Celestia's eyes shot open, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her hands instinctively covered her trembling body as she looked around, her heart pounding in her chest. Her gaze fixed on the woman standing before her, and she recoiled, fear evident in her eyes. "S-stay away from me," she stammered, backing away until her legs gave out, and she collapsed into the shallow water with a splash.
The woman stood there, watching Celestia with a somber expression. "What happened to this girl?" she thought, her brow furrowing as she observed the terror in Celestia's eyes.
In an instant, the woman appeared next to her, kneeling beside the trembling form. She reached out gently, her fingers brushing Celestia's forehead as she peered into her mind, witnessing everything Celestia had endured. The woman's eyes widened in disbelief and sorrow. "I'm so sorry you had to experience that..." she murmured softly, her voice filled with a sort of regret.
With a fluid motion of her hand, the woman sealed away Celestia's darkest memories, locking them deep within her mind. "It's better this way… for now. I've restored the memories you had before the first trial began," she murmured softly, her gaze full of understanding and empathy.
Celestia blinked slowly, confusion settling over her features as she stood, her body stiff from the disorienting experience. Her clothes, once soaked, now hung dry and untouched, as if the water had never touched them. She placed a hand to her forehead, a dull headache pulsing through her skull. "... What's the first trial?" she asked, her voice strained with the lingering pain. "D-damn..." She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment in frustration.
The woman's voice was gentle yet firm, offering a sense of calm amidst the chaos. "You've already passed the first trial," she said, her tone soothing, as though it were something Celestia should have known all along.
Celestia blinked in confusion. Before she could speak, the woman cut in once more, "We'll continue this another time... don't wait long though." she said, her voice laced with calm assurance.
As the last words lingered, the shifting, ever-changing environment around them shattered, splintering into fragments like glass. Celestia's eyes fluttered open, and the sharp scent of saltwater filled the air. She found herself standing in the wheelhouse once again.
Shaking off the remnants of confusion, she stepped outside and found herself on the ship with Bril and Zoan. The sounds of the ocean filled the air.
"How long have I been meditating?" Celestia asked, her voice breaking the stillness of the moment as she looked up at Zoan, who was steadfastly controlling the wheel of the helm.
Zoan glanced down at her, his expression unreadable. There was still a hint of caution in his eyes, "Only a few hours," he replied curtly, then, without missing a beat, he descended the stairs and took a seat on one of the lower steps, closing his eyes. "Bril, take over the wheel for a few hours. I'm going to sleep for a bit."
Bril, who had been quietly observing from a distance, nodded and stepped forward. As Zoan slumped into a slouched position, drifting into an instant sleep, Bril moved to the helm. The sea breeze tousled his hair as he scanned the horizon. The ship was still on course, skimming past the distant outline of Blossom's Bloom, its lush greenery a mere blur in the distance.
Bril's fingers tightened around the wheel as he adjusted their path slightly. He let out a heavy sigh, a quiet frustration tugging at him. The journey had become monotonous—each day stretching on endlessly, the open sea nothing more than a vast, unbroken expanse. They'd dived only a few times, but mostly the ship's journey was filled with silence, with rare moments of interaction.
Two months had passed, and despite the uneasy tension that once surrounded her presence, things had begun to shift. Zoan, though still vigilant, had started to relax around her. Bril, on the other hand, had grown to respect her in his own quiet way. They had both watched her closely—observing her actions.
The wind carried a saltiness to the air as Bril's eyes scanned the waters, lost in his thoughts. He glanced at Celestia, who was now sitting cross-legged nearby, her expression far less tense than when she first arrived.
"You know," Bril began, his voice cutting through the silence, "we're getting close to Nyxterra. It won't be long now before we reach the island."
As the day wore on, the ship continued its slow, steady journey through the vast ocean. The sky above was painted with hues of deep blue, the sun slowly sinking as night approached.
Zoan, resting after a long stretch at the wheel, had taken to lying across the deck. Bril, kept a steady watch from the crow's nest. The waves rocked the ship in a soothing rhythm, the peaceful night setting in—but Celestia couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. A low hum, barely perceptible at first, began to build in the air. The sound was distant but distinct, like the hum of a motor, or the scrape of metal against wood.
"Bril," Celestia called, her voice sharp with sudden urgency.
Bril's head snapped up from his vantage point, eyes narrowing as he scanned the horizon. "What is it?" he asked, a cold edge creeping into his voice. He had felt it too—something was wrong.
Before he could say another word, the unmistakable shape of a ship appeared through the mist, emerging from the darkness like a phantom. It was a pirate vessel, sleek and dark, its sails tattered and stained with age. The ship moved swiftly through the waters.
"Pirates," Bril muttered under his breath, his eyes hardening as he raced down from the crow's nest, grabbing his weapon. Zoan was already on his feet the moment he heard pirates as he drew his cutlass.
"Turn the sails! let's try to escape from them without having to fight." Zoan said as Bril nodded and turned the wheel facing away from the pirates. As they were gaining an advantage, they heard loud wind brewing as they turned. Zoan looked over closely and squinted his eyes as he saw multiple people throwing wind into the sail to make it go faster and they were catching up. "Shit."
The sound of the approaching pirates grew louder as the enemy ship drew closer at quick speed. With a sudden lurch, the two ships collided, the sound of wood scraping against wood ringing through the night air. The pirates boarded swiftly, scaling the sides of the ship with ropes. The first pirate, a burly man with a scar running down his face, leaped onto the deck, his sword raised high.
Celestia's eyes gleamed with cold determination as she activated [Tempest Arts], her body surrounded by a whirlwind of wind and water. The power surged through her, the first pirate charged at her, sword raised high, but before he could strike, she moved like a blur.
With a swift, precise motion, she kicked his weapon from his grasp, her foot connecting with his hand in a sickening crack. The pirate let out a strangled scream, but Celestia didn't pause. She followed through with a brutal, sweeping kick that collided with his leg, snapping it with a sharp snap. As the wind howled around her, she launched him backward, sending him flying off the edge of the ship and into the dark, unforgiving sea. He sank beneath the surface with barely a sound, lost to the depths.
Just as quickly, a new wave of thirty pirates surged aboard, their bloodlust palpable in the air. They charged with ferocity, weapons raised, eyes filled with greed and rage.
Zoan and Bril surged forward, their weapons gleaming with deadly intent. Zoan's cutlass sliced through the air, each swing a blur as he cleaved through multiple pirates with brutal precision. The wind followed the arc of his blade, amplifying the power of each strike. A powerful gust tore through the deck, knocking two pirates off their feet and sending them sprawling into the sea.
Meanwhile, Bril raised his palm, and a cold chill swept through the air as white ice formed in his hand. He thrust it forward, sending a jagged wave of frost crashing into a group of ten pirates. The ice cocooned them, trapping them in a frozen prison before shattering into thousands of deadly shards, killing them instantly.
Celestia leapt into the air, her body a blur of motion as she soared gracefully above the pirates, dodging a barrage of attacks. She landed lightly on the ship's deck, her rapier drawn in a fluid motion. As her blade met the air, it was engulfed by a swirling vortex of wind and water, a perfect extension of her body. She rushed into the fray, her strikes lightning-fast and devastating. Each precise thrust found its mark, piercing through pirates' necks and hearts, while her kicks sent others flying overboard with the force of a crashing storm.
Despite their skill, the pirates kept coming, overwhelming them with their sheer numbers. Zoan's eyes scanned the chaotic deck as more pirates surged onto the ship.
"This isn't just an ordinary crew," Zoan growled, his gaze narrowing as he watched a dark figure standing at the rear of the pirate ship. "Shit... there's a necromancer on board."
With a determined snarl, Zoan leapt high into the air, twisting in a fluid motion as he crossed the gap between the two ships. He landed on the enemy vessel with a crash, his cutlass raised, eyes fixed on the necromancer at the helm. But before he could reach the source of the dark magic, a wave of pirates swarmed him, their weapons flashing in the moonlight. They pinned him down with an overwhelming force, their blades sinking deep into his flesh as he struggled beneath the pile.
Bril's eyes widened in alarm. "Zoan!" he shouted.
In an instant, Bril turned his attention to the pirates surrounding Zoan, his ice powers flaring. With a sweep of his hand, he summoned an ice storm that exploded across the pirate ship, freezing the attackers in place and clearing a path for Zoan. Zoan, using the water from his own wounds, manipulated it to surge around him, drowning the pirates who had overrun him in a merciless tide before slashing his way through the corpses.