The journey aboard the Verdant Ark was nothing short of serene.
The hum of the vessel pulsed through the air like a heartbeat and the world outside stretched in shimring bands of gold and blue.
Marie lounged lazily against the viewing rail, gazing at the clouds drifting far below.
"Comfortable ride," she murmured, "but it feels like we’re crawling."
Lucien shot her a sideways look. "Crawling? We’re slicing through air currents faster than the Mobile Suit."
Marie leaned closer and whispered conspiratorially, "If this were your Voidcraft, we’d already be there."
Lucien exhaled through his nose. "Sshh... you’re going to get us killed one day. And don’t compare this to the Voidcraft."
But it was too late... The others had heard her previous words.
The nearest pilot stiffened. One of the Transcendents manning the helm turned sharply, and even the Celestial Realm experts accompanying them opened an eye, faintly offended.
The Ark itself gave a subtle shudder as if sharing their indignation.
A few murmurs spread among the crew, half disbelief, half complaint.
"Did she just insult the Ark?"
"She called this slow?"
"Eirene, who exactly are these two? I didn’t ask earlier out of respect."
Eirene raised a brow. The corner of her lips curved in faint amusent.
"Now, now. Let’s not jump to conclusions. Sister Marie must have her reasons for saying that."
Marie was about to say sothing but Lucien, recognizing danger, imdiately covered Marie’s mouth with his hand.
"Forgive her," he said quickly. "She wasn’t insulting the ship. Marie has... a special constitution. She can resonate with vehicles, amplifying their efficiency and speed. It’s natural she’d feel the current pace as sluggish."
In a way, Lucien wasn’t lying. It was, in fact, the application of Marie’s two abilities. Terra Sync and Geo-Link.
The Verdant Ark, being both a transport and a weapon, resonated perfectly with her two cheats. Just like when she piloted the Mobile Suit and the Voidcraft, her powers synchronized seamlessly
Marie’s muffled protest ca from behind his palm. "Mmph!!"
The passengers exchanged skeptical glances. Even Eirene looked doubtful, though her eyes glead with curiosity. She could tell that Lucien wasn’t lying.
"Resonate with vehicles?" she asked softly.
Lucien only shrugged, palms open. "You can let her try."
The Transcendent pilot who had taken offense halted the Verdant Ark midair.
"Very well," he said with a smirk. "Then, let her prove it. For your sake, I hope she knows what she’s doing. Most can’t even make the Ark move in a day."
Another chid in mockingly, "Let her learn how the world works early. It’ll save trouble later."
Lucien sighed and removed his hand. Marie inhaled deeply. She glared sharply at Lucien. "Hey now, it’s not like I’m lying. Let this big girl show you what real speed ans."
She walked toward the control dais as her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Alright, big guy," she whispered to the Ark itself, "let’s show them what you can really do."
The mont she registered the Verdant Ark into her system, the air shifted.
A pulse rippled through the entire vessel. It was soft but powerful like a heartbeat quickening.
Marie gasped softly. She could feel it.
The Verdant Ark wasn’t just a ship... it was alive. Data flooded into her mind. The ship’s rhythm synced perfectly with hers.
"Ah," she whispered with her eyes glowing faintly. "So this is what you’ve been hiding."
The Ark thrumd in response. Its resonance deepened. Every rune along the hull flared to life, brighter and purer than before. The hum of the engines beca a symphony.
"What’s happening?"
"I’ve never seen it react like this—!"
Before anyone could finish, the world outside blurred.
The Verdant Ark surged forward like a cot, slicing through the clouds and leaving twin spirals of energy in its wake. Inside, not a tremor disturbed the passengers and that just ans one thing... Marie’s control was flawless.
The helmsman’s eyes widened. "We’re moving at double velocity!"
Another shouted, voice trembling, "No, Triple!"
Eirene’s lips parted slightly. "This is..."
Lucien chuckled under his breath. ’This girl’s a nace. So... she was just farming aura.’
Marie stood tall, her hair caught in the radiant current now swirling through the cabin. "This feels better," she said smugly. "Now this is speed."
The crew, once doubtful, broke into awed murmurs.
One Transcendent clapped his hands. "Unbelievable! To think the Ark still had this potential!"
Another bowed slightly. "Forgive our earlier words, Wolf Sister. Your control is... extraordinary."
Even the two Celestial Realm experts exchanged glances and nodded.
In the Big World, speed ant prestige. To command faster transport was to command respect... especially among rchants, for whom ti was the purest currency.
Eirene smiled faintly as admiration flickered in her gaze. "You’ve impressed even the Celestials. That’s rare."
Marie grinned. "Told you it was slow."
Lucien groaned. "Don’t push it."
At this speed, their one-week journey would take only three days.
Lucien leaned back, comparing silently.
’Even the Airship or the Mobile Suit would’ve taken months to cross this distance, he thought. The Verdant Ark’s fast... but Voidcraft still wins.’
Eirene sat quietly, eyes closed, feeling the hum of the vessel. The Verdant Ark sang. Not in sound, but in spirit. It was happy.
Her gaze slid toward Marie and Lucien.
’What are they really?’ she wondered.
At first, she had only planned to recruit Lucien. But now... she wanted Marie as well. Together, they felt like a storm waiting to happen.
•••
Three days passed in smooth tranquility.
The skies beyond the Sareth Region shifted. The clouds thinned into endless rivers of light and sand.
The edge of the Kardesh Desert unfolded before them like a golden sea beneath the heavens.
Lucien stood by the observation window with his eyes narrowing. A vast shadow drifted across the sunlit sky.
At first, he thought it was a floating island.
Then... it moved.
"What is that?" he asked quietly.
Eirene joined him. Her expression was soft with awe. "Ah... that would be a Skywhale."
Marie turned her head too and her eyes went wide. "A whale?! In the sky? It looks like—wait— Wailord! It looks like Wailord!"
Eirene blinked. "...What’s a Wailord?"
"Haha, nothing. I’m just mistaken... the color doesn’t match anyway," Marie said, waving it off.
Lucien pald his face but his eyes stayed locked on the spectacle.
The creature was magnificent. Its enormous body glided through the clouds with majestic ease. Its skin was etched in lines of luminous blue that pulsed like constellations beneath translucent flesh. Each motion was graceful and impossibly vast.
Eirene’s voice softened with reverence.
"That one belongs to the Obsidian Collegium. They’ve tad one of the void’s ancient beasts. A Skywhale. It feeds on cosmic dust and drifts between atmospheres. It’s said they can navigate the folds of space itself."
Lucien’s eyes glead. "A creature from space... living freely above the clouds."
Eirene nodded slightly. "Not just freely, also masterfully. It’s the ultimate mount. See how it outpaces even our Verdant Ark... and that’s with Sister Marie at the helm."
Just then...
Lucien’s senses sharpened. He could feel it. The pressure rolled off the creature in waves, subtle but deadly. His instincts scread.
"There are dangerous beings aboard."
Eirene nodded. "There always are. The Collegium doesn’t travel with anyone weaker than an Ascendant."
Marie let out a low whistle. "Does that an we are reckless?"
Eirene chuckled softly. "Might be. Still, you’ll see many like them soon. The ridian Gate draws all kinds."
Outside, the Skywhale released a deep, resonant hum that rippled across the clouds like thunder.
As it passed, Lucien felt sothing. A gaze.
High above, five figures stood upon the creature’s back. One of them turned and t his eyes across the vast distance. For a single heartbeat, power clashed silently between them.
Then, the whale vanished into the horizon.
Lucien exhaled slowly, his voice quiet. "The ridian Gate..." he murmured. "So it begins."
Eirene’s tone was calm but heavy. "Yes. Once we enter its skies, the contest of the strong begins. The world’s eyes are already on us."
Marie rested her hand on the ship’s rail, grinning. "Good thing we’re arriving in style."
The Verdant Ark soared on. Its hull glead with living light as it cut through the last of the clouds... toward the horizon where the ridian Gate awaited.
•••
High above the drifting clouds, atop the vast back of the Skywhale... five figures in white robes stirred. Their garnts fluttered in the thin air.
One of the younger n turned his gaze toward the fading speck of the Verdant Ark.
"Senior brothers," he asked, his tone curious but asured. "Whose vessel was that? The one we passed monts ago?"
The eldest among them with an aura of a Celestial Realm, answered without opening his eyes.
"Junior Brother, it’s the first ti you’ve co here, so it’s understandable you wouldn’t recognize it. That ship belongs to the Verdant Veil Consortium, the largest rchant alliance in the entire West Continent."
The younger man nodded slowly in understanding.
"I see..."
Another of the seniors chuckled softly. His tone was lighter and almost teasing...
"Why so curious, Junior Brother? You’re not usually one to take interest in another’s ship. Don’t tell you’ve fallen for the Floran aboard? Hah! Careful, that ’Floran’ you saw is none other than the leader of the Consortium herself."
A faint ripple of amusent passed through the group but the younger man only shook his head.
"No," he said quietly. "It’s not that. I just... saw sothing strange."
The laughter died instantly. All eyes turned toward him.
"What do you an?" the eldest asked. His tone was calm but sharp.
The young man’s gaze remained fixed on the far-off vessel, now only a glint against the desert horizon. "For a brief mont, I sensed an anomaly aboard that ship... sothing that shouldn’t exist in this world."
At his words, the mirth drained from the others’ faces. The air itself seed to still.
"If you’re the one saying that," murmured one of the middle brothers, "then it may indeed be true."
The eldest finally opened his eyes. His golden pupils reflected the vast expanse of clouds. A faint smile touched his lips.
"Then let us see... what fate has decided to bring to this continent."
The five of them stood in silence.
With a final lingering glance, the youngest of the five turned his head.
The hood of his robe shifted slightly and for a brief mont, his face was revealed beneath the folds.
A faint glow pulsed from his forehead. A third eye, crimson and ancient, gleaming with awareness.
Then... as the wind swept across the Skywhale’s back, the eye slowly closed...
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