"Yes, I have lied," admitted the Admiral. "Let me tell you the truth, the whole truth."

Those words were enough to put everyone on alert. From Rall to Tui to every sailor in the crew of the Lady Veronica, all were equal parts confused and intrigued.

"You know most of the story," resumed Conrad after pausing for a couple of seconds. "Twenty-five years ago, I commanded the Guilded Rose over the Wall of Fog and into the Deep North to escape a group of ambushers. We were left stranded, only the currents of the Northern Sea to guide us towards certain death. However, this is where the story diverges from the tale I have told at the tavern."

He paused again, clearing his throat and gathering his thoughts. Looking around, he saw many faces that he had known for decades. Yet only Hobbs knew the secrets he was about to reveal, bringing them with him in the afterlife. He had always been conflicted on whether to divulge his discoveries, though the recent actions of the Church of Light told him that he had been wise to keep them under wraps.

"Our light mage, her name was Veronica. She was the most gentle and beautiful woman I have ever met, as well as my soon-to-be wife."

Rall noticed the shift in the man's voice, his tone softer and melancholic. "We had wanted to get married one year before, but the Second Great War exploded, putting a wrench in our plans. With the little influence I had at the time, I was able to get her on the Guilded Rose. If there is something in my life that I regret, it is that choice." Conrad took another pause. It was clear that talking about Veronica was painful. Yet, his eyes shone again, full of determination.

"For days, she withstood the dense Fog bearing sleep deprivation, thirst, hunger. Veronica was our lifeline, and we supported her as well as we could. Nonetheless, with no signs of land or even a clear sky, her Lighthouse cracked," Conrad said before his arms opened to the sky as if he was a preacher about to announce the words of God. Even his tone became more powerful, his voice full of gravitas. "At that moment, we witnessed a miracle. Her trembling Fairylight turned white, shimmering like the most beautiful of pearls and dazzling like the light of the three moons at Lunarium!"

Rally's eyes opened as wide as they could. Though half unconscious at the time, he had seen this same phenomenon happen to him.

"After the change, the Fog seemed to avoid her Lighthouse, like a wolf to the fire. A path opened up for us, and our ship followed it as if possessed by a will of her own. After a while, the Fog opened up, and we saw land. From here on, what I have told before is the truth."

Some murmurs rose from the crew, many discussing the meaning of their Captain's words. Someone, namely the same curious young man who had asked the Admiral to tell his story back at the Wrecked Vessel, raised his hand.

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"Yes, young lad. Ask away," said Conrad with a fatherly smile.

"Thank you, Cap! But why hide this away? I don't think knowing this changed anything for us sailors," asked the youngster.

Before the Admiral could even voice his answer, a bunch of his older crewmates already sighed in exasperation. The quartermaster looked at the young man like he was looking at a child. "How naive. How blind do ya have to be to see the meaning of Cap's discovery! A white Fairylight!"

"Right," Conrad interjected, "but I do not judge you, young lad. The value of such knowledge is hard to fathom. After I returned, I dedicated myself to the Great War, striving to speed up our victory as much as I could. It is thanks to those efforts that I became Admiral of the Grand Fleet. Yet, I did not care in the slightest. After the war was over, I started researching all I could. For ten years, I ran experiments of all kinds with light mages, trying to replicate a white Fairylight. I never succeeded."

Rall's body trembled at the thought. He and Tui seemed to be the only ones who had a frightful reaction to the word 'experiments'. Still, Conrad resumed like he had said nothing strange.

"There seemed to be a condition, something that I was never able to grasp that stopped most light mage from achieving that same moon-like gleam. Then it struck me. The Continent is an enormous place - a lot of it is unexplored, and its history runs deep. Someone somewhere must have experienced that same phenomenon at some point."

The Admiral groaned theatrically in defeat. "That did not work either. I analyzed documents, listened to myths, studied the folklore from all around the known world, grasping for any clue I could find. In the end, I only had one choice left. I waited, hoping that a light mage with a white Fairylight would appear on their own. Once again, I relied on the gods to send me a sign."

It was the cook, this time, that raised his scaly lizardman hand. After which, he proceeded to ask what everyone wanted to know. "After twenty-five years, you organized this expedition. Does that mean you found one, Captain?"

Conrad smirked victoriously, then gently put his hand on Rall's shoulder. "Show it to them."

It did not sound like an order, but to the boy, it sure felt like it. Still, the cat was out of the bag, and the crew was already looking at him with sparkling eyes. The first thing his father had told him was to hide his Fairylight. Yet, since his death, so many people had already found out the truth. It was frustrating, for how long would he be so weak as to succumb to the will of others!?

Suddenly, a warmth grabbed his left hand and held it tightly. It was Tui, who had understood his internal conflict and wanted to convey a message akin to: 'do not fear, I am here for you.'

Rall nodded and took a deep breath to calm his mind. There was no reason to run. A white Fairylight emerged from his body. It was a brilliant orb of ethereal white light, seven centimeters in diameter. Since the boy had changed his training routine, his Fairylight was quickly catching up to the size of Tui's.

There was a collective gasp on the bridge like they had just witnessed the birth of a legend. Conrad nodded at the kid in satisfaction, then turned back to his crew. "You see why I lied. Many wanted to take him from me. They wanted to take the key I have been waiting my whole life to possess! Even the Church of Light made its move! But it does not matter anymore. His name is Rall. Take care of him from now on, this mission depends on him."

"Aye aye, Captain!" They shouted in unison.

Murmurs rose again as the sailors started openly discussing the matter. However, one voice stood over all of them. It was the second-in-command, Vice-captain Roger 'Long Beard' Winston, a tall and large man with no facial hair of any kind. "What about your woman, Cap?"

At the question, everyone quieted down. Even Rall and Tui stood there silent, eager to hear what the old man had to say about it.

Unbeknownst to the crew, their Captain did not lose his cool at the question. Instead, he fixed his thoughtful gaze towards the North. "Veronica is waiting on the other side. She has been waiting for such a long time..."