“That,” the god of the Frontier Sea said, “was not what I consider completing something on your own.”

“There was no way she could have beaten your big ass bug on her own,” Cyll yelled up at him. “Putting an unawakened human against a monstrosity like that is ridiculous. If you’re planning on killing us, we’ll be going down together. I’m not watching my captain die in front of me.”

“And I presume you feel the same way?” Akrun asked Patty.

The puppet nodded.

The god tilted his head slightly. The fury faded from his face in lieu of a bemused smile. He reached out with a massive hand, blotting out the sun and covering their world in shadow.

“It’s been fun,” Cyll said, staring up at the huge blue palm. “I’m not sure if even I can regenerate from this.”

They all braced themselves, but the blow never came. Instead, a tiny blue object fell from the sky like a meteor. It left a trail of silver and white sparkles in its wake as it hurtled towards the group.

It came to an abrupt stop in the air a few feet above the ground directly in front of Maya. The object was a small uneven orb covered with pits and scars. Energy fluctuated around it periodically and it continued to produce faint light even after it completed its fall.

“You have been judged worthy,” Akrun said. The thunder was gone from his voice. He just sounded like a normal human, albeit one that spoke loudly enough for them to hear easily despite him being thousands of feet away.

“I have?” Maka asked, staring at the blue sphere before her.

“Not by your actions, but by those of your crew. The trial has been completed,” the god said. “And, more importantly, there won’t be any more meddlesome fools bothering my rest. I thank you for that, girl.”

“Huh. That’s not what I was expecting,” Cyll said, slowly allowing the tension out of his muscles. He gave a critical glance at their prize. “This Heart thing doesn’t really look like much.”

Akrun’s eye twitched.

“I wish all the idiots that came after it felt the same way. However, I’m sure your captain will find it quite adequate. Now, I believe my task here is done. Take the Heart and leave my domain. The door your captain came in through will lead you back to the surface.”

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They glanced behind them. Sure enough, the door Maya had entered the arena through had reformed. Cyll cleared his throat.

“Ah… Akrun?”

The god turned back to face them.

“We don’t have a boat anymore. It sank when we sailed into your dungeon. Remember the whole whirlpool thing you’ve got going?”

“I fail to see how that’s my problem,” Akrun replied. A hint of the godly thunder had returned to his voice. “My duties here are done. Take the Heart and leave.”

“Can’t do that,” Cyll replied. Maya shot him a warning glance, but the immortal pirate waved her off. “We’ll just get stranded on top of your island if we leave now. If that happens, we’ll starve to death and the blue thing will still be stuck on your island.”

Akrun opened his mouth. Then he paused. The giant god tilted his head slightly as Cyll’s words rung true.

“And that means more people will come here,” Patty added.

The god’s enormous eye twitched. He leaned down until he was just a few hundred feet away from them, blocking out the sun and filling their sight with just one of his eyes.

“I can see that,” the god rumbled. “Very well. For the sake of my privacy, I will make you a boat. However, I won’t be doing it alone.”

His huge hand shot down and snatched Cyll from the ground. The pirate let out an undignified squawk as he was lifted into the air.

“This rude one is going to help me. You two may ascend to the top of the island and await his return,” the god said.

There was a slight pop. Akrun, along with Cyll, vanished. The air filled with the smell of old saltwater and carrion. Maya and Patty glanced at each other.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” Patty asked Maya nervously.

“It’s Cyll. He’ll probably have more fun than we do,” Maya replied. It almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

With the god gone, there wasn’t much further reason to remain in the arena. Maya gingerly grabbed the blue stone. It didn’t react to her touch at all. She gave it one more glance before putting it into one of her pockets.

The two crewmates gave one final glance around the sandy floor before trekking up the stairs behind them. Patty went first, largely to avoid getting the blood that Maya was still covered in on her clothes.

This time, the climb only took a few minutes. The air grew steadily warmer as they ascended until it was hovering at a nigh tropical level. The two of them reached a wooden door at the top and Patty pushed it open, revealing a sandy beach.

To both of their surprise, there was no storm churning around them. There wasn’t even any wind. The air was warm and humid. Gold light filtered down on them from the happy sun overhead.

Ocean water lapped gently at the beach in a calming rhythm. However, the two girls were much more interested in what laid to their left. A large lake, full of sparkling crystal-clear water, shimmered in the light.

Hundreds of tall trees and expansive bushes surrounded the water. They ranged from the largest strawberries Maya had ever seen to coconuts and fruits that she’d never even heard of.

“I think we might be the ones having more fun,” Maya said, breaking the silence. “Maybe Akrun will let us stay a little longer once he finishes making the boat with Cyll.”

Patty shot her a challenging look. Maya laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

“I know, it’s just wishful thinking. Now, could you help me get some water?” Maya asked. “I seriously need to wash off, and I don’t want to stick my bloody hands into the lake and ruin it.”