Lanterns lined the harbor walls, gold and sapphire reflections rippling across the water as our ship limped back into port. The sails were torn in places, ropes frayed, deck scarred by claw marks and scorch lines. We were worse.
Soaked. Bruised. Bleeding.
But standing.
I leaned against the railing as the hull scraped gently against the dock, water dripping from my hair, my clothes heavy with salt. My sword rested against my shoulder, lightning still faintly crawling along the blade before finally fading out, as if it too was exhausted.
My arms trembled—not from fear, not anymore—but from the aftermath of holding myself together when the sea tried to tear us apart.
The gangplank dropped.
And the first person I saw was Instructor Aldred.
He stood at the edge of the dock, coat thrown over one shoulder, expression already hardening the moment his eyes swept over us. Then confusion hit. Then shock. Then anger—sharp, quiet, contained.
"…What," he said slowly, eyes narrowing as he took in our condition, "did you all do."
Seraphyne waved weakly. "Hi, Instructor."
Kai gave a thumbs-up. Immediately regretted it. "We're alive."
Aldred's gaze snapped to me. Then Kazen. Then Varein. Then Aelira, who was visibly shivering but stubbornly upright. Liraeth leaned heavily on her shield, plasma flickering weakly around her gauntlet. Liam had a makeshift bandage tied around his forearm. Theon's boots were cracked, still crusted with dried salt and blood. Arion looked like he'd been dragged across the ocean floor and then asked politely to stand again.
Aldred's jaw tightened.
"You're injured," he said flatly.
"We noticed," I replied, voice hoarse. Then, because I couldn't help it, I added, "Ocean hit harder than expected."
That earned a few weak snorts from behind me.
Aldred ran a hand through his hair. "I leave for one glass of wine."
"One very deserved glass," Kazen said quickly.
"And you come back looking like you challenged the sea itself."
I met his eyes. "We didn't challenge it."
I straightened, forcing my shoulders back despite the pain crawling up my spine.
"It came for us."
That did it.
Aldred exhaled sharply, the anger draining into something heavier. "Explain."
So we did.
The sail.
The calm.
The Leviacrest tearing through the water like living steel.
The sirens' voices curling into our ears, dragging at our minds.
The chaos of fighting in an element that didn't belong to us.
When we finished, silence stretched between us, filled only by the sound of waves hitting the dock.
Aldred closed his eyes.
"…I should have gone with you," he said quietly.
"No," Varein said at once.
"It wasn't your fault," Aelira added, hugging her arms around herself.
Kazen shook his head. "We asked for freedom. You gave it. This one's on us."
Aldred looked unconvinced.
I stepped forward before he could spiral further.
"Instructor," I said, meeting him head-on, "you didn't abandon us."
I tapped my sword against the dock, a sharp metallic sound cutting through the night.
"You trained us."
His eyes flickered.
"And today," I continued, "we learned the part training doesn't cover."
I glanced back at my classmates—exhausted, smiling faintly, still standing.
"That danger doesn't wait until you're ready," I said.
"And that knights don't get to choose when they're tested."
I let out a slow breath.
"But we passed."
Aldred studied me for a long moment. Then he gave a short, humorless laugh.
"…You're all unbelievable."
Seraphyne grinned. "We try."
He sighed, rubbing his temples. "I should scold you. Ground you. Ban ocean access for the rest of your lives."
Kai perked up. "That last one seems extreme—"
"—but," Aldred continued, cutting him off, "you survived. You adapted. You protected each other."
His gaze sharpened.
"And you came back alive."
That last part carried weight.
"Don't misunderstand," he added. "This doesn't mean you get careless."
Kazen nodded. "We know."
"The sea taught us," Liam said quietly.
Aldred studied us again, then finally nodded.
"Good," he said. "Because next time, the lesson might not let you leave."
We all felt that one settle into our bones.
The dockhands rushed forward then, murmuring in alarm at the state of the ship—and us. Towels were thrown our way. Someone shoved a blanket around Aelira's shoulders. Another offered bandages.
As the tension eased, exhaustion hit all at once.
Arion sat down hard on a crate. "I am never mocking fish again."
Liraeth leaned beside him. "Same."
Kai flopped onto the dock, staring up at the stars. "Ocean's terrifying. Beautiful. But terrifying."
Seraphyne plopped down beside him. "Worth it."
Theon snorted. "You tripped over a rope and screamed."
"That was tactical screaming," she shot back.
I couldn't help it.
I laughed.
It came out rough, half-broken, but real.
I looked around at them—this strange, loud, reckless group that somehow felt more like home than anywhere else I'd ever been.
Bloodied. Tired. Still joking.
Still together.
Aldred watched us quietly, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Then he spoke again, softer this time.
"Rest," he said. "Heal. Enjoy what peace you can."
His eyes met mine one last time.
"But don't forget what tonight showed you."
I nodded.
"We won't."
I glanced back toward the ocean, its dark surface calm now, innocent-looking, as if it hadn't tried to drown us less than an hour ago.
I tightened my grip on my sword.
"The sea doesn't care who you are," I murmured.
The lanterns flickered in the breeze.
And for the first time since setting foot in Newoaga, I felt something settle in my chest—not relief, not pride.
Resolve.
Summer wasn't just rest.
It was preparation.
I rested my forearms on the dock's railing as the noise slowly softened around us.
Newoaga at night was different.
The city hadn't gone to sleep—lanterns still glowed, ships creaked, distant laughter floated from taverns—but it had slowed. Like it was giving us space to breathe.
A dockhand finished tying the last rope and glanced at us again, eyes lingering on the torn sails and scorched deck. "You kids… should be dead," he muttered, half-awed, half-scolding.
Kai lifted his head from the dock planks. "We get that a lot."
That earned a few tired chuckles.
Aldred motioned for us to move. "Let's get you back to the villa before you collapse here and become a tourist attraction."
None of us argued.
We didn't take carriages.
Part of it was practicality—the streets closer to the port were too narrow. But part of it was unspoken. We needed the walk. Needed the time.
We moved through Newoaga's lantern-lit streets as a loose cluster, steps uneven, boots squelching faintly with each stride. The salt clung to us. My clothes were stiff, my hair still damp against my neck. Every muscle screamed when I moved too fast, so I didn't.
No one did.
Seraphyne walked beside me, quieter than usual. She hugged her elbows, pink aura completely gone, just… Seraphyne. Human. Tired.
"You scared me back there," she said suddenly, not looking at me.
I blinked. "I scared myself."
She huffed a weak laugh, then punched my arm—lightly. "Don't do that thing where you look like you're about to disappear."
I met her gaze. "I won't."
It wasn't a promise I fully understood yet—but it was one I meant.
Ahead of us, Kazen and Varein walked shoulder to shoulder, voices low. I couldn't hear everything, but I caught fragments.
"—resonance again—"
"—felt different this time—"
"—not out of control."
Kai walked a few steps behind them, unusually thoughtful, hands stuffed in his pockets. Every so often he glanced down at the faint scorch marks along his sleeves, like he was committing them to memory.
Aelira was wrapped in two blankets now, walking between Liam and Theon. Her teeth chattered—not from cold alone, I knew. Frost backlash always left her drained. Liam adjusted his pace so she didn't have to rush.
Arion limped dramatically.
"I swear," he groaned, "the ocean hates me personally."
Liraeth snorted. "You tried to headbutt a wave."
"It looked hostile."
We stopped at a small overlook halfway back—one that faced the harbor from above. Aldred raised a hand, signaling us to pause.
Below us, the water reflected the lanterns like shattered gold.
He didn't speak at first.
Then he said, "Tonight doesn't go in any report."
We looked at him.
"This," he continued, gesturing vaguely toward the sea, "wasn't a mission. It wasn't sanctioned. It wasn't clean."
His gaze sharpened. "But it was real."
I felt that settle into my spine.
"You fought outside your comfort," Aldred said. "Outside your element. And you didn't fall apart."
He turned slightly, looking at each of us in turn.
"Remember how that felt," he said. "Because one day, the battlefield won't give you the courtesy of land beneath your feet."
Kai swallowed.
Aldred's eyes softened—just a fraction. "You did well. But don't mistake survival for mastery."
Kazen bowed his head. "Understood."
Aldred nodded once. "Good. Now let's get you home."
The Drayle villa lights were still on when we returned.
The moment we stepped inside, chaos erupted.
Maids gasped. Someone dropped a tray. Another servant immediately started shouting for towels and healers. Mrs. Drayle appeared at the top of the stairs, took one look at us—
—and nearly fainted.
"Kazen Drayle!" she snapped, marching down with terrifying speed. "What happened to your guests?!"
Kazen winced. "Educational experience?"
She stared at him.
Then at me.
Then at the dried blood on Kai's sleeve.
"…You are all bathing," she declared. "Immediately. Before you ruin my floors and my sanity."
No one argued.
The villa's bathhouse was massive—separated by partitions, steam filling the air, stone floors warm beneath bare feet.
The moment I lowered myself into the water, every muscle finally gave up pretending it was fine.
I sank until the water reached my shoulders and exhaled.
Across the room, Kai did the same and let out an unholy groan. "I think I just unlocked a new level of pain."
Varein laughed softly. "You screamed louder than the sirens."
"That was intimidation."
Seraphyne splashed him.
Aelira leaned back against the stone edge, eyes half-closed. "I could sleep here."
Liraeth nodded. "Same."
Arion raised a hand weakly. "If I drown… tell my axe I loved it."
I smiled, watching the steam swirl above us, the tension finally bleeding out of the room.
This—this—was what peace looked like for us.
Not silence.
But shared exhaustion.
Later, wrapped in clean clothes and bandages, I stepped out onto the villa's balcony alone.
The ocean was visible even from here—a dark, endless stretch beyond the city lights.
My sword rested against the railing beside me. I placed a hand on the hilt, feeling the faint hum beneath the metal.
Today, I'd fought water with water.
And learned how small I still was.
I thought of Ignis. Of cramped streets and smoke-choked skies. Of never imagining I'd stand somewhere like this—alive, surrounded by people who would bleed for me without hesitation.
Footsteps approached.
Kazen joined me, leaning on the railing. "You okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
He smiled faintly. "You handled yourself well out there."
"So did you."
He shrugged. "Guess the ocean didn't scare us off."
I looked out at the horizon again. "It should have."
He laughed quietly. "Probably."
We stood there in comfortable silence.
Not heroes.
Not legends.
Just first-years who'd survived another day.
And somewhere deep in my chest, beneath the calm, something steady took root.
Not fear.
Not pride.
But certainty.
Summer was still young.