[Scene: Aboard the Whisper's Light Ship | West Sea | Few Days Later]
The waves rocked gently beneath the sun-drenched deck.
Not stormy. Not calm. The kind of sea that held its breath — waiting.
A gull cried in the distance, its voice distant, fading into the spray of salt and wind.
Arjun sat cross-legged near the rear mast, polishing his custom-carved bow with a faded green cloth. His expression was blank, focused — the way a craftsman watches the edge of a blade.
His fingers moved in rhythm, not with the sea, but with habit. Quiet. Controlled.
On the left side of the ship, tucked between the wooden barrels and crates, Solis dozed with one leg propped up, his arms folded, and a loose cloth covering part of his face. The ship swayed — he didn't.
He could've been mistaken for sleeping.
But the occasional twitch in his left eyelid?
That was someone listening while pretending not to.
Near the bow, Kael danced across the railings like a child raised by wind spirits. His boots tapped along the wood in light rhythm, leaping from edge to edge with exaggerated flair.
> "Ooone… and twooo…"
He stopped mid-spin, balancing on one leg, and called out:
Kael:
> "Hey, Solis! Did you hear?"
"Katrina recruited someone new into Whisper's Light."
Solis cracked open one eye without moving.
Solis (dry):
> "She find herself a boyfriend or something?"
Kael snorted, barely holding in a laugh.
Kael:
> "Pffft—what? No! You don't know?"
"It's a kid. She's training him herself."
That got Solis to open his eyes — both this time. Not all the way. Just enough.
Solis (half-mutter):
> "If Master Madhav approved… I've got no reason to doubt him."
He leaned back against the barrel again, eyes sliding closed like a curtain being drawn at dusk.
Somewhere behind the cabin door, Rhask remained inside, unmoving. Maybe meditating. Maybe sharpening a blade. With him, you could never tell. You only knew when it was too late.
At the ship's helm, near the rusted old steering wheel, Eron stood with both hands behind his back — gaze fixed far into the sea.
Silent.
Then—
He lifted the binocular scope and narrowed his eyes.
The flag.
Tattered. But visible.
A cruel symbol, painted in crimson across a white cloth: RYVEN.
Eron's lips curled upward, slowly. No words. Just a smile.
The wind shifted. He lowered the scope and reached for the emergency flare tube secured beside the mast. Unlatched. Loaded. Fired.
BOOM.
A trail of red smoke spiraled into the sky — thin at first, then wide, climbing higher than any cloud had the right to.
---
Arjun flinched. Bow still in hand.
Arjun (confused):
> "Wait—red flare? Middle of the ocean? That's the hostile signal, isn't it?"
Kael (dropping down):
> "Yeah, what gives?"
"We're still, what, halfway from Vrevia to the Ryven base?"
Eron walked toward them, coat flapping in the wind.
Eron (calm):
> "Exactly."
"But fate… seems to enjoy irony."
He glanced over his shoulder. The Ryven ship was growing larger on the horizon.
> "We don't need to chase them anymore."
He turned back toward Solis — who was already rising, stretching one arm across his chest like a boxer before the bell.
Solis (grinning faintly):
> "So the rat came to the cat… on its own."
He cracked his knuckles.
> "Let's make it regret the decision."
The red flare rose like a curse into the sky.
High. Bright. Unmistakable.
And aboard the pirate ship — chaos.
> "That's a hostile signal!"
The younger pirates scrambled to the rails, binoculars shaking in their hands. Sweat dripped. Boots slipped. Shouts overlapped.
Pirate Scout (yelling):
> "Wait—! That's the Whisper's Light flag!"
"They're here already?!"
A cold hush fell over the deck.
Another pirate, younger, pale with panic:
> "T-That can't be right. The captain's main ship is still behind us by an hour!"
> "We weren't supposed to fight here!"
Someone near the weapons rack slammed his fist against a crate.
> "Forget the plan. Our ships are faster—load the mortars! Sink them before they even get close!"
Dozens of hands scrambled.
Crates opened. Shells were rolled out. Mortars were set and pointed over the rail, adjusted for distance.
The deck rattled under the sudden surge of movement — controlled panic, but panic nonetheless.
One of the crew leaders, crouched beside the mortar, barked orders:
Pirate Leader:
> "Alright, on three—ready, aim—!"
3… 2—
THP-THP-THP-THP-THP-THP-THP
Seven arrows struck.
Seven precise impacts.
Seven mortars instantly ruptured, wood splintering and metal tubes bursting open like crushed fruit.
Silence.
One pirate stared at the smoldering remains in disbelief.
> "A-A-All mortars… destroyed…"
Smoke rose. Fingers trembled.
One man dropped a cannonball onto his foot and didn't even notice.
---
[Scene: Aboard the Whisper's Light | Same Moment]
Kael leaned on the side of the ship, using his hand as a binocular as he watched the smoke trail up from the enemy's ship.
Kael (grinning):
> "Nice shot, Arjun!"
A few feet away, Arjun was already nocking another arrow — no smile, just that quiet intensity, a hunter mid-rhythm.
Eron (calmly):
> "Who needs mortars… when we have Arjun?"
Solis stood behind them, arms folded, squinting toward the pirates' deck with one brow raised.
Solis (deadpan):
> "Still… pirates got better ships than us."
He glanced down at the old wood creaking beneath his feet.
> "What a damn shame."
Kael burst into laughter. Arjun just gave the faintest twitch of a smirk.