Consciousness returned with a painful jolt. It felt as if someone had smacked me at the back of my head with a plank of wood. The first thing I realized was that I was plummeting. I was simply falling from a tremendous height into a dark sea, illuminated only by the lights from the cabins of the drifting cruise ship. A drop of five hundred meters at the very least, and I had no parachute. There was no sight of the alien ship either; although, being in reality, I wouldn't be able to see it anyway. But a sort of sixth sense told me - the Breakthrough had been closed.
My attempt to enter the Break was thwarted by a complete lack of prana. This otherworldly energy was totally depleted. Moreover, I wasn't falling into the sea alone - the unconscious body of Halley was plummeting just an arm's length away. I pulled the unconscious raig towards me. We had only a few seconds left. Our only hope to survive was Metatron. I was uncertain if such capabilities were integrated into my armor during its design, but perhaps it could help?
As soon as this thought crossed my mind, I was hit with a sudden confidence that I would definitely survive. The maximum damage that could happen to me was some bruises, and maybe a compression fracture of the spine, even in the worst-case scenario. If I were falling from such a height onto solid ground, the First Angel wouldn't have been able to save me at all. But surviving a fall into water was a slightly different task.
I wrapped my arms around Halley, hugging him as tight as possible. By the time I had maneuvered his unconscious body, the sea's surface was alarmingly close.
I probably wouldn't have been able to save Halley if Metatron hadn't activated the Fan of Probabilities at the last moment. Aligning our bodies with the green lines, while avoiding the red or pink ones, was a daunting task, and I managed it just as my heels hit the water.
The impact was so strong, it felt like I had jumped barefoot from a three-meter diving board onto hard asphalt. Something in my neck gave a worrisome crack, my knees screamed under the strain, and my chest, pressed against Halley's body, felt ready to snap. Had the First Angel not absorbed the majority of the blow, I would have been knocked out and simply drowned.
The Spark confirmed that Halley was alive. I wasn't sure about the extent of his injuries, but he was alive, and that was the main thing. Then a thought struck me: could I swim in Metatron? Thankfully, the answer was yes. The First Angel was designed to rescue its master from any predicament he could get himself into.
Once I broke the surface, I lay on my back, positioning Halley's unconscious body on the water in such a way that his head was elevated and he could breathe, only then did I realize that we were far from safe. The ocean waves, which appeared tiny from the deck of the liner, were in reality at least one and a half meters high. Not only were they pulling us adrift, but despite my best efforts, I couldn't spot the ship that should have been nearby.
After a minute submerged in the nocturnal sea, I almost fell into a panic, worrying that we would be lost, and they wouldn't find us. But that fear quickly subsided as I realized that it wouldn't take more than half an hour for the prana to accumulate enough for me to shift into the Break. I hoped that Halley would regain his senses by then as well.
Just as I found my calm and ceased shivering from the shock, a lifebuoy dropped onto my chest. Immediately, I spotted at least three pale figures leaping from wave to wave nearby. Why hadn't I thought of that? Raigs would make excellent water lifeguards, indeed.
Roughly seven minutes later, we were hauled up onto the deck. The ship's medics rushed over to attend to Halley. Given that he was an open raig, with his identity public knowledge, I didn't interfere. However, even just standing proved to be a challenge for me, so interfering with anyone was out of the question. My knees trembled, refusing to bear the weight of my body.
One of the medics asked me something in what I think was German. I gestured him away in response. Just as he left, Maya nearly knocked me over, swooping in like a whirlwind. She dispersed the medics and, for a moment, transported Halley to the Break using her ability. Upon his return, he looked significantly better, even sporting a healthy blush on his cheeks.
Switching to German, Maya explained something to the chief medic. As soon as he confirmed his understanding, she turned her attention to me. She placed her hands on my shoulders and bowed her head. I nodded in response. Immediately, all my senses failed me and I felt as though I was being sucked into the grey haze of the Break. It was a brief moment before I was thrust back into reality.
"Thank you," I said.
"We thought we had lost you…" Her voice seemed to tremble slightly. "When the starship disappeared with you on board, we thought…" She trailed off, waving her hand dismissively.
"No, they didn't drag me into the layer of fantasy"
I said it and froze. Was I sure they hadn't? I remember killing an alien psyker and how another richly dressed six-fingered one activating some sort of "transition." Yes, I remember that. But there was something else between that "transition" and the moment I regained consciousness while falling. Yes, there was! But I don't remember what. And this lapse in memory, likely due to the distortions of the Break, bothered me more than it should.
Maya poses a question, but I don't catch it, lost in my own thoughts. No, I can't recollect anything. Just a peculiar, elusive scent.
"...?" The maiden Knight asks something, gently nudging my shoulder.
"Apologies, I was deep in thought," I shake my head, dispelling the heavy musings. "How is everyone? Did we lose anyone?"
Maya avoids my gaze.
"I will still find out."
"Witold. We couldn't find him on the deck or the liner," she reveals.
The lad had joined the offensive with Crixus, and I distinctly remember seeing his body skid down the ramp. What could've happened?
"He was at the stern, I remember. He was lying next to Rex, just a bit closer to the edge of the board."
"We found Rex, and everyone else, except Witold," she explains, her hand gestures vague. "A giant wave engulfed the stern of the liner when the starship lifted off. We believe he was swept away."
"Did you look for him?" I pose the question, immediately realizing its absurdity.
"We're still searching; the sisters have taken over the operation, aided by all the Masks and four others."
Witold... He was the Knight who declined the BKDW oath to shield his family from potential troubles. His sword was almost a third rusted, but he pushed himself harder than anyone in training. It was as if he was proving to us all that he was neither a traitor nor a weakling. His inclusion in the shock group, where I had gathered the best fighters, was no coincidence - he had earned it.
"And those who were ejected from the Break during the Breakthrough?"
"We've gathered all the bodies in the aft assembly hall and have barred anyone from entering to avoid anyone seeing their faces," Maya informs me. "Everyone is alive and well; their prana will be replenished, and they will come around."
"What about the ship? Any casualties?"
"One hundred and fifty people are in the infirmary, but nothing critical."
"One hundred and fifty? Why so many?"
"Panic ensued after the alarm," she shrugs. "Resulting in injuries, bruises, and a few nearly trampled. Those knocked out by the lizards are kept separately and under observation. Doctors assert they're just in a deep but healthy sleep."
"That's good," I nod, attempting to divert my thoughts away from Witold.
Yet, I can't seem to relax. If Witold hasn't been found yet, and he was indeed swept overboard during the starship's launch, he most likely has drowned by now. If he had been conscious, there might've been hope. But he was unconscious, and that, in truth, is a death sentence.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
On the whole, we were still lucky that the wave didn't carry everyone at the stern away. Damn it! It's infuriating. The lad survived the Breakthrough only to drown. Such a cruel twist of fate.
The cruise ship had been aimlessly drifting since the onset of the Breakthrough, but one can never truly remain stationary in the ocean. Currents, winds, and waves all conspire to carry you away, even with the engines shut down. Moreover, the darkness complicated our search. True, as raigs we could leap upon the waves, moving faster than any vessel could, but the ocean was immense.
A half-hour post the end of the Breakthrough, upon Halley regaining consciousness, we halted our search for Witold. Nonetheless, the sisters paid us no heed and continued to scour the waves until their prana was utterly depleted. However, even their dogged determination didn't culminate in a miraculous rescue.
Since I was temporarily unable to shift to the Break, and Halley and Crixus were too drained, Maya took command of all the Knights. I found her leadership commendable. She skillfully balanced sternness and persuasion - inflexible when necessary and yielding when the situation warranted it.
The situation was far from straightforward. The cruise ship, "Francis the Fifth," was en route from Singapore to San Francisco and sailing one hundred and fifty nautical miles north of Wilflaes when the Breakthrough struck. The Break transported us, raigs, onboard the ship to repel the Breakthrough but failed to return us to Novilter's capital.
On the surface, a hundred and fifty miles seems trivial for a raig, equating to no more than an hour's run, even for novices. But the reality was more complex. First off, not everyone had mastered wave-running, despite rigorous training. Secondly, navigating the boundless ocean at night was no easy feat. Consequently, some Break Knights risked getting lost at sea if they attempted to return home independently, possibly drowning once their prana was exhausted. Not all, of course - most of us could have managed, but after a brief discussion, we agreed to return to Wilflaes together.
Regrettably, the captain of "Francis the Fifth" proved to be rather obstinate. Despite us having saved his ship, passengers, and crew, he stubbornly insisted that he was already behind schedule and wouldn't detour to Wilflaes to drop off his rescuers. He "dug his horns in," and it was impossible to move him. Given that he was a shifter from the Sicilian aurochs bloodline, literally a bull in human form, convincing him was entirely out of the question. He could be killed, sure, but coerced into altering course? Not a chance.
Here, the benefits of cooperation between the Knights and the authorities were fully displayed. About forty minutes after the Breakthrough had ended, a pair of antisubmarine helicopters, adorned with the symbols of Novilter, hovered over the liner. Fifteen minutes later, the Novilter Navy's light cruiser, the "Count Tornari", approached the liner and forced the captain to drift again. Even the stubborn shapeshifter did not dare to lock horns with someone armed with guns and missiles.
The cruiser's captain, Tenian Criassi, a member of the steppe wolf clan, was well prepared. As it turned out, the fleet had already been theoretically trained for such tasks as evacuating raigs.
"Lady Maya," the Commander greeted the young woman as he boarded the liner, "my cruiser is at your disposal. Command us!"
Despite the captain being a shapeshifter from an influential clan, he regarded Maya with reverence and was clearly delighted with the temporary shift in command.
The powerful war machine, capable of eradicating a medium-sized city with a missile salvo, seemed like a small toy next to the massive cruise ship it was moored to. But in this instance, displacement and size were irrelevant. It was obvious to everyone who was in control of this maritime duo.
First, camouflage kits were delivered from the cruiser - akin to modern day palanquins, stretchers enclosed to shield from prying eyes. We loaded onto them the Knights who were either unconscious or too weak to walk on their own due to prana depletion. Then, under our supervision, sailors from the cruiser moved these stretchers onto the warship, placing them in a secluded area accessible only to raigs. Of course, we checked it thoroughly for any covert surveillance, but the provided quarters were clean. The military, or rather the navy, played fair in this matter.
The fleet, after all, is a serious business. Less than ten minutes after the cruiser docked to the liner, the evacuation was completed. And it wasn't only the Knights who were evacuated. The captain also took onboard a dozen Novilter citizens who wished to cut short their cruise and return to their homeland.
With a sharp blast of its horn, the "Count Tornari" pulled away from the colossal ocean liner, trailed it with the barrels of its main caliber turret, and set a course south. At this moment, I stood alongside Maya on the bridge, or more accurately, in the conning tower of the cruiser. I must admit, I had never seen such a well-coordinated team as the one on this warship.
"Lady Maya," the captain addressed the girl, stretching out along the line, "what flags would you like to raise?"
The Knight maiden considered for a moment, evidently well-versed in this naval protocol. Ten seconds later, she responded without the confusion I clearly felt:
"Victory Alpha and..." There was a slight pause before she continued, "Summer Black."
"Yes!" The captain's demeanor instantly became grave upon hearing the second flag. He turned to his adjutant, "Raise Victory Alpha and Summer Black. Destination..."
"Wilflaes," Maya supplied.
"Wilflaes!"
"Speed..."
"Full speed."
"Full speed!"
The cruiser sprang to life like a hive disturbed, turbines roaring so loudly that the floor beneath our feet trembled. The warship surged forward like an arrow.
"Could you explain the flags' meaning?" I asked Maya, leaning towards her as discreetly as possible.
"I'm claiming a total victory. I have losses."
"I have losses" - such a simple phrase, yet it perfectly encapsulated our situation. We never found Witold, alive or dead; he vanished in the ocean. Damn it! We repelled the Breakthrough, losing only one Knight - and that by pure chance. We should be exultant, celebrating. So why did my heart feel so heavy? Was it the senselessness of the loss? Would it be less painful, as they say, if Witold had been killed by alien weaponry? Maybe.
Initially, I was troubled by why the Break didn't transport us all "home." But I quickly surmised that perhaps we hadn't destroyed the Breakthrough. Instead, like with Palpatine, what came from the layer of fantasies returned of its own volition. More accurately, the captain of the space slaver had panicked and fled, but the point remained - he had returned to his layer of unreality on his own. Apparently, this disrupts something in the Break, leading to unexpected effects like not returning the raigs home.
The "Count Tornari" proved to be a swift vessel. Its maximum speed, which the cruiser could sustain for eight straight hours without the risk of engine failure, was thirty-six knots.
Three and a half hours later, we saw the numerous lights of the capital's port. By this time, all the raigs had regained consciousness, and even those who had been struck down by the lizard-like creatures had their prana minimally restored. Still, most of the Knights chose to remain on the cruiser until docking. Firstly, because it was thrilling, and secondly, when would they ever get another chance to ride on a warship with full honors due to noble class?
I stayed put as well, primarily to lend Maya some support. As soon as my prana was sufficiently replenished to allow for a shift into the Break, I seized the opportunity. Turning into a Projection, I was instantly swamped by an influx of information. Albeit delayed, the Break hadn't forgotten to reward me for both repelling the Breakthrough and achieving the third level of Break Knight, both of which I accomplished that day.
The Breakthrough itself, it seems, because it was halted rather than fully defeated, yielded relatively modest rewards. My prana restoration was slightly sped up, and the costs for Sliding, Sword Throw, and Mental Shield were reduced. However, reaching the third level presented me with some serious rewards to select from. Take for instance, the "Vulnerable Point" ability. Upon activation, a force user could theoretically identify an enemy's weak points and, again, in theory, demolish a tank with a single punch, provided they aimed accurately. The only downside was that if I opted for it, my mastery level of this ability would be at the "youngling" stage. Given the less than appealing prospects, I declined the offer.
What intrigued me more was not acquiring new abilities, but enhancing the ones I already possessed. Like strengthening the Spark, for instance, which would subsequently elevate me to a higher sensum level. Tempting? Absolutely! However, I reluctantly turned it down. In my estimation, it was far more crucial to elevate my skill in the Fan of Probability from a "youngling" to a "Padawan". Sure, developing the Spark could benefit me in real life, but it was the Fan that had saved my life twice during this Breakthrough alone. If I intended to stay alive as long as possible, combat foresight was my top priority. Satisfied with my reasoning, I confirmed my selection.
After checking on Halley, Crixus, and the rest to verify that they were all okay, I returned to the conning tower.
A few seconds before the Breakthrough, Maya had managed to rush to the ocean liner's bridge and warn everyone about the imminent danger. Naturally, the "Francis the Fifth" immediately sent out an SOS signal, indicating that they were facing a Breakthrough. This news quickly became the focal point of global news channels. After all, it was sensational: alien monsters attacking a solitary liner in the vast expanses of the ocean! What journalist could resist such a headline? Moreover, the fact that the Breakthrough had been repelled by the Knights of Wilflaes was already topping the news. And images of Maya explaining something to the liner's captain with me clad in Metatron in the background swiftly became the most viewed content on the internet.
It was also impossible to hide from the public that the Knights were returning home aboard the "Count Tornari." In fact, this information wasn't kept a secret at all. Thus, even before the cruiser reached the harbor, dozens of yachts and boats swarmed towards it. Everyone wanted to welcome the victors.
Heeding Maya's request, those of the raigs who could safely manifest in reality arranged ourselves along the side of the cruiser. We positioned ourselves so that the "Summer Black" flag flew above us.
So, everyone who was rushing to greet us from port was moving at full speed, joyously shouting into megaphones and beaming their searchlights into the sky. However, those who had already reached us slowed down and moved in silence, their flags lowered to half-mast, as they trailed behind the cruiser.
"Summer Black" was the name all the TV channels gave to the footage that captured a quiet procession of hundreds of yachts silently trailing the warship into the port. In three months, a documentary film featuring these shots and dedicated to those who lost their lives repelling the Breakthroughs would touch the hearts of millions.