The The Melian Revelation
Episode 7's

Laruen stepped out of the carriage he was riding. The sun sank, a golden orange glow from the ocean illuminated the streets of Terraven City.

A tall man came down from the same train. Both Laruen and the man were wearing green hooded robes. While the man walked to the front of the train to pay the coachman six pieces of silver, Laruen walked down the deserted city streets to the pier.

Arriving at the end of the dermana Laruen stopped for a while. The girl observed an endless stretch of water before her. The sound of waves pounding and seagulls filling his hearing. The blowing wind brought with it the scent of salt, a scent that was foreign to Laruen.

This was his first time seeing the vast ocean. This was also his first time seeing a Human city other than Mildryd. Terraven is a small port city northeast of the Royal Capital of Granville.

Laruen turned around to observe the city. Several high-rise buildings of large rocks flank the small streets that cut through the city. But the buildings are empty and unkempt. The walls, roofs, and door leaves looked dull from years of sea breezes. Plus the gray sky and the Dark Fog that cradled over the city, Terraven looked like a moody painting.

Along the pier that runs along the coastline, fishermen are busy working. They loaded large nets and barrels containing a pungent-scented black powder into their boats.

Shortly after, Laruen's friend followed and stood next to him. “Hey, Karth, what black powder is it?” asked Laruen as soon as the man arrived.

“Powder of gunpowder,” Karth replied as he brushed off the hood of his robe, letting the sea breeze play the long grey hair ponytailed behind his neck.

“What is its use?” Laruen scrunched one eye.

“The powder produces explosions so that fish are easy to catch. Unfortunately the explosion also damaged corals and other marine plants,” Karth explained.

Laruen was shocked beyond hearing that. He pursed his lips furiously and stared intently at the fishermen.

“Come on, we're not here for that,” Karth pats Laruen on the shoulder and invites him to continue the journey.

Laruen followed reluctantly. Karth walked ahead, they passed the floating village above the wooden milestones until they arrived at the deserted part of the pier. Carthage

he was seen weighing before finally approaching an old man who was sitting fishing on his boat.

“Hey, old man,” call Karth. “Can you take us with your boat to an island in the Ship Grave?”

“Can be,” replied the old man without turning his head. “But not now. For five bronze pieces I'll drop you tomorrow morning.”

“Not tomorrow, now!” sahut Laruen. He didn't like to see the lazy Man, like this old fisherman.

“We pay twenty pieces if you are willing to drop us off now,” Karth adds calmly.

As expected, hearing the word twenty pieces, the old fisherman got up from his seat.

It's just money in your head! thought Laruen.

The old fisherman put down his fishing line and turned around. He looked at Laruen and Karth alternately. At first he looked at them suspiciously, but as if exposed to magic, he suddenly forgot his suspicions and went back to his usual attitude.

“Why not say from earlier if the payment is twenty pieces,” he said while letting Laruen and Karth get on his small boat. “Ran, today a lot of tourists who want to see the island.”

Karth raised his eyebrows. “There are visitors before us?”

“A few hours ago,” the fisherman frowned. “Three green hooded people like you. One of them is female, very pretty. But his skin color was strange, golden brown like Elvar. I only caught a glimpse of it when the hood of his robe was blown off the wind, so I could have been wrong,” his chatter while removing the rope from the dock.

“Leidz Ellanese,” hiss Laruen not happy.

“Iya, and the other one must be Lourd Valadin,” timpal Karth. “Which do you think is the other one?”

Laruen shrugged his shoulders. “Entah,” murmured. “But Lourd Valadin did say besides you there was still one more person he invited to join, maybe that

the guy.”

It was a month that had passed since Laruen's conversation with Valadin in the Telssier Forest.

That night, after Valadin and the Ellanese had left, Laruen's eyes were fixed on the back of the admired Legion Commander Falthemnar until Valadin's figure disappeared among the trees. Then suddenly Peregrine's loud tearing surprised him.

Laruen turned around quickly. His eagle had just told him there was someone hiding behind the trees.

“Who's there?!” Lauren put an arrow in her bow and pointed it to where Peregrine was pointing.

“Hey, don't shoot so,” replied a man from behind the trees.

Laruen recognized the voice. “Karth,” hisses while lowering the bow. “You stole our talk?”

Karth walked leisurely from behind the trees. “I don't mean to eavesdrop, you're the only ones who don't realize my presence.” He grinned nosily.

Laruen grunting. Yes ... he sometimes forgets that Karth— his partner—is a Shazin. The Shazins were elite soldiers trained in close combat, especially in approaching opponents silently and then finishing them off in a single strike.

“How much did you hear?” cecar Laruen's.

“Nothing new,” replied Karth casually. “He said the same thing as he said to me a few days ago.”

Laruen. “Lourd Valadin asked you to join?” Karth nodded. “But I am still considering his request. I see you're very quick to give an answer,” he said teasingly.

Suddenly, Laruen felt his face hot. “Not like that!” his objection. “You know, right, how much I respect Lourd Valadin. Without him, there's no way a Vier-Elv like me could be a soldier of the Falthemnar Legion. And unlike other pure-blooded Elvar, he considers me a friend.”

“I'm also pure-blooded,” between Karth. “So all this time I was not considered a friend?” he added with a contrived disappointed tone.

“Iya, yes! Everyone, except you, satisfied?” laruen sewot. Karth chuckles as he ruffles Laruen's hair. He was happy to succeed in making Laruen wrong.

Indeed, other than Lourd Valadin, Karth is Laruen's only friend. Karth is also the only Falthemnar Legion soldier who is willing to be his partner. And for that, Laruen has a lot of respect for Karth, although his ignorance sometimes makes Laruen upset half to death.

“So,” says Laruen finally. “You will join us, right?”

Karth smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders. “No other choice, right?” he said to ask.

***

Laruen's daydream suddenly collapsed when the ship he was riding was hit by the waves. “Close grip, the weather again is not so good,” said the fisherman.

A splash of ice-cold sea water slapped on Laruen's face. The cold wind that was blowing fiercely almost shook the hood of his robe. Laruen's heart was pounding. He gripped the hull tightly, worried that the ship they were riding on had capsized. But thankfully it didn't happen. The old fisherman deftly carried their boat through the rampage for the sake of the waves.

“We arrived,” said Karth finally.

Laruen spread his gaze. Their ship entered the waters covered in Dark Mist. Among the fog she could still see a cluster of coral as big as a tree scattered. Laruen did not dare to imagine what would happen if their small ship hit one of the corals.

From the sidelines of the waves and the reef, Laruen saw dozens of sail masts and large ship debris sticking out above the water surface. Now he really understands why these waters are called the Grave of the Ship.

“What brings you to the Boat Grave this afternoon, anyway?” the old fisherman suddenly asked. “You know, right, this place is cursed?”

“Close your mouth,” says Laruen ketus. “We pay you to paddle, not chat.”

“Neither do it,” let Karth slow down. “Again what he said about this place has a point.” He looked at Laruen sharply. “This place is indeed cursed.”

The girl snorted softly, realizing that Karth was teasing her. “I'm not a child. You think that kind of ghost story could scare me?”

Even though his mouth said that, truthfully, Laruen had not calmed down since their ship entered the Grave of the Ship. The air in that place smelled like death. There must have been hundreds or maybe thousands of sailors who lost their lives here when their ship crashed into a cluster of coral.

Laruen had never felt this scared before, but he was unwilling to show it to Karth. All this time, his partner had always protected him. Lauren wanted to show that she was an adult, no longer the timid girl who had just joined the Falthemnar Legion.

“See!” said the old fisherman. Laruen lifted his head. Right in front of him, the Dark Mist blocked out like a thick gray wall.

The wind blowing from the direction of the fog brought with it a strange smell that suffocated the breath.

“The island you are looking for is behind the Mist,” said the fisherman.

“Wait for what else?” ask Karth. “Bring us there.”

The fisherman looked reluctant, Laruen did not blame him. Dark Fog as dense as that would make anyone tremble.

“You are really not sane,” said the old fisherman while directing his boat into the fog.

The little boat sailed slowly through the fog. Laruen's heart was pounding ever faster, worried in case they would be attacked by Daemons while inside the fog. But fortunately the fog is not too thick, in some paddles they have come out of the fog.

Now in front of the eyes of Laruen lies a large coral island that is at least several hundred meters wide. In the center of the island there was a kind of cave that resembled a gaping black hole. But Laruen could not see what was inside the cave. The dark mist hanging over the island covered his sight.

Suddenly, from the mouth of the cave came a long roar and howl. Laruen's hair bristled, unknowingly the girl inched backwards.

Their ship docked to one part of the island that is quite sloping. Karth jumps down from the ship, helps Laruen down and hands ten bronze pieces to the fisherman.

“The rest will be tomorrow morning when you pick us up,” explained Karth before the old man had time to protest.

Although he looked unhappy, the old fisherman picked up and pocketed the pieces given by Karth. “For Odyss, I wish you were alive when I picked you up tomorrow.” After which, he paddled his ship and sailed back towards Terraven before the entire covered waters of the Dark Mist.

“Ayo,” invite Karth. “Lourd Valadin must be around here.”

They follow the ranks of tight corals that form slippery and uneven roads. Throughout the journey, Laruen's eyes are constantly watching the situation.

“The fog here is thicker than the most foggy day in the forest,” he whispered in a stifled voice. Since setting his feet on the island, the feeling of fear that enveloped him became more and more.

“True,” Karth approves. “Beware! There may be some Daemons around here.”

Laruen took out a long bow which he had hidden under the cloak and prepared an arrow. Inwardly, he regretted not bringing Peregrine along. Laruen had never traveled without Peregrine, and the eagle had a keen instinct and always warned him of danger. But Laruen had no choice. The open ocean like this is not a place for birds that are used to living in forests like Peregrine.

They were already approaching the central part of the island, where the mouth of the cave was located. Lauren screamed stifled as she realized her feet were stepping on something charred.

Karth knelt down to observe. “Olrog,” murmur Olrog—Daemon that resembles a seagull—kon created from Dark Mist that possessed the seagull carcass. He observed the sharp jagged beak that was poking out from one of the Olrogs.

It was then that Laruen realized the burning Olrog was not one but hundreds, scattered around the mouth of the cave. His stomach's getting nauseous. During his life, he had never seen this much Daemon.

Why did Lourd Valadin ask me to come here?

“Not to be afraid,” said the familiar voice of Laruen— Ellanese.

Laruen turned his head, and found an Ellanese figure wearing a green hooded robe. The woman stepped quietly on the carcasses of the Olrogs. “Daemon-daemon can no longer hurt you.”

The woman stopped right in front of them. “You guys are so old. Lourd Valadin is waiting.” He glanced towards Laruen from the end of his eyes.

Although it's hard to believe, but this time Laruen really happy to meet Ellanese. Although the woman had just looked at him contemptuously, but Laruen did not care.

Karth is still observing Olrog's carcass. “Who did this?” abugn. “Using fire magic in the open like this? He must be a very powerful Magus!”

“What's he our last member?” tanya Laruen spontaneously.

“Who is he?”

Ellanese grunts. “Dragon talks, half-Elvar!” hisses. “Originally know it, I do not agree to make you part of this group!”

Those words seemed to resuscitate Laruen. Terrible island or not, Ellanese is still Ellanese. Laruen could not understand why Lourd Valadin could be so patient with this woman.

“Leidz Ellanese,” sidelines Karth Sharp. “You haven't answered Laruen's question. Who was our last member?”

Ellanese let out a long breath before replying. “Someone who is no less disgusting!” he replied while glancing at Laruen.

Laruen's eyes were wide open. But as he paid no heed to the change in expression on Laruen's face, the Ellanese walked leisurely towards the cave. Laruen and Karth hurriedly followed him. Once they arrived inside, Laruen realized how high the ceiling of the cave was, perhaps ten meters above his head. The entire roof of the cave curved like a giant dome. The size of the cave that was too large resulted in the waves echoing. Apparently that was the source of the roar that Laruen had heard.