"Elder Brother, have you heard about the new rumors surrounding Sullivan Camp?" she asked in a hushed voice.
"The camp on the island near Dragon's Peak, built by Sullivan himself?" he asked, seeking confirmation. Then he continued, "No, I haven't. What are these new rumors about?"
The girl hesitated before speaking once more. "Our teacher spoke about it. He said the forest surrounding the camp is haunted by phantoms. Those who venture out without the heads are found three days later, unrecognizable and covered in blood that isn't their own," she said, her voice wavering. "It's horrifying."
The boy listened carefully and then frowned. "Phantoms? Those creatures from the underworld? How would they end up in that forest? I'm sure even they would get lost in such a maze," he said, trying to comfort her worries. "The deaths could be caused by a member of the wolf clan that resides in that forest losing their santacha."
She nodded, looking at him. "I would love to believe that. Yet it is still terrifying. Plus, we are going to that camp soon, Elder Brother," she said, her voice calmer now. "Mother said it's a chance to rank up, even though you don't need to, Asmodeus."
The boy, Asmodeus, smiled.
________________________________________________________________________________
A village came into view. Near the village gate stood a child with long long white hair and red eyes, dressed in a black robe with a golden ribbon waist and a bag slung at their side.
'I have a feeling my ride didn't make it here. I'll be late if I don't find another soon,' they thought, just as a carriage stopped in front of them.
"Thank you, sir," they said as they climbed in.
"No problem, young miss. I saw you waiting and couldn't just leave you here," the man said with a laugh. "So, where to, young miss?"
They answered curtly, "Fuiyn's ship." Their tone was blunt, but the man didn't seem to mind, smiling as he replied, "That's quite a journey. How about we introduce ourselves on the way? My name's Han. I'm just a 20-year-old guy ranked Bet. I enjoy the happy things in life. Just call me Han."
They nodded, even though Han couldn't see it. "My name is Sekka. I'm a 14-year-old boy, also ranked Bet. I enjoy gems. You can call me Sekka. Nice to meet you, Han."
Sekka thought, 'That should be good enough for him.'
Han fell silent for a moment before laughing awkwardly. "Deeply sorry for misgendering you, Sekka. Your appearance could fool anyone."
Sekka smiled. "I'm used to it, so it's no bother, Han. Fooling people was never my intention."
Trying to change the subject, Han asked, "So, you like gems? Do you have a collection?"
Sekka's smile brightened. "I have many. Would you like one? I recently found a ruby I can give you."
Han, shocked by the sudden change in tone, laughed. "Is that so, Sekka? Then I'd be happy to take the gem as payment for the ride."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~During Time Skip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A mansion adorned with menacing white snake statues wrapped around four pillars stood amidst the snow. A tall, strict-looking man with long white hair, cold golden eyes, and clear skin entered view. He wore a fur-coated commander's suit and a snake pendant matching his eyes hung around his neck. In his arms was a white book.
'The mansion never seems to change, always buried in snow. But the snakes... they've moved again,' he thought as he entered. He was interrupted by a young servant.
"Welcome back, Master Lopeh Voaj Severus. Everyone is waiting in the meeting room. Please follow me."
Lopeh followed the servant, his eyes scanning the new decorations. "Preparing for the Feast of Misfortune?"
The servant nodded. "Yes, Master Adin will be hosting the feast here."
Severus nodded and continued on.
"Greetings, everyone. Since you've all received my letter, let's begin," Severus said, taking a seat. His gaze swept over the room: a pair of siblings with short red hair and deep yellow eyes, the brother with darker hair in his twenties; an older man in his forties with black hair and green eyes; and finally, a man in his sixties with gray hair and eyes like burning embers.
"Today, we will be leaving for Serity Island. Amidst the rumors of phantoms, one of my men reported finding a cave before I lost contact with him. He claimed to have seen a dragon. We need to find that dragon and tame it."
The room fell silent. The girl, Uta, spoke calmly. "A dragon? And then you lost contact with him? On Serity Island? First phantoms, now dragons. How interesting, Severus."
Her brother Nikola added, "Uta is right. Phantoms and dragons on one island? Dragons never leave Dragon's Peak, and they won't show themselves to just anyone. As for the phantoms... they come from the underworld. If that rumor is true, someone opened the gate."
The room went silent once again. The man in his 40s frowned. "Nikola, the only person capable of opening the gate is Adin, and right now he is preparing for the yearly feast as the pope of the God of Misfortune."
Nikola frowned, his voice raised as he stood from his seat. "That makes it even worse, Ulrich!"
Uta placed her hand on her brother's shoulder as Lopeh raised his hand in silence. "Arthur, what do you think of this?" Lopeh asked, and Arthur looked out the window at the snow covering the floor.
"There are other ways to get phantoms into the living world, ways that should never be used. But the phantoms are not our priority; it is the dragon. Sir Lopeh, how do you say we deal with that?"
His voice was rough but firm. He looked back at Severus, who nodded.
"Dragons are powerful creatures, and if there is one on Serity Island, then it could pose a significant threat. Uta, Nikola, find the lair. Arthur, ask the locals about the rumors. Ulrich, once the siblings have confirmed that there is a dragon, make sure the tools needed for taming one are ready," Lopeh commanded.
Uta looked at Lopeh and asked, "What about the phantoms? Should we be concerned about them?"
Severus shook his head. "Uta, they are our secondary concern. Focus on the dragon. However, if we do encounter any phantoms, deal with them swiftly and report back. We cannot afford any distractions from our goal."
Lopeh then said, "We leave for Fuiyn's ship at dawn."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of Time Skip~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Master Sekka, we have arrived at your destination."
Sekka watched outside the carriage as Han spoke, then sighed.
"I told you not to be so formal, but thank you. The second one is thanks for your kindness. I hope to see you at the end of this summer, Han," Sekka said as he exited and handed Han two large rubies.
The shocked Han then spoke.
"You are the kind one, Master Sekka. I will use them well. Enjoy your time at the camp."
Sekka nodded, leaving Han as he entered the ship. Inside, Sekka explored, getting himself familiar with the layout.
'The ship is big. I wonder how long it took to build it. How much did they pay the builders, or did they use magic?'
While lost in thought, Sekka spotted two siblings with bright blue eyes and grey hair. The older sibling's hair reached his shoulders. They wore black robes with a pink ribbon at the waist.
'The Alter siblings are here as well. I wonder if they know when the captain is coming.'
With that in mind, Sekka approached the siblings and bowed.
"Excuse me, sirs, by any chance, do you know when the captain will arrive?" Sekka asked as the siblings turned to him.
"Very sorry, m'lady," the younger began.
"But we are as clueless as you," the older finished.
"I see. That is a shame. Thank you," Sekka said, turning to leave.
"Oh, m'lady, would you tell us your name?" the older asked.
"In turn, we should be friends," the younger added with a smile.
Friends? Sekka looked back and bowed once more.
"My name is Sekka. Pleasure to meet you both."
The younger's eyes shone.
"My name is Damian, and—"
The older one continued, "My name is Athanase."
Then, at the same time, they said, "Pleasure to meet you, Sekka," and laughed.
'They act the same as I've heard,' Sekka thought.
"Sekka, hm? That name sounds familiar," the youngest remarked.
"It seems we've misgendered our new friend, little brother, for Sekka is the boy who topped the Uriun Household genius in the Alorative games!" the oldest said with joy.
"Oh, so we have a smart new friend. Sorry about that, Sekka," the youngest chuckled.
"It's fine. I'm used to it, and it seems even the Alter siblings know of my win," Sekka sighed as the siblings laughed.
—- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —-
On the top deck a muscular man is found in a blue commander's suit, his hair black and eyes as blue as the deep sea.
"Seems like Lord Oizys will awaken this year, Master Sullivan," he said to the man behind him, who had dark brown hair and eyes covered with cloth.
"Indeed, Merlin. Adin must be dancing in glee. But to think I would witness the resurrection this year—something that has not happened for millions of years. Ever since I was a young lord, I wished I would see it. Thousands of years have passed, and finally, the lord that King Yugo put to rest has awoken once more," Sullivan replied with a smile.
The muscular man frowned. "Merlin is a name of the past, Master Sullivan."
Sullivan laughed out loud, then nodded. "You always hated that name, Fuiyn." He paused before continuing. "The sea is rougher today. Gilmore's burden is coming."
—- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- — —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —
A girl with ash blonde hair and green eyes, of a similar age to the boys, approaches the siblings. She walks with confidence and grace.
"Excuse me, it is a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Aliena Dawn from the Dawn household, Rank Alef. I never would have thought to meet the Alter siblings here." She was cut off by Damien's frown.
"M'lady, don't you think it is a bit rude to ignore our friend here and cut off our conversation?" The older sibling nods.
"Treating someone who is our Rome like Chernobog angers even Elpis." Athanase's tone changed when he spoke more in the way nobles did.
'I don't mind if she ignores me, she is known for having a glib tongue,' Sekka thought with a sigh, watching as the girl's eye twitched.
"Penthos engulfs me as I have set Atius upon you," the girl said as she bowed, now looking at Sekka. "Deeply sorry, I did not… notice you, miss. I hope you forgive me."
Sekka nods. 'Using an informal tone out of spite, I am already hated by someone, and the camp has not even started,' he thought, bowing to the girl.
"It is truly a pleasure to meet someone of high status such as yourself, M'lady Dawn. My name is Sekka," he said with a smile.
—- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —-
"I think it is time to set sail," Fuiyn said as he descended from the quarterdeck, everyone looking at him. "Greetings to you all. I am Captain Fuiyn, your guide across the waters to your destination." He paused, making sure everyone was listening. "Now, Gilmore's Burden is expected to arrive within the next two hours and last for three days. The sea will be rough, the wind unforgiving. If any of you doubt your ability to withstand the hardships of this journey, leave now."
He paused again, waiting to see if anyone would leave, then smiled. "Your chance to go has ended. May Narain bless you through your journey."
With that, Fuiyn left, shouting orders for the ship to start.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
"Sekka, we should head to the lower chambers to find a room for all three of us," Damian said happily.
A shocked yelp escaped from The Dawn's mouth. "B-but what about me—" She was cut off again by Athanase.
"Yes, Sekka. It is best we look now since there are a lot of people on the ship. We don't want to end up getting a small room."
Sekka sighed, thinking, 'They are ignoring her purposefully.' He nodded. "I saw a room that can fit four people; it should be free."
Sekka led the way to the room while the siblings and The Dawn followed.
"So, uh, Miss Sekka, was it? What household are you from?" The Dawn asked.
"None of them, M'lady. I am a commoner. It truly is a blessing to be able to talk to three nobles," Sekka replied.
Hearing that, the Alter siblings burst into laughter.
"A commoner is the one who beat Helios? He must be pissed!" Athanase managed to choke out between laughs.
"If that is so, we will protect you, Sekka," Damian added, grinning.
The Dawn, however, did not laugh. Her expression twisted with disdain. "A commoner? Talking with nobles as if she is one of them? How disgusting. Someone who doesn't even know about the gods."
As she spoke, the siblings' gazes sharpened.
"Sekka, I think we can find another roommate. Lady Dawn has Pandimus over her head," Damian said, grabbing Sekka's hand. He ran, with Athanase following closely behind, leaving The Dawn alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~With Lopeh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Merlin's beard, Lopeh, he is hiding something," Ulrich said, a frown straining his face.
"Mister Merlin is always hiding things, Ulrich. No one even knows why he changed his name, or why he built this ship, or even why he left the throne. So many mysteries," Uta spoke, sighing heavily while her brother laughed.
"I don't think that is what Ulrich meant, Sister Uta," Lopeh said, sighing as he read his book.
Uta continued, undeterred. "Well, I'm simply saying that everyone hides stuff. Like Lopeh's book—it's empty. What is he reading? We'll never find out." She shook her head, and Nikola nodded, looking at Lopeh.
"Severus, what is in that book?" Nikola asked.
Lopeh looked up and smiled. "As Uta said, you will never find out." Then he returned to reading.
"But yes, Ulrich, Merlin is hiding something, and we will figure it out tonight. Don't worry," Lopeh added.
Arthur, staring out at the sea, muttered, "Poor Merlin must have met Aipotu. The phantoms have been summoned, but by who?"
The room went silent. Lopeh closed his book. "The snakes have moved again. Loki is active once more."
Uta frowned. "Three gods and a dragon. This mission will be annoying."
Ulrich nodded. "May Irene bless us."
Nikola laughed. "Don't add another god, Ulrich!" He continued laughing, breaking the tension in the room.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Two hours later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A boy with raven hair and hazel eyes came into view, walking alone through the halls of the ship. His steps echoed softly as he searched for the dining room.
'I am lost again,' the boy sulked as three people came into his sight.
"Hey, kid, are you okay?" the scariest of the three asked him.
"Y-yes, I am lost, and I can't find my way to the dining room," he sobbed.
"Oh, well, you should follow us," one of them said. "Since we are going there."
The other smiled, and the boy nodded, thinking, 'Not like I can make my way there on my own.'
The boy followed the three.
"How about wee," the first one said, "introduce ourselves? Can't stay strangers forever."
The next one laughed. "Weird, the first one laughed before.'
"Well, I'm Damian, and—" Damian began.
"I am Athanase," Athanase added.
"Nice to meet you, kid," they said together.
"My name is Sekka, nice to meet you," the scary one spoke softly. 'She doesn't sound scary. She sounds really kind.'
"I-I'm Ash, nice to meet you too. Uhm, thank you for helping me," Ash said faintly, earning a smile from the scary-looking but soft-sounding Sekka.
"How about we be friends, Little Ash?" Damian said, a smile stuck to his face.
"Hm, Little Ash sounds weird. How about Ashy Boy?" Athanase suggested.
"Amau."
The siblings looked at Sekka.
"Amau? We like it. It sounds adorable," the siblings said together.
'Amau? Where did the soft-sounding Sekka get that from?' Ash thought.
"Miss Sekka, where did you get 'Amau' from?" he asked.
The siblings started to snicker when he said "miss." 'Is the soft-sounding Sekka not a miss?' he wondered, but was cut off by Sekka's answer.
"It is simply your name, just in the Lost Continent's language." Sekka frowned. "Do you not like it?"
Ash shook his head. "No, I love it—Mi—uhn, Sungai." Ash sputtered out, causing the siblings to raise an eyebrow.
"Sungai?" Sekka asked.
"Y-yes, you look scary like a river, but yo—you sound calming as one."
When Ash said that, Sekka laughed. "Thank you, Amau."
With that, they entered the dining room and all sat together.
'There are so many people here. Even the captain is here. Hm, who are they?' Ash thought as he looked at Lopeh's group. He tugged slightly on Sekka's robe.
"S-Sungai, who are they? They don't look like students. Uhm, one of them has the same hair color as you."
Sekka looked at them as Ash spoke.
"Maybe they are with the captain," Sekka stated.
"This food is amazing, Sekka! Amau, you have to try it," Damian said, filling the two's plates with food as Athanase nodded.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
On the deck outside, rain fell heavily, thunder booming in the distance. Lightning struck the ship's sails, igniting them in blue flames. As the crew heard the crackling, they rushed up to the deck, panic evident in their movements. The captain raised a hand, commanding the crew to leave the sails untouched.
The flames began to sway unnaturally, never spreading down to claim the rest of the ship. Then, the fire twisted and shaped itself into a dragon, its form vivid against the stormy backdrop. Moments later, the dragon's fiery body morphed into a creature with hollow eyes and an open mouth that seemed to devour light itself. The fire shifted to a deep, menacing purple, its heat forcing most of the crew to step back in fear.
Only eleven people remained, frozen in place as the flames began to speak.
"Haaa-tred grows in the deeepths of your people... and Phantoms appear. Deeeath will riiise once Oni emerge. Puuut an end to it, Mer-lin... or currrse the Thaames with it."
The haunting voice echoed over the crashing waves. And then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the fire vanished, leaving behind nothing but the sound of the rain and the stunned silence of those who had witnessed it.
"S-Sungai, what was that? I'm scared," Ash whimpered, hiding behind Sekka.
"Aipotu," Sekka reported silently.
"The God of Nightmares," Lopeh said with a frown. "It seems like our captain has some explaining to do, hm?" Lopeh smirked while Fuiyn frowned.
"I never thought you would answer a child's question, Severus."
Ash looked up at the two, confused. "Sungai, I don't think the guy with the same colored hair as you is with the Captain."
Sekka nodded, but Fuiyn froze and looked at Sekka. "His name is Commander Severus. He is the commander of the Dead Continent Kingdoms."
Lopeh then looked at Sekka. "To know my name when you are but a simple commoner," he said curiously. "Who are you?"
Before Sekka could respond, Fuiyn interjected. "A Thames."
Lopeh glanced back at Merlin and smirked. "Don't try to trick me. Thames have eyes that shine like crystallized lilacs."
The siblings looked shocked for a moment before nodding in unison with the crazy commander.
'Why are they nodding? Who are the Thames? Why is the captain acting like that? And why did Aipotu come to us?' Ash's thoughts spiraled; he felt so lost.
Sekka placed a hand on his head, pulling him out of his mind. "Amau, the captain invited us to his room," my Sungai said gently.
"Mhm, yes. Thank you, Sungai."
___________________________________________________________________________________
"Now that everyone is seated, I think I owe you an explanation," Merlin said, his tone tired.
"We'd like that, yeah, Fuiyn," the pretty redhead huffed.
"Uhm, Mister Captain, why did Aipotu come to us?" Ash asked, his confusion mirrored by everyone in the room. "And who are the Thames?" he continued. "Why did you act so weird when I called Sungai 'Sungai'?"
A shocked laugh escaped from the black-haired man. "This kid basically asked all our questions, but I have a few more—"
He was cut off by the siblings. "Answer our Amau's questions first," they said in unison.
Ash turned his gaze back to the Captain while the Crazy Commander frowned.
"Aipotu is the God of Nightmares," Merlin explained. "But his true role is to warn people of disasters. Though I do not fully understand the dragon, the phantoms are obvious."
The old man by the window glanced outside, his expression grave. Then he spoke, "Lopeh, it's best to trust the Captain on this."
The room went silent as the Crazy Commander sighed. "I will tell him after he answers all our questions."
The Captain continued, "The Thames, from De Fon Thanatos Redaiu, are the strongest noble household in the Royan Kingdom. Their power is unparalleled. The household is known to have two children, a boy and a girl. What Lopeh said about their eyes is true. Miss—I am terribly sorry—" The Captain paused, nodded, and corrected himself. "Sir Sekka, I apologize for my mistake."
Sungai nodded but did not smile, prompting the Captain to continue. "As for your last question, child, I cannot answer you. Now, Ulrich, your question was?"
Ulrich smiled slyly. "What are you hiding, Merlin?"
Ash frowned. 'Merlin? As in Merlin, the King of Magic who disappeared years before I was born? But how could the captain be Merlin?'
He tugged gently on Sekka's robe. "Merlin?"
Sungai and the siblings spoke in unison. "I thought he died," Damian gasped, while Athanase nodded.
"So, what magic did you use to build this ship?" Sungai asked, his eyes shimmering with curiosity, a sight that visibly shocked the Captain—no, Merlin.
'If my Sungai believes he is Merlin, then he is Merlin.' Ash thought to himself and nodded.
The visibly flustered Merlin finally answered, "Levitation magic and the skill 'Invisible Hands.'"
Sungai's eyes sparkled like gems for a moment before returning to normal. He nodded, pulling out his notebook and jotting something down. At the same time, the Crazy Commander opened his white book and stared directly at Sungai.
'His eyes are terrifying. Why is he looking at my Sungai like that?' Ash could only frown, his fear of the Crazy Commander paralyzing him.
"Thank you, Mister Fuiyn," Sungai said calmly, confusing everyone except the Crazy Commander, who mumbled something under his breath.
"You're not calling me Merlin?" the Captain asked, laughing.
Sungai shook his head slightly. "There must be a reason you left that name behind, so I have no reason to use it."
The Captain laughed aloud, but the pretty redhead frowned. "Merlin, you never answered the question."
Merlin smiled faintly. "Aipotu told me to leave, so I listened. That is all. Now, it's past your bedtime. Your new room is one hall across."
We nodded and left. 'Why are we leaving? We didn't get to ask more questions. Why can't I stop moving?' Ash's thoughts grew clouded until he woke up in his room. Sungai was beside him, while the siblings were on the other bed. He didn't need to look out the window to know it was raining; he could hear it.
"Breakfast will be in three hours. We slept through the night," Athanase said from somewhere in the room.
'He's already up?' Ash tried to speak, but no words came out. 'Why can't I talk? What's going on?' Tears streamed down his face as he silently cried. Faces of his new friends flickered in his mind. 'Friends? Since when do I have friends?'
The faces darkened, and the room began to melt. The sound of rain twisted into screams. 'What is this? I'm scared. Sungai, help me!'
'Sunbai? Who is Sunbai? I don't know anyone by that name—'
A screech pierced his thoughts, and Ash turned to see the creature from the fire dying in front of him.
"Amau," Sekka—no, his Sungai—pulled him close. "You fainted. We've found the reason, though."
His Sungai looked at the Crazy Commander, who stood above the creature.
"A phantom this far out... then the summoner is on the ship," the Crazy Commander said, looking uncharacteristically sane yet visibly furious. The siblings were busy tending to others.
We're no longer in the Captain's room; this is the infirmary. Ash rested against his Sungai. "Wh-what happened, Sungai?"
A new voice answered. It was a handsome redhead. "You fainted, so we brought you here. But when we arrived, we found many others also affected. Lopeh said the mana was unsteady. Then we discovered a phantom on the ship."
So that terrifying thing the God showed me was a phantom.
Ash remained silent. "Sungai, I'm scared."
His Sungai placed Ash on his lap and began humming a soft melody.
"Sungai will never leave me, right?" Ash asked, his voice trembling.
"Stupid thinking," Sungai replied gently.
Ash smiled faintly and drifted off to sleep.