The Council Chamber at the summit of New Thera trembled with tension.
Qaws stood, bowing slightly, his voice sharp and unwavering.
Qaws:Valley of Wonders
Ethra's eyes widened.
Ethra:
Qaws's tone hardened, his gaze locking onto Ethra.
Qaws:Luther
Ethra's voice faltered, barely audible.
Ethra:
Qaws froze for a fraction of a second, astonished. Then his expression turned cold.
Qaws:
The pirates erupted in murmurs, shock and anger rippling through the chamber. Swords were half-drawn.
Ethra:
Qaws:Mowj
Falcon raised a hand, silencing the room. His gaze shifted between Ethra's rage and Qaws's steel, then fell upon Velins.
Falcon:
Velins:
Qaws:
Falcon leaned forward, his voice deepening like a brewing storm.
Falcon:
Qaws:Kingdom of Leona
Ethra gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.
Ethra:
Qaws:
Falcon's eyes narrowed, a flash of pain crossing his weathered face.
Falcon:Sidney
Qaws:AurikLeona
Falcon's voice softened, heavy with memory.
Falcon:
Qaws:
---
Ethra's voice broke the heavy silence.
Ethra:
Falcon's tone was grim as he looked at the map on the table.
Falcon:PearlValina
Qaws's fists clenched until his knuckles cracked.
Qaws:
Velins glanced at him, startled by the sudden fire in his eyes.
Qaws:
He looked up.
Qaws:
Falcon:
Ethra:
Qaws inhaled deeply. His next words cut the air like a blade.
Qaws:
The chamber erupted in outrage. Ethra slammed her hand against the table, rattling the goblets.
Ethra:
Qaws:
The pirates shouted threats, but Falcon threw his head back and laughed.
Falcon:
Ethra turned to him, furious.
Ethra:
Falcon ignored her, his eyes locking on Qaws with a gleam of respect.
Falcon:
Qaws:here. We will defend New Thera with our lives. In return, once the battle is won... you must send your ships to Leona's harbor. My friends are there. I swore to protect them."
Ethra groaned, exasperated.
Ethra:
The pirates murmured in disbelief. Falcon only smiled, a genuine, fatherly warmth returning to his face.
Falcon:
Ethra's voice rose in alarm.
Ethra:
Falcon:Wasim
The pirates nodded reluctantly, their voices settling.
Falcon:
Qaws:
---
Suddenly, the heavy double doors burst open.
Pirate:
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
The sound of boots thundered through the halls as pirates rushed to arms.
Falcon, Ethra, and Aseel
From the fog, a massive warship loomed—ancient Leonithran design, now flying the dark colors of the Order.
Aseel:
Falcon's eyes narrowed as he beheld the fleet. His old Navy ships, now crewed by traitors and fanatics.
He stepped forward, his Blue Aura stirring the wind.
Qaws and Velins joined them, exchanging grim looks.
Qaws:
Velins:
Falcon's lips curled into a predatory smile.
Falcon:ValonReiz
New Thera — Clash of Titans
The sky over New Thera had turned into a nightmare.
Thick, heavy snow fell in sheets—unnatural and alien to the tropical crescent island. Pirates who had lived their entire lives under the sun stared at the white flakes trembling on their skin, their nerves fraying as the temperature plummeted.
Ethra wiped cold sweat from her brow, her hand shaking as she looked at the enemy fleet.
Ethra:
Falcon's gaze was cold, his words sharp as he adjusted his coat against the sudden chill.
Falcon:
Ethra lowered her head, silent, torn between blood loyalty and the duty to her people.
Aseel
Aseel:
Falcon:
Fear rippled through the ranks. Some pirates stared at the sky in awe, others in terror, whispering of curses.
Falcon turned his gaze to Qaws, his voice heavy with accusation.
Falcon:
Qaws snapped back, his patience thinning.
Qaws:
Ethra's eyes flared, her hand going to her sword.
Ethra:
But Falcon only smiled, genuinely amused by the defiance in the face of annihilation.
Falcon:
---
Falcon stepped to the edge of the fortress wall. He drew his twisted blade—a saber forged from dark meteoric iron. He gripped it tightly with both hands.
A Dark Blue Aura
Falcon:
With a single sweeping arc, he unleashed a wave of raw power.
The aura tore across the sea, a physical wall of pressurized air and water that smashed into the vanguard ships guarding Luther's flagship.
Three smaller vessels shattered instantly, splintering into matchwood as the waves swallowed them whole. The snow swirled violently in the wake of the strike.
Falcon:
His voice thundered across the docks, louder than the wind.
Falcon:
He raised his hand high.
Falcon:FORWARD
The pirates roared in unison, their fear replaced by adrenaline.
Pirates:HAAA!
The wave struck true, clearing a path through the enemy formation. Cheers erupted from the pirate crews as they scrambled to their stations.
Velins's eyes widened, his breath stolen by the display.
Velins:
He stared at Falcon, who stood tall above them, unblinking, a storm incarnate.
Qaws's voice was low, grim.
Qaws:Jamih
Velins nodded silently, gripping his staff until his knuckles turned white.
Qaws unsheathed his dual daggers, the metal gleaming in the snow.
Qaws:
Velins:Qaws: hmm? alright... didn't expect that we gonna get emotional right now haha...
Velins bound his hands with white cloth, his lavender aura beginning to pulse around his fists.
Falcon glanced down at them from the parapet, his smile sharp and predatory.
Falcon:
His laughter boomed, echoing across the sea, as Ethra and Aseel's fleet veered eastward into the fog.
---
Then, from the distance, a figure stepped forward on the deck of the enemy flagship.
As Falcon's second shockwave neared Luther's ship, the figure simply raised a hand.
A wall of Gray Fire
A man walked calmly to the prow, his blade ignited with entropy. Reiz
Reiz:
Falcon's grin widened, his blue aura flaring to match the gray fire.
Falcon:
New Thera — The Battle Unleashed
The sea boiled with chaos beneath the falling snow.
Reiz
Reiz:Wrath of Lucifer!
He swung his blade downward. From the steel erupted not just fire, but a cascading storm of explosive, gray entropy. It fell like meteors, a wide-area bombardment aimed directly at Falcon’s fortress and the clustered pirate fleet.
The pirates on the decks braced themselves, looking up at total annihilation. Panic rippled through their ranks.
Pirates:
On the docks, Qaws
Qaws:
He froze as Velins
Qaws:
Falcon looked up from the ramparts, his eyes narrowing as the small figure intercepted the gray bombardment.
---
From the eastern flank, AseelEthra
Aseel:
Ethra:
High above the sea, Velins's body ignited with a dense Lavender Aura
The gray inferno collided with his energy field. The clash didn't just make noise; it birthed a blinding sphere of light and sound that scorched the air.
Pirates:
But the force pressed hard against Velins. The gray fire licked at the edges of his barrier, burning his skin, driving him backward toward the sea inch by inch.
Aseel:
Qaws:
Above them, Reiz laughed maniacally, reveling in the struggle.
Then, suddenly, the gray fire collapsed. It wasn't extinguished; it was into the lavender field.
Velins remained suspended in the air for a fraction of a second, his aura blazing with absorbed kinetic energy. With a roar of effort, he swung his left fist, punching the very sky.
Velins:"Impact... REDIRECTION!"
A colossal lavender shockwave erupted from his fist, a concentrated beam of gravitational force surging back toward Reiz.
Aseel:
Ethra:
The wave tore across the sky. Reiz's eyes widened, his arrogant grin faltering. He twisted violently in mid-air, narrowly evading the main thrust of the blast.
The shockwave missed him but struck one of Luther's vanguard destroyers behind him.
The ship didn't explode; it was crushed by gravity. Wood splintered into dust, masts snapped, and the hull buckled in on itself before sinking instantly.
On the flagship, Luther
Luther:
Reiz landed lightly on the flagship's railing, ignoring Luther. He looked down at the fortress, his eyes locking with Falcon's.
Falcon's brows rose, his voice cutting through the storm via his wind magic.
Falcon:
Reiz sneered, his blade still burning gray.
Reiz:
He dove off the railing, plummeting toward the docks, aiming his blade directly at the exhausted Velins who was landing nearby.
Velins braced, raising his staff, knowing he was too slow to block another strike so soon.
But at the last moment, Reiz twisted mid-air, aborting his attack and landing defensively back on Luther's ship.
Velins blinked, startled. He glanced downward.
There, right where Reiz would have landed, stood Qaws
Reiz stood on the deck of Luther's ship, his grin widening again.
Reiz:
From the shadows behind Luther, the air temperature dropped fifty degrees. The falling snow turned to ice shards. A chilling, raspy voice rang out.
Valon (the Reaper):
The air thickened with absolute dread as Valon stepped forward, his massive scythe gleaming with a pale, hungry light.
Luther raised his naval saber, his fleet pressing closer to the harbor entrance. The real battle was just beginning.
