We spent the next seven days at sea. I helped Navy and Pete repair the railing I had damaged and Darwin woke up on the second day and removed the giant bubble as it was no longer needed. Now that the bubble was gone we were able to continue sailing. He seemed entirely rested and immediately started eating our rations at an alarming rate. I don't blame him, he had been out cold for nearly three days so I'm sure his body felt like it needed to catch up. Pete had informed Navy about the masked woman and he reacted exactly how I would expect. He gave me a suspicious stare and let out a large sigh. "You really do bring trouble with you wherever you go don't you?" He said in an annoyed tone. All I could do was laugh it off and agree. He really wasn't wrong… It seemed like wherever I went strange happenings followed. On each night I would stay out and train my body. Navy even joined in with me and began training in a manner I had never seen before. He would start out by stretching his body to an incredible degree. He was actually really flexible. Then he would proceed to do hand stand push ups while balancing on just two fingers. Saying Navy was strong was an understatement… Having him train along with me definitely lit a fire in my competitive spirit, and I ended up trying to copy all of the exercises Navy was performing with ease. It would take me a little bit to figure it out, but soon enough I was able to replicate the same exercises. I still needed much more practice, but Navy was impressed at how fast I had picked them up. He would always say things like, "As expected of my rival." And "You'll have to try harder than that if you ever want to catch up to me." He definitely knew exactly how to get under my skin, but I was grateful for it. All the while Dutch and Darwin would sit by and watch while playing around with his bubbles. I was happy to see them getting along so well.
After we would train each night, I would stay out late and watch the ocean. I was patiently waiting to see any signs of the masked woman. Unfortunately, no matter how long I waited each night and no matter how closely I observed the ocean waves… There was no trace of her. However, on the seventh night I finally saw something far off in the distance. Much faster than before, I saw a figure in the distance begin advancing across the ocean waves. It looked as if they were disappearing and then reappearing extremely fast across the surface of the water. In a matter of moments she stood before me on the ship's railing, illuminated only by the shine of the moon. At that moment for some reason I felt myself thanking the moon goddess Livana, for shining her light upon us. "You sure made me wait a while." I said in a patronizing tone. "Well, I couldn't make it easy for you could I? I saw you waiting each night. I'm sure you're eager to hear me out now." She replied as she silently descended the railing onto the floor of the deck. Without making a single sound, she had boarded the ship in a matter of seconds. She was certainly holding back her true skills the first time we met. "Yes. If you could divulge the real reason you need my help specifically, then maybe we can work something out." She then willingly took off her mask and sat on the deck, crossing her legs. "Very well then, allow me to actually introduce myself. My name is Sundi, of the mask tribe." She said with pride. "Sundi? That's a nice name. My name is Sid. But you just said tribe? I thought you were a part of something called the masked syndicate… You're an assassin right?" I questioned. She then suddenly had a sorrowful and pained look in her eyes. "It wasn't always like that… A long time ago, we were just a simple tribe that lived on an island that was forsaken by the other kingdoms of the world. We worshiped the Mother Goddess Gaian herself, and our home flourished with the wild lifeblood of the world. Instead of hiding our faces, the original purpose of these masks were meant to show our true selves to the world. Through this ceremony, we were bestowed great blessings. With those blessings we became ever closer to the root of all nature, the heart of the mother goddess. Through our faith, our home remained untouched by the great calamities that befell the world. This however, angered many of the other kingdoms who felt their wrath. With this, overtime we came under siege from those that envied us… Our tribe defended our home for as long as we could, but eventually our predecessors were driven from that land and it was desecrated beyond repair. Myself and others, are simply the remnants of the lone generation left of our tribe. In desperation, a member of our tribe with great strength became our leader and created what you know as the masked syndicate. He wanted to make our tribe strong again and sustain our traditions. He wished to create a new home for us. At first, his intentions were true and righteous. But now, ever since he became involved with a man with blank eyes… It was as if he changed entirely. He no longer had the just and pure heart that I knew him to have. Instead, he grew cold and ruthless. I have come to no longer recognize him as the man I once knew. That is why I am here… I am in search of a person who has the strength to save him from himself. I alone am not strong enough, and I cannot trust anyone from the kingdoms. That is why I am here." She said as a tear fell down her face. I could tell that even speaking about this brought her a lot of pain… It hurts to see someone in such a vulnerable state. She must have been incredibly desperate to approach someone like me to begin with. "I think I'm beginning to understand… I am sorry that your people have had to endure such hardships. I guess I am still just wondering what kind of help you are requesting from me? It's not that I am unwilling, I simply am on a journey of my own… Two of my best friends were sent away from me, and at this time I have absolutely no idea where they could be. Since we were separated, I have basically spent all of that time within the enchanted forest. The only lead I have gained is that one of my friends may appear near a place called the Colluseum, and so that is where I am headed. If you are able to help me in finding my friends in any way, then I would be more than obliged to do the same. I just need to know, why me?" I said as I too sat down on the deck and crossed my legs. We were now both sitting across from one another, eye to eye. For a moment, I saw a glint of some kind of energy flash in her eyes and then it dissipated just as fast. "To clarify, I have already tested your strength and have observed the use of your mysterious blessing. You have a unique aptitude for fighting and I can tell that with time you may become someone formidable enough to reach a transcendent realm. Additionally… You have possibly the greatest vital energy I have ever encountered across the world. I don't know how it is even possible for someone to exude such a vigorous aura. The only way I could describe it, is as pure or possibly concentrated to a higher degree than any normal person. There are too many strange and unknown things about you, and my heart tells me that you may be the person who can help set my tribe on the right path. That is my wish, and why I have decided to approach you in such a manner. In my perspective, it feels as if I was led here in order to find you. Perhaps the mother goddess favors you. In regards to helping you, I can absolutely help you locate them. I can even travel with you for a while going forward if you wish. I'm sure it may take some convincing with the other members of your group… But this is incredibly important to me, and right now I cannot afford to miss this opportunity no matter what it costs." She finished as she looked up at the stars shining above us. I could still see the sorrow in her eyes, this was definitely her only option. I couldn't deny that the circumstances were peculiar. To begin with, I still don't know why I ended up in the enchanted forest. But ever since I arrived, I have met various people and even Gods who have shown me favor. Now Sundi has appeared before me asking for my help. If she was really willing to travel with me to help me find Ivan and Oli, this could be an amazing chance I may never get again. There was just one thing I wanted to figure out first…