“Alexander!”

The door to the captain’s quarters swings opens abruptly, causing Alexander to jump up from his desk in surprise. When his gaze falls on his advisor, Cleo, Alexander sighs in relief.

“God, Cleo,” Alexander begins. “You scared the crap out of me…”

“My apologies,” Cleo says quickly, approaching the desk. “But we have a problem.”

“What’s the problem?”

“We’re… out of supplies.”

“We’re...what?!” Alexander blurts. “That’s impossible! We should’ve had enough food to last at least 6 months!”

“Maybe we did at first, but I’m afraid our crew has turned into a bunch of gluttons. We only have about a day's worth left, and splitting that amongst all of us will be a hassle. Not to mention we did have those stowaways for a couple months…”

Alexander huffs, slumping back into his chair.

“What do you propose we do then?”

“Well, St. Aurum is still about two weeks away, maybe even longer. However, I spoke with the navigator, and we could cut our time significantly if we start sailing directly North.”

“But we’re almost out of the Meridian Ocean. Besides, the only thing North of here is the Glassy Sea!”

Alexander is well aware that humans had no power over the sea. It was mermaids who had lived in the waters for thousands of years. It was their territory and what they considered to be their home along with the other creatures of the depths.

The Glassy Sea was no exception. In fact, it was one of the least inviting waters to travel through. It might’ve been the only part of the sea that pirates, merchants, fishermen, and royalty all feared.

It was here that a strange abundance of mermaids dwelled, at least that’s what Alexander had been told. Ruled over by a powerful king, the sea was at his command.

The storms that he brewed were a little more than strong. They were devastating, and the scene could be seen for miles.

Before it was realized just what lived in the Glassy Sea, hundreds of ships had sunk in its waters. The wreckage couldn’t be reclaimed either.

“We don’t have enough supplies to sail around the rest of the continent,” Cleo says. “The crew will start fighting each other for scraps and you and I both know it.”

“Cleo, we’ll die if we sail through the Glassy Sea.”

“We’ll die anyway! We haven’t the means to catch anything either! I don’t like the idea either, but we don’t have much to lose!”

“We have plenty to lose!” Alexander retorts, slamming his hand on the desk.

“Look...if we die, what’ll become of Genoa?”

Genoa was a large, powerful nation along the Meridian Coast. It was ruled by a kind and merciful queen, Lady Camilla Andahli, the second born of the previous king.

Genoa had a history of war with the neighboring empire of Roselia. Alexander had always found it odd, considering the Roselian Empire was rather prosperous itself. He couldn’t decide if the empire was just greedy or had a poor distribution of wealth.

All Alexander really knows is Queen Camilla did what she could to try and negotiate with the Roselian Empire, trying to find a peaceful solution after years of fighting spurred on by the previous kings.

Though in the end, it didn’t make much of a difference.

Alexander remembers the day Genoa fell clearly. He still remembers the warships approaching in the night. He remembers the soldiers that stormed the towns and cities and he remembers the blazing inferno that ignited at the castle.

He remembers running from the only home he ever knew, escaping out to the open sea on a tiny merchant ship.

Nothing was certain out on the open sea, but Alexander knew one thing.

He’d come back to Genoa, and with any luck, liberate it from the Roselian Empire.

He had to.

For his mother’s sake.

“If we die, who else will stand up to the Empire?” Alexander says.

“I...I don’t know,” Cleo sighs. “But what can we do? We either die of starvation or take a deadly voyage through the Glassy Sea and pray that we survive.”

Alexander sighs, standing up from his desk. He glances at the map on the wall behind him, running his fingers across the parchment.

“How much time would we save going through the Glassy Sea?” Alexander asks, reluctantly.

“With our current winds, the navigator thinks we could save several days. It really is one hell of a shortcut,” Cleo says.

With a groan, Alexander turns to face Cleo. His advisor takes a deep breath, crossing their arms.

“Tell the navigator to start making for the Glassy Sea. We’ll try cutting through the Bercier Isles and hopefully, the waters will be shallow enough for us to dock the boat on the sand. We’ll have to take a treck back to base, but at least we can start procuring food from there...and…”

“And?”

“Don’t tell the crew...at least not until it's too late. The last thing we need is an act of mutiny.”