[Scene: Open Sea – Whisper's Light, Upper Mast – Post-Lunch]
The sun glinted off the water like shattered glass.
Atop the tallest mast, Arjun stood balanced like a statue, bow drawn, hair swept back by the wind.
Below, Kael shielded his eyes and shouted up with that usual mix of drama and grin.
Kael (calling up):
"Just shoot it down already."
No response — just focus.
Arjun narrowed his eyes.
Far below, a shadow breached the surface. Large. Scaled. Hungry.
He exhaled once.
The bowstring creaked.
The arrow shimmered — red-hot with elemental charge.
FWIP—
The shot ripped through the sky like lightning in a tunnel.
CRACK.
A single, wet thud echoed across the waves as the sea monster burst from the water — only to fall back, lifeless, pierced straight through the heart.
Blood foamed.
Silence followed.
Arjun (murmuring, proud):
"Anticipating the timing… that was the real challenge."
Kael pumped a fist from the deck.
Kael:
"Next time try closing your eyes while doing that. Spice it up!"
---
[Scene: Whisper's Light – Captain's Cabin, Afternoon]
Ashen lounged on the small bench inside the captain's room, sipping water, one leg up, the breeze rustling through the window.
Then — a knock.
He opened it.
Solis stood outside, arms folded.
Solis:
"Master Madhav's been below, marking out routes for hours now. Probably forgot his medicine again."
He nodded toward a wooden drawer near the wall.
Solis:
"Grab those. Top shelf."
Solis (over his shoulder):
"Better give those to him before he starts drawing a path through the continent."
Ashen sighed, slipped on his own slippers, grabbed the medicine, and made his way down the narrow staircase to the lower deck.
---
[Scene: Whisper's Light – Lower Deck,]
The corridor below was dim — lit by a single hanging lantern swaying slightly with the ship.
Ashen stopped in front of a closed door.
His fist hovered.
But before he could knock—
Madhav (from inside, tense):
"What do you mean we can't go there?"
A pause. A rustle of papers.
Madhav (frustrated):
"They're still not accepting visitors?"
Ashen froze.
A voice replied (from the caller shell) — muffled, lower, calmer. Likely one of the navy-linked messenger agents.
Unknown Voice:
"Orders from the top, sir. Quinster's been marked restricted territory by the ruler of that island."
Madhav (growling):
"That island sent a distress call this morning. A real one. And now you're telling me even I can't land there?"
Unknown Voice (calmly):
"I'm telling you that if you do, the Whisper's Light will be flagged as hostile by the Mossveil guild."
Ashen's eyes widened.
He stepped back slowly, heart beginning to race.
Inside, something heavy slammed — a fist? A book? A chair?
Then Madhav's voice again — quieter, colder:
Madhav:
"Thank you for the help."
---
[Scene: Corridor Outside, Seconds Later]
Ashen stepped back up the stairs slowly, medication still in hand.
He didn't knock.
He didn't deliver them.
He just looked down at the floor, brain spinning.
Ashen (internal):
"That was scary.."
[Scene: Few Minutes Later]
Ashen sat crouched behind a row of supply crates, knees to chest, chin resting on his arms. He wasn't hiding. But he wasn't exactly there either.
Not with the others.
Just... with himself.
Ashen (internal, quiet):
"If a fight breaks out again…"
"Will I just be a liability?"
A flash hit his mind — harsh and sudden.
The image of Katrina, standing between him and the monster that once wore Alex Zoteb's face. Bloody. Bruised. Unyielding.
She had shielded him.
Without hesitation.
And him?
Ashen (internal, bitter):
"I couldn't even move."
His fingers gripped his knees harder.
Ashen (internal):
"And yet I get to breathe like the rest of them. Like I earned it."
He shut his eyes, trying to silence the whirlpool inside.
But the faces returned.
Zoteb's madness.
Katrina's fury.
His own trembling hands.
Ashen (internal, low):
"Maybe I don't belong here."