“Captain Gilmore.” Snow burst into the central control room. She strutted in with confidence and stared at him with a fierce gaze.

Captain Gilmore froze, looking at Snow. His face turned white, confused on what was going on.

“Where is Larsen?” Captain Gilmore asked slowly, trying to figure out what was going on.

Snow snorted, crossing her hand. “Dead.”

She was glad that Larsen was gone, did he deserve to die as a person? No, but the cause of his actions had ended his life. The only thing she could control was her own actions.

Larsen's weight lifted a bit of pressure on her shoulder, but Captain Gilmore was a different story. She hardened her heart, knowing full well that he was the one who still gave out the actions to put her inside the tube to fuel the ship. She was grateful for the chance to continue to grow, thriving in extreme circumstances and becoming stronger than before, but she despised him for limiting her choice. What bothered her was the threat behind it by Larsen and the

Captain Gilmore for allowing it.

“What do you mean, dead?”

“Exactly what I meant. He’s dead.”

“How?” Captain gripped his chair, leaning forward as if he wanted to get closer, even though there was a cold barrier between the two. Any further, Captain Gilmore would have fallen off his seat.

“He tried to kill me, and in return, retribution was served,” said Snow. “With that being said, I came to warn you that if you try to kill me or threaten me again, you will regret it.”

Captain Gilmore snorted, not believing her.

“You don’t believe me?”

“You are just a battery pack for this ship. What can a battery do?”

Snow stood up straight, raising her head. A smile crept on her lips, becoming wider and wider as she gracefully spoke. Shifting from one leg to another, she crossed her fingers together in front of her in a lady-like manner.

With a sudden pull of magic, she pulled in as much magical power around her as she felt her it lingering in the very ship. It didn’t take much for her to pull the rest inside the ship to follow her will.

A powerful jerk pulled the ship to the side, throwing most people onto their knees or falling out of their chair. The ship thruster engaged in full power, launching the ship forward even faster than before.

“What?!” Captain Gilmore was flabbergasted in what was happening. “Why is the ship going out of control? Someone give me a status?”

“Captain! The ship’s A.I is not responding, someone has taken full control!”

Captain Gilmore snapped towards Snow, “Are you doing this?”

Snow stood in place, she smiled without answering.

Captain Gilmore slammed his fist, his face was turning red. “Why are you doing this?!”

“Why not?”

“Because this is my ship!”

Snow snorted, breaking out into laughter. She threw back her head, almost crying from laughing too hard. Captain Gilmore was unable to say anything, looking at her as if she was crazy.

Eventually, Snow stopped, pushing back her white hair. She took a deep breath, giving him a brilliant smile that seemed to bring chills to everyone who saw her. “This is my ship now.”

“You can’t do this.”

“Yes, I can.” Snow turned around, leaving behind Captain Gilmore, who was screaming in anger. He got up to chase her down, but before he could get to her, the door slammed in his face, locking him inside the room.

Snow didn’t glance back once. Her hand releasing and gripping by her side, becoming a bit shaky. She reached over to calm her hand and continued walking without looking back.

“I’m going to go raid some drinks and some food.” Mike responded, “I’ll see you guys at the main deck, and we can throw a party?”

“Sure,” Dairen said, “I’ll go round up the team.”

Both Dairen and Mike split ways, leaving Snow alone. She had steadily walked through the winding corridors without much of a purpose. Walking to clear her mind and even trying to figure out what she should do in the next few days.

Eventually, her feet took her to the main deck, where she saw a handful of Players, running around setting up. They waved at her and even excitedly shook her hands, but didn’t stay long.

Snow found herself a seat, next to the wide window. It was divided away from the main room, keeping herself separate from the others.

Staring out into the very dark sky, she could barely see anything but the stars because of the blaring light. With a wave of her hand, the magical energy lowered the brightness, allowing her to see a bit better out in the endless darkness that kept her company.

She didn’t mind the silence of her mind, just spacing out into nothingness as she lived in the moment. There were too many things to think about and too little things of importance that crossed her mind like a wave that crashed into her brain endlessly.

A battle that she had to deal with every step of the way. The battle of the mind was fiercer than the physical battles that she had to go through. Every step, every path, and choices she took, the monsters in her mind didn’t want to let her go. It raised its whips, its daggers, and claws, fighting her to the brink of pain, and other times the subtle messages of the darkness steered her without realizing it.

It wasn’t that she was neglecting her duty, it was more so that she was cleansing her mind from all the build-up of stress that could kill her any moment than the physical dangers of the living world. As it was a silent killer that crept up.

She believed that her physical body needed to be tempered continuously, getting stronger and stronger. But she also worked on her mental mindset as it was just as important as her physical self. The more negative and destructive it became, it became harder for her to control the fickleness of the light and dive easier into the darkness of her own self-hatred and loathing cycle.

But that was not all, she knew that the connection with her divine was just as important as it fueled her powers as it was not just her own. The ability to connect with the world was deep; her mind, body, and spirit were in an endless peace of beginning while she was meditating in her seat.

At first, it took a while to drone out the sound that rattled her mind and body. Intrusive thoughts that wouldn’t let her go and became loud blaring trumpets of emotional unrest that would not leave her alone. She had to detach herself, allowing her to grasp her raging inferno of a mind that wouldn’t listen to her.

She floated in the present, living in the moment as she felt peace in herself.

Suddenly, someone came running in loudly.

“Snow!” Angie shouted; she stopped in front of her. Looking at her with a doe-eyed expression that seems to scream-- pet me.

Snow frowned, opening her eyes slowly to see Angie jumping up and down. With a grab of her hand, Angie pulled her out of her temporary daze.

Angie hurriedly said, “Come on.”

They left the division, entering into a dark room.

Out of nowhere, the lights turned on bright. While popping the sound of confetti’s and yells of congratulations, echoing all around her.

“Welcome, Snow to Gold Phoenix!” The Players cheered, waving their hands. Many clapped, ushering her over towards the center.

“Um, what?” Snow was confused. She thought they were going to have a party, not a welcoming party.

“We just wanted to welcome you in, have a birthday party at the same time,” said Mike coyly. He had on a party hat with a plate full of food—almost half pushing the food into her hands when he came over to hug her.

Snow raised up the plate, trying not to get it spilled all over her dress. She was squeezed by Mike. He leaned over to give her a light peck on her cheek while smiling wildly with pride at the new addition to the team.

“A toast to a new member!” Mike raised up his drink. “And Happy Birthday, Snow!”

Everyone raised up there, shouting in unison. “To Snow.”

The hustle and bustling of magic swirled around her, lighting up the place with a glow of light magic. She felt a warm tingle of their kind gesture and welcoming that a slight tear slipped down her face.

“Thanks, guys.” Snow raised her glass, taking a deep drink. The bittersweetness of the drink, rushed down her throat, becoming a warmth that spread throughout her body.

It has been a while since she had drunk something this sweet. The last time she drank was the night at the club, and after that, she didn’t have time to take on a few pleasures.

The hustle and bustle of her guildmates surrounded her: many congratulating her, while quite a few squealed for an autograph.

She was swept away by the cheerful mood that her guildmates had given her, making it quite a memorable night. Her mind was slightly foggy, but she didn’t mind. In all honesty, she loved it.

Partying in the dungeon was a strange event, but it was an unforgettable memory.

A genuine smile slipped on her lips, radiating the energy of light glowed around her, giving her a soft angelic look.