The Lord of the Seas - An Isekai Progression Fantasy [ Currently on Volume 2 ]

Lukas and Jesse walked along the lively streets of the Inner Cities, adjusting the weight of the ceremonial robes now adorning their frames. Both of them looked nearly unrecognizable in the outfit that had just been made for them in a matter of moments.

Lukas' robes were a deep navy, stitched with silver threads that shimmered faintly when they caught the light.

The suit was tailored close to his form, broad at the shoulders and refined along his waist, the long coat flowing down just past his knees with folded silver trim at the hem. He had described to Varian's tailor the exact outfit he'd worn on his last night in Karios Castle and the man had done his description justice. The only difference being that instead of the House Drakos' Sigil, Lukas now bore the insignia of the Magic Tower for he would be representing them today.

Jesse, on the other hand, looked like a vision of nobility born anew.

Velena had actually forced the young dragonborn to accompany Lukas, telling him to get something presentable to wear at the Celebration. The tailor had dressed Jesse in layered white robes with gold-threaded cuffs, a sash of ivory and amber wrapped across his chest, clasped by a golden pin shaped like a rising sun. A mantle of feathered silk hung from his shoulders, whisper-light, with fine embroidery of waves crashing against a shoreline—an homage to his Sterling heritage and his newfound connection to Ilagron Village.

The tailor, an elderly man with soft hands and clouded eyes, had worked with inhuman precision. Threads moved like extensions of his will, drifting through the air as if alive. His Divinity, Lukas had learned, gave him total mastery over fiber and weave—able to stitch with thought alone, each movement fluid and practiced like the stroke of a painter's brush.

Lukas had offered to pay, but the man had shaken his head and waved the offer away with a smile.

"Any friend of Varian's is friend of mine," he had told Lukas simply. "Besides, I would sooner take a blade to the heart than coin from you. It won't be long before the entirety of this world knows your name, Klein. It's not everyday I get to clothe legends, even if your legend is still in the making."

Now, as Lukas and Jesse stepped out into the city proper, the change in atmosphere hit them like a tide.

The Inner Cities were alive.

Every corner was bustling. The streets, normally patrolled and stoic, were flowing with laughter and chatter.

Nobles and highborn citizens adorned in extravagance walked proudly beneath banners of ocean-blue and pearl-white. Their outfits were rivaled only by the very buildings that towered around them, walls gleaming with sun-polished stone, windows hung with silken drapes. Even the most reclusive lords had emerged from their palaces today, proudly displaying bloodlines, power, and wealth in layers of jewels, velvet, and masterfully woven brocade.

All of them were headed toward the beating heart of the city—for that was where the Celebration would be held.

That was where the Citadels of the Church stood like marble giants etched into the skyline, their towers marked by spires of coral and gold, and great mosaics of Oceanus carved into their sides. But the Citadels were not only just a place of worship for those who believed in the god of Hiraeth. Within those Citadels was where the Ittriki Clan resided, the royal family of Nozar; along with the High Priests of the Church.

A holy place and a political fortress in one. And today, it was open for all who had made their way to the Inner Cities of Nozar.

As they turned down a quieter side street lined with mosaic-tiled fountains, Jesse fished into his pockets before handing Lukas his belongings that the tailor must have handed to the young dragonborn when Lukas was getting fitted for the clothes that he wore now.

"Here," Jesse said. "Your things."

Lukas took them with a small nod of thanks as Jesse's eyes dropped to the small glass vial Lukas now tucked back into a chest pocket.

The water from the River Styx shimmered faintly in its sealed container, the liquid thicker than normal water, as though it remembered the weight of souls. It was still full as the day Styx gave it to him, even with the hundreds of letters that Lukas wrote to Styx.

Lukas did not usually like to carry much on him but that bottle was something that he carried with him everywhere he went.

But Jesse wasn't focused on the bottle. Instead, his attention seemed to have shifted towards an item that Lukas had simply put away in his coat pocket, forgetting that it had been there in the first place.

"That," he said, pointing to it. "That crystal. What is it?"

Lukas looked down at the polished, multifaceted gem resting between his fingers. Pale blue in colour.

"This...was Magnus Elarion's first ever creation." Lukas said after a moment. "We made a deal. The crystal was part of it."

Jesse frowned. "What does it do?"

Lukas turned the crystal in his palm. "Have you ever thought about how that message reached you? The message that let you know I was alive and well."

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Jesse raised an eyebrow, looking around to see if anybody was in hearing distance before asking the next question. "Was it not the Crown?"

"Well, yes I used the Crown. But even that Legacy has its limits, Jesse. This crystal is an amplifier of sorts, amplifying our thoughts so it can be heard by all. The Crown simply allowed me to direct my amplification. Which is why it reached you, even when you were...thousands of miles away."

"And that was his first creation? He seems like quite the inventor. What else has he created? He got something that stands out from the rest of his creations?" Jesse asked, seemingly now curious about Magnus Elarion.

"Of course. Every genius has their masterpiece." Lukas said. "And trust me, it's not this crystal. Magnus' greatest creation...is the Language of Runes.'

Jesse blinked. "Like...ancient runes?"

"No," Lukas replied. "Similar. But incomparable to this. Magnus created a new system. A written language. Not just symbols that represent meaning, but an actual structure of written word—of logic—that lets a person communicate with Mana itself in a much more in depth manner."

Jesse's mouth opened slightly, then closed again. He looked as confused as Lukas had during his first lesson with the Head Mage.

"You don't need a Divinity or anything of the sort. You simply speak to the Mana all around us," Lukas finished. "You're not just casting spells. You're creating them. Rewriting the laws behind them. Anything becomes possible. But only if you know how to say it right."

Jesse exhaled slowly, clearly trying to wrap his mind around this idea.

"Even then," Lukas added, "knowing the language is just step one. Applying it? Bringing it to life? Arranging those runes in a way that works? That's something only someone with complete understanding of the language can do. That is something that even Magnus has barely been able to master."

They walked a little further, the noise of the crowd beginning to return as they neared the central avenues.

"Any chance he'd teach me this too?" Jesse's eyes looked almost hopeful.

"I wouldn't count on it." Lukas answered with an honest laugh.

But Lukas could see that Jesse had gone quiet again, thinking. Always thinking.

"On the topic of creations....how's that product coming along?" He asked.

Jesse sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Still nothing final. I've had ideas—plenty of them. Velena said some of them could probably work, and I know she means well. But that's not good enough."

"She said they were promising," Lukas offered and he wasn't lying. Velena had been quite impressed with many of the ideas that Jesse had come up with but he had ultimately scrapped those ideas, unsatisfied with anything he came up with.

Jesse nodded. "I know she means well but...promising isn't good enough. I need it to be more than just promising."

Lukas didn't argue. He just gave Jesse a look of understanding—one he didn't give out lightly. Because in Jesse's voice, in that quiet insistence, he heard a familiar tone. Not arrogance. Not pride. The young dragonborn held himself to a higher standard, a standard that didn't make sense to anyone else but himself. And for that, Lukas respected him all the more.

Jesse's shoulders sagged slightly, his fingers tightening over the sash.

The streets were still buzzing with colour and chatter, but the brightness of the celebration around them only made the storm of disappointment brewing behind Jesse's eyes more obvious.

"I should've figured it out by now," Jesse muttered. "I've had weeks. Yet, I have nothing to show for it."

Lukas glanced sideways at him.

Jesse wasn't just disappointed—he was frustrated. He was angry. But more than anything, Lukas saw it in the tightness of his jaw, the way he didn't meet his gaze—he feared Lukas' disappointment more than his own.

Lukas stopped

"There is no prize...to perfection, Jesse."

Jesse blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

"We don't need it to be perfect, whatever the product might be" Lukas repeated, quieter this time. "We...don't necessarily even need a finished product."

Jesse frowned. "But… how? How can we show them something that's not finished? Isn't that just foolish—doesn't that make us look unprepared? Unprofessional?"

Lukas laughed—not at him, but at how familiar this conversation felt.

"You ever heard of investing, Jesse?"

Jesse raised an eyebrow. "Is that…some kind of Easthaven thing?"

"Not quite," Lukas said. "Allow me to explain."

He tucked his hands behind his back as they started walking again.

"All we need to do here is to present something that has potential to be great," Lukas explained. "You don't need to show them the end result. But you do need to show them a vision—a spark, the direction that can make that end result a reality. And if that spark looks bright enough, if it seems like it could turn into fire, they'll pour everything they've got into it to make it come true. Money, time, influence—whatever it takes. That is the power of investing."

Jesse went quiet again, his steps slower now. He was nodding now, slowly, thoughtfully. But after a beat, the young dragonborn looked up again.

"And what makes a product great?" he asked.

Lukas thought about his past life before giving the young dragonborn a proper answer. "Well to me, what makes a product great is if it solves a problem. And from the perspective as the one making the product, it will be something they'll come back for. Again and again. Not something they buy once and forget about."

Lukas could practically hear the gears turning in Jesse's head—clicking into motion, fuelled by that spark.

Lukas saw the change in his eyes. The quiet storm that had been brewing in his mind for weeks since they had left Easthaven was just starting to clear up; slowly being replaced now with fire, focus, and the first threads of inspiration weaving into place.

And that was all Lukas needed to do.

Lukas was not the Head of the Merchant Guild, Jesse Sterling was. He didn't need to push the kid in any specific direction, that was up to Jesse to decide.

If he was simply the catalyst, lowering the activation energy just enough to set the genius of Jesse Sterling in motion, then Lukas would be more than satisfied with himself. They still had time and by the time it was time to present their product, Lukas had no doubt in his mind that Jesse would have something brilliant in his hands. And he could not wait to see what it was that Jesse Sterling would come up with.