“Girl?” Noah asked as Roger looked thoughtfully in Louis’s direction.

“I’m not a girl!” Louis cried with panic.

Avery just snorted in amusement while dropping the subject.

“How did you plan to get anywhere in your lifeboat?” Louis asked him.

“That windbag Rupert was a follower of Poseidon.”

“Is that supposed to mean something?”

“It means that he can control water. Sadly he forgot to add that he’s not the priest until we were already off the cruise ship. Theodore was. He hoped that as soon as we left that we’d be his ‘Temple,’ then he could cast Poseidon’s abilities without cost as Theodore could. Instead, we got caught in a current until we arrived here.” Avery looked irritated whenever he spoke of Rupert. It was clear from his attitude that he disliked the man.

“Now that we’ve discovered how abilities are awakened. How do we make the others awaken?” Noah asked.

“I have found that allowing the criminals to act as guards and do as they please with the blanks is the best option, short of torture. They have caused two to begin [Rite of Awakening]. The boy and the man with the broken nose from the revolt. The guard began his awakening after I punished him by removing his hand. Then the boy removed his genitals with his teeth to complete it and unlock his ability.” Roger informed them of the results of his unethical experiments.

“I don’t think we can torture people into awakening,” Noah said.

“It is not effective. People must have the will to fight. If they are sheep that run and hide, it does not matter what we do. They will remain blank.” Roger agreed.

The oarsmen Greg, who was undergoing the [Rite of Awakening], arrived to interrupt their discussion by knocking on the door. The boss motioned for Greg to speak.

“We’ve seen land!”

***

It was now nighttime, the ocean surrounding the damaged fishing vessel was filled by dancing jellyfish with their glowing origin crystals visible in a multitude of lifeforce colours through their transparent flesh. Noah stood alone on deck as he watched the jellyfish with wonder from the safety of the fishing trawler. He successfully activated his [Zero-Space Dimension Ring] to withdraw the five grade two black origin crystals he had stored inside.

There was a flash of light as the five black origin crystals crumbled into dust. The surge of energy allowed Noah’s strength to significantly recover. The crystals didn’t return any vitality to his appearance, they only increased his lifeforce.

What am I becoming? I almost killed that man earlier. He deserved it. I know that he did. I got so much satisfaction from overpowering him. I’ve never felt anything like it. It felt wrong but so, so good. It was a rush that I’ve never felt before, but it felt so… dark.

Noah had his head down, gazing at his hands as he was lost in his thoughts. His filthy bandage had come loose, revealing a white, newly formed scar. He glanced towards the sea illuminated by the floating jellyfish as he removed his dressing. It was then that Noah noticed the reflection on the clear water. His face was no longer young and handsome. It was also no longer the withered old man he had become accustomed to. He now appeared to be a weathered, mature man in his prime. His appearance had become more attractive than it had been after advancing to grade two in many ways.

That was not the only thing Noah saw reflected in the water. He hurriedly looked to the sky to find that a beautiful aurora borealis once again illuminated it. His enhanced senses had recovered with the absorption of the black origin crystals. Noah glanced at his hand, gripping the rail in excitement to find that he could see it clearly. The subtle purple-glow had returned.

As Noah stood lost in wonder, the boss approached. The boss placed a hand on Noah’s shoulder, who jumped at the touch. He was too absorbed at the moment to be aware of his approach until he was at his side.

The boss took notice of his enthusiasm and gave Noah a wide grin as he spoke in Afrikaans. The boss quickly realized that Noah was unable to understand him, so he kept it short. Taking his hand off Noah’s shoulder, the boss reached into his pocket to pull out a folded razor blade decorated with depictions of devil-fish. The boss gestured to Noah’s thick beard to indicate that it was for him.

“Fish… bait…” The boss spoke hesitantly in broken English.

“Did you make this for me? I know the plan was for me to shave my beard as no one will recognize me on the cruise ship, but I didn’t expect you to go to so much effort. Thank you.” Noah became overwhelmed with emotion as he accepted the beautiful gift.

The boss only grinned in response as he grabbed the railing with both hands, turning his attention to the glowing jellyfish surrounding the fishing trawler. The boss then ignored Noah’s presence as he watched the island draw near.

Now that Noah’s enhanced senses had returned, the island was no longer a black smudge on the horizon. It had come to life in a sea of colour. Noah could see the vegetation at this distance. Faint lifeforce pulsed through the foliage as they moved with the breeze in an assortment of colours that he hadn’t noticed before, similar to his muscles when he moved.

What the...? This is the closest I’ve been to land since the advent of the [Trial Phase]. Don’t tell me that even plants are ability-users? How can they even advance grades without actively being able to hunt? How are we supposed to survive if even trees want to kill us?!

Noah was shocked by his potential discovery. That’s when he saw a wave of yellow lifeforce pass over a patch of tall overgrown grass on a cliff. The grass had been disturbed by an unsuspecting bird that had dived to catch prey hidden among the grass. The yellow lifeforce spread through the grass like wildfire. A moment later, the grass literally burst into flames. The bird was engulfed in fire as it attempted to flee upwards with a grass snake clutched in its claws.

The bird was too late. It couldn’t escape the flames that had begun burning its feathers. The bird and its prize disappeared into the sea of fire, which suddenly died as quickly as it had arrived. Not a single blade of grass showed signs of fire as the yellow lifeforce faded away.