Ayai’s sheathed sword shined in the stormy sky. Blackened clouds dominated the heavens above, as the wind pushed harshly against her. Plummeting from the mast, she quickly changed her trajectory with a sahar spell. Ayai jerked her body left and she flew towards the Songha-Lia. The tempest did not let up; The ocean quivered at an oscillating flow. The ships were but mere toy in nature’s water playground. Garays and lanaos, proas and baochuans, vessels built by humanity weren’t sturdy enough to withstand the full might of the roaring cloudburst.

The Songha-Lia’s shape could be seen from her view above. Sand obscured everything in dust. She needed to constantly expel it from her lungs, let alone avoid cottonmouth. Ayai retracted her legs and arms and spun around. With a flip she landed on the top deck. A thud came with the slight collapse of floorboards. Aside from the aching pressure in her ankles she came out unscathed.

“Captain Yulduz, what’s the situation?” Ayai walked up to the helm where Yulduz observed the last fighting below them. “Suruj and I have disarmed their technology. It shouldn’t be long before their attacks subside.”

“The sandstorm’s getting worse, I can feel it, Gong Dongye.” He stared out onto the waters ahead. They could barely keep their balance, along with the sails tuggling like a rapid dog. Each seawave morphed into terrifying as if a grotesque face was imprinted in each one. Crew members and pirates alike clung to their life to the rails and ropes as the Songha-Lia plowed through heavy water.

Captain Yulduz gripped the wheel with steadfast eyes amidst the sand. “Given what you’ve said, we’ll shift our focus to riding this storm out.”

“How long will it last?”

“The worst of it is here already.”

Ayai nodded, her determination unwavering despite the chaos around them. She glanced at the crew, their faces etched with a mix of fear and resilience. She saw Suruj and the others, urging people to head down below deck.

With a voice that carried authority into the howling gales, Ayai called out. "Hold on! Stand firm! We will navigate through this tempest together!"

As the Songha-Lia battled against the relentless elements, the crew clung to their posts, their bodies swaying with the unpredictable motion of the ship. Battling the pirates on board were the least of their worries. The sandstorm shrouded everything and stung their eyes and coating their skin; They had to squint in order to see potential hazards ahead.

The proas that first rode alongside them disappeared under. The garay warships that attacked disengaged and broke off formation. Everyone including the pirates knew the maelstrom at hand was worse than any other brawl. Ayai hoped that nature would lose its fury, but its neverending anger at humanity worsened as the clouds frowned down at them in disdain.

“C’mon… You got this.” Captain Yulduz whispered, while Ayai looked at him. “Ah, I’m talking to the ship…”

“I believe these waves are getting a bit more unbearable by the second.” Ayai pointed over the ocean ahead. “Sooner or later we’ll capsize.”

“Gong Dongye, do you know how long I’ve weathered my fair share of sandstorms? However, this one oughta be the biggest one I’ve witnessed.” Captain Yulduz turned to her, before returning to face forward. Then a rope snapped. “Oi! Someone get on that rig!”

A man tugged on it in the nick of time before the sail could flap away. Others jumped in to help, while others stayed grounded. By this time most of the people escaped below the deck and a brave few remained to weather the storm. Until the monster ahead of them threatened that will.

“Diyos miyo…”

“Grr…”

“...”

A rogue wave rose up from the depths. Like a skeleton it bared its claws over the entire ship, as if attempting to devour it whole. The Songha-Lia fumbled and swayed as the behemoth arched its head over the horizon. Claws of foam reached out and multiplied like insects.

“That wave… is almost a göröm tall.” Ayai estimated its height, seeing the panic in everyone’s eyes.

Captain Yulduz slowly loosened his grip from the helm. “Gong Dongye, from what you’ve said we can use sahar spells, am I right?...”

“Yes…”

“Please lend a hand. Please continue funneling particles into me while I chant a spell. My sahar manifestation ain’t so good.”

“Captain, you know that I could do it-”

“No! A captain must bear the sole responsibility to save his ship.” He shouted back at her, while letting go of helm and dropping to his knees. He pressed his hands to the floor and closed his eyes. “Please help me, Gong Dongye. Our lives depend on it.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Reluctantly, Ayai placed her hands on Captain Yulduz’s back. Saharic particles lit up around him, while she transferred particles from her to him. The area around them began to glow a light hue. Meanwhile the wave before them grew into a leviathan of titanic proportions. The ship began to tilt at a steeper angle, pushing straight into the mouth of the wave. It strained against the immense force, its hull groaning in protest and crying for help. The men watched in desperation as the imminent water neared. Particles shimmered and enveloped the entire ship in a white glow. Captain Yulduz opened his eyes.

“Dihu Xuanfu: Gravity-defying Flux!”

At once the ship jumped forward, leaping into the air. It took to the skies, rising out of the water like an insect taking flight from a puddle. The Songha-Lia heaved and groaned as it flew higher and higher. Everyone’s stomachs dropped for a moment as the boat pierced through the tempest’s clouds and into the evening sun. Sunlight hit the deck as the ship rode over the sea of clouds, stars twinkling to greet their passage. A tingling sensation trickled through Ayai’s body from the sudden change of air pressure. Even if it lasted a quick second, it felt as if they were surfing on the fluffy flog of the heavens. Then gravity brought its hand down, pulling the ship back towards the ocean.

“Tch… It’s going to slam straight into the water.” Ayai knelt beside Captain Yulduz, while everything around them seemed to float downwards. “Mayin… Xuanfu.”

“Th- thank you…” He barely managed to cough those words before collapsing to his side.

The Songha-Lia broke through the sky, saharic particles softly landing the ship across the top of a gentle wave. As water crashed against the hull, the ground shook violently as it sought to prevent itself from capsizing. The storm above ran away. The evening sun rays finally basked the deck as people slowly returned to see the aftermath.

Multiple crew members attended to Captain Yulduz, who began choking up blood. He’d exceeded his sahar level by performing a spell modification, and his age didn’t help either. Ayai couldn’t do anything about his wounds. He was their transporter, their only vessel to Shikot. If he died now, she was sure that anyone else could man the helm… but she couldn’t have that type of thoughts.

Sails picked up the calmer wind, and soon the crew came to their familiar posts. That rogue wave was just a fluke of the ocean. Some men explained to Ayai the status of the ship, but it was full of boat jargon which she couldn’t understand. Nevertheless, she concluded that the ship sustained quite the damage, and would have to be repaired after docking. After the briefing of the damage, she needed to regroup with Izato. She called them together in an instant.

Suruj, Tvuj, Izdaha, and some members of the Kamaong Batikan stood before Ayai. She counted heads, noting that everyone had survived the pirate onslaught. But there were some crucial people that she was searching for. Ayai spotted one finally walking from the stairs.

“‘Mister’ Xiong…”

“Ah, Gong Dongye, it appears that we have survived the tempest.” ‘Mister’ Xiong fixed his coat and cap as he made his way up. “His Royal Highness-”

“Where is he?”

The bodyguard folded his arms in protest, and looked away with a pout. “How rude to ask of him first without asking me first. He will be here shortly.”

“Everyone has reported being fine. I’m sure that goes the same for you, ‘Mister’ Xiong.” Ayai sighed and kept her eyes on the staircase leading from the Cargo Interior. The only person that had been missing from this entire dilemma, who wasn’t even present when the storm came. She had her doubts and suspicions back at the Jade Palace, but she’d never thought he wouldn’t help at a time like this.

“Izato, Captain Yulduz and his crew…” Sloshy footsteps sounded as Zhen made his way up to the top, helping the child climb up the stairs. Ayai had wondered about these two the entire time. “I’m grateful that we have transcended this brief deluge.”

“You…” She stormed her way towards him, each step clanking on the floorboards. “Where have you been?”

“Now, now, Gong Dongye. I shall explain-”

Ayai tightened her fist. She wouldn’t let any excuse get in the way. He had been acting like he was hiding something, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “We could’ve been out of this situation if you had helped us during that sandstorm. Now that the ship has taken damage all of this could have been prevented.”

“Gong Dongye.” ‘Mister’ Xiong interrupted, staring at her with a stern face.

“Young Kwa, please go to her.” Zhen bent down and pushed Kwa’s back gently. Hesitantly the boy moved forward, looking back at him before walking to Ayai’s side. Silence kept still except for the rocking of the boat. “I apologize for not articulating my presence.”

Ayai pushed Kwa closer. “I need answers. Not an apology.”

‘Mister’ Xiong stepped forth to Zhen. “He was protecting Kwa, did he not? And I saw with my own eyes while we were down below. The ship was collecting water…”

“Right. I saw it too.” One of Yulduz’s men raised his hand, fixing the scrawny gloves on his hands.

“... It would have benefited him if he communicated with the rest of us.” Ayai turned to Suruj and the others, who averted their eyes.

“Would it care to trust in your people?” ‘Mister’ Xiong crossed his arms, his face turning into a glare. Ayai held her composure, realizing what she’d done. The rest of them stared at her with conflicting perspectives, all with negative opinions towards her. The damage was already done.

Ayai faced Zhen. “I…”

He brought out an uncomfortable smile. “I told thee that we are equals, right? I completely understand your reasoning, Gong Dongye.”

From those words alone, she understood that he’d lost a bit of respect for her. Ayai wasn’t completely oblivious to everything. Him bringing that agreement they’d made before they left to Shikot, she couldn’t define whether it was really a promise. After all, no consent was made. However ever so slightly she tightened her hands.

“Uh, you guys better take a look at this.”

Everyone turned towards Tvuj, who pointed out from the edge of the railing. Trailing besides the Songha-Lia a few göröms away were the lanaos and garays from the Armada Peninsular. The vessels sailed slowly, as smoke belched from some of them and others emitted a deathly silence.