Near the closest regions of the Sea of Dreams and the Abyss, there lay a nest, one occupied by a particular breed of sea terrors.
Oblivaces.
Their eyes were like miniature volcanoes, oozing magma that hardened into obsidian teardrops that sank to the cold ocean floor.
Scales of vibrant rose colored pink wrapped around their exterior, forming an iron-tight barrier that, when pressured, could burst with scalding steam.
Adults in this species measured around fifty meters in length, the youths only reaching around twenty to thirty.
Out of the rare events that had occurred throughout the centuries, these monsters were the most common to leave the Abyss, hunting for humans.
Disasters had once occurred around Crescent Moon's Edge; however, the former King of Dreams, Norman Reed, had stopped the invasion before the casualties reached more than one hundred.
Since that day thirty-three years ago, not a single one had been seen by humans, nor even signs of one.
Yet now, on the eve of September 19th, 3125, one tore through the ocean waves, sailing towards a strange presence that lurked in the distance.
Its mind was a mix of juvenile thoughts urging it forward with no regard to what the warning signs coursing through its veins were.
Normal sea terrors varied in their response towards the Ghostships, some deciding to wait and watch, others attacking straight on.
If this Oblivacis was indeed mature, the simple fragment of power radiating from the central core of the vessel would've made it scramble away in fear.
But with youth comes arrogance, and so, the Apex-terror that oozed flame and magma surged forth, burning anything that came into its path.
High above in the night sky, bright moonlight shone downward on the world, illuminating the seas that glowed with the monsters' forms.
In the distance, a small brigantine bobbed up and down with waves crashing against its hull, tossing and turning everything aboard.
The Oblivacis grew excited, fire dripping from its lips as it imagined the first taste of human meat after a life of absence.
Moving closer at breakneck speeds, it felt a surge of energy course through its body, a final warning to the terror to leave the vessel.
Using its fins to push through the barrier, resisting itself, it pushed onward, boiling the ocean around it instantly.
And as the clock struck midnight, ushering in the 19th of September, the sky groaned as if it could feel the impending changes that would be wrought by this day.
…
Standing steady on the port side of the Ghostship, Aaron watched as a glowing orange light approached from under the waves.
The air around him seared with heat, threatening to burn him alive without the protective shield wrapped around his figure.
Eleanor, who lay slumbering below, was under the steady watch of Mr. Crab, who sat on her back calmly.
Aaron's plan had begun, and the first decisive step in the lengthy process would come the second the terror broke through the primary barrier.
Activating the newly acquired vision he had obtained from the Tarasque with a tap to his right temple, he watched as the layers formed atop the world.
Lines of mana stretched out far in every direction like rivers of magenta mysticism that flowed and embedded themselves along the sky.
Far off in the distance, the gray fog that cloaked the Abyss exuded blobs of a murky black substance, one that sank into the water like a disease.
And finally, long threads of orange raced across the sea as the Apex terror swam at a pace beyond that of his own Ghostship.
Each string stretched far out into the waves, cloaking its distorted form in a veil of mana that swirled like a riptide.
Its body zipped ahead in a straight line, only meters away from the detection barrier placed at a distance around the vessel.
Almost there… Just a little more…
Aaron's muscles tightened as a zap of electricity shot through his limbs, alerting him to the creature's presence.
Instantly stepping into gear, he slammed his foot down on the base of the cannon, aiming it precisely.
The long metallic barrel groaned as it tilted upward, the fuse already lit and a cannonball already loaded within.
Crackling fire hissed as the ignition flared to life, activating the spur of gunpowder that would launch the ball.
Covering his ears with his hands, he felt the slam of the cannon crashing into his firm body as it fired far into the distance.
Out of the barrel, a crystalline, almost transparent ball soared through the sky with perfect accuracy, landing at a place slightly ahead of the creature.
With its rapid speed and unpredictable movements, such a shot was impossible to plan; however, the threads of mana flickered right before it moved.
Your weakness is my benefit…
In an explosion that shook the sea, a magnificent cloud of destruction surfaced out of the water with the threads of mana wavering for a moment.
Perfect!
Slamming his hands downward, he grabbed another crystal from the crate, shoving it into the barrel with all his strength.
Pulling a lit match straight out of his smoking pocket, one made out of sea terror scales, he lit the fuse, aiming the cannon again.
However, this time, instead of waiting for impact, he kicked himself backward, landing next to the thick mast.
Hurriedly reaching his hands outward, he grabbed the wooden ladder, scaling the pole at record speed.
Gusts of strong wind slammed against his body, threatening to knock him from his climb, but his hands remained firm, unwavering.
Reaching the top, he felt his feet touch the nest, allowing him to spin around quickly, grabbing the spotlight that sat high above the vessel.
Hidden beneath its exterior, a small switch was flipped for the first time since the Isles of Gharr, illuminating the night sky with a turquoise light.
I didn't have time to test this, so this better work!
Stretching his shoulder muscles to their extremes, he forced the spotlight forward, changing its trajectory manually to face the terror racing towards the ship.
Almost instantly, the sea erupted into a cloud of mist, coating the once-clear water with illusory turquoise fog.
Aaron had figured out through a strange game of pictograms that he had played with Mr. Crab that the machine acted like a beacon in storms.
Similar to that of a lighthouse, it would shine a mystical beam of mana imbued light wherever it was pointed.
However, unlike a normal tower, if a living thing is struck by this radiance, it will be guided through any obstacle to reach the source regardless of the difficulty.
The only downside, however, was that if there was no original struggle, it would form one to counteract this effect.
Using what had happened on the Isle of Gharr as a reference, Aaron planned to enact the same effect that had saved him then, today.
So as the Oblivacis approached the Ghostship with haste, the inky turquoise fog clung to the sea, only the light guiding it forward.
Even for an Apex predator such as this, the rules established by mystical machinery aboard the vessel were absolute.
Without this beam, it wouldn't be able to reach the boy and his boat even in a thousand years.
Of course, with limited mana, Aaron would inevitably die before such a time came, allowing the terror to breach him without the guiding light.
The blond boy himself felt great strain as, at the same time as the activation, the cannonball had been fired, sending it hurdling at where the turquoise spotlight shone down.
Following the beacon, the terror was pulled into a trap, another strike slamming into its skull, slowing it further.
Each attack the boy had hit it with left no lasting damage; however, both cannonballs were of a variety that devoured mana like hungry piranhas.
The once vast threads of orange that jettisoned from the monster now dimmed, revealing a fragment of its form to the boy.
Aaron's lip twisted downward at its whale-like appearance that was grotesquely altered with eyes that oozed lava.
So damn gross…
Shaking his head, he leaped from the crow's nest, fortifying his legs with the barrier that wrapped around him.
Instead of becoming a broken heap of bones, he landed with a loud thud, and only a slight groan escaped his mouth as he hurried forward to the next phase of his plan.
Out in the water, the Oblivacis had gained ground, soon to enter striking range and the place where the blond-boy's plan would reach the climax.
What ran through this monster's head wasn't pain, nor annoyance at the vessel for striking it repeatedly.
All that coursed through its childlike head was a throbbing hunger that could consume hundreds of humans and still be unsatisfied.
So as it tore through the fog following the turquoise light, its obsidian tongue licked its lips excitedly.
There was no fear in its heart, a feeling well warranted even when faced with Aaron's Ghostship.
Of course, unlike the rest, this wasn't a powerful King that could slaughter hundreds of terrors in minutes.
This was a fifteen-year-old boy without memories and a crab who sat atop a blonde-haired girl whose comatose form lay sprawled across a bed.
While its thoughts were correct, it had missed one important factor that would lead it astray.
This human had an odd affinity towards the Abyss, one whose body wasn't affected by its miasma or regular occupants.
An underestimation that would cost this Oblivacis dearly.