Staring up at the clear, sunny sky, I groaned, slowly sitting upright as I gazed ahead, seeing nothing but a blue ocean; even when I looked in different directions, it was the same sight. An endless ocean was my current world, and there was no sign of it changing any time soon.
"Where am I now?" Muttering softly, I scratched my stubbled chin before standing up, stretching, and sitting down. "I really miss land right about now… How long have I been at sea again?" 'Two weeks, Master.' "Ugh, wonderful."
Slicking back my rough hair, I deeply sighed before positioning myself in the back of the boat; placing my open hand backwards, I used wind and fire mana to create a centralized propulsion system, the same kind I used years ago when we got stranded in the ocean after leaving Asckbon. The only difference back then was that I had Talis to help with half of it; now I was alone.
After I'd gotten far enough away from Daemon that I was confident Mavis's people weren't chasing after me, I did this multiple times a day; I'd cruise across the ocean, faster than any modern speed boat, then, when I'd used about half my total mana, I'd stop and meditate. Always made sure to keep some mana on me so I wouldn't get caught unprepared; I was out in the middle of nowhere, who knows what could happen.
Creating a vortex with the wind, I had it fuel the flames I combusted in the middle, growing several meters wide as I skidded across the calm ocean, skipping across like a thrown stone. Given how vastly my mana reserves have improved since last time, I was able to keep it going for a good while, a few hours straight before I stopped.
Looking at the new location after traversing what couldn't be anything less than hundreds of miles, I groaned, as everything was the exact same. "Am I going crazy, or has the scenery not changed in like the past few days?"
After escaping the hail storm, which I endured for a solid week, possibly the worst time of my life, I ended up in this calm sea and clear sky; while it was much better compared to the hail storm, I was starting to feel suspicious that the scenery hadn't changed in the slightest.
'Compared to the size of the ocean, the distance you've covered is minuscule, Master.' Zartha's words held some weight; this world, Azarath, was much bigger than Earth, so even though I'd covered several thousand miles these past two weeks, I suppose I shouldn't expect a change in scenery. After all, the ocean isn't like land; how many different seascapes could it possibly have?
"Yeah, I guess. Suppose you're right, Zartha." Suspiciously eyeing the ocean, I sighed and meditated, absorbing the atmospheric mana to continue the cycle.
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Few Days Later
"Okay, guys, I don't take much pride in my intelligence, BUT, I'm pretty sure some fuckery is taking place." Tapping my fingers atop Trina, I stared at the surroundings, which hadn't changed in nearly two weeks; either I was absurdly lucky and happened to enter a massive calm belt in the ocean, or something else.
'There ain't even any wind here; how'd I only realize that until now?' It's like this place was frozen, no waves, no wind, not even clouds. 'Hmm, I think I may know where we are, Master.' "Oh, thank you, something. So, what do you have?" 'I believe you've wandered into the Abandoned Tranquility Sea.'
"Abandoned Tranquility Sea? I kind of get the name. What is that?" 'It's a location in Azarath where everything is unmoving; it's a place where all the oceans in the world collide into one, creating a large, calm sea where nothing happens.'
"I would honestly expect the opposite." 'Understandable. Because there are four oceans, the collision creates an equal force on each side, creating a square sea of pure tranquility.' Nodding, understanding Zartha's reason, I observed my surroundings once more.
"Okay, that only answers half the question; why hasn't the scenery changed at all in like 12 days?" 'Because the specific Tranquility Sea we're in is the abandoned one.'
"Wait, specific? You mean to tell me there are multiple seas like this? Why didn't you say anything before?" Picking up Zartha, I shot her a look, smacking her against the boat, leaving a dent behind in the boat.
'As it was pointless, Master. If this were a normal Tranquility Sea, you would have no problems crossing it; they only pose trouble to ships without a mana engine. Tell me, Master, have you experienced any trouble traversing the sea?' Grumbling at her question, I bit down on her, only to briefly rub my jaw in pain.
"Hmph, so this sea is different than the others, how so?" 'Basically, we're stuck in an infinite loop.' "W-What?" 'Actually, a maze would be a better way to describe it… The water currents within a Tranquility Sea are supposed to be non-existent, but somehow, in the Abandoned Tranquility Sea, very weak currents flow about, not enough to move a ship, but if you go against it, it'll push back, causing you to unknowingly deviate from the intended path.'
"You're shitting me, right? So, I'm basically stuck here?" I leaned back, eyeing the sky. 'No, not necessarily. As I said, this place is akin to a maze; the currents flow in every direction. If you can find the current flowing in the direction you want and ride it, you'll escape.'
"How am I supposed to do that? I can't read the flow of the ocean, I'm not a mermaid." Sitting up, I clicked my tongue, staring at the ocean, trying to discern something, anything. 'You don't need to read the ocean, Master! Just the water mana! Watch the direction they flow; they'll move like people in a city!'
Hearing Trina's enthusiastic idea, which sounded plausible, I decided to give it a shot; leaning over the edge, I stared at the ocean with [Heroes Gaze]. Seeing the breathing view of the atmospheric mana, which I've long gotten used to, I ignored everything else, focusing on the gaseous form of water mana that flowed through the ocean.
Widening my view, I looked into the distance, noticing several other flows of current, some gently colliding and fizzling out, others continuing farther beyond the horizon. "W-Woah." I could feel my eyes widen in astonishment, and I wasn't alone. 'My goodness.' Sensing the same slack-jawed disbelief emanating from Zartha, I slicked my back, using my hand to steady myself.
"I-I think. I think that's the first time Trina has ever given a good explanation." 'I-I can't believe it. After thousands of years, my sister has finally shown growth.' The pride, joy, and shock were palpable in Zartha's voice, and even I felt a bit of it.
'Hmph, you two are meanies! I give good advice.' Huffing in defiance, Trina vanished from the conversation, leaving our emotions to stew. I didn't stay astonished for long; after a few minutes, I grabbed Zartha, using her as a paddle to guide the boat into the currents.
"Man, this is going to take forever." Sighing, I carefully paddled, steering the boat.
Days passed just like this. As I grew more accustomed, I'd use the old method to increase my speed, though since I was using heroes gaze, my mana drained a bit faster than usual, but it was nothing excessive; I probably only lost about ten or so minutes.
Weeks passed, and eventually, I began to see a change. In the distance, the usual clear, sunny sky started to show signs of darkish clouds, and as I drew ever closer, a strained smile made its way onto my face. On the one hand, I was happy to see a change in the scenery, but I was upset at what I was seeing.
"Is that another hailstorm?" Removing Zartha from the water, I looked in the distance, eyeing the dark clouds and curtain of hail. 'Surrounding every Tranquility Sea is a hailstorm; think of it like a hurricane with the Tranquility Sea as the eye.' "C'mon, man, can't things just be simple for once? I can't catch a damn break."
Heaving a deep sigh, I scratched my overgrown beard, gazing at my destination with hate-filled eyes. "Tch, let's just get this over with." Steering the boat through the rest of the current, after several more hours, I finally escaped the Abandoned Tranquility Sea, though just as I did, the sea rapidly turned violent, forming massive waves while the curtain of hail slammed down onto me.
"Ha ha, yay, I escaped." Using [Mana Enhancement] to fortify the boat, I looked up at the sky, watching as the aggressive, growing waves. I ended up crashing into it. Of course, I managed to get the boat back onto the surface, though by then I could already sense the monsters heading straight towards me. Gnashing my teeth, I grabbed Zartha, holding her tight.
"Not again! Fine! COME AT ME!"