Inside a secluded garden behind a large hut, the air was thick with the scent of damp soil and blooming flowers. A girl with long, dark black hair crouched in front of a cluster of delicate blossoms, her attention lost in their quiet beauty. A circular sunflower-shaped hairpin gleamed in her hair, catching the faint afternoon light. Carrying a small hand bag over her shoulder, its medieval-style fabric embroidered with a breathtaking pattern of flowers multi-colored, as though molded directly from petals themselves.

She seemed at peace, absorbed in her small world of petals and color.

But far behind her, beneath the wide shadow of a great oak tree, Razeal appeared. He stepped out of the darkness like he belonged to it, his pale hair catching the light for only an instant before he melted back into the shade. His eyes narrowed, looking at her back.

And then

Before the girl could even sense danger, the shadows beneath her writhed. Black tendrils surged upward, wrapping tightly around her ankles, then her legs, climbing with impossible speed. She gasped in shock, jerking upright, but the tendrils continued binding her waist, arms, shoulders, Bag and even the sunflower hairpin in her hair.

Her mouth opened to scream yet before any sound escaped, a hand clamped roughly over it from behind. Razeal stood close, his palm muffling her voice, his cold presence suffocating. She kicked once, twice, but it was useless.

And then, as though the ground itself decided to consume them, both their feet sank into the expanding pool of darkness below. In the blink of an eye, the garden and flowers vanished.

Middle of the Sea. On the deck of a ship.

A shadow pooled on the planks, spreading unnaturally wide before forming a hole of pitch-black. From it, Razeal and the girl emerged, thrown back into reality with a ripple of shadow.

The instant they surfaced, the tendrils holding her dissolved into mist. His hand released her mouth, only for him to shove her forward, tossing her unceremoniously onto the deck. She stumbled, unprepared for the sudden freedom, and collapsed hard against the wooden boards.

"You could've been more gentle, you know?" Yograj's deep voice boomed across the deck. The bulky old man leapt down from where he had been perched on the railing, his powerful form landing with ease. His eyes, however, were on the girl sprawled on the deck. Then he turned his gaze to Razeal, his tone sharp. "You told me we were partners. Is this how you show consideration. And what about protection?"

Razeal turned, his face unreadable. "Believe me," he said evenly, holding up one hand, "I was very gentle."

Clutched between his fingers was the sunflower hairpin. Except now, it was no mere ornament. The pin writhed violently in his grip, twisting and bending like a living thing. Tiny eyes blinked open on its surface, and a grotesque little mouth formed, baring invisible teeth as though it were trying to bite its way free.

Maria, who stood to the side, stiffened, her eyes narrowing at the sight.

Razeal didn't flinch. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the writhing thing back toward the girl, who caught it clumsily as it returned to its proper shape. The sunflower shimmered, its unnatural life hiding once more.

"This," Razeal added with the light trace of a frown, "was me being gentle again."

Yograj's lips twitched. He looked from the girl still sitting shocked on the deck, clutching the hairpin.. to maria who exhaled slowly and gave the faintest nod, as though confirming: yes, He indeed was very gentle.

The old man just sighed.

Meanwhile, Yograj was weirdly, looking at the girl supposed to be his daughter. He didn't even take a step toward her. It was complicated; how should he approach her? Should he directly tell her he was her father? Or would she know? Would she be angry, happy, or something else? What would she do after knowing? Could they even have a normal father-and-daughter relationship?

Honestly, he himself was feeling strange. He was suddenly a father now and that too, directly of a 29-year-old daughter. He didn't even know how he should feel about it. All in all, he was very conflicted.

Razeal, noticing his pause, said nothing. He simply ignored him and turned his gaze toward the sea, giving Yograj the silence and space to decide.

The ship rocked gently on the water. Around them stretched nothing but the endless ocean, the horizon meeting the sky in a distant blur. Only behind them, faint and shrinking, was the coastline of the Empire still barely visible if one strained their eyes.

Razeal's lips curved slightly as he stared at that fading line of land. It really worked. So much happened, but then again, it really worked in the beginning. He thought it would be hard to get out once he went inside the academy, since the trial of worth was something he couldn't skip. Opening the locked system function was his only option, after all. Without it, he'd really be fucked.

Still, after all the planning and shit he'd done, he actually pulled it off. And honestly, it felt hella good doing all this with just the measly strength he had.

And now

Away from their grasp. Away from the chains of the Empire.

He had gambled everything, and it paid off.

He smirked, the salty breeze tugging at his pale hair. And now, I'm truly free.

---

Maria stood there in silence, watching the newcomer on deck. Is she joining the team too? she wondered. Her eyes shifted to Yograj she had heard him shouting earlier, and now it clicked. This was his daughter.

Maria never knew he even had a daughter. The realization hit her as a surprise, and so did the thought that maybe this was how Razeal managed to bring Yograj under his command. It made sense: someone like Yograj wouldn't just work for Razeal without a reason Obviously. Could it be blackmail? Threatening his daughter's life if he refused? Knowing Razeal, that seemed entirely possible.

Still, it had worked. Maria kept her thoughts to herself, though if only Razeal could hear this bullshit, he would laugh. To him, her reasoning would seem pathetically simple like this was the best her mind could come up with? Like really? He'd probably call her useless and toss her off the ship without a second thought. As just to show how far she was from the truth.

The girl's sudden appearance left the deck in a brief, tense silence no one stepped forward for help. Sea winds howled across the sails, snapping them taut, but all eyes were fixed on the her dark hair falling loosely around her.

And we

The first to move was Levy.. Our lovely kind cheap god. He blinked, still processing the way she had simply appeared out of Razeal's shadow, and then hurried forward with an uncharacteristic burst of gallantry.

"Hey.. are you alright, lady?" he asked, crouching slightly and extending a hand to help her up. His voice carried genuine concern, as though forgetting the awkwardness hanging in the air.

The girl was already trying to push herself up when she noticed the hand reaching toward her. For a moment her pink eyes widened, but instead of gratitude, sharpness flashed across her face.

Slap!

She smacked his hand away so hard that Levy recoiled, wincing as the sting spread across his palm. Before he could even react, her other hand whipped up and struck him across the cheek. His head jerked to the side with a sharp crack.

"Who are you people?!" the girl demanded, stepping back in a defensive stance. Her voice rang with both fear and defiance, carrying a protective edge that made her appear more dangerous than she looked. She gripped a small sunflower hairpin in her hand, holding it up as if it were a blade. Despite its delicate design, in her grip it felt like a weapon. Her lovely features, soft and gentle by nature, were twisted into a mask of forced roughness. She was trying to sound harsh, but the natural melody of her voice betrayed her, making her threat sound almost sweet.

Levy, still holding his stinging cheek, looked wounded emotionally more than physically. "Boss…?" His wide eyes flicked toward Razeal, full of complaint. Wasn't she supposed to be an ally? Why am I the one getting slapped here? His shoulders slumped, and he pouted like a child who'd just been scolded unfairly.

Razeal, however, remained unmoved. He leaned casually against the railing, his silver hair catching the sunlight as he watched in silence. His gaze was sharp but disinterested, as though this chaos wasn't worth his effort. Babysitting had never been in his nature.

Yograj, on the other hand, twitched his lips in amusement. He was grateful deeply grateful that he hadn't been the one to approach her first. Otherwise, he might have been the one slapped. And now, seeing his daughter stand her ground so fiercely, he couldn't help but chuckle quietly. She really does have a bit of me in her.

The girl's grip tightened on her hairpin, raising it like a weapon. The golden petals shimmered faintly in the sunlight.

"Why did you kidnap me?" she demanded, pointing it toward Levy as if daring him to take another step. Her stance was clumsy, more protective than offensive, but her eyes were sharp vibrant pink orbs glaring at strangers who from her prospective had just dragged her into the middle of the sea.

Levy raised his hands in surrender, his expression somewhere between exasperation and heartbreak. "Wait, wait! Calm down, lady! I was only trying to help. That's all. And it wasn't me who kidnapped you!"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Don't move. If you do, I'll put so many holes through you that your soul won't know where to escape from. Don't test me!!"

Levy groaned, rubbing his face with both hands. "Why do I always end up in these situations…?"

Razeal ignored the commotion between Levy and the girl, As he turned to Yograj. "So how long until we reach Atlantis? Which direction are we even heading?"

Yograj tore his gaze away from his daughter reluctantly. Crossing his massive arms, he looked at the sails, then at the way the wind pushed against the ship. His eyes narrowed against the horizon.

"The course is off," he said finally. "We should be turning north. Adjust the sails. North is the way."

"North?" Maria frowned, tilting her head. "But… isn't that the icy lands? The north pole? From everything I've read, Atlantis is supposed to be in the south." Her voice sharpened slightly. "That's why I set our course east.. to circle around the Empire and head toward the southern pole."

Her tone carried the weight of someone who had studied, researched, prepared.. even if from fairy tails... Yet Yograj's dismissive glance cut through her explanation like a knife.

Yograj shook his head, dismissing her explanation with a wave of his hand. "Atlantis lies between the North Pole and the continent of Aetherion," he said matter-of-factly.

Maria's brows knitted together in frustration. She hesitated, her lips parting to argue further.. but froze as Yograj tilted his head, studying her face with an odd intensity.

His gaze lingered on Maria's face, narrowing slightly in recognition from her Aqua blue hair's. "And you.. aren't you from the Graze family?"

Maria stiffened. "Yes," she admitted carefully, though she wasn't sure why he asked.

A scoff escaped him, and he shook his head with something close to disdain. "The Grave family… And this weak? It must be embarrassing for that old man to watch his family line rot into weakness. To see it dwindling to this. So shameful" His words carried the weight of mockery, meant to sting.

Maria's face twisted into a scowl. "What did you just say?" she snapped, but Yograj didn't bother answering. He turned back to Razeal, brushing off her as though she were nothing more than background noise.

"At this speed," he said, voice calm and steady, "it'll take us about twenty days to reach the place."

"Twenty?" Razeal's brows furrowed. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, stepping toward the edge of the ship. His gaze locked on the horizon, ignoring the others as he calculated silently. That's too long. If it takes twenty days, too many things could change. We need to move faster.

Maria clenched her fists, seething from Yograj's insult but biting her tongue. Levy, meanwhile, was still locked in his awkward standoff with the girl.

"Look, lady," he said with a strained smile, his hands raised higher now. "I swear, I was only trying to be polite. No harm, Really."

The girl's pink eyes blazed, her body trembling slightly though she refused to back down. "Stay back! You think I'll believe that? You dragged me from my home, bound me like some animal, Treated me.. that roughly and now you want me to believe you're harmless?!"

"Dragged you?" Levy's mouth fell open. He gestured frantically toward Razeal. "That wasn't me! As i told That was my boss! I didn't even know you existed until a second ago!"

She didn't look convinced. As sudden her bag started showing little movements..

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