"Where is she?" Lily muttered as she and Darla pushed open the cabin door.
But the sight inside froze them mid-step.
Mathilda was locked in a deep kiss with a girl dressed in a nurse’s outfit. Their lips moved hungrily, tongues intertwined with the kind of passion that made both Lily and Darla shift awkwardly at the doorfra.
Mathilda didn’t stop. Instead, she raised a single finger, signaling them to wait patiently, as if this interruption were nothing but a minor inconvenience.
Finally, she broke the kiss with a wet pop, leaving a string of saliva hanging between their lips. The nurse was breathless, her cheeks flushed crimson.
"Wait here," Mathilda whispered, brushing her thumb across the nurse’s lips. "We’ll continue afterwards."
The girl nodded shyly, nearly stumbling as she tried to regain her composure. But suddenly jolted because Mathilda suddenly touched her crotch with her hand.
Then she showed her wet palm towards the Nurse which made her whole face burn in embarrassnt.
Turning back with no sha at all, Mathilda blinked innocently. "Astrid already left to the deck, didn’t you see her?"
Lily and Darla just sighed.
---
On the deck, the atmosphere was far less intimate. A hush had fallen over the crew, their unease carried on the salty wind. They watched two striking figures face each other—an alluring white-eared, three-tailed fox girl in a flowing kimono, and a radiant girl with golden hair and piercing blue eyes.
The contrast between them was breathtaking, yet the tension made the air feel heavier.
"I can feel two opposite elents living in harmony inside you," Su Fei said calmly, her sharp gaze never wavering. "Light and Darkness. Am I right?"
"It is," Astrid answered without hesitation. "And yours feels like... so kind of distorted space."
Su Fei’s lips curled slightly. "Oh? Impressive. Even your captain didn’t sense that in until his divine sense reached an extre level."
Astrid smiled faintly. "Perhaps because I’m a little stronger now."
"Fair enough. You are that half-angel my ex-boss tried to capture." Su Fei’s expression didn’t change as she maintained her polite smile. She brushed her neck, and with a shimr, the outline of a slave collar appeared. "As you can see, I already ended up in chains by your Boss."
Astrid’s eyes softened with sympathy, but she pressed on. "I wanted to ask you about the other angel they captured."
Su Fei chuckled bitterly. "Oh, that coward? Raptor interrogated him. He revealed sothing about... Celestial Clouds, or sothing along those lines."
Astrid frowned, ready to ask more, but footsteps approached.
"Astrid!"
Mathilda bounded forward and wrapped her in a tight hug, nearly lifting her off the ground. Astrid returned the embrace warmly. Lily and Darla soon followed, forming a little circle.
"Group hug!" Mathilda declared, pulling them all closer until they laughed.
"So, leveling up by sleeping? That’s not fair," Mathilda teased, puffing her cheeks.
"Seriously," Lily added, giving Astrid a playful glare. "You’re even stronger than now? When did that happen?"
Astrid’s smile grew. "Yes. I’ve already stepped into the Divine Seeker Realm." She then glanced back toward Su Fei. "That’s part of why I ca here. I sensed soone strong... but also restricted."
"Great. I’m glad you’re awake," Mathilda said, though her tone was oddly neutral.
"Why does your voice make it sound like you’re not glad at all?" Lily laughed.
Astrid blinked, her expression suddenly shifting. "Also where’s Mana? And... Tyler?"
Darla patiently explained where Tyler and Mana had gone, summarizing their journey into the Dragon King’s territory.
Astrid listened with a thoughtful expression, her golden hair shimring in the light. "Zuzia... grown up? I miss her too," she said softly, her voice carrying a tinge of nostalgia.
Mathilda grinned and nudged her. "Well, you’ve grown up as well. That Life Orb ability—turns out it only keeps us as kids for a few years. Guess we don’t get to stay cute forever."
"You are still cute though." Astrid chuckled, though there was sothing bittersweet in her smile. She reminded of her childhood mories. She unconsciously touched the locket on her neck.
"So," Lily cut in, sharp-eyed as ever diverted the subject, "did you gain anything useful from absorbing that entity back then?"
Astrid’s expression grew solemn. She closed her eyes, focusing inward. Slowly, brilliant white wings unfurled from her back. As she gave them a gentle flap, tiny motes of radiant light scattered like stardust across the deck.
The crew collectively held their breath. Even seasoned fighters felt a strange peace wash over them.
Mathilda, ever curious, extended her hand and let one of the light particles land on her skin. With a mischievous grin, she gave herself a small cut on her finger using her nail. Guiding the light into the wound, she watched as the injury instantly sealed shut, leaving flawless skin behind.
"Incredible," she murmured, her eyes widen and looked at Astrid like so specin.
Astrid suddenly felt cold and shivered. She descended lightly, folding and retracting her wings. "That’s not all. I also gained... sothing darker, sothing from the shadow entity."
"Let’s continue this inside," Lily said quickly, her tone brooking no argunt. She doesn’t want all the crews to know about Astrid’s full abilities.
---
Inside a cabin, the atmosphere was warm, but quieter.
Astrid stood at the center, closing her eyes once more. Half of her golden hair bled into stark colour of ashes, and when she reopened her eyes, the left one had changed— its once clear blue was now a burning green fla without a pupil.
With a deep breath, she spread her wings again. This ti, the right wing remained the pristine swan-like wing of an angel, but the left had transford into sothing entirely different — black, leathery, bat-like wing of a devil.
The sight struck everyone silent. Astrid now looked like a being caught between two worlds— half angel, half devil.
She flapped once, and motes of darkness scattered into the air. Unlike the healing glow of her angelic light, these shadows carried a faint, unsettling chill.
Mathilda, fearless as always, brushed her fingertips against one of the dark particles. Her skin prickled, and she hissed softly at the sting— but that was all. She narrowed her eyes, analyzing the sensation.
"Interesting," she said at last, her voice thoughtful. "This isn’t pure destructive darkness. It’s... restrained. Different. Almost like it’s searching for a form it hasn’t taken yet." She looked up at Astrid with an eager smile. "Your darkness powers aren’t at full potential. And whatever their properties are, they’re not standard. We’ll need to study them later."
Astrid folded her wings again, looking conflicted. "It feels... foreign. Like part of , but not fully mine."
Lily crossed her arms, watching closely. "Then we’ll make it yours. Both halves. Angel and devil alike."
┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉
Back on Neve Fort Island, the air was crisp with winter’s bite. A small wagon creaked along a snowy trail, pulled by two shaggy snow cals whose humps were dusted white with frost. Inside sat Tyler, Mana, Zuzia, Myrtle, and Lanny, bundled up against the chill as they rattled toward the edge of a looming cliff.
Tyler hopped down, brushing snow from his cloak, and with a wave of his hand the wagon and cals shimred before vanishing into the safety of his pocket dinsion. He had even prepared a snowy section within, ensuring the beasts would remain comfortable, as though they had never left their native cold.
"Alright," he said, stretching his arms, "from here, we walk."
The group trudged across frozen ground until they ca upon a peculiar figure. A man stood there with dozens of coracles— round, shallow boats stacked neatly like giant bowls. His eyes widened slightly at the unusual group, but coin spoke louder than curiosity. Tyler exchanged a few Lydia notes for one of the coracles, and soon the group found themselves dragging the curious little craft to the cliff’s very edge.
The world yawned open before them: a vast drop into shadow, and far above, drifting slowly, a flying island moved lazily across the pale winter sky.
The five companions sat cramd together in the coracle, forming a tight circle. The cold wind tugged at their hair and cloaks, and the creaking of the boat against the rocks only added to the anticipation.
"Umm..." Lanny fidgeted nervously, her hands clutching the rim of the boat. "Can’t we just fly there? One of you could carry , right? That would be safer."
Tyler shot her a grin, eyes sparkling with mischief. "True... but where’s the fun in that?"
Before Lanny could protest further, Zuzia pointed upward. "Look! That one’s moving faster— perfect timing!" Indeed, the floating island shifted slightly, as though aligning itself with their mad plan.
"Ready?" Tyler asked.
Nobody had ti to answer before he kicked the coracle off the cliff.
The world instantly dropped away.
"AAAAHHH!" Lanny scread, clutching Zuzia with all her strength.
"Woooohooo!" Zuzia shouted back, laughter spilling from her lips.
The boat plumted like a stone, the icy air whipping past their faces. Just as Lanny’s panic reached its peak, a thunderous boom erupted from below. A colossal geyser of water shot up from the depths of the chasm, catching the coracle and launching it skyward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
The boat soared higher and higher, carried on the roaring column of water. For a breathless mont, the island seed impossibly far above— then suddenly, impossibly, it was already beneath them.
"Jump!" Tyler shouted.
They sprang from the coracle in unison. Zuzia grabbed Lanny’s hand midair, pulling her along before the girl could freeze in terror. With practiced ease, each landed safely upon the grassy surface of the drifting island.
The coracle fell away, tumbling down with the spray of the geyser, while laughter echoed in the air.
Zuzia bounced on her heels, her eyes shining. "Again, again!" she cried, thrilled by the wild ride.
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