The engines started early in the morning. Randolf, Arashi and Suzume had already arrived at the Rose household before the boys awoke. As the car warmed up, they had their final discussion of the plan.

"Eh? Mister Randolf, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?" asked a concerned Yukio.

"It's okay. I'll get better by the time we reach there," he assured.

"What?! That fast?!" Shin exclaimed.

"Hmm? Oh, no, no! See, Arashi? I told you they'll misunderstand."

"What do you mean?" Yukio asked.

"It's this." Arashi brought out and unfolded the map. "Even if the note said '10 am', the place they marked here is impossible to reach before 24 hours." She pointed at two regions. "This is where we have to go. And way over here is where we are now. We'll go to the port and go by the Rose's private yacht. From there, it'll take us just over two days. Look, they even wrote down their date of arrival here."

They looked behind the map and saw that there indeed was a series of numbers written there, indicating a date.

"But still," Shin said. "You would need to have Diav-level healing to recover in something like four days."

"I don't quite know what kind of healing you're talking about, but I do have a thing or two up my sleeve. I'm a doctor after all." He put his finger on his lips and winked.

"We'll be off, then." Then facing William, "My utmost gratitude, Master William," Arashi bowed.

William nodded in reply. "Please take care of my granddaughter."

"Of course."

Just as they were about to leave the premises, they were interrupted by an unexpected guest running with all her breath.

"Waaaiiiiittt!"

Panting through her petite mouth, Layla confronted the group and desperately used the final ounce of her breath. "I want… to go… Please… take me with you… too…"

"Layla, calm down. Please sit!" Hannah said, concerned. "Stanley, bring some water!"

"Understood."

Once the situation settled, they calmly asked, "Layla, why are you here?"

"I wish to go with you too. I want to be of some help!"

Everyone glanced at each other. "We understand but… can you fight?" Shin asked.

"That's… well… um…"

"If you can't fight, then don't bother," Diavolo said. "You'll just be a burden."

"B-but… from what I heard, there's a chance I'll be targeted too, right? Since they saw me with you…"

"If that's the case, then you can stay here," Hannah suggested. "I'll have to agree with Diavolo. It's too dangerous. You've seen what they'd done to Mr. Randolf haven't you? This is going to be tougher than any battle we've faced so far. I can't allow that."

"B… but…" She made a disappointed face.

"Don't worry." Hannah placed her hand on her shoulder. "Leave this to us. We'll definitely be back!"

"Let her go. I'll allow it," an aged voice surprisingly said.

"EH?! Grandpa, what are you saying?!"

"If such a timid girl comes and musters the courage to ask to go to such a dangerous place, she probably has an objective. I'll respect her will and permit her to accompany you. Just look at her legs."

Everyone directing their gazes to Layla's legs witnessed the feeble twigs quivering over the small feet. As if she needed a lot of will to stay standing.

Hannah sighed. "Well if Grandpa says so, then…"

"Th-th-thank you, Hannah!"

"Since that's decided, no dillydallying!" Arashi roared. "Hurry and get in!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

And so, with Remcon driving, the group left the premises with steeled wills, albeit still containing nervousness. Watching them leave into the city and towards the docks, William continued to gaze at the direction they headed until he couldn't hear the engines anymore.

"Stanley."

"Yes."

"Check the registry for her address and contact her guardian. We can't be sitting ducks either."

"Affirmative."

Sometime after one hour, they arrived at the docks, and before they could even catch a breath and look out into the sea, they were bombarded with surprised gasps and greetings.

"Oh my god, it's the Mistress! It's Hannah Rose!"

"Look! There's also her bodyguards! Is something the matter?"

"Good morning everyone!" Hannah greeted them back. "Please don't mind us and continue with your work! I'm simply going on a picnic with my friends."

"Eh, even though the school is ongoing? Isn't this the last month?"

"Ehehe!" Hannah scratched her head, "Actually, this is just a pretense. We're going to prepare for the final exam so I've taken leave from Twinsoul. Keep this a secret okay?" and mischievously put her finger on her lips, winking.

"Oh, I see! Going somewhere secretly will also protect you from those attackers, isn't it? We understand. Best regards, Mistress!"

"We're rooting for you!"

"Go for it! You guys, too!"

By then, Remcon's quick work had finished parking the car and making the necessary preparations for sail.

"Take care everyone!" Hannah waved at the crowd as they all headed for the large and exquisite yacht waiting for them to board.

"The living quarters are upstairs, guys. Left side is for females and the right for males," Hannah explained.

"Got it," the trio replied, but let their bags down on the deck anyway.

"You three don't seem to be surprised the least, I see."

"Hehe. That's of the past," Shin replied, "It's only expected that the prestigious Rose has a private yacht of at least this caliber, right?" and stuck out his tongue.

Hannah giggled. "Well that's good to hear."

"I'll be starting, then! Is everyone ready?" Remcon announced through the microphone in the cockpit.

"Yeah!" They all shot up their arms to the sky.

"Well then… Off we go!" And he started the engines, setting off.

From their seats on the deck, the bunch could see the crown on the dock waving them a final goodbye and giving their well wishes. Of course, they all waved and smiled back as reply.

"Pretending to be in such a cheery mood almost makes it feel like we're not even going for such a dangerous battle, doesn't it?" Yukio asked.

"Yeah…" replied Shin, "But… I have other things to worry about…" and held his seat and mouth tightly.

"I knew this would happen." Saying so, Hannah took out a filter mask and handed it to him. "Here. A compartment has herbs in it. The scent will help with your motion sickness."

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver!" And with just a few breaths, Shin felt better already. "Holy shit, this is amazing!"

"Glad it helped!"

"Rest as much as you can for today," Arashi advised. "We'll probably approach the calm waters within two days, so be ready."

"Hm? Didn't you say 'calm' waters? What should we be ready fo— Oh… you don't mean…" Yukio caught on.

"Exactly. Sea beasts. The waters are so calm that a disturbance in its flow, like this yacht moving, is enough to alert them. So stay vigilant."

"If it's so dangerous, then how do other people cross the areas?" Diavolo asked.

"Only the largest of ships pass through these seas. They're specialized in utilizing Natura and the like to flow across instead of moving parts, so it causes the least disturbances. In addition, those ships always have strong individuals guarding the passengers just in case. Don't go thinking we're as safe as them."

Shin gulped. "Will I be able to even fight like this?"

"That's for you to figure out. Just be vigilant," she warned. "Anyways, know that we have just less than six days at our disposal. Lucky for us, the maps from the Rose are detailed enough to find small landmasses in our route. They're not islands, but small pieces of land we can stop at for the night. If we're to reach our destination on time, we have room to rest every night, except for one. Got it?"

"Please tell me it's not the night just before our arrival," Shin cried internally.

Arashi smirked. "Sorry. Just bear with it, 'kay?"

"No way~!" he comically cried.

"Before disbanding, I'd just like to emphasize on how dangerous our opponents will be. I've known Randolf for quite some time, and unlike Suzu who can't fight back, he isn't someone to take lightly. If he was outdone in a one-on-one fight, plus the power of his shard, then we need to be wary of our worst fears."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Everyone's expressions tensed up as they gulped simultaneously.

"This entire plan is resting on that hidden power you're betting on, Diavolo." She turned to him. "I'm pointing out that this isn't part of my tastes either. It's reckless and risky and would never be done by anyone who's in a proper mental state. Especially if the opponent is an unknown entity. It would've been way smarter to leave the city, no, the country and wait for better options."

"So you'd prefer to hide and live in fear instead of facing the problem straight ahead? If they have four of the shards, capturing us would be even easier for them once they find us. Moreover, we wouldn't be able to resist since it would be a surprise then!"

"I know. I've already grasped a basic idea of how you think. Which was why I allowed it. However, didn't you ever think that you could've trained and made sure you can use that 'power' willingly if you got more time?"

"I—!"

"You've only stepped out of that small cage of an island after so long. Do you really think this place, Derdalf, is the only place that can help you grow? There should be plenty of people out there who'd be willing to knock you unconscious to let you see that 'gate' again. Especially with that know-it-all attitude of yours."

Diavolo's eyes twitched as he grimaced and looked down.

"You're ignorant, all of you. I respect that you're willing to go so far for a friend, but this is an unknown battleground. Don't think this is another one of your forest adventures you've been basking in as a child."

"I've… witnessed my mother being killed right in front of me!" Diavolo shot his eyes up at her in rage. "Can you imagine how powerless I felt back then?! Till now, nothing has ever made me feel more inferior than that… thing! I've been fighting a ghost this whole time and you're telling me to be wary of an unknown opponent?! I have absolutely no leads! That thing wasn't even human! Why were we attacked?! Why was my mother killed?! I had utterly no choice but to give up chasing the answers!

And then… I discovered Raze… I finally felt like there was something greater… something I might be able to do. It was an abstract feeling, but I felt like I could get answers. But I tossed it aside because it sounded too optimistic of a thought! Even if the old man recognized it and let us leave the place, I tucked it away! Other than wanting to become stronger so that I don't feel the same helplessness, I had no aim!

Stone of Eclipse. Claude Brandt. Hisao. One after another I got to know about stuff and that my friends are suffering because of it. But as expected, Hisao was the hardest to deal with. I almost died! You really think I have no idea who I'm dealing with?! Don't make fun of me! So what if he's an unknown enemy?! So what if he's way stronger than the others?! I know for sure that I can actually do something! I can't control it, but it definitely exists! If so, I'll gamble my life on it! Don't you dare make it sound like I'm here for a mere children's adventure!"

"Diav!" Shin grabbed his shoulder. "That's enough!"

"!!" His body jerked as if he was surprised. Realizing all the gazes at him, he felt sorry for losing his temper like that. Nevertheless, he didn't feel even for a second that he had said something wrong, so he didn't apologize. Shooting his face away, "Tch!" he retracted back to the corner-most seat on the deck and stared out at the sea.

"We apologize on his behalf, Arashi sis. But I hope you understand what Diav's coming at. True, from your view we might seem like a bunch who came from nowhere and thought this would be a walk in the park, but it's not that we've never fought with our lives on the line. We can get a good grasp of what we're dealing with unlike before. We know what we're getting ourselves into. So please, don't keep reminding us about the dangers we'll be facing. You're not our babysitter," Shin explained.

Arashi simply sighed in response and turned around, seemingly moving upstairs to her own quarters.

"Arashi…" Randolf thought, and decided to try to lift off the heavy atmosphere. "Okay, everyone. This should be it for today's meeting. Since we can't really train our hearts out on a boat, try to keep things down while you rest and enjoy, okay? We'll stop by the first landmass by the end of the day!"

With that said, everyone went onto doing their own tasks one after another, albeit with heavy hearts.

"Mr. Randolf, I'll help your bags up," Suzume suggested.

"Hmm? Ah, thanks a bunch, lil' Suzume! But still… even if we're quite distant, it's okay for you to call be brother, you know?"

Suzume smiled and shook her head. "It makes me happy that you see me as your little sister, but my sibling is Arashi alone."

"That's a shame." He scratched his head. "But I understand. Our connection is nothing like what you two've been through, after all."

"Thank you," she replied and the two went away.

Meanwhile. "Yu, could you take my stuff up as well?"

"You want to talk to Diavolo, right? I got it."

"Thanks!"

"Even if I've heard it from you before, seeing him talk about it… feels very different, as expected," Hannah commented.

"Yeah."

She sighed, "Well then, best of luck. These sort of times are important for friends too after all," and patted his back and left with Yukio.

"Hmm? Layla, is something the matter?" Shin asked her as she stood staring at the frustrated Diavolo's figure silently.

She shook her head. "N-no, it's just… saddening… The more I hear, the guiltier I feel…"

"Don't sweat it! That's a thing of the past! Go rest for now, I'll take care of this!"

"…" She left without saying anything else.

With the deck having been cleared of people, Shin made his way to his best friend under the direct glare of the sun.

"Don't bother consoling me. I'll be fine after some time."

"Who said anything about consoling? I'm here to punch you!" He put his knuckles together.

"Be my guest. I'm not gonna apologize to her for that."

Shin sighed and gave up. Relaxing his hands, he sat beside him and leaned backwards over the side of the yacht, looking straight up at the sun.

"You know… we've known each other for a long time, right?"

"…"

"You've noticed my frustration, haven't you?"

"Obviously. It's your weapon."

Shin giggled. "Glad to see you're actually looking at me."

"What's up with you now, maiden in love?"

"Keh! It's just… occasionally, I think about stuff. Like, why were we able to use these powers after leaving home? And… why were you about to use Raze from the beginning but not us?"

"Eh? You too?"

"Looks like I'm not the only one. I mean… I just feel we should've been able to do that normally when we fought the beasts. Some things don't feel too different from regular actions, you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah… I get it… And also why those guys attacked us… My detective skills are tingling, saying that they're linked somehow!"

"Hehe! That doesn't sound too reliable, though."

"Want me to pull that mask off?"

"You got extra spare clothing?"

"Geh-! Spare me…" He sighed in loss.

Some time passed in silence. The salty breeze wafting through their nostrils, well, just Diavolo's nostrils, the two stared at a distance in their own respective directions. The occasional occurrences of fish leaping out of the water made Diavolo somewhat hungry, whereas Shin's gaze followed a seagull gliding across the sky as it slowly came right between him and the sun.

The silhouette of the seagull's body reminded him of an eclipse. The Stone of Eclipse. Something that could or not be a stone, and also something that could or could not appear during an eclipse. Such a mystery was what they were chasing, was what he thought. But at the moment, chasing Hisao was more important.

"An eclipse, huh…" he thought. "When the Sun and the Moon fuse together, an eclipse is formed…" And suddenly, he was reminded of something.

"Ah! By the way, there was something else I wanted to talk about!"

"What is it?"

"That thing that Hannah told us about yesterday. I… wanna make a few changes to it."

"The thing that Hannah told us…" And when he finally caught on, he finally turned his head to him, only to see Shin's beaming face as he strongly held his weapon. Then, he smirked. "Oh? You sure you'll be fine without practice?"

"You remember the feeling, right? That's all that we need!"

"That sounds reassuring."

"And now that you seem fine, get your bags up to your room!"

"Yeah, yeah…" He smiled and shrugged.

Meanwhile, in the women's quarters…

"Onee-chan, I'm entering!" Suzume called out as she opened the door to their room.

"Did the boys finally enter their dorms?"

"Yes, but… Why did you say something like that? And then you also left without saying a word… A-at least talk to each other! M-maybe you can come into better terms with each othe—!"

"Suzu… If that's all that it takes him to have a grudge against me, then he's not a true man. Just an immature brat…"

"Even so…"

"Given that that's over… I just love boys with spunk like that, ehehe!"

"Eh?"

"When they look at you with such hot and passionate eyes, doesn't it just turn you on? I just want to gobble him up!"

"O…Onee-chan, you're drooling…"

"Oh, dear! Excuse me!"

"On that note, you should really try to get married. You're already at the age."

"Ehhh~? Does my cute little Suzu want her elder sister to leave that badly~? Onee-chan is hurt~!" She fell on her knees and pretended to cry.

"Oh, come on. Stand up. You need to find a man, soon. Perhaps consider the proposals that Mr. Randolf and his wife provided?"

"Ew, no! I'd never marry those geezers! I'm more into younger men and you know it!"

"Geezers, you say… but none of them were even 30…"

"Especially the hot blooded ones! I just love it when they try to resist but then I get to slowly tame them~! The feeling of nurturing a young boy for yourself is so—! Ehe! Ehehe! Ehehehehehehe!"

"Onee-chan, that's a crime. You'll be jailed, you know."

"Stingy~! Who cares about being legal? It's fine as long as they've entered puberty! As for consent, they'll give in as soon they get to feel these breasts, okay?" she pouted. "Just imagining it gives me shivers!"

Arashi's fantasy:

「 "Hey there, young man! You want to have some fun with big sis?"

"G-get away from me, you old hag!"

"Oh don't be so mean~!" She hugged the boy, sandwiching his head between her breasts. "I just want to play a little~!"

"Bufu!" He started blushing, still with pressed eyebrows.

"Oh? Did big sis' breasts get you excited? Fufu!"

"A-a-as if! Who would get excited by these lumps of fat?!"

"Is that so? Let's ask 'someone', shall we?" And she slowly caressed her hands onto his crotch.

"O-oi! Where are you—!"

"The answer I'm getting seems to be different, though, fufu! Oh, you're not honest, are you~?"

"G-g-get away from me, you freak!"

Slowly licking her lips, she brought her mouth next to his ear. "You know… I'm not holding you that tightly, really. If you actually want to resist, you're welcome to run away. I wonder why you're not, hmm?"

"Y-you!"

"You like to play games, right? I'm sure you're also curious about a few games that adults play. Well?

"D…Damn iiittt!" And he pushed her down.

"Ahn~!" 」

"Ehehehehe~!" She dreamt blissfully with her hands placed on her cheeks.

Suzume awkwardly giggled. "Are we really going to be alright, I wonder…"

"That's mean, Suzu! I'm being serious about this too, you know! I would never compromise my cute little sister!" She plopped her hands on her shoulders. "As a matter of fact, that little exchange of words confirmed it for me."

"Hmm?"

"Diavolo. That boy might actually pull it off. Helping out a friend is good and all, but I was worried if he had an internal drive or not. I'm confident that he'll do his best to protect you now!"

"O-of course he would! After all the destiny—!"

"Destiny has his involvement planned out, not the result. That much is dependent on how he is as an individual. Since he's basically trying to prove to himself that he isn't useless, he'll try to pull out results!"

"That makes it sound like he's using me for self-gratification…"

"Well, that's kind of it, but, it's not like he doesn't care about you, though. It's simply that that's not all what this is about. Remember. Nobody in this world does anything simply for the good of their hearts."

"Even Onee-chan?" She made a puppy-dog expression.

"Kuh-! You really learnt how to talk back, huh? Why, you!" She grabbed her tightly and started wriggling her fingers against her sides.

"S-s-stop it, Onee-chan! It tickles!!!" She flailed and tried to break free, laughing.

After that, the group made their primary preparations for the journey ahead. The rooming orders were: Hannah & Layla, Suzuma & Arashi, Diavolo & Yukio and Shin & Randolf; and finally Remcon getting his own private quarters.

Hannah spent her time admiring and polishing her newly attained blade, Heratune, after unpacking all her belongings. Beside her, sat Layla, to whom she bestowed the knowledge of how great her weapon was. Details aside, she simply understood how much Hannah cherished this weapon and couldn't help but smile through it.

Yukio continued to meditate and focus his Natura. Feeling left out, Diavolo also joined in as a means of passing time. Hopefully, he could get insights to solving his problems.

Initially, Shin had planned to share a room with Diavolo, but seeing as to his luggage not being present there, Yukio explained that Randolf wished to share a room with Shin in hopes of helping him out.

As the sun went down and night arrived, they went out and lay on the deck, looking at the stars; and finally, once they had arrived at their first landmass stop, they settled in and had a small barbeque party, thus ending the day.