[Lumnious Harbour]
It was still a long night. The harbour was a circus of confusion — people milling around like headless chickens, some hyperventilating, some looking one step away from fainting, and others yelling their lungs out like it was a street protest. No one seemed to have any clue where they were or how they got there. The sailors and captains did their best to play the role of peacekeepers, though they looked about as calm as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
"Nothing to worry about!" one of the captains said, his face glistening with sweat as he raised his hands in a futile attempt to settle the crowd.
"Nothing to worry about?!" A man's voice shot through the crowd like a firecracker. "I was literally at my dining table having dinner! How did I end up here?!"
As if that was everyone's cue, the crowd erupted.
"What is this place?!"
"Did you kidnap us?!"
"Where's my house?!"
One particularly furious woman stormed up and grabbed the captain by his collar, practically lifting him off his feet. "You better start talking, mister, or I swear—"
The captain raised his hands in surrender. "Look, ma'am, the city was in danger, so we had to evacuate you all!" he said with the weariness of a man who'd already had enough of this day.
"Please take shelter in the black houses over there," a sailor piped up, pointing toward some distant, shadowy buildings.
"Why can't we go home?! What happened to my home?!" a woman wailed, and the crowd's volume spiked again.
The captain massaged his temples. "They're getting more worked up," he muttered.
"Uh… Captain," the sailor beside him whispered, his face going pale. "We've got a problem."
The captain followed his gaze and felt his stomach drop. A familiar figure was approaching, hands shoved in his pockets, exuding an aura of menace so thick it was practically tangible. The sailors and captains fell silent, dread washing over them like a cold wave.
"Oh no," the captain groaned. "Not him. Anyone but him."
"Send us home, you bastards!" someone shouted, and the words had barely left his mouth before a rough, powerful hand shoved him aside. The man hit the ground with a thud.
All eyes snapped to the newcomer — Kai. His silver-white hair stood out like a beacon, his glare promising violence. "You're all too damn loud," he growled. "Shut up on your own before I make you."
The fallen man scrambled up, his face red with rage and embarrassment. "You wanna fight, huh?!" he spat, squaring up to Kai. "What's with that stupid hair, anyway?"
"Is that a wig?" someone snickered.
"Maybe he's an old man trying to look cool."
"Is it albinism? Or just bad taste?"
The captain and sailor exchanged looks of sheer terror.
"We're dead," the captain whimpered. "He won't just stop with them — he'll take us out too."
Kai's face darkened, his eyes shadowed. The sky itself seemed to respond, clouds gathering ominously.
"Let's see for ourselves," the instigator sneered, reaching out toward Kai's hair.
Big mistake.
In a flash, Kai grabbed the man's wrist and twisted. The crowd winced as an audible crack echoed through the harbor. The man staggered back, his face a mask of pain and horror.
Before he could even scream, Kai seized him by the jaw and lifted him clean off the ground with one hand. The man dangled helplessly, his eyes wide as Kai's icy gaze bored into him.
"Do humans have no sense of self-preservation?" Kai's voice was low and lethal. "Or are you just this stupid?"
"He's done it now," the captain whispered, wiping a tear. "We're doomed."
Before Kai could turn the man's face into paste, a gentle hand landed on his wrist.
"That's enough," Saurav said with a calm, professional smile.
Kai's eyes flicked to Saurav, and after a tense beat, he released the man. The poor victim collapsed to the ground, clutching his jaw and scrambling away into the crowd without looking back.
"I'll take it from here," Saurav murmured.
Kai gave him a curt nod and turned away, stalking back toward headquarters. The sailors released a collective breath of relief.
"An apocalypse has been prevented," the captain said, his voice thick with emotion.
The crowd, now much quieter, listened as Saurav stepped forward.
"Everyone," he began smoothly, "your homes were destroyed, and we've brought you here — a government-sanctioned island — for your safety while we rebuild. There's no need to worry. Everything's being taken care of."
The words settled over the crowd, but confusion still flickered across their faces.
"Destroyed?" someone whispered.
A strange shimmer rippled through the crowd, and their eyes glazed over for a heartbeat.
"How long will it take?" a woman asked, the earlier anger draining from her voice.
"Three months," Saurav answered with an easy smile. "Now please, take shelter. It looks like rain is coming."
The crowd began moving toward the houses without further protest, though some still rubbed their heads, as if fighting off a distant memory.
As they walked away, Saurav's smile faded.
"You got here just in time," the captain said, clapping him on the shoulder. "We couldn't have handled this alone."
"Technically, you weren't alone," Saurav replied, his eyes flicking toward the retreating form of Kai. "But let's not split hairs."
He sighed. "I implanted some fake memories — visions of their homes burning and our heroic rescue. They'll believe it… for now."
"You're always reliable, boss," the captain said with a nervous laugh.
"Just make sure to keep Kai calm next time," Saurav warned as he walked away. "I won't always be here to save your skin."
The captain's laughter died instantly.
"Calm him?" he whispered, his face ashen. "He'd kill me if I tried."
The sailor patted his back in silent sympathy.
***
Yona's eyes fluttered open slowly, the world around her swimming into focus. The first thing she registered was the sound of voices — two figures stood ahead, their backs turned toward her. Their whispers slithered through the still air, low and unsettling.
"Solomon, that girl saw me when I was watching her." The blonde short-haired guy — sighed, his voice laced with a strange mix of frustration and amusement. He reached out, placing a hand on Solomon's shoulder, but the other figure didn't react. Solomon stood rigid, one hand behind his back like an ancient statue, his eyes locked on the book he was reading.
"Zareth," Solomon's voice was cold, devoid of interest, "who told you to stalk her?"
"Huh?" Zareth started, but the word barely left his mouth before the sound of flesh striking flesh cracked through the air. He hit the ground hard, eyes wide with shock as his fingers touched his face — blood smeared across his palm. His cheek throbbed where the slap had landed.
Solomon remained exactly as he had been after such a brutal slap, eyes never leaving the pages of his book. "Can't you control yourself for even a second?" he asked, his voice as flat and detached as ever. "You could've done whatever you wanted — after we fed Yona to the Luminara."
Yona's breath hitched. I need to get out, Her body refused to respond, limbs heavy and bound by the strange, slick tendrils that coiled beside her. They twitched when she did, tightening with an almost possessive grip.
"Solomon—" Zareth started, his voice low, but he cut himself off, turning his face away. "I want her here," he murmured. "I want her to witness it. To witness me… when I reach my full strength."
The book snapped shut with a quiet but final sound. Solomon's head tilted slightly, the air around him turning sharp, dangerous. "Zareth," he said softly, his voice now edged with the promise of violence, "what are you trying to say? Why does she matter in any of this?"
Yona's heartbeat pounded in her ears. She couldn't understand what they were talking about, but dread coiled inside her like a living thing.
Zareth began to shake — but it wasn't fear. It was something far worse. His trembling was from excitement, his breath quickening as his grin stretched too wide.
"I want her to see my power," he whispered, his eyes gleaming with feverish delight. "So that she'll fall for me."
The smile that broke across his face was wrong — too sharp, too wild. Yona's blood ran cold.