Dinner in the Justan's cabin was tense and awkward. Nahuel and Igneous were the only ones who tried to create a conversation, while Yaima found it impossible to articulate a complete sentence without stuttering, and Elian and Alya spent it in silence, giving each other challenging looks.
'This was a disaster,' Thought Igneous.
Although not everything had been lost. The boy at least learned something about Yaima. She was an orphan, or so she believed, as she never met her real parents, but she lived with a farming couple who adopted her. She was working as a waitress in a maid cafe until one night she was transported to this world. Due to her stutter, it took her almost forever to tell all that, but hey, at least Igneous already felt like he knew her a little better.
Nahuel, on the other hand, was a karate champion who had to learn to fight to defend himself against the bullies at his school. He was transported to this world after winning a tournament, a huge ocher eight-legged horse appeared in front of him and told him to find other Marked Ones and travel to Kamsara: the city with the closest shrine.
Everyone seemed to have a better life than Igneous. He had to spend the last years of his life surviving on the streets. Trying not to die in the crossfire of war, while he protected his new family: Los Jaguares gang.
'And I failed,' the boy thought, as he remembered Breeze's limp face and Eider's body, falling onto the subway tracks.
Igneous looked at Yaima, Elian, Alya, and Nahuel and said to himself 'Maybe this will be my new family.'
He must not make the same mistakes. Much depended on their fulfilling the mission of the eon.
After the awkward dinner, Igneous called Alya to talk privately. Both locked themselves in the cabin assigned to them.
"It happened again," the boy said.
"What thing?"
"The mist spoke to me again."
Alya rolled her eyes. "Not again. You are imagining things, the mist does not speak."
"Believe me, I've been wondering if what I heard was real and I really think it is. Alya, it's not my imagination. The mist tells me that Eider is coming and that he is close."
The girl crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Are you listening to yourself? You are speaking from desire. You hear what you want to hear, that's all."
Igneous snorted and clenched his teeth. "Is not my imagination!"
"Was anyone else with you?" The girl asked.
"What?"
"Was anyone else with you when you heard what you think you heard?"
"Um... Nahuel was with me..."
"And he didn't hear anything?"
"Um… no…"
"Do you see? He didn't hear anything either! Same as me. You have to accept it. Your mind is playing tricks on you."
Knock, knock, there was a knock on the door. "Guys," was Nahuel's voice, "we have a situation. Come up on deck."
Igneous and Alya looked at each other in confusion. Then they went up to the deck, where Justan, Nahuel, Yaima, Elian, and Gabu were waiting for them.
"What seems to be the problem?" Asked Igneous.
"See for yourself," Elian pointed to the compass in Justan's hand. The arrow kept turning, as if it couldn't agree on where to point. "It's been like this ever since we left Kraimer."
"And what about that?" Igneous scratched his head.
"Are you stupid?" Alya growled. "These waters cannot be crossed using only the stars, because the black mist does not allow it. So the only way to navigate is by using a compass."
"That's right," Elian confirmed. "If the compass does not work, we'll be lost in these waters for who knows how long."
"Wow…," Igneous scratched his nose. "That does sound like a problem. And what can we do to fix it?"
"For now, we don't know," Justan replied, "we can only wait for this to be resolved."
"What if it's not fixed?"
"We will have to wait until the passage of another ship. We just wanted you to know that we are going to be floating in these waters longer than we thought."
Alya frowned and rolled her eyes. Apparently, she did not love the idea of sharing such a closed space with Nahuel and company.
***
Alya was fed up. She had been locked up on that ship for more than 24 hours. It was dawn, dusk, and dusk again, and she was still trapped in the middle of the southern ocean.
Igneous, on the other hand, seemed to be having a good time. She listened to the laughter of him, Nahuel, and Yaima that came from the deck.
'Since when did those three become friends?' She asked herself. And what was that she was feeling? Was it… Was it jealousy? 'Maybe it's not such a bad idea to socialize with them.' She thought about it for a few minutes and decided to go up on the deck. The girl got out of her bed, left the cabin, and jumped when she saw that Elian was out there in the corridor.
"What is your problem?" The boy asked, with a threatening look.
She brought her hand to the hilt of the sword. Elian glanced at that reflex action. "Are you planning to attack me?"
"What do you want?" Alya asked, not letting go of the sword.
"I don't trust you," the boy held up his hand, which released little bolts of purple electricity.
"That is great. It is mutual."
"I wonder who will be faster," Elian said menacingly. "You or I. If I go for your neck right now, will I manage to cut you down before you draw?"
"How about we check it out?" Alya's eyes narrowed, as did Elian's. They stared at each other, silent, tense. Each waiting for the other to make the slightest move.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's going on here?" Igneous went down the stairs that connected the deck to the bottom of the ship.
"He started it," Alya protested, not letting go of her sword handle.
Igneous stood between the two. "Please, whatever you're doing, drop it."
Alya snapped her teeth and let go of the handle. Elian lowered his hand, turned, and went up to the deck.
"What the hell are you doing, Alya?" Igneous exploded, eyes widening. "They are our friends!"
"They are not MY friends! They're not even my allies!"
The boy shook his head. "You can't do that, they are helping us."
"He was the one who threatened me. He was the one who provoked me. What was I supposed to do? Allow it?"
Igneous snorted in frustration and put his hands to his forehead. "What I am going to do? This can damage all the progress we've had. I'm trying to build an alliance!"
"And what is the matter with you?" Alya questioned. "Since when are you such friends with them? You and I have been traveling together for weeks, and now you prefer them over me?"
"Where does all this come from Alya? I remind you that you didn't even want to travel with me from the beginning. I practically had to force you."
Alya gritted her teeth and shoved Igneous. "Fine! Hang out with your new super friends!"
The girl ran up the stairs, climbed onto the deck, and took refuge in the stern, where she would have a bit of silence.
'Stupid Igneous.'
She wanted to leave that stupid boat and get as far away as she could. But she was trapped. How long more? who knew
'Dammit. Trapped in a demon's ship. How humiliating.'
And then, the unthinkable happened. Alya watched as the mists twisted and danced as if trying to attract attention. The girl shook her head and scratched her eyes. It couldn't be true what she was seeing at that moment.
The mists parted in two as if they were making way for something, or someone.
"Um… guys?" Alya ran to the bow, where the others were. They all looked at her confused. "I think you should see this."
"What thing?" Nahuel asked.
At that moment Igneous went up to the deck. "Do you hear the same as me?" He asked. "The mist is speaking to me, telling me that Eider is here..."
"Igneous!" Alya exclaimed. "The mists moved!"
Everyone else's eyes widened and they looked at each other in disbelief, as if to say 'these two have gone crazy.'
"Look!" Igneous pointed to the sky. They all turned and froze, petrified as they saw a column of black mist swirl and spin like a tornado.
"What the hell is going on?" Justan took a few steps back, trembling.
"Em…," Nahuel's voice was shaky, "tell me this is normal."
"Not at all," Elian replied, tense.
"I thought so... A whirlwind of black smoke can never be good."
The black tornado dissipated and a thin human figure remained floating in the air. He looked like a young teenager. He had armor, like a Marked One, only it was silver and black.
Igneous took a few steps forward, his eyes were nailed to the young man who was levitating above the ship. His face was pale as if he was seeing a ghost and his forehead was sweating. His knees gave out and he fell. Then, his trembling lips uttered: "Eider..."
"Hello, brother," replied the boy in silver and black armor.