Samuel turned around and faced me. I stood aside, opening the pathway for him to board his ship. He strode past me, his posture proud and unwavering. I followed with a spring in my step. I relished the idea of being on boats, sailing, and swimming. Wruy followed me, determined not to let any fear show. Both men stayed in the middle of the wooden plank while I looked over the edge with interest. I would just love to jump down right now, right in the water. We walked up and up, until we reached the deck of the enormous ship. Sam jumped over the ledge, immediately turned around and held his hand out for me to grab. I would act surprised by his gesture, but to be fair, this behaviour was to be expected of any decent person. My fingers grasped his hand and his cool skin tingled against mine when he tightened his hold on me. With his assistance, I manoeuvred over the ledge, both feet landing on the grand wooden deck. As expected, the ship bore the signature black signature colour, adorne

"Sister. So nice of you to join. Too boring on your own ship?" Sam's voice dripped with feigned sweetness as he addressed his sister. "Just wanted to see how you're going to train a human against an army of dark ones, brother. Are you out of your mind?" Dagon replied in an equal sweet tone. "What will you have me do, oh wise queen? Lock her up and not train her at all? Leave her undefended? She will be safer with my army in the middle of battle than alone, where she's vulnerable. The dark ones will sniff her out instantly." Sam explained simply. Dagon looked at his brother and raised one perfect, plucked eyebrow. "I have a solution. You should've left her in your kingdom." She pointed out and shook her head like she was tired. "But now that she is here, I might have a few tips for her. Come, Fay, I will tell you." Sam's hold on my hand tightened. He thought about the offer for a while, and I looked at Dagon, who looked at Samael with a calm face. My eyes fell on Nija behind her, eng

More ships were around us, and all had demons watching us. As I glanced upward, I noticed the respect in everyone's eyes as they regarded Wruy. I smiled at the demon, who was too busy trying to survive. I then looked at the side, to Samael, who was staring at us with a concealed look. "I'm going to let you go. But I'm right here, okay?" I calmly assured Wruy. He nodded and looked down at the dark water. It wasn't just the swimming he was scared of. It was also whatever lay underneath. "What if the mermaids come?" He asked me suddenly, his eyes still scanning the darkness. "Mermaids?" I asked with a frown. He snapped his head up to me. "Yes.. Mermaids... You don't have them on earth?" He asked me, almost accusingly. "No. We have fish." I frowned back at him and noticed Sam flying closer. "Mermaids are not nice creatures, my flower. They're known for their brutal attacks. While none are close by at the moment – I've been monitoring the area since your dive – they won't be far. Your j

I ran up the stairs with the large t-shirt swirling around my body. I stepped into the lounge where hundreds of demons were eating. They ravaged through the food as if they hadn't eaten a single thing in weeks, and weapons were discarded on the decking behind them, all on the way of the footpath. Ignoring all stares, I walked straight past them up the other staircase to the outside deck. The sky was ink-black. The cloud cover was thick and close by and the air was heavy with static. The sea was black like the sky and the waves were assaulting the ships aggressively. The ships around me were moving around wildly and I only noticed now how our ship was struggling with the sea and winds. Though rain hadn't yet fallen, the threat loomed. "I bet you're hungry." I didn't turn around to Wruy. "You're the lucky one tasked with babysitting me?" I quipped, my gaze fixed ahead. A burrito appeared in front of my face. "The King is worried that the mermaids will get to you." Wruy replied whi

Micah's expression twisted into shock as a fist collided with his head, producing a resounding crack. Blood sprayed from his nose, and Micah barely had time to gasp before another blow struck his head. The two swords disappeared from his hands, and Samael halted in front of him to show the swords in his own hands. Swiftly, Sam flung both swords into the air, leaped up, and forcefully kicked them away, sending them tumbling overboard into the water below. As Sam landed gracefully, he aimed a powerful kick at Micah's abdomen, then seized his knee. "No!" Micah shouted loudly, his gaze fixed on his knee in the grasp of his brother. It all went so fast, they were almost blurry. Sam pressed his foot onto Micah's knee and delivered a forceful kick. The knee snapped with a sickening sound, causing me to flinch at the horrific noise. "Sammi!" Adrian shouted loudly in protest. Sam ignored him. He caught hold of Micah's elbow next, and the terrified look in Micah's eyes forewarned me of wha