Chapter 230 – Nathan Arrives at the Devastated Port

  Nathan Evenhart:

  For three days aboard the ship, my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, each spiraling into futility as I tried to craft an apology. Every idea I ceived was quickly discarded. Adrihna had given me a ride to the Royal Capital, and thanks tolems, what would’ve been a two-day journey on horseback had been reduced to less than one. Yet, even with the extra time, I found myself trapped in a loop of self-recrimination.

  Sitting on the bed with my hands c my face, I struggled to find a way to make amends with Chloe.

  But how I even face her now? I thought. She must be furious with me.

  I sighed, the weight of guilt pressing heavily against my chest.

  And then there’s Kinue...

  Adrihna had revealed something I had never sidered. Kinue had liked me for a long time, and every ge she made in her life had been aimed at being someone she could be proud of, someone who would have the ce to reveal her feelings. But beyond that, she eruggles simply for being who she was. Her demi-human appearance made her a stant target of prejudice. To some humans, she was nothing more than an animal.

  I had always seen her as a close friend, but I never imagihe burden she carried silently. I hought about how my as could add to that weight.

  My thoughts swirled, bringing me bay argument with Chloe.

  "Five me, Chloe," I murmured. "I like you too..."

  The memory of her pained eyes and the frustration in her voice was a bitter echo in my mind. Our st exge had been a fight—the first serious one we’d ever had. And now, I uood how much it could hurt.

  "To her, I’m not Icarus. I’m Nathan. If I stay shackled to the past, I’ll never move forward. I’m scared of repeating my mistakes. But because of that fear, I’m failing to appreciate what I have now," I whispered aloud, giving voice to the internal battle ing me.

  Then the ship stopped abruptly, shaking me from my thoughts and dragging me back to reality.

  The water and wind mages had ceased their magic. It seemed we had arrived.

  But a sense of shame lingered, burning my skin as if unseen eyes were judgihe idea of fag Chloe felt impossible. Determio clear my head, I left my and climbed the stairs toward the upper deck, only to be stopped by a staff member roached me in haste.

  “Lord Evenhart, there’s been an issue,” she said nervously. “We’re not yet at the port. Our ship has beeained. I ask that you remain in your quarters.”

  I frowned, sensing something amiss.

  “Detained?” I asked, trying to make sense of it.

  “Yes, sir. The puards have halted all dogs. No ships are allowed to anchor.”

  Is the primary trade route of the duchy being halted? Aunt Margie would never permit such a disruption without an urgent reason.

  Disregarding her request, I tinued up the stairs.

  “The guards have requested that all ay in their rooms,” she insisted. “It must be a routine issue. Ohey verify the passenger list, we’ll be cleared. Please don’t worry; I’ll have food sent to you while you wait.”

  Something’s wrong.

  Ign her words, I kept climbing. Nothing about this felt right. A route as vital as this one would never be interrupted lightly, and passenger verification was always done before b, not mid-journey.

  Upon reag the deck, I was met with utter chaos. High-obles waved their dots and tickets in the air, shouting frantic orders that the soldiers steadfastly ignored.

  I don’t have a ticket. This ship belongs to me...

  I ighe otion and walked straight to the edge of the ship, wanting to see the otion for myself. Before I could observe the se at the harbor, a firm hand gripped my shoulder.

  “Stop! Papers,” a soldier barked with authority.

  Before I could respond, anuard quickly intervened, spping the first one’s hand away.

  “Do you even know who he is?” the sed guard asked, his voice dripping with disbelief.

  The soldier who had grabbed me stepped back, his expression shifting to one of fusion as he gave me a once-over, trying to identify me.

  Something was definitely wrong.

  Ordinary soldiers don’t have access to my true identity—at least not until the day Chloe takes over the duchy’s authority, and both she and I are introduced to the public.

  “He’s your lord! Apologies for the disrespect, Lord Nathan.” The sed soldier stepped forward, his tone a blend of resped unease. “I am Theodore Borir, the officer in charge of this ship’s iion. Five the pse in de, my lord. We’ve been given direct orders to ensure your safety after… the is.”

  I ignored his fumbling attempts at an expnation, turning my gaze to the subterranean river. The se below was desote: endless rows of stationary ships, lined up like mismatched pieces of a puzzle. The chaos alpable, with orders being shouted across the docks and debris drifting aimlessly ier.

  “What happened?” I asked, my voice steady, though an edge of tensio in.

  “A terrorist attack, my lord,” Theodore replied. “Two high-level mages engaged in a frontation here. My orders are to escort you to safety.”

  A terrorist attack? This is one of the most secure locations in the kingdom.

  My eyes sed the river’s surface. Shattered pieces of wood and broken structures floated aimlessly. Yet, what truly caught my attention was the state of the port—utterly devastated, as if a natural disaster had swept through. Among the destru, a patch of the subterranean river was frozen solid.

  “When did this happen?” I demanded, an urgency growing in my chest.

  “It’s been a few days,” Theodore said hesitantly.

  The words hit me like a blow. My chest tightened as I jumped to the ship’s edge for a better view. Snow, ice, destru. This wasn’t the result of a mere skirmish between mages; the scale of devastation poio something far more catastrophic.

  “Sir, I must insist—I o escort you—” Theodore started, but his voice faded as I tuned him out.

  I don’t have time for noble formalities.

  Without a sed thought, I leapt from the ship into the river below. Theodore’s panicked shout followed me. “My lord!”

  I summoned my mana, eling the wind to propel myself forward, running across the water’s surface with speed and precision.

  “Thunder Dash,” I muttered, adjusting my stance as I accelerated. Sparks of energy crackled around me, leaving faint trails oer as I surged forward.

  I reached the frozeion and stopped at the edge of the devastated port. The se before me ocalyptic, a chaotic mix of ice, fire, aru.

  Every structure y in ruins, scarred by the aftermath of a catastrophic battle.

  The surrounding houses were cleaved in half, their roofs colpsed uhe weight of thick ice. Some walls bore scorch marks from fire, with charred wooden beams creaking and slowly crumbling. Upturned carts, their wheels bed, still smoldered in pces, filling the air with the acrid stench of burned wood.

  What oood as proud mos of the city’s prosperity were now unreizable heaps of rubble, covered in jagged iations or split apart as if a violent explosion had torn through them.

  The snow c the pzas was stained with soot, and craters tore through the ground like open wounds, remnants of powerful explosions that had sent debris scattering in all dires. Fragments of stone aal were strewn across the area—some embedded in the shattered walls, others buried in the ice.

  Here and there, broken ons and shattered pieces of armor y like silent wito the battle. Some areas still radiated heat from ret explosions, the trast of fire and ice creating an eerie vapor that lingered over the ground like a ghostly ment. A mana crystal streetlight stood twisted, one half ed by fmes while the other was frozen solid—a surreal tableau of g forces.

  This wasn’t a simple duel.

  “What happened here?” I murmured, my voice barely cutting through the oppressive silehat bhe area. The destru surrounding me was overwhelming.

  Guards were scattered around the port, their faces as bewildered as mine. A few noticed me, their fusion quickly shifting to suspi as they drew their swords.

  “Identify yourself!” one of them barked.

  Without hesitation, I propelled myself into the air with a burst of wind, leaping over the guard and running across jured air ptforms. I needed answers. With every step, the scale of the devastation grew clearer. Colpsed buildings, debris bed in id snow, and the plete absence of life painted a nightmarish se.

  This was a battle of immense proportions.

  There was no mistaking it.

  Snow and ice... Chloe.

  My chest tightened, a knot f in my throat as the worst possibilities swirled through my mind.

  “Chloe...” her name escaped my lips, barely a whisper, den with dread. The growing ache in my chest felt like an open wound, raw and uing.

  I ran aimlessly, trying to piece together what had happened. Leaping onto the remnants of a destroyed building, I sed the area for a better vantage point. From this height, I saw the devastation across the subterranean city—parts of it buried in snow, while other areas were reduced to sm ruins.

  “Nathan!” A familiar voice cut through my rag thoughts, stopping my heart for a moment.

  “Sifu.” I reized the monk immediately. I quickly desded from the wreckage and approached him. Behind him, I noticed several women hiding among the debris.

  Maids? Why are so many of them here?

  “What happened?” I demanded, my voice trembling with urgency as I struggled to prehend the se before me.

  Sifu’s expression made my stomach sink. His usual calm demeanor was overshadowed by a rare seriousness.

  “I came to escort you to safety,” he began, his voice steady but uo ceal the gravity of the moment. “I knew you’d ighe guards and head straight to the port. This was the quickest way I could reach you.”

  My hands shook as I looked around again, trying to piece everything together. But what truly uled me was the way Sifu avoided meeting my gaze.

  “Nathan... we o talk,” he said, hesitating—a rarity for him. “Something happeo Chloe.”

  Those words... It felt as though the grouh me had vahe world around me fell silent, leaving only an unbearable, crushing pain. A wound reopened in my soul, ohought I had buried long ago. A pain I never wao feel again.