Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 438: Once upon a dream (3)

Mikael know from what Orval told him there is one tribe in the Thirteen Tribes that could calm the seas and the wind, while some could talk to the ferocious beast of the deep to allow them sail the sea. 

Thirteen Tribes near the Triangle is unassailable. 

They sail the Triangle peacefully and without dangers. The wind, they can command. The beast, they can converse with. 

Some can even seal themselves in some invisible barriers and sail with ease. But for people that is not the Thirteen tribes, to sail the Triangle is almost like a suicide mission.

Orval tell Mikael it is because of the Darkness in the Land of Shadows, the weather is always stormy and the beast is always ferocious.

There are also many mysterious occurrences like space opening up out of nowhere and suck people into it.

The Thirteen Tribe however seems to be blessed in that these supernatural occurrences don't target them

'You know' Arial suddenly said.

'Hum?' Mikael respond stupidly. Arial smiles and he seems to be reminiscing

'When I was a child, I have many dreams. One of them used to be being a captain of a large ship. I would go to the creek in the evening, and make a makeshift boat from a log and pretend it is large a ship while I'm its captain'

'You did?'

'Yes.' Arial said, remembering his first timeline. 

He would always look at the Bleeding Wall and one day with a few village kids he climbed the wall and look from the height of the wall. 

Blue oceans and the wind whipping his face. 

Feeling how free of an existence to be under the sun, smelling the ocean air, sailing the open seas, by nothing but your bravery and resourcefulness..to be the captain of your own destiny

'I always imagine how it would feel like to commandeer a ship, a big and large ship, braving untold dangers, navigating only by the stars.' 

Arial said looking at the sky and smiling.

He then chuckles.

'To be out there on the ocean...it would have been a great adventure! What reason is there to stop a man from sailing and go on a great adventure?' He said and he laughed.

Mikael smiles and also laugh.

'I never knew that about you. You have a free spirit friend. A flair for adventure. Why did you never pursue it? If not maybe right now, you are a captain of some ship. Though we might not have an Emperor.' Mikael said.

Arial on the other hand just smiles bitterly.

In a ship, surrounded by water, with no land in sight, without even the possibility of sighting land for days to come? 

To stand at the helm of your own destiny. To feel that feeling. To feel all of it without...anything to tie him down.

To fly and soar like a bird released from a cage. He wants that feeling. And this was as close as he is to his once upon a dream.

Arial smiles bitterly and said

'Maybe in another life Mikael. We don't get to have everything in our life. You want something, you have to sacrifice something for it. Everything demands a sacrifice, Mikael. Everything. Love, life. It is full with sacrifices, big and small.'

Mikael hearing his friend word nodded.

'You agree, Mikael?' Mikael said nothing and just look at the blue ocean.

'Anyway I just want to talk to you, about the distance Mikael. Sorry you have to listen to my ranting. You may go now.' 

Mikael just stand there on the helm beside Arial looking at the waves. 

'Maybe a little later' Mikael said. And Arial smiles a bit.

They stand in silence just letting the wind caress them, smelling the ocean air and looking at the huge horizons of water in front of them.feeling small but also grateful.

Then suddenly the clear weather turns dark. 

Arial also notices this weird occurrence. He looks upwards and thunder boomed from the distance. Everyone is in panic. 

'What is happening?' Arial asked. Then suddenly Arial spotted something from beneath his ship. A large shadow.

Mikael look at what Arial is looking at and he is shocked beyond belief. 

'Giant Shark. They are very large, as large as a giant. Why would they be doing here! They usually only appear at the Triangle Sea!' Mikael is shocked. 

Such monster in usually only found in the Triangle. It is the very beast that nearly capsizes his last ship.

And these giant sharks are underneath the ship. 

Arial looking at this, knows he has two choices right now. Either he jumps from this ship right now and abandons his quest or kills the shark. 

Arial is also itching to use his Blood Absorbing Heavenly Technique. He is confident in his strength and power.

Can a shark defeat a dragon? Of course not!

Arial was about to jump and kill the shark when suddenly a shrill voice yelled from afar, a voice that Arial recognize and he said to himself 

'How could she be here?' 

The voice yelled 

'Watch out, Arial' suddenly Arial feel something grab him from behind and he is brought up to the clouds in matters of moment. 

Arial look at the thing that grabbed him and it was claws that grab his both of his arm and he finally sees the thing that grabbed him.

'A Thunder Eagle.' What the hell such divine creature is doing here! Arial thought to himself as Arial is disappearing from a distance. 

The ship is in disarray as they see their captain is being hoisted away by the Thunder Eagle. 

'Turn back. Abandon the quest' one of the sailors said as he is running towards the steer. The sailor is clearly in panic and fear. 

Most of them know that this expedition is weird in nature. After all there are fighters, scholars, charters, and even nobles.

For the sailors, now that their captain is gone, and gone in such bizarre way make them frightened to their greatest extent.

Mikael did nothing because he could already see someone else is approaching the sailor. His eyes analyze everything when Arial was snatched away by the Thunder Eagle. 

The moment Arial was snatched, the shark dived deep under the oceans like they don't care about the ship anymore.

Divine intervention he thought to himself.

From the deck the woman in mask, accelerated with such speed, it was like she teleported from her spot to reach the sailor position. 

She made a slashing motion and the sailor is cut into two, die in but two second. The other was too stunned to react.

Blood splashed around the deck, and screams can be heard by one of the weak willed sailors. Others grip their cutlass.

'Mutiny is not allowed' the voice said coldly and power emanated from the voice, and vibrates slowly in the eardrums of the other sailors. 

By now everyone could recognize that is the voice of a woman.

Mikael kneeled.

'Mikael of House Devonhurst kneels to the Empress of Great Renasia, the Burning Sun of the Great Desert.'

The woman removed his mask and everyone recognized the face. 

Arial rarely get out of his castle after he become emperor but Rhyssa portrait is always shown by some artist in Arrandy, so many people know what she looks like. 

Considering she is called the number one beauty of Human Continent many amateur painter copy the paintings of her face and sell it to anyone interested to know of her beauty.

The rest of the sailors immediately kneeled, not even one trace of resistance. The reputation of the Empress is as widespread as Arial. 

One is the Conqueror, the other is a Unifier of the unruly mountain tribe of Renasia and the kingdoms around it. 

Arial conquered those Kingdoms that defy him, while Rhyssa unites the tribes and the kingdoms, consolidated under her rule of benevolence and political brilliance.

The sailors are peasant, and not a lord. Even though they are sailors, they are still peasants. So they kneeled, their head bowed down.

Not to mention many of the sailors hail from Renasia. They instantly recognized their sovereign. Pride and fear welled up in their hearts

'Rise' Rhyssa said to Mikael.

Then Mikael asked Rhyssa since it seems she is taking control of the ship.

'What should we do now?' Rhyssa look at the sky on the spot where Arial disappeared. 

She thinks for a moment, a silence in the deck, only the sound of the wind and the dorvinn shrieks.

Then she made her decision.

'We chase the eagle!' Rhyssa said pointing forward, and seeing her standing so majestically, aura of power emanating from her, nobody dared defy her.

'Yes, Your Grace' Mikael said and the other sailors follow what Mikael said.

Mikael sitting beside her think to himself. 

'She is the Sun' and he remembers the mural.

And he smiles as he repeated the word in his mind

'She is the sun.'

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