Open sea stretched endlessly in every direction.
The Iskandar Peaks were long gone behind them, swallowed by distance and darkness. Out here, there were no landmarks—no mountains, no coastlines, no reassuring silhouettes. Just black water rolling beneath a starless sky, the moon veiled behind thin clouds that dulled its light.
The ship sailed on regardless.
Its lanterns cast pale halos across the waves, reflections breaking and reforming with every rise and fall of the sea. The wind had died down, leaving behind an unsettling calm—the kind that pressed against the ears until even the creak of wood sounded too loud.
Noel was mid-deck when it happened.
A sharp sound cut through the night.
A wet crack—followed by a scream that cut off too abruptly.
Noel's head snapped toward the port side.
A sailor staggered backward near the railing, eyes wide, mouth open in shock. Something dark protruded from his chest—thin, jagged, glistening under the lantern light.
Then it yanked back.
