For the first time since I began carrying the two swords in my hands, I felt absolute despair. This was far beyond our abilities—a beast no human would ever dare to fight without magic.

Only when a little bluebird flew by my shoulder did I remember we had one of the most powerful spellcasters in the world onboard with us. The tiny bird began to shine an intense deep blue color, getting brighter by the second.

On closer inspection, I realized that not only was the bird was shining brighter, but it was also becoming larger. In a matter of seconds, the bird outshined the big yellow orb that Archon Gideon had cast to illuminate our surroundings and was now flying high above the ship.

The intensity of the light was so immense that we could hardly look at it. It was now the size of the kraken before us and as bright as a blue sun. The colossal bird flapped its wings once, and the force was enough to push the kraken back before it was able to attack us.

The waves caused by this attack were as big as hills and had it not been for the archon casting a spell to keep us all stuck to the ship's deck, we would likely have been lost to the sea. We were witnessing a battle of titans, and if we were not aided by magic, we would not even have been able to stand by and watch.

The kraken shifted its attention to the new threat and lashed at it with two of its thousand-stretches-long tentacles. The bluebird, however, was unbelievably agile considering its size.

It deftly avoided the attack and lunged at the sea monster's eyes. The moment the bird's talons touched the shining black of the kraken's eyes, a gigantic lightning strike spread through their surface, all the way through its body, lighting up a good part of the sea around it before it faded.

The kraken let out a horrifying gurgled roar, unlike anything I had ever heard before. The bluebird seemed to be hesitant to release the sea behemoth from its talons, but as soon as it did, the kraken immediately pushed itself back, creating what looked like a blueish-white tidal wave.

Before our vessel was clear of the large wave it sent our way, the kraken had almost completely resubmerged itself in the sea. Hopefully for a long time.

Seeing this, the bluebird flew back toward our ship, becoming smaller and smaller as it approached, until it was back to its original size. It flew by my left ear and playfully landed on the shoulder of Archon Gideon.

The crew shouted in excitement over their victory against the legendary sea menace. Many people had heard stories of the kraken, but only a handful had seen it and lived to tell the tale. As soon as Archon Gideon released the spell that bound us to the vessel's deck, Seika ran toward me.

"Adel, have you used those wings before?" she asked. "Did Myriam ever mention that spell?"

"No, she didn't," I said, puzzled that she would come to me with this question so soon after we had all almost died. "I guess it's some kind of complex dynamic spell, and the stories I feed it with can be used to cast a whole array of spells, depending on what's needed."

"I've never seen such a versatile piece of equipment," Seika said, and moved behind me. "How it decides when a spell is needed is a complete mystery. Can I have a look at it?"

"Of course," I replied, though she was already helping me unstrap it.

"I think we're in the clear now," she continued, as she got the shield in her hands. "I'm going to go downstairs and test a few things."

And with that, she rushed away.

"The kraken shouldn't try anything for a long while," the archon said as he approached us. "You all fought well."

"We fought well?" Kard said, surprised. "If it wasn't for your little bird, we would have been kraken dinner by now."

"More like kraken snack," Man remarked.

"There are powers which are too old and large for most mortals to cope with," the archon replied, and gave his bird a little stroke with his finger. "Nothing a paragon cannot handle, however."

"Thank you for your help," Man said earnestly, looking at the bird, which tilted its head at him.

Immediately after, the little bird flew away and started making circles above us, probably scouting the sea for any more surprises.

"Do you think that beast came for Adel?" Krysha asked the archon.

"It is possible that the boy named Kai has enlisted some ancient beasts to his cause," the archon replied, "but krakens are predators acting on instinct. They do not have the mental capacity to follow orders."

"Krakens?" Kard said, an expression of horror painted on his face. "You mean there's more than one of them?"

"The beast has rarely surfaced to attack vessels," Man remarked, completely ignoring Kard's question. "It was mostly part of old sailors' tales. It can't be a coincidence that we stumbled upon it now."

"What you are saying holds truth, Prince Manal Im," the archon replied. "When beasts of this magnitude make an appearance, it is because something yet greater is stirring and pushing them to the surface."

"What could possibly be greater than this?" asked one of the sailors who was listening to our conversation.

"There's no way something larger than the kraken—" Krysha began, but she was interrupted by the wooden door leading to the lower decks being flung open with force.

"Adel!" Seika shouted at me, tears in her eyes as she ran toward me.

"What happened?" I asked, immediately worried by her expression.

"You won't believe it," she said, placing my shield in front of her.

She cast an 8-word incantation, and a purple aura enveloped the shield.

The blue topaz in its center shined brightly.

"What's—" I tried to say, but was immediately muted by what I heard.

"At last, I can talk to you again, Adel."

The voice I yearned to hear again, said my name. And it came from the shield.

Myriam's voice.