Morning came quietly over the northern coast, painting the mist-laden waters in pale shades of silver and gold.
The sun had barely cleared the horizon when the ringing impact of iron hammers echoed across the harbor.
Kael was already awake.
He stood on the main deck of the skeleton vessel, his voice carrying over the lap of the tide as he barked at the shipwrights below.
“Lift it!”
Four men strained against the haul ropes, muscles tensing under thick canvas shirts.
“Slowly!” Kael yelled.
The heavy wooden beam rose an inch at a time.
“Slowly!”
One of the workers paused, wiping sweat from his brow.
“We are moving slowly!”
“You’re moving stupidly!”
A light chuckle drifted up from the gravel dock.
Kael turned to see Justus leaning casually against a towering stack of freshly cut timber.
“You think this is funny boy?” Kael snapped.
“Kinda,” Justus admitted with a grin.
“Then come up here and help.”
“I’d rather watch.”
Kael pointed a timber-stained finger down at him.
“You’re paying me to build your ship.”
“Exactly.”
“So help me build it.”
Justus’s smile widened.
“That’s not how customers work Kael, we pay, you work.”
A few paces away, Daemon sat atop a dry dock crate, his long rifle resting horizontally across his knees.
He didn’t look up as he spoke.
“He’s technically right.”
Kael swung his glare toward the marksman.
“You know how he is when someone encourages him.”
Daemon shrugged softly.
“I don’t encourage anything.”
Justus turned to Daemon, eyes gleaming.
“You encouraged me yesterday.”
“I tolerated you yesterday.”
“Same thing.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works”
Kael let out a heavy breath and shook his head, muttering to the empty sky.
“I regret becoming friends with you two.”
“Too late,” Justus said.
“Unfortunately,” Kael sighed.
Despite the daily arguments, the vessel was finally taking shape.
The dark oak hull was nearly sealed, curving gracefully against the waves.
The main deck was locked into place, and carpenters were prepping the step for the central mast.
Down below, the framework for the interior quarters was beginning to resemble actual rooms.
Justus strolled through the open ribbing of the lower deck, running his hand along the polished wood.
Kael shadowed him closely.
“Stop touching things,” Kael growled.
“Why?”
“Because every time you touch something, you ask me to change it.”
Justus stopped and pointed toward an enclosed space near the stern.
“That room is too small.”
“It’s a storage room.”
“I need more space.”
“For what?”
“Things.”
“What things?”
Justus paused, his hand chin-deep in thought.
“…Important things.”
Kael stared at him, expression utterly blank.
“You’re impossible.”
Daemon stepped through the doorway, ducking slightly under the low frame.
“Give him a bigger room.”
Kael looked at Daemon in disbelief.
“Why?”
“Because he’ll complain until you do.”
Justus beamed, nudging Daemon’s shoulder.
“See?
He gets it.”
Kael let his shoulders slump in defeat.
“Fine.”
Justus grinned.
“You’re the best, Kael.”
“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.”
A faint, reluctant smile tugged at the corner of Kael’s mouth.
“No…
I suppose I don’t.”
By noon, the sun was high and hot.
Kael handed Daemon a folded piece of parchment and sent him into the harbor town alongside Justus to fetch supplies.
The harbor was dense with the smells of salt, gut fish, and tar.
Daemon carried the list in one hand, his rifle slung securely across his back.
Justus walked beside him, arms folded behind his head, carrying absolutely nothing.
Daemon glanced over.
“You’re supposed to be helping.”
“I am.”
“How?”
“I’m walking.”
“That’s not helping.”
“I’m keeping you company,” Justus offered cheerfully.
Daemon folded the list into a tight square.
“I can survive without your company.”
Justus laughed.
“You’d miss me.”
“You wish.”
“You would.”
“No.”
“Definitely.”
Daemon let out a slow sigh.
“You’re a pain.”
They rounded a fishmonger’s stall, but before Daemon could reply, a wave of panicked shouting echoed from the far end of the stone pier.
A crowd had gathered in a tight semicircle near the water’s edge.
Justus frowned, his relaxed posture instantly vanishing.
“What’s happening?”
Daemon’s eyes swept over the commotion, taking in the body language of the onlookers.
“Trouble.”
Justus smiled, his eyes lighting up.
“Let’s go.”
Daemon reached out, his heavy hand clamping down firmly on Justus’s shoulder.
“No.”
Justus stopped, looking back over his shoulder.
“What?”
“We’re not getting involved in everything we see.”
Justus opened his mouth to argue, but a terrified scream cut through the seaside air:
“HELP!”
Justus immediately slipped out of Daemon’s grip.
“I’m getting involved.”
Daemon closed his eyes, taking a single breath of pure resignation.
“Of course you are.”
He unslung his rifle and followed.
They shoved their way through the throng of frightened bystanders.
At the edge of the wooden dock, several rough-looking men had backed a young woman against the drop into the water.
But what caught Justus’s eye wasn’t the men—it was the anomaly floating directly above her head.
A dense, miniature storm cloud, no larger than a chest, hovered in the air.
Miniature arcs of violent purple lightning crackled within its dark belly.
The leader of the group stepped forward, his hand resting on a notched blade.
“Give us the object.”
The woman held her ground, her jaw set.
“I don’t have it.”
“You expect us to believe that?”
Another man lunged forward, grabbing her roughly by the forearm.
The cloud instantly churned, turning pitch-black.
“Let go of me!” the woman barked.
The man sneered.
“Or what?”
BOOM!
A blinding streak of lightning shot down from the cloud, splintering the heavy wooden planking an inch from the man’s boot.
The thunderclap echoed off the nearby ships.
Everyone jumped back—the attacker scrambled away, clutching his ears.
Justus stared at the swirling anomaly.
“That thing is alive.”
Daemon stepped up beside him, eyes narrowed.
“Apparently.”
The cloud drifted down, positioning itself defensively between the woman and the men.
Its shape shifted, pooling outward until two glowing, electric-white eyes ignited within the fog.
Justus’s grin returned, wider than before.
“I like it.”
Daemon cast him a sideways glance.
“You like everything strange.”
“Not really somethings are just wiered.”
“What could get wiereder than a living cloud I wonder” Daemon gestured.
The men drew their swords and hatchets.
Justus’s hand dropped instinctively to the hilt of Gryphon.
Daemon’s finger rested near the trigger guard of his rifle.
One of the mercenaries finally noticed them.
“You two.”
Justus blinked, pointing to himself.
“Yeah?”
“Stay out of this if you know what’s good for you.”
Justus took a slow step forward.
“On what?”
“Whether you’re the bad guys.”
The leader spat onto the dock, chuckling darkly.
“We’re bounty hunters.”
At the word, Daemon’s expression turned cold.
Justus’s playful posture shifted, his weight shifting forward.
“Looking for us?” Justus asked quietly.
The bounty hunter’s smile vanished as he truly looked at Justus’s face.
“Justus Tempest…”
Another man pointed a trembling finger at Daemon.
“And…
and Daemon.”
Daemon let out a tired sigh.
“Of course.”
CLINK.
Justus drew Gryphon in one smooth motion, the metal gleaming under the noon sun.
“Well…
you picked a bad morning.”
The first hunter charged, lifting a broadsword overhead.
Justus met him halfway.
CLANG!
Steel ground against steel.
Justus twisted his wrist, using the leverage of Gryphon’s crossguard to fling the hunter’s blade wide, exposing his chest.
Behind him, a second attacker rushed in with a raised dagger.
Daemon didn’t even turn his head fully.
BANG!
A single shot shattered the man’s iron blade into shrapnel, knocking him flat on his back.
He stared up at his empty, bleeding hand in absolute shock.
Daemon lowered the smoking barrel, his voice flat.
“Run.”
The man hesitated.
Daemon’s amber eyes narrowed into something terrifying.
“That wasn’t a suggestion.”
The man scrambled backward on his hands and knees before sprinting away down the pier.
Justus shot Daemon a smirk over his shoulder.
“You let him go?”
“One less problem.”
Three more hunters surged forward together.
But before Justus or Daemon could move, the miniature storm cloud darted into the air.
The young woman raised her hand, her voice ringing out like a command: “Nimbus!”
The cloud expanded instantly, its hue turning to deep violet.
BOOM!
A localized shockwave of thunder and static discharged across the dock.
The three men were lifted off their feet and hurled violently backward, crashing into a row of wooden fish barrels.
Justus looked up, his eyes bright with genuine admiration.
“Okay…
that was impressive.”
The woman blinked, looking between the two of them in disbelief.
“You…
you aren’t afraid?”
“Of a cloud?” Justus asked.
Nimbus crackled sharply, a tiny spark leaping toward Justus’s nose.
Justus raised his hands in mock surrender.
“Sorry, sorry!”
Daemon fired again without looking—BANG!—disarming a hunter trying to sneak around the flank.
Another attacker charged Daemon directly.
Daemon didn’t bother reloading.
He locked the rifle against his back strap and planted his feet.
He drew a slow breath.
Spiritual Energy surged from his core, spreading like liquid silver across his skin.
His arms and chest took on a dense, metallic sheen.
The hunter’s fist struck Daemon’s bare chest with full force.
THUD.
It was like striking a mountain of solid iron.
The attacker groaned, clutching his broken fingers.
Daemon looked down at him, his face carved from ice.
“You chose the wrong person.”
Daemon’s fist drove forward.
BOOM!
The air fractured as the strike connected, sending the man airborne.
He flew twenty feet across the harbor before plunging into the ocean with a massive splash.
Justus watched the water settle.
“I thought you were saving your strength today?”
“I am.”
“That didn’t look like saving.”
Daemon flexed his hand as the metallic sheen faded back into his skin.
“I could’ve hit him harder.”
Justus broke into a laugh.
“Fair enough.”
The remaining hunters didn’t need to be told twice.
Abandoning their weapons, they scrambled over each other to flee the docks.
Justus watched them disappear into the alleyways.
“We should probably leave before they come back with reinforcements.”
Daemon nodded, slinging his rifle.
“Agreed.”
The woman stepped forward, her chest heaving as the adrenaline faded.
“Wait.”
Justus turned back, his tone softening.
“You okay?”
She nodded.
“I’m fine.”
Daemon’s sharp eyes caught the dark stain on her sleeve.
“You’re bleeding.”
She looked down at her upper arm, surprised.
“Oh.”
Justus reached into his coat, pulling out a clean piece of cloth and offering it to her.
“Here.”
She took it, pressing it against the shallow cut.
“Thank you.”
Daemon stood over her, his shadow falling across the wooden planks.
“What’s your name?”
She hesitated for a split second, evaluating them.
“Lyra.”
Justus smiled warmly.
“Nice to meet you, Lyra.”
Lyra looked at Justus, taking in his messy hair and easy smile.
“You’re…
not what I expected.”
Justus raised an eyebrow.
“What did you expect?”
“A criminal.”
Daemon answered immediately, his voice deadpan.
“We are criminals.”
Justus groaned.
“Daemon, you could’ve waited at least five minutes.”
Lyra smiled slightly, though a trace of caution remained in her eyes.
“You’re wanted…
for a hundred and twenty million, right?”
Justus shrugged carelessly.
“Apparently.”
She looked at Daemon.
“And you?”
Daemon let out a quiet sigh.
“One hundred million.”
Justus grinned, resting a hand on Gryphon’s pommel.
“We’re apparently very valuable.”
“Don’t let it go to your head,” Daemon muttered.
Justus looked up at the hovering cloud.
“So…
what’s his name?”
“Nimbus,” Lyra said.
The cloud drifted down, floating right at Justus’s eye level.
Justus smiled.
“Can I touch him?”
Lyra gave a small laugh.
“You can try.”
Justus reached out a hand.
Before his fingers could make contact, Nimbus released a sharp ZAP!
of static electricity.
“Ow!” Justus pulled his hand back, shaking it.
“He’s rude!”
Lyra giggled.
“He’s protective.”
Daemon leaned closer, studying the swirling mist with genuine curiosity.
“That’s no ordinary creature.”
Lyra’s playful expression dimmed slightly, replaced by something deeper.
“He’s not a creature at all.”
She raised her hand.
A soft, radiant hum of Spiritual Energy gathered around her fingertips, glowing with a faint blue light.
“I gave him life,” she murmured.
Justus’s eyes widened.
“You’re a Mystic.”
Lyra nodded.
“I can take inanimate matter and grant it a temporary soul.
But it takes constant focus—he can only stay like this as long as he’s within range of my Spiritual Energy.
If I move too far away, or if my energy runs out completely, Nimbus disappears and turns back into whatever he was before.”
Daemon watched the way the cloud nudged against her cheek.
“Fascinating.”
“He was just ordinary water vapor before,” Lyra explained.
“Now…
he’s my partner.”
Justus smiled.
“That’s incredible.”
Lyra looked at him carefully.
“You’re really not afraid of it?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Justus shrugged, his smile turning soft.
“Because if he wanted to hurt us, he would’ve done it when we were fighting those guys.”
Daemon stared at him.
“That’s your logic?”
“Yes.”
“Terrible logic.”
“It worked, didn’t it?”
Daemon sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
The three of them made their way back through the harbor streets.
Justus had taken the heavy supply crates onto his own shoulders, while Daemon kept a watchful eye on the rooftops.
Lyra walked alongside them, Nimbus bobbing merrily overhead.
After a few minutes of quiet walking, Lyra spoke up.
“Where are you going?”
“Back to the shipyard,” Justus replied.
“You have a ship?”
“Almost.”
“Almost?”
“We’re having one built.”
Lyra looked surprised.
“By who?”
“Our friend Kael.
Best shipbuilder on the coast.”
“And you’re staying around here?”
“For a few more days until she’s ready for sea,” Justus said.
Lyra went quiet, her gaze drifting down to the cobblestones.
Justus noticed the sudden change in her energy.
“Something wrong?”
She looked toward the open road leading out of town.
“I…
I don’t really have anywhere to go.”
Daemon’s head snapped toward Justus.
The look on his face was a clear warning.
Justus ignored him entirely.
“You can come with us.”
Daemon stopped dead in his tracks.
“Justus.”
Justus stopped too.
“What?”
“We don’t know her.”
“She doesn’t know us either.”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“We’re wanted criminals,” Daemon said, keeping his voice low.
“Danger follows us.”
Justus shrugged.
“She already knows that.”
Lyra looked between them, biting her lip.
“I don’t want to cause trouble for you…”
Daemon let out a long, suffering sigh.
“That’s exactly what everyone says right before causing trouble.”
Lyra offered a tiny, tentative smile.
“I’ll try really hard not to.”
Justus laughed, turning back to Daemon with a triumphant grin.
“See?
Problem solved.”
Daemon stared at him, utterly unamused.
“You already decided before I even spoke.”
“Yes.”
“Of course you did.”
When they pulled up to the shipyard, Kael was elbow-deep in wood shavings.
He wiped his brow with the back of his arm, turning around to greet them.
He looked at the supplies in Justus’s arms.
Then at Daemon.
Then at Lyra.
Then at the dark thundercloud hovering above her head.
Slowly, Kael lowered his heavy iron hammer.
“…What happened?”
Justus beamed.
“We made a friend!”
Kael stared at Lyra, his eyes drifting slowly up to Nimbus.
“Is that…
a cloud?”
Lyra gave a polite nod.
“Yes.”
Kael looked at Justus.
“Why is the cloud following you?”
“It doesn’t follow me.
It follows her.”
Kael looked back at Lyra, his brow furrowing.
“Does it bite?”
Nimbus gave a sharp, threatening CRACKLE!
Kael took a deliberate step backward.
Justus burst out laughing.
“Apparently!”
Kael let out a heavy sigh, tossing his hammer into a nearby toolbox.
“Fine.” He gave Lyra a nod.
“Welcome to the shipyard.”
Lyra smiled warmly.
“Thank you, sir.”
Kael pointed a stern finger at Justus.
“You’re paying extra if that thing burns down my scaffolding.”
Justus gestured defensively toward the cloud.
“Why me?!”
“Because you brought her!”
“I didn’t bring her, she came on her own!”
“You brought the problem!” Kael shot back.
Daemon walked past them toward the ship, his voice carrying over his shoulder.
“He’s right.”
Justus stared after him, betrayed.
“Whose side are you on?!”
“Kael’s.”
That evening, a calm settle over the docks.
A small campfire crackled near the hull of the unfinished ship, sending sweet-smelling woodsmoke into the night air.
Kael sat on a low stool, fine-tuning a section of the wooden railing.
Justus sat cross-legged near the fire, running a whetstone along the edge of Gryphon.
Daemon sat in the shadow of the ship, carefully oiling the firing mechanism of his rifle.
Lyra sat near the flames, warmth reflecting in her eyes.
Nimbus floated softly above her shoulder, condensed into a gentle, harmless mist.
For the first time in weeks, the air felt peaceful.
Justus looked around at the small group, a relaxed grin on his face.
“This isn’t bad.”
Daemon gave a single nod from the shadows.
“Could be worse.”
Kael chuckled without looking up from his work.
“Don’t say that.”
Justus looked over.
“Why?”
“Because whenever you say something like that, something terrible happens.”
Daemon chimed in instantly.
“He’s right.”
Justus scoffed, looking between them.
“You’re both becoming superstitious in your old age.”
Above Lyra, Nimbus suddenly jolted.
ZAP!
A miniature bolt of lightning struck the dirt right between Justus’s boots.
Kael froze, staring at the small patch of scorched earth.
“Did that thing just do that on purpose?”
Lyra covered her mouth, suppressing a giggle.
“Probably.”
Justus laughed, shaking his head.
“See?
He’s learning!”
Suddenly, Daemon’s hand froze on his rifle.
His eyes slid toward the dark tree line at the edge of the shipyard.
His voice dropped into a dangerous register: “Someone’s watching.”
The laughter died instantly.
Justus was on his feet in a heartbeat, his grip tightening on Gryphon’s hilt.
“Guardians?”
Daemon shook his head slightly, his eyes locked on the darkness.
“Don’t know.”
Kael peered into the shadows, straining his eyes.
“I don’t see anyone…”
“Neither do I,” Justus murmured, his Spiritual Energy flaring faintly beneath his skin.
“But someone is definitely there.”
For several tense seconds, nobody breathed.
The only sound was the crackle of the campfire and the distant crashing of the waves.
Then, a nightbird burst from the canopy, its wings flapping into the darkness.
That power nullification scene was intense.
How do you guys feel about the team dynamic now that Lyra, Daemon, and Justus are out on the open sea?
Let me know your thoughts down below!
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