THUD!
After some serious hard work on clearing the rudder, Riana finally made it back on board the ship. If she hadn’t been in the sea this whole time, she would’ve been drenched in sweat rather than water, but nevertheless her turquoise hair shined under the moonlight cracking through the clouds.
“Hey! You only had one card left, where did that second one come from?!”
“!”
The first thing Riana heard was the shouting of a supposed adult getting worked up about a game.
“Are you cheating?!”
The siren looked over and saw her niece holding two cards with a smug look.
“Hehe~!”
“Don’t ‘hehe’ me, you brat! We definitely already used this card!”
“What’s happening here? It’s just a game, relax-”
“Shut it! This brat is definitely cheating! Look at her proud face!”
“Fine, fine.” Riana simply gave in as she walked past the two and saw the rope holding onto the steering wheel. “I fixed the rudder problem. Some weird rocks and dirt were lodged in and blocked it. The second I tried to remove it, it turned to one side. I see you took care of that here.”
“Rock?” Lawkey asked as he stood up and left the cards on the floor, signaling the end of the game. “That must've been that captain then. He probably left us with a little something to make sure we don’t follow him right away.”
“He won’t get there before us anyway. Smaller boats are easy prey for these waters. May the spring tide swallow him whole and sink him to the bottom of the sea.”
“Harsh.” Lawkey chuckled as he handed Sana his sheathed sword. “Here, hold onto this for a bit. I need to help with the wheel.”
“!”
Sana took it and the previous expression of disappointment for stopping the card game turned into joy once more. Seeing her like that made the corners of Lawkey’s mouth curl up a bit. He could’ve easily put that on his waist as always, but no one needed to know that now.
“Uncle, are you strong with this sword?”
Sana asked curiously just before Lawkey stepped away from her.
“Of course I am!” The man made an exaggerated pose again. “I’m even stronger with two swords!”
“Wooow!” The little girl’s eyes sparkled watching him.
“Enough, you two!” Riana cut in. “Let’s fix the wheel and head back to Sweet Scylla!”
**👑**
North of Tartarus, on the outskirts of the continents, near the island of mermaids and merfolk, the home to the Undine Clan.
The gallant Galleon Ship Aliarda pushed its way through the villainous waves, paving its path forward despite everything.
Abandoned by its crew and captain? Broken main Sail? Most of its midships completely decimated?
No problem. Aliarda will always prevail over all odds.
After all-
“Woah! So that’s Sweet Scylla, what a view!” Lawkey couldn’t help but voice his amazement at the breathtaking sight as he looked towards the growing island in the distance.
Although there wasn’t anything specific that stood out, the many ships and boats on the harbor, along with the unfamiliar archeological structure that somehow glistened under the moonlight, gave Lawkey a sense of adventure and wonder.
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He was standing on the bow of Aliarda, the front of the ship, using his arm to shield his eyes, and watching with a wide smile on his face.
Riana and Sana from next to him exchanged a look of puzzlement before giggling to themselves.
“Ehem…” Lawkey brought his fist to his mouth and pretended to clear his throat, making sure they couldn't see the rising heat on his face.
“It’s a really nice view, but it’s nothing compared to how it used to look in the past.” Riana exclaimed with a somber expression.
“...” Sana looked towards the island in silence, and without realizing it, her eyes began to tremble and become blurry.
“?!”
She quickly hugged her auntie’s leg, burying her face into it.
While Lawkey tried to figure out what was happening, Riana was fully aware of the circumstances.
“Don’t worry, Sana.” The reliable siren patted her niece on the head and caressed her light blue hair with a smile, “I won’t let anyone take you away again!”
“... Promise?” Without lifting her head, the little girl demanded the impossible.
Riana put on a more confident grin, then proclaimed, “Yes, I promise-”
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
“!?”
The sudden violent tremors from below caused the only three passengers to jump out of place as they tried to grab onto something nearby.
As they landed on the rocking deck once more, they continued to hear the booming sounds causing the ship’s shaking.
The Galleon ship Aliarda had experienced many an obstacle in the past, but nothing like this.
“What’s going on?!” Lawkey asked as he held onto the edge and checked for the other two.
“Sana, hold on!” Riana held on with one hand, while her other hand supported Sana’s tight hug on her leg, “It must be a Cetus! But that shouldn’t be possible!”
“A Cetus? What the hell is that?!” The baffled swordsman tried to be careful not to bite his tongue as his body continued to rock up and down with the tremors.
“Cetus are violent sea monsters that surround Cravey Charybdis!” Riana explained, making sure to hold on to Sana’s clothing from the back, “They’re known as the Ship Devourers, not letting any ship get closer to Cravey Charybdis. Why is this one here, so close to Sweet Scylla?!”
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!
“?!”
Just then, Aliarda’s midship was suddenly pierced through as a sea creature gnawed its way out of the flooring, as if escaping the confounds of the sea itself.
With a size that spanned a dozen meters long and at least two meters wide, the monstrous fish split the Galleon Ship in half, sending each side tumbling back into the sea.
“Hold on!” Riana shouted as she held onto the falling bow of the ship, Sana still stuck to her leg.
“...”
While in the same situation as Riana, Lawkey made eye contact with the Cetus’ four bright yellow pupils, its sharp, pointy teeth dripping with saliva.
Dammit… I still haven’t recovered and there is barely any footing left if the ship sinks. If I waste any time, we’ll be easy pickings in the waters… Lawkey surveyed his surroundings with a quick glance, then the corners of his mouth curled up. That just means I have to be quick!
“Take her and go!” Just as the bow of the ship hit the waters and began to sink, the swordsman unsheathed his blade and jumped into the air.
“...Are you sure?” Riana, who had jumped away from the sinking ship into the sea, all the while still holding tightly onto her niece, couldn’t help but doubt if the man in front of her could really do this alone.
“Yeah, just go!”
“Uncle!”
Switching back to calling him uncle again in a dire situation, Sana tried to reach out to Lawkey, watching him continuously jump across whatever was left of Aliarda, and closing the distance between him and the Cetus.
By this point, the gallant Galleon Ship Aliarda had unfortunately met its end, abandoned by its crew and captain, damaged by a little girl, split in half by a Cetus, and claimed by the sea as it sank deeper and deeper into the dark depths below.
A moment of silence-
“!”
Just as Lawkey was about to swing his blade at the Ship Devourer, the sea creature suddenly dove back down into the sea, leaving him completely hanging with only a sinking piece of the ship to hold him.
This is why we can’t have duels with monsters! No respect! Lawkey thought to himself with a frown as he looked around him for any signs of ripples in the water.
Wait! Then he quickly realized as he turned towards the girls in the water not too far from him.
“RUN!!!” He shouted, ignoring the fact that no actual running was possible.
The siren who had continued to be vigilant, had quickly come to the same realization. She held on tightly to Sana and took off swimming at full speed, her legs already transformed into that of a fish tail.
SPLASH!!
Just as Riana left her initial position with her niece, an eruption of water sent waves rippling in all directions.
And in the middle of that eruption, the creature clad in dark purple and lavender skin, coupled with pink fins on its body, flew into the air to greet the full moon as clouds began to make way for its light.
Seeing the chaotic waves coming his way, Lawkey quickly jumped into the air before he could lose his footing. With the help of Shadow Steps, he created a foothold in the air and quickly rose above the beast, positioning himself between it and the moon as if denying the creature the blessings it so desperately wanted.
With shadows erupting from Eclipsed Dawn, the moonlight thief tightened his grip on his handle and narrowed his eyes. Then, with the last of his footing, he launched himself downwards at the beast.
“!!”
One Shadow Sword Style - First Stance!
Endless Night!
Time seemed to stand still as the waves stopped their movements completely.
Sana blinked, while Riana could barely follow his movements as Lawkey cut through the air and passed the Cetus’ unmoving body.
“Rest in Darkness.” Landing on a simple driftwood, he muttered to himself with a slight wince. Just as the words left his mouth and he sheathed his blade again, the sea creature’s body split in half behind him, revealing the full moon shining down on the swordsman.
Even if the Cetus didn’t show him any respect, Lawkey never forgot his teachings, the memory of the ones he would give anything to meet once again.
Before he could move his body, the driftwood suddenly gave out from under him, sending him plummeting into the sea.
“?!”
Even though he had taken the time to learn how to swim in an artificial pool during his time in the Kage clan, what he hadn’t prepared for was the falling halves of the Cetus following his body into the sea.
Are you kidding?! How unlucky could one be?! He shouted inwardly as he tried to frantically swim away, but he was too late and joined the Cetus’ descent into the darkest depths of the sea.
As his mind drifted in and out of consciousness, he glimpsed an alluring figure that resembled what he understood to be a mermaid, diving towards him as his body continued sinking deeper.
If it wasn’t for his blurry vision due to the lack of air, he not only would have noticed the mesmerizing beauty of Riana’s mermaid form, but also the ancient underwater ruins that surrounded him.
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image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]