After a while, nothing surrounded the convoy but the vast expanse of rolling waves. The forty colossal vessels moved in a narrow formation, with the fearsome flagship serving as the arrowhead of the expeditionary fleet. Hundreds of formidable cannons were aimed in all directions, their fields of fire overlapping to create a lethal exclusionary zone around the procession.
Nevertheless, Sunny was not reassured.
He stared at the undulating surface below for some time, a dark expression never leaving his face. Despite the grandiose magnitude of their passage, the convoy moved with a surprising measure of quietness. If not for the sound of water being displaced by the mighty bows and splashing against the alloy armor, Sunny could have closed his eyes and imagined that there were no other ships around him.
Wasn't it strange that he had felt much more comfortable aboard flying ships than these far more reliable seafaring vessels?
He sighed, then activated his communicator and accessed the maritime safety procedures manual provided to each member of the First Army. In the past weeks, everyone had to study the sizable document and run a few exhausting drills to familiarize themselves with the strange rules of proper naval conduct.
Sunny had a better memory than most, so he practically learned the manual by heart. While its general structure was rather easy to understand and explained what passengers of the ships had to do if a ship or fleet-wide alert was issued, there were a lot of strange and seemingly esoteric rules included, as well.
For example, the manual had passages like "if you start to experience recurring nightmares or experience persistent auditory hallucinations, report to the nearest navy officer immediately" or "in case of alert level being raised to Condition Black, cease all activity and motion; do not produce any sounds, disturbances, or vibrations; do not summon Memories and above all else do not actively circulate soul essence", and so on.
There were several alert levels, differentiated by their color. Condition Black was among the highest and most dire, inferior only to Condition Red, which meant that the whole fleet had to prepare for an all-out battle. However, there were plenty of regulations that fell outside these established routines.
Even though Sunny had no idea what most of these rules were supposed to prevent from happening, he felt a little bit calmer knowing them.
'Ships move between the Quadrants all the time. Hell, there are even some that constantly travel between West Antarctica and South America. There's no reason to worry too much.'
He sighed, then shook his head dejectedly and decided to leave the upper deck. Whether Sunny liked it or not, he was going to have to spend the next several weeks at sea. Letting paranoia get the best of him would not do anyone any good.
There was a lot for him to accomplish, still, from checking up on the Rhino to finding out what kind of facilities would be available to the cohort during this dangerous cruise, and implementing changes to the training plan. Not to mention the fact that he had to continue upgrading and augmenting the Memories of his soldiers.
As he walked toward the nearest hatch, Sunny suddenly spotted a lone figure standing at the bow of the ship, gazing at the vast expanse of water as he himself had been just a minute ago.
The man was tall and wore a midnight blue coat that moved slightly in the wind. Beneath it was a black bodysuit much like the one Sunny was wearing, but also slightly different. It was made out of a strange material and looked much more like a wetsuit than a garment meant to be worn under armor.
Although the stranger stood some distance away, Sunny could somehow feel his presence all the way near the hatch. It was subdued, deep, and mysterious… tantalizing, even.
Sunny had no doubt that he was looking at another Master.
He hesitated for a few moments, then shrugged and decided to approach the unfamiliar Ascended. As he did, the man turned around and glanced at Sunny with a wary gaze.
He was around thirty years old, handsome, and with eyes of an unusual, beautiful indigo color. Strangely enough, his black hair also seemed to possess slight accents of dark blue, at least when exposed to direct sunlight. This close, the feeling of mystifying depth radiating from the stranger was more pronounced, as if most of him was hidden from sight.
Sunny already had an idea of who he was looking at. He thought for a bit, and then simply said:
"Good day. I am Ascended Sunless of the First Awakened Irregular Company."
The man lingered for a moment, studying him. His indigo eyes seemed to be searching for something.
…Then, unexpectedly, a wide smile appeared on his handsome face.
"Ah! I am Ascended Naeve, of the House of Night."
He stared at Sunny with a strange expression for a few moments, and then suddenly blurted out:
"Are you crazy?!"
Sunny blinked a couple of times. Naeve, meanwhile, laughed and waved his hand in the air a couple of times.
"Sorry, sorry! I didn't… it's just that my daughter is your biggest fan!"
'...What?'
Utterly flabbergasted, Sunny stared at the scion of the famed great clan Night while trying his best to appear calm and composed. Eventually, he shifted slightly and forced out a question:
"How… old is your daughter, if I may ask?"
Naeve smiled.
"She's five. A Song of Light and Darkness is her favorite movie… she must have watched it a hundred times! The censored version, of course. She just adores your character. You're her idol! Ah… I really do apologize, Master Sunless.
Please forgive my lack of decorum. I just… got excited."
The scion of the House of Night remained silent for a few moments, then suddenly produced a piece of synthetic paper and a pen from somewhere and offered them to Sunny.
Sunny looked down with a deadpan expression and raised an eyebrow.
"Uh… what am I supposed to do with these?"
Master Naeve stared at him for a long, awkward moment.
"That… can I get an autograph? Please. You know, to earn some points with my daughter…"