Under the cover of darkness stretched the endless ocean, waves gently breaking under the caress of the sea breeze. The stars overhead were obscured by thick clouds, casting the entire scene in near-total darkness.
Across the dark sea, several lights dotted the horizon, spaced far apart as they steadily moved forward. Upon closer inspection, these lights belonged to several vessels—a sizable fleet sailing across the pitch-black waters.
This fleet belonged to the Church, escorting pilgrims en route to Ivengard. Since departing Navaha, the fleet had been sailing day and night towards their destination. Now, on the second night after leaving Navaha, they weren’t far from Ivengard.
At the fleet’s center were three ordinary passenger ships carrying pilgrims bound for the Holy Mother’s sacred land. Most pilgrims hailed from countries like Pritt, Falano, and Ilmo. These individuals were devoted believers recognized for their faith, generous donations, or virtuous character, rewarded by their local churches with the honor of official pilgrimage. They represented the essence of the common people’s faith.
Aside from these lay pilgrims, a small number of clergy also participated, having either requested or received permission from their superiors to join. Vania was among these clergy.
Inside her cabin, Vania was dutifully performing her evening prayers. Finishing her routine, she opened her eyes and glanced at the clock.
“Already this late? It really is getting late…”
After checking the time, Vania rose slowly, yawning as she gazed out the porthole at the boundless, dark ocean, the stars and moon frequently obscured by clouds.
“It’s so dark… I can hardly see anything. I’d read about fish leaping under moonlight and hoped to witness it on such a long journey, but the weather has rarely been good…”
Feeling slightly disappointed, she stretched and looked at a small map alongside several books on her table. After examining the map, she confirmed their approximate location. “We’ve been sailing for a while since leaving Navaha. According to the sailors, Ivengard isn’t far now. Although Lord Giorde and the others aren’t onboard, the fleet has been functioning smoothly. Everyone’s performing their duties well. It seems my earlier worries were unnecessary.”
Initially concerned when Giorde and others were forced ashore by the investigators, she was relieved seeing the fleet running smoothly even without its commanders.
“I hope Lord Giorde and the others remain safe. May the Lord watch over them.”
After murmuring this prayer, Vania tidied her books, washed up briefly in the cabin’s restroom, changed from her nun’s habit into her pajamas, turned off the desk lamp, and lay down under the covers.
Eventually, gently rocked by the ship and the soft murmurs of the sea, she peacefully fell asleep.
...
As most passengers and crew slept, the escort fleet continued sailing through the darkness. The sailors on watch maintained the course while carefully scanning the dark, expansive ocean, alert to other vessels or unusual occurrences.
As night deepened, drowsiness spread across the fleet. Even the sailors on watch occasionally yawned amid their monotonous duties. Alongside this fatigue, a thin mist gradually appeared from the distant darkness, unnoticed at first.
Slowly, the faint moisture intensified, thickening into dense sea fog. Initially, the sailors noted it without concern, as fog at sea was commonplace.
However, as time passed and the fog thickened and spread wider, something unexpected occurred. The Illuminating Beacon aboard each ship suddenly emitted alarm-like warnings. Startled, sailors grabbed their weapons and rushed toward the lanterns, discovering simultaneous detections of unusual spirituality—specifically abnormal Chalice and Lantern spiritual traces.
Seeing the warnings, all sailors immediately went on high alert, searching carefully for the source of these unusual spiritual signals. Yet, after considerable searching, they found nothing. Eventually, the fleet’s temporary commander identified the problem.
“It’s the fog! This fog is unnatural—created by Beyonder abilities, likely a Hydromancer!”
On the deck of the flagship, the Boone, the temporary commander activated his spiritual vision, surveyed the surrounding thick fog, and shouted urgently, “We’re under attack! All ships on alert! Use Wind-Summoning Sigils to disperse the fog immediately!”
Soon, the temporary commander’s orders were relayed throughout the fleet. All escort vessels quickly deployed stored Shadow sigils and spiritual storage items, summoning fierce gusts of wind that rapidly dispersed the encroaching sea fog.
These were Wind-Summoning Sigils, capable of summoning strong winds to clear sea fog or counteract severe weather conditions. Widely useful at sea, they were regularly stocked by the Church fleet, and now their utility was evident.
Under the fierce gusts, the thick sea fog dispersed rapidly. The temporary commander stood on the deck, activating his spiritual vision—a Black Earth-rank Lantern Beyonder ability—allowing him to see clearly even in darkness. He carefully scanned the clearing mist, seeking the Beyonders responsible and checking for any nearby vessels hidden in the darkness.
Yet, despite his careful observation, he found no suspicious ships nearby, which left him perplexed.
“No ships nearby… So, where are the Beyonders? Where are the attackers hiding?”
Gazing out over the expansive, dark sea, the commander grew increasingly puzzled. Suddenly, as the spiritual storage items were exhausted, the fierce winds gradually died down. Unexpectedly, shortly after the wind ceased, new mist began to rise slowly from the dark waters, quickly thickening and reforming into another dense fog.
Witnessing this, a strong sense of foreboding gripped the temporary commander.
“Again? Can they still create such large-scale fog with their spirituality? There must be White Ash-rank Beyonders involved—possibly even multiple!”
Facing the reforming dense fog, he felt his heart sink heavily upon realizing the involvement of powerful White Ash-rank Beyonders.
He knew very clearly that his fleet currently lacked even a single White Ash-rank Beyonder. If the enemy truly had multiple Water Elementalists at that rank, their situation would become extremely dire.
“Are there any more Wind-Summoning Sigils?”
“No, Commander. Both sigils and storage items are depleted—we only had five in total.”
Hearing the sailor’s helpless reply, the commander paused, his face growing grimmer as he observed the thickening sea fog.
“If they’re Water Elementalists creating this fog, they might be hiding underwater! Inform the Stonestair and Gravecarver to deploy depth charges!”
His command was swiftly transmitted to the two destroyers at the fleet’s rear. Sailors immediately gathered at the stern, dropping cylindrical depth charges into the sea, triggering massive water columns as explosions erupted behind the fleet.
Despite the underwater detonations echoing through the sea, the surrounding fog didn’t diminish. On the contrary, it continued to intensify. Seeing this, everyone realized the depth charges were ineffective against submerged Ocean Chanters.
“Depth charges… they’re mostly meant for dealing with large sea beasts. Against Water Elementalists hiding close beneath our ships, they’re useless. The blasts are too far from them to do damage…”
“If only Lord Giorde and the others were here, we could at least use the Boiling Depths to teach these bastards a lesson!”
Frustration filled the temporary commander’s voice. Without White Ash-rank Beyonders present, many of the fleet’s critical functions were inaccessible, placing them at a severe disadvantage.
Their enemy might be lurking underwater, but the crew lacked effective countermeasures, forced instead to helplessly watch as the fog thickened and visibility dropped sharply. Gradually, even the lights from nearby friendly ships became indistinct.
Confronted with ever-thickening fog, the temporary commander ordered the fleet to activate their Illuminating Beacons—high-powered spiritual illumination far surpassing ordinary gas lamps. Within the dense mist, sailors could only faintly discern the blurred lights from nearby allies’ ships. Thanks to these powerful lights, they could still confirm each other’s presence and maintain communication.
As the fleet sailed cautiously through the dense fog, sailors were extremely tense, vigilantly alert to the possibility of ambushes from any direction. They presumed such extensive fog was a prelude to an enemy surprise attack, causing them to gather tightly together with weapons at the ready.
The commander, equally vigilant, kept his weapon close, wary of potential threats emerging unexpectedly. However, as time passed, no enemy appeared, and the sea fog remained silent.
No ambush, no sabotage occurred. Although visibility was heavily obscured, there was no attack or combat within the fog. Despite their heightened alertness, the fog posed no immediate threat aside from severely restricting their vision. Without the Illuminating Beacon’s prior warnings, they might have mistaken it for normal sea fog.
Thus, time gradually passed. Just as the sailors began feeling perplexed by the lack of action, the dense fog slowly started to dissipate.
Visibly, the previously dense sea fog rapidly thinned, completely vanishing within just a few minutes. The sailors could once again clearly see the ordinary lights from the friendly ships in the distance, as if the fog had never existed. Everyone was left bewildered by this sudden change.
“What’s going on? How did the fog disperse so quickly? Didn’t they take advantage of the fog to do something?”
The temporary commander murmured in confusion, swiftly shifting his attention to the lights from the other ships, trying to assess any losses.
However, after confirming the situation, he stood frozen in shock.
The fleet originally consisted of nine ships. From his position, he should have seen eight lights across the dark sea. Yet now, he could only see five.
Within the dense fog, three ships had vanished entirely—precisely the three passenger vessels lacking Illuminating Beacons, the ones carrying pilgrims they were tasked to protect.
The pilgrims’ ships had mysteriously disappeared amidst the fog, leaving behind only the intact escort fleet.
This escort mission had completely failed.
...
Meanwhile, far from the Church fleet, three passenger vessels continued sailing in formation across the open sea, carried along by a peculiar current. These ships had escaped the fog long ago and had traveled steadily to their current position.
On the decks of the passenger vessels, the sailors who couldn’t find their escort fleet were in turmoil, anxiously searching in every direction for signs of their lost companions. Suddenly, a powerful jet of water erupted from the sea, landing on the deck and leaving behind not just seawater but a figure—a shirtless man.
The man, appearing to be in his early thirties, stood calmly under the wary gaze of the sailors, seawater dripping from his muscular frame, his hair disheveled. He spoke in a firm, composed voice.
“From now on, these three ships are under our control. Radiance Warriors, do not resist. We have no intention of harming anyone. If you cooperate, no one will come to harm.”