'A threat to my life…?'
The first thing that crossed his mind was that they would soon face a powerful creature. However, after thinking it through for a moment, he had a pretty good idea of where the danger was really coming from.
But as he walked down the corridor, a strange lethargy washed over him. With each step, his thoughts became more scattered, unfocused.
When he reached his cabin, a haze settled over his memories. He forgot what had happened.
It was human nature to fill gaps in memory with information that made sense, distorting the details of reality in the process.
"Hmm… I must've been heading back from the cafeteria. Yeah, probably."
Exhausted from the last few days, he chose to sleep for the rest of the day.
---
The next morning.
Waking up early, Eylan decided to walk around the ship. Why?
He felt a sense of farewell—soon they would reach the city, leaving the sea behind for a long time.
The thought made him uneasy. Being surrounded by the ocean now felt… familiar.
Almost like a lost home he had only just realized was his.
As he walked, he observed the people around him. Most looked anxious, but there was also a light in their eyes—like soldiers returning home after years of war. Relief was written all over their faces.
Eylan sat in a corner where the sunlight reached. He felt the warmth brush against his skin while the gentle salty breeze carried the taste of new horizons.
The ship sailed on, cutting through the waves.
---
The sky was already painted a deep blue when the military vessel finally reached the coast. Weak waves crashed against the steel pillars of the dock, but they weren't the loudest sound there.
What dominated everything was the constant roar of the maritime wall's defenses—gigantic machines, heavy, almost alive.
Eylan looked up.
Automated towers swept the empty ocean with rotating sensors, crackling with electricity as they analyzed distortions in the fabric of reality.
Tactical floodlights sliced through the mist, beams searching for even the smallest vibrations beneath the sea.
Farther ahead, a line of resonance barriers pulsed rhythmically, like a massive metallic heart trying to keep the ocean from swallowing the coast whole.
That sight should've inspired a sense of safety.
But all Eylan felt was… unease.
"How can humans, even without powers, create something this terrifying? I guess this kind of tech is only possible thanks to some special Aspect…"
Without warning, he felt a pull.
Not from outside—but from within. His Sea of the Soul reacted, an echo of crashing waves rising from deep inside him.
He inhaled and exhaled, catching the smell of gunpowder and scorched steel. He let the breath out slowly, trying to shake off the suffocating sensation.
"I guess I really am a sea lover in the end…
What a joke."
He kept walking.
---
When he reached the screening area, a voice boomed from the back, barking orders.
"All passengers disembark! Single file! Contamination test, now!"
The officer's harsh voice echoed as soldiers surrounded the passengers—many of them mentally and physically exhausted.
Eylan moved forward with steady steps, even though his mind was racing.
'Feels like I'm in some military movie. Should I enlist in the army or something…
Nah, no way.'
Amused by his own thoughts, he joined the line.
While waiting, he noticed something odd.
Several knights were moving through the area—they belonged to Clan Valor.
They circled the place a few times, clearly searching for something. In the end, they found nothing and left.
'They're probably on some mission or whatever.' Eylan didn't think much of it.
The line moved.
Inside a steel hangar, dozens of machines waited.
"Next," a soldier said.
Eylan hesitated for a moment, afraid something might go wrong.
But in the end, he stepped forward.
The machine was relatively small, with a hand-shaped slot. A bluish glow shone from inside, seemingly powered by essence crystals.
He placed his hand on the essence reader.
The machine buzzed. The blue light intensified… flickered… then turned lilac.
The soldier frowned.
"…High essence concentration?"
"Is that normal?" Eylan asked, trying to sound casual despite the unusual result.
"No—but it's probably due to the essence density in the sea."
Eylan frowned slightly.
"The sea?"
The soldier explained.
"The oceans have become dangerous. After all, they cover most of the planet. Most portals open at the bottom of the sea."
He continued.
"Unfortunately, water is still the best means of transportation. That's why the House of Night clan is so valuable. They protect the ships and keep global trade alive."
Looking back at the machine, Eylan wondered whether the anomaly was due to his Divine Aspect—or simply the long journey at sea.
"Proceed," the soldier finally said.
Eylan gave a short nod and moved on.
---
The fortress was massive, its corridors forming steel labyrinths.
Natural light illuminated the paths, with reinforced glass windows acting as barriers—symbolic ones, at best, meant only to delay creatures.
An Awakened could break through in minutes.
Fallen creatures would take seconds.
Corrupted ones…
There was no point even thinking about it.
Using his communicator, Eylan headed toward the station.
On the way, outside, a scream split the air.
Eylan instinctively looked toward the sea.
Something—small, thin, almost human in silhouette—emerged from the water. A low-level Nightmare creature, displaced into the real world.
The towers reacted instantly.
TRANK— TRANK— TRANK—
Gunfire erupted from all directions, as if thousands of soldiers were firing at once.
The power was terrifying—enough to wipe out entire human armies. And yet, it was still insignificant compared to truly powerful Nightmare creatures.
Still, for this monster… it was enough.
The creature was pulverized before it even touched the concrete.
Some civilians applauded. Others prayed to the dead gods.
Eylan just watched in silence.
Then he murmured:
"This is what the world does to weak Nightmares…
and to weak people too."
His voice was low, almost a whisper to himself.
"…That's why I need to be stronger."