The ocean stretched endlessly beneath the moon.
Silver light spilled across the surface of the water, turning the waves into flowing sheets of glass. The ship cut steadily through the calm sea, its wooden hull creaking softly in rhythm with the tide. Above, the sky was clear—stars scattered wide like distant embers frozen in time.
Mei leaned against the railing at the edge of the deck, fingers curled loosely around the polished wood. The wind brushed through her hair, cool and steady, carrying the scent of salt and open water.
She stared at nothing in particular.
Or perhaps at everything.
Vael stood a few steps away, arms crossed, posture relaxed but observant. Her sharp eyes slid sideways toward Mei, studying her in silence for several long seconds.
"Mei…" Vael finally spoke.
Mei blinked slightly and turned her head. "Hmm?"
Vael tilted her chin just slightly, her tone casual but her gaze precise.
"Can I ask you something?"
Mei smiled faintly. "Sure. What is it?"
Vael held her gaze.
"You said Dain was your husband."
A pause.
"But you're only eighteen."
The wind shifted.
"Was he really your husband?"
The question didn't come with judgment. It came clean. Direct.
Mei stiffened.
Her fingers tightened around the railing almost imperceptibly.
For a brief moment, something fragile passed through her expression—something bittersweet, almost embarrassed.
"…I found Dain when he already had a child," she said softly.
Vael raised one eyebrow, intrigued but silent.
Mei's eyes drifted back to the ocean, but she wasn't seeing the water anymore.
"I loved him," she continued quietly. "I truly did."
Her voice didn't tremble.
But it carried weight.
"But he never really treated me as his wife."
The confession hung between them.
The moonlight made her expression look even softer than usual.
Flashbacks stirred behind her eyes.
A younger Mei, carrying supplies while Dain walked ahead of her—focused, distant, protective but never affectionate. She remembered watching him train Ren, watching him cook quietly, watching him sit alone sometimes in silence.
He never told her to leave.
He never told her to stay.
He simply allowed her presence.
"He let me stay with him," Mei said with a small laugh that didn't quite reach her eyes. "But he never called me his wife. I just kept pretending… hoping one day he would."
The ship rocked gently.
"I had nowhere to go," she admitted. "So I stayed."
Vael studied her carefully.
Then, surprisingly, she smirked.
"You really are stubborn, huh?"
Mei let out a short breath of laughter and rubbed her arm. "Yeah… I guess I am."
Vael turned and leaned against the railing, looking up at the moon.
"But Dain is gone now."
The words were simple.
But final.
Mei lowered her gaze.
Sadness flickered through her eyes—not sharp anymore, not bleeding—but still present.
Vael turned her head back toward her.
"You have Reider now."
Mei looked up, startled.
Vael shrugged casually.
"That kid will tear apart the whole world for you if you asked," she said bluntly. "You don't need to hold onto a memory anymore."
Mei looked down again.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the railing.
Reider…
The image came easily.
His calm eyes.
His quiet presence.
The way he never hesitated when she needed protection.
The way he stood between her and the world without asking anything in return.
Vael's smirk widened.
"And besides… aren't you one of the people fighting over a date with him?"
Mei froze.
Then—
"W-What?!" she sputtered instantly, face turning bright red. "That was just—!!"
Vael laughed, enjoying the reaction far too much.
"Relax," she said. "I'm just saying… maybe it's time to stop waiting for Dain to acknowledge you and start living for yourself."
The teasing tone faded at the end.
Mei exhaled slowly.
The tension in her shoulders eased.
"Maybe you're right," she admitted quietly.
"Of course I am," Vael replied smoothly. "I always am."
Mei rolled her eyes, but there was no bitterness behind it.
Vael pushed off the railing and walked toward the cabin door.
She paused before stepping inside.
Then glanced back over her shoulder.
"And for the record…"
Her smirk sharpened.
"If you don't make a move, I will."
Mei's face turned red again.
"W-What is that supposed to mean?!"
Vael just laughed and disappeared inside.
Mei stood alone under the moonlight.
She exhaled slowly.
Looked up at the sky.
"…Reider, huh?"
The name felt different when she thought it.
Not heavy.
Not forced.
Just… there.
Inside the ship's cabin, Reider sat near a window.
The moonlight reflected softly in his eyes as he watched the ocean pass. His expression remained calm, unreadable—as if the world moved around him without disturbing anything within.
He had no idea what conversation had just taken place outside.
He simply sat in silence.
Listening.
Feeling.
Waiting.
The ship continued forward through the night.
Far in the distance, barely visible beneath the moon's glow—
A shadow.
Eldross.
Their next destination.
"A new battle… and new choices await."
Later that night, inside the dining cabin—
Five women sat around a wooden table.
Vael leaned back in her chair, boots resting casually against a lower beam. Mei sipped tea, composed but still faintly thoughtful. Zera and Eryndra ate comfortably, while Leona looked between all of them with visible confusion.
Leona leaned forward.
"So… what's the deal with Reider?"
Vael waved a dismissive hand.
"He doesn't have a core. So technically, he's the weakest."
Leona blinked.
Deadpan.
"Yeah, but I literally saw him punch someone into another dimension."
She stared at Vael flatly.
"Pretty sure that makes him the strongest."
Eryndra smirked, sipping her drink.
"Reider's just built different."
Zera nodded casually.
"Like a monster."
Mei sighed, placing her teacup down.
"He's not a monster," she said gently. "He's… just a little emotionally challenged."
Vael grinned.
"And romantically challenged."
Mei shot her a glare, cheeks tinting faintly pink.
"Don't start."
Leona crossed her arms, thinking.
"So he's stupid when it comes to emotions?"
Eryndra nodded.
"Absolutely clueless."
Zera added, "But he's kind. In his own way."
Leona rested her chin on her hand, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"So… if I use my charm magic on him, nothing happens?"
Vael snorted.
"You already tried. Remember?"
Flashback—
Leona standing confidently before Reider.
"Bow before my beauty!"
Reider blinking once.
"…No."
Then walking away.
End flashback.
Back in the cabin—
Leona crossed her arms, annoyed.
"That was just a test."
Vael leaned in slightly.
"Ohhh? You sound frustrated."
Her grin widened.
"Maybe you like him?"
Leona slammed her hands on the table.
"WHAT?! No way! That brute?! I have standards!"
Zera tilted her head slightly.
"But you are still talking about him."
Mei chuckled softly.
"She's already infected."
"I'm not infected!" Leona snapped.
Eryndra laughed.
"Denial is the first step."
Vael suddenly straightened, eyes gleaming mischievously.
"Alright, ladies. New topic."
She rested her chin on her hand.
"Who do you think Reider will pick first?"
Mei choked on her tea.
"W-WHY are we even talking about that?!"
Eryndra grinned.
"Interesting question."
Zera went quiet.
But her ears turned faintly red.
Leona pouted.
"Why does it feel like I'm being excluded from this?"
Vael winked.
"Because you just got here. Gotta work your way up."
Leona grumbled.
"Stupid brute…"
The door creaked open.
Reider stepped inside.
"…What's stupid?"
Silence.
Five women froze simultaneously.
Reider squinted slightly.
"…What are you all talking about?"
Vael leaned forward smoothly.
"Nothing, nothing~ Just talking about how amazing you are."
Reider stared at them.
Long.
Unblinking.
He clearly did not believe them.
After a moment, he sighed quietly and turned away.
"…I don't have time for this."
He left.
There was a beat of silence.
Then—
The women burst into laughter.
Mei shook her head gently, smiling despite herself.
"Completely clueless."
The ship sailed onward under the moon.
Toward Eldross.
Toward war.
Toward choices none of them were truly ready to make.
And somewhere ahead—
A storm waited.