Chapter 50 – Final Farewell and Finally Home
The submarine hummed steadily through the calming waters as the group sailed toward Palau, the chaos of the sinking island fading behind them like a distant nightmare. The interior was filled with a mix of relief and lingering adrenaline, the air still charged from the recent events.
Razan glanced around at the human group and said:
— Honestly, I thought you were all going to die. Especially Sean. I even imagined the scene of him arguing with Hank, storming off in anger, and getting devoured by a monster.
Sean replied, offended:
— Why would I be the one devoured by a monster?
Razan explained:
— Well, you've always had that pride of not listening to other people's opinions, and in a dangerous place full of monsters, that's a recipe for disaster. But well, I was wrong, and you managed to survive. That's good, right?
He then looked at Loona and said:
— Here, Loona, the ten dollars we bet. Since the kid over there survived, here's the money.
Loona took the money and said:
— See? I told you. He's an idiot, but he'd survive.
Sean pointed at them and said:
— You bet on my death?!
Razan said:
— Well, I bet on it. Loona bet you would survive, and unfortunately, she won.
Sean shouted:
— What do you mean unfortunately?!
Razan said:
— Sorry, I ended up saying what I wanted to say. I mean, fortunately she won.
Charlie and Kailani smiled as they watched the two of them banter, the light-hearted teasing easing the remaining tension.
Hank, standing beside Alexander, said:
— Well, I have to agree. Alexander, it was a magical trip. Sean will never forget this. So it seems you're not such a bad grandfather after all.
Alexander looked at Hank and said:
— Well, it also seems you're not such a bad stepfather after all.
While everyone was happily talking, sharing stories and laughs about the wild events, Gabato suddenly shouted:
— Guys, come here now!
Everyone approached quickly.
Hank asked:
— What is it?
Gabato pointed forward and said:
— Look at that thing!
They all looked ahead and saw a gigantic waterspout directly in the submarine's path, swirling menacingly and blocking their way.
Hank said:
— That's a giant waterspout.
Alexander looked at it with a grim expression and said:
— It's impossible to avoid it.
Kailani said:
— So there's no solution? Are we going to die here?
Sean hugged her and said:
— No. There has to be a way. There must be some way to get out of this safely.
He then looked at Hank and Alexander.
Hank said with a heavy expression:
— There's no way, Sean. A waterspout that big is impossible to avoid, and if we turn back, we could be crushed by debris from the island that's still falling into the sea.
Hearing this, everyone fell silent, the weight of the situation sinking in.
At that moment, Razan clapped his hands to get everyone's attention and said:
— You know, I really enjoyed this adventure, and you're all good people who still have a lot to live for.
He then looked at Loona and Charlie and said:
— Well then, let's save them.
Loona smiled and said:
— You really don't act like a sovereign at all.
Charlie said with a smile:
— Yeah, let's save them.
Kailani asked:
— What are you talking about?
Sean and the others also looked at Razan in confusion as he smiled and said:
— Well, I have something to confess. We're not really human.
They then transformed into their true forms: Razan into his half-dragon form, with gleaming black scales and a powerful aura; Loona into her hellhound form — a tall, anthropomorphic infernal dog with gray fur and white on her face and chest, large pointed ears, a long swaying tail, red eyes glowing ; Charlie, even after transforming, is the only one who doesn't look very different from her human form.
Everyone stared at them in shock.
Razan stretched his body and said:
— Ah, I really don't mind staying in human form, but my true form is much more comfortable.
Loona said, stretching her arms as well:
— He's right. There's nothing better than my true form.
Charlie said:
— Honestly, I don't feel much difference.
Razan said:
— Well, that's because your demonic form isn't very imposing. Just a few small details are different from your human form. Unlike me and Loona, who change a lot.
Charlie replied:
— Well, that's true.
Razan said:
— Alright then, let's go.
Razan opened a portal and stepped through, emerging on the other side facing the waterspout with fierce determination. He took a deep breath, focusing his draconic power — his scales gleamed, wings spread wide, and a dark aura surrounded his body. With a deafening roar of the Black Dragon King, he released a devastating wave of energy that violently collided with the waterspout, shattering it in a colossal explosion of vapor and waves, dissipating the threat with an impact that made the sea tremble and the sky split apart.
Inside the submarine, Loona sighed and said:
— That idiot really doesn't know how to hold back.
She then used her darkness power to envelop the entire submarine, creating a dense barrier that firmly withstood the aftermath of the explosion.
Charlie, looking at Hank, Sean, Alexander, Gabato, and Kailani — all frozen in shock — said:
— You might want to hold on to something, because the shockwave is coming.
Everyone grabbed onto something just as the shockwaves slammed into Loona's barrier, making the submarine shake violently.
After a few minutes, the submarine finally stopped trembling.
Loona removed the barrier, allowing everyone inside to see the result of the attack: a massive hole carved into the sea, rising all the way into the clouds, tearing open a gigantic circular gap in the sky spanning several kilometers.
At that moment, Razan stepped back inside and said:
— Well, I finally managed to stretch my body a bit.
He then looked at Loona and said:
— We'd better go. With that noise, Heaven might come investigate. I'm not in the mood to fight Adam.
Loona said:
— Yeah, we should go. I also don't want to deal with that crazy bitch Lute. I just want to get home and rest.
Charlie said:
— Yeah, it's better if we leave before they arrive and a fight breaks out that could hurt someone.
Razan then opened a portal to his mansion in Hell.
As they were about to leave, Kailani said:
— Wait!
Razan looked at her and smiled.
— Go ahead. What is it?
Kailani asked:
— Who are you?
Razan smiled:
— I already gave you that answer before, didn't I? I said it: I'm a dragon.
He then looked at Hank and Sean and said:
— Well, it was a pleasure meeting you and having this adventure by your side. If one day you die and end up in Hell, look for me. I wouldn't mind offering a helping hand.
He then stepped through the portal.
Loona looked at Sean and Kailani and said:
— She's a good girl. Take good care of her.
She then entered the portal.
Charlie looked at them and smiled:
— See you later, guys. I loved this magical adventure. I hope we meet again someday. Or not. Hopefully not. Either way, it was nice meeting you. Goodbye.
She jumped into the portal, which closed and disappeared as soon as she passed through it.
After a while, Hank said:
— What was that?
Alexander said with an excited smile:
— That, my friend, was the world showing us that there are still many mysteries left to be discovered.
Sean said:
— So that bastard could've gotten us out anytime he wanted. So why didn't he?
Kailani smiled and said:
— Well, first, because he said he wanted to enjoy the adventure. And second, I bet it was to mess with your face.
Sean replied:
— I believe the second reason more than the first.
Gabato said:
— Guys, I don't want to interrupt, but shouldn't we leave? After all, you heard what Razan said — problematic beings could arrive at any moment. After feeling his power, I don't think it's very safe for us to stay here.
Hank said:
— You're right, Gabato. Get us out of here as fast as possible.
Gabato obeyed and steered the submarine away from the dangerous area as quickly as possible, heading toward Palau.
On the other side, in Hell, Loona and Charlie followed Razan as he finally arrived at his mansion.
Razan looked at it, smiled, and said:
— Honestly, I still think it's strange that I'm happy to be home. After all, we live in Hell.
Loona said: Well, but this is our home, right?
Razan looked at her and smiled:
— Yes. This is our home.
Charlie smiled and said:
— Then let's let everyone know we're back.
Razan said:
— Alright, let's go.
He then started walking toward the mansion's main hall