The sharkskin taken from the great white proved surprisingly useful.

After some time working underwater, Zoe turned it into a simple mask that concealed her appearance completely. Once it covered her face, there was almost nothing left that could connect the mysterious figure crossing the ocean to her ordinary identity.

The killer whale surged forward beneath her feet.

Each leap carried them across the sea in enormous arcs, sending curtains of spray into the air. Fishing boats scattered across the waters occasionally caught sight of her in passing, though nobody had more than a fleeting glimpse before she vanished again into the distance.

Zoe no longer paid much attention to being seen.

The feeling settled deep in her chest and spread through her entire body like heat.

Freedom.

Since awakening her abilities, she had spent most of her time keeping herself under control. Every display of strength came with restraint. Every unusual action required consideration afterward. Her instincts constantly measured risk, weighed possibilities, and erased traces wherever possible.

Today, the pressure hanging over her thoughts finally loosened.

The ocean stretched endlessly beneath the evening sky while the killer whale carried her southward at terrifying speed. Wind rushed past her body. Waves exploded apart around them.

For once, she simply enjoyed herself.

The exhilaration gradually pulled a grin onto her face.

At some point, she dove into the sea, found suitable stone along the seabed, and carved out a crude trident entirely on impulse. After returning to the surface, she stood once more atop the killer whale leader's head with the stone weapon resting across her shoulder.

If there's female version of Poseidon excluding the wife Amphitrite, Zoe would be her.

The mental image looked ridiculous enough that even Zoe almost laughed at herself.

Even so, the mood felt strangely perfect.

The pod continued south.

From time to time, Zoe thrust the trident into the water and caught passing fish, tossing them toward the surrounding killer whales while the group sped through the waves together.

The waters outside the fishing grounds gradually disappeared behind them.

Then came the protruding rocky islands.

Beyond that lay the island of Cyprus.

Cyprus had a surprisingly important role during the Roman and early Byzantine ancient eras. Its location made it a crossroads between the Greek world, the Levant, Egypt, and Anatolia, so empires kept a close eye on it.

Now, because of treaties between empires that sandwiched it, Cyprus retains its independence since the Roman Empire Revolution.

Zoe recalls information she known.

Throughout the journey, more than a few fishermen spotted the strange scene racing across the sea.

Most people froze on the spot after realizing what they were looking at.

A woman standing atop a killer whale already sounded absurd enough.

The stone trident only made the scene harder to process.

Goddess of the Seas.

By the time Zoe passed out of sight, several fishing boats had already descended into complete confusion.

Some people genuinely began questioning whether comic book heroes existed.

Meanwhile, the source of the chaos continued onward entirely unconcerned.

The killer whale pod crossed past several small islands and rocky islets around Cyprus' territorial waters, and entered the waters of the Akrotiri Peninsula.

Only then did Zoe finally slow down.

The sea stack at Petra tou Romiou (Aphrodite's Rock) comes into view, which is often mistaken for an island but remains attached to shallow coastal waters. Massive waves rolled through the region throughout the year, driven by strong winds from the western Mediterrenean and southeastern middle-east and among unstable weather patterns.

This region where trades between empires, dynasties, and nations of the past.

A birthplace of myths, from the gods to the terrifying giants like Kraken.

Beneath the surface stretched volcanic terrain, deep trenches, and steep underwater slopes descending thousands of meters into darkness and stretching towards the Strait of Suez all throughout the Red Sea.

A trench that cuts Africa from Asia.

The place suited Zoe perfectly.

Countless ships had likely disappeared within these waters over the centuries. Busy maritime routes combined with violent storms and dangerous geography tended to leave wreckage behind.

Shipwrecks interested her.

Training interested her even more.

The pressure of deep water alone could already place enormous strain on the body. Combined with the resistance of the ocean itself, the environment offered far greater training value than ordinary exercise on land.

The seas around contained depth ranges from shallow coastal regions to areas nearing two to three thousand meters deep.

An ideal transition zone.

Zoe had already researched the area thoroughly before leaving home. The Five Great Abyssal Depths alongside Silent Rift (better known as Mariana Trench), Maw of Earth, Tartarus Gate, Realm of Hel, and Hades Pit remained part of her future plans, though heading there immediately served little purpose right now.

The seas around would be enough for a long time.

Still, training could wait until later.

Her next sleep evolution would arrive after midnight tomorrow.

Monday was already nearing its end.

Right now, finding a suitable resting place mattered more.

Since breathing no longer restricted her movements, her options remained wide open. A quiet island cave worked. The ocean floor worked too.

Anywhere stable and undisturbed would suffice.

After stepping away from the killer whale leader, Zoe drifted in the water and looked back toward the pod.

Only now did she fully notice their exhaustion.

They had carried her across an enormous stretch of ocean without pause.

Zoe reached out and patted the leader gently on the head.

"If anything gives you trouble out here later, just find me."

The words carried a playful tone, yet a trace of reluctance still surfaced in her eyes.

An entire afternoon spent racing freely across the ocean atop killer whales already felt unreal enough to become unforgettable.

The pod naturally failed to understand her words.

Even so, the leader seemed to sense the approaching farewell.

Its enormous head pressed lightly against her shoulder.

The gesture stirred a familiar memory in Zoe's mind.

The black bear from Mount Lawrence.

For some reason, connections formed with animals always carried a kind of sincerity that stayed with her longer than expected.

Zoe lowered her gaze briefly before smiling.

"When I become brighter than the stars themselves…"

Her fingers brushed across the killer whale's smooth skin.

"You'll be my first mount."

"That day isn't far away."

Then she turned and accelerated into the distance.

Within the range of her perception, the pod remained motionless behind her.

None of them followed.

The killer whales simply floated there quietly, watching her figure disappear farther and farther into the sea.

The emotional fluctuations inside her gradually settled under the influence of her mental balance instinct.

Calmness returned.

Still, one thought lingered clearly in her mind.

Someday, she would return here again.

And when that time came, she would cross the ocean with them once more.