I grabbed Azurea before the harpy's talons could grasp her. My stomach churned when I heard the tearing of fabric and Azurea screaming in pain before the harpy crashed into the bench, toppling the rest of the structure with it. The crash should have dazed the harpy, so I ran with Azurea's hand in mine.

At first, I thought the safest route would be to go straight to the mansion. However, I remembered how fast the harpy could fly.

"We need a place to hide," I told Azurea.

"Why not go straight for the mansion?" she asked, breathless.

"Trust me!" It would have been better if I could have explained my thoughts, but we didn't have time.

While still wincing in pain, Azurea led me through a series of bushes with enough space to move around and cover from aerial view. We made it just as we heard a monstrous scream from the cliff's direction. We were in the bushes as the harpy flew past us. It was low to the foliage but still passed our hiding spot in its haste. Just as I thought, it would have caught up to us before we got to the mansion door.

I turned to Azurea to see if she was injured. It didn't take long for me to find blood seeping into her dress where it was ripped by the harpy's talons. The crimson liquid was coming from her left shoulder blade. She covered her mouth to keep her voice down while I did everything I could to stop the bleeding. Knowing it was clean, I pulled out my handkerchief and pressed it over the wounded area.

Knowing we couldn't outrun the harpy, we needed to find a way to outlast it until backup arrived. I didn't know how long we had to waste, but the commotion should have alerted someone.

"I know you're still out here, little merchant," I assumed the harpy was speaking. Its voice was normal and feminine compared to the raspy cawing I expected to hear. Come out and die like a man!"

The harpy wanted to kill me? I suspected as much, but I couldn't confirm the intention. It didn't make any sense, but it didn't matter.

Azurea wasn't doing too well. Tears streamed down her face and on her hands while refusing to make a sound.

We could hear the harpy furiously ripping apart bushes, and the sound was approaching our hiding space. Azurea wasn't fit to run, but staying put was a death sentence. It was at that moment that I came up with a horrible plan.

"I need a weapon," I whispered to Azurea. "Where can I find one?"

Azurea pointed back toward the cliff and mouthed the word "shed." I remembered seeing another shed near the entrance next to the mansion, but the harpy was in the way. Unfortunately, going in the opposite direction of the harpy would get me further from any reinforcements that could show up.

There was no time to weigh the options. I threw a rock to the other side of the bush we were under. It landed on the stone pavement, causing the harpy to leap at it like a moth to a flame.

I rushed out of the bush as fast as my legs could run. I cursed the hard souls of my shoes as they loudly clicked on the pavement and alerted the harpy.

I didn't look back but could hear the harpy flapping furiously. When I felt the sound was too close, I rolled out of the way. This caused the harpy to barrel talons-first into a bush wall.

The action of dodging caused many parts of my clothes to rip. Clumps of mud slid down my back as I stood up. The feeling of something cold and wet running over my skin would have put me in a frenzy. However, my eyes widened as I got a good look at the harpy as she flailed in the bush.

It had the face of a reasonably young woman around twenty-two. Its skin was light brown, and its unkempt black hair rested on its shoulders. If not for the falcon eyes or the lion's teeth in place of human teeth, the harpy would have looked like a normal human woman.

From the neck down, the harpy's wings, which were in place of human arms, were as long as its body. Its feathers were as black as cast iron. Most of its body was covered in feathers, with only a makeshift sack strapped to her back to "cover" itself.

The harpy struggled to escape the bush, so I got up and ran towards the shed.

Once I arrived, I locked the door with the built-in lock and started to look around. The shed was full of long and short-handled gardening tools, a lantern, ropes, and bags of fertilizers. Breathlessly, I grabbed a rope and the lantern. I tied the rope on the handle using the best knot to avoid untangling.

I lit the lantern as soon as I heard the harpy's talons scratching at the door. The wood of the door slowly cracked and splintered under the harpy's furry.

I spun the lantern, waiting for the harpy's feet to break through the door. Once it did, I released the lantern, causing it to break and setting the door on fire. Once again stuck in something, the harpy was burning with the door while screeching in pain. Without hesitating, I grabbed a pitchfork and charged at the burning door.

I stabbed at the exposed foot again and again, even when the harpy cursed at me and threatened my life.

However, I noticed something was off.

I stopped stabbing the harpy and realized the pitchfork was going into the harpy's body. It was like the metal prongs bounced off the creature as if I was poking a tree.

Once the fire weakened the door enough, the harpy could pull its leg out, but to my shock, it slammed back into the door causing it to break. It grabbed me and threw me out of the shed. I tumbled until I slammed into the wooden fence, and the pitchfork was out of my hands.

The harpy didn't take long to fly out of the shed with a few feathers on fire. Its talons were inches from my face when suddenly the creature was batted away from me. It skidded across the garden until its body slammed into a thin tree. The person standing over me was the same dockworker staring at my pearls when Azurea gave me the tour.

He was a tall, muscular man holding a metal pipe with both gloved hands. His dark brown overall pants were lightly covered in sawdust.

He ran after the harpy while raising the pipe over his head. He was trying to finish the fight before the creature could get back up. The harpy was dazed and wouldn't have enough time to get up before its head was smashed in.

That should have happened, but just as the dock worker was about to bring down the pipe, a copy of the harpy jumped out of the original and stopped the attack. The copy had a blue glow around it, while the original took its time to recuperate.

The doppelganger harpy used its weight to redirect the pole and the claws on its wings to scratch the face of the dock worker. I didn't see blood fly, and the dock worker kept fighting as if he wasn't slashed through the face. The doppelganger kept attacking, and my breath left me when it successfully landed a kick that went straight through the dockworker's chest.

However, at that exact moment, the dock worker slammed the doppelganger to the ground by the neck. The harpy's foot moved through the dock worker's body as if he were a ghost. Unfortunately, this left an opening for the original harpy to fly over the dock worker and make its way to me. One of its irises had changed shape to look like four spread-out wings.

To my relief, I heard gunshots that caused the harpy to barrel over the cliff. The doppelganger vanished as guards came running to my side. Two with muskets looked over the cliff's edge and fired down, only for Mr. Swizter to order them to stop.

"Not into the city," cried Mr. Swizter. "We don't want to hit the citizens. You two, go after that thing and bring me its head."

The guards made their way back to the garden's gate, along with a few more guards behind them. Because they couldn't go directly after the harpy, I was afraid it would inevitably getaway. At least I was alive to worry about that.

--------------------------

Azurea and I were being tended to in the living room on the first floor. Our families and the dock worker who saved my life were also there standing around us. The dock worker was standing near the door with his hands crossed behind his back and chest out like a soldier.

His name was Félix Michael, and he had been working for the Swizter company for ten years. He explained that, while on break, he noticed the harpy flying towards the Switzer estate and took it upon himself to try to deal with it.

The adults didn't ask any other questions. They didn't see the harpy's attacks go through Félix, making me wonder why no one asked how a normal human stood against a harpy. To be fair, the adults had a lot on their minds, not the least of which was that their children almost died.

"I still can't believe it was a harpy," said Mr. Switzer. "I was starting to believe that they went extinct."

"They still exist, Sully," said my father. "Their numbers are fleeting, which is a greater mystery that one came to shore."

"She was after your son, sir," said Mr. Félix.

"And pray tell why that would be, my good sir."

"She was trying to kill your son, then take the necklace around his neck."

"But why?" asked Mr. Switzer.

"Because it belonged to the pirate, Clovis Sylvestre Aquila."

Clovis Sylvestre Aquila. He was one of the most successful pirates who threatened the Mediterranean, partly because he was hard to catch. It was said that he could catch currents that made him the fastest in the entire sea. Some rumors would say that he was able to sink ships without firing a cannonball by commanding a whale to do the deed. Others suggested Clovis would trick other boats into falling into spontaneous whirlpools.

Regardless of what you thought about Clovis, it's no surprise that he became famous for his legendary feats alone, and I was shocked to find I was wearing something of his for so long.

"Impossible!" my father exclaimed. "He died at sea 16 years ago and my son found these pearls on the coast."

That's right. Despite the fantastical stories around Clovis, it was hard to believe that I would have found the pearls roughly during the pirate captain's death.

"But you know better than anyone that Clovis wasn't a normal pirate. Twenty years ago, you saved his life and sailed with him for a time." The revelation from Mr. Félix silenced the room.

"Is this true, Clemit?" asked my mother. However, my father ignored her question.

"How do you know such a thing?" my father asked Mr. Félix.

"Because Clovis told me. I was his first mate. I say all this to illustrate the kind of danger your son is in."

"Now, wait just a minute," said Mr. Switzer as he raised his hands in frustration. "Clemit, you were in cahoot with a pirate?"

"I didn't know it at the time!" my father defended. "I simply saved a man's life, but that's not important right now." My father turned to Mr. Felix and asked, "If my son is in the kind of danger that Clovis had to deal with, then what are your suggestions to keep him safe?"

"Why are you referring to him?" asked Mrs. Switzer. "When the marriage goes through, we will be able to pay for men and artillery that will scare off any pirate or monster that comes our way."

All the grown-ups nodded in agreement.

"Even with that," began Mr. Felix, "Your son will need to be taught about the significance of the necklace and how to control its power."

"My son has never been shown to have any 'powers,' as you call them," argued my mother.

"He most likely didn't need them before, but the power will begin to manifest after this attack. That is why I ask that I be allowed to train him until he masters his powers."

"No," I said, speaking for the first time since I came into the building. I took off the pearl necklace, which shocked my parents. The pearls were my prized possession, and startlingly little would have gotten me to part from them. However, if the pearls were going to put my family at risk, I would throw them into the deepest part of the Mediterranean without a second thought.

I continued, "I'd rather you take them as far away from me as possible."

However, he backed away as I tried to put the pearls into Mr. Félix's hand.

"I can't," he responded sadly.

"I understand I am making you a target by giving you these, but you seem to know more about my necklace than I do."

"It's not that. Even if the pearls were halfway across the world from you, they would still be attached to your soul."

"This is ridiculous," exclaimed Mr. Switzer. "Syan, keep your necklace. Guards. Escort Mr. Félix off the premises. I will decide on your fate later."

Mr. Félix didn't resist as two guards flanked him and led him to the exit. He looked defeated with his head down.

I was alarmed and paralyzed. What did Mr. Felix mean when he said the pearls were connected to my soul? Was that why the harpy wanted to kill me over just taking the pearls from my neck?

Fear and anger gripped my heart like hot tongues. I wanted to throw the pearls on the ground and stomp on them until they were powder. However, I knew the pearls were too durable to be crushed that way.

Instead, I gathered the resolve to hold back my volatile emotions and walked out of the living room. I didn't stop until I made it to the room the Switzers offered me. I closed the door and sat on the bed. I placed the pearls on the nightstand and started to clear my mind.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

I needed to be logical about my next steps. First, I needed to learn more about the pearls. I didn't have much information to work with, but I couldn't let that stop me. I made my way to the door, but when I opened it, I was met by a surprised Azurea as she was about to knock.

"Oh! You're in a hurry," she said bashfully. "Where are you going?"

"Do you have a study full of books?" I asked.

"We do. I can take you there if you would like the company."

"By all means."

The two of us walked through the corridors, but I kept quickening, forcing Azurea to follow suit. She tried to ask me why I was in such a hurry, but I didn't answer.

Eventually, we made it to the study, and I didn't hesitate to look through each shelf to find what I was looking for.

"Syan, slow down," Azurea grabbed my arm. She looked scared, and I realized that I was neglecting her. She, too, almost died in the harpy encounter, and I didn't stop to ask how she was holding up. "At least tell me what you're looking for," she said.

"I'm sorry." My muscles loosened and Azurea released my arm. "... I'm looking for information about my pearls in hopes that I can find a way to get rid of them."

"So, you believe what Mr. Félix said about the pearls being attached to your soul?"

"After the harpy attack, do you not believe him?"

Azurea opened her mouth but quickly closed it to give her time to think about her answer.

"I think it would be foolish to ignore him. Especially when he mentioned that more powerful assailants will be after you. My parents aren't worried about it since the marriage will eventually pay for a small army to defend us."

"And what if they can't?"

"Why would you think that?"

"I saw Mr. Félix phase through the harpy's attacks like a ghost and the harpy manifests a copy of itself. Whoever is coming for me can do those things as well. A normal army can't defend against that."

Azurea put one hand on her chin while the other supported the first elbow. She was thinking. "We could find humans with similar abilities and put them into this army, but that would increase the time and cost to gather enough fighters." She then looked up at me, removing her chin from her hand. "But would removing the pearls invalidate the need for a stronger army? The whole point of this is to defend our trade goods from pirates. If the pirates we are fighting against have the same abilities Mr. Félix has, does it matter if you have the pearls?"

"No one will directly target me or my family without the pearls. It's the difference between getting a ship sunk every now and again versus having the home base attacked every week. The pearls must go."

Azurea nodded her head slowly. She must have had some reservations about my idea but didn't voice them.

Azurea pulled out all the books related to mythology, monsterology, and arcane traditions, their worn spines creaking in her hands. While some people, including scholars and particular academics, dismissed these studies as relics of a fading age—deemed increasingly irrelevant in the face of advancing technology and rising skepticism—those who deal with the seas knew better. Every good sailor knows that the sea is an expert at hiding the world's secrets within its depths, and we were trained on how to find them.

We scanned each page under anything involving objects that bind to a human soul. Many examples described the items as curses, and as much as I wanted to call the pearls a curse, Azurea corrected me that they didn't showcase the usual traits of a cursed item. My… The pearls didn't change my personality or force me to act uncivilized. With that, we continued to look for items that would be sought after by many while not being hard to find.

At some point, we stumbled upon a name: The Abyssal Warden. The book described the Warden as a Sailing Spirit—a human who gained the power to control the seas. Those lucky enough to encounter the Warden's ship and live mentioned how the captain always carried a wethered, bronze spyglass with a black-tinted lens.

"How cruel," noted Azurea as her finger scanned a paragraph. "This person could never go back to the sea because--according to him--The Abyssal Warden would always find him at sea."

A chill ran down my spine. The book suggested that this spirit hadn't been seen for half a century, but if a man like that was related to what my pearls were, then it increased my resolve to get rid of them.

A Sailing Spirit. We continued to look for information about the Sailing Spirits, with the occasional guard checking in on us on behalf of our busy parents.

It came to light some odd years ago that humans can gain abilities when under threat. Many called it a God-given gift, although that view is slowly being replaced as more people understand the more scientific mechanism of these abilities. These abilities ranged from enhanced strength to what Mr. Félix was able to do, but the limits have yet to be defined.

However, Sailing Spirits like The Abyssal Warden and potentially Clovis Sylvestre Aquila could control nature on a biblical scale. Unfortunately, we were not able to find anything that could back up these claims.

Our efforts were fruitless.

"Curses," I muttered. I asked Azurea, "Do you have any other books we can look through?"

"None for learning, I'm afraid."

"Then I am at a loss. The only lead I have left is with Mr. Félix, and I doubt I will be allowed to see him."

"He clearly knows more than we do, but what makes you think he will know how to get rid of the pearls?"

I leaned over the table, now covered in old yet well-kept books. The sight cast my mind back to my room, with a study desk littered with maps and manuscripts. After years of my arm rubbing that one spot, a part of the wood had worn out into a light yellow compared to pristine brown. It was a marker of a studious boy who knew that one day, his hard work would pay off by leading to a grand future.

It was all being uprooted.

If only I had a better collection of books. The local library would have a higher quantity. Still, if Azurea's family was limited regarding magical artifacts, there was no telling how much worse the library would be. Academia was the next best option, but as mentioned before, they wouldn't likely have students looking into the supernatural.

There was one more option.

"I need to go to the Library of Alexandria," I said with a new sense of determination.

Azurea smiled and said gleefully, "That's in Egypt! I can't wait until we get there."

"We? There's no we in this. I'm going alone."

"And why is that?" she pouted.

"Egypt is on the other side of the Mediterranean. There will be monsters and pirates all after me. I can't put you in that kind of danger."

"Counterpoint: You need me to go with you on this journey."

"Elaborate," I said while crossing my arms.

"First, you will need me to get you out of the estate. I doubt either of our parents will want us outside until they are sure the harpy is gone. Even then, they will always have guards with us to prevent us from leaving Linburg. Second, if you leave without me, my parents will look for a new suiter."

I opened my mouth to object, saying the journey shouldn't take too long. Then, I closed my mouth. I almost forgot my own words regarding how dangerous the journey would be.

Azurea continued, "If we both go, our families will have little choice but to wait for us or send people to bring us back. Either way, you will get a head start. Third, I want you to be my husband."

"I didn't think I left such a good impression," I said, feeling my cheeks heat up.

"That and your family name," she said almost jokingly. "Nevertheless, I truly believe the union of our families will make us the strongest trading business in the Mediterranean, and I won't lose that over jewelry."

That's right. We were both passionate about our family legacy and willing to do anything to keep them safe.

--------------------------

The plan was simple: use Azurea's estate knowledge to slip into the night while our parents were asleep. The guard patrols would have increased, but Azurea was sure she could get past them. On top of that, no one would ever think that the two most valuable people would want to leave under the cover of the night, meaning no one would be looking behind them.

Next, we had to convince Mr. Félix to join us. He better understood the threat we would be up against and, as a former pirate, would have sailing knowledge. The idea was to use a small boat to island-hop the many Mediterranean islands until we reached the Nile's entrance since obtaining a bigger boat would leave a paper trail and would require convincing someone to take two random nobles across the sea. This was easily the riskiest part of the plan, but the benefits of discretion outweighed the limitations.

Unfortunately, I wasn't sure how we were going to sway the old pirate to our side. I suspected he could be convinced with a hefty sum of money, but what I would be asking of him would go against what he seemed to want: for me to keep the pearls and utilize their power.

I had to try.

Azurea and I discreetly gathered food and clothes throughout the day to avoid suspicion. It was easy to do with our parents deep in conversation about the next plan of action. When night fell, we took what we could with cloaks covering us. We snuck past the guards until we were in town and remained cloaked until we reached Mr. Félix's house.

It was smaller than I expected for a man working for the wealthiest family in Linburg. The house was a one-room, low-ceiling building with its walls and roof bleached by the sun. There was a sign on the door with the name Félix Michael in faded ink that looked to be newer than the rest of the house. My eyes were drawn to clear windows covered by drapes from the inside. They were the cleanest parts of the house. Light permeated through the clear glass emanating from the fireplace.

Azurea knocked on the door; however, no one answered. She knocked again, and this time, Mr. Félix's voice came from inside.

"Hold on." It didn't take long for the door to be opened. He was shocked at first, considering we had our cloaks covering our heads, but once Mr. Félix recognized who was at his door, his eyes widened in shock and fear. He looked around the street to see if anyone else was nearby.

"What are you doing here?" Mr. Félix whispered.

"I need to inquire about something," I said. "Can we come in?"

Mr. Félix looked around the area again before letting me and Azurea inside his home. We both removed our cloaks as we entered the house. The inside was warm but claustrophobic, and there were only a few things to decorate the walls. On the right wall was a fireplace and a bed to the left. Next to the bed was a bag half packed with clothes and rolled-up paper. A desk with a chair under it was covered in ship blueprints and unfinished wood sculptures and peppered with wood shavings.

As soon as Mr. Félix closed the door, I began to speak. "I want you to come with me to the Library of Alexandria. I believe I will find a method to remove the pearls there."

"Why do you want me to come with you?" he asked.

"You know what's in store for me. Your knowledge will be vital in navigating through and around the dangers of the world you were a part of."

"And what makes you think I would want to help you in this mission?"

"Why don't you want to help?"

Mr. Félix didn't respond immediately. Instead, he allowed himself to think deeply about the question.

When he did speak, his voice was soft, as if he was reminiscing about better days. "My captain gave me a task when he disbanded the crew. I was to help guide the next person I saw with the blue pearls. I didn't understand since he was going into a fight to the death, and I was sure his killer would be the new holder of the pearls." He then turned to me and continued. "When I saw you with the pearls, I was overcome with relief mixed with confusion on how you could have them. I wanted to make you a legend like my captain."

"But that's not up to you," I said. "The pearls are under my possession and bound to my soul, as you said. I will decide what I get to do with them."

There was an uncomfortable pause between Mr. Félix and me. I was trying to understand him so I could better convince him to come with me, but there was a growing dread within me, making me think I ruined the negotiation with my one-sided desires. My father would have been disappointed.

The tension broke when Mr. Félix laughed, confusing both me and Azurea.

"You're right. I shouldn't have tried to force my will onto you. I will travel with you to the Library."

"That's it?" asked Azurea. "We thought that you would ask for compensation or put up more of a fight."

"I don't know if my captain had this in mind, but I want to live up to his last will. So, to Egypt then. But that will only be our first stop. What will you do if you find out that your desire to remove your phantom relic will take you across the world?"

"Then that's what needs to happen," I said, firmly. "Truly, I would rather be done with this within a month's time."

"Then we will leave tonight if you are ready." Mr. Félix didn't look confident in what he was about to do, but I was grateful he was willing to help me. In a way, it gave me the confidence to move forward into the unfamiliar waters.