The sea gradually returned to calm.
The enchanting melodies had disappeared.
The hypnotic voices of the mermaids no longer drifted across the waves.
Students slowly recovered.
The sailors relaxed.
The tension aboard the academy vessel finally began fading.
For many of the passengers, the earlier incident would remain an unforgettable lesson.
The ocean was beautiful.
But beauty and danger often shared the same face.
Kel stood near the railing.
His sword had already been returned to its sheath.
The captain remained nearby.
Occasionally glancing at him.
Then looking away.
At this point, the older man had completely accepted that Aedon Flinth operated according to rules unknown to ordinary humanity.
The ship continued cutting through the sea.
The island of Aetherial Institute still remained beyond the horizon.
Yet everyone could feel they were getting closer.
Then—
Something appeared.
At first.
Only a few students noticed.
A shape floating atop the water.
Then another.
Then another.
The atmosphere shifted.
People gradually moved toward the railings.
Curiosity spread.
The sailors frowned.
The captain immediately narrowed his eyes.
The floating objects drifted closer.
And then—
The passengers finally saw them clearly.
Bodies.
Male mermaids.
Dozens of them.
Their corpses floated atop the water.
Some had deep wounds.
Others were missing limbs.
Several looked as though something had bitten straight through them.
The sight immediately disturbed everyone.
The sea breeze carried a metallic scent.
Blood.
Fresh blood.
The ocean beneath the bodies carried faint crimson streaks.
Students began whispering.
"What is this?"
"Another trap?"
"They're pretending."
"Definitely pretending."
Several applicants immediately reached conclusions.
After all.
The earlier encounter with the female mermaids remained fresh in everyone's minds.
Many suspected another lure.
Another trick.
Another attempt to attract attention.
The captain remained silent.
Kel remained silent.
Because unlike the students—
They immediately understood.
These were not illusions.
Not bait.
Not actors.
They were dead.
Completely dead.
The wounds were genuine.
The blood was genuine.
The fear frozen upon some of the faces was genuine.
The captain's expression darkened.
"This is bad."
Several sailors heard him.
Immediately becoming alert.
Kel watched the drifting bodies carefully.
The wounds told a story.
A violent story.
Something had hunted them.
Something powerful.
Something large.
Inside his mind—
Seiren's voice lost all amusement.
"Predator."
Kel nodded slightly.
"Yes."
"A big one."
"Very."
The Guardian became thoughtful.
Ancient instincts stirred beneath her calm voice.
"The sea is warning everyone."
Kel understood.
Predators rarely left remains floating openly.
Unless.
The predator wanted territory.
Wanted others to know.
Wanted fear.
The message was simple.
This region belonged to something.
And that something was feeding.
Then—
The weather changed.
Without warning.
A thick white mist emerged.
The sea disappeared beneath it.
The horizon vanished.
The sky itself seemed swallowed.
Within minutes—
Visibility dropped dramatically.
The world became white.
Silent.
Uncertain.
Students immediately became nervous.
Even sailors looked uncomfortable.
The captain cursed softly.
"This just keeps getting better."
The mist continued spreading.
Soon.
Even the front of the ship became difficult to see.
The atmosphere transformed instantly.
What had been merely unsettling now felt dangerous.
Ancient.
Oppressive.
The ocean no longer appeared beautiful.
It felt like a hunting ground.
Then Kel spoke.
"Captain."
The older man turned.
"What?"
Kel looked toward the mist.
Then toward the hundreds of students aboard.
Many possessed magical talent.
Many knew wind magic.
A simple solution existed.
"Ask every wind mage aboard to assist."
The captain frowned.
"How?"
"One by one."
The older man paused.
Kel continued.
"If everyone releases wind magic simultaneously."
"The pressure difference could destabilize the ship."
Several sailors immediately nodded.
Correct.
Large-scale magical interference around sailing vessels often caused problems.
Kel continued.
"Organize them."
"Sequential casting."
"Small waves."
"Not one large wave."
The captain's eyes brightened.
Simple.
Efficient.
Safe.
The older man immediately roared.
"You heard him!"
The sailors moved instantly.
Announcements spread across the decks.
Students possessing wind affinity stepped forward.
Several nobles.
Several commoners.
Several future mages.
All volunteered.
Soon—
The first spell activated.
Gentle winds swept across the sea.
Then another.
Then another.
The process continued methodically.
Like breathing.
Slow.
Controlled.
Steady.
Gradually—
The mist began retreating.
Not quickly.
But visibly.
The white curtain slowly peeled away.
Visibility improved.
The ocean emerged once more.
Then—
Everyone saw it.
Silence fell across the ship.
Absolute silence.
Even the wind seemed to stop.
Far ahead.
A massive black rock protruded from the sea.
At least.
It appeared to be a rock.
Until it moved.
The realization struck simultaneously.
That wasn't a rock.
It was a monster.
A giant creature sat atop the formation.
Its body dwarfed ordinary sea beasts.
Dark scales covered its enormous frame.
Rows of jagged spikes extended along its back.
Its mouth alone looked large enough to swallow horses whole.
Ancient yellow eyes watched the ocean.
Cold.
Predatory.
Hungry.
And at that very moment—
It was eating.
A male mermaid hung from its jaws.
Half-consumed.
Blood dripped across the stone.
The crunch of bones echoed across the sea.
Students immediately turned pale.
Several stumbled backward.
One noble nearly fainted.
The monster ignored them.
Continued eating.
As though consuming mermaids was completely ordinary.
Perhaps it was.
Then everyone noticed something else.
Female mermaids.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
They surrounded the area.
Terrified.
Helpless.
None dared approach.
None dared attack.
They simply watched.
Watching their kind being devoured.
One after another.
And among them—
Kel recognized a familiar face.
The silver-haired mermaid.
The one he had emotionally destroyed earlier.
She floated near the edge of the group.
Looking genuinely terrified.
Inside his mind—
Seiren laughed softly.
"Karma."
Kel didn't answer.
Because honestly.
The thought had crossed his mind.
The captain slowly lowered his spyglass.
His face had become serious.
Very serious.
The sailors looked relieved.
The students looked relieved.
No one voiced it.
Yet everyone thought the same thing.
The mermaids had tried to hunt them.
Now something stronger was hunting the mermaids.
Justice felt strangely satisfying.
Then Kel's gaze narrowed.
Several details bothered him.
His eyes scanned the ocean.
The surrounding area.
The underwater currents.
Then—
His expression changed slightly.
The captain noticed immediately.
That alone worried him.
Whenever Aedon Flinth noticed something—
Complications usually followed.
The captain sighed.
"What now?"
Kel remained silent briefly.
Then stepped toward the railing.
The captain immediately felt danger.
"Aedon."
No response.
"Aedon."
Still none.
Then Kel placed one hand upon the railing.
The captain's eyes widened.
"No."
Kel looked toward the ocean.
The older man walked closer.
"What are you doing?"
Finally—
Kel answered.
"There were six students."
The captain blinked.
"What?"
"The mermaids captured six."
The older man's expression slowly darkened.
Kel continued.
"Three were rescued."
"Three weren't."
Silence.
The realization struck.
The captain remembered.
Three students remained missing.
Nobody had recovered them.
Nobody had found them.
The emergency earlier had distracted everyone.
Kel's silver eyes remained fixed upon the distant waters.
"The mermaids were likely responsible."
The captain understood immediately.
Then his face became ugly.
Because Kel was right.
If the mermaids were now fleeing from that predator—
Then any prisoners they held were in danger.
Extreme danger.
Kel looked toward the monster.
Then toward the fleeing mermaids.
Then toward the ocean.
Finally—
He spoke.
"This might be our best opportunity."
The captain rubbed his face.
Already regretting where this conversation was heading.
Kel continued.
"The mermaids are distracted."
"The predator is focused on them."
"Their territory is probably in chaos."
The logic remained sound.
Dangerously sound.
Then Kel said the words the captain feared most.
"We should search."
Silence.
The ocean waves rolled gently.
The monster continued feeding.
The captain stared.
Then sighed.
A very long sigh.
The sigh of a man realizing disaster was approaching.
Again.
Because standing beside him—
Was Aedon Flinth.
And Aedon Flinth had apparently decided that before attending Aetherial Institute...
He might as well rescue kidnapped students from mermaids while a giant sea predator hunted them.
Inside his mind—
Seiren laughed.
"Here we go again."
And for once.
Even Kel couldn't disagree.