Everything happened in an instant, before Ori could even react.
When he opened his eyes again, Kuwa was lying face down on the ground. Ylva had wrapped her silver wings around Flore, both of them turning their backs to a massive wooden log hanging from ropes tied at each end. Sora was standing just in front of Ozan, arm extended toward the log. Her hand wasn’t touching it, but it looked like she’d stopped it mid-swing.

“Everyone all right?” she asked. “I wasn’t expecting to run into traps here.”

Nochi was already balancing on the log like a tightrope walker.

“I think we just found one of your ship masts. The rest can’t be too far.”

“Hell of a way to recycle stolen ships.”

Kuwa was getting back up, brushing himself off. His voice came out firm.

“Let me go first. If there are more traps, I’ll see them. But we should stay alert. If it’s really our creature that built this, it’s a lot cleverer than we thought.”

“Y’know, old bolt-head,” Nochi replied, “you Baru folks ain’t the only ones with big brains.”

“Don’t you two start,” Ylva cut in sharply. “I’d like to point out that none of you thought to shield the children. Hardly a moment to brag.”

Kuwa lowered his head silently and resumed walking.

“We can handle ourselves, you know,” Ozan shot back.

“Oh really?”

His aunt’s disappointed glare froze him in place.

“And what exactly would you’ve done if I hadn’t been there, hm? You didn’t even have time to channel a breeze. You’ll have to show me a lot better than that.”

“But—”

Sora raised her hand. One look from her was enough to tell everyone the discussion was over. Ori, still shaken, stood frozen while the others moved on. Ylva placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his daze.

“You all right?”

“Uh… yes! Yes, yes,” he stammered. “I just… wasn’t expecting that, that’s all.”

“You chased after a man who blew up a barracks,” the Valkyrie reminded him. “I still think you should go back…” She turned to Flore. “And the same goes for you, princess. It’s not safe here.”

“Don’t worry about me, Ylva! I’ve got an amazing protector.”

Flore seemed completely unfazed by what had just happened. Ori, on the other hand, was clearly still shaken. Ylva resumed walking, gently guiding him along under her wing.

“You’ll have to toughen up a bit if you want to see this world without fear. It’s not a very welcoming place—you’ll find that out soon enough. I can teach you to defend yourself if you want.”

“Uh, thanks, Ylva, but… that’s not really me. I’m more the kind to figure out how to avoid a fight.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. I can feel you’ve got strength in you—with the right training, it could grow.”

The small group advanced cautiously for a few more minutes. Kuwa managed to detect a few more traps along the way, then stopped before one that nearly spanned the whole width of the path.

“That’s odd,” he murmured. “So far, there’s been no way to disarm any of them. How does it plan on getting back through without triggering them?”

“Maybe it comes in by boat, through the underground river,” Ori suggested.

“It’s even simpler than that,” Sora replied, lifting everyone gently through the air one by one to cross the trap. “It’s a sea creature. More precisely… a mermaid.”

Everyone froze in the dark.

“What?!”

“How can you be sure?”

“What would a mermaid be doing on the surface, so far from her kingdom?”

“And why would a mermaid steal our ships?”

Ori was the only one more amazed than alarmed.

“We’re really gonna see a mermaid?!”

Sora turned toward the underground river beside them.

“She can answer that herself, can’t you?” she called out. “I know you’re close. You can hear us—come on out, we mean you no harm.”

Gradually, a faint light shimmered beneath the water. A glowing point rose slowly to the surface, growing brighter and lighting the cave in a soft blue hue. Then, out of the glow, a young woman emerged. But not an ordinary woman.

Through her long black hair, where her ears should have been, glimmered two small greenish fins, covered in scales. Around her neck hung a pendant that fell over her bare chest—a seashell at its end, pulsing with that same blue glow. Only her upper body rose from the water, but as Ori stepped closer, he saw the long scaled tail below, glinting in the dim light.

When he took one step too many, the creature suddenly bared a mouthful of sharp fangs and pulled some kind of contraption from the water. Kuwa grabbed Ori’s arm, dragging him back.

“Easy there, boy. These beasts are dangerous.”

“These beasts, as you call them,” Sora interrupted coldly, “are living beings just like us.”

Flore stepped forward, palms open.

“And like us, she probably doesn’t want to fight, right? What’s your name? Can you understand us?”

“Of course I can understand you!” the creature snapped. “We’re not animals. You came to hunt me, didn’t you?!”

She kept her wooden machine aimed at them, her webbed hands trembling slightly. Sora sat down at the edge of the water, right in front of her.

“Not exactly. You could stay here if you wanted. But it seems you’re the one stealing my boats.”

Her eyes flicked between the mermaid and her strange contraption.

“You could lower your—”

“It’s a multi-target mini catapult,” Kuwa cut in. “Can’t have been easy to build with those hands.”

The mermaid hissed, aiming it at him.

“Wanna see if it works, tin can?! You scrap heap on legs!”

Flore stepped in quickly, still holding her hands out.

“Hey now, let’s all take a breath, okay?”

“I like this one,” Nochi chuckled.

“Listen, miss…” Flore began.

“Folombe.”

“Right. Listen, Folombe—we’re not here to fight. We just wanted to recover the boats; the village needs them to fish. I don’t know why you’re taking them, but I’m sure you can explain, and we can figure something out.”

Folombe gave a short, bitter laugh—then started coughing violently. She spat blood before answering.

“Oh sure, you’ll help me out of pure kindness, huh? We know your kind, surfacers. You’re rotten. You treat us like animals, you won’t even recognize our kingdom, and whenever one of us dares poke a fin above water, they come back in pieces—or the current brings back their corpse, all slashed to ribbons. Some just never come back at all, because you catch them and lock them up like pets. We know what happens when we surface…”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the group.

“Go on, tell me the stories you tell about us don’t paint us as monsters,” she went on, glaring at Kuwa. “I’ve read your books—the ones you toss into the sea with your failed experiments. Nothing disappears down there. The currents bring back everything you throw away. And our world is dying because of you.”

“So you came up for revenge,” Sora concluded. “Bad aim, though. This isn’t Baru. We might be the only ones on the surface who still respect nature as much as you do.”

“I know,” Folombe said weakly. “The currents brought me here when I rose. I don’t have the strength to cross the sea to the Land of Machines. That’s why I need a proper ship. So I’m building one myself.”

Everyone listened in silence. Kuwa avoided her eyes, staring into space, until finally he pulled out a steel plate and began engraving something on it.

“If you needed help,” Flore began softly, “you could have just—”

“—asked? Sure. And risk getting hunted down? No thanks. I did what I had to do, that’s all.” She coughed again, blood on her lips. Sora thought for a moment, then stood.

“Where’s your boat?”

“At the bottom of the cave… What are you planning?”

“To give you the wood you need, and help you finish your mission.”

“Aunt Sora?” Ozan’s surprise was palpable.

“We’ve got reserves. Enough to rebuild new boats later. And we’ve got plant magus—we can spare a tree or two.”

Flore was radiant with joy. Ylva, ever stoic, asked,

“Why do that?”

A sly grin crossed Sora’s face.

“The Baru deserve a good kick in their metal asses for how they treat the land. And besides, our guest here seems capable enough, and she knows what she’s doing. Works for me.”

Nochi burst out laughing.

“Ha ha ha! Can’t wait to hear Baru’s been burned to the ground by a mermaid!”

Flore tried to calm him down.

“Maybe burning the whole country isn’t necessary, Nochi. If you do that, you’ll become exactly what they think you are—a monster. Maybe we can find a diplomatic way.”

“No need for that,” Kuwa said quietly, standing up. He walked over to Folombe and handed her the metal plate.

“When you get there, aim for the biggest port. It’s Rec. I know the Corporal who runs the harbor. Give him this—he’ll know what to do.”

The mermaid studied him closely, her eyes fixed on his mechanical arm.

“You’re a soldier. Why should I trust you? Maybe it’s a trap.”

“I’m a scientist, not a soldier. And not everyone in Baru is like what you think—we’re not all the same. Though some are, that’s true. And they’ll find you long before you can stage any attack. You seem smart—so with a bit of help, you could rise fast. It’s easier to change an institution from within than to fight it head-on.”

Folombe looked at the plate, intrigued. Kuwa continued:

“When our mission’s over, I’ll come find you. I hope you’ll be at least a Major by then.”

He turned and started back the way they came.

Sora and Flore stayed behind a while longer, helping organize Folombe’s departure, before the group returned to the village.

After dinner, everyone gathered by the docks for the farewells. Ozan, knowing what to expect from his aunt, spent a few minutes alone with Firens. He hugged him tightly.

“Thanks, uncle,” he said glumly.

Firens stepped back, giving the boy a knowing look.

“What’s botherin’ ya, lad?”

“Nothin’ much. Auntie trusts some random mermaid more than me. As usual.”

“Don’ be too hard on her,” Firens said gently. “She’s tough on ya ’cause she knows yer got potential. She’s good at seein’ that.”

“Yeah, well, she’s not wrong either. Since I left, I haven’t gotten any stronger. And that’s the whole reason I left!”

Firens placed a warm hand on the boy’s head, ruffling his hair.

“She’s scared fer ya, that’s all. Ya remind her of when she was young—wanderin’, makin’ friends… She’s afraid the same’ll happen to ya as it did to her. So she wants ya strong. Stronger than she was at yer age. So’s ya can keep travelin’ without havin’ to come back home.”

Ozan lowered his gaze.

“But don’ think too much on it. Ya got time. An’ hey—don’ worry, she scares me too when she gets riled up.”

Ozan chuckled, then shouldered his bag, kissed his uncle goodbye one last time, and walked toward the docks.