The Author's Viewpoint

Tave squinted, straining to focus through the rain and swirling clouds, his gaze locking onto a figure descending from the sky.

Yes, there she was.

Suspended high above, her silhouette framed by the brilliant light of the massive magic circle. A woman, effortlessly floating with a glowing bow in hand. Her long blonde hair streamed behind her. She wore a form-fitting archer's outfit, a practical yet elegant blend of dress and armor, her cloak primarily white with touches of violet that shimmered in the stormlight.

An Imperial Knight.

But not just any Imperial Knight.

She was Aura Vamoira. The fourth strongest among the Vensalor Knights. Ranked just above Elincia herself. More than that, she was the elder sister of the strongest Imperial Knight in the kingdom—the very one Tave had always quietly feared.

Of the four who might have arrived to escort this journey, who did Tave think would be the "safest"?

Honestly… none of them felt safe.

It wasn't just their power. It was their minds. And Aura, despite her bright and kind exterior, was no exception.

She radiated warmth. She laughed easily. She seemed like the type who would protect everyone without hesitation. And in many ways, she genuinely was that person.

But she was also sharp. Extremely sharp. Her intelligence was often overlooked beneath her gentle demeanor, yet those who underestimated her rarely made the mistake twice.

And for someone like Tave, who already felt like he was juggling too many secrets, people like Aura were dangerous.

Because people like Aura didn't just read situations.

They read people.

Still, one thing was undeniable: her arrival changed everything.

An Imperial Knight was here.

And that meant they had a fighting chance.

Better this than being stranded in the middle of the sea with nothing but a weakening shield and a monster that could crush them all with a single breath.

From the center of that colossal magic circle in the sky, something began to emerge. Something immense. The tip of a massive trident shimmered into view, glowing with radiant, compressed energy. And then, as if in answer to some silent command, hundreds more magic circles burst into existence across the sky, surrounding Aura like a constellation of destruction.

Each one unleashed a rapid volley of arrows. They screamed through the storm, piercing the darkness, and struck the monstrous form rising from the sea. A series of booming explosions followed, one after another, igniting the sky and sending shockwaves rumbling across the waves. The sea itself trembled.

And then the trident came.

Fully formed and impossibly huge, it descended like judgment from the heavens—tearing through the air and crashing into the ocean with a thunderous force that sent the ship skidding back slightly from the shockwave. Even the storm's fury buckled beneath the might of that impact.

For a moment, the hurricane winds were silenced by sheer pressure alone.

Everyone on the ship froze.

The forest elves stood wide-eyed, mouths slightly agape, stunned by the overwhelming display of power.

If Elincia was a close-range fighter, a blade to carve through enemies face to face. Then Aura was a weapon of mass devastation. An archer who wielded not just precision, but overwhelming force. And unlike most Gaia Archons who flew with their Gaia Wings, Aura had surpassed that.

She didn't need wings.

She could run through the air itself, forming platforms from compressed wind and air, stepping and gliding wherever she pleased. And now, suspended midair without a single visible wing, she floated like a goddess of the storm.

Then the monster screamed.

A deep, guttural roar filled the sky as the beast retaliated. Water exploded upward from the sea, rising like a towering wall. An enormous cascade of force that surged toward the ship, large enough to obliterate it in a single sweep.

But Aura moved. No, launched.

She glided forward with impossible speed, racing above the ship, golden energy crackling at her bow. And then. She fired.

The shot whistled through the air like thunder made visible. When it struck, the massive water wall split cleanly down the center, carving a gap wide enough for the ship to pass through unscathed.

But even with such overwhelming power on their side, the sea was still a battlefield. The storm still raged. And it would take more than a single miracle to keep the ship.

Everyone aboard the ship clung desperately to anything they could grasp as the sea crashed against the vessel with brutal force. For a terrifying few moments, it felt as if the ship had been swallowed whole by the ocean itself, submerged in chaos and darkness.

Tave, through gritted teeth, sent a command to Fang, who darted below deck to check on Lily. Above, he glanced toward the center where Vanya was still holding firm, drenched and battered but steady.

The ship was pulled downward, into the heart of the storm's wrath—only to be hurled skyward again by the ocean's fury. When it crashed back onto the waves, the entire upper deck groaned in protest. Sections of the railing were torn away, planks shattered, and pieces of the mast hung splintered in the rain-soaked air.

The downpour continued, pounding relentlessly, but then…

A change.

The sky began to lighten.

Subtly at first, then steadily. The suffocating black clouds started to thin, and the howling winds began to calm. The ocean, though still wild, no longer carried that oppressive weight of terror.

The great storm was fading.

And from every corner of the battered ship, voices began to rise.

"We survived… We survived!"

"Blessed winds! It's over!"

"The sea is calm! The storm has passed!"

"We held the line. We held!"

Tave stood there, soaked and silent, his eyes locked on the distant figure now standing calmly atop the ocean.

Aura. She hovered just above the water, her bow still in hand, her cloak fluttering in the remaining breeze as she gazed out over the horizon.

The monster was gone. Not slain. But driven off.

It had chosen to retreat. Perhaps wounded, perhaps called away. Whatever the case, it had vanished into the deep once more.

Around him, a new kind of cheer broke across the deck.

"We did it! We stood against the deep!"

"Long live Vensalor! Long live the knights!"

Tave stood quietly, eyes sweeping across the battered deck, taking in the extent of the damage. The ship had survived—but barely. Splintered wood, broken ropes, and scattered debris littered the floor, evidence of how close they had come to ruin.

Yet in the midst of it all, Vanya stood tall.

Her clothes were untouched by the storm, her stance calm and composed, as if the chaos of the last minutes had barely grazed her.

Tave stepped closer.

"Tave, are you okay?"

"I'm okay," he replied softly, his eyes drifting to the center of the ship where another figure emerged.

Lily.

She ran toward them, her expression tight with worry.

"The monster? Was it killed?" she asked, breathless, eyes flicking between Tave and Vanya.

Vellion and Elowen approached from the other side, both damp and slightly bruised but otherwise whole.

"Oh, Lady Aura really arrived at the perfect time," Elowen said, still catching her breath. "For a second there, I thought I was about to die."

"Elowen, watch your mouth," Vellion muttered sternly, giving her a sharp glance.

"Uh. I didn't mean it like that," she quickly replied. "Just… you know… nearly dead is still alive, right?"

"Yes, we survived because Aura arrived just in time," Vanya replied. Then she turned slightly, her gaze landing on Tave.

"Tave, come. I'll introduce you to Imperial Knight Aura. I'm guessing you've never met her before?" she added with a small smile.

Tave gave a silent nod and followed just a step behind Vanya as they made their way toward the front of the deck.

In the distance, the woman who had driven the monster away now approached—gracefully sprinting toward the ship, yet not touching the sea. She was running on the air itself.

As she drew closer, her features became clearer.

She looked like a woman in her early twenties, though Tave knew that appearance meant little when it came to elves. Her true age was certainly far older, and so was the power she carried.

With a light step, she landed gracefully on the deck of the ship.

A serene smile lit her face as she approached.

"Your Highness," she said gently, bowing her head with respectful ease.

"I'm sorry for arriving late," Aura said, her voice calm, melodic, and soothing even amidst the fading storm.

Vanya stepped back slightly, then turned to glance over her shoulder at Tave.

"Aura, I've brought a new companion on this journey. I'd like to introduce you to him," she said.

The Imperial Knight turned toward Tave, her smile warm and bright.

"Hi there, human," she said casually, her voice friendly and light, almost disarming in contrast to the divine power she had just unleashed upon the ocean.

Tave gave a slight bow, but something in his expression faltered. Something didn't sit right.

His eyes drifted to Vanya for just a moment. In the story he wrote, Vanya wasn't an archer.

His gaze returned to Aura.

Could it be…?

Did Aura teach her how to use the bow?