The sea felt different once we left them behind.
Not rough.
Not calm.
Just… quiet.
Ripple cut through the water at full speed, his massive body slicing waves cleanly as if the sea itself parted for him. Wind lashed against my face, salt stinging my lips, my coat snapping violently behind me. Above Ripple's back, Spruce sat tight on my shoulder, gripping my coat with one hand while the Log Pose trembled faintly in the other.
Neither of us spoke.
Behind us—
Elbaf grew smaller.
Gray.
Hajrudin.
The Naglfar.
I didn't look back again.
If I did, I knew I'd hesitate.
And hesitation was something I couldn't afford anymore.
"…Two hours," I muttered under my breath.
Spruce peeked down at the Log Pose. "If Ripple keeps this pace… maybe less—resu."
Ripple let out a short, sharp cry, like he understood the praise.
"Yeah," I said quietly. "You're fast. I know."
The wind howled louder.
Unfortunately, my mind did the opposite.
It got loud inside.
---
Gray's arm, reaching out.
Spruce freezing in place.
Ripple crying as the whirlpool dragged him down.
And Hajrudin's words, heavy and strange, settling into me like a weight I hadn't shaken off.
" You're brave… like your far, far late brother."
"…Brave," I scoffed under my breath.
The word tasted hollow.
Spruce tilted his head, ears twitching. "Captain?"
I shook my head. "Nothing."
That was a lie.
Everything was something.
---
The system screen flickered again.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just… there.
[Trust Skill — Condensed Activation]
Duration: 1 Day
Cost: Deferred
Warning: Payment will be claimed later
I stared at the words longer than I should have.
"…Deferred," I whispered.
Spruce noticed my expression instantly. "You okay—resu?"
"Yeah," I replied too quickly. "Just… thinking."
Thinking about how easy it was to accept power without knowing the price.
Thinking about how often I agreed before reading the fine print.
Typical me.
"…I won't mess this up," I said suddenly.
Spruce blinked. "Eh—?"
"I won't," I repeated, firmer now.
"Not like before."
He stared at me for a moment, then nodded, calm and certain.
"I believe you, Captain-resu."
That hit harder than any system warning ever could.
Not because of the skill.
Because Spruce always believed me.
I didn't know how much of that belief was really mine.
And how much of it had been… nudged.
That scared me more than the price ever could.
---
The sea stretched endlessly beneath us.
Spruce and I moved above Ripple, no ship beneath our feet — just balance, momentum, and trust. Far below, Ripple surged forward like a living current, loyal and relentless, never once slowing unless I told him to.
Time passed.
Slowly… the climate changed.
The air sharpened.
Cold crept in, biting through my clothes, each breath burning slightly in my chest. Fog rolled low over the sea, thick and heavy. Then—
Icebergs.
Massive, silent giants drifted through the mist, their pale forms barely visible until we were dangerously close. Ripple swerved hard, water spraying high into the air, but one iceberg loomed too close.
For a split second, it felt like we were going to crash—
—but then—
Warm eddies.
The sea temperature shifted violently. Steam hissed upward as cold water clashed with sudden warmth, Ripple pulled into a swirling pocket where heat and frost fought for dominance. The transition was instant. Unnatural.
Like the sea itself was warning us.
Ripple suddenly slowed.
Not because I told him to.
Because something beneath us shifted.
The pressure in my ears spiked, like the ocean itself was holding its breath. The waves around Ripple flattened unnaturally—no splash, no foam.
Spruce's grip on my coat tightened.
That's when it happened.
The water in front of us split apart.
Not violently.
Not randomly.
Deliberately.
Metal surfaced first. Then flesh. Then something modern and wrong in its design.
A Sea Beast Weapon rose from the depths — enormous, hybrid, its eyes glowing faintly as if locking onto us specifically. The ocean around it fell unnaturally silent, waves flattening, wind dying down.
I looked up at it.
And smirked.
"…Of course," I muttered.
"...Bruhhh."