Even after leaving the Nave, I kept thinking about the sensation, about the things she said. Enhanced Movement was going to be more difficult than Enhanced Hearing — that much was already clear.

When I thought about how exactly one was supposed to remember the breath patterns during an intense battle, the future looked bleak. Inhale for three counts while dodging a sword aimed at your neck. Exhale for four while counterattacking. Hold for two while someone tries to cave in your skull.

'Yeah. That's going to go well.'

But there was evidence that it worked right here before me. Kassie herself was that evidence.

If she was teaching me what she knew, then it had to be proven and tested. She wasn't the type to waste time on theory that didn't translate to results. Besides, I had gone and made a bet with her, so I wasn't allowed to give up or be tempted to search for any easy way out.

Not that any easy way could really exist — not with a technique this complicated. One that had supposedly been lost to eight thousand years of history and revolution.

'Ah, that's right… this really is a boon for me.'

Kassie was teaching me something from eight thousand years ago. If I successfully mastered it, I might possibly be one of the very few summoners who would be able to move differently than normal. Faster. More efficiently. While everyone else relied on raw power or artifact enhancement, I could have something that predated them all.

The thought had me welling up with a strange joy, a bubbling anticipation that—

A weird sound gurgled in my belly.

'Oh no.'

Except those weren't actually caused by the joy of expectation.

'Shit. I'm hungry? But I ate before entering the Nave.'

There was no way to see outside the ship from my room, so I carried myself out and made my way toward the deck.

The vast wooden expanse was scattered with crew members — some sitting on crates playing cards, others walking around fulfilling one duty or another. Ropes creaked. Canvas snapped in the wind. The smell of salt and tar hung thick in the air.

Night had descended, and this time, it was especially cold. The kind of cold that seeped through fabric and settled into bone. I hugged myself subconsciously and shivered as I climbed onto the deck proper.

One of the crew workers with a curved mustache chuckled at my obvious discomfort and tapped my shoulder before heading inside, like I was some kind of entertainment.

'The hell?'

Nonetheless, all of them moved normally, unbothered, like I was making a fuss about nothing.

'Anyways, wasn't it bright as day before I entered the Nave?'

It was in fact just dawning when I went in. I remembered the pink light bleeding over the horizon. But now it was full nightfall, the three moons carving their separate territories across the sky.

This set another record for how long I had been in the Nave.

Which explained the hunger.

I glanced around to see if there was anyone I recognized. No Po. No Tristan. No Levi. And no—

'Wait.'

I turned my head carefully toward the left side of the ship's deck, near the bow.

Someone stood there, leaning on the edge, covered in a black cloak that flowed with the despairing wind of the sea. Black hair streamed alongside it, catching the moonlight in threads of deep blue.

If it wasn't for that hair, I might not have recognized her. But I did.

Immediately, my direction was set. My legs were moving before I'd fully decided to approach.

I hadn't spoken to Nisha alone since we boarded the ship. Part of that was my own fault—I'd been consumed with training, barely surfacing for meals. But part of it was her. She'd been trying her best to be casual with me. Deliberately, carefully casual. The kind of casual that took effort to maintain.

There was nothing wrong with it. But given the fact that we had a shared history—and she had almost tried to reenact it at one point — the sudden distance was baffling.

I reached her position, and she didn't notice until I rested my arms on the wooden railing beside her. That was when she belatedly moved to step back, then froze when she saw it was me. A small sigh escaped her lips.

'You don't need to run away. I'm only here to beg for food.'

She continued staring into the distant sky. That overwhelming dark-blue canvas, layered with white stars and the three moons sitting separately, each owning their individual space. They didn't compete. They simply existed, each in their own sovereignty.

She had a forlorn expression on her face. Her eyes were folded almost closed, gazing upward with something that looked like the wistfulness of memory. Her expression tasted bitter and solemn. Sad would have been the easy word, but this looked like something less simple. Something that had been lived in for a long time.

"Are you trying to dig holes into my face?" Her voice came soft, almost normal. Like she'd been aware of my staring the whole time.

"I could say the same to you. You suddenly wish to crumble the sky?"

She chuckled, the sound barely carrying over the wind.

"I'll break your mouth."

Her trivial comment made me remember the strength she wielded when she was riding me. Especially when I discovered a way to manipulate my positioning to boost the fit and trigger certain... climactic responses.

'Ah… she's a beast. Why am I always getting entangled with beasts?'

Lira seemed like the most docile one so far. What an irony, because she was also the oldest.

Well, there was Kassie, but she was equally a beast. She had been docile too, surprisingly — but with a bestial force underneath. Pure sex with Kassie would be far more enjoyable if I had the actual power to pin her to the wall and fuck her brains out.

Make her feel the overwhelming strength in two ways.

'Goals. I have so many reasons to become stronger.'

The destruction of the Church was the priority. Being able to effectively handle my villainesses was an exciting secondary benefit.

"What are you thinking about with that evil smirk on your face? You…"

I belatedly straightened my expression and looked at her.

"Evil? Evil? What do you mean evil? I was just thinking about the wreckage I'll cause. The destruction. I will destroy places—"

Nisha looked at me with naked suspicion, making me quickly add:

"I mean Church places. Gods, Nisha, what are you even thinking about? Why are you looking at me like that?"

She curled a corner of her lips.

"I'm thinking about you crushing me. How about that?"

I froze. My mouth froze. My brain froze.

'This girl…'

The next moment she scoffed, the sound sharp and knowing.

"You're not a tough one to crack. You come cheap. You go around fucking anybody that wants to fuck you?"

Immediately a dark frown fell on my face. It wasn't like she was entirely wrong, but something about her statement offended me. Deeply.

"What? You—what do you know?! I'm a very generous person and I am not cheap! As a matter of fact, I've only ever had sex with… one…"

'Oops.'

"...three people…"

Even the energy in my voice was disappointed by the end.

And Nisha didn't resist the opportunity to deliver the final blow.

"Which one of them was not trying to have sex with you?"

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