The compass was no longer an instrument. It was a living, throbbing, angry thing. Its red light glowed like a warning, like a siren, and with every pulse, Aarav felt a strange discomfort in his chest. It wasn't a normal discomfort; it was a piercing sting, as if a thorn was slowly being pushed into his heart.
"Get away from it, Aarav!" Liora shouted, and in a natural reaction, she pulled him back.
As Aarav's hand was removed from the compass, its pulsing grew even more frantic. Its needle was now spinning so fast it looked like a blurry line.
"This... this is impossible," Liora said, her voice trembling. "The Tide Compass is connected to the purest Aether currents in the world. It can't be... tainted like this."
"Looks like someone made the impossible possible," Mara said, reloading her steam-gun. Her experienced eyes were on the unconscious pirates. "That bastard said his master could control the Tide currents. He wasn't joking."
Kael, who had been silent until now, stepped forward. He didn't touch the compass, but simply held his hand over it, as if feeling its heat. "This isn't random," he said in a calm voice. "There's a rhythm to its pulse. Look."
Everyone looked closely. Kael was right. The red light was pulsing in a specific pattern—two short beats, then a long one. Thump-thump... THUD. Thump-thump... THUD.
"It's a signal," Kael stated. "Someone is showing us that they can control our map whenever and however they want."
This realization was far more terrifying than the joy of winning the fight. Their only guide, their greatest weapon, had now become a toy in the hands of their enemy.
Liora gathered her courage. "Let me try to fix it."
She closed her eyes and placed her hands over the compass. The same soft, green light began to emanate from her fingers—the life-giving energy of the Verdant Sigil. She was trying to channel that energy into the compass, to soothe it, to heal it.
But as soon as the green light touched the compass's red aura, a small explosion erupted. CRACK!
Liora cried out in pain and stumbled back. A black, burn-like mark had appeared on her fingers. "It's... it's rejecting my power," she said in disbelief. "It's spitting out pure Aether like it's poison."
Now everyone understood they were in a kind of trouble that couldn't be solved with a sword or a gun.
"Let's go to the village elder," Aarav said suddenly. Everyone looked at him. There was a new resolve in his voice. "He was the one who told me the compass would choose me. Maybe he knows how to save it."
In his hut, the village elder looked at the throbbing compass. His wrinkled eyes held the wisdom of centuries, but today, they also held clear concern.
"This is the work of Shadow Aether," he said without touching the compass. "This isn't just an attack on its magic; it's an attack on its soul. Someone doesn't want to break your compass, Tideborne. They want to claim it. They want to lead you down a false path to your death."
"So there's no cure?" Liora asked, disappointed.
"There is always a cure, child," the elder said. "But it is not easy. The heart of the compass, its core, is still pure. But its veins, which connect it to the Tide-lines, have been poisoned. You must take it to a place where Aether exists in its rawest, most powerful form. A place that will burn this Shadow Aether's poison to ash."
"What place is that?" Mara asked impatiently.
The elder closed his eyes, as if remembering something. "To the northwest, in the pirates' territory, there is an island called 'Iron Reef.' It is a barren, dangerous place, filled with jagged rocks and rusted fortresses. But beneath that island... a dormant marine volcano sleeps. The blacksmiths there use its heat to power their forges. That heat... is Aether in its purest form. Fire burns away all impurities."
Mara took a deep breath. "Iron Reef. The pirate stronghold. You're sending us straight into the wolves' den."
"You have no other choice," the elder said. "Either you go to the wolves' den, or you carry this throbbing poison with you forever."
No one slept that night. A strange silence hung over the deck of the Starling Gale. Aarav stood at the ship's railing, looking at the red compass. He felt like he was looking at his own failure.
"This is all because of me," he said softly, knowing that Liora had come to stand behind him.
"No," Liora said, standing beside him. "It didn't happen because of you; it happened for you. There's a big difference."
She was quiet for a moment, then said, "I'm sorry, Aarav. I'm a healer, I should have been able to fix it, but I..."
"You did your best," Aarav interrupted. He looked at Liora. In the moonlight, her eyes held a deep sadness, and Aarav didn't like seeing her that way.
He did something he had never done before. He reached out and took Liora's hand in his, the one with the burn mark.
"When I was fighting that pirate," Aarav said softly, "I felt the same hatred and fear I used to feel in my world. It felt like I was back in that cage, a target."
He gently tightened his grip on Liora's hand and looked into her eyes. "But then I saw you. I saw Kael. I saw Mara. And for the first time... I wasn't alone. This time, it wasn't a cage, but something—someone—worth protecting."
It was a confession, something deeper than just friendship. Liora's eyes welled up, but she smiled. Today, she had seen the boy inside Aarav who had always wanted to come out—a warrior, a protector.
She gently pulled her hand away. A soft green light enveloped it, and in a moment, the black burn mark vanished, as if it had never been there.
"Your words," Liora whispered, "are more potent than any Verdant Sigil, Aarav."
The depth of that moment was broken by Mara's practical voice from the other side of the deck. "If you two are done mending each other, shall we prepare to leave at dawn? Iron Reef won't sail to us."
There was sarcasm in her voice, but a faint smile in her eyes.
Aarav looked towards the throbbing red compass. He wasn't afraid of it anymore. He was angry—at the unknown enemy who was striking from the shadows.
He stepped forward and picked up the compass. The red light fell on his face, making his calm eyes look dangerous for a moment.
He looked at his new friends, who were now his family.
"Yes," he said, his voice firm. "Let's go to the wolves' den."
His decision was made. They were going to let this Shadow Master know that the Tideborne was no longer a lonely, scared boy. He was a storm, and it was just beginning.