The sea had been calm just moments ago—silent, save for the occasional creak of wood and the rhythmic slap of water against the hull.
But now, the air felt different. Heavier. Tense.
Below deck, Lukas remained still—eyes shut, breathing steady.
He was deep in meditation, tendrils of the Draconic Flow weaving through his veins like streams of starlight, oblivious to all else.
Above deck, Katrina stood frozen near the ship's bow, her eyes wide as a shadow loomed on the horizon.
The ship they rode—barely seaworthy by some standards, a simple three-sailed cutter with patched canvas and a half-cracked steering post—rocked uneasily as if it, too, sensed what approached.
Out of the mist and morning glare came a behemoth.
The warship burst through the curtain of fog like a sea-borne fortress.
Over five times the size of their humble vessel, its hull was forged of darkened steelwood imported from the Khaitish—reinforced with riveted plating, enchanted to resist even elemental assaults.
Dozens of blue banners whipped along its mastheads, bearing the sigil of Nozar, flapping like the warning flags of death.
Its sails were lined with arcane runes that shimmered faintly with latent magic, pulsing in time with the flow of mana woven into the ship itself.
Along the deck, turreted ballistae and magical cannon arrays were aimed lazily outward, manned by helmeted soldiers in gleaming plates etched with divine wards.
Then came the sound—an unearthly thrum like a chord struck through the sky, followed by a booming voice that shattered the silence.
"ATTENTION. UNKNOWN VESSEL."
Katrina gestured at the Kraken to take control of the ship as she ran below deck to find Lukas. But he had already emerged, alerted by the commotion.
The voice that spoke wasn't natural.
It carried through the air as if the wind itself were speaking.
Mounted on the warship's mainmast were magic amplifiers—large, crystalline horns glowing with an inner blue fire, designed to carry their voices across vast stretches of sea.
"You are entering restricted waters under the authority of the Nozar Admiralty. These are dangerous times, and we are under direct orders to investigate all non-registered ships."
The voice paused, letting the weight of that message settle in.
"Lower your sails and prepare to be boarded for interrogation. Failure to comply will be met with force."
"Do as they say." Lukas ordered the other two which they reluctantly followed.
His thoughts ran quickly through his mind as they lowered their sails and he stared at the behemoth of a warship before him.
No doubt that the trio's combined efforts would most likely be enough to take down the ship but would that be wise?
Who knew how many reinforcements that they had nearby?
They certainly hadn't been able to see this warship coming through the fog and Lukas wasn't willing to take the risk that they had more warships nearby.
Even if the ship was fast enough to escape the Nozar warship's grasp, they needed to get to Rodan and escaping would mean a detour which was not something they could afford with so much on the line.
They had to get to Rodan first. And that meant getting past this ship, not running away from it.
The three waited in silence, the wind pulling at their clothes, the wooden boards groaning beneath their boots.
The Nozar warship hovered in the near distance, unmoving but coiled with tension.
Katrina squinted, expecting to see a small boarding skiff lower into the water, maybe a few officers rowing toward them with pikes and paperwork in hand.
But nothing came.
The Kraken grunted, glancing at Lukas. He seemed agitated. They all were.
Katrina looked from the ship back to Lukas and then back to the ship again. "What's the plan here, unc? We're sitting ducks out here."
And then—
CRACK!
Something exploded off the top deck of the warship—a blur of white and silver against the sky.
A single figure launched upward with terrifying velocity, soaring high above the masts, higher than any human had a right to.
She spun mid-air like a comet in freefall, her coat flapping behind her like a pair of wings stitched from authority and arrogance.
Then she slammed down into the deck of their humble vessel.
BOOM.
Planks cracked. The ship lurched from the very weight of her landing. A spiderweb of splinters bloomed beneath her boots, and seawater surged up between the gaps in protest.
The Kraken stumbled back and fell to the floor while the more nimble Katrina had already drawn the large warhammer that had been strapped to her back.
But before she could swing it down on the lady's skull, Lukas spoke.
"Stop." Lukas' voice cut through the chaos like a wave parting the sea. He looked at the woman who had just dropped from the heavens and narrowed his gaze.
The woman in question hadn't moved.
She stood in the crater of her own landing, smiling with an ease that was almost disarming. But no one on the ship appreciated her friendliness.
She looked no older than twenty.
Short in stature but standing with the presence of a titan, she wore the unmistakable Nozar navy coat—white with gold trim, the shoulders broad and padded, decorated with epaulettes that bore three jagged stars, the mark…of a Vice Admiral.
Underneath, she wore a black bodysuit lined with steel-threaded seams and a high collar that hid a thin scar running across her throat.
Her boots were reinforced with plated heels, still smoking faintly from the force of her descent.
But it was her face that was most unsettling.
Bright eyes: one gold, one steel-gray. Soft, rounded features. A dusting of freckles across her nose.
She smiled like a traveling bard asking for directions at an inn, like someone who would read stories to the young children of the village.
But behind that smile was something else.
A chill.
A quiet lethality.
"Hiya!" she said brightly, waving at the trio. "Sorry about the deck—guess I got a little too excited. I was told to check for any suspicious behaviour and well…jumping's faster than rowing, don't you think?"
No one answered.
She clapped her hands, her eyes never leaving Lukas. Instantly, she recognized the power dynamic here. Lukas was the one who led the group and he was the only one that she seemed to want to talk to.
"Don't be afraid! I'm just here to ask a few questions and be on my way, assuming your answers are satisfactory. Just basic routine, the seas are a very dangerous place nowadays! Nothing personal."
Where was this bravado coming from, Lukas wondered. She didn't seem scared for a second that she might be jumped by all three of them and Lukas didn't think it was just because she had an entire warship at the ready.
She wasn't made a Vice Admiral of Hiraeth's strongest military force for nothing, that was for sure. Lukas knew that much.
The woman hadn't moved from the crater she made in the deck, but now that the dust had begun to settle, her appearance became clearer.
What was strange—what immediately stood out—was what she carried.
No weapon.
Not a blade.
Not a spear.
Not even one of those magical staffs Lukas had seen some of the Nozar mages wield in Prince Darren's party.
Instead, clutched tightly in her gloved hands was a thick leather-bound book, stamped with the seal of Nozar—three interlocking chains overlaid with the mark of the Admiralty.
The pages were yellowed with age, but well-maintained, the corners reinforced with brass.
Along the spine was a title burned in with gold-leaf lettering: "Codex of Naval Law & Wartime Judgment – Revised by Order of the High Admiral."
The young woman's smile didn't waver as they all stared at her in silence.
She held the book like a priestess might hold scripture.
Her two-toned eyes shimmered in the sunlight—gold and steel-gray—unblinking.
"Vice Admiral Anriette Vale," she said brightly, bowing with one hand still resting on the Codex. "In service of the Nozar Admiralty. You are currently under inspection protocol, sub-section 7-B of the Wartime Civilian Vessel Clause. Due to the rising activity of pirates, mercenaries, and rogue vessels in this region, I have been ordered to determine whether or not you pose a threat to Imperial waters."
Lukas crossed his arms but didn't interrupt.
"And because I really don't enjoy filling out death certificates," she continued, "I'd like to get this done quickly."
Without waiting for permission, she opened the Codex. The pages turned on their own, flipping rapidly as if guided by an unseen force. Then the book stopped, landing on a page lined with runic script and glowing ink.
With a flick of her wrist, Anriette slammed her palm against the open page.
The reaction was immediate.
A ring of silver light expanded outward from the book, etching itself into the wood of the deck.
Magical glyphs rose into the air, orbiting them in slow rotation, casting eerie reflections in the eyes of the trio.
The wind stilled. The world quieted.
It felt like they had just stepped into a courtroom suspended in time.
"I will now initiate a standard Judgment Ritual under the authority granted to me by the Admiralty." Her voice had changed—still polite, still measured, but stripped of playfulness.
It carried the weight of someone used to being obeyed. Someone with authority to judge the fate of another's life.
Someone who was going to judge whether or not she thought they should live or die today.
She looked at the three of them.
"One at a time, I will ask you to place your hand on the Codex. I will ask you each five questions." She held the book forward, the pages now glowing softly with bluish light. "It will tell me whether or not you are telling the truth. It doesn't read your thoughts—it reads the intention behind your words. If you lie... I'll know."
The glow intensified for a moment, a pulse like a heartbeat.
"If you refuse to participate," she continued, stepping forward so that the book hovered just between them, "I will detain you until an official tribunal can be arranged at our nearest naval bastion."
Her smile vanished.
"And if you resist detainment in any way…" She tilted her head slightly, the steel in her gaze finally showing through. "Then I am legally permitted to execute you on the spot."
Anriette extended the glowing Codex toward them, still floating in that eerie silence, when Lukas took a step forward and raised his hand.
"Stop," he told her firmly.
The silver glyphs flickered.
Katrina and the Kraken both looked at him, startled.
Anriette blinked. Then blinked again. Her expression shifted from surprise to suspicion to outright disbelief.
"…Stop?" she echoed, as if tasting the word for the first time. "You do realize where you're standing, don't you? You're on the deck of a vessel being inspected by the Nozar navy. You don't get to tell me to stop."
"I'm aware," Lukas' voice was calm but unwavering. "But if you use it on me then I'm afraid that spell will just be a waste of your Mana."
Her eyes narrowed. "What in the world are you talking about?"
Lukas pointed at the Codex. "Your judgment ritual. You said it works by reading intent—by touching the edges of someone's thoughts."
"More or less," Anriette replied, clearly irritated. "It isn't invasive. It's a passive, sanctioned probe. Meant to ensure the truth is spoken, not secrets unraveled."
"Then it won't work on me."
There was a pause.
"…Excuse me?"
"I have had a ward placed on me," Lukas said. "An old one. Many years ago. Any magic designed to read my thoughts, even the surface ones, simply bounces off. I'm protected. Your magic won't be able to determine whether I'm being truthful or not."
Anriette stared at him like he'd grown a second head.
"That kind of ward," she said slowly, "isn't something you just have placed on you. That kind of enchantment is performed by royal-class arcanists or the highest class of mages from the Magic Tower. It's incredibly rare, even in Nozar."
Lukas tilted his head. "I didn't say it was common, did I?"
She frowned. "And I'm supposed to believe you of all people are walking around with anti-scrying soul wards like it's a fancy necklace?"
He held out his hand toward the Codex. "Test me."
Anriette hesitated. Then, lips pressed tight, she opened the Codex again, letting the glyphs hover close to him.
"What is your name?"
"My name is Klein."
The silver runes floated down, brushing against his fingers like flakes of frost.
Then—
FZZZT.
The magic reacted like static against a metal wall.
Sparks crackled across his skin which made him wince but they did him no real harm.
The glyphs flickered once… and then the page turned black for a moment, before glowing red.
The Codex displayed a single word in glowing red script:
UNREADABLE.
Anriette's eyes widened. For the first time since landing, she looked genuinely caught off guard.
"Well," she muttered. "I'll be damned."
Lukas thanked the Gods, especially the one who made it possible for him to be reborn of course. He wasn't even sure if that would've worked. The Crown of the Lord was still working as advertised.
She shut the book with a snap. "Alright. Then explain to me how someone like you would have such a ward of protection placed on you? Why in the world would you need it?"
Lukas' mind raced. The wind tugged at his cloak as Katrina and the Kraken exchanged a glance, waiting to see what he'd say next.
And then—
He smiled.
"We're bounty hunters."
Anriette blinked again.
Lukas took a slow step forward. "I'm not surprised your ritual failed—someone like me doesn't exactly operate under standard protocols. The three of us were deployed quietly, without a Nozar banner, because we're after someone specific."
He let the name hang in the air like a blade:
"Rodan. The Leviathan of the Seas."
Everything changed.
Anriette's expression froze. The air felt heavier. Even the glyphs orbiting the book seemed to dim slightly.
"You're after Rodan?" she asked, her voice lower now, the playful edge gone. "You think you can take down the most wanted man in Hiraeth alive?"
"Yes," Lukas said. "And if you're smart, you'll realize we're not your enemies. We're the ones doing the work no one else can. Clearly work that Nozar hasn't been able to do for a while now."
A long silence followed.
Anriette's eyes lingered on Lukas for a moment longer, but then drifted to the other two—first to Katrina, then to the Kraken.
"…And them?" she asked. "I assume they don't have any wards on them like you do? Who are they to you?"
Lukas gave a half-nod. "Katrina is my niece," he said. "And the big one is my familiar."
"Huh…" she said flatly, eyeing the towering Kraken with narrowed eyes. "Looks more like a damn siege weapon."
The Kraken crossed his arms and gave a low, growling rumble.
Anriette tilted her head. "Does it speak?"
"No," Lukas replied on the Kraken's behalf before he could even answer the question for himself. "And even if he could, he wouldn't understand you. He doesn't speak the human tongue."
She arched her brow. "Convenient. But…either way, there's a clause—Nozar Property Law, Article 14. Familiars are exempt from magical interrogation without the direct consent of their owner. And I don't think you'll be giving me that consent."
"I will not." Lukas gave her a small smile.
The fact that she was actually following the rules was actually commendable.
She was by the books.
From a moral standpoint, Lukas respected it.
But they probably would've had an easier time if they were dealing with a corrupt official rather than this Vice Admiral.
"Tch. Stupid old law, probably written by some noble with a talking goat. Very well. Familiars are exempt." She snapped the book shut again. "Then let's talk to blondie over here."
Katrina straightened slightly, chin raised.
The Codex opened before her, shimmering with the silvery runes from before.
This time, they formed a clean halo around her body, casting soft light over her sharp features.
A faint gong-like chime echoed with each pulse, like the beginning of a trial.
Anriette held the book forward.
"State your name."
"Katrina."
DING. A glowing green checkmark bloomed in the air beside her.
Anriette's eyes never left Katrina's face.
"Are you this man's niece?"
"Yes."
DING. She was telling the truth.
"Are you truly after Rodan, the pirate lord?"
Katrina glanced briefly at Lukas, then back at Anriette.
"I am."
DING.
Truth again. Except that she was after Rodan because she wanted to bring her father back home. Not because of the bounty on his head.
The glyphs began to circle faster, growing brighter.
"Are you a criminal? Have you committed any known crimes under the Nozar Admiralty or any allied jurisdiction? Any warrants, outstanding or otherwise?"
"No."
DING.
Silence.
Then the last question came, sharp as a dagger.
"Do you believe you three are really strong enough to take down Rodan?"
Katrina's lips curled into a confident smile.
"Yes."
DING.
She was telling the truth. Because if it was one thing that Katrina Drakos had, it would be overwhelming confidence in her own abilities. While it was usually a flaw, Lukas had to say that it came pretty handy here.
The glyph glowed brighter than before—so bright it lit the eyes of everyone on deck.
Anriette stared at her for a long moment.
Then she laughed.
A soft, amused, almost pitying sound. "The overconfidence of youth. It's like looking into a mirror from ten years ago." Little did she know, Katrina was probably older than the vice admiral's grandmother.
But even as she laughed, something in her expression shifted.
Not mockery. Not dismissal. But recognition.
Anriette closed the Codex with a final snap, the magic dissolving into silver sparks around her boots.
"Well," she sighed, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "you passed. Technically. You're either telling the truth, or you're part of the most well-executed lie I've ever seen—and frankly, that'd be impressive enough to let you through anyway."
She glanced back at her towering warship, still looming in the distance like a metal mountain.
"We're after Rodan, too."
Lukas raised an eyebrow. "Why tell us that?"
"Because if you're serious, we might as well not waste time. You're right. We've been after this guy for a while now and if you're willing to put your money where your mouth is then wouldn't it be better to make your job just a little bit easier?"
She gestured toward her ship.
"You want to catch Rodan? Come aboard. We'll take you with us."
"And the bounty?"
"If you help us take him down," Anriette said with a smirk, "you can have it. All of it. We don't need the money. We just need Rodan dead or detained."
Lukas looked to Katrina. Then to the Kraken.
A silent conversation passed in between them and in the literal sense too.
"…Fine. We'll come aboard."
Anriette beamed. "Good! You'll love the ship. Just in time for breakfast! Sail ahead and we'll have you on board. Oh, and Klein was it?"
Lukas nodded slowly, unsure of what more she wanted to say.
"If you are lying, pray Rodan kills you first. I'm a lot less forgiving than he is."