The morning light pierced through the cracks of the wooden window, touching Lucy's cheek as she slowly opened her eyes.
Her head still felt heavy, but the first thing she realized was… this wasn't the last place she remembered.
On the other side of the room, Waker and Kaine were still fast asleep, their breathing calm.
Lucy looked around, a bit confused.
"Where… is this?" she muttered softly.
Footsteps were heard coming from the kitchen, then Galge appeared with a relieved look on his face.
"Ah, you're awake," he said, sitting on a chair near the bed.
"You passed out after defeating Viker. I couldn't leave you there, so I brought you here—this is my house. You can rest first."
Lucy lowered her head slightly, a small smile appearing.
"Thanks, Galge."
But Galge quickly shook his head, his voice firm yet gentle.
"No… I should be the one thanking you. If it weren't for you, that demon Viking would still be ruling us all."
Lucy suddenly felt flustered. Her white cheeks turned reddish, but she just smiled awkwardly.
Suddenly, noise came from outside—the sound of shouting, running steps, and confused voices.
The Viking villagers and common people were coming out of their homes, looking at the half-destroyed Slave Hall.
"What happened last night?"
"Why are the women suddenly free?"
"Wasn't that place always guarded?"
Galge glanced outside the window. He knew it was time to speak up.
He stepped outside, stood on top of the pile of rubble, then shouted loudly:
"LISTEN EVERYONE!!! Viker is dead!!! We're free from his grasp!!!"
His voice echoed across the entire village.
Inside the house, Waker and Kaine woke up instantly.
"Loud as hell this early…" they both mumbled almost at the same time, then glanced at each other—side-eyeing like their egos were equally high.
Galge kept speaking, his voice trembling but full of pride.
"And the ones who killed Viker and his two right hands are them! Lucy! Waker! And Kaine!!!"
At first, the villagers only stared at each other. But once they realized there were no longer any traces of Viker's power… belief began to grow.
Cheering erupted from everywhere. People cried, laughed, hugged—everything merged into one sound of freedom.
Lucy, Waker, and Kaine stood in the middle of the crowd, smiling as they watched it all.
For the first time in a long while, they felt air that was truly peaceful—without fear.
That night, the island turned into a sea of joy. Bonfires burned in every corner.
The villagers celebrated with laughter and dancing, lifting the three heroes high into the air.
Lucy grinned small as she was tossed upward, then burst out laughing—it might've been the first real laugh in her life.
Everyone knew, that night was the night of freedom.
But in the middle of that party, Lucy spoke to Galge.
"I can't stay here for long, Galge. I have to find my brother," she said calmly.
"This island needs a leader. Someone who can protect the peace after we're gone."
And without hesitation, she pointed at Galge.
The atmosphere instantly went silent.
Galge looked at Lucy with disbelief in his eyes.
"Me? No… I'm not worthy—"
Lucy cut him off gently, her gaze sharp yet soft.
"You're the most worthy person here, Galge. You're a good man."
Those words hit deep.
And that night, among the bonfire's glow and joyful cheers, Galge was officially chosen as the new leader of the island.
Four months passed.
Lucy, Waker, and Kaine had become much stronger than before. They trained nonstop—sharpening quirks, building their bodies, and preparing themselves for a wider world.
Lucy even trained often with Galge—their friendship grew from mutual respect.
But finally, the time for farewell came.
A huge ship built by the villagers stood proudly at the port. Its flag: a white banner waving softly—signifying this ship wasn't for war, but for adventure.
Galge himself handed it to them.
"Use this ship to fulfill your wish, Lucy," he said, his voice trembling.
Lucy smiled warmly.
"Take good care of this island, Galge."
Galge chuckled a bit, but his eyes were teary.
"And you… take care of yourself too, Lucy!!!"
Waker and Kaine stood behind, smirking.
"Pftt, he's crying," Waker muttered.
"Kinda cute," Kaine replied.
As the ship slowly left the port, Lucy watched the land shrink away.
The sea breeze brushed through her hair, her black clothes fluttered elegantly.
Waker saw Lucy in that outfit and sighed.
Under the morning sun, the three of them sailed with no clear direction—no compass, just following instinct.
Eight days later, a faint land appeared in the distance.
Its soil was dark red.
Lucy stood at the bow of the ship, pointing forward as she shouted,
"Everyone! Steer the ship that way!!"
Waker and Kaine smiled, nodding.
They trusted Lucy. From the start, they'd seen something special in her.
But Kaine was different. He seemed… oddly familiar with Lucy. He always understood and accepted her decisions easily.
Back to the ship—
It kept moving, slicing through waves toward that Red Island.
The ship moved slowly through thin mist covering the sea. Small waves reflected the silver sky, creating an atmosphere both calm and eerie.
From afar, the land began to take shape. The closer they got, the clearer it became.
The ground was dark red like rust, and in the center rose a huge mountain wrapped in clouds.
Around the mountain stood a massive circular wall. Below it, gigantic trees grew wildly, their roots crawling all the way to the shore.
Kaine stood at the edge of the ship, squinting.
"This island... if I'm not mistaken, it's called Vitel," he murmured softly.
Lucy and Waker both turned—Lucy with a curious face, Waker with a suspicious look.
"How do you know about this island, Kaine?" Waker asked coldly, arms crossed.
Kaine smirked lazily. "That's why you should study, dumbass."
His tone was cocky as usual, but there was tension hidden behind his grin.
Lucy stepped between them, trying to balance the mood before it turned into another argument.
"Enough, instead of fighting again, let's just go down. We need food and extra fuel. Our supplies are running low."
Waker narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"You sure? If this really is Vitel... rumor says it's the land of the Ogre race—they're known to be brutal."
Kaine quickly replied, stepping closer to Waker.
"Relax. I can speak their language. As long as we don't step on their pride, we're fine."
Lucy looked at them both, exhaled deeply.
"Okay. We're going. But everyone stays alert."
The ship docked at Vitel's shore. The moment their feet touched the red soil, their bodies felt heavy—as if the gravity here was stronger.
Lucy held her knees for a bit, while Waker and Kaine looked fine. Their strong physiques helped lessen the effect.
"This place... feels like it has strong gravity," Lucy muttered.
Lucy and Kaine slowly adapted. After a few minutes, they could move normally again thanks to their four months of training.
They walked toward a city surrounded by stone walls. The smell of metal and wet soil mixed in the air.
The city was surprisingly lively—markets lined up, big red-skinned Ogres with fangs were busy selling things.
Ogre kids ran around laughing loudly, playing freely.
Lucy blinked. "I thought they were all cruel..." she muttered.
Waker replied softly, "Maybe just rumors."
Before they could buy anything, three armed Ogre guards approached. One of them spoke in a firm, harsh foreign tongue—like stone scraping metal.
Lucy and Waker looked confused, but Kaine stepped forward. He replied fluently in their language.
A few seconds later, Kaine turned to his friends.
"They told us to come with them. The Ogre King wants to meet."
Lucy and Waker exchanged glances. Though hesitant, they followed.
Before them stood a massive palace of red and gold patterns. Its pillars tall, its walls carved with stories of Ogre ancestors—war, destruction, and a horned demon figure.
As they entered the main hall, the air shifted—cold yet heavy.
At the end of the room sat an old Ogre with two horns, long white hair, and eyes sharp as blades.
His skin was dark tan, covered in scars, but his gaze held wisdom.
"No need to be tense, young ones," he said fluently in human language.
"I just want to know your reason for stepping on our land."
Lucy swallowed hard, nervous but polite.
"We just want to buy food. No intention to cause trouble."
The King smiled faintly.
"My name is Garaka, Theogra of the Ogre race. I respect your honesty, but I can't trust strangers that easily."
His voice shook the room slightly.
"You may stay, but while you're on this island, you'll be watched."
He waved his hand, calling in a huge Ogre.
The man was nearly three meters tall, horns curved, muscles like steel. His eyes sharp as a beast's, but his movement calm.
"This is Agrasa. My trusted guardian. He'll be watching you."
Lucy nodded politely. "Okay, I understand."
Kaine just smiled and chatted with Agrasa in Ogre language. From the way they spoke, they instantly clicked.
That evening, they left the palace.
The market was already quiet, stalls closed. Since they couldn't buy supplies, they decided to find an inn at the city's edge.
The old wooden-and-stone inn was simple but cozy. The price was cheap—two gold coins per person. Kaine immediately paid, and they stayed there.
Turns out, inside the inn there was a hot spring bath. Lucy sighed in relief as she dipped her feet into the warm water.
"It feels… like heaven," she sighed.
Kaine chuckled softly, chatting with Agrasa, while Waker sat by the window, staring at the night sky with its two moons above.
After a simple dinner, they lay down on their beds. Lucy stared at the ceiling for a moment before closing her eyes.
"Hope the coming days… stay peaceful like this," she whispered.
The night breeze entered through the window, carrying the distant voices of the Ogre village—whether soothing or foreboding, no one could tell.
At exactly three in the morning, loud noises outside woke them up.
Lucy got up slowly.
"Ahhh, so noisy out there," she grumbled.
Suddenly the inn's wall exploded—several Ogres attacked!!
Lucy and Kaine instantly formed swords of light, while Waker fired blood particles at the Ogres.
Agrasa activated his Quirk: Physical Type Iron—turning his body as hard as metal, even able to transform entirely into steel.
The number of attacking Ogres was insane—they were overwhelmed.
"There's too many…" Agrasa muttered.
Lucy shouted in confusion,
"What the hell is actually going on?!"
Agrasa replied briefly,
"I don't know either!!"
The battle grew fiercer. Eventually, they managed to defeat the brutal Ogres, but outside things were even worse—Ogres were attacking each other!
Lucy, Waker, Kaine, and Agrasa jumped in to help.
Lucy fired light blasts from her hands.
Waker charged with his blood axe.
Kaine activated Hand of God, punching down Ogres one by one.
Meanwhile, Agrasa, with his two iron arms, swept enemies away mercilessly.
When the sun finally rose, the battle ended.
The brutal Ogres were defeated.
Lucy and the others panted heavily, but relieved—they'd saved the citizens and helped with the evacuation.
Agrasa immediately brought them to the palace to report to King Garaka.
"Your Majesty! From this morning's incident, they've done great service! They helped defeat the brutal Ogres and saved many lives!" Agrasa said firmly.
Garaka smiled.
"Thank you for your help," he said, bowing slightly.
"For that, I will withdraw Agrasa and begin to trust you all."
Agrasa nodded, then asked,
"Your Majesty! What exactly happened? Why were those Ogres attacking us?"
Garaka fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly.
"That… might be because of the Daimogra Wave."
Agrasa instantly froze.
Lucy, Waker, and Kaine exchanged confused looks.
"Daimogra Wave?" they murmured together.