"What do you guys think really happened up there?" Flavian asked once they had returned to their cabin and settled into their beds.
Olivia leaned back slightly, arms folded. "Not sure… but I can't shake the feeling they were aiming at something. Just before we came down, Croix had this irritated look on his face, and he was staring south."
Lucious exhaled, resting his elbows on his knees. "Whatever it was, it's a reminder of how dangerous these seas are. If something like that is out here…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "It's not something we can afford to ignore."
"Yeah, but that's exactly what bothers me," Flavian said, his brows knitting together. "They lied about it. Why lie about something that could affect everyone?"
Lucious gave a quiet, humorless chuckle. "Good question. Wrong people to ask, though. And something tells me the ones who do know won't be saying anything." He glanced toward the door before continuing, his tone lowering. "The best thing we can do is play along and act as we believe them. But stay sharp."
Flavian studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Fair point."
One by one, they lay down, the soft creak of the wooden bunks filling the silence.
"Good night," Olivia murmured.
"Night," Lucious replied.
Flavian said nothing, already closing his eyes.
The lamps were turned off, plunging the cabin into darkness as the gentle sway of the ship carried them.
Far from the vessel, suspended within the vast expanse of night, the butterfly-shaped object drifted silently through the air.
Its wings had returned to their original form, delicate, almost natural in appearance, as it followed the ship from a distance, neither gaining nor falling behind.
A faint glow pulsed at its center.
"It seems infusing this creation with Everfrost Steel was the correct decision."
The voice did not come from anywhere, and yet it emanated from the construct itself. A cold, measured tone, devoid of warmth.
A bright blue gleam flickered where its eyes should have been.
Then, slowly
The light shifted.
Blue… to violet.
And the creature continued its silent pursuit.
The trio was soon awakened by a firm knock at their cabin door.
"Captain's calling for you," a crewmate's voice came from the other side.
Lucious groaned softly as he pushed himself up. "Oh… the sun's up already, is it?"
Olivia and Flavian stirred as well, both rising and quickly straightening themselves out. After a short while, the three made their way up to the deck.
The first thing they noticed
The ship had stopped.
Lucious walked over to the railing and glanced down. The anchor had been cast deep into the ocean, its chain taut against the gentle pull of the waves. He returned to the others just as they approached Demba, who stood at the bow of the ship, gazing toward the horizon.
"There is your destination," Demba said, tilting his head slightly toward the land ahead.
In the distance, a town came into view.
"That's Alten, I presume?" Lucious asked.
Demba gave a single nod. "And remember, at best, I'll remain in this area for four to five days. Make good use of your time."
Before they could respond, Croix approached, his usual relaxed demeanor returning. "Whenever you're ready, Tybar will carry you over," he said, resting a hand on the shoulder of the same crewmate who had escorted them the night before.
The trio nodded in understanding. Without another word, the captain and his crew dispersed, leaving the bow quiet once more.
Lucious turned to Olivia. "So… when are we going?"
"Soon," she replied. "We need to eat and prepare for whatever's waiting there."
Both he and Flavian nodded, and the three headed off to make ready.
Some time later, they returned to the deck and found Tybar waiting by a small boat, calmly sharpening his blade. The rhythmic scrape of whetstone against steel carried faintly over the sea breeze.
"Are you lot ready?" he asked without looking up.
"Yes," Flavian answered.
Tybar slid the blade back into its scabbard and gestured toward the boat. "Then get in."
Once the three were seated, Tybar called out, "Santon! Come here for a second!"
Another crewmate approached, and Tybar stepped into the boat with them. "Lower us into the ocean."
Santon began operating the lever. The boat creaked softly as it descended, ropes unwinding until it met the surface below. The moment it touched water, it began to sway gently with the tide.
Tybar reached back and unhooked the rear latch. "Front," he said, glancing at Olivia.
She nodded and removed the hook securing the front.
With that, Tybar took up the oars and began paddling toward the shore.
As they drew closer, Alten revealed itself, and what they saw was far from welcoming.
Buildings stood broken and hollow, many reduced to little more than crumbling shells. Others leaned at unnatural angles, as though barely holding themselves together. Not a single sign of life stirred within the town.
No voices.
No movement.
Nothing.
"Wow… that's awful," Olivia murmured.
"Tis the handiwork of the Decayer," Tybar replied grimly, not slowing his strokes.
Flavian frowned. "And what exactly does this 'Decayer' do to cause… this?"
"He drains life," Tybar said simply. "That's all we know. And frankly, that's enough."
Silence fell over them as the shoreline crept closer, the weight of his words settling in.
The boat scraped lightly against the sand.
Tybar steadied it before looking back at them. "Alright. Here we are. I'll be waiting out here for most of the time. I'll only head back at night and return each morning for as long as your allotted days last."
One by one, they stepped out onto the shore.
The trio began walking deeper into the town.
Up close, Alten felt even worse.
The air was heavy, unmoving like the place itself had forgotten how to breathe. Buildings loomed in various stages of collapse, yet something about them felt… wrong. Not just abandoned, but stalled.
Lucious slowed, his eyes narrowing as something caught his attention.
"Hey… guys. Look at this."
Olivia and Flavian moved toward him, their footsteps cautious against the lifeless ground. When they followed his gaze
They froze.
Before them stood a building mid-collapse.
Its upper structure had already given way, bricks and stone spilling outward but the debris never reached the ground. Chunks of wood and fractured masonry hung suspended in the air, caught in the exact moment of falling.
Perfectly still.
"You've got to be joking…" Flavian muttered, disbelief etched across his face.
Olivia stepped closer, her eyes scanning the frozen wreckage. "When Madra and Bordroy said the western lands were frozen in time…" she said slowly, "they meant that literally."
A faint creak echoed somewhere in the distance, though nothing actually moved.
Flavian exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around. "Also… is it just me, or are these buildings' color schemes a bit off-putting?"
Lucious shook his head. "No. I was thinking the same thing."
He pointed upward toward the rooftops.
"They're wrong."
Both of them followed his gesture.
"If there's one thing I know," Lucious continued, "those roofs should be red or at least some shade of it. That's just how they're made." His voice lowered slightly. "But these…"
The rooftops were dull.
Lifeless.
A uniform grey, as if the color had been drained straight out of them.
"…they've completely lost it," he finished.
Olivia's gaze hardened as she looked around the silent town once more. "So not only is time distorted here…"
"…but even the world itself is being stripped away," Flavian added quietly.
No wind blew.
No dust shifted.
Even the air felt like it had been caught just like the falling debris.