"Oh, I'm aware of the three tiers of ability users: Awakened, Enlightened, and Ascended. With each tier, the number of abilities a user can wield goes up. The top tier is three abilities, and interestingly, that's been officially observed in just about 20 or less individuals. Those notable figures include the heads of the Great families, The Headmaster of the Royal Academy and our esteemed King."
"Officially?" Captain raised an eyebrow with a smile.
"I believe there are other people who aren't on the official list released to the public, maybe hiding their strength or for some other reasons only known to them."
"Well, you're right on that one." The captain nodded and smiled, his gaze turning toward the sea. The ship swayed gently, and the captain's eyes squinted and unsquinted at certain intervals.
"Nautical Mind?" Morvain suggested.
"Huh...?" The captain looked surprised. "How...?"
"Just a hunch." Morvain shrugged, noting the slight movements of the ship. No need to reveal the truth about his observation. "I've read somewhere that captains often have one of the main three useful abilities for a sea voyage. That includes 'Nautical Mind,' 'Whisper Wind,' and 'Weather Ward.'"
"That's amazing." The man's eyes widened in awe, and a genuine smile crept across his face. "Not only are you smart but also resourceful. How about it? Want to become my cabin boy?"
Morvain hesitated for a moment, considering the offer. "Thanks for the offer, Captain. But I'm not currently looking for a job. If I ever am, I will surely ask you."
"Fair enough." The man nodded understandingly. "I might need someone with a smart brain like you. I'm not so young anymore, and it gets lonely on this big ship. Say, are you awakened?"
Morvain managed a smile, but there was a tinge of embarrassment.
'Why am I getting ashamed? More than half of the population is not awakened, let alone fully aware of the ability, let alone awaken it.'
"I'm sorry, Captain. I am not awakened." Captain Orion's eyes widened in surprise.
"A smart lad like you, not awakened. Unbelievable." He shrugged. "But, that's alright, I guess. As long as you don't piss off the wrong group of people. You can't be a captain nor work on anything owned by the Royalty since they only hire people who are awakened. It's a shame, though."
Captain Orion waved his hands, a gesture that seemed to dismiss the topic, and walked off. Morvain thought it was because he had lost all interest in him due to him not being awakened. He chuckled to himself and shook his head.
Later that night, there was a quiet knock on Morvain's door. It was so subtle that it almost felt like a hesitant whisper rather than a proper knock. Despite the stealthy approach, Morvain opened the door to find none other than the scrawny kid and his father.
The boy sported a bandage on his forehead, creating a somewhat unintentional and amusing fashion statement.
"Come in," Morvain invited them, suppressing a grin.
"Thank you, young man," expressed Rony's father, hands clasped in front of him like he was mid-prayer.
'This man has seen some things,' Morvain thought as Rony took a seat on the bed. Closing the door behind them, Morvain crossed his arms, ready for whatever they had to share.
"Uh...thank you, young man, for saving my son's life," the father said, looking directly at Morvain as he bowed his head. Unsurprisingly, the arrogant boy kept his eyes on the table.
'He doesn't even realize I saved him,' Morvain thought, shaking his head. Suddenly, the father grabbed the boy's head, forcing him into a bow.
"Ack!" Rony protested. "What are you doing, pops?"
"Show some respect, Rony! This boy saved your life."
"Why? I don't think they would have done anything against me. This is a royal ship, and they can't just throw me in the water just because they don't like my ideology!" Rony argued loudly.
'Seems like a really naive kid. They must have had this talk earlier,' Morvain thought, shaking his head again. 'This is good. This is too good!' A sinister plan formed in his mind. He wanted to smile and laugh. He also wanted to punch Young Master Ravencor, and most importantly, he wanted to hug Lavender.
'Oh? She must've fallen asleep crying, thinking about my departure. Poor girl. I should get back to her after completing the first phase of my mission.'
His beautiful and not-so-creepy thoughts were interrupted by the loud sound of a slap, and he saw the boy clutching his head in pain with an angered expression.
"This ungrateful idiot! Thinking going against the highborns is exciting and right? They could've killed you, and it would be like squashing a passing cockroach for them, but for me, that is not the case. For me, you are the only thing I have in this entire world." The father hugged his son tightly, sobbing. "If anything ever happens to you, I won't have a reason to live."
"Oh, please, pops. Don't act like a weak bitch. We are men; we should be strong. We don't cry when something happens to us; we take revenge and kill." Rony pushed his father off and glared at him.
"Rony...please..." his father said in a low voice. "Stop being like this."
"No!" The boy bellowed. "You want to live like this? In fear of those shits? We are going to Sunshard City, father. The place of Royalty. There is no highborn or lowborn there. There's only Royalty and everyone else there. Even if it's a Highlord or the priest, they are all equal before Royalty. We are free there. We are equal there. So stop acting like a fucking bitch and start acting like a man!"
Morvain was surprised at the intense outburst.
"Rony, I agree with you," said Morvain. "Sunshard City is indeed one of the most classless cities in the entire world, that is right."
"See, even your savior knows about that fac--"
"In papers, yes." Morvain was not done speaking. He leaned in, his eyes locking onto Rony's with a chilling intensity. "But if you think it's true, that utopia you've painted in your head, then I've got to say, you're a bigger fool than the Highborns themselves. Sunshard City is a mirage, a seductive illusion crafted by the powerful to keep fools like you dreaming. There's no escape from the cruel dance of hierarchy, my friend. You'll soon realize, in the harsh reality, everyone has a master, and the game is played with blood, not dreams."