Kai gambled with sailors below deck, distracted and despondent after days of silence with Paedyn following their heated argument. He escaped to the moonlit main deck, reflecting on the truth that separates them and his own misplaced anger. Paedyn approached, and the two traded guarded words that hinted at reconciliation.

Kai sensed a foreign, overwhelming power unlike an Elite’s, and before he could explain, the ship lurched violently. He grabbed Paedyn as crew slid across the deck, waves slammed over the rails, and Captain Torri shouted orders amid chaos. A massive, scarred, eel-like monster with rows of jagged teeth and a fleshy, frilled crown surfaced, its altered nature suggesting the Plague’s influence.

Elites attacked with fire, telekinesis, and weapons, but the creature’s hide deflected their efforts. It tore through railings, crushed sections of the deck, and thrashed a spined tail that skewered a sailor before flinging the body into the sea. Kai urged Paedyn to shelter in her room; she refused to leave him.

The monster’s tail smashed Kai, wrapped his leg, and flung him overboard. As he plummeted, he seized a Tele’s power, summoned a mast rope, and hit the freezing water. Choking and disoriented, he found the rope and climbed back up, spurred by Paedyn’s cries from above, and collapsed onto the deck with her supporting him.

Catching their breath amid ongoing screams, Paedyn tearfully confessed she feared losing him and vowed defiance of fate and duty, promising, “Us.” Kai reciprocated, but the creature again heaved onto the deck, nearly swallowing Torri and further splintering the ship. Recognizing their peril, Paedyn decided to act despite Kai’s protest.

Gripping a spear, Paedyn framed the attack as her Trial and sprinted toward the threat as the ship continued to buckle under the monster’s weight.