Realm Wars

"Not good!" Even Rosa didn't know what to do against that massive fissure. Will spells even work against that thing?

What would she do? Threw rocks at it so it would close? With its size, her mana would run out even before she could ever hope to cover half of it.

Then Rosa had an idea. She was looking at it the wrong way. If she couldn't stop the hole, she just had to stop the boat from being swallowed until the fissure ceased.

Rosa snapped her hand, and her staff appeared. Chanting a spell, she gathered her concentration, and huge rocks formed in front of the boat. It would anchor the ship so it wouldn't be drag into the hole.

Boulders and mud formed a rocky wall, stopping the ship from the strong currents and all the passengers sighed in relief.

Rosa's lips rose in a smug smile. That should do it. Now they just had to wait for the hole to be filled with water, and they could resume their journey.

BAM!

Everyone's breath hitched in their throat when a powerful thunder struck the boulders out of nowhere, and the rocky wall crumbled to dust.

"What the–!" Rosa didn't know what happened. Was it just a coincidence? She tried to form the rocky wall again and didn't notice a sharp beam of thunder heading her way.

"Argh!" Rosa screamed, and her eyes watered when the lightning struck her. Her limbs went numb, and her mind blanked out before she fell from the sky, unconscious.

"Rosa!" Lucian shouted, and Fifi covered her eyes in a panic for her master's fate.

Kai stretched his arms, and massive ice in the shape of a hand shot forth from his arm. He hoped that he could catch Rosa in time, but sadly, his ice fell short as his limited amount of mana couldn't keep the ice's form.

Ryu checked if he could catch Rosa, but she was too far away from the boat, and unless someone could use a flying or hovering spell, she would be swallowed first into the hole that didn't seem to close anytime soon.

Ferris! Ferris was inside Rosa's traveler's ring. At least Ryu wanted to save that ring. 

Ryu was going to leap off the boat when Lucian shouted.

"Raphael!" Lucian called, and Raphael appeared. Even with the confusion and chaos, Raphael still managed to take everyone's breath away with his ethereal beauty. His majestic presence seemed to calm everyone.

Raphael spread his wings and zoomed after Rosa. Within a blink, he was beside her and carried her into the safety of the boat.

"Rosa!" Lucian checked if he was breathing, and Raphael took the initiative to heal her.

"Argh. . ." Rosa groaned, but her eyes remained shut. Lucian and Cecily released some of their breath, but they were not out of the rocks.

"Can you stop it?" Lucian asked Raphael.

Raphael shook his head. "That hole is not normal. I felt strong magic from it, and I'm afraid that whoever attempted to stop it will. . ."

Raphael glanced at Rosa and continued, ".. . have the same fate as her."

"What do you mean, strong magic?!"

Lucian and the others looked at the newcomers. A small girl with gold pigtails and a purebred servant beast. Lucian thought the girl looked familiar, but his mind wasn't working in the direction to uncover the girl's identity.

"Do you mean to say that thing is alive?!" Cathy shouted. At this point, they were only a hundred meters away, and the storm grew stronger and stronger. Her voice didn't sound panic, though, but she didn't know what to do deep inside.

Raphael didn't as much as glance at Cathy. His eyes were focused on Lucian. "I suggest to embrace yourself for the inevitable fall."

And Raphael disappeared.

"Wai–!" Cathy reached a hand, but Raphael was gone, and from his departure, the rumbling continued, and the boat shook and rattled.

Argh!

"Look out!"

The storm and thunder overshadowed the cries and screams. 

"Brace for impact!"

Lucian carried Rosa, and he grabbed a rope buy the sails. With a flick of his hand, two water-breathing potions enveloped them in layers of invincible liquid. At least with the item, they could breathe underwater if worse comes to worst.

Using a skill, he covered his and Rosa's body with layers of protection. With Rosa knocked unconscious and with Raphael's uncaring attitude, their chances of flying out of the boat were thrown in the wind at the fast-approaching threat.

By this time, Lucian couldn't afford to think about anything else. Not the rune stones. Not the beast Realm. Not the delay in their mission. 

As the boat tip towards the jaws of the fissure, Lucian couldn't avert his eyes. The only thing he was thinking was how to stay alive.

Cecily's hands dug against the ropes. They should have just flown their way out from the ship. But with the thunder and storm and with what happened to Rosa, she was afraid that the hole had a mind of its own. Like it wanted to swallow them from the very beginning.

"Damn it!" Amidst the storm and the chaos, Cecily searched Ryu. He was the only servant she had left, and if he died because of this, Murok and Dozla death would truly be in vain.

Ryu still hadn't made it up to her yet. "Where is he?!"

Cecily finally saw his blurred figure at the edge of the boat. Others were screaming and crawling to get away from the tip of the ship, but there he was, perfectly calm. 

Cecily didn't know how he could stand up straight with the tipping boat. Like the enormous hole and the terrifying fate that awaited them at its depth didn't bother him.

His black hair with streaks of violet raffled with the wind. The rain trickled on his face and soaked his clothes as he stood against the massive threat. His ironed back seemed to give her strength, and his amber eyes were glowing like it was the only light in their darkest hours, and Cecily thought. .. she thought he was beautiful.

And her thoughts and feelings were swallowed by the darkness as their boat fell into the gaping hole.

Rumble!

Rumble!

The thunder and storm ceased, and with it, the hole closed. The dark, ominous clouds parted, revealing a pleasant morning, and peace was brought back with its rays of warm light.