On the distant shore of the island, Lainas's remaining crew watched a signal flare cut through the fog. Two dark figures—Black Order guards—were seen retreating to their ship as it began to pull away into the mist. They were abandoning the post.
Inside the fortress, the final struggle ended.
Reiz
Assassin:
He collapsed. Reiz snarled, hurling the body against the wall, his face twisted in rage.
From the shadows, Azalor
Azalor:
Reiz:
Azalor:Silva's people indeed.
Reiz:
Azalor:MacFerdenElpha
Azalor's form shimmered, fading into mist.
Azalor:New Thera
Reiz's expression hardened. He sheathed his blade and stalked away, leaving the dead assassin in the silent, rotting hall.
---
Meanwhile, the ghost ship carried Lainas back to the hidden cove of Thera.
As they docked, Lainas saw a vision superimposed over reality. He saw YamenWasim'sSawsan's
In the vision, the island was alive—vibrant green trees, birds singing, the pirate crew cheering. Yamen entered the hut, closing the door gently behind him.
Lainas blinked.
The illusion shattered instantly.
The vibrant colors turned to gray ash. The trees were dead, petrified wood. The pirate ship he was standing on was empty—its deck was not manned by sailors, but littered with skeletons
Horrified, Lainas rushed off the rotting ship and ran to the cottage.
He kicked the door open.
Inside, a corpse sat in a captain's chair, clad in Yamen's rotting garments. The skull grinned at the ceiling, a rusty sword still in its hand.
In the next room, tucked into a small bed, lay a child's skeleton.
Lainas's knees buckled.
Lainas:
He heard sobbing. He turned—and for a fleeting second, he saw the phantom of Yamen, cradling the skeletal remains of Wasim, weeping silent tears. Then, the ghost faded.
The wounded Assassin, who had escaped with Lainas, limped into the room. He stared at the small bones in the bed.
Assassin:
He looked at Lainas with wide, terrified eyes.
Assassin:
Lainas:Sawsan
---
The island revealed its true face—ruined, desolate, a graveyard of pirates who refused to die until their duty was done. Cottages were filled with bones seated at tables, meals long since turned to dust.
Lainas's crew, who had stayed behind on the main ship, rushed to the dock, stunned.
Crewman:
Lainas looked at the broken husk of the pirate ship, now still and silent in the water.
Lainas:
The Assassin collapsed, clutching his bleeding side.
Assassin:
Lainas's face darkened, the weight of the tragedy settling on his shoulders.
Lainas:
He remembered the only living thing left. He rushed to the lower deck of his own ship.
Sawsan's
Her skin, once gray and deathly, now glowed with a faint, healthy flush. The nutrients and Mowj’s medicine had done their work. She sat up, confused, looking around with innocent eyes.
The living child, radiant and fragile, was all that remained of Yamen's legacy. She was the only life in a sea of death.
Leonithra — The Oath of Lainas
Stolen novel; please report.
The Healer's voice trembled as Sawsan wandered toward the ruined cottage.
Healer:
Lainas reached out, his voice breaking with pity.
Lainas:
But Sawsan only laughed, a bright, jarring sound in the dead village. Her eyes shone with a terrifying delusion.
Sawsan:
Lainas's heart sank.
Lainas:Nawal
He sat heavily on a rotting log, clutching his head in shock.
Suddenly, a laugh echoed through the hut—deep, boisterous, familiar.
Lainas:
He rushed forward, his remaining crew following, shaken by the Assassin's tale of the ghost ship.
Inside the cottage, the air was freezing. Sawsan stood before the captain's chair, where the skeletal remains of Yamen sat.
Sawsan:
A strange, static whisper filled the air—not a voice, but the pressure of a presence. Sawsan closed her eyes, listening to words only she could hear.
Sawsan:
The Healer spoke softly behind Lainas, watching the girl nod to the empty air.
Healer:
Sawsan reached out and took a heavy pendant from around the skeleton's neck bone. It was the source of the sea-control magic.
Lainas:
Sawsan:
She turned and stepped toward Lainas. Her voice was innocent, yet the message she carried was chilling.
Sawsan:
Lainas's voice shook. His men removed their hats, stricken with sorrow.
Lainas:
Sawsan leapt joyfully, clutching the pendant.
Sawsan:
She pressed her cheek against the cold skull of her father, whispering a goodbye, then turned and walked out toward Lainas's ship without looking back.
Sawsan:Wasim
Lainas froze in the doorway.
Lainas:
He looked at the small skeleton in the bedroom.
The Assassin interjected, his face grim.
Assassin:spirit. Just as we freed Yamen and the crew by witnessing their truth."
---
A sailor whispered, horrified realization dawning on him.
Crewman:Qaws
Lainas's face hardened, his mind racing.
Lainas:from him."
He recalled the hidden laboratory in the fortress—the cells filled with bones, the wards, the scrolls about hearts and souls.
Lainas:
He looked at the empty horizon where Qaws had gone.
Lainas:
Lainas stood tall, his sorrow turning into cold resolve. His voice thundered across the ruined island.
Lainas:
The crew roared in answer, their fear replaced by a desire for vengeance.
Lainas:
He looked at Sawsan, who had curled up on the deck of his ship, fast asleep. Her face was peaceful at last, the ghosts finally gone.
Lainas:Falcon
Leonithra — The Phantom Voyage
The sea stretched endless and dark as LainasYamen
Crewman:
Lainas's gaze hardened, sorrow shadowing his eyes. He glanced toward the cabin where Sawsan
Lainas:
The crew exchanged uneasy looks. To follow a ghost ship was bad omens in every sailor's superstition.
Lainas:
The men moved with devotion, steering their ship to shadow the haunted vessel. From Yamen's empty deck came laughter—loud, hollow, yet strangely joyous—echoing across the waves.
Fear rippled through the crew, their eyes darting to one another.
But Lainas only smiled faintly, unfolding the ancient map on a barrel.
Lainas:Old Thera
---
In the cabin, Sawsan stirred, rubbing her eyes. The healers leaned close, checking her pulse.
Healer:
She stretched, her pale limbs no longer trembling. Her voice was bright.
Sawsan:
The healer's tone was gentle, cautious.
Healer:
Sawsan nodded, smiling with a wisdom beyond her years.
Sawsan:
The storm broke at last. Lainas's ship pushed through the black clouds into a sky of silver calm.
Ahead, the phantom vessel of Yamen halted suddenly. It didn't stop in the water; it began to sink, but not violently. It simply drifted downward, as if the ocean floor was rising to meet it.
Lainas frowned, watching in silence. His head bowed in grief. The duty of the ghosts was finished.
Then, a cry pierced the air. Sawsan ran to the railing.
Sawsan:
From the sinking wreck came one last booming laugh. The crew exchanged uneasy glances, sorrow weighing heavy as they looked at the little girl waving to an empty sea.
Lainas raised his eyes—and there, for a split second amid the sinking timbers, stood the specter of Yamen
Lainas:
He steered his men forward into the clear skies, leaving the grave behind.
Lainas:
Suddenly, water splashed against the side of the ship—not from a wave, but from movement. A wet hand gripped the rail.
A figure climbed aboard, dripping with seawater.
Lainas:Nawal
The water mage stood on the deck, wringing out her hair. She beamed, bowing deeply despite her soaked clothes.
Nawal:
Lainas raised his hands in alarm, confused by her sudden appearance from the ocean depths.
Lainas:
But before he could ask, Sawsan rushed forward, embracing Nawal's wet legs tightly.
Sawsan:
Lainas's eyes widened.
Lainas:
Nawal:
Lainas laughed nervously, sheathing his sword.
Lainas:
---
Nawal's tone shifted, becoming serious.
Nawal:New Thera
Lainas:
Nawal:Falcon
Relief softened Lainas's face.
Lainas:
But Nawal's eyes darkened.
Nawal:
Lainas's expression hardened.
Lainas:
Nawal looked at the girl, who was clutching Yamen's pendant.
Nawal:
Lainas lifted his gaze to the horizon.
High above, a Green CometBlue Star
Lainas:
He gripped the wheel.
Lainas:
