"Admiral Delaux, we meet again."

"I thank the gods we did, sir...?"

"...Lora. Second rank High Guard of his Majesty."

After the inquisitors left the scene, so did two of the imperial knights. Only Lora remained to interrogate the Admiral.

"Well then, sir Lora. It would seem I owe you a favor. If you or your family ever need my assistance, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Of course, this extends to your two colleagues." His smile was bright and cordial, but all the High Guards were martial masters. Lora could feel the anxiety in the old man's energy.

"Those inquisitors, what did they want from your 'nephew'?" Asked the knight in black armor, deliberately enouncing that last word very slowly.

Conrad feigned ignorance at the knight's implication.

"They must have mistaken him for someone else. As they say: pray to the light, and you'll be blinded!"

Lora scoffed, then locked his gaze on Conrad's eyes. "I do not know what you are planning, Admiral. The Inquisition does not back down, and we may not be there next time."

While Conrad was talking to the High Guard, Rall and Hopps had returned to the Wrecked Vessel. Tui had looked at the action without leaving the tavern to avoid unwanted attention. With tearful eyes, she raced to Rall and hugged him like she had found a long-lost brother.

But Rall did not process it, his mind in chaos. Dread filled the emptiness left by the sudden release of tension. The Church of Light, the Borian Empire, the Avians of Mutu Rere, this expedition to the Deep North paired with Conrad's constant lies. It felt like one wrong step would be the end. One mistake, and he would never be able to answer all the questions that tormented his sleep. One mistake and all his promises would go down the drain. He would never see Thork, Dorothy, and little Sarah again. He would never help Tui save her sister. He would never meet his mother.

A trembling sensation woke him up, and once more, he felt it - a gaze full of hatred and fear. Rall's eyes darted to the counter on the other side of the hall. Donny was there, listening to his daughter's enthusiastic retelling of the events while he washed the dishes from a tall pile.

All that hustle and bustle in front of his shop, and he did not even check...

***

It was his last night in Sturmwater, and as usual, Rall could not fall asleep. He just laid on his bed, spotting every dark stain and slight imperfection on the wooden ceiling of his room. At this point, Tui's light snoring had become comforting to him. It was intimately familiar, and it reminded him of his father. Sometimes he would close his eyes, and that soothing sound would lull him to sleep. Then the image of the shrouded figure would return, and he would wake up sweating.

Not that he would get any deep sleep that night. Hopps would wake them up two hours before dawn, in time to reach the Lady Veronica and depart for the expedition. Conrad was already there, surveying the loading procedures of supplies and equipment. Three strong crewmates stood right outside the door, handsomely paid to protect the two light mages and escort them to the ship.

At the umpteenth time he had woken up, Rall sat up on the edge of the bed and scratched his eyes. I need to do something about this.

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He yawned. Through his blurry eyes, he could see the golden light of Tui's Fairylight. But then it dimmed.

He opened his eyes and was startled. In front of him stood Inquisitor Artalia, her feline eyes open wide in front of him. He was about to scream, but then she put her index on her helm where her lips would be. With her head, she signaled behind her, and Rall saw her silent colleague holding a blade to Tui's throat. She had woken up too, but the inquisitor's large hand pushed on her mouth. Tears streamed from her face.

Artalia's hand moved to Rall's shoulder with the calmness of a predator. The boy instinctively swatted the inquisitor's arm away, which caused her to sign.

"You are lucky, boy. I give you a choice. You can come with us willingly," whispered the inquisitor. "Or..."

Behind her, the large armored man pushed his blade slightly deeper into the mermaid's neck, causing a trickle of red to gush out of it.

"Either way, you are coming with us. Choose."

"I... ok. I'll come. But please, remove that blade from her neck."

"You are in no position to negotiate, boy. First, show me your Fairylight. I know you're hiding it."

An ethereal orb of pure white light exited the boy's body and illuminated the room in its ghostly brilliance.

The two inquisitors had similar reactions to Rall's Fairylight. The silent one loosened his hold on Tui, and his blade retracted with him. Artalia instead acted like she had been blinded for a second but then stared in a mixture of awe and something akin to admiration. The boy was surprised by their reaction but did not waste the opportunity.

He reached his chest, where a pendant hid under his clothes. Then he squeezed it.

It was an instant. Thick, deep purple gas filled the room. It took Artalia a fraction of a second to react, unsheathing her sword and cutting through the gas like it was butter. Her colleague was slightly slower.

Just two seconds later, the boy and the girl had vanished, as did their Fairylights. In their place was a small white package, and on it was something written in Aldian.

'Too predictable, madame...'

BOOOOM!!!

The package exploded in purple flames, leaving a visible fuming hole on the side of the Wrecked Vessel.

"Did that work?" Asked Rall from the staircase. Beside him was a distressed Tui, who was holding her bleeding neck with her hand. In front of them were two humans and a lizardman, cutlasses in their hands as they smirked towards the explosion.

"AHAHAHA! SEE THAT? NOW IT'S THE DOUBLE-WRECKED VESSEL!!!" Shouted a crazed Hopps, who was right behind the men. His butler attire was as disheveled it was the first time Rall had met him.

"INQUISITORS MY ASS! GO BACK TO ALD-"

The golden figure of a slender knight dashed out of the room and through the corridor. Behind her mantle flew a pair of ethereal tails and on her helm two golden cat ears. Her shortsword shone brighter than even Tui's Fairylight.

"SHIT, RUN!" Screamed Hopps.

The three men jumped on the golden figure, while the two light mages and the butler raced down the stairs.

They reached the main hall, dashing towards the doors.

The large inquisitor came crashing down from the ceiling, blocking the way with his imposing presence. Broly was silent yet menacing.

Right after, the golden-hued Artalia landed behind them from the stairs. She had disposed of the three bodyguards so cleanly that not even their blood stained her sword.

Hopps looked around, and with the smile of a madman, he threw his jacket away. On his body were almost a hundred white packages, and on all were written different phrases, slurs, and blasphemies. In his right hand was a purple object with a button, his thumb pressing on it.

"KILL ME AND WE ALL BLOW UP! AHAHAHAHAHA!" He said, hugging Rall and Tui tightly.

The two light mages looked at Hopps in astonishment. Surely he must be joking.

But he wasn't, and the inquisitors knew it.

"Let the boy go, and I will grant you a quick and painless death."

"NO NO NO! YOU WILL DIE! WE WILL ALL D-"

Artalia's offensive was too quick for him. A dash and a slash, all within less than a tenth of a second. The butler's hand still held down the purple button as it flew away from his body. A single beat later, the other inquisitor had already caught the button, careful to keep it pressed.

"YOU-You know of the deadman swi-"

Again he was interrupted. This time it was a golden sword through his stomach.

"-tch... most impressive," said Hopps, his wide grin becoming a wry smile.

"You chose to die slowly, choking in a pool of your blood," hissed the High Inquisitor, the tails, the ears, and the golden light slowly vanishing. Then she turned to her quiet colleague. "Broly, kill the girl and get the boy. We are out of this shithole."

"Wait, no! Please, let her go!" Pleaded Rall.

"No. You have already refused that offer."

Tui's knees went weak as she fell to the ground, powerless against anything but the Fog.

"Then at least let me tell her one last thing," he implored desperately. "Please! I will follow you wherever."

The inquisitor sighed in clear annoyance. "You have ten seconds."

The boy nodded and looked at the mermaid in her eyes and he whispered."From the Kingdom of the Divine,..." he started, making Tui's eyes open in surprise. She had heard those words before, during their training sessions. "...the light of the Goddess shall fall on my enemies..."

His white Fairylight started pulsating violently as if it was about to explode. Rall got up and turned to the two inquisitors with a defying look. Fifteen years of experience told Artalia that danger was coming, but without her martial technique active she was not quick enough.

"...SMITE!"