moon and moves to close the windows, lest a draft give him illness. Perhaps his half-brother was still awake on his ship right now, as he approached Jamet harbor. He'd never been one to sleep too much anyway. The fancies of a king weighed so on his mind when they were little. Arkatoir could barely contain himself as he wondered how Kyle may have matured. Would things be worse off if he were king and Kyle were allowed to his other passions? But what was the use of such a question? His own mother was a concubine, and so he had no legitimate claim anyway. Prim never treated him better, and she would have killed him with his mother if Kyle hadn't been so close with him.

Arkatoir himself felt no ill will towards Prim nor his brother Kyle. He was always, however, one to fear Ney.

"Arkatoir?" Father Gozad's muffled voice sounds from outside in the hall, "I see your light still on. Sickle's sake, get some sleep already. Silly boy …"

The soft lantern light disappears as the old man leaves. Arkatoir dutifully shuts his books and rearranges them on their shelves. Judging from the position of the shadows, it was well past midnight. Tomorrow there was to be a big conference. He makes a mental note to replace the oil the cat drank and also fix the latch on the cabinet. As he closes the door to the study, he hears a "goodnight" from a passing hooded figure coming from the queen's room.

"... Good night."

The figure, whose voice was feminine, has already retreated into the dimmer shadows of the hall. He could swear there was a shadow of a feline on her shoulder. He contemplates for a second if he should trouble himself to tell her about trouble with her pet, then thinks better of it. His nose stings, reminding him of his wound, and he hurries to his quarters where he might find a bandage.

"Secretary Arkatoir!"

A hushed call from an approaching guard startles him from the dark. The soldier's lantern is rather dim and the man's breath is labored.

"What?" Arkatoir says, sounding annoyed, "It's the dead of the night and you know the Empress is sleeping...!"

"Forgive me, but I have rode all the way from Jamet … King Kyle has returned!"

"Well, where is he? We need to have a welcome party then, don't we?" Arkatoir can't help sound irritably sarcastic. In truth, Kyle would announce himself when he felt appropriate. Fussing and fawning over him was a waste.

"Er... The Dowager had issued an order … that if he returned, she be notified immediately. We sighted a ship under his banner emerging from the horizon only some hours ago."

"He'll be arriving quickly, then. Alright, off with you," Arkatoir dismisses the aide, "Go take a break, my good man. You deserve it."

The soldier does not immediately depart. Arkatoir sighs, tossing him two coins, which the soldier pockets greedily.

"Much obliged."

Arkatoir sighs, watching the soldier whistle a merry tune on his way to the lounge. So the gossip is true. Kyle will indeed by coming home. He could hardly stand the fluttering in his stomach of seeing Kyle again, and telling him all the things that have thus transpired.

…

"... Rise and shine."

Yukina's eyes flutter open. She coughs a little. "G...Gumilia...?"

"... Wait here, I'll get you refreshment."

I return with some black tea.

"... thanks ..."

She sits up and accepts the drink, sipping it gingerly and coughing in between. "W-What happened...?"

"You nearly died, silly child," I affix my spectacles and open my book, "Rest your lungs, why don't you? And breathe slowly. You were out cold for a while."

"... What happened to the Ziz?"

"It left, obviously," I say simply, "We're alive, aren't we?"

"I guess ..." Yukina looks at the dark liquid, "You make it a bit darker than I do."

"Elluka likes that best. Otherwise, it'd be too weak."

"Elluka … she had eccentric tastes..." Yukina falls silent, "Will we … see her again?"

"Very soon," I feel an edge creep into my voice. If I can get to Prim, I will likely find Irina. The two serpents have been conspiring all along.

"Gumilia ..." The girl says to me suddenly. I turn, and her expression changes, "Oh … Oh, never mind. I just thought for a moment … the apprentice resembled the master, in just the slightest."

I snort. Shaw suddenly bursts in. One side of his forehead is bandaged.

"Sis!" "Shaw!"

They two embrace.

"Thank Levia, you're alright!" Shaw exclaims, slightly teary-eyed.

"Shaw, your head!" Yukina notices the bandage, "What happened?!"

"I stayed under deck the whole time, I did. But with the jostling and all..." He shrugs, "I guess some overhead cargo musta knocked me out. Next thing I knew, a crewman was shaking me awake, and the shaking stopped."

"Oh Shaw!"

Yukina can be quite protective of her younger siblings, it seems. I'd almost forgotten Shaw was aboard with all the excitement over the Ziz. Speaking of which, I must say, that was indeed a fine, perhaps the finest, specimen I've encountered. Maybe one day, I'll go back for it.

"Shaw," I say to the boy, "Did you hear from the crow's nest at all?"

"Ah, rightey! It's near dead of night, but we can apparently see the Jamet Mountains shadow! Y'hear that, sis?" He bounces excitedly, "We'll be home soon!"

"That's great..."

Shaw did not notice Yukina's comparably lower level of glee. We are entering a dangerous new environment. The Dowager likely has other Sins within her arsenal and with Irina's help, she'll be a real force to match. The boy remains ignorant of this.

"I will be on the upper deck if you should need me."

I close the door, having excused myself, and let the two banter like children inside. It is dark on the upper deck, with the sky beginning to lighten in degrees. Out at sea, it really is colder than land. I cannot help but shiver. A cloak unexpectedly comes over my shoulders.

"You magicians don't dress warmly at all?" Kyle smirks a little. He backs away when I glare at him, "Sorry, but I just couldn't have the patron who saved me freezing to death."

"... How is Germaine?"

"Vomiting. Her seasickness is really something..." He says that with a trailing, unfinished note. I suppose he thinks me some miracle worker. I switch topics.

"...Did you notice it?"

"...? What?"

I sigh. His mind must be only half as efficient as Yukina's. Those trained by the sword and not the books. Typical. "The Ziz. Notice anything about it?"

"... Its color. I felt like I've seen it somewhere before..."

So he did manage to hatch an inkling of memory. "Five years ago … Back when me and Elluka were still under the Kingdom of Evil's servitude. We were gifted a special pink octopus by Keel."

"Keel? Why?"

"Elluka has an affinity for them," I sigh, having reluctantly revealed that about myself, "But there's no way Keel would have known. My only guess is he got his information from your mother's court mage."

"What makes you say that?" He looks continually puzzled, "I never knew the woman too well. She came into the court a little before Ney was born. Secretive woman."

What can I say? That my evil, immortal sister was pulling the world to its end from backstage? That this whole farce was no more than a fancy of the gods?

"I told you your mother was scheming. The octopus that attacked us is none other than the one she'd sent us."

"What?! To have grown to such a size … can even you have conjured that feat?"

"No, only Elluka ..." More importantly, only my body, "...could have harbored so much magic power to do that."

"... Is she being held prisoner by my mother then? She sent the octopus to the mage, only to capture her now and utilize her magic to send that monstrosity after us? That's ..." He shakes his head in disbelief.

"You'd best get used to grand schemes like such. There are many more a conspiracy to unwind from here. Sadly, some of them will be unpleasant to the core. Some may seem to yank the world out from right under your feet. Nothing remains unquestioned."

He swallows at the notion. Perhaps such a convoluted thing was beyond the comprehension of a prince who, only so recently, learned to think free of his mother's influence. If I were still a student in the Magical Academy of Levantia, I would have very much reacted similarly.

"... We'll be approaching Jamet before noon. Pray you get some sleep."

He leaves courteously, obviously rattled by my words. For a prince who had so long been taught how to think, he plays the role well. The tragic prince who must confront the demons lying beneath his throne … I smile at the dramatic irony.

"I can feel your insatiable joy of it, Irina," I say with some irritation, "It really is fun to play with toys like a god, isn't it..."

The first glow of dawn slowly washes away the shadows of night. I can see the port city.