I watched as the bodies of both the Hydra and the kraken grew smaller and smaller in the distance, their battle still raging on. Even from here, I could tell it wasn’t going well for the kraken.

  “Well… that was useless,” I muttered, pushing myself off the railing. I turned and walked back toward the front of the ship, my steps heavy with frustration.

  I had hoped that if anything could give me a clue about my mission, it would be Atlantis. But all my hopes were shattered at the sight of that ruined kingdom. I sighed, struggling to keep my anger in check, resisting the urge to scream in frustration or break something to vent.

  Yet, I couldn’t help myself. My fist slammed into the wooden wall beside me with a dull thud.

  “Ban, what the heck are you doing?” a voice called from the steering wheel.

  I turned in the direction of the voice to see the captain glaring at me. Running a hand through my locks, I leaped up and landed in front of him.

  “What?!” I snapped, smirking as I straightened up.

  “Where do you get off damaging my ship?” the captain growled, blowing a cloud of smoke into my face.

  “… Has anyone ever told you how short you are?” I replied with a grin.

  “The hell you say!?” the captain barked, his face twisting into an exaggerated scowl. I couldn’t help but chuckle—something about his expressions always got to me.

  “I’m kidding, Alexander. Calm down,” I said, still laughing.

  “Calm down? Look at my baby!” Alexander shot back, gesturing dramatically.

  It took me a second to realize what he meant by “baby,” but I quickly pieced it together—he was talking about the ship. Glancing around, I saw that while it hadn’t sustained much damage, it was just enough that the ocean’s waves were now the only thing keeping us moving.

  “Oh…” I said scratching the back of my neck, I hadn’t realized my short battle with the kraken did this much damage.

  “Yeah now were stuck out here.” Alexander said.

  “Calm down my friend, you forget” I said before I raised my hand to the sky, I concentrated as a dim glow emerged from the center of my palm, rippling outward like water disturbed by a stone. The faint light twisted and coalesced into intricate geometric patterns

  “I am a mage.” I said as I could feel a smirk forming on my face, the magic circle within my palm began to spin with immense speed, as the wind began to pick up around the ship.

  “That’s nice Ban, but the sails are destro-“ Alexander was almost immediately silenced as the wind flowed around the ship, and moved us forward, his sudden silence made me chuckle.

  “Well that doesn’t fix the damages.” Alexander said, pointing to the wall I had punched in earlier.

  I rolled my eyes. Is this ship your wife or something? I thought as I snapped my fingers, adding a few new runes to the floating magic circle. Green energy flowed out from it and onto the ship, and the wooden frame began to repair itself, including the wall I’d smashed a few minutes ago.

  I glanced around and noticed the crew members staring at me in awe, their eyes wide as if they’d never seen magic so vivid and direct before.

  “What are y’all gawking at? Get back to your posts!” Alexander barked, his gruff voice snapping the crew out of their daze as they scattered to their stations.

  “You really know how to ruin the fun, huh, Alexander?” I said with a smirk.

  “Ugh, follow me to my quarters,” Alexander muttered, taking another puff of smoke.

  “Whoa, Alexander, I didn’t know you felt that way about me,” I quipped, my smirk widening.

  Alexander nearly choked on his cigarette. “Shut the hell up, Ban!” he snapped, but I could see the faintest hint of red creeping up his neck as I laughed my way after him.

  As I walked, I noticed a younger crew member who had been standing next to Alexander before I arrived. He was still staring up at the spinning magic circle, his eyes filled with what I could only describe as wonder.

  I followed Alexander to the lower deck of the ship. Not far from the stairs was a door that led to the crew’s sleeping quarters. Without even opening it, the rank stench wafting from inside hit me. You’d think being surrounded by water would inspire them to clean themselves, I thought, frowning in distaste.

  Further down the hallway, we approached another door, this one with a small window in its center. I could only assume it was Alexander’s room. As he opened the door, a wave of warmth radiated outward, filling the narrow corridor.

  Closing the door behind me, I leaned back against it, taking a quick look around the room. It was simple enough—just a big wooden table covered with candles and a couple of books, a decently sized bed in the corner, and two bookshelves packed with volumes I’d bet Alexander had never touched.

  He dropped Into the chair behind the table, rummaging through a drawer before pulling out a bottle of wine and a couple of small cups.

  “You’ve really messed things up this time,” he said, pouring some wine into a cup and sliding it across the table toward me.

  I took a sip of the wine before speaking. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said, smirking.

  “This isn’t a joke,” Alexander said sharply, taking a sip from his own cup. “A hydra? You just unleashed a hydra into the seas of this continent! And that’s not even mentioning how you provoked a kraken in its own territory. If my men knew what you’d just done, they wouldn’t be so—”

  “Relax, will you?” I interrupted, leaning back in my chair. “Have a little faith in me. The hydra was premature. I only let it loose to keep the kraken in check. Honestly, the kraken should worry you more; it’ll kill that hydra—and it’ll definitely want revenge.” I sipped from my cup before continuing. “But don’t worry; it’ll be too mortally wounded to do anything about it.”

  I reached across the table and grabbed the bottle, pouring myself another glass.

  “And even if I am wrong, I’ll just handle whichever walks out alive.” I said as I twirl the cup in my hand, the wine twirling in the glass aswell.

  Alexander sighed shaking his head while exhaling smoke, “You haven’t changed a bit have you?” Alexander said as he chuckled, as we hit our glasses together.

  “You know, I was a bit surprised when you suddenly showed up in my office asking for a favor—especially when you explained what we were going to be doing,” Alexander said, pausing to cough up smoke before downing some wine to ease the pain.

  It was pretty funny to see his lack of awareness of his own habits.

  “You really should stop smoking, you know,” I said, taking a sip from my glass before setting it aside.

  “Look who’s talking. You should be used to the smell of smoke by now,” Alexander shot back, completely missing the point of my remark.

  “You know what? Forget it,” I said with a wave of my hand. “So… how are the others?” I asked, but as soon as I did, I noticed Alexander’s face darken—a reaction that made my chest tighten with unease.

  “To be honest… I don’t really know,” he replied, his tone heavy. “I’ve managed to get in contact with three of us so far, including you. As for the rest of the Bedlam… I’ve heard whispers, bits and pieces here and there, but nothing solid.” He scowled as he spoke.

  I exhaled in relief. “That’s good. For a moment, I thought my bad luck had managed to drag all of them down too.”

  “You know that nothing that happened to us was your fault. We willingly chose to follow you,” Alexander said firmly, trying to reassure me.

  It didn’t work. But I smiled anyway.

  “Yeah… I heard one of us ended up joining those stuck-up assholes in the Sorcerer Dynasty of Stellaria,” I said, draining the last of my wine and setting the cup back on the table with a dull clink.

  That’s when I heard it.

  A faint sound—like an itch at the back of my mind. Close, yet impossibly far away. Its peculiarity was maddening, but what grated more was the sound itself: buzzing, like flies. Thousands of them, swarming around my ears all at once.

  I sighed, already used to this kind of intrusion.

  “What’s wrong?” Alexander asked, his voice pulling me back.

  “Nothing. Just a headache,” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose.

  Here we go again.

  And then it happened.

  The room froze—everything stopped. Alexander’s mouth hung open mid-sentence, his expression locked in place. The warmth in the air vanished entirely. No, that wasn’t right. The air itself went still, stripped bare. Even the flames on the candles hung suspended, their flickering light snuffed into unnatural stillness.

  The buzzing swelled louder and louder, drilling into my skull, until finally, I spoke up.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Enough with the theatrics… Hermes,” I said, my voice cold.

  As I said this Alexander’s mouth began to move, along with the rest of his body, as he let out a long sigh

  “You are never any fun anymore.” Alexander said, but I knew it wasn’t Alexander speaking.

  “What do you want Hermes?” I said as I clenched my fist in anger.

  Alexander’s eyes rolled back into his head, leaving his eyes as white as snow, I twitched a little at the sight but I didn’t let it show, and this was when Hermes spoke up.

  “Do I need to have a reason to visit my favorite mortal?” He said as a large inhuman smile appeared on Alexander’s face.

  I didn’t answer I just glared at him, trying to not let my anger slip out, “whatever, you really are no fun anymore.” He said before taking a long swig from the wine bottle.

  “Which is weird, since you seemed to be having a lot of fun earlier.” He said as I glared at him, which made him smile wider.” Threatening a Kraken with a new born Hydra? Now that just… mischievous.” He said before he chuckled.

  “Oh don’t be too shocked.” He said “You didn’t think that stupid spell of yours could actually block us gods view of you? How… pathetic.” He said before laughing again.

  “You know how it goes—so long as that curse of yours stays stuck on you, we’ve got a bird’s-eye view of everything you do. There’s a reason you mortals call us omnipresent,” Hermes said, still drinking from the wine and chuckling to himself like he’d just won something.

  “Get to the point,” I said, already sick of his rambling.

  Before I knew it, Alexander’s face was right in mine. “It’s rude to interrupt your elders,” Hermes said, his expression blank. “But as someone as old as yourself, I’m sure you’re used to saying that to others.” He shot back to his seat with that creepy, godlike smoothness.

  “So,” he continued, settling in like this was some kind of casual chat, “you’ve unleashed a calamity like a hydra into the world. What did you gain from it? Because from what I’ve seen, Atlantis didn’t have what you were looking for, did it?”

  I grinned, leaning back just a little. “No, it didn’t. But it did remind me of the beauty in my work. What’s the problem? Poseidon worried I’ll wreck the ‘great city of Atlantis’ again?”

  “Hmm, no,” Hermes said, swirling the wine in his hand like he had all the time in the world. “As I’ve told you over these past hundred years, us gods don’t care about the mortal realm anymore, so he just didn’t bother.” He paused to snuff out a cigarette still burning between Alexander’s fingers, his movements deliberate.

  “You mortals aren’t that important—not even you, Ban.” Hermes said, his tone dripping with disdain. “Don’t forget, the only reason you haven’t been put back in your place is because we’re amused by you. Don’t mistake that for us being unable to act.”

  I glared at him, my anger was boiling within me, so much to the point it was as of I could feel it in the bottom of my stomach.

  “Just remember why you belong to us. Don’t forget, Ban,” he said mockingly.

  As those words lingered in the air, the world around me shifted back to normal. The flames on the candles flickered once more as if nothing had happened, and Alexander blinked, snapping out of whatever trance Hermes had placed him in.

  He looked at me, his expression slightly confused, like he couldn’t quite remember what he’d been saying.

  “Uh… what were we talking about?” Alexander asked.

  I stood up, brushing off the moment. “Don’t worry about it. Hey, I think I’ll go rest my head for a bit, alright?”

  “Oh… okay,” he said, standing up. “There’s another room up on the deck of the ship. You can use that. I wouldn’t want you rubbing elbows—or worse, skin—with my boys.”

  I chuckled softly, masking the anger simmering beneath the surface. “Yeah, that sounds great. Thanks,” I said as I headed for the door.

  Closing it behind me, I made my way to the top deck of the ship, keeping my composure so Alexander wouldn’t suspect a thing. By the time I reached the deck, I spotted the room he mentioned.

  But before I entered, the weight of my frustration got the better of me. I slammed my hand into the door, splintering the wood with a loud crack.

  The magic circle hovering above the ship spun faintly, reacting instantly. Green light flowed down and repaired the damage in seconds.

  The room was small, just enough space to breathe without feeling boxed in. A bed sat against the wall—looked stiff, but it’d do. A few candles dotted the place, and the two little windows let in just enough light to remind me I wasn’t buried alive.

  I snapped my fingers, and the candles lit up instantly, casting flickering shadows across the walls. Tossing my blade onto the bed, I slid down to the floor, leaning into the corner. A small flame sparked to life in my hand. I watched it twist and flicker, the way it moved always had this… pull. It was wild and restless—kind of like me.

  “What do you want?” I muttered, still staring at the flame.

  Silence.

  “You. Behind the door,” I said, my voice flat but sharp.

  A pause, then a knock.

  “Come in,” I said, finally tearing my eyes from the fire.

  The door creaked open, and I glanced up. It was the same kid from earlier, the one who’d been standing next to Alexander. He looked like he’d been starstruck by the magic circle I’d set up above the ship—makes sense. Most humans don’t get to see actual magic, let alone something like that.

  But now he was standing in my doorway, staring at me like he had something to say but no idea how to say it. To be honest, I wasn’t in the mood to deal with… whatever this was supposed to be.

  “What?” I said, my voice cold enough to make him flinch.

  “I—I, uh…” he stammered, looking like a nervous little girl.

  I raised an eyebrow and fixed him with a look that made it clear I wasn’t impressed. “Can’t you speak?”

  That seemed to make him freeze for a second before he finally managed to blurt something out.

  “My name is N-Neil,” he said, stumbling over his words like he was scared I might set him on fire.

  I sighed, already regretting this. “Hello, Neil. What do you want?” I asked, turning my attention back to the flame dancing in my hand.

  “I saw you talking with my father… are you two friends?” he asked, still sounding nervous.

  Father? Who the hell is he talking about? I didn’t talk to any—

  It hit me. He meant Alexander.

  I snuffed out the flame and looked at the kid properly. “Wait… you’re Alexander’s kid?!” I asked, genuinely shocked. The idea of Alexander having a kid felt as unlikely as him getting down and dirty with anyone at all.

  “I am his adopted son, yes,” Neil said, sounding a little more confident now.

  “Oh,” I muttered. That made a bit more sense. Still weird, though. The Alexander I knew didn’t seem like the “adopting kids” type, but then again, it had been years since we last saw each other. People change, I guess.

  “Well, okay. Uh… yeah, me and your dad are good friends,” I said, though I was still wrapping my head around it.

  “Are you really the Immortal Flame?” he asked, avoiding eye contact but clearly curious.

  Immortal Flame? Is that what they’re calling me now? I thought, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes.

  “Yeah, I am,” I said casually, though his face lit up like I’d just confirmed that he could fly, That reaction made me feel… awkward, to say the least.

  “Has your father told you about me?” I asked, trying to steer the conversation.

  “Oh, yes!” Neil said, suddenly animated. “When I was younger, he’d tell me stories about your adventures—like they were tales out of a book!”

  “Did he now?” I said, scratching the back of my neck, not sure how to respond.

  “Yes! Honestly, I never believed he actually knew you, let alone that you were friends,” Neil said, looking at me like I’d just stepped out of a legend.

  Yeah… I wouldn’t believe Alexander either.

  “So… is that all you wanted to ask me?” I said, trying to shift the awkward vibe out of the room.

  “Oh, uh… yes. I mean, no!” Neil said, clasping his hands together nervously. “I actually wanted to ask you for a favor.”

  “A favor, huh?” I said, leaning forward a bit. “Alright. What is it?”

  “How did you do that?” Neil asked, pointing at something behind me. I couldn’t see it from where I was sitting, but I already had a good idea of what he meant.

  “The magic circle?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “Is that what it’s called?” he said, his eyes wide with curiosity.

  “Yeah, that’s the name. I absorb energy from the air, then guide it through… well, let’s just say it’s a process,” I said, waving my hand dismissively. No point in overcomplicating things for him—he’d be lost after the first word.

  ...

  “So, let me guess—you’re here to learn magic, aren’t you?” I asked, leaning back against the wall. It wasn’t hard to figure out.

  “Yes! If it’s not too much trouble… just one spell, please?” he said, practically bouncing on his toes.

  I thought about it for a second, and I didn’t see anything wrong with it.

  “Sure, why not.” I said, as I gestured for him to sit on the bed in the room.

  “hmmm what could I teach you, I’ll definitely start with elemental magic, how about a basic water spell.” I said as I thought about what I could teach him, I decided on water since it is easiest elemental magic to learn.

  “Well, before I can teach you that, you need to know the basics,” I said, conjuring a small flame in my palm.

  Neil’s eyes lit up as he stared at the flickering fire, completely mesmerized.

  “So, you’ve heard of Arc, right?” I asked, casually tossing the flame between my hands.

  “Like from an Arc-stone? Yeah, I think I even have so—” he started, but I cut him off before he could go on some tangent.

  “No, not Arc-stone. I’m talking about Arc. It’s the lifeblood of magic—without it, you can’t do anything worthwhile,” I explained, making sure to keep it simple.

  “Uh… is it like a gem or something?” Neil asked, which made sense, considering his life as part of a crew obsessed with rare treasures.

  “Not even close,” I said with a smirk. “Think of Arc as… energy. The kind you pull from your surroundings. More specifically, from light.”

  “Light?” Neil tilted his head, his confusion written all over his face.

  “Yeah, light,” I said, snapping my fingers to brighten the flame. “Everything that gives off light has energy in it. Even the leftover glow floating around in the air can hold power. That’s what we mages tap into—it’s what fuels our spells.”

  “Then how do you… absorb the energy?” Neil asked. To be honest, I was a little impressed he followed along—or maybe he didn’t, but I wasn’t about to ask.

  “Well, different mages have different ways of doing it, but since you’re a beginner, we’ll stick with my way.” I stretched out my hand, the small flame dancing in my palm.

  “Now, stretch your hand toward it,” I instructed. Neil did as he was told, his hand hovering near the flame.

  “You feel the heat? Focus on that. That heat is energy. Your job is to pull… no drag it towards yourself,” I said.

  “… How do I do that?” Neil asked, looking more confused.

  Oh, right.

  I smirked a little. “As a living being, you have already achieved the first step, that heat your feeling is just the result of your body absorbing the heat, but here’s how you do it on purpose.”

  I held the flame steady and leaned forward slightly. “Close your eyes. Picture the flame in your mind, and imagine a thread connecting it to your palm. That thread is how you’ll draw the energy in. Don’t force it; Just will the energy to come to you—like it’s already yours.”

  The flame flickered slightly, and I could see Neil’s hand twitch a little as if he felt something.

  “Good,” I said with a faint smirk. “That’s how it starts. Keep practicing until it feels natural. Then we’ll move on.”

  As I said that though the flame in my hand suddenly went out.

  I looked confused at first, as I was very sure I had put the flame in a closed system so it wouldn’t be extinguished, I looked up at Neil thinking he would be thrown off but I noticed that he was clenching his fist.

  My eyes went wide.

  Well he is a fast learner, I thought to myself.

  “Like this?” Neil asked me as I was still a bit surprised.

  “Uh yeah, so how does it feel.?” I asked as I grabbed a small cup from my bag hanging from my waist, and using magic I condensed the water vapor in the air making a mass of water and pouring it in the cup.

  “I-it feels strange, like a pulsating warmness.” Neil said.

  “That’s good, just try holding on to that feeling.” I said

  “It feels like I’m going to lose my grip on it.” Neil said in a panic.

  “Calm down, try concentrating that energy in the center of your palm.” I instructed him, he quickly clenched his fist and I could see the energy that flowed all throughout his palm and fingers concentrate in his palm.

  Ok, good, he learns fast. I thought

  “You see? Its like flexing a muscle, you just have to train the muscle.” I said.

  I pick up the cup and place it in front of him.

  “Ok now let’s take of the training wheels.”

  “Try pushing out the energy, into this.” I said as I placed the cup in front of him.

  “What!?” He asked confused, “I know, you can barely keep the energy within yourself, but you have to treat your ability to absorb Arc as a muscle or extra limb.”

  I said grabbing his wrist.

  “When I say release the energy, I mean extend it like it’s part of you. The water holds its own energy—you just need to seize it and bend it to your will.”

  “B-but how do I-“ he said but I cut him off.

  “Just relax you have been doing so well so far, so just do it.” I said, which now that I think about it, it wasn’t very helpful.

  But even at that his hand hovered over the cup, he slowly dropped a finger into the water, his face scrunched up, all his concentration was on keeping the energy in.

  He took a deep breath, before slowly releasing it, at the same time I could feel the cup begin to warm up.

  “I- I.” He was about to say something but I stopped him.

  “Just focus.” I said sharply, after a brief moment of silence I could see the water beginning to bubble and rise.

  I grinned slightly, he was getting the hang of moving the energy.

  As I said this, he retracted his finger opening his palm wide above the glass, as he did this all the water in the cup began to float upwards towards his palm.