The ocean breeze was thick and fierce, clouding my nostrils with the smell of dense salt. It lingered on my nose. Strands of black hair swooshed past these pair of hardened, yellow eyes that had witnessed more death in a week than most had seen in a lifetime. The boat we were on was owned by a man named Rickard, who jumped overboard when that lion roared at him. The city-state of Plymoise, Parthina, was his destination—something we discovered after finding charter documents hidden in a bedroll.  

Dad and I laid on the deck after anchoring the boat for the night. Mom was tending to Mila and watching over Sekh. We still didn’t know why she was surrounded by ice, but I knew she wasn’t dead.   

Someone like her was too powerful to die…  

Primrose was preparing food in the hold while Niva did her ‘physical therapy’ under her spirit’s watchful gaze.    

Even though this boat had people...it felt empty, like we were lost in a world that twisted upside down in a matter of days. 

“Dad?”  

“Yes?”  

“I’m...scared... What are we going to do? We don’t have a home anymore? We haven’t seen land in four days, and...”  

“Just hang on, sweetie. It’s a few more days away. If we can sell the supplies, we can get our bearings.”  

“I can still see the smoke. Ria’s still burning,” I said. Lifting my arm, I looked away from the sight of destruction to a series of blisters trailing around my wrist. The terrifying attack the Essence of Wrath used broiled the skin of all within range. It would heal, of course.   

There was no doubt about that... 

Right?  

Dad took the most damage, then mom. I protected Erin, so she took the least. The only blister was on her cheek, but Primrose used some ointment in the cargo crates to cover it. She did the same to us, but ours were more serious.  

Dad was my father, after all. When I was scared, I could turn to him. When I was lost, he knew the answers. He knew everything...  

“Mila’s going to wake up, right? Tilde’s going to come back? Sekh’s going to get better?”  

“...”  

Dad was quiet.   

I was quiet.  

No, I wanted to cry and hug Mila…and Sekh. And Niva and Primrose. And Mom, Dad, and my sister. And Tilde... I wanted to be with them…  

“Mila’s a strong woman. Sekh has unimaginable power. You love them, yes? Have faith. When they do wake, we must be there for them. I can only imagine how your sister will feel.”  

“Yeah, I love them. I wanna cry, but it doesn’t seem right. I need to be strong for them...so I can take care of them until they wake up. I love you, Dad.”  

“I love you too, sweetie.”  

Dad excused himself and stood and stretched. He was shirtless after using his shirt to wrap mom’s blisters. He soon went to bed, and I followed, closing my eyes under the starlight.  

That night? I dreamt of happier times— when we had just moved to Ria, but Mila and my other friends were there. They lived with us in our home, and Mila came to work with me at Smithy’s Corner... Dad taught with Tilde and Sekh at the academy. Niva helped around the house with mom, and Primrose grew herbs and plants to sell. Erin was there, too, of course, directly interacting with the customers and working the register. And Lei was our mascot.    

It was my dream. No, it was more than that. I desired that future for us. For all of us to live together...without barricades or gas threatening to destroy our way of life. 

Why couldn’t life be that simple? I didn’t want much—just the bare minimum. And maybe after a year or two, Sekh and Mila would marry me, and we could be wives to each other. Then? We’d really be family. 

Yeah... That’s life...right there... Mila... Sekh... I love you. Please...wake up. I miss you. I want to hold you again... 

---

“Irisa, get up!”  

Dad’s frantic voice jolted me awake as something heavy slammed into the boat. I was thrown against a cannon, cracking two of my ribs. Crying out, the smell of firesalt lingered in the air and stained my lungs. I coughed, vomiting the contents of my dinner across the deck as the stench grew. My sight was hazy, cloudy by the smoke blocking the moon from casting its light.   

“IRISA!!!!” Dad shouted my name and rushed towards me. He grabbed my arm and pulled me away moments before I was about to be splattered by the falling mast. 

Falling mast?! 

Amid my groans, Dad helped me to my feet and threw me a sword stashed in his belt loop.  

And I realized we were under attack. The pain sent throbbing flares of agony up my spine and stomach, but I gritted my teeth and did my best to focus my blurry eyes. Mom emerged from the hold with a longsword, and we watched the incoming ship approach. Smoke still filtered from its 12 cannons aimed this way, though we were lucky only two managed to hit the mast. The others missed, and it didn’t seem like they were reloading. Looking up, I didn’t see a flag...and my mind instantly went to pirates!   

The ship had three masts and large, black sails, but it was on the smaller side.  

My heart was filled with dread and fear. Mom stepped in front, her back trembling.  

She was afraid... And crying.  

I always hated seeing her cry.   

Mom was a good woman. A better person. She deserved happiness, not this…  

We didn’t deserve this…  

Not the attack…  

Not the senseless death…  

Not losing our home.  

Not…any of this…   

“Irisa!!! Look at me, sweetie. Stay with me!” she shouted, turning around and holding my shoulders. She bit her lips and looked at the ship. She was trying to be strong.  

We all were.  

The shifting waves were stern and impactful, slamming into our ship. It was hard to remain stable.  

Primrose joined us seconds later, and she explained Niva and Erin were hiding in one of the empty crates with Mila and Lei. She held two daggers in each hand and a pair of spears in the vines coming from her back. I noticed her eye the mast, but it was too broken for her to fix in the few seconds we had left before we inevitably got boarded.   

“Dad?” I groaned.  

He bared his teeth and growled, looking angrier than I had ever known him to be. “The only way out of this is to fight,” he said, his knuckles turning white from the grip on his weapon. “Irisa, this is a life-or-death situation. I'll protect you, but you must be ready to kill.”  

“Mom?” I whispered on the verge of tears. 

“Your father’s right. We don’t know how many there are but do not go down without a fight. You’ve only fought monsters before, not other people, but don’t let the fear get to you.”  

“Why are you talking like that? I—”  

The incoming ship slammed against ours—it towered above ours— and a group of seven men threw grappling hooks onto our railing to attach us to them. Ten invaders jumped overboard. We were huddled against the stairs, weapons drawn, as a shirtless, tattooed man with four horns and black scales down his chest approached us. The rapier he held was resting against his throat-- like this was just another casual moment of his life.   

An odd green necklace was clasped around his neck.  

“I’m gonna make this nice and easy for ya. Move, let us take the supplies, and ya won’t die. We’re in a little bit of a hurry. Got some government dogs chasing after us, so just step to the side, and off we’ll go.”  

“And you don’t think we need them to survive? We barely escaped from the Ria disaster with our lives, and you’re throwing us to the sharks?”  

“Ria? Ah, yeah, I saw that shit from a distance. I’m thankful for the surprise opening it gave me. Doesn’t really change what we’re about to do, though. The easiest prey are the ones running from danger. They’re often glad to have escaped after realizing how precious it is to be alive. That’s why I’m offering you a deal. Move, and ya live. Stay, and ya die. Well, stay, and we might have to take that lively daughter you have there. Is that your wife? I’ve been looking for a new maid to clean the ship--”  

Dad made the first move and went for a thrust, but the pirate deflected it with his rapier, starting the fight. He was skilled and athletic, taking advantage of Dad's exhaustion to avoid his well-aimed strikes. Three pirates grabbed Mom, Primrose, and me and dragged us away from the stairs, allowing the remaining six to freely plunder the hold. Primrose tried to use her vines to restrain them, but one of the men turned and cut them mid-flight.  

“Let go of my daughter!” Mom shouted, head-bashing the one pulling her away. A horn stabbed him in the eye, forcing him to recoil in pain. She did it again, this time piercing his skull with both, causing blood to run down her horns and onto her face. Mom turned to me and slashed her blade, cleaving off my captor’s arm. Primrose’s assault was too quick for her enemy to do anything, and her vine-wielding spears stabbed him in the head four times, leaving gaping holes of flesh, blood, and brain matter.  

They were dead.  

In the blink of an eye, the two Goatfolks perished near me... Their mouths contorted into a dying scream.  

The smell of the dead invaded my nose.  

And I trembled... My feet were like lead or iron as I hugged my weapon. And I was frozen in place. The front of my pants felt warm. The throbbing in my head was like a hammer bashing my skull. Everything slowed, moving like molasses covered the world.   

Dad and the pirate captain were exchanging blows, but...  

He wasn’t winning... He never had the capabilities of a mage, so magic was out of the question. He only had his raw strength, but we had been at sea for days. We were exhausted. 

“Irisa!” Mom stood in front of me, blood spewing down her body. 

Four more beastfolk jumped onto our ship, all aiming for Mom. Dad jumped to defend her, knocking away two while taking two slashes to the chest. Primrose used her spear-wielding vines to stab the ones that hurt Dad through the heart, killing them.  

“[Razor Wind]!” Primrose shouted, directing invisible gusts of sharp air through a third man, cutting off his arm before the bloody wind circled back and sliced his throat.  

“Tch!” spat the pirate captain. He parried Dad’s thrust and jumped back, shouting for reinforcements. He looked pissed and angry.  

“GET TO THE HOLD, PRIMROSE!” commanded Dad. The spirit nodded, but eight more enemies jumped from the pirate ship to our boat before she made it. Some had barbed javelins. They threw them, impaling Primrose’s stomach, then yanked on the rope attached to them to knock her to the ground.   

She spat a thousand curses but couldn’t break free as magic battered her body. 

Mom and Dad held their ground, but they couldn’t fight an army. 

But they never moved an inch, either. Even as I cowardly hid behind, hearing their pained screaming...watching the blood drip from their increasing number of wounds...  

I couldn’t move. I just couldn’t.  

“Oi! Some brats were hiding out in a crate! HOLY SHIT! CAPTAIN, ONE’S A HIGH ELF!!!!”  

“You know how much one of them goes for nowadays? If she’s from an extinct forest, we’re looking at a massive haul,” exclaimed a woman with black paint around her eyes. She held the tail of a fox with the fangs of a viper. “That’s enough to replenish our supplies ten times over and get more men to work the ship. We could start our own fleet with that kind of gold!”  

“MILA!!!!!!” Just hearing that gave me enough courage to move. Standing, I held my sword the way Dad taught me, then aimed the pointy end towards Mom’s attacker’s side.  

It...went in... Piercing him through the side. That opening moment allowed Dad to behead him. He kicked the corpse away and turned to block an incoming attack, failing to protect his shin from a low swipe. The gnome who cut him snickered and retreated, his laughter carrying across the sound of battle.  

“Shit! I didn’t expect to lose this many. Listen up! Get those hostages back to the ship, and we’re getting the fuck out of here!” angrily shouted the pirate captain.   

Primrose raged against her restraints and unleashed her vines, but she’d been fighting so intensely that her mana was drained. Using more skills would mean taking Niva's, and she didn’t have a lot. Any further continuation could lead to her death from mana exhaustion. And she wasn’t fully healed from trying to heal Sekh through her ice earlier this morning. Primrose's hands burned every time she tried. 

The captain mentioned killing Primrose’s summoner and selling her crystal to a pervert they knew. “STOP! DON’T TAKE THEM!!!” I screamed, running my bloody sword through someone occupied with Dad as Mom took a cut to her wrist, blocking the man from behind who tried to kill me.   

“TRONITI, GET TO THE SHIP! And you! This all could’ve been—” The pirate captain’s ugly words were cut short by something I could not explain to save my life.   

A limit placed on the world has been broken. Repeat: a limit placed on the world has been broken. All those who have achieved an evolutionary level of Lord or higher now have access to the power of [Conferment]. Repeat: all those who have achieved an evolutionary level of Lord or higher now have access to the power of [Conferment]. 

From everywhere, nowhere, and all around came a voice with a stern tone. It spoke with zero emotion, almost sounding like a golem or monster without a soul.  

I didn’t know how I knew it, but instinctual knowledge buried deep within me told me the world was hearing this same message simultaneously.  From my perspective, it spoke Arezzian, but if you only knew Orcish or Elvish, you would understand it all the same. Even if you were deaf, those words it seemed the heavens were speaking would find a way to you.  

As abruptly as it appeared, the grand voice ceased to exist.   

But we still couldn’t move. I couldn’t. Dad couldn’t. The pirate captain couldn’t.  

Even when our ship violently shook, throwing everyone to the deck, we remained frozen to the ground. From the hold came screams and gurgles of death with the stench of burnt flesh. Pleads of mercy and compassion wailed, but they were cut short by someone or something and fell on deaf ears.   

“What...is that feeling? Is it mana? Oni, what the hell were you carrying?!” demanded the pirate captain. Cold sweat dripped down his cheeks and chest, and I knew what he was talking about. Even if you weren’t powerful, your mana could leak out of your body and affect those around you. As a little girl, I was taught to keep mine in check, and it wasn’t hard. Mila probably never learned that technique, but her weird [Status Cloak] ability most likely did that for her. When the Essence of Wrath took over her body, that ability was still working to keep us from being drowned in its oppressive atmosphere.  

But it seemed like that wasn’t the case anymore. The overall pressure was constricting, making it hard to breathe or blink without feeling like your head was about to be chopped off. Footsteps eventually reached my ears, and with each one, the feeling increased—no, it doubled. Finally, through the darkness leading to the hold?  

There stood a woman—but not in a form I had pleasant memories of. Mila almost looked like she did when the Essence of Wrath overtook her—she still wore the black robe I put on her, but she had these curly, red, ethereal dragon horns off the top of her head. I thought there wasn’t much more room for dread to fill my heart, but staring at that...thing?  

It was like all hope was lost.  

That monster held out her hand, and Sekh’s icy coffin appeared from nowhere. Mana materialized beside her, forming an unknown girl with blond hair, blue eyes, and a weird hat. The mysterious girl touched Sekh’s ice, causing black flames to swallow it whole. Instead of burning her or the boat, dark embers danced to the hull, taking the form of five large, giant lions— with coats of black, eyes of red ember, and manes of iceflame. The largest one was at least eight feet tall and towered over Dad.    

That was the same lion that held Sekh in its mouth when we ran to the ship. The monster in Mila’s form touched Sekh, and she disappeared again.    

“The Transcendent Dark Lord commands you to eliminate her foes,” said the woman masquerading as Mila, extending an arm. 

As if replying, all five lions roared and jumped to the pirate ship, starting the massacre. I stared in awe at their power. Their massive claws cleaved an armored man in two from a single swipe. The largest raised its tail high, the furry tip flashing crimson. Roaring, sharp arrows of flames shot out, piercing ten screaming pirates through the heart in the blink of an eye. It glowed again, launching a bolt of energy into the sky. It exploded like a firework and rained icy death from above, covering the warship. Even one icicle was enough to split a head open, and dozens slamming into the same body blew it into fleshy, gory chunks no larger than an apple.   

The woman with the fox tail quickly leapt to her ship, leaving behind her captain. She attempted to stab her weapon into a lion’s side, but it melted against its flame-like body after failing to pierce it. Slowly, the magnificent beast turned around, staring down the woman, who was on borrowed time. It roared right in her face, each tooth almost larger than her head.   

Then it chomped, severing her head.  

Three smaller lions dug at the deck to create a hole, then jumped in and killed indiscriminately. I doubt they cared how brutal or disgusting they had to be to fulfill the order given to them.   

I only heard the feeble, worthless, useless cries of the dead...  

I hated the pirates. I hated them so much...  

Of the two remaining on the deck, the smaller one seemed to enjoy eating their opponents alive, devouring them whole while roaring at those on borrowed time.   

I struggled to look back at the woman in Mila’s form. She walked to the closest pirate. He was pinned against the deck, unable to look up enough to see her face. Without being able to move, the pirate did nothing but endure that woman touching his head.  

“[Combustion Grip],” she whispered. Suddenly, flames shot from her hand and swallowed the pirate, scorching him to ash in seconds.  

He was dead, just like that. The enemies we struggled with were easily killed by the power the Essence of Wrath wielded. But she didn’t stop there. I was convinced the end was coming, but I wanted to meet it head on, so I watched her incinerate the other pirates before awaiting my turn.  

But the death I expected never came. Something was odd when I saw the Essence of Wrath carrying Sekh, and I couldn’t identify why I felt that way. Looking at Mom and Dad was challenging, but I didn’t think they shared the same apprehension as I did. Or if they did, they disguised it well.   

“You’re being hunted?” asked the High Elf with Mila’s voice. She spoke while the lions were continuing their fun. The screams, once loud and frantic, were quickly quieting. Eventually, that vessel would be nothing more than a ghost ship of those who once hunted this wide, open ocean.    

“Y—Yes! By Plymoise’s navy. T--Take the necklace! I swear it’s worth more than my bounty—” 

“That’s all I needed to hear. Die, you piece of shit.” ‘Mila’ grabbed the necklace, it vanished, and she ripped the pirate captain’s head clean from his body before stepping on the corpse’s chest.  The body caught aflame. She looked at the head, and it disappeared like that necklace.  

‘Mila’ turned to me. Her mana was restrained because I could move. The sword I wielded was in the corner of my eye, barely within hand’s reach. Mom and Dad had lost theirs when they were forced to the deck.  

I had a choice to make... 

No, we had a decision to make. 

The five lions emerged on the ship’s deck, their fur stained with evidence of their completed task. They leapt back to our boat and bowed their heads in reverence. Primrose used her vines to get to her feet, and then she rushed into the hold, her frantic voice calling out for her summoner. Before now, the pressure coming from that ‘thing’ prevented us from speaking out of fear because we knew what damage that thing could cause.  

“Mila, I know that’s you,” Dad said, standing. The horns disappeared.  

“Mila!” Mom and I cried. We scampered to her feet and rushed to hug her with Dad.  

“Mom... Dad... I’m sorry...for everything...”  

Mila was back!!! She was back!!! She was awake, she protected us, but most importantly...  

She!  

Was!  

Back!  

But her voice... It....was cold—abrupt, even, clashing hard with the fire magic she used to kill the pirates.  

No, that’s just a trick my mind’s playing on me. I haven’t heard Mila's voice in so long... Yeah, that's it. She's the same as she's always been... Nothing’s wrong with her...