During the early hours, the Scorrest populace prepares for yet another day. No concern is in the minds of most as life goes on without pause. The recent commotion from a mysterious battle near the Scorrest Academy has intrigued many, ultimately leading to nothing. Every now and then, the city experiences something people often turn a blind eye to. Conflict is everywhere, and details are often hidden.

People, horses, and carriages roam the busy streets of Scorrest in numbers. Packed and dense, the roads have become increasingly crowded with carriages over the past several months. Some people are in a hurry, others are calm, while others observe. Recently, the thing in many people’s minds has been the new opportunities that have emerged. The first signs of an economic boom are on the horizon, and it seemingly originates from just one company people hear more of.

Ardai Industries, despite its name barely becoming known, has firmly carved its presence in the Scorcian economy as it just kickstarted an industrial revolution after releasing several research documents. While the STC watches the exact thing it wanted to prevent, Scorcian businesses and merchants are scrambling to take advantage of the scientific knowledge Ardai unleashed.

In another district of the city, faint black smoke gently rises from recently built chimneys. Workers move around with purpose. Few realize the impact they are making. Metallurgy is undergoing unprecedented progression as prices for materials such as iron are steadily falling.

And the man behind such an abrupt shift in the industry? He sits idly in a chair, staring out of a second-floor window. He sees not smoke or workers but rather the calm scenery of green grass and a blue sky.

It’s been a day since Countess Maida Thorne was exposed to the truth behind Ken and his friends. Given the circumstances surrounding the new world invasion, it was a complete shock for Lady Thorne to learn that Ken comes from a new world nation called Entesia. All of a sudden, all of Ken’s peculiarities make sense.

To iron out the details of their new partnership, Ken, Matt, Jax, and Eleanor agreed to spend a day or two in Lady Thorne’s estate. Everyone wants to make sure they can trust each other and understand what everyone’s goal is.

Walking through the halls of the estate, Jax is following a maid towards the guest room Ken slept in. Everyone was given an individual bedroom to occupy during the nights as part of Lady Thorne’s goodwill.

“This is his room,” the maid tells Jax as she knocks on the door.

Jax opens the door and enters the fabulously decorated guest room.

“Yo! Kai!”

Seemingly lost in his thoughts, Ken sits motionless in a chair while staring out the window. The maid enters the room and immediately begins to organize the bedsheets and any misplaced items.

“Hey, you all right, man?” Jax says again.

Ken turns and rubs his eyes as he comes out of his daze. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? We’re far from home. You can’t start losing it now.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just organizing my thoughts after yesterday’s shitshow.”

“All right. Anyways, breakfast’s ready. We’re just waiting on you.”

Ken stands and follows Jax out of the room and towards the dining hall.

Having ditched the baggy clothes and cloaks everyone wore, Lady Thorne has given everyone a fresh set of clothes to wear. Simple trousers, shirts, and vests for the men and blouses for the women. Despite women being expected to wear dresses in this society, Arierane and Eleanor refused since neither likes how restrictive and obtrusive they are.

Everyone sits around the massive polished wood table with candles burning at the center. The glass and silver chandeliers illuminate the dining room, where maids go around setting down plates of white bread, chicken, and various fruits. A few knights stand guard around the hall, as is expected whenever guests come to visit.

The double doors open for everyone to see. Everyone greets Ken as he makes his way towards his seat.

“Sir Morgan,” the steward Wilfred Hulle says to Ken, “how are you this fine morning? I trust your accommodations were up to expectations?”

“I feel fine. Accommodations were great. Thank you for asking Mister Hulle. Where’s Lady Thorne?”

“Lady Thorne has been summoned to the King’s Castle to clarify her appearance in the incident. She will return promptly.”

“She will keep us a secret, right?” Matt asks Wilfred.

“Yes. Lady Thorne is not one to endanger a new relationship.”

“Hey, I’ve meant to ask,” Eleanor interrupts. “Why are you referred to as ‘Morgan’? I thought your name was Ken Kai?”

“Oh, I forgot about that…” Ken takes a bite out of a piece of bread on his plate. “Kai is my middle name. My full name is Kenneth Kai Morgan.”

“What—really? Why was I not informed of this?”

“For security,” Matt says as he takes apart his chicken. “It’s a small detail that helps protect us.”

“So… Middle name, what does that mean? Do you descend from nobility?”

“Nobility? No,” Ken shakes his hand. “None of us have any relation to nobility. Why?”

“Commoners rarely have more to their name,” Eleanor says.

“I’ve also never heard of a middle name,” Arierane comments. “Is it common in the new world?”

“I think it’s just our country.”

“Does having a middle name have any significance?” Eleanor asks before biting an apple.

“Not really. It’s just another name to go by.”

“So, Matt and Jax. Are those your real names?”

“Well, sort of,” Jax responds. “If you’re really curious, my name is Jackson. It’s often shortened to Jack or Jax.”

“And Matt?”

“Matthew.”

Eleanor is a bit at a loss for words. Even when she thought she uncovered their identities, they still had more to hide. The more she thinks about it, the more she realizes how little she actually knows.

The doors open again, and maids enter the dining hall. They set down bottles of wine, cider, and water. Everyone is leisurely eating the meals that have been prepared. Arierane makes a small display by reaching for a large chicken leg and reclining in her chair. Ken notes her personality is more carefree now that she doesn’t have to fake being a human.

“I would have thought elves would be vegans,” Ken mutters.

“What is that?” she says with food in her mouth.

“Nevermind.”

“What about Cayde and Reed?” Eleanor asks.

“That’s their real names.”

“Are you not going to tell us full names?”

“Figuring out Kai’s name was a fluke,” Matt says. “You won’t know ours unless you absolutely need to.”

“What about, uh… Aria, was it?” Jax gestures to Arierane, who has her legs on the table.

“Air-ee-an. It is not hard to pronounce,” Arierane says frustratingly.

“It was with whatever elf accent you used,” Ken comments.

“Well, much like your friends here, I would rather not say my full name,” she says. “It may cause problems.”

“What problems?” Eleanor asks.

“Let’s move on from names, shall we? Uh, brother, do you mind if we spar after breakfast?” she says hastily.

“What?”

What a strange change of subject. None of them know what goes on in Arierane’s mind, but they let it go. Not everyone is willing to put everything on the table, it seems.

“You want to spar?”

“You outmaneuvered me when we fought on the academy campus. It’s been on my mind for a while. Can you show me how you almost defeated me?”

“It’s just… martial arts.”

“I’ve never seen anything like what you displayed.”

“I guess I can demonstrate.”

.

.

Numerous gunshots, the destroyed face of a residential building, and an explosion causing damage to the Scorrest Academy of Magic Arts. During the night when Tabellarii agents and mercenaries battled with Arierane, Matt, Jax, and Eleanor, many residents reported what they saw and heard to city authorities. Despite many people coming forward to report what they know, very little information was actually gathered.

The street where the battle took place was found empty the following morning. No bodies were found, no weapons, not even blood. The only evidence of anything happening at all is the damage the safehouse suffered caused by Arierane’s magic attack.

Rumors spread, ranging from civilian brawls, gang wars, other criminal activities to mercenary infighting, academy mages fighting each other, corporate raids, noble house conflicts, to even foreign spies and assassins.

The most believed theory comes from the fact that many people noted that knights bearing the House of Thorne’s coat of arms were suspiciously active the following morning. The infamously ostracized Countess has always been overlooked and dismissed by the rest of the nobility. Never making public appearances or participating in any events, activity is always rare for the House of Thorne.

Of course, some of the rumors hit the mark. Countess Maida Thorne’s knights swarmed the area and cleaned up everything they could. The corpses of the mercenaries and Tabellarii agents were removed, and the safehouse was searched for anything related to the Venesians. Spent casings were collected to remove evidence of Ringleader and their advanced firearms. Even bullet fragments were removed, leaving only bullet holes.

Another elusive detail is what happened in the Scorrest Academy. Grandmaster Geiszler has restricted access to the campus, and no one can find anything that suggests anything.

Undoubtedly, the public can never truly know what happened. However, the disturbance in the capital city meant that the King was made aware of the incident.

King Carl Laess, the fifty-year-old monarch of the Kingdom of Scorcia, sits on his gold-plated throne within the confines of luxury and excellence. Decorated with polished gold ornaments, carved stone walls, banners hanging from the tall pillars, and a large red carpet, the throne room glitters with an impeccable level of wealth. Magic orbs shine bright light from the golden chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling.

Members of the King’s Court, advisors to the King, and knights of the Crown’s Guard stand under the observation of King Carl. The topic of discussion has primarily been mundane until the subject of the incident was brought up. Plenty of rumors circulated throughout the castle, and everyone is aware that something happened. When Prince Cain was sent with a group of the Crown’s Guard to investigate, he returned and reported that knights from the House of Thorne were already there and taking care of the situation.

Now, the court waits for the Countess’ arrival. She has been summoned to give her account on the matter. Curiosity levels rise as everyone present has never witnessed Countess Maida Thorne appearing in the King’s Castle for years.

The massive double doors shoot open, and everyone quiets down to watch. All eyes stare towards the fabled woman gracefully walking alongside her knights down the hall. Lady Thorne brings with her an aura of confidence in a room full of criticizing glares. People whisper all around as some are seeing the Countess in person for the first time. All the men admire her beauty while all the women frown with disdain.

“Your Majesty,” Lady Thorne says as she curtsies.

Standing alongside King Carl are his son and daughter, Crown Prince Cain and Princess Cara. Prince Cain, having already spoken to Lady Thorne, looks down upon her with condescension. Princess Cara, on the other hand, sees Lady Thorne with a neutral lens. Lady Thorne has thoroughly interacted with the Royal Family many times and is already familiar with them. However, it all, of course, stopped when war ravaged the lands.

“Lady Thorne,” King Carl says, “it has been quite some time since your last visit, has it not?”

“Regretfully so, Your Majesty. Unfortunate circumstances never cease to plague me.”

“So it seems. Lady Thorne, you must know why you have been summoned. Your knights were present immediately after an incident occurred near the Scorrest Academy. Care to explain?”

“Your Majesty, I would like to explain that the incident is the result of an unfortunate conflict with a criminal group. You see, thieves targeting my estate failed and fled. My knights simply chased them before battle.”

“I see,” the King responds. “Would you, therefore, know of the gunshots citizens heard in the area? I have not been informed of the Venesians allowing the export of any flintlock weapons.”

One of the most puzzling aspects of the incident was the gunshots. Plenty of people heard the loud bangs during the night, and most suspected illegal flintlock firearms. All firearms are effectively prohibited since the Venesian Empire imposed a strict ban on its vassals owning any ranged weapons utilizing matchlock, wheel lock, and flintlock mechanisms.

Everyone watches and listens with great interest. It’s been known that some criminals have smuggled firearms, but the gunshots heard at the incident were far too numerous. Unless the disreputable Countess admits she equipped her knights with illegal guns, everyone concludes that she won’t tell the truth.

“Your Majesty, the criminal group my knights confronted were armed with muskets and pistols. But we defeated them nonetheless.”

A small amount of laughter is heard. No one truly believes the Countess’ words at face value. Her reputation has always been low, but her claims, so far, are too outrageous for some to accept. The only people who remain calm and without emotion are the King, the Prince, and the Princess.

It’s rather sad. The House of Thorne has never had any issue with the Royal Family for generations. Lady Thorne herself has even frequently met with the late Queen and Princess Cara. King Carl has always viewed her late husband, Sawyer Thorne, as a respectable, trustworthy, loyal aristocrat.

Now, as Lady Thorne stands before the King, no hint of friendliness is present. Everyone in the throne hall knows the story. On suspicion of treason, all members of the House of Thorne were executed, except Lady Thorne. Friendly relations with the Royal Family disappeared, and Lady Thorne became an outcast.

“How are we to assume no illegal activity from your estate?” King Carl asks.

“I will hand over everything we collected from the incident. We wish to remain without issue, and we have no need or want for illegal flintlock pistols and muskets.”

“Your Majesty,”  someone interrupts, “can we be sure to trust—”

King Carl raises his hand, and the courtier stops talking. Typically, King Carl would be far more aggressive in his inquiries, especially when a noble violates Imperial laws they are bound to follow.

“That is acceptable,” King Carl says.

For a brief moment, everyone is stunned. The King is far too dismissive about the whole situation. Lady Thorne isn’t seen as important, and many share the same sentiments that her title as Countess should have long been revoked. If there was ever a reason to punish her, having illegal firearms would undoubtedly be that reason. Even Lady Thorne herself is shocked and confused to see how the King is treating her.

Prince Cain is also internally conflicted upon hearing his father. He has no clue why his father is particularly forgiving with Lady Thorne. As much as he tries to uncover why his father insists Lady Thorne retain her title, he can never figure out why.

At this point, it would be a perfect time for Prince Cain to disprove Lady Thorne’s story and label her as a liar, which is sure to destroy any remaining influence she has. The issue is that the Tabellarii are involved with the truth. After their devastating self-righteous invasion, Scorcia surrendered to the Venesian Empire, and a treaty was signed to establish peace. In that treaty, King Carl insisted that Venesia agrees to no espionage efforts within the territory. It’s one of many things King Carl suggested to keep as much autonomy as possible.

Since the Venesian Emperor proclaimed to its allies and rivals that the Scorcian invasion was meant to save the Kingdom from its destructive civil war, establish stability and order, and protect its people from the sudden monster uprising and orc attacks, it had to follow through with acts of good faith to save face.

Many people saw the King’s surrender as a complete surprise since he was always outspoken against Imperial rule. Whatever deal the Venesian Empire gave to King Carl was somehow enough to surrender his Kingdom. Since King Carl is always proud and arrogant at times, he continues to be a powerful figure even after submitting to Venesia. This is why Prince Cain can’t let him know that the treaty was breached. There is no telling if King Carl will take offense to the breach and spark another war.

Prince Cain has his own plans. He’s next in line to the throne, and he can’t risk having any roadblock whatsoever. If the feeble relationship between Venesia and Scorcia faces premature fracture, Prince Cain’s plans for dominance will end before it can begin. As a result, he has to bite his tongue, knowing a word from Lady Thorne can cause everything to collapse.

“Your Majesty,” Lady Thorne says. “On an unrelated topic, I would like to announce something to the court before any future rumors speak on my behalf.”

With this, everyone’s attention is taken. An announcement by Countess Maida Thorne? No one saw that coming.

“Speak,” King Carl says.

“I’m sure all of us gathered here today noticed the economic change occurring in this great city. Some of us may even have heard the name ‘Ardai Industries’.”

More whispers fill the throne room as almost every noble has heard of Ardai Industries. Few remain who haven’t purchased one of their luxury coaches that outmatch every other carriage on the market, and everyone is aware of their revolutionary industrial concepts and scientific theories.

“As of today, the House of Thorne and Ardai Industries has reached an agreement, whereas the House of Thorne will be an indefinite sponsor and stakeholder of Ardai Industries.”

Everyone’s jaw drops, and gasps are heard around. The sudden announcement completely catches the entire court off guard. The court erupts in conversation as voices drown each other out. In no way whatsoever did anyone ever think Lady Thorne was capable of such a bold and outlandish action, especially since Ardai Industries is still a new and mysterious corporation.

Even Prince Cain is taken back by the announcement. In his mind, Ardai Industries was a rebellious corporation that wouldn’t last long under the watchful eyes of the STC. To his amusement, it’s actually an excellent decision for both Ardai and Lady Thorne. Ardai gains a noble’s protection, political weight, and resources while Lady Thorne can grow her social standing. Now, if anyone wants business with Ardai, they will be forced to deal with the House of Thorne. He applauds and curses her at the same time. It will only complicate his ambitions.

King Carl raises his hand once more, and the court settles down. Whispers stop, and silence takes over. Lady Thorne never lets her eyes avert from King Carl, she wants to see exactly how he reacts to her announcement, but the King remains calm and collected so far. Very strange indeed.

“I simply request your approval and formal recognition of the agreement,” Lady Thorne says.

After a brief silence, the King agrees and says, “I’ll allow it.”

.

.

Back in Lady Thorne’s estate, the group is outside in the open fields, relaxing under the sun and waiting for Lady Thorne’s return. Agreeing to Arierane’s request, Ken demonstrates the martial arts he trained in, including Krav Maga, Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Judo, and a few others. Matt and Jax both pitch in to help as they have nothing else to do, and they are curious to see how an elf fights.

Eleanor also participates as she feels that these elite paramilitaries can greatly magnify her limited combat training.

During their spar, Arierane attacks with simple jabs, punches, and kicks. She was never trained with any established fighting techniques as not many are known, and many believe they are unnecessary. Most of her combat prowess comes from raw experience on the field and her heavy reliance on magic.

During their spar, Arierane has to give up magic enhancement since the earrings Ken got from the academy are already out of power. No magic means that Arierane struggles greatly against Ken. Round after round, Arierane continues to get pinned and put in an inescapable position. No matter what she does, she continues to be countered. The most annoying part is that every time her balance gets unstable, her legs are swept from under her.

Ken’s attacks are also noteworthy. He is far more flexible than he looks and Arierane has difficulty comprehending how skilled he is. He can kick higher than his height, he is almost as agile as her, and he can confuse her defense instincts with every movement. She feels like the only thing she can reliably do is evade and escape, which is unacceptable for her.

Matt and Jax both also prove formidable in a fight. They are perhaps even more fearsome than Ken since they are both far more experienced.

After several rounds of frustration, drops of sweat fall down their faces. Arierane has given up and requests that Ken teach her their martial arts, even if it hurts her pride as an elf. Elves are inherently proud peoples, and their rivalries with humans often make them feel a heightened sense of superiority. To admit that she can only defeat these humans with magic is a huge annoyance.

Inevitably, she grows desperate and unconsciously boosts her strength with magic, and she overpowers Ken.

“Cheater!” Ken yells as Arierane lets go of him.

One of the things Ken has learned about magic with all the time he spent in Scorrest is that it’s remarkably logical. Summoning fire, for example, is not produced out of nothing. The Academy students’ research pointed towards sugars to increase stamina, which Ken eventually deduced was the source of fuel. Upon discussing with Matt, who knows more of chemistry than him, they hypothesize that magic likely deconstructs organic compounds such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats sourced from foods and reorganizes the carbon and hydrogen atoms into flammable gasses like methane, butane, and propane. All that is needed is air and ignition.

Lightning magic is relatively simple as long as people know what electrons are; magic provides the voltage. Ice magic simply transfers heat away from an object instantly, and the transparent shields mages summon are likely just air other gasses compressed into near-solid states, providing enough resistance to deflect objects.

The only remaining mystery is how magic can manipulate mass, but that’s something no one can likely solve.

“You Entesian humans are more than I expected,” Arierane says in between breaths. “The Ravenians could never hope to match a Royal Ranger.”

“You haven’t met many, clearly,” Eleanor says, taking offense at Arierane’s comment.

From afar, the two young silent assassins, Horton and Vara, approach the group. They have been observing the sparring session for a few moments and have taken an interest in Ken’s foreign martial arts.

“It’s them again,” Jax says.

“Perhaps they want to join in as well. What do you say, brother?” Arierane says.

“Aria, I swear to god.”

“What did you swear to what god?”

“We’re past the sibling thing. You’re not even human.”

“Well, you can’t properly pronounce my name. Besides, I feel like you could be my brother if you were an elf.” She punches his arm.

“Yeah, whatever.” Ken turns towards Horton and Vara. “You two interested?”

“How do you fight with these?” Horton says with his usual monotone voice. In his hands, he presents Ken with some of the knives he bought from Lennings’ Armory.

“Edged weapons, huh?” Ken takes the combat knife and flips it around his hand, showing his familiarity with it. “Maybe if we can find dull knives. These are too dangerous to practice with for the first time. Wouldn’t want to cut your finger again, would you?” he gestures at Vara.

Again, the young girl remains silent, as if she is permanently mute for some reason.

Jax steps up and says, “You two look extremely young to be assassins. What were your names again? I don’t think we have properly met yet.”

“Horton.”

“And her?”

“Vara,” a man says behind them. Everyone turns to see Wilfred Hulle approach the group. “Her name is Vara. They are siblings, if you couldn’t already guess.”

“Mister Hulle, hello. Who are they?”

Following Wilfred Hulle are three other people. They are a blonde man wearing flashy silver armor, a more prominent muscular man wearing heavier armor and carrying a shield, and a mage woman with bright orange hair and robes. They look incredibly familiar to Ken, but he has no idea why.

“They are adventures. Friends of Master Horton and Mistress Vara.”

The three adventurers greet everyone and walk over to Horton and Vara, also part of their adventure party. Before long, the lead adventurer, the handsome blonde with silver armor, stops still when glancing at Ken.

“Hey, I’ve seen you before.”

“Me?” Ken asks, trying to remember why they look so familiar.

“Yeah, you’re that guy with all the weapons we met in Efielge’s Mercenary Guild. Ken, I think it was. I’m Warren, remember?”

Like a lightbulb, Ken suddenly remembers meeting them. They were the group that scared away some arrogant mercenary when he and Cayde were conducting field tests for weapon prototypes.

“Ah yeah! I remember you three,” Ken says, surprised to meet them again. “And you were—”

“Gwen,” the female mage says, smiling as she’s also full of surprise.

“Gwen, right. And you were Barry?”

“Barns,” the larger man says with a hardy laugh after. “Close enough, I suppose.”

“You know these guys?” Arierane whispers to Ken.

“Sort of, do you?”

“No, but I think I’ve seen them hang around the King’s Castle while you still had amnesia.”

“It seems you already met Horton and Vara. So, how do you know Lady Thorne? I never expected many people to know her,” Warren says.

It’s an interesting encounter they have found themselves in. As they discuss how they found themselves in Lady Thorne’s estate, Ken tells them they work for Ardai Industries and are visiting Lady Thorne for a business partnership. He also tells them that his adventuring attempt with Cayde was just to test weapons for Ardai. Warren and the others are briefly surprised that they work for Ardai Industries, but they accept it quickly. They are oblivious to the unspoken understanding among everyone else that they shouldn’t be told the entire truth.

So why are they there? They explain that, despite Horton and Vara being their friends and fellow party members, they also work as spies and assassins in their free time for Lady Thorne. The party members only know Lady Thorne through association with Horton and Vara. They are simply fetching them for another contract they got from the Mercenary Guild.

“So, is there any reason they are so quiet and awkward?” Eleanor asks with curiosity.

“These two cuties were like this when we met them,” Gwen gleefully says as she scrambles Vara’s hair as if she is their older sister.

“And Lady Thorne?”

“We owe her,” Horton says.

.

.

In the middle of the ocean, only the stars in the night sky provide any soothing peace to the small squadron of five clippers sailing through the calm waves in an organized line. No birds are flying, no land is seen in any direction, and no sign of anything wrong. The ships are just bright dots in the dark ocean as they have lanterns aboard to illuminate the upper and lower decks.

About two weeks have passed since the five clippers departed their home port on their way to the unknown. Few sailors are on deck, maintaining course and the wind behind them while most sailors sleep in the lower decks. With only the stars and a compass to navigate, they are sure they are heading the right way. The sun had fallen behind them, and it should rise in front of them in the morning.

One sailor leans against the wood rail of the large thousand-ton ship. The air is cold and frigid, and he is anxious to reach land soon. The vessels gently sway from side to side as the winds continue to push them along. He can see his breath condense into vapor with every exhalation. Only the sounds of waves washing against the hulls, and sails fluttering in the wind, fill his ears. He can also see fellow sailors on the clipper following behind, doing the same as him, wondering what they will find.

Before heading back, the sailor spots something strange in the waves. Even in the near darkness, he can see a tiny but distinct trail of white foam in the waters. He estimates it’s roughly three hundred feet or more from the ship. At first thought, the sailor guesses it’s some kind of fish or marine animal, but he instantly doubts it.

With the constant help of mages, continuous magically induced airflow added to the natural winds has kept the ships sailing at a nearly constant speed of roughly seventeen knots. Whatever is swimming under the water is somehow keeping up at precisely the same pace. It doesn’t slow down or speeds up. It stays in the same spot without movement in any direction.

As his curiosity causes the sailor to focus on the phenomenon, the small white trail disappears entirely. Whatever was swimming must have dove deeper into the ocean and disappeared. His mind tries to ignore whatever he just saw as he blames it on fatigue. His mind must be playing gamers.

Suddenly, the sailor hears his crewmates talk with concern.

“Look, up there.”

“Where?”

“There, in the sky.”

“What is that?”

The sailor looks directly up into the sky to see what his crewmates are talking about. Among the plethora of stars riddling the sky, two dots of lights catch his eye. They are moving. One of them is moving in the direction they are heading towards. The other, a distance away from the other dot, is moving much faster. The fast dot is getting closer to the slower dot, but the fact that they are moving at all causes the sailors to watch in awe.

“Could they be dragons?” someone asks.

“This far out in the ocean? Impossible.”

“What in the gods…”

The bright dots move too irregularly with no trail behind them. Everyone can agree that they are not witnessing a meteor or comet. This is something else entirely.

In the next moment, the two bright dots in the sky disappear.

“They’re gone.”

“What do you mean they’re gone? They can not just turn off like a candle.”

“I don’t see them anywhere.”

A strange premonition builds within the crew. None of them know what paranormal phenomenon they just saw. In all their years of experience, this is a first.

For the sailor who looked out into the ocean, the white trail comes into his mind. He makes a connection before coming to the horrifying thought that they are being followed.

There is something in the waters.