Ross couldn't move anymore. His limbs hung limp, his chest heaving. He'd squirmed, kicked, twisted, and shouted until his throat was raw and his muscles burned—but the demon carrying him hadn't loosened her grip once.
Kygail was strong. Inhumanly strong. Even if Ross hadn't been exhausted, he doubted he could've escaped her arms. His breath came in shallow bursts as the wind rushed past his ears. Every step she took seemed to rattle the world around them.
The air smelled of salt now.
Ross blinked, trying to focus. Somewhere along the way, she must have used teleportation magic. The forests and familiar hills of Durolan were gone. Now the world around them was wild, raw, and open. They were on a high, jagged cliff, and below them, the vast ocean stretched to the horizon, the water a deep, endless blue.
Kygail's pace slowed. She came to an abrupt stop at the edge of the cliff, standing tall against the salty wind. Ross hung over her shoulder like a sack of flour, utterly confused and exhausted.
Then she pointed.
"There," she said, her voice low, almost lost to the wind. "Just beyond the horizon… That's where the new demon navy is hiding."
Ross squinted. The sea looked empty, but he didn't doubt her. Kygail wasn't the type to exaggerate.
She scowled, and her voice turned sharp with disdain. "Their new commander is an incompetent fool. Can barely steer a ship straight. Doesn't even come from the ocean. Has no sense for tides or storms, no respect for the depths."
She scoffed like the very idea offended her soul.
Ross blinked. Did she just say—?
Before he could finish that thought, Kygail set him down. Gently, even. His legs trembled, barely holding his weight. He stared up at her, confused and wary.
She placed a hand on his shoulder, her face now filled with quiet resolve.
"That's why I'm going to help you beat the crap out of him."
Ross stared at her.
"What."
She arched an eyebrow. "You heard me."
"No, I—I did, I just…" Ross rubbed his temple, trying to force his brain to work. "You kidnapped me. You dragged me to another country—"
"I carried you," Kygail corrected.
"—without telling me anything! And now you're saying you're going to help me?"
Kygail crossed her arms. "Yes."
"Why?! Why are we in Loranth? Why are you helping me? Why do you even care about who's leading the navy now?" Ross's words spilled out, overwhelmed and exasperated. "You're a demon! Why are you helping me fight your own side?!"
Kygail gave him a long, level look. "Because they're not my side."
Ross blinked. That… didn't help much.
She continued before he could ask another question. "The demons may have kept my body alive, but they never commanded my loyalty. And they definitely don't deserve to keep the legacy of the old navy if they're going to hand it to some surface-dwelling idiot who thinks sea charts are 'optional.'"
"Okay," Ross said slowly, "but why me? Why bring me here?"
Kygail tilted her head. "Because you're the only one I trust to take him down. You were Cenlurz. You commanded the demon navy at its height. You understand what it means to rule the sea."
Ross froze, heart pounding. She knew.
"How long have you known?" he asked, voice hoarse.
"Since the moment I saw you fight that hellhound. Yes, that's right, I've been watching for that long," she pauses. "No human moves like that. And when I sensed the divine pressure around you... I knew. You haven't changed as much as you think."
He looked away, stunned. "So you brought me here… what, to reclaim the throne?"
"No," Kygail said flatly. "I brought you here because I'm not going to let the legacy of the sea be trampled by some glory-chasing clown who's never even seen a storm surge."
She stepped forward, eyes narrowing with conviction. "So yes, Ross. I'm going to help you. Not because you're human. Not because you're a hero. But because you were the Kraken. And the sea remembers its king."
Ross stared at her in stunned silence, his thoughts tangled and wild. Questions still buzzed in his mind—but somewhere, deep in his bones, something ancient stirred.
Something that remembered salt.
Something that remembered storms.
And something that very much wanted to take back what was his.
Then Kygail stepped forward and gripped his arm firmly.
"Wait—what are you—?"
Without warning, she hoisted him clean off the ground, her expression fierce and unrelenting.
"You need to stop running from what you were," she said, voice rising over the wind. "You want answers? You want to understand what's happening? Then stop thinking like a human."
His eyes widened. "Kygail, wait—"
She turned, took two steps forward, and hurled him off the cliff.
"Reclaim what once was yours!" she roared.
The world spun. The sea rushed up to meet him.
Ross barely had time to scream before the ocean swallowed him whole.
And the moment the saltwater touched his skin, something inside him awoke.
—----------------------------------------
Far across the sea, in the capital city of Durolan, Arc Knight Devon Taranis stood alone in his private chambers, the walls lined with old maps, worn swords, and one flickering scrying orb—its surface now dull and lifeless.
He had been trying to stay calm.
He had failed.
The tracking ward on Ross had vanished in a violent burst. Not broken by time or distance—but torn away with precision.
Devon clenched the edge of his desk until his knuckles ached, trying not to imagine what kind of force could rip apart a divine-marked ward without leaving a trace.
Then came the knock.
Just once. Steady. Controlled.
He already knew who it was.
"Enter," he said.
The door opened, and Marcus stepped in, silent as ever, but his face was drawn with worry.
Devon didn't waste time. "You're here about Ross."
Marcus nodded. "I am."
"I already know he's missing," Devon said, voice tight. "The ward I placed on him was severed. Violently. I've been trying to figure out by who."
Marcus stepped fully inside and closed the door behind him. For a moment, neither man spoke. Then Marcus said, "I think it's time you knew the whole truth. About Ross."
Devon's stare darkened. "He's my son, Marcus. I know him better than anyone."
Marcus exhaled. "Then what I'm about to say is going to hurt."
Devon didn't flinch.
"Ross remembers a past life," Marcus said carefully. "He's not just gifted. He's… reincarnated."
Devon stilled. "From who?"
Marcus shook his head. "What."
Silence.
Devon stared at him, his expression unreadable.
"In his past life," Marcus said, "he was the Kraken. Cenlurz. Commander of the demon navy."
Devon recoiled, slowly, like a man backing away from a cliff he hadn't realized he was standing on.
"No," he said. "No. He's not—he's just a boy."
"He is," Marcus said gently. "But he also was something else. And I think something—or someone—has taken him to awaken that part of him."
Devon turned to face the fireplace, his fists trembling.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because he asked me not to. And because, for a long time, he chose to be human." Marcus's voice softened. "But I'm afraid that choice is being taken from him now."
Devon said nothing.
"I don't know where he is," Marcus continued. "But the last time I felt divine pressure like this, a kingdom drowned beneath the waves."
Devon shut his eyes.
"I'll find him," he whispered.
"I'll help."
Marcus turned to leave, pausing at the door. "He hasn't become a monster, Devon. But the sea has called him home. And I don't think it's going to let him go."
Then he was gone.
Devon remained motionless, staring into the dying fire.
Thunder rumbled outside, low and deep.