Suta POV

Hours later…

With a clatter, the crimson-glassed dagger fell and bounced against the wooden decking, its sleek, rigid blade coated in purple blood. Through a dreary gaze, Suta stared at the weapon that had served him surprisingly well, allowing him to survive this terrible ordeal. How he had managed to do so, who could say?

A serene calm settled over the rocking seas. The stench of death clung to Suta's frail bones as soft, spluttered wheezing escaped through his gaping mouth. He remained keeled over, desperately drawing the mucky air into his lungs. His body felt as heavy as lead, and he marveled that he was still standing, even more bizarre was the notion he hadn't died after all of that.

'M-monsters…s-s-so m-many…'

His mind reeled, replaying the constant motions

The killing, dodging, running, sliding, ducking, diving. On and on, the sequence of death and narrow escapes flashed through his thoughts. Only the touch of a cold hand on his back broke him free from it all.

A soft gasp escaped through his parched mouth. Anak's heavy soles thumped the deck as he walked past, dragging a strange carcass behind him, a humanoid mix of a crab, golden-finned fish, and a man.

"Well done, human," he croaked. "You passed. Revel in the afterglow of standing tall amidst your enemies' downfall. But besides that…"

Tossing the body ahead of him, Anak moved out of Suta's view. Lifting his heavy head, Suta's neck spasmed, forcing him to support it with one hand. The state of the ship left a sour taste gathered in his throat. Although that was possibly his own blood he was tasting. Piled high were the bodies of shelled and scaled amphibious creatures, strange light flickering off their polished armor. Two heaps, one noticeably taller.

"I won our little game," Anak declared, wiping his hands on his trousers as he stood before the larger mound.

Suta's last wisps of energy seeped away. He collapsed backward onto the deck, having lost count of how many creatures he had felled. Anak's competitive game had helped him relax and keep his movements fluid, pushing far past his limits. Running on sheer willpower and instinct, Suta felt proud of killing so many, despite his pile being lower.

'What am I thinking—deliberating killing like it's normal!' The thought cast a dark tone over his accomplishment. 'Perhaps I shouldn't see them as living things…though that's hard when they bleed and die before me.' Tangled in grim thoughts, he sought his father's ghostly counsel.

'Ah, glorious silence at last! That was absurdly dangerous, but you've sharpened yourself through adversity. At this rate, you'll achieve your goal.'

Suta nodded. If he had to find a positive thread in all this chaos, it would be his noticeable growth in strength.

'I've also learned new abilities and skills, albeit obscure and difficult ones. It's more than I could've asked for.'

'Indeed, you're getting closer to finding Ringo.'

The thought made Suta clench his fist. Mustering a little energy, he rose gingerly to his feet, refusing to go near the pungent piles of carcasses that turned his stomach. Glancing down at his own pitiful, blood-and-gore-caked appearance, he sighed in weary acceptance, too exhausted to care right now.

While flexing his wrists, Suta's gaze trailed up to the ominous red clouds, unable to escape the glaring eye that made him feel so insignificant.

"Perfect! I think we've done it!"

The fairies' cheer drew his attention. They still huddled around the now-active azure rune, its outline shimmering with glittering particles that rushed to the center. Even from a distance, Suta heard the sizzle of smoldering energy. And seeing their gleeful childish faces warmed his own unusually cold demeanor, making him smile and recall his true self.

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Then, at the ship's edge, an identical rune crackled to life, seizing his focus once more.

'How remarkable,' Suta mouthed slowly, stretching out his hands until his fingertips nearly touched the rune. An invisible wall, dense and sturdy, blocked him from going further. Placing his palm against the strange surface, curiosity forced him into pushing slightly against it to test its strength.

As he made contact, a thin sheen of light began to form a dome over the ship, emanating from the blue runes. After a moment of contemplation, Suta understood.

'A barrier around the ship? Surprising, but I guess that's what makes this vessel unique. Didn't Anak mention something about…'

Before a second thought surfaced, a tremor beneath his feet cut his thoughts short. Gawking at the grimacing scarlet sky, Suta felt a cold fear as the demonic eye widened. The clouds rumbled violently in response, and a thunderclap shook the seas. He could only watch on in dismay, lost in an insidious gambit, wondering what horrors were poised to arrive now.

"Damn it! How long will this go on?"

His question had no particular recipient; even Anak likely didn't know the answer. The Eclipse was supposed to happen once every few years, but he hadn't been told its duration. Remembering the little rabbit in a knight's visor, a terrible guilt filled Suta's chest.

'Maybe Anak's lived through this before. He'll know what to do.'

Raising his arms to catch the vampire's attention, Suta realized Anak was already staring at him, his face a picture of bizarre wonder.

'Why is he making that face? Is he trying to say something? Behind me?'

Casually obliging, Suta's body felt slower as he twisted on his heels.

A large black shadow darted towards him, iron talons menacing and sharp. A throat-curdling squall followed, and black feathers descended. With barely any time to react, Suta stepped back, just as the human-sized, shaggily-feathered bird swooped low and latched its talons into his shoulder.

Pain like no other gripped him as the beast snatched his shoulder. Before he could scream, the bird shot upwards like a missile, snatching the breath away from his mouth. The weightlessness reminded him of first crossing the veil into the great hall before.

The buzzard carried him helplessly, expertly moving towards the area where the shimmering barrier hadn't fully formed. It wasn't alone and was joined by half a dozen more black feathered horrors. They made the narrowest escape away from the ship. A ruckus erupted below as a pale figure with black-boned wings desperately chased them. Suta's heart raced, but relief swelled seeing Anak's quick response, a happiness short-lived as more humanoid birds quickly intercepted the startled vampire. The timely intervention achieved its purpose; by the time Anak broke free, the barrier had fully enclosed the ship, preventing escape.

Suta blinked in complete shock, watching the vessel growing distant, he had no idea how he had allowed this to happen. The swiftness of everything almost left his mouth gaping wide. Unable to utter a single word. A single thought managed to cross his mind.

"Shit!"

***

"The traitor has come…long live Abbra…the traitor has come…long live Abbra."

Suta couldn't decide which was worse: the iron pincers locked against him in a death grip or the terrible voice of the large bird carrying him through the air.

Either way, things had gone from bad to worse. But inwardly, Suta almost expected his luck to turn sour. It would be on brand for him, considering the terrible misfortune he had endured thus far. The sense that the world was out to get him stood paramount in his thoughts.

Nonetheless, this situation seemed bleaker than usual. His left arm hung almost lifeless, devoid of feeling. Suta could only stare blankly at his warm blood trickling down his arm, his body too tired to care that he was hundreds of feet above the seas, closer to the demonic eye than anything else.

The air felt dangerously warmer at this altitude, soft winds wrapping around his battered body like a swaddle of warm clothes. With numbness frozen over him and a sense of weightlessness, Suta fell into a tranquil ease. He resigned himself to whatever fate the disastrous bird held for him, deciding he might as well use this time to relax.

As consciousness swiftly faded, the boy narrowly cast his tired gaze ahead. Darkness encroached on his hazy view, but through the blurry scene, he saw a mirage of a tall, flat mountain in the distance. At first, it seemed peculiar for an island to appear in the middle of the seas. Or perhaps it wasn't, and he was the peculiar one. The unknown visitor in a world of chaos and abnormality.

Whatever the case, Suta wanted nothing more than to rest his tired eyes.

'By the time I wake up…hopefully Anak…will save me.' He told himself

Suta's thoughts trailed off as he succumbed to the welcoming embrace of unconsciousness. He was just so tired, too tired to even panic, nor care.