"Welcome to Speed Paradise," Ray said, locking eyes with me, his grin full of mischief and satisfaction, as if his prank had just landed perfectly.
'As his mate, just being here beside him was enough. But over the past few days, I knew deep down that my life had veered into a new course, far crazier than anything I'd lived through before. And coming from me, that said a lot.' Thinking so, Rosalie looked around before jumping after leo.
Looking around the deck as I jumped down with Leo, it was oddly quiet, sparse, and isolated. No crowds, no noise. Just the soft hum of the ship beneath our feet.
Then came the sound of footsteps. A hatch opened to the side, and out stepped a man in his thirties, followed by a group of people varying in age, nationality, and—surprisingly—species. Some of them weren't human.
"Well, finally decided to return to the nest, huh? And here I thought you got bored with us," the older man at the front said with a smirk. "Good to see you again, little cub."
"Come on, Jack. Not that name again," Ray muttered with a sigh. He looked around. "Looks like you guys still held the fort. Good to see you all again."
They exchanged brief nods before the group swiftly surrounded Leo, picked him up, and threw him off the deck.
The older man burst into laughter. "That's what you get for dumping your role on others!"
Rose nearly had a heart restart, gasping at the sudden move, but just as things were about to spiral, Leo swore mid-air and landed gracefully in front of them.
"Okay, I deserve that," Leo admitted, heating himself to dry off the sea water. "But seriously, someone else got a serious injury, or else they would've died from that fall."
"But not you," came a calm voice from behind. "Otherwise, we'd have made you commit harakiri here and now."
"Skyer," Leo sighed as he turned. "How's it going?"
Standing a few feet away was a calm young man with deep brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair that fell neatly to his collar. His movements were composed, and his expression steady.
"Good. You?" Skyer asked, concern in his voice. "I heard what happened..."
"It's alright. I've got a few leads on the whole thing," Leo said, waving his hand. "Let's talk about the complicated stuff later."
He gently pulled Rose forward. "This is my mate, Rosalie Hale. As you can see, she's a 'Gileda.'"
Skyer nodded and smiled. "Nice to meet you. John Rageheart, or Skyer, as my friends call me, like my brother, i am high beast, wind eagle."
"Nice to meet you... Are you, by any chance, the pilot of the white jet from earlier?" Rose asked.
"Yeah," Skyer replied, then turned to Leo. "It needs maintenance, by the way. You wanna take a look?"
"Sure," Leo agreed with a sigh, then looked at the others. "And these guys? They're my pride. In common language: my racing team."
He gestured toward them with a smirk. "From the right, the motorcycle fanatic—if it has two wheels and an engine, this dude can make it do magic."
"Hola! Nice to meet ya. Jimmy Saturday," said a young man with a strong build, brown hair, and golden eyes. He glanced at Leo. "Since you've already awakened, I'll say it straight: I'm a high beast—the brown bear clan."
"Explains the woodsy scent," Leo replied with a grin, clearly not bothered by the hidden truths. Even his own parents had kept secrets.
"Next up: our mechanic triplets—Jean, Sonia, and Anabeth. If it's made of metal, they're your best bet in the field."
"No, no, we're still far from that level," the three said at the same time.
"Nice to meet you, Rosalie. I'm Anabeth. These are my sisters. We're just normal humans," said the woman with long black hair and calm green eyes. The other two, Sonia and Jean, had identical green eyes and wore their hair in ponytails, full of playful energy that contrasted with Anabeth's composed demeanor.
Leo introduced the rest one by one: the car racers Emma and Haruto, and, along with Skyer, the other aircraft pilot, Frost.
Rose took in the eclectic group surrounding Leo. The diversity was striking, humans and others, all bound by this strange but tight-knit group. She felt a mix of curiosity and awe.
When Jack was introduced, his weathered face gave off the unmistakable vibe of an old-school mechanic, the kind who'd seen every engine's secrets and scars.
His black hair and those eerie black eyes with no pupils made him look both intimidating and deeply knowledgeable, like an old guardian of the team.
Skyer, calm, steady, with dark hair and warm brown eyes that somehow radiated both strength and kindness, Rose found herself relaxing a little in his presence, sensing the quiet confidence he carried as the pilot and trusted friend.
The mechanic triplets caught her attention next. She noticed Anabeth's calm green eyes and composed demeanor, which balanced perfectly with Sonia and Jean's playful energy and bright smiles. The lively twins bounced around.
Frost, with his stark white hair and piercing blue eyes, seemed almost otherworldly. His calm, precise movements and the subtle aura around him suggested he was no ordinary pilot — Rose's intuition told her he was something more. When Leo mentioned Frost was a 'Tsukom' who could control metal, her amazement only deepened.
As each member of the team was introduced, Rose felt a warm sense of belonging beginning to stir.
Despite their differences, this group was clearly a family, united by passion, loyalty, and a fierce love of speed and technology. She glanced at Leo and smiled.
They stepped through the hatch amid casual banter. A set of stairs led them down to a large door. To Rose's surprise, what lay beyond wasn't an old cargo hold or worn-out ship interior.
It was a street.
A fully functional street lined with vendors, cars, and bustling people, like stepping into a vibrant city hidden inside a ship.
"Ohhh, that's a good face," Leo chuckled, snapping a photo of Rose's shocked expression.
She blinked. "Are we... really inside a ship? And how has no one ever heard about this?"
if this place ever exists, it will be one of the top tourist attractions, but in her long life, she never saw or heard a thing about it.
Ray smiled and motioned for her to follow. They walked toward a wide viewing window.
"Ever heard of Point Nemo?" Leo asked.
"The farthest point from any life in the sea?"
He nodded, pointing at a red floating marker in the distant sea. "Out of reach of authorities. Masked from foreign monitoring or satellites. Only two ways to get in."
"They didn't call this place a myth for nothing," Jean added proudly.
"Ever heard of the Last Road?" Anabeth chimed in.
Rose's eyes widened. "You mean the Last Ride or Die? This is that place?!"
The Last Road, is legend among racers. A sanctuary for those who craved the thrill of racing and speed more than life itself. Some claimed you had to pass impossible tests just to enter.
"Nope. That's just a hidden tournament to qualify," Anabeth corrected. "And no last in it. No one dies, we just erase the memories of those who fail."
"I get it, but why bother? If they want to race, let them race. Why all the tests?" Rose asked.
Leo sighed and nodded at Anabeth. "Mind listing the specs of the weakest car we've got?"
"Sure. Around 1500 horsepower. Top speed: 340 km/h. Zero to 100 in less than 2 seconds. Comes with a gravity stabilizer too."
Rose's jaw dropped. "That's insane. Gravity stabilizers... didn't you invent those, Leo?"
"Exactly," he said, serious now. "To go faster, we build advanced cars, gear, and tech. We can make that stuff."
"But to use them perfectly... You need to be at a certain physical and mental level," Rose completed his thought.
"add, the greed and all that jazz," add Jack with giving up tone.
"Yup. Now let's get to the fun part, shall we?" Leo said, handing her a tag necklace. "This is your identity here. Don't lose it. Let's find your car and see if you can join a race."
"Oh, let's go!" Rose beamed, linking her arm with his.
Leo smiled warmly, then turned to lead her down a sidewalk, passing through a corridor lined with vintage posters and digital billboards advertising upcoming races. The hum of engines echoed softly ahead.
He gestured toward a wide glass door at the end of the path. Beyond it was a panoramic viewing deck overlooking the core of the facility.
Rows of monitors flickered with telemetry data and race footage. Mechanics in sleek uniforms adjusted specialized gear laid out across open cases. Tools, car parts, and digital maps covered the walls like organized chaos.
"This is the Pride's deck," Leo said with a quiet pride. "Our base. Testing station, lounge, garage, and operations room all in one."
Rose looked around in awe. "This is... insane. You run all of this?"
"Not alone. But it's kind of a second home," he replied with a nostalgic look.
He then pointed to a row of sleek, customized vehicles, each gleaming under soft neon lights. "Time to pick your ride."
The others exchanged knowing smiles, somehow with subtle relief.
After the recent death of Leo's father, they'd barely heard from him. And the few reports they got painted a picture of someone teetering on the edge.
But now, seeing him laugh, joke, and smile again... it felt like a weight had finally lifted from their hearts.