"Raise the sails!"
The shout echoed across the docks as the newly christened warship slipped free of its berth. Chains clanked, wood groaned, and the titanic hull glided out into the sunlight like a predator finally unleashed.
First the prow emerged—a sculpted black dragon's head, every scale and fang carved with brutal precision. In the morning light, the dragon looked alive: fierce, noble, and utterly untamed. Its eyes glared down at the sea with a mixture of wrath and pride.
Jin's lips curled in a grin. A black dragon… just like I wanted.
In his previous life, he had loved the symbolism. Black dragons—an outcast breed, shunned even by their kin. They were destruction incarnate, despised by the "pure" dragons, yet the most honest in nature. No lies, no masks—only raw power and instinct. Good or evil, salvation or ruin—it depended entirely on the dragon itself. And Jin… had always admired that.
The rest of the ship followed, majestic and terrifying in equal measure. The hull was a seamless shadow of polished black timber, the body of a colossal beast riding the waves. The red flower motif woven across its sides—Langatt's Heaven's Dance emblem—flared like blood across night. Three towering masts carried sails inked with a vast black dragon, matching the figurehead so that prow and canvas roared together as one.
On the main deck, Jin stood at the railing with Makino, Kuina, Tina, and Kuma at his side. His long black hair whipped in the wind as violet eyes narrowed against the salt air.
"Finally," he murmured, voice thick with satisfaction. "Our ship. Our home on the sea."
Tina stretched out her arms, golden hair catching the sun. She laughed lightly. "I can't believe how smooth it handles! A ship this size should feel heavy, but the steering's like silk. This is… flawless."
Kuma lumbered to the prow, dropping onto the deck like a boulder. "Heh. Big deck. Strong air. I sleep here now."
Jin chuckled. "Suit yourself. This is our house now. Sleep wherever you want."
Makino's eyes shimmered as she turned back toward the waves. "Every home needs a name, doesn't it?"
"Shit," Jin muttered, smacking his forehead. "I almost forgot the most important part. She needs a name."
"Vengeance!" Tina declared immediately, slamming her fist into her palm.
The others ignored her completely.
She scowled, crossing her arms. "What? It's strong, it's badass! Tina disappointed!"
The debate continued for several minutes until Jin raised his hand. "Enough. We're not naming her after grudges. This isn't about vengeance. It's about us." He smirked. "From today on, this ship is the Eternal. A promise that none of us will fall. A symbol that our lives—together—will last forever."
Makino's smile softened. Eternal… with the people I love, it wouldn't be loneliness. It would be happiness.
Kuina's hand brushed her blade. Eternal… then I'll chase swordsmanship to eternity, standing at Jin's side.
Tina only huffed. Eternity's useless without revenge… but maybe… maybe with him…
Kuma blinked, tilting his head. "…Eternal. Can it be eaten?"
The group laughed.
The Eternal cut smoothly through the open sea, sails swelling with the morning wind.
Kuina excused herself first, carrying her sword to the training chamber atop the stern. "I'll be sharpening my strikes."
Makino slipped below deck into her brewing room, already sketching recipes for her next batch of wine.
That left Jin, Tina, and Kuma on the main deck. Tina reclined lazily in a sun chair, sipping juice from a tall glass as fruit gleamed on the table beside her. "This is life," she sighed, tipping her head back into the sun.
Jin rolled his shoulders. "Enjoy it while it lasts. You've still got work to do."
Before she could protest, he grabbed her wrist, tugging her to her feet. "Come on. You're still in the middle of your body strengthening. Right now is the perfect time to hammer it in."
"Ugh, training?" Tina groaned.
But soon enough, she stood opposite him at the bow, fists clenched, following as he demonstrated. Goryūken. The Five Dragon Fists. Each strike shook her arms, her lungs burning as sweat glistened across her skin. Jin corrected her posture with sharp taps, his voice carrying both harshness and warmth.
Kuma watched for a while, then returned to his cross-legged meditation, leaving them to the rhythm of fist against air.
By nightfall, exhaustion weighed on them all. Jin finally retreated to the warship's grand bathhouse, a sanctuary of marble and steam perched atop the second deck. He sank into the hot spring pool with a sigh, the wineglass in his hand reflecting candlelight. Muscles unknotted under the heat as his mind drifted.
The door slid open.
He cracked an eye, expecting Makino perhaps. Instead, a slender silhouette stepped in, wrapped in nothing but a short white towel clinging to her curves. Long legs gleamed in the haze, pale and perfect against the rising steam.
His breath hitched.
Tina.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed, though whether from the heat or something else, he couldn't tell.
"Staring like a pervert again?" she snapped, though her voice carried more embarrassment than anger.
"Hey!" Jin yelped, snatching a towel to cover himself and putting on his most dramatic scowl. "What the hell are you doing barging in? I'm bathing! What—planning to assault me? Trying to take advantage of me, huh?"
Tina's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "…Take advantage? Please. Only Makino treats you like treasure." She stepped into the water with a sigh, the towel clinging dangerously to her skin as she slid opposite him. Her legs stretched beneath the surface, brushing faintly against his in the rippling water.
The steam curled around her frame, blurring her outline, making every glimpse of bare skin maddening.
"Not bad," she murmured, leaning back with her arms along the pool's edge. "This bathhouse really is something. Self-filtering seawater, automatic heating. You really are a man of indulgence, Jin."
"Damn right," he muttered, eyes straining to pierce the fog. "This ship is home. If home isn't perfect, what's the point?" He smirked suddenly, eyes gleaming with mischief. "By the way… what's your bust size?"
"109," she answered absently, too relaxed to guard her tongue.
Jin sat up instantly, nearly choking on his wine. "Holy hell. That's—massive. Respect!"
Her eyes widened as realization hit. Then her face went crimson.
"Y-you—! You bastard, you tricked me!"
She snatched up the nearest towel and hurled it at his head. Water splashed as her voice cracked like a whip.
"Pervert!"
Jin's laughter rang against the walls even as he ducked the blow, steam swirling around them like a curtain.
"You asked!" he chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. "I just provided the context!"
"I'll provide your funeral!" Tina snarled, but the effect was ruined by the deep blush that spread from her cheeks down her neck and across her chest. She sank deeper into the water, trying to hide herself, though the clear spring did little to obscure the view.
The playful anger slowly faded, replaced by a thick, heavy silence that was entirely new. The only sounds were the gentle lap of water against marble and the distant groan of the ship's hull. Jin's smirk softened as he watched her. The candlelight played over her damp skin, catching the droplets of water in her golden hair and on her shoulders. The white towel, now soaked, was utterly transparent, clinging to her form and leaving nothing to the imagination.
Tina, feeling his gaze, didn't immediately protest. She met his eyes, her own crimson orbs shimmering with a mix of defiance and something else—a vulnerability he rarely saw. The steam seemed to amplify the intimacy, closing them in their own private, hazy world.
"You're staring again," she murmured, but her voice was low, lacking its earlier edge.
"Hard not to," Jin replied, his voice dropping an octave, losing its teasing tone and becoming earnest. "You're… a vision, Tina."
He didn't move, but the distance between them in the large pool felt infinitesimally small. The air grew hotter, thicker than the steam itself. Tina's breath hitched slightly. She watched him, a war waging in her eyes—the instinct to fight warring with a sudden, overwhelming pull.
Slowly, deliberately, Jin set his wineglass on the pool's edge. The simple, fluid motion held a new kind of intent. He moved through the water, the ripples fanning out toward her. He didn't stop until he was directly before her, the heat from their bodies mingling in the water between them.
"Jin…" His name was a whisper on her lips, half a question, half a plea.
He lifted a hand, brushing a wet strand of hair from her cheek. His fingers trailed down her jawline, leaving a fiery path on her water-cooled skin. She shuddered, a full-body tremor that had nothing to do with the temperature.
"All that talk of vengeance," he murmured, his violet eyes locked on hers, intense and captivating. "Maybe there are better things to focus on. Better distractions."
His other hand found her hip under the water, his grip firm and certain. He pulled her gently toward him, closing the final gap. Their bodies pressed together, the thin, wet fabric of their towels a laughable barrier. She could feel the hard planes of his chest against her softness, the powerful strength in his hands.
Tina's resolve shattered. Her hands, which had been clenched at her sides, came up to rest on his shoulders. Her fingers dug into his skin, not to push him away, but to anchor herself. Her eyes fluttered closed as his head dipped toward hers.
Their lips were a breath apart. He could taste the faint sweetness of the fruit juice on her breath. The world had narrowed to this room, this pool, this moment.
But just before their lips met, Jin's entire body went rigid. His head snapped up, his gaze sharpening and focusing on nothing, looking straight through the bathhouse wall. His senses, honed to a supernatural edge, flared to life.
Makino.
She was nearby. Not in the bathhouse, but approaching the deck outside. Her gentle, familiar presence was like a lighthouse beam cutting through the fog of his desire.
The spell broke.
He released Tina as if burned, taking a swift step back. The cold air rushed in where their bodies had been connected, a jarring contrast to the heat.
Tina's eyes flew open, confusion and a flicker of hurt flashing in their depths. "Wha…?"
"Makino," Jin said, the single word an explanation and an apology. His voice was tight, strained with the effort of reining himself in.
The reality of what they were about to do—and where—crashed down on Tina. The hurt was quickly replaced by a wave of hot shame and panic. She scrambled back, pulling the useless towel around her as best she could, turning away from him to hide her burning face.
The door to the bathhouse remained closed, the moment saved by a hairsbreadth.
Jin let out a long, controlled breath, running a hand through his hair. The heat in his blood was slow to recede. He looked at Tina's turned back, at the tense line of her shoulders.
A slow, wicked grin touched his lips despite the situation. He leaned back against the pool wall, picking up his wineglass again with a slightly unsteady hand.
"Next time," he said, his voice returning to its familiar, teasing cadence, though a rough edge remained, "we'll have to find a more… private distraction."
Tina didn't turn around, but he saw the tips of her ears turn red. She said nothing, the steam swirling around her once more, now hiding her from him just as effectively as any towel.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
T/N :
Access 30 chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/GodFic