Ruby shouted over the rushing wind, "We still have to fly for another hour at this same pace!"
Alex nodded, grinning. "Darcy! We've got the same hell ahead of us for one more hour!"
They cut through the last streaks of the storm zone. And then light. The roaring sky split open to reveal brilliant sunlight.
Alex laughed, voice rising with the wind. "Darcy! This is what I wanted to show you!"
Darcy let out a thunderous roar, echoing joy back into the heavens. With wild delight, the dragon dove low, skimming the ocean surface. Alex held on, laughing like a boy lost in summer. The two of them played in the open sky, skipping along the waves like kids in a fantasy.
Ruby watched from above, chuckling, when Leo swooped in, joining the game. The sky was suddenly filled with roars and laughter dragons and tigers dancing through the clouds.
Then they saw it: a massive, opulent ship sailing across the ocean like a floating palace.
Ruby pointed. "Alex! Let's land on that ship!"
Alex looked over with a lopsided grin. "You go ahead. Me and Darcy are still playing!"
Ruby and Gwen veered toward the ship. As they approached, soldiers on deck raised their weapons instantly, aiming at the new arrivals.
"Drop your weapons!" Ruby shouted, pulling off her hood. "I am Rebecca Deviaus Arclight Princess of the Arclight Kingdom!"
The soldiers paused, confused. "But Lady Rebecca…?"
"It's fine," she said calmly. "Lower your weapons. He's my companion."
Leo landed gracefully on the top deck. At once, the soldiers dropped to one knee.
"Welcome back, Lady Rebecca," one said reverently.
Rebecca nodded, offering a faint, awkward smile. "Please, rise. This banquet isn't for royalty it's for peace. Forgive the sudden arrival."
Nobles and royals began to gather, gasping and fussing over her return.
Then a shadow crossed the sun.
A massive creature soared in the sky Darcy. Rebecca's eyes narrowed.
She turned to the guards sharply. "Listen carefully. If that boy and his beast approach, do not raise your weapons. No matter what. If you startle Leo… he will get wild."
The guards exchanged glances and nodded silently.
All eyes turned upward as Alex and Darcy glided down. Alex had taken off his shirt, letting the ocean spray wash over him. Darcy floated lazily, wings spread, while Alex scrubbed off mud from her scales.
"Darcy," he said, laughing. "We've got to get all this crap off you before we meet royalty."
Once she was clean, they followed the ship. Eyes widened. Murmurs spread. A shirtless young man with battle-scarred muscle and a divine aura the sight was something from legend.
"Leo!" Alex called. "Get down here, time for your bath!"
Every noble blinked. A bath? For that flame-horned, sky-tearing tiger?
Leo landed, huffing, but the moment Alex approached, the beast backed away like a child caught stealing candy.
"Wait," someone whispered. "Isn't he supposed to be fearless?"
Alex chuckled, unfazed. "Sorry for the trouble. But the big guy here needs his bath."
A princess stepped forward. "But he doesn't want it!"
"He hates baths more than anything," Alex admitted, grabbing Leo's wing and hauling him onto Darcy's floating back.
Leo growled low but didn't resist. Alex started scrubbing, laughing, drenched in sunlight and seawater.
From the top deck, Rebecca leaned over the railing, voice rising. "Alex! What are you doing? He can clean himself!"
Alex looked up and shouted, "Hey Ruby! You look like a real princess now! Mind asking the guards for some towels for me and Leo?"
Ruby smiled in disbelief. And before anyone could speak, she tossed down a vial.
Alex caught it midair. "Oh-ho! Soap?" He popped the cap and lathered it into his hands. "Fancy stuff."
After washing up, Alex summoned a gust of wind with a flick of his hand, drying Leo in seconds. The tiger leapt up onto the deck and collapsed, growling playfully at Ruby.
She crossed her arms. "You're acting like we didn't almost lose you! Do you even realize how worried we were?!"
Alex landed softly in front of her and slumped into a deck chair. "You look good, Ruby."
She sighed and started drying his hair with a towel. "Idiot."
Everyone stared at them Rebecca wiping water from Alex's face, her touch tender. The moment hung heavy in the air.
Alex looked up. "Ruby, I'm starving."
She saw it all the women practically leaning forward, eyes hungry, as if they could peel him apart with their gaze. The men stood quieter, but no less intent, studying the scars on his body like they were reading a legend written in flesh.
Something in her expression hardened.
She stepped forward and threw the towel over him.
"Cover up, Alex."
Her voice was calm but edged.
"You're drawing too much attention."
Alex smirked. "Yes, Princess."
A priest stepped forward, robes marked with ancient glyphs. "Are you Alexander Foster Cane?"
Alex tilted his head. "Ruby, give me a moment with him. Go talk with your friends."
The priest bowed. "I am Mathew, of the Holy Knights. Sent to serve you by order of the High Father."
Alex raised an eyebrow. Mathew bowed again. "Prince of Heaven, your knight at your service."
"I seek information about Lady Rebecca's family. And their current status."
Alex's smile faded. "Then come with me. We've got things to discuss."
He turned to Leo. "Stay with Rebecca. She could be in danger."
With a shimmer, Leo shrank into a cub-sized version of himself and scampered to Rebecca's side.
Rebecca blinked. "Wait… a priest from the Holy Knights? With you?"
Alex chuckled. "Great-grandpa sent help. And Leo needs company he gets fuzzy when I'm gone."
Mathew bowed deeply to Rebecca.
She frowned. "Mathew. Don't bow to me. You're the man who speaks with Light itself. Just nod. That's enough."
Mathew straightened. "Lady Rebecca… I shall escort Sir Alex myself, with clothing and supplies."
Rebecca nodded, glaring at Alex. "Idiot. Don't start a fight with anyone."
Alex grinned and started walking away. "No promises. Unless it's a pufferfish."
After Rebecca went down with everyone, Alex stared at the sky. "I promise to protect her and return her to her family!"
Mathew looked at Alex and said, "Then leave Lady Rebecca to us!"
"Mathew! She saw the thing she can't see! Heard the thing she can't hear! A lot of carp was waiting for us at her home!" Alex exclaimed.
Mathew nodded. "Okay, Prince! Leave the information to me."
"How long does it take to reach our stop?" Alex asked.
"Five days, to reach Port Clasour!"
Mathew took Alex to his room and handed him clothes. After changing, Alex headed toward the ball.
In the ballroom, everyone was bustling and talking. A boy began walking down the stairs black hair, brown eyes, long white coat, a sword in his hand, looking every bit like a royal prince.
Everyone stared as if a prince had stepped out of a legend.
Alex ignored them completely and stopped behind Rebecca.
"Ruby, food. Now. I'm starving."
She turned, blinked twice, then her cheeks turned pink.
"Wait… you're Alex?" she said, half-laughing. "You're usually covered in mud. Since when do you look… like that?"
"Come on! You already fed Leo and yourself! You forgot us!" he said.
She came back to consciousness, held Alex's hand, and dragged him to the dining table. "Eat what you want!"
Alex laughed. "I don't even know how to eat with forks and knives!"
She started laughing at him. Alex stared at her. "Hey, I'm hungry and angry!"
She stopped laughing and began feeding him. Alex chewed the food carefully.
She fed Alex like he was a small child. After finishing, she said, "I need sleep! Okay, bye! Talk to them!"
She nodded at him. "Okay, go to your room!"
Alex walked the ship deck, looking at Leo. He walked to a resting chair, and Leo settled beside him.
Night blanketed the sky in velvet blue, stars scattered like shattered glass across the heavens. Alex sat quietly in a reclining chair, reading comics under the constellations. Somewhere between laughter panels and starry thoughts, sleep crept in and took him gently.
By morning, the first blush of dawn kissed the clouds. Alex stirred awake and was startled to find Rebecca curled beside him, asleep her arm wrapped protectively around him.
Nearby, Leo stood like a silent sentinel, eyes alert, never letting a soul come near them.
After shaking off the stiffness of the night, Alex stepped onto the deck, exchanging a few quiet words with the crew, gathering fragments of information about Arclight.
Then, without much thought, he pulled off his shirt.
Gripping the overhead beam, he lifted himself into a slow, steady rhythm of pull-ups. No strain. No noise. Just controlled motion, like his body had done this a thousand times before.
Minutes passed.
Sweat formed, sliding down his skin in thin lines, catching the morning light. It didn't make him look flashy it made him look real. The scars stood out more now, not hidden, not softened… just there, like pieces of a story no one in this place understood.
People started noticing.
At first, just glances. Then longer stares.
A few ladies drifted closer, whispering, laughing softly. One reached out, brushing his arm as if testing whether he was real. Another circled slightly, eyes tracing the lines of his body without shame.
Even the men watched quieter, but no less intent, studying the scars with something closer to respect than curiosity.
Alex slowed, dropping lightly back onto the deck, clearly unsure what to do with the sudden attention.
From a distance, Rebecca saw everything.
The way they looked at him.
The way they moved closer.
The way he stood there completely unaware of what he was doing to the room.
Her expression shifted.
Not loud. Not dramatic.
Just… tight.
She walked forward, cutting straight through the small crowd. Without a word, she grabbed a cloth and threw it over his shoulders.
"Cover up, Alex."
Her voice was calm but edged.
"You're drawing too much attention."
The laughter around them faded just a little.
Over time, Alex grew closer to the crew. Faces became familiar. Names became allies. His mission to collect vital information never left his mind.
Rebecca, on the other hand, was constantly swarmed. Daughters of noble houses, ladies of rank, even emissaries from other kingdoms all drawn to her aura.
Finally, the ship docked. The port bustled with life, and the wind tasted like salt and possibility.
"There," Mathew pointed at a man sitting casually at the edge of the dock, chewing bread. "That's your assigned holy knight already waiting. He'll follow your orders."
Alex nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Mathew. I won't forget your help."
Mathew stepped back with dignity, then dropped to one knee. "Thank you for trusting me, Prince."
Alex gave a warm smile. "Signing off, Mathew. Let's meet when fate allows us."