Stormfalcon, Top Deck.

  The lair should’ve been just an island. The thin strip of land that cleared the horizon on a gentle afternoon was supposed to be an inanimate terrain, a ground that gave birth to life but was lifeless itself. Yet, the tug from Ewan’s medallion, its faint hue of blue, his tingling instincts, the land swaying with the waves, the towering pillar with a bow-shaped head, and the warning message from the vibrating hub-connectors hummed a different song.

  “You’re in the presence of the Blood Guardian, Graventos,” a man’s voice with a metallic pitch rang off of everyone’s connectors, the matched tones resonating on the top deck. “Mind your actions and pay due respects. He prefers quiet and hates hubbub, so be careful when you sail around him. Try not to break his nap, for he gets cranky. Godspeed.”

  “Nyte, kill the thrusters,” Ewan said, staring at the island as he walked to the edge of the deck, his heart racing from consternation, while Stormfalcon gradually came to a still. “Hello sir, my name is Ewan Ayres, son of Ulrath, Authen Ayres.” He held his hand at his chest and bowed with absolute reverence, awaiting a ripple. And he waited and waited. Yet only the chirrups of the passing seagulls responded to his greeting and not a word came from the Guardian…

  “You guys stay here, I’ll go down,” Ewan said to the anxious and the fidgety four standing behind him.

  “Ewan.” Nana reached out and clutched his shirt with trembling arms, shaking her head at him as her eyes teared up.

  “We can't leave without saying hello, it won't do us any good. Just stay here, I won't go too far,” Ewan said and stroked Nana’s hand to comfort her. “Nothing will happen.”

  “Boss, I’ll come too,” Kidd said and followed him, and the other two also stepped forth, barely suppressing their physical unease.

  “No, two will be a crowd, let alone four. I’m merely going to greet him, just hold here, keep hushed, and wait for me to come back,” Ewan said. And he flew down with a deep breath, leaving the four behind, and walked on the ocean with Ryvia, rocking with the billows as his stomach almost churned with the butterflies fluttering. His splashing steps on the water took him away from the warship and the island inched in, and when he’d gone far enough where his instincts ran numb, he bowed again. “Hello sir, my name is Ewan Ayres, son of Ulrath, Authen Ayres.” He gulped and grasped the medallion as it glowed brighter and brighter, confirming its reaction to someone close by. It couldn’t be the pirates that his Pa befriended, it couldn’t be them that the medallion reacted to, just the difference in generation denied the possibility. Thus, the thread of common sense could only lead to one such presence—the Blood Guardian, Graventos.

  And yet, amidst the wind that whistled in his ears, the breaking waves that guffawed, and the uncaring tweeting birds, where even his rushing blood rang aloud, silence was all he got. Whether he was right or not ceased to matter, whether the medallion had made a mistake or not became futile. The other side refused to acknowledge Ewan, let alone any connection they might’ve had, there was nothing he could do from his side. So, he straightened his waist, and after a long stare at the island, he hovered back to the warship.

  …..

  Stormfalcon, Bridge.

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  “So, Graventos in the files meant that,” Stefan said, sprawling sideways on the chair, gaping at the ceiling, wiping the sweat from his forehead that showed no signs of stopping.

  “That freaked me out, I almost peed myself,” Kidd said. “The Blood Guardian… how the fuck did those pirates make that place their lair…”

  “Taking them out with a direct attack is now impossible,” Lance said. “What do we do? Should we give up?”

  “It was just to earn anyway, there’s no need to take such a big risk for this task,” Nana said. “I’m sure others won't be hunting these pirates’ lair either.”

  “It is problematic, but not impossible,” Ewan said, rubbing his forehead as he slumped on the captain’s chair. “The Guardians exist for Airadia, they react only to outside threats. For any conflict within the world, they have to take a neutral stand, or so goes the rules. So, unless we piss him off or threaten the stability of the world somehow, we should be fine hunting the pirates in his area.”

  “He didn’t seem that friendly to me, Boss. He neither responded to you nor even showed himself,” Kidd said. “Your medallion glowed, so he should be a friend of your father, right? He didn’t even acknowledge that.”

  “Not everyone cares for old relationships, especially when there’s a huge difference between us,” Ewan said. “Let’s forget about that, focus on the pirates. We can't attack the island anymore; we need a different approach.”

  “We can circle the island and create ambushes for the pirates, take them out bit by bit,” Stefan said. “But what distance will be safe? We don’t even know where he was.”

  “That pillar with the bow-shaped head looked the most suspicious,” Ewan said. “We should be fine as long as we avoid the immediate vicinity of the island. But just to err on the side of caution, let’s double our current distance before we start any conflict.”

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