A large plank of driftwood from the wreckage floated aimlessly on the sea, carrying a small, dejected lion cub, convinced he had been abandoned by his master in the middle of the ocean. Suddenly, sothing erupted from beneath the surface, breaking through the wooden plank and causing Fluffy Head-chan to leap back in fright.
"Devi-chan!"
Fluffy Head-chan exclaid, clutching his tiny paws to his chest in relief before letting out a long sigh.
"Fluffy Head-chan! How did you end up here? Actually, never mind that—have you seen any humans nearby?" Devi-chan, equally surprised to encounter the cub in such a state, quickly shifted focus to the pressing matter at hand, saving soone's live.
"Yeah, I saw the master's friends not far from here, but they looked pretty worn out,"
Fluffy Head-chan replied.
"Good. Go to them now and tell them this: Chang Long is in grave danger, and they must help her imdiately."
Devi-chan said urgently, his voice tinged with slight hope that his heir might make it.
"Why don't you go yourself? You'd be way faster than . My paws are so tiny—how am I supposed to..."
"Fluffy Head-chan, this isn't a joke Chang Long is sinking to the bottom of the sea—she's dying, and she needs help now. I can't leave her side because I'm bound to stay within fifty ters of her at all tis. Do you understand? Go. Find soone who can help her!"
Devi-chan snapped, his tone sharp and serious. Fluffy Head-chan froze, realizing how dire the situation was. As Devi-chan dove back into the water to check on Chang Long, Fluffy Head-chan faced the daunting task of deciding what to do.
"I hate the water more than anything. But master—my forgetful master (who always forgets about —) is in danger... Here goes nothing!"
Paddling with his tiny front paws, Fluffy Head-chan propelled the plank forward, attempting to find Siegfried and the others.
"Fried. Siegfried!"
His small but determined voice carried across the water, waking Siegfried. As he looked around, he spotted an unexpected sight—a lion cub struggling through the vast sea. What was weirder was the sight of the cub paddling toward him while shouting his na.
"Siegfried, hurry. Help master. She's drowning!"
The mont of confusion and amusent was short-lived. Siegfried instantly recognized the cub and, more importantly, understood who his master was. Leaving behind the floating door he had been clinging to alongside Lycanth and the others, he quickly swam toward Fluffy Head-chan.
"What happened, Fluffy Head-chan? What's wrong with Chang Long?"
Siegfried asked, his voice filled with worry.
"Follow . Her body is underwater, right there—where Devi-chan is floating."
Fluffy Head-chan replied, pointing toward the spot where Chang Long had sunk. Without hesitation, Siegfried swam to Devi-chan, leaving the lion cub behind. When he reached the ghostly spirit, he inhaled deeply and dove underwater.
"Of course... I'm just a silly lion stuck on a broken plank. Great. Now I have to paddle all the way back, don't I!"
Fluffy Head-chan grumbled as he began the arduous task of returning to Devi-chan's side.
Beneath the surface, Siegfried swam deeper, heading toward the direction Devi-chan pointed. His eyes strained to see through the murky waters clouded with blood and debris from the shipwreck. It was nearly impossible to make out anything in the chaotic depths. Then, a glimr of light caught his eye. He swam toward it, and as he got closer, he realized it was Chang Long's Sovereign Sword. Siegfried grabbed the weapon, secured it at his side, and continued his search for her.
Finally, Siegfried found her. Chang Long floated still, sinking slowly into the depths. Siegfried swam toward her, cradling her head gently in his hands. He pressed his lips to hers, sharing his breath to keep her alive, before mustering his remaining strength to bring her unconscious body back to the surface.
Splash!
Siegfried erged from the water. Fluffy Head-chan, Aswa, and the captain were already waiting, and they rushed to help pull her onto a piece of floating wreckage. Fluffy Head-chan walked over, tapping Chang Long lightly with his paw, his expression full of concern. His action prompts the others to ask, concerned.
"How is she? Is she seriously injured?"
Aswa asked, his worry apparent.
"Yes, her muscles are severely damaged. She probably won't be able to move for a while. But hey, no one's thinking about diving for the treasure that fell into the sea? What a waste."
Fluffy Head-chan replied, staring at Aswa.
"Fine, I'll go get it. I wouldn't want anyone saying I didn't help out."
Aswa blinked, caught off guard by the stare. He relented, diving to retrieve the loot scattered from Leviathan's body.
"Captain, I'll leave Chang Long in your care. I'll help Aswa collect the treasure so we can get out of here quickly,"
Siegfried said before diving back into the water to assist Aswa.
"Good thing those two didn't run off like the rest of the crew. Otherwise, she wouldn't have stood a chance."
Devi-chan appeared, his expression somber as he stared at Chang Long, who was now fast asleep.
"But in her condition, how are we going to continue our journey? We have no ship, and the nearest islands are still far away,"
Hisa-chan added, materializing beside Devi-chan, startling the captain, who gaped at the spirits.
"Hey, what about Alice-chan, the vampire girl? She was fighting alongside you, wasn't she?"
Fluffy Head-chan asked. The question was t with silence. No one wanted to talk about it. The mory of Alice-chan's passing was too fresh, too painful, for anyone to recount without betraying their grief.
.....
"Hey."
The familiar voice made Chang Long turn her head quickly. When she saw who it was, she could not help but smile.
"Reaper King."
She greeted the man approaching her, and as he ca closer, he pulled her into a warm embrace. Together, they began walking down an endless white road.
"Where is this place, Reaper King?"
Chang Long asked curiously. She knew this was not the post-death confinent zone, nor was it the Land of the Dead. It was too pristine, too peaceful, and far too empty to be either.
"Call Azrael. This is a special place—one where only you and I can et."
"In that case, Azrael, can you tell why you and Leviathan have such a grudge? What happened that made it leave its lair to co after you like this? It doesn't seem like a trivial matter,"
Chang Long pressed, her curiosity piqued. While she could sense an intense hatred boiling in her chest, she could not recall where that hatred stemd from.
"That was... a long ti ago. Back when I had yet to beco the Reaper King, Leviathan and I were once servants who pledged our loyalty to the Reaper King of that era. We were reborn as his objects. But unlike others, we had extraordinary powers. Our duty was to oversee souls, to identify those unworthy of a second chance at life, and to separate the truly irredeemable, locking them away in the Soul Confinent Cauldron."
Azrael's recounting sent a chill down Chang Long's spine. She suspected this might lead to yet another quest. After all, NPCs often had fragnted mories unless tied to important events or quests. Without such ties, their recollections were often disjointed or completely blank.
"So souls are stubborn. They resisted when they realized they were about to be confined. That's when we discovered that we could harm these intangible spirits. By doing so, we could obliterate them permanently. Leviathan seed to take great pleasure in this process and often tortured these spirits in various ways. At first, he targeted only the rebellious souls, those who refused to enter the cauldron willingly. Eventually, our roles earned us the title of Soul Punishers."
"Soul Punishers?" Chang Long echoed, her mind drifting back to the mory of Alice-chan's spirit being destroyed before her eyes. Leviathan's mysterious ability had shattered Alice-chan's soul, despite Chang Long never using her Spirit Realm ability to restore Alice-chan to a physical form.
"Yes, Soul Punishers are those who can harm spirits, causing them pain and even obliterating them completely. Leviathan beca intoxicated by this power which allowed him to harm the spirits. Instead of confining evil souls in the cauldron, he began coercing them to swear allegiance to him. Those who refused were tortured. Leviathan consud countless malevolent spirits, and over ti, his once-human form transford into the monstrous creature you encountered."
Azrael gestured for Chang Long to sit by the roadside after they had walked a while. His expression was relaxed and gentle, a stark contrast to the deanor he had when he first bestowed the title of Reaper King upon her. He handed her a glass of fruit juice—its origin a mystery—and continued his tale.
"Like Captain Tautus, Leviathan sought to seize power from the Reaper King of that era. He tried to sway and the royal guards to his side. But because of the corruption from consuming so many wicked souls, no one wanted to join him. War broke out, we had no idea that Leviathan had secretly rallied many of the resurrected to his cause. The Land of the Dead turned into a battlefield drenched in chaos. Evil shrouded the Land of the Dead. The Reaper King was forced to sacrifice all his power to banish Leviathan, who had been gravely wounded, and to restore the Land of the Dead. I played a crucial role in that effort, which led to inheriting the title of Reaper King from my predecessor."
"No wonder that thing kept going on about how much it hated . It was banished from the Land of the Dead and turned into such a vile creature,"
Chang Long nodded in understanding. She then turned to Azrael, her face showing the weight of another question that had been troubling her. She wanted answers before this dreamlike state ended and she lost the opportunity to speak with him.
"Azrael, is there any way to bring back a soul that Leviathan has destroyed?"
Azrael gave her a sorrowful smile, shaking his head as he replied in a gentle tone.
"Once a soul has been obliterated, regardless of who caused it, there is no way to bring it back. Obliteration ans it has returned to the void. And from the void, nothing can be retrieved, Chang Long."
Though she had anticipated such an answer, hearing it confird still left her with a hollow ache. The loss of Alice-chan had been unexpected, but knowing that there was no way to bring her back made the weight of guilt even harder to bear. If only Chang Long had been stronger. If only she had defeated Leviathan faster. Alice-chan would not have had to perish.
"Don't cling to past mistakes. You can mourn and learn from them, but don't let them anchor you. Move forward and protect what you still have."
Azrael said softly, stroking her head gently to comfort her. A bright light suddenly engulfed them, blinding her completely. The comforting, quiet space shattered as loud voices echoed in her ears, pulling her back into the waking world.
"Here we go again!!"
"Will you shut up already? What are you yelling for, huh!"
"What? Easy for you to say, sitting nice and safe back there!"
"And who are you reprimanding? Look at Siegfried and the captain. They're not whining like you are. Stop being a pain and help us get master to shore already!"
"Why don't you try being in the front like ? The waves were crazy, and there were sharp rocks. Have you seen what's under the water? There are electric jellyfish down there, as big as your head, you stupid lion!"
"Sigh... Are you sure you're any good? All I hear from you is complaining. I was planning to tell Master about our hero who got her to shore safely when she woke up. Guess I'll have to leave your na out of it."
"WHAT?! You're dead at, you stupid jellyfish!"
Chang Long, half-awake and beyond annoyed, imdiately recognized the bickering voices. Fluffy Head-chan and Aswa were arguing once again. Her body was sprawled face-down on a large piece of wood drifting in the choppy waves. Her hair covered her face, so no one noticed that she had regained consciousness. She could not move her body, nor could she muster the strength to speak. anwhile, everyone else—struggling against the strong waves, fighting off the electric jellyfish, and trying to reach the distant shore, hundreds of ters away—was unaware that she was awake.
Aswa doubled his efforts when Fluffy Head-chan ntioned bragging to Chang Long about his heroism. Siegfried and the captain lent quiet support as they all paddled with determination. Fluffy Head-chan, smug and satisfied, perched on the floating wreckage.
Finally, they reached the shores of Aris Island. Exhausted and drenched, Aswa collapsed onto the sand, lying there in utter defeat. Refusing to budge until he had rested enough to regain his strength. anwhile, Siegfried gently lifted Chang Long from the floating wreckage with Fluffy Head-chan and the captain followed close behind.
"There's no way we can go anywhere today. We'll have to camp out here on the beach for the night,"
Siegfried said. The captain nodded in agreent. The two n, who had not yet exerted themselves as much, decided to scout the nearby area. They returned shortly after, arms full of firewood and branches covered in fresh leaves to use as bedding. Together, they constructed a simple shelter on the beach before sitting down to rest and share so canned food.
"This island feels deserted. It's overgrown with trees, and we haven't seen a single player or NPC anywhere,"
the captain comnted, placing his empty can on the sand.
"That's not surprising. The island only recently opened for exploration. Plus, getting here was no small feat. We might not find any towns or villages to seek help from either."
Siegfried replied thoughtfully.
"If there aren't any towns or villages where players can resupply, that's pretty intimidating. Imagine if soone dies here—they'd have to go through the trouble of renting a boat and making the trip back all over again. And when you factor in the chanics of logging on and logging off, I really doubt they'd leave this island without any settlents at all."
Siegfried nodded in agreent with the captain's reasoning. Still, the lack of information about the island, combined with how few players seed to talk about it, left them both feeling uneasy. They had survived a shipwreck with no clear sense of where to start.
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