Uthayn stood with a blank face, carrying a large glowing lantern in his hands. Beside him, Mara floated in mid-air, his expression mirroring his master's. Around them stretched water on all sides, and beneath them was nothing but a small bamboo catamaran, woven with thread, barely enough to keep them from drowning.
Swish~~~
A silent sea wind brushed past them.
"Achoo…" Mara sneezed, rubbing his face where he couldn't even locate his nose.
Uthayn gritted his teeth. "One more sneeze and I'll cut your nose off!," he threatened the floating ghost.
All he did was blink, and suddenly he had found himself in the middle of the ocean with water everywhere. Percival had sent him to the mortal world with a lantern in hand and a vague command to catch the escaped souls.
How could he do that when he had no idea where those feathers had flown away!
Clicking his tongue, Uthayn picked up the big bamboo oar and began rowing the boat towards the sunrise.
At present…
Months had passed in the mortal world, and so far they had captured only three souls, including one from a chicken that ended up in his master's stomach.
Mara's head slumped low, an invisible sigh escaped through his hollow mouth. He shook his small round head and resumed scrubbing Rowan's bathtub.
Uthayn, holding the lantern in his hand, swayed it back and forth. As a dead being, he could clearly see the three souls roaming around inside the lantern. But to the people of the mortal world, it looked no different than an ordinary lamp.
If someone was a strong avian, however, they could faintly see a glowing feather trapped within the flame. And that was what unsettled Uthayn.
"Mara, how could Rowan see the souls inside the lamp?" he asked.
"Boooo…" Mara replied thoughtfully.
Uthayn shook his head. "No, he's not a dead walker. I'm sure he's still alive," he muttered, brows furrowed deep in thought.
But unable to arrive at any reasonable conclusion, Uthayn decided to ask Rowan directly. He stood up from the bed, hooked the lantern back to his belt, and exited Rowan's cabin.
When he climbed onto the deck, he noticed the sail had shifted direction, and the ship was now heading toward a place where the sky appeared darker than ever.
"Are we heading to Vulkaris?" Uthayn asked a nearby crewmember.
The man nodded in confirmation. "It was the Captain's order," he said simply, returning to his work.
"Going to Vulkaris at this time…" Uthayn muttered to himself. He'd heard that heavy political disputes were currently brewing in Vulkaris, with strict new laws in place limiting who could enter the kingdom.
Vulkaris was an eastern nation surrounded by the dark Netherveil Waters, a land known for corruption and misdeeds. The Vulture King, Orakzin Tharvek, had ruled it for two decades, but he had recently fallen ill under mysterious circumstances.
Now, a political war raged between his sons over who would inherit the throne.
Upon spotting Rowan at the quarterdeck manning the helm, Uthayn made his way over, greeting a few crew members along the way.
Seeing him approach, Rowan frowned. "Why are you here? Did you finish scrubbing my bathtub?" he asked with a pointed look. His bangs had been freshly cut and trimmed into sharper ends.
Though it looked far more decent than the wild mess before, Rowan still held a grudge against him for ruining his once-majestic hair.
Uthayn rolled his eyes. "With your obsession over bathtubs, you're starting to resemble Claudius more and more."
Rowan's brows furrowed in disgust. "Don't compare me to him," he muttered.
Uthayn's brow arched high. "You know him?" he asked, surprise evident on his face.
"I don't know who you're talking about," Rowan replied coolly, his hands steady on the helm.
"Then stop blathering and making me think you're Claudius's long-lost brother," Uthayn snapped, his jaw tightening in annoyance.
Rowan scoffed.
Long-lost brother?
He didn't reply, his focus now back on steering the ship in the wind's direction.
"Why are we heading to Vulkaris now?" Uthayn asked, coming to sit at the edge of the ship.
Rowan raised a brow. "Don't tell me you're not going to look for the other feathers?" he countered.
Uthayn's eyes dimmed.
He could see souls. He knew about feathers. He was cocky and obsessed with beauty and bathtubs.
He is definitely Claudius's long-lost brother, Uthayn concluded.
He sneered. "I'm sure you're going for your own purpose."
Rowan chuckled and nodded. "I am. I'll drop you in Vulkaris, and then we're back on our way."
He fished a token from his pocket and tossed it in Uthayn's direction.
"Once you catch the soul in Vulkaris, head to Dusthaven. Someone from the kingdom will help you with your search. And if your luck shines, all you'll need to do is collect the soul from him. From there, row to Noctara and you're on your own."
Rowan went quiet after that, his eyes fixed on the sky.
Dark clouds twisted in the blue above, almost giving the illusion that the heavens were painted black. Sparks of fire and lightning danced in coils, and smoke bled from a volcano in the far distance.
An unexplainable glint flickered behind his eyes.
They were nearing Vulkaris.