The mist finally thinned behind them, replaced by the scent of saltwater and the rhythm of distant crashing waves. As the Stormrider Supreme Express IV rumbled over a grassy plain, the party sat in an unusual silence. The field rolled gently between the twisted trees of Mist Forest and the glittering sands of the Leviathan Coastline, swaying with wildflowers and sea breeze.
Fuhiken held the reins in the open-roof driver's seat, the wind tousling his blonde hair. Beside him, Viqce adjusted her black hood and squinted toward the shimmering horizon. "Nyan~ That's Aethernia," she purred, tail flicking with satisfaction. "Welcome to the seaside."
Behind them, the closed cabin swayed slightly. Gabyola sat primly with her silver hair barely disturbed, casting glances at Jessica and Yuuna across from her. Sakura stared out the window, her snack pouch unopened in her lap. Sakura big appetite dropped significantly. Orchid hummed something out of tune, while Fahleena dramatically clutched her Keyblade of Destiny like a divine heirloom, declaring, "This light shall cleanse the salty evil!"
Jessica stifled a chuckle.
In the wagon at the rear, Kyle leaned over the side, watching for monsters, or more interestingly, glittery pebbles. Sinryo did the same, both clearly itching to bolt off. Adiw sat across from them, arms folded.
"Don't even think about it," he warned.
Gigih nervously clutched his spellbook, eyeing the sea warily, while Yetsan kept polishing the wagon's side with a cloth, grumbling about sand particles.
By afternoon, the small town of Aethernia came into view, a peaceful beach settlement of wood-and-stone buildings, sun-bleached and cozy. Fishing lines hung between posts, and wind chimes jingled in the salty breeze. The gate had no guards.
Fuhiken pulled the carriage to a halt just outside the town square.
Everyone disembarked.
Yuuna stepped forward, wand in hand. She gave it a calm wave. "Compression." The Stormrider shimmered with golden runes, then collapsed into a palm-sized cube that hovered momentarily before falling into her waiting hand. She tucked it into her magic bag.
"Magic remains dazzling no matter how many times I see it," Gabyola murmured.
Viqce, ears twitching, turned to the group. "Well, nyan~ It's time we part ways for now. Thanks for the adventure."
Gabyola stepped forward, her poise as graceful as ever, and offered a neatly tied pouch of coins to Viqce.
"For your service and patience," she said with a calm smile. But before the cat-eared girl could respond, Gabyola moved in with sudden swiftness, wrapping her arms gently, but firmly, around the smaller scout.
Viqce let out a surprised "Nyan?!" as she stiffened on impact, her black cat ears twitching wildly from the unexpected contact. Her tail puffed slightly in reflex, betraying her flustered state. The top of her head nestled unintentionally against Gabyola's shoulder, where the elf's silver hair shimmered in the sunlight. The soft fur of Viqce's ears brushed against Gabyola's cheek, warm, fluffy, and dangerously adorable.
"So soft…" Gabyola whispered under her breath, not letting go. Viqce squirmed, unsure whether to wriggle free or melt on the spot, her face turning red beneath her dark hood.
"I-I'm a professional, nyan…! P-please no head pats…" she muttered, sounding more like a kitten than a scout.
"You've earned it," Gabyola said with her usual poise.
Viqce pulled away, quickly counting the coin pouch. Her eyes widened. "This is… way too much. I was just your guide, not your babysitter."
"You were both," Yuuna replied coolly. "Also… we're looking for information about a dragon near the sea."
Viqce blinked, ears twitching. "Nyan~ That's… not common. I'll check the thief guild for rumors. It's based in the bar down the alley." With a swish of her tail, she vanished into the town's bustle.
Sakura remained quiet, trailing slightly behind Gabyola. Even now, she hadn't touched her snack.
No ships lined the shore. The harbor, quiet and open to the endless ocean, had not a single mast or sail in sight, only wooden piers stretching out like empty fingers over the waves. No dockworkers shouted orders, no crates were hoisted, and no salty sailors bragged about sea monsters over tankards of ale. It was eerily still for a coastal town. And yet, the market bustled with stalls selling fresh fish, silver-scaled, still glistening, some even twitching faintly on beds of crushed ice. Yuuna narrowed her eyes. That doesn't add up. If there were no ships braving the seas, how were they catching fish in such quantity and variety? A puzzle formed in her mind.
Someone's either braver, or crazier, than they look, she thought. It was definitely worth investigating.
---
The party gathered at the market square beneath a colorful canopy. The ocean wind was warm, the townspeople friendly, but unease lingered beneath the surface. Aethernia had no ships. Just fish and rumors.
Yuuna adjusted her bag. "I'll look into the dragon matter."
"I shall accompany her," Adiw said, ever blunt.
Kyle raised a hand. "I'm in. Might be fun!"
"Me too!" Sinryo grinned. "Fishy business sounds shiny!"
Fuhiken narrowed his eyes. "They'll need supervision. Adiw, go with them."
Adiw sighed but nodded.
"I'll take Sakura shopping," Gabyola offered, a faint smile playing on her lips. "She needs some cheer."
Sakura gave a small nod, still subdued.
Fuhiken turned. "I'll look for an inn. Jessica, Yetsan, Gigih, Orchid, Fahleena, you're with me."
"Oh no, the holy chaos duo," Jessica muttered under her breath, glancing at Orchid and Fahleena, who were already giggling about coconut-shaped monsters and 'beach destiny combat.'
Yetsan groaned. "Sand. Sand everywhere. I hate this place already."
"Then it's settled," Fuhiken said grimly.
And the party split.
---
Yuuna led her group toward the guild quarter. It wasn't hard to find, the town was small, and two distinct buildings stood out: a modest wooden house with a hunter guild sign carved into it, and an extravagant, overbuilt mansion-like structure shimmering with gold-painted trim.
"…Merchant guild?" Kyle said, pointing to the ostentatious building. "Why does it look like a royal palace?"
"They thrive on margin," Yuuna replied.
Inside the hunter guild, cobwebs danced lazily in the corners, swaying with each draft that crept through the cracked wooden shutters. The air was thick with the scent of old sea salt and aged wood, laced faintly with something herbal, perhaps dried moss or an old potion spill that had long since stained the floor. Dust motes floated through slivers of sunlight that pierced the grimy windows, casting a sleepy, almost forgotten atmosphere over the room. The wooden floor creaked underfoot, each step echoing slightly in the otherwise quiet space.
Behind a worn counter, flanked by shelves cluttered with yellowed papers and a few chipped mugs, sat a wizened human woman. Her hair, a soft cloud of white tied back in a loose bun, framed a face carved with deep lines that spoke of both time and stories untold. Her eyes, however, remained sharp and observant, like the still surface of a lake that had seen many storms. She watched the group enter with a calm, measured gaze, not surprised by visitors, but clearly not expecting many either.
"Afternoon, travelers," she said. "I'm Matilda. Need work?"
Yuuna stepped forward. "No, just information for now."
"Shame. Want to register as guild members? Only one copper."
"Free?" Adiw asked.
"Basically," Matilda shrugged.
"Then why not?" Adiw flicked a copper onto the counter.
Matilda pulled out a small oak medallion, its surface worn smooth with care. One side was engraved with the hunter guild's crest: a sword, an axe, and a lance crossing each other at the center, forming a rugged emblem of unity and strength. Behind the weapons, a shield framed the design, symbolizing defense and resolve. On the reverse side, Adiw's name had been freshly etched in clean, precise lettering.
Adiw smirked. "Simple and classic."
Yuuna approached the wall-mounted quest board. Most postings were dull, gathering herbs, pest extermination, minor beast hunting. But one stood out in bold lettering:
"Wanted: Dragoon Horn - Reward: 50 silver - Quest Giver: Viscount Landrell"
The poster described a "dragoon", a creature that imitated the appearance of a dragon but lacked its intelligence, grace, or ancient majesty. It was a beast in every sense of the word: feral, aggressive, and unthinking. Its wings were said to be leathery and powerful, its breath capable of scorching trees or shattering stone, yet it moved more like a wild animal than a thinking being. The description noted its resemblance to western dragons: long neck, horns, heavy scales, and massive wings, but there was no mention of speech, magic, or sentience. Just claws, fire, and destruction.
Yuuna narrowed her eyes, thoughts already racing. So, not a true dragon... but maybe a cousin species? An imitation born of magic or evolution?
Her gaze drifted for a moment, unfocused, as her mind returned to Nettra, her original world, a place where dragons were either rare, revered creatures or distant myths, their stories bound to the skies of ancient civilizations and the data cores of artificial libraries. There, dragons were wise oracles or fearsome forces of nature, never just wild monsters. This dragoon, by comparison, was brutish. Hollow. As if someone had tried to recreate the concept of a dragon without understanding its essence.
The contrast between the two worlds stirred her curiosity deeper. Why do so many things here echo what I once knew? Coincidence? Or convergence?
Silently, she pulled out her notebook, flipping to a fresh page. Her handwriting flowed quickly but neatly as she copied the poster's details, every word, every mention of habitat and behavior, every odd phrasing. If there was even a chance this "dragoon" was somehow connected to the dragons of her old world, she intended to find out.
Meanwhile, Kyle pointed to a painting of a monstrous serpent. "What's that?"
"A Leviathan, I think," Sinryo guessed.
Yuuna turned back to Matilda. "One more question. If there are no ships, how do the fishermen get fish?"
"They don't go far," Matilda said, settling back in her creaky chair, her voice steady and weathered like driftwood. "Most of the fish here come from the cliffs or the shallow coves just outside town. The locals cast lines from high rocks or use long hooklines they anchor from the shore. Some wade waist-deep with nets during low tide, but even that's risky if the sea mood sours."
She paused to adjust a stack of faded papers, then glanced at them with a hint of grim humor. "As for boats? Don't even think about it. The moment you drift beyond the reefs, the sea changes. Too quiet. Then too loud. Ships don't come back. The lucky ones wash ashore in splinters. The unlucky ones just vanish."
"Cursed?" Kyle echoed, eyebrows raised.
Matilda nodded. "Cursed, haunted, swarming, call it what you will. I've heard tales from the early settlers, back when Aethernia was just a cluster of huts. Things in the deep that shouldn't be. Octopus the size of inns, no exaggeration. I've seen the scars on the rocks where their limbs dragged across. And serpents? Aye. With eyes like lanterns and teeth like spears. One bite and a ship's gone. Swallowed whole. Sometimes we find their bones tangled in kelp a week later."
She leaned forward slightly, voice low and matter-of-fact. "That's why there's no harbor traffic, no fleet, no trade by sea. Just us, the land, and the cursed tide. We take what we can with patience and long poles, and we pray nothing pulls us in."
The room went quiet for a moment, the air thick with salt and superstition.
Yuuna closed her book slowly. "I see."
Adiw leaned closer to Kyle and whispered, "If we find a giant octopus, you're the bait."
"Hey!"
---