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

It had been during his time trapped in Kairos Castle, lost in the shifting, surreal worlds within the Crest when it had happened. The memory was sharp—Lukas could still feel the salt-stung wind against his face and the cool grit of sand beneath his fingers as he sat along the shore after hours of brutal training. His brother Rodan Drakos sat beside him, not as the ghost of a man Lukas had once mourned, but as he truly was in life: vibrant, confident, and alive in a way Lukas wished he could have known outside those fractured worlds.

Though most of their time together had been spent training, there were times where they sat just like this; having conversations that they had never been able to share when Rodan was still alive. Lukas still remembered one conversation in particular, among the hundreds of many they had during his time within the Crest.

He had asked if Rodan could teach him the spell—the one that had saved them when Nozar's navy had come bearing down on them, the one that had opened a portal wide enough for their escape.

Rodan had laughed, shaking his head. "That is not a spell that is a part of our family's Divinity, little brother."

Rodan went on to explain that while he had used the Divinity of the Seas itself, he had only used it to shape the water until the seas mimicked the ancient runic pattern of that portal that connected Linemall to the outside world; the same portal that had allowed them to travel to Ilagron Village when they had left Linemall to look for him. The only difference was in the arrangement—altered so that most of the magical strain fell upon Lukas rather than all those passing through it. When Lukas had asked how Rodan could possibly have understood those runes—ancient, complex, and long-forgotten—Rodan's answer had been simple. All the credit, he said, belonged to his mother, the greatest sorceress Linemall had ever known, whose understanding of magic surpassed all who had come before her.

Lukas hadn't thought much of it at the time but that conversation had planted a seed in his mind that had begun to grow the moment he met Rosalia Elarion.

Throughout Hiraeth's entire history, could it be that only Rosalia Elarion had been born with such a gift?

And Lukas had been right to ask such a question.

Because the answer to that question was no.

The Lady Kaitlyn Drakos herself had been born with the exact same gift.

Now, in the present, Lukas sat in one of the palace's sprawling gardens with the Royal Consort of the Seas sat across from him.

It had been a day since they had arrived in the Seas of Linemall and his mother had insisted on showing Rosalia around. Lukas did not have to worry for Rosalia's safety especially not when she was being accompanied by one of the strongest warriors the Seas had ever known. Though he kept a constant connection to her through the Crown, just in case.

With Selene and Rosalia busy touring the Seas of Linemall, that left him and Lady Kaitlyn time to have a conversation that had been years in the making.

It was time to tell the Lady Kaitlyn how her son, Rodan Drakos, had truly died.

Her composure remained steady, though Lukas saw it—the flicker of grief in her eyes, deep and unshaken. They had all known of Rodan's death ever since Valkari had returned to Linemall, bringing home the dragons they had freed. But none of them had never been told how it truly happened; never heard it from the only one who had been there during his final moments.

Lukas did not hesitate when he spoke. "Your son was no traitor."

Lady Kaitlyn's gaze did not waver, but in the stillness between them he felt the smallest shift—an almost imperceptible breath caught in her throat.

"My brother was under the influence of the Kraken's magic," Lukas continued, his tone steady even as he felt the faint throb of guilt pulse from the familiar bound at his arm. "But Rodan never betrayed his people. Not once. Until his very last breath, Rodan loved the Seas, and he loved every soul who called this place their home."

For a long moment, Kaitlyn was silent. Relief softened her eyes, but it was tinged with confusion, as though she were holding two truths in her hands and struggling to see how they could both be real. At last, the Royal Consort nodded, her voice quiet but resolute when she asked, "How was the Kraken able to use his magic on him?"

It was then Lukas told her. "Because Rodan never inherited the Second Legacy of the Dragon Lords. He never inherited the Crown, my Lady."

The effect was immediate. The composure the Lady Kaitlyn had worn like armor cracked.

Her eyes widened, pain flashing in them like a wound reopened. It was not anger, not entirely—but hurt, deep and raw, the kind that only a mother could feel upon learning her child had borne a burden far heavier than she ever knew. It was clear that she had never realized that her son had taken the throne without the protection or power of the Crown, stepping into the role knowing the cost and knowing it would fall entirely on him.

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Lukas did not spare her from the rest.

He told her of the Hero From Another World—the one who had struck the final blow.

He spoke of Rodan's last battle, how he had fought with everything he had, and how one of the only reasons Lukas was alive to stand here now was because Rodan had refused to fall until Lukas had a chance to escape.

The rest did not matter right now.

The Lady Kaitlyn's lips trembled, her eyes glistening as she nodded, accepting the truth with a mother's dignity; even as it hollowed something inside her. When she was ready, she asked, "How is it possible that this Hero still lives?"

"Because Oceanus' power runs through his veins," Lukas answered. "And now he is Nozar's hidden blade—its secret weapon—under the command of Daerion Ittriki, a mad king who dreams of ruling Hiraeth as a god."

Her frown deepened.

"Linemall cannot continue hiding forever," Lukas continued, the steel in his voice unmistakable. "If we want a world without the fear of extinction, without endless bloodshed, without war at our doorstep, then we must take part in shaping its future. While we live out quiet peaceful lives in here, hundreds of thousands of our kin rot in chains, suffering in silence. And I will not stand for it."

The Lady Kaitlyn saw it then—the fire in his eyes, the determination carved into every line of his face.

"Freeing them would mean war," she whispered.

"It does not need to come to that," Lukas replied. "We can find a way to bring our people home without open conflict. We have found a way for this to work without starting another Great War."

"But the risk…" She murmured, shaking her head slightly at the very idea of what Lukas was proposing.

"Understand this. I, Lukas Drakos, will move heaven and Hiraeth itself for those I love—including you, Lady Kaitlyn—and for every soul in this kingdom. I will never sacrifice the safety of our Seas and those who call it home. But I will also never forsake those who suffer beyond our borders, who deserve to be here as much as we do."

The Lady Kaitlyn's voice faltered. "I-" She could see it clearly now—the depth of his conviction, a love that went beyond bloodlines, a love only a father could have for his children and a love that only a king could have for his nation.

"But before we can free them, Linemall must first stand as one. Too long have we been divided by the factions of the Great Houses, by generational feuds kept alive long past their time. Unity is the only way forward. And we will take the first step at the Draconic Summit—not to fight for dominance, but to fight for unity."

The Royal Consort studied him for a long time. She had lived for centuries and seen leaders come and go, but never had she witnessed such wisdom in one so young—though she could not know how many lifetimes Lukas had truly endured within Kairos Castle. And in that moment, she understood. The Lady Kaitlyn did not need to worry any longer.

Her smile was warm, almost maternal, as she reached across the table and laid her hand over his.

"The Seas are in your hands now," she declared.

It took only a heartbeat for Lukas to understand what she meant.

There would be no grand ceremony, no public announcement, no official coronation. There was no need for any of that.

The Lady Kaitlyn Drakos was stepping down—not because of illness or age, but because there was no longer a need for her to rule. She had held the title of Royal Consort and the position as the Head of House Drakos simply because no one else had been worthy enough to sit upon that throne; the same throne where her husband had once ruled and the same throne her son had defended with his life.

Now sat before her was someone she deemed more worthy than any Lord she had ever known.

This time, Lukas did not hesitate. He did not shy away from the weight of the crown as he once had years ago, hiding behind excuses born of uncertainty, confusion, and guilt.

Lukas only nodded, a silent acceptance of the burden she was entrusting to him.

There was no doubt in his mind.

He was Lukas Drakos—son of Lord Jaren and Selene of Dawn, brother to Rodan, the Leviathan of the Deep.

He was also Julien Fronterra, and though he no longer bore that name, he would never forget who he once was. His past was not something to discard but to carry, as proof of the roads he had walked to reach this moment.

Now, he was the Dragon Lord of the Seas, rightful ruler of this vast domain of Linemall.

For the first time in his life, he felt utterly certain of his place. The power in his veins—it was given to him for a reason.

Lukas would fight for his people until all of them were free of their chains and returned to the Kingdom of Linemall. Lukas would build a world where dragons no longer had to hide in the shadows to feel safe. And if that road meant that he would have to face the likes of Daerion Ittriki, the Hero From Another World and even Oceanus himself, then so be it.

The Lady Kaitlyn's smile deepened, touched with a relief and pride that seemed almost foreign to her—as though she had not felt them in many, many years. For the first time, she believed the Seas, and perhaps the entire Kingdom of Linemall, were truly in good hands.

Then her expression shifted, the gravity in her eyes returning. "There is someone you have yet to meet," she reminded him.

Lukas needed no reminder for he knew he could not avoid this any longer than he already had.

It was time to reunite with his niece, daughter of Rodan and the current Warden of Kuria Prison.

It was time to reunite with Katrina Drakos herself.