power

Cordelia, now under new rule, was beaming with power at such lengths she didn't realise she could reach.

She didn't need to fight. The guards let go of her as soon as they noticed the bright glow in her eyes.

The ocean water carried great tension. The particles moved rapidly in every part, causing waves on the surface.

Cordelia's gaze fell on the Encrient palace. With power she didn't know her gaze held, she made it crumble; slowly, yet at a speed beyond imagination, beyond human or sea dweller abilities.

The guards who held her captive were now fleeing like birds. Good. They better flee.

Cordelia imagined Seward being crushed under all that stone. She was satisfied at the thought, yet she wasn't sure. She would have gone to confirm herself, but greater destiny awaited her above on the surface of the sea.

A shadow was cast over her. She looked up. The time had come. And convenient it was that 'the regal II', carrying the ones with royal blood would be passing by at that time.

The speed at which Cordelia darted towards the ship was rather comical. It was the shipwreck incident all over again. And just because those selfish people wouldn't leave them alone.

The ship stopped above Cordelia. She didn't want to crash through it. Not this time. Such an act needed to be slow, deliberate. Like she meant to make a point.

This time, she rose above the water, being suspended in the air by a wave. She didn't look angry. She looked graceful. She wasn't angry. She felt vengeful.

She took a moment to look every single one on the deck in the eye. The wonder in their eyes made her feel special, while the fear and worry beside it made her feel powerful. Like she could do whatever she wasted and get away with it.

The question was what she would do first. Their fear brought a smile to her face. She didn't want to lose that so quickly.

Instead, she lowered herself down onto the deck and held Roland (one hand grabbing his arm and the other at his neck). She bothered to look at Cornelia's drained silhouette on the floor before jumping back into the sea, dragging Roland down with her.

"Dad!" Zephyra shouted. She scrambled down to the main deck to join her mother. "Father! Father!! Father!!!"

"Ready the life boats!" Bailewick barked orders. "All attack on the main deck! Aim for the sea dweller! Defence on the queen and princess."

The guards immediately took their positions. A troop of four men covered the prow, pointing harpoons and arrows in the direction of the water. Another group of men dived into the water, carrying light weapons. The last troop of four men stood in front of Cornelia and Zephyra like human shields, pushing them back yo the stern castle beside which the boats were tied.

Cordelia pushed Roland deeper into the sea. He had been holding hus breath for more than a minute now, yet Cirdelua didn't stop. She pushed even more, drowning him deeper.

She smiled as she watched the air bubbles escape through his mouth. Then, she let him go.

The way he scrambled, trying to make it to the surface, made her heart explode with wicked fulfilment. He didn't make it.

'Power will come back to me. The world will be mine again.' Cordelia thought, swimming back up to the surface, towards the four divers. She didn't need to flick a wrist in order to drown them, too. The water pushed them downwards until they ran out of oxygen.

Water rose and fell, pushing against the ship. They water rose up to such heights that t pushed the ship back and forth, and some water even ended up flooding the deck.

Bailewick helped Cornelia and Zephyra into a boat.

"Go." He said. "I'll join you later."

"What about Roland?" Cornelia asked, trying to salvage the last atom of hope she had left. "Will he be fine."

Bailewick didn't speak. He knew the truth. He knew what that was. And that there was no hope of the King's survival. And little chance of the queen's. "Go! Now!" He lowered the boat slowly with trembling fingers.

Cordelia rose with a wave behind the ship. Blind to what was going on down below the deck, she sent a stream of water towards the stern castle. The water crashed through it like a bullet penetrating skin.

The sterncastle cracked, leaned to the side, yet the captain still held the wheel sturdy. It was then that he realised that there was nothing he could do to save the ship. Another thing that could have been a major part of Fantascia history didn't even last a few months.

Now, he had to salvage as much as he could. And all he cared about was that journal. He jumped off the stern castle as it crashed into the main deck. Their impact caused the deck to crumble, and the stern castle sat only on the hull. The captain fell below the deck, too. Then, he didn't care about his life. He broke through wood walls in order to get to his room where he left the journal.

Even when Cordelia made holes in the hill for water to glow in and the hull was flooded, he still moved until he eventually reached his room. He brought the book out from a drawer and held it close to his chest.

When he turned around to run, Cordelia was standing behind him with two large balls of water floating above her hands.

"Give me one reason not to kill you right now." She said, looking at Rodrick's chest. "That book looks really important. It has to be for you to risk your life coming here for it."

Rodrick didn't speak.

"Give it to me." Cordelia's eyes glowed even sharper now. A warning.

Rodrick did not heed. He drew his sword and charged with a battle cry escaping his lips. He didn't get close to Cordelia. Before he could get three feet from close to her, she sent a blast of water towards him, which sent him flying.

The journal fell out of his hands and landed beside him when he hit his back against a wall. His sword slipped out of his hands and fell to the ground. He groaned from a sharp pain in his back.

"This could have been easier. But you had to do it the hard way." Cordelia said, picking the book up from the floor.

Without thinking about it even caring for his life, Rodrick picked up his sword and charged towards Cordelia.

Cordelia smiled at his charade before sending the second blast of water. This time, he ducked and, with a kick to the wall, propelled himself into the air towards Cordelia with hus sword still pointed at her.

Cordelia didn't move she stood still, waiting for the tip of his sword to meet her. Why? Because she was aware that it would pass by her, leaving only an inch distance between the blade and her cheeks. And when it did, she held the captain's hand and pulled him to the ground.

Rodrick hit his back against the floor and decided to give it a rest.

"I can be of help to you." He said, his words stopping Cordelia's foot, which was in the process of breaking his nose. "You could use me."

"Flattering." Cordelia said. "But I can't get my power and position back through a low class person like you. In fact, it is people like you who plotted to take power away from me before. Unfortunately for me, your wish came true. And unfortunately for you, not in the way you wanted it. Now I have the person to bring power back into my hands. Of what use could you be to me?"

She proceeded to hit her foot against his nose.

"It's not me you want." Rodrick said, clutching his nose in pain. "The ones you want: those one who would become the queen and the one who would rule after her. They are getting away right now, and you are here, wasting your time on me."

Cordelia didn't bother looking around. She climbed over the pile of splinters that used to brpe the ship's stern castle and looked around. Cornelia and Zephyra's boat had reached Fantascia, and they were now taking the river to the castle.

She looked back at Rodrick. Not a second more I've thought was needed for her to decide that he was not worth her time. She dived back into the water and, at great speed, swam towards Fantascia.

Rodrick got up on hus feet and dusted the dirt off his body.

"So this is your truth?"

A voice from behind him.

He turned around.

Bailewick.

"Bailewick?" Rodrick was not prepared mentally for this.

"This is what you are like, your real truth." Bailewick said. "Well, it's inevitable, what is about to happen."

"Precisely." Rodrick said. "And I will go back to the castle. That is inevitable."

"And how exactly is that going to happen?" Bailewick asked.

"You will not make it back to the castle." Rodrick said and picked up his sword, slowly, deliberate, intentional, like he feared nothing.

Bailewick looked at the sword. "What are you going to...?"

No more words came out. Only droplets of blood.

Bailewick looked down at the sword that now went through hus chest, then at the hands that held them before collapsing.

Dead.

Stabbed in the heart.