For eight days, they drifted across an endless expanse of water, yet there was no sign of the barrier between the human realm and Amanécer.
Luciana was weak, her body wracked with seasickness, the constant motion of the waves making it impossible to find relief. Their supplies had dwindled to the barest rations. Even Fabio, a man who had spent his life on the water, showed signs of weariness.
But exhaustion was not their greatest burden.
An unspoken fear hung over them—a relentless sense of being watched, hunted.
Luciana clung to prayer, her lips murmuring petitions for their safety, for deliverance. She wished—desperately—that they had already reached their destination.
Nemesis remained in deep slumber, bound by the threads of Luciana's pure energy. But Dacey, ever watchful, refused to let her cast too much of herself into restraining him. She knew how fragile Luciana became each time she did.
That night, as the others slept, an uneasy stillness settled over the boat.
Luciana stirred awake, a deep unrest churning inside her. Rising carefully, she stepped past her companions and moved to the farthest edge of the vessel.
The sky was unusually bright, but not with the familiar shades of moonlit black. A strange haze clung to the heavens, diffusing the stars into an eerie glow.
Then she saw it.
A thick wall of fog, creeping toward them like a living thing.
Her breath caught in her throat. The Illusion Veil.
Fear coiled around her spine.
This was no ordinary mist—it was a trial, a test of faith. Legends spoke of its power: a fog that delved into the souls of those who passed through it, revealing their deepest desires, their hidden darkness. Those whose hearts faltered—those consumed by greed, regret, or longing—would summon Poseidon's wrath. A whirlpool would form, and the sea would claim them.
Some had spoken of visions—harmless, fleeting. Others had not returned at all.
Luciana clasped her hands together, whispering fervent prayers. Spare us. Let the test be merciful.
The sea responded with violence.
The waves churned, the boat rocked with jarring force, and the howling wind tore through the air.
The others awoke in alarm.
Fabio leapt into action, gripping the oars and battling the currents. Dacey clutched the boat's rim, shielding Nemesis in her arms.
Then a strangled cry cut through the chaos.
"Aapo… my child…"
Luciana spun around.
Dacey stood rigid, her wide, unblinking eyes fixed on something within the mist.
"Dacey!" Fabio barked.
Luciana followed her gaze—and felt her stomach drop.
A shadowed figure had emerged within the fog, beckoning.
"Don't look at it!" Luciana's voice rang out.
Her heart pounded. The illusions have begun.
"The mist preys on the mind," she warned, stepping closer. "It shows what we most long for… but it is deception. Those who give in will be swallowed by the abyss."
Fabio was already moving. He gripped Dacey's shoulders and shook her hard.
"Wake up, Dacey!" His voice was desperate.
But Dacey struggled against him, her breath coming in panicked gasps. "Why are you stopping me? Let me go!"
In her frantic thrashing, Nemesis slipped from her grasp, his limp form nearly tumbling overboard.
Luciana acted swiftly.
She placed a firm hand on Fabio's arm. "Let me handle this."
Fabio hesitated but gave a short nod, stepping away and returning to the oars with renewed urgency.
Luciana knelt beside Dacey, placing warm hands over her eyes.
She whispered a prayer, her voice steady in the ancient tongue of Amanécer. A language older than the stars.
The mist thinned, its illusions fading. The grip of deception loosened.
Dacey exhaled, shuddering. Her body stilled.
But Luciana knew the mist always revealed one last truth to the travellers who had passed the test before it vanished.
A shape flickered before her.
Her breath hitched.
Erebus.
He stood within the fog, sword in hand.
In one swift motion, he swung the blade. A man in the fog crumpled before him, lifeless.
Then, for the briefest moment, Erebus turned. His eyes met Luciana's across the thinning mist.
Then he was gone.
The fog lifted, unveiling the horrors ahead.
Luciana's stomach clenched.
The land before them was ruined.
Smoke rose in thick, suffocating columns, darkening the dawn sky. What should have been a golden sunrise was marred by the flickering glow of flames, the distant rumble of explosions.
War had not ended.
The sea, once vibrant blue, was blackened with death—wreckage, corpses, and the stench of decay polluting its depths.
Luciana swallowed hard. "Uncle Fabio, be careful!"
Fabio nodded, his grip on the oars tightening as he maneuvered through the wreckage.
Still, the boat lurched without warning.
Luciana lost her footing—
Strong hands caught her before she tumbled overboard.
"Careful, child," Dacey murmured, steadying her. She lifted Nemesis, who remained undisturbed in his slumber.
Ahead, Fabio's voice carried over the wind. "We're approaching land."
Luciana turned forward.
Ships loomed in the distance, massive war vessels anchored by the bay.
A fleet.
Their presence was unmistakable—guards of a land now at war, poised to strike at any intruder.
Luciana took a deep breath, steeling herself.
"Let me handle this," she murmured.
The boat drifted closer.
On one of the stationed ships, a soldier peered through the mist, his voice rising in alarm.
"Commander! A boat is approaching from the south!"
From within the warship, an aged man stepped forward, his sharp gaze scanning the waters.
His eyes settled on a single detail.
A white flag.
It flapped in the wind, a silent plea.
The commander narrowed his gaze. Then, after a pause, he issued a single command.
"Send out a rescue boat."
The soldier saluted and turned to obey.
The commander exhaled slowly, his expression unreadable.
"For someone to pass through the Illusion Veil…" He murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.
His grip on the railing tightened.
"…they are no ordinary traveler."