Morning had already passed.
Soft daylight filtered through the ward windows as Renn slowly opened his eyes. The heaviness in his body was gone. The numbness from Aether depletion had faded completely, replaced by a strange clarity flowing beneath his skin.
For the first time in days, he felt normal again. No.... stronger.
Renn slowly sat upright, rolling his shoulder slightly as if testing his body. Golden traces of Aether flickered faintly beneath his fingertips before disappearing.
At the far corner of the room, Captain Arden sat quietly beside the window, arms crossed while reviewing several documents. Without looking up, he spoke.
"Finally, you're awake."
Renn exhaled lightly. "…How long this time?"
"Half a day." Arden folded the papers calmly. "How're you feeling?"
"Better."
His gaze slowly wandered around the room instead. Then stopped. A silver Royal Knight pin rested quietly on the desk beside his bed.
Seris'.
Renn's expression changed slightly.
"…Where's Seris?"
Silence lingered for a brief moment. Arden leaned back in his chair. "… She's gone."
Renn's eyes narrowed slightly. "Gone where?"
"Shadowhaven…" Arden spoke quietly. "The man you fought in Eldermire—Noir—he's from there."
Renn's eyes narrowed slightly.
Arden continued, calm but serious. "I don't have concrete proof. But after the incident… Seris started acting differently." A brief pause followed.
"She disappeared during the night." Arden's voice remained calm. "Left her uniform behind."
Renn immediately understood.
His gaze hardened instantly. "…The others?"
Arden sighed quietly, already expecting the reaction. "They left this morning."
"…What?"
"Taren, Lio, and Kael." Arden rubbed his temple slightly. "The moment they found out Seris disappeared, they rushed out before sunrise."
Renn stared at him in disbelief.
"I tried to stop them," Arden answered flatly. "But they're all stubborn."
Silence. Then Renn suddenly stood from the bed. The pressure in the room shifted immediately.
"…Idiots."
Arden raised an eyebrow slightly. Renn ran a hand through his hair, frustration visible for the first time in days. "What were they thinking?"
"They were thinking about Seris."
"That's not the point." Renn's voice sharpened. "Shadowhaven isn't some random territory. It's enemy ground."
Arden remained quiet.
"They chose danger on their own," Renn continued. "Without a plan. Without backup." His fists tightened slightly. "…Leaving me behind."
The last words came quieter than the rest. Arden noticed it immediately. Renn looked away slightly, jaw tense.
"…Do they think carrying everything alone makes them reliable now?"
A brief silence followed.
Renn frowned. "…What? You sound exactly like someone else I know." Renn's expression stiffened slightly.
Arden stood slowly from his chair. "You're angry because they left without you." A pause. "But they probably went because they were tired of always watching your back disappear while you carried everything yourself."
Silence.
Renn couldn't answer immediately.
Arden stepped closer, placing the documents onto the desk beside Seris' pin.
"You were never meant to carry everything alone." A long silence filled the ward. Then Arden smirked faintly. "So," he asked casually, "what're you going to do?"
Renn grabbed his coat beside the bed immediately.
"…Bring those idiots home."
On the other side, Taren, Lio and Kael continued on their journey. The road to Lumisdale ended where the sea began.
Far beyond the polished districts and glowing streets of the merchant kingdom lay a forgotten corner hidden beneath cliffs and storm-worn docks—
Lightreef Port.
To ordinary travelers, it was merely a fishing district buried beneath the outer coast of Lumisdale. Endless stalls lined the harbor, overflowing with fresh catches, salted fish, and crates drenched in seawater. Vendors shouted over one another while fishermen dragged heavy nets across the docks beneath flocks of screaming seabirds.
But beneath the noise and smell of the sea, Lightreef was a gateway. The illegal route to Shadowhaven.
Taren stared around the crowded port with confusion written all over his face. "…Why are we here exactly?"
Kael crossed his arms beside him, equally unimpressed. "This place smells terrible."
Lio walked ahead calmly, hands tucked inside his coat. "That would be because it's a fishing port."
Kael narrowed his eyes slightly. "And how do you even know about this place?"
Lio smirked faintly. "You should learn to make friends, Kael."
"I'd rather fight monsters."
Lio ignored them both and stopped before an old tavern squeezed between two seafood warehouses. The wooden sign above it swung quietly in the sea breeze.
The Drowned Fang.
"…A bar?" Taren frowned.
"Unfortunately," Lio answered, "illegal businesses rarely build castles."
The three entered.
Warm lantern light illuminated the dim interior while drunken sailors laughed loudly around scattered tables. The scent of alcohol mixed with seawater and smoke hung heavily in the air.
Behind the counter stood a bartender cleaning glasses with practiced boredom.
"How may I help you fellas?"
Lio stepped forward casually. "The tide flows east tonight, but the black gull still flies without a lantern." Lio said calmly.
The bartender stopped wiping the glass. Silence. His eyes slowly lifted toward Lio.
"…This way."
Taren blinked several times as the bartender pushed open a hidden door behind the shelves. "…What the hell does that even mean?"
"Code phrase," Lio answered simply.
Kael looked disappointed. "That was the code? That sounded stupid."
The hidden passage led downward. A long staircase descended deep beneath the tavern, lit only by weak lanterns hanging from damp stone walls. The sounds of the harbor disappeared the farther they went.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Until finally— A small underground room appeared before them.
Only a single lamp illuminated the darkness. At the center sat a man facing away from them in a wooden chair. The chair slowly rotated.
Creeeak—
A large bearded man appeared beneath the dim light, dressed like an old sea pirate. One eye hidden beneath a weathered patch. Scars ran across his face like faded maps of old battles.
His sharp gaze landed on Kael first. Then Taren. Taren immediately stiffened. "…Why is he looking at me like that?"
Finally, the captain's eye settled on Lio. Silence lingered. Then—
"What can I do for you?"
Lio met his gaze calmly. "…We need a boat."
The captain leaned back slowly. "…I don't do babysitting."
THUD. Lio dropped a heavy bag of coins onto the table. The captain glanced at it briefly. Then scoffed.
"Still dangerous."
THUD. Another bag landed beside the first.
Kael's eyebrow twitched slightly. The captain folded his arms.
"…Maybe some extra bag..."
THUD. A third bag. The captain stared at the money for several long seconds. Then calmly reached forward and pulled the bags toward himself.
"…We sail at dawn."
Taren's jaw dropped slightly as the captain casually pocketed enough money to buy a small village.
Taren turned toward Lio. "…How much money do you even have?"
Lio adjusted his gloves calmly and glanced back at the two. "I told you," he said casually, "I have friends."
"Now, our job here is done. We should buy equipment for the trip."
His gaze shifted toward the darker side of Blackreef's marketplace where concealed merchants operated beneath hanging lanterns.
Lio led them deeper into the hidden market district tucked behind the harbor. Unlike the loud seafood marketplace outside, this side of Blackreef felt quieter. Shadier.
Merchants here sold things no ordinary kingdom openly allowed. Concealed blades. Forged documents. Aether contraband. And clothing woven specifically for people who wished to disappear.
Kael glanced around suspiciously. "…This place gets worse the farther we walk."
"You'll get used to it," Lio answered calmly
.
They eventually stopped before a narrow cloth shop hidden beneath hanging curtains of black fabric. No signboard. No name.
An old woman sat behind the counter silently sewing dark robes beneath dim lanternlight. Lio placed several silver coins on the counter.
"Three Veil Cloaks."
The old woman finally raised her eyes. "…Shadowhaven?"
Silence answered enough. She stood slowly and disappeared into the backroom before returning with folded black robes, gloves, boots, and cloth wraps.
"Veil-threaded fabric," she explained. "Infused with low-grade concealment properties." Her eyes shifted toward Kael's sword. Then Taren's spear. "It suppresses Aether signatures."
Kael frowned slightly. "…Meaning?"
"It makes you harder to notice," Lio answered.
"Shadowhaven assassins detect people through movement, intent, and Aether flow."
The old woman nodded once. "Walk loudly there… and you die loudly too."
Taren stared at his spear with growing despair.
"…How am I supposed to hide this thing?"
The next few minutes became painful for everyone except Lio.
Kael adjusted his dark cloak easily, his sword wrapped carefully in enchanted cloth that concealed its Aether resonance. Lio looked naturally suspicious even without trying.
Meanwhile, Taren struggled endlessly with his spear. "…This is ridiculous."
The long weapon remained impossible to conceal properly no matter how much cloth he wrapped around it.
"You look like a traveling broom merchant," Kael commented.
"I hate both of you."
Eventually, Taren covered the spearhead completely using veil-thread cloth, binding it tightly until the weapon resembled a simple wooden staff. Even their faces were partially hidden beneath dark coverings.
Not for disguise. But for survival. Because in Shadowhaven, being noticed meant being targeted.
Dawn arrived beneath gray skies.
The ship departed quietly from Blackreef Port, cutting through calm waters as the harbor slowly disappeared behind them. Cold sea wind brushed against their dark cloaks while waves crashed softly against the hull.
The captain stood near the wheel smoking a pipe lazily. "…Enjoy the peaceful sea while it lasts."
Taren frowned slightly. "…That supposed to comfort us?"
"No."
Hours passed. Then, the sea suddenly became too quiet. No birds. No wind. Only fog.
The captain's expression changed immediately. "…Prepare yourselves."
The crew members moved quickly across the deck. Some lowered lanterns. Others avoided looking directly into the mist surrounding the ship.
Kael narrowed his eyes. "…What is it?"
The captain glanced toward them. "…Sirens."
"…Sea monsters?" Taren asked carefully.
The captain nodded once. "They lure sailors into the sea with their singing." He pointed toward his ears. "…You may want to cover those."
The three immediately wrapped cloth tightly around their ears. Then, the singing began. Soft. Beautiful. Almost unreal.
A haunting melody drifted through the fog like voices from a distant dream. Even muffled beneath the cloth, the sound felt wrong. Pulling. Crawling beneath the skin.
Crew members trembled visibly. One sailor suddenly walked toward the edge of the ship blankly.
"…Oi—!"
SPLASH.
He jumped willingly into the sea. Taren's eyes widened. Then shapes emerged from the fog.
Pale women-like creatures climbed along the hull with twisted smiles and black hollow eyes. Their clawed hands gripped the wood as their songs turned shrill and violent.
"CONTACT—!"
Several Sirens launched themselves onto the deck instantly. Chaos erupted. One creature tackled a crewman straight into the sea while another slashed toward Kael.
SHING—
Kael drew instantly.
A single slash severed the Siren cleanly across the chest. Black blood splattered across the deck.
Lio moved next. His blade flashed once. A Siren's head rolled across the floor before its body even collapsed.
Taren spun his concealed spear violently, smashing another creature away before piercing it through the throat.
The captain watched briefly before shouting over the chaos.
"Guess your payment for this trip was too cheap!" He fired a pistol into a climbing Siren's skull. "I'm losing more men than when that white-haired girl boarded my ship!"
Taren immediately turned. "…You mean Seris?"
The captain shrugged while kicking another Siren overboard. "Whatever her name was."
More Sirens attempted boarding. But this time, they met resistance. Kael cleaved through two at once. Lio moved precisely cutting limbs. Taren smashed another creature off the mast hard enough to crack bone.
Minutes later—
The remaining Sirens retreated back into the fog with furious shrieks. Silence slowly returned to the sea.
The captain exhaled heavily before glancing toward the three. "…Not bad." He smirked faintly. "Thought your weapons were just for decoration."
Kael cleaned his blade silently. Taren collapsed against the railing. "…I hate oceans."
Then, Lio's eyes narrowed toward the horizon.
Far within the fog, a silhouette appeared. Dark cliffs. Towering black structures. An island swallowed beneath endless storm clouds.
Shadowhaven.
No one spoke as the ship continued forward. Because even from this distance, the island already felt wrong.