Aether gripped the tiller, pushing it left, then right, feeling the dinghy respond beneath him. The wooden frame creaked and groaned as the hull sliced through the water. He adjusted the sail, letting the wind catch just enough to give them forward motion without tilting too sharply.

Each tug and push of the tiller shifted the boat’s course, subtle at first, then sharper as the wind picked up. The ropes squeaked under tension, and the sail flapped in short bursts as he steadied it with a practiced twist of his wrist. Aether leaned into the movement, his feet braced against the deck, feeling the gentle rocking of the boat with each turn.

The dinghy didn’t glide smoothly like a larger vessel, but it obeyed him, rolling over small waves, dipping its bow into the swells before springing back. He guided it around other boats, the tiller heavy in his hands, adjusting constantly to the gusts that whipped across the harbor. Each motion felt deliberate, a rhythm forming between him, the wind, and the wooden craft beneath him.

The water shimmered under the sun, and Aether let the boat drift slightly with the current, testing its balance, then gave a sharp push on the tiller to realign with the course he wanted. It was simple, but precise; every move mattered, and the dinghy followed his hands like an extension of his body.

After getting it on the path he wanted, he sighed, letting go of the boat, and lying down next to Kade.

“Didn’t know you knew how to drive a boat.” The boy said, leaning over the edge of the boat, and looking into the already dark waters.

They had moved a lot from shore, so it was to be expected, but the black color of the sea did make this a lot scarier; who knew what kinds of monsters resided under them, ready to kill them any second?

Aether chuckled. “I didn’t know either.”

Kade tilted his head and squinted his eyes in confusion. “Can you repeat that?”

Aether leaned his head back, looking at the sky and letting his arms fall next to his body as he relaxed.

“I’ve never driven one, this is one of the few times I’ve seen the sea… all experience I have is from my grandfather… and you could say a dream or something where I saw trying to save a sea from a store, but I’ve never driven one. I guess it must run in the family.”

Kade flicked Aether’s forehead, forcing him to look back at him. It was clear the boy wanted to have a serious conversation, and his master was clearly against it.

“Your grandfather, huh? Where are you even from? I don’t think I’ve seen you before in Veyr.”

“It doesn’t matter.” He said, rubbing his forehead. “The place is probably destroyed already. Since most of my life I spent inside the Tides.”

This was, of course, a lie, but a good lie, quite impressive that he made it up so fast. He couldn’t tell him the truth, since if he did he would have to reveal that he was from another thing, which like he had said in everytime he entered a book, it was one of the most important rules for all reasons, to not reveal to the characters that live inside the stories that you are someone who has taken over another person inside their made up world.

Though there was some truth to what he had said, he had been to the Tides, just for most of the time he had been here, most of his life.

Kade froze as he heard, then leaned in forward, their faces getting uncomfortably close.

“You have been to the Tides and survived!?”

Aether put his hand in front of him, slowly pushing back the boy.

“I have, and I must say, a very tough place to live in. I don’t recommend it.”

Kade nooded, leaning his back against the edge of the small boat.

“I’ve heard many stories about that place, how hard it is. To beat the trial and ascend again… and yet you did it… No wonder my brother lost…”

Aether frowned as he heard that comment.

“Don’t say that, after all, I fought many inside the arena, yet he was one of the only ones who didn’t hide themselves behind a clone, so he deserves some respect.”

The eyes of the boy widened, then fell, as well as his head, as he looked at the ground, with a saddened expression.

“You’re right… I’m sorry-” But before he could finish, he was hit in the face by Aether.

“Come on, I don’t want this to be a sad trip, where we are quiet and think about the past.”

Kade, who had fallen to the ground from the punch, looked back at Aether with scared eyes, and yet also with a slight confusion. “W-what kind of master are you?”

Aether scoffed. “How should I know? It’s my first time being in this position; I’m used to being the student.”

Kade stared a little longer at Aether before sighing and getting up, lying back where he was before.

…”Do you think I made the right decision?”

…

“I think that’s a question only you can answer; my opinion wouldn’t be right even if I tried. I’m not you to know.”

…

“I guess I do regret it a little, but… regret is part of most risks, isn’t it?”

Kade sighed before a smile returned on his face.

“You know, thinking of it… We should have brought a map.”

Aether looked back at him, confused. Before putting his hand in his pocket and getting out a map.

“We did.”

…

“When!?”

Aether chuckled, putting the map back in his pocket.

“You know, I’m quite good at stealing things. I once robbed a whole story, oh, and I also stole from someone in broad daylight, and they thought it was something else, even if they saw me do it.”

Kade had decided not to question it; after all, it had already been too much for him today.

“So, since you got a map, are we close?”

Aether stood up, stretching his body.

“We have a good length left, but brace yourself, we entered a pretty rough part of the sea.”

He said, looking at what awaited them in front.

Ahead, the sea churned and darkened, the waves rising like walls of shadowed water.

White foam tipped the crests, glinting faintly beneath the pale sunlight struggling through the thick clouds.

The wind whipped across the open expanse, bending the surface into jagged peaks and troughs, carrying a sharp, briny scent that hinted at the stormy waters beyond.

From where the dinghy floated, the ocean already seemed alive with motion, restless and unyielding.

The black swells rolled toward the horizon in a slow, relentless rhythm, each taller than the last, each promising a collision that could toss even a sturdy boat like a leaf.

The sky mirrored the sea’s temper, clouds twisted into long, low bands that streaked across the horizon, shadows pooling where the sun failed to reach.

Foam hissed along the distant ridges of the waves, the wind tearing at the small sails of scattered ships far away. It was a vast stretch of water, immense and unforgiving, a place where only the bold or desperate would venture.

The line where the sea met the sky was jagged, blurred by spray and shadow, giving the horizon an unstable, shifting quality, as if the ocean itself were alive and waiting.

Even from this distance, the scale of the waves was enough to warn of the trials to come, the rhythm of the currents and gusts hinting at a power that could not be tamed by skill alone. The dinghy drifted closer, tiny against the looming dark water, the rough sea awaiting them like a test yet to begin.

But you could say that it was a good first challenge for his time as captain of a boat. If he could get through this, then he was confident he could get through all his time driving this boat. Of course, that didn’t mean he didn’t at least regret not buying the big boat ever so slightly, after all, it would have made things a lot easier, not to mention a lot safer.

It was his second time in this kind of situation; of course, this time it wasn’t as bad as the storm he was put in that time inside the Waterfall, but that time he was on a giant ship with many people, and he didn’t even have to drive it himself.

Even if the challenge was a lot easier and calmer, their boat was a lot smaller, not to mention he was alone.

Plus, for him, it was also the fact that he had no idea how to swim, so if he was knocked off the boat, he was dead.

Aether looked back at Kade.

“Can you swim?”

The boy looked confused. “I can, yes… why?”

Aether turned back towards the sea.

“Nothing… just get me back up if I fall off the boat.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep