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

Lukas arrived at the Church just past midnight, lowering himself to the ground and stepping off the platform of water which dissolved into a puddle.

Despite it already being the dead of night, the grounds were far from empty.

Believers of the Church sat quietly along the stone steps leading up to the chapel, heads bowed as they listened to the soft, whispered prayers of the faithful disciples who seemed to be there to listen to their confessions.

Lukas passed them without a word, keeping his pace slow and steady so as not to draw attention. He followed the directions Thomas had given him—towards the main altar room, where the entrance to the underground floors was supposed to be.

Thomas did not say it was kept out of sight but Lukas had a feeling that the Church kept it hidden from the general public; especially considering the existence of these underground floors seemed to have largely remained a mystery for a very long time now.

Inside the Church, the stone hallways were dimly lit; illuminated only by oil lanterns and the last flickers of fading candles.

Lukas moved quickly, nodding in quiet acknowledgement to the few people he passed. Cleaning servants and low-ranking apostles, most of them headed in for the night, paid him little mind. For all they knew, Lukas could have just been another believer; wandering the holy institution for some peace of mind.

Lukas hoped the altar room would be empty.

But it was not.

As Lukas stepped inside of the many entrances to the altar room, he immediately saw the silhouette of a man seated alone on one of the wooden benches; his back straight and his head slightly tilted upwards as he stared at the towering statue before him—the figure of Oceanus, the Titan of Hiraeth.

The moonlight that filtered through the tall stained-glass windows bathed the statue in a soft, ocean-blue glow.

For a second, Lukas did not recognize the man. Then the figure turned and Lukas found himself looking straight at Soren Ittriki. They stared at one another for an awkward moment, Lukas raising an eyebrow in Soren's direction. But neither of them said a word.

Lukas kept his composure, ultimately deciding to walk over and take a seat beside Soren. The younger man didn't seem to mind on the intrusion, in fact he moved to make space for Lukas. The bench was far from small but both Lukas and Soren were very physically imposing individuals.

It still amazed Lukas, just how much Soren had grown. Only a few years ago, Soren had been just a boy. Now, it wouldn't be long before Daerion's bastard son surpassed Lukas in height and build entirely. Soren took after his father in more ways than one.

But Soren had also matured emotionally. The young man did not seem as hateful or filled with rage as he once had. And that was clear in the softness in his eyes, the genuine kindness he now possessed.

Everything Lukas had seen from Soren during the Duel was nothing but an act.

Yet, this emotional maturity did not make him weaker.

The fact that Soren was more in control of his emotions than ever made him that much more formidable.

The man greeted him with a quiet nod. "Didn't know you were a believer," Soren noted, voice low but respectful.

Lukas let out a soft laugh, more amused than dismissive. "Well, I'm trying to keep an open mind."

That made Soren smile—an actual smile, faint and unforced. Lukas had not seen that expression on him before. And just like that, he caught a glimpse of something unexpected—something deeper than the hardened exterior, something untouched by Daerion's shadow. A whole other side of the boy who he had first met all those years ago.

Soren turned his gaze back to the statue. "Sometimes I think people forget what Oceanus really stands for. All these years…all this bloodshed between the kingdoms. Even after the Great War." Soren shook his head in disappointment. "It's easy to lose sight of the things that really matter."

Lukas tilted his head, intrigued. "And what does he stand for?"

Soren took a breath. "Oceanus stands for peace. Since the very beginning of the Church, that's what it's always been about. Not conquest. Not judgment. Just…understanding. Being at peace with the flow of Time. With the way life changes without warning. And learning to dive into the depths of your own mind, to truly understand who you are beneath it all. That has always been what truly mattered."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Lukas blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity in Soren's voice. Lukas glanced up at the stained glass, at the pale blue light washing over them like waves; he'd never heard that before. Admittedly, the fault lied largely with him. Lukas had never bothered to listen to what they preached about the Church, had never stopped to listen to what it was they actually stood for.

So he listened now.

Soren kept his eyes forward as he spoke again, softer this time. "I used to care a lot about what my father thought of me. About earning his approval. Everything I did—it was always for him. Always trying to prove my worth. Always trying to get his approval. His…love."

Lukas didn't interrupt him, simply nodding.

"But that changed when I began to test my faith," Soren continued.

"When I truly committed and started coming to the Church, week after week. When I started actually listening. Not to the sermons. Not to the politics. But to what was inside of me. Because everything outside of that is just noise. It did not matter. It really doesn't." Soren spoke with passion now and Lukas could feel the conviction in his words. "That is how I found my purpose. That is how I discovered what it was that Oceanus himself put me on this world to do."

Soren turned slightly to meet Lukas' eyes. There was no fire in his voice, no defiance. Just calm certainty. "I'm meant to protect the people. I am meant to keep the peace. The peace that Oceanus himself stands for. Peace that we should all learn to advocate for. That's what this faith is about. That's what it's always been about."

Lukas studied him for a long moment. Not just his words, but his presence. The stillness and serenity within Soren Ittriki. The weight of a belief that ran deeper than ritual—something quiet and unshakable; a faith that words alone could not describe.

Lukas had seen devotion to the Church before. He had seen Celina's fire, her fierce loyalty to the Titan of Hiraeth that many worshipped. But this was different. There was no pride in Soren's faith; no need to prove anything to anyone.

Soren was a true believer.

For the first time, Lukas felt something stir—not toward the man who sat beside him, but toward the god they all served.

For the first time, Lukas saw Oceanus not as the distant deity he had always imagined, not the cruel Titan that had caused Linemall to lose the Great War or the tyrant Lukas had always painted him out to be.

For the first time, Lukas saw the Oceanus that Styx had loved. The one she spoke of longingly, a father who had always been their for her when she needed him the most. The one who had once stood for peace.

But like Styx had said. That Oceanus was gone. And in his place was now a shell of his former self.

Soren stood to leave. "I'll give you some time alone," he told Lukas. "I know you didn't come here for conversation."

But just before Soren turned to leave, he glanced back over his shoulder. "Could you pass a message along to Rosalia for me, Klein?"

Lukas nodded. "Of course."

"Tell her…that I will always be grateful to her. For giving me this. For allowing me to fulfill my purpose. I won't let her down. I won't let anyone down."

A slow grin tugged at Lukas' mouth. Lukas reached out and clapped the boy on the shoulder.

"I'll let her know," he said. "And Soren?"

The younger man looked at him.

"You're going to make one hell of a Divine Knight."

Soren's eyes flickered—grateful, maybe—but he said nothing, only nodded once before quietly slipping out of the room.

Lukas wasn't just being nice either. He meant it. Lukas believed Soren to be a man of character, a man who stood his ground when it came to his values. A man who believed in what he did and what he stood for.

For a moment, Lukas remained seated, staring up at the statue in the blue-washed silence.

Daerion's grip on the Church wouldn't last forever. Not if men like Soren were apart of this holy institution that had once stood for something so precious and pure. Because Lukas had a feeling that Soren would not bend the knee so easily even to his father if it meant going against his beliefs.

Now, Lukas had other matters to deal with. He stood and turned toward the altar.

Just to the side of it, tucked behind a carved pillar, was a narrow set of doors nearly flush with the wall. They weren't even locked. Considering each vault had its own key, there wasn't much need for security even if someone tried sneaking into the place.

Lukas placed a hand against the cold metal and pushed them open. Before him were flights of stairs that spiraled downward to the very underground levels where the Church had kept their records stored for centuries now. Without hesitation, Lukas stepped inside and began his descent into the depths beneath the Church—toward the vault that Varian had stored what he could only imagine to be the answers to all his questions.

Toward Vault 56.