I tiredly searched for Azurea and Mr. Félix, finally finding them on the docks next to La Discrète. Azurea rubbed something grayish green on her shoulder while Mr. Félix nursed a drink that smelled far stronger than anything I'd ever dared try.

  Mr. Félix was the first to see me, and his tired eyes caught Azurea's attention. Before either of them could say anything, I told them everything that I could remember: Meeting Victoria and Neegul, the prophecy involving my death, and the eventual attack on the island.

  When I finished, my voice rose in desperation. "We have to go back,"

  Mr. Félix nearly dropped his bottle. "Are you insane? Kiren is right behind us! If we turn back now, we're walking straight into his hands. And even if we somehow made it back to Linburg, what do you think will happen to me?"

  "I will explain to my parents that this adventure was my idea," I said quickly. "I'll take responsibility."

  He scoffed, shaking his head. "You think that'll make a difference? They'll forgive you because you're family, but me? Your father would skin me alive, and Mr. Switzer—" He trailed off, paling at whatever punishment he imagined. "I can't go back. Not like this."

  "If you're so afraid of what will happen to you, why did you take this job? "asked Azurea.

  "Because it was the will of my captain to serve the one with the blue pearls. I'm willing to put my life on the line for Syan, but I won't help a coward."

  Naturally, my anger boiled after being called a coward, but it could not overcome my fear.

  "I'm sorry that I disappointed you," I said, "but I want to return to a normal life. I'm not going to be the legacy of a pirate."

  Before I could react, Mr. Félix lunged, grabbing me by the collar, yanking me forward, and dropping his bottle in the process.

  "Don't speak about my captain in that tone, you snot-nosed brat!"

  "Stop, please!" Azurea grabbed Mr. Félix arm with all her strength. "Put him down."

  Mr. Félix looked at Azurea as she struggled to move him. I could tell he didn't want to fight against her, so with gritted teeth, he placed me back on the ground. I quickly moved away from Mr. Félix and straightened my clothes.

  Once things had calmed down, Azurea turned to me and asked, "What good is running?"

  I blinked. "What?"

  "I don't know why you believe this 'seer', but if she is right, would it be better if we went back home?"

  I opened my mouth to argue, but the words never came.

  Because she was right.

  After hearing Victoria's prophecy for the first time, I took a deep breath. The idea that I could die once I got to the Library of Alexandria was still very troubling, but home wasn't safer. A harpy was able to get to me, and I shuddered at what a driven pirate with great power could do.

  I imagined Linburg, its docks burning and streets choked with smoke. A fleet of foreign ships ransacking homes, its people cut down because I had chosen to run.

  "Syan is right about one thing," Mr. Félix said as he rubbed his temples. "We can't stay here if the island is about to be attacked, but we can't leave without a bigger ship."

  I crossed my arms. "The seer mentioned that she was willing to offer a ship to me so long as I help her defend the Erytha."

  "How does she think you will be able to help," Azurea asked, only for a realization to dawn on her. She whispered, "You didn't tell her about the blue pearls, did you?"

  "I did, but I did not mention who had them. Regardless, she believes that I can change her island's fate and is willing to reward me if everything goes well."

  Mr. Félix scratched the back of his head with a frustrated look. "It's a better means of getting a ship than what I've been doing, but it means we have to get involved in someone else's problem."

  "I would like to save this place," said Azurea as she tightly gripped the container of the gray paste. "This place means a lot to my family; if I had the power, I would have wanted to preserve it."

  I didn't like it, but the only way forward was to fight for Erytha. This also meant that I would most likely need the power of the Gia Whale if I wanted to survive and keep Azurea safe. I gripped the blue pearls underneath my shirt tightly, as I had done in the past, to ease my nerves, but now the comfort felt ironic.

  The very thing I wanted to get rid of would be the thing to save my life.

  --------------------------

  We walked towards the giant tree, as that was the last place I saw Victoria and Neegul. As we walked, we started noticing businesses and homes closing their doors and fewer people patrolling the streets. Guards—or at least, the men with weapons—helped people bark at the buildings and set up defensive measures throughout the streets.

  The civilians looked terrified, adding to the shift of Erytha's once relaxed and carefree atmosphere.

  Were they expecting the attack to happen soon?

  Azurea kept close to me, watching the civilians barricade themselves for safety. It was like mourning a flower whose petals wilted before her eyes.

  I laced my arm around hers, causing her to jump initially, but she accepted the silent comfort. I didn't have the same love for this island as she did, so there wasn't anything I could say to her to ease her mind. I still wasn't sure if the island could be saved, but I knew she would be sad if I didn't try.

  Mr. Félix didn't even look at what was happening around him as if this was normal. Well, he was a pirate. No telling what kind of chaos he wrought in his scoundrel days.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Thankfully, I saw Neegul and Victoria coming down the hill while they were looking at me. Victoria rushed towards me with a somewhat desperate look in her eyes. Neegul didn't seem happy to see me, or perhaps his mood was affected the same way the citizens had been.

  "Thank goodness you're still here," said Victoria. "Listen, I can only imagine what's going through your mind, but—"

  "I'll help you," I said, interpreting Victoria's frantic pleas.

  Her words halted. "You will?"

  Even her brother looked shocked at how fast I responded.

  "I will help you," I repeated with emphasis, "but only if you can guarantee me a few things. You promised me a ship to Egypt before telling me I was going to die."

  "...I did."

  "You also said I would reach the Library."

  Neegul stepped in between me and Victoria. "Now, hold on. Just because you know what's in your future doesn't mean you hold all the cards. Victoria's prophecy didn't say that our ships would be the ones to get you to Egypt."

  "Neegul, what are you doing?" Victoria asked angrily. "You're not supposed to antagonize him."

  He ignored her. "I understand that we are asking a lot from you, but don't think that gives you the right to everything we have."

  Azurea took her place beside me and calmly said, "Then perhaps we should lay bare what we both have and come to an agreement from there. Firstly, we can't leave Erytha without a proper ship, and it sounds like you can't protect Erytha without Syan's help. Was there a specific way he was able to offer service?"

  "No," said Victoria as she tried to get around her brother. "But with the power of the Gia Whale, I'm sure anything he is capable of will be enough."

  "How did you know I was the one with the blue pearls?" I asked.

  "Considering how important you are to saving my home, it only makes sense, right?"

  "Pardon me if this sounds rude or sours your hopes," Mr. Félix interjected, "but Syan's control over the Gia Whale is lacking. He's only been actively using his powers for the last few days."

  "You're an amateur?" Neegul asked in complete dismay.

  After glaring at Mr. Félix, I said, "I don't want to use the pearls. I aim to get to the Library of Alexandria and remove them without dying."

  The siblings were taken aback at my confession.

  "Why would you get rid of the power of a Sailing Spirit?" asked Neegul.

  "That's not important right now. I will use the pearl's power if I have to."

  "And you will have to," Mr. Félix sternly confirmed. "I will use whatever time we have left to train you."

  "And I'll spend that time going over the details of our deal," said Azurea.

  Victoria and Neegul exchanged a look—hesitant, wary—but ultimately agreed.

  From there, Azurea and Victoria made their way to the tree while Neegul led Mr. Félix and me to a training ground. It was a small sand pit in front of the barracks where many armed men ran in and out with guns and melee weapons.

  The sand in the pit looked hard, indicating a lack of use.

  I followed Mr. Félix into the pit while Neegul leaned on the fence to watch.

  "You seem to grasp how to control water with the Gia Whale," said Mr. Félix, "but you need to start using the second ability to move the earth beneath your feet."

  I nodded, remembering what he said about what the blue... the Gia Whale could do. "Right, but how do I manifest that power?"

  "Have you at any point in your life heard a sound that didn't belong or felt a presence that made you feel safe?"

  I hesitated before answering. "Lately, I've been hearing the sounds of a whale."

  "That's the Gia Whale trying to communicate with you. You have to respond and allow it to get closer to you."

  My body tensed. "But if I do that, wouldn't it be harder to remove the pearls later?"

  "You don't even know if there is an alternate method of removing a phantom relic," Mr. Félix replied. He then paused and scratched his chin. "Though… I suppose we don't know what is possible in that regard."

  Neegul cut in. "Let's say you do get rid of the Phantom Relic. What then? What do you plan to do with it?"

  I hadn't considered the question outside of me hastily saying that I'd throw it away and let anyone take it. However, I wasn't going to tell Neegul that as I started to understand how detrimental that could be.

  If I were to be optimistic, there would still be a lot of time between now and when I got to the library to think of a worthy successor. Or I didn't have to give it to anyone. I could lock the pearls behind a safe and keep it heavily guarded...

  Would that work?

  Kiren McCormick was apparently the strongest person after the pearls, but I had no idea what he could do. Could he take them by force, no matter where I hid them?

  I turned to Neegul and said, "As long as Kiren McCormick is the King of the Mediterranean, it doesn't matter what I do with the pearls." Turning to Mr. Félix, I asked. "What do you know about Kiren as a Sailing Spirit?"

  "Not much," he admitted, frowning. "By now, he's probably got multiple Phantom Relics under his control. But his original relic? That one's creepy. Rumor, he can summon multiple dog spirits from a single relic."

  I looked at Neegul, wondering why such a thing would be a problem, but he shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he was no help.

  "Is that not normal?" I asked.

  "It's the only case I'm aware of. It doesn't help that his ability involves him manipulating his own blood, making it hard to kill him," He waved a hand in front of his face as if to dispel a bad smell. "I'm getting off track. Syan, I'll be honest. I don't understand why you ultimately want to get rid of the Gia Whale relic, but I need you to focus on what needs to be done today and worry about the consequences tomorrow."

  I sighed, but he was right. Even with Victoria's prophecy, I couldn't waste time.

  I closed my eyes and tried to silence the world around me. Only the wind on my skin kept me grounded in reality.

  Then, I could hear the whale song.

  The sound was piercing and intimidating, as if it echoed deep beneath the ocean. A sudden, instinctual fear gripped me—the urge to open my eyes, to pull myself away from whatever was happening. But I gritted my teeth and focused harder.

  Another sound started to become clearer. It was like I was underwater, and I almost felt liquids clogging my ears. The whale's call started to calm down, becoming a soothing lullaby.

  I was immersing myself deeper into the mental image of being underwater and hearing the whale sounds, but for some reason, I was still aware that I was standing on solid ground.

  The ground. The spirit's name was Gia Whale.

  I opened my eyes and lifted my left hand. Although there was nothing in it, it was like I was holding a brick. Before me, a chunk of earth started to break apart and rise at the pace of my hand.

  A bead of sweat rolled down my forehead, and the stain on my arm caused me to release whatever I was "holding." Suddenly, the patch of dirt fell to the ground.

  I was winded. I put my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. I no longer felt the sensation of being underwater, and the whale sounds were gone, allowing me to hear the diverse sounds of the island.

  While Neegul looked at the upturned dirt in awe, Mr. Félix couldn't hide the shock on his face.

  "I didn't think this would come so naturally to you," he said. "Then again, you've had the Gia Whale's relic for most of your life."

  "That was incredible," Neegul shouted excitedly. "If you can do that on a bigger scale, then there is no doubt you can protect Erytha."

  Still wheezing, I replied, "Unless the attack will be in another year, this won't be enough."

  "When is this attack supposed to take place?" Asked Mr. Félix.

  Neegul's expression darkened. "Victoria's visions depicted the attack would happen at night, but she wasn't sure which night. She was confident it would happen soon and deduced that tonight would make the most sense."

  I groaned, rubbing my temples. "Wonderful," I said sarcastically.

  Although I knew I wouldn't die tonight, it didn't make defending Erytha any less of a headache.