Chapter 66 – Guilt

Talia sat cross-legged on her bed in the small, sparsely furnished room she had been assigned in Placid City.

Her father’s journal lay open before her.

Its pages were yellow and, well, consumed, as one might have expected from a twenty-something year old journal. 

The general dampness of the Great Archipelago also didn’t help. 

Weak sunlight filtered through the grimy window of her room, making her mood sourer than it already was. 

She looked at a shadow on the floor, at the particles of dust dancing in the air, and felt a retching sensation crawling up her throat. 

Things were going poorly, to say the least.

She had hoped to get something from the pages laid out in front of her, something that could help with this damning predicament, but nothing had come from it. 

Talia's brow furrowed in concentration as she ran her fingers over the journal. 

She had thought that by exposing her wrist marks for longer to the text, she might be able to decipher more of its contents. 

However, even with her strange birthmarks hovering just above the paper, the words remained stubbornly indecipherable.

They trembled, they vibrated, and most of it was still impossible to read. 

She could make out barely a few scattered words here and there behind the love letters that her father had seemingly written to her mother. 

No more than that. 

"Come on," she muttered, frustration evident in her voice. "There has to be something here."

She knew that understanding more about Dark Water could be crucial, especially given the mentions of a Dark Water Well by both Lilinoe and her mother in the vision from the Darkstorm Sphere. 

With the growing sense that something big was about to happen in Placid City, any information could be vital.

Any power, especially Dark Water, that she could reach for, could make the difference. 

Talia flipped through the pages, her eyes scanning for any hint of legibility. 

As she did so, a loose sheet of paper slipped from between the journal's pages, fluttering to the floor. 

Curious, she leaned down to retrieve it, her fingers closing around the fragile parchment.

As she unfolded the paper, her eyes widened in surprise.

Most of the love letters contained in the journal were a little faded and somewhat incoherent, as if they had been scribbled down in haste.

This one, though, seemed to be genuine, not just a cover for whatever hid behind the pages. 

"My dearest Yalena," Talia read aloud, her voice barely above a whisper.

She hesitated for a moment, feeling a twinge of guilt at reading something so personal. 

But the opportunity to learn more about her parents was too tempting to resist. 

Taking a deep breath, she continued reading.

"My dearest Yalena,

Sometimes I think about the lighting I used to see every day at home.

I feel like you were the greatest thunderbolt of my life.

In the way lighting splits the darkness in the sky and tears the gloomy nights apart, my love for you has split the twilight of my heart.

I wish our days together would never end.

I am ready to follow you anywhere,

Forever yours, M.”

Talia lowered the letter with conflicting emotions. 

The words were undeniably sweet, filled with a depth of feeling that she had never associated with her parents’ relationship for some reason.

Perhaps… because she had never really thought of them? 

Well, never really… met them.

Yes, she had met her father and sort of seen her mother in weird, time-stopped visions. 

But she had never seen them sip a tea or have a chat about the latest bounty from the fishing boats, whether they’d have to eat more fruits or whether it hadn’t rained much lately. 

She had never heard of them or from them in a normal context .

"He really loved her," Talia murmured, a note of wonder in her voice. “Maybe I should get in touch with him—maybe he would help me out with Dark Water.”

Considering how dire the situation was growing, day after day, it wasn’t a crazy thought to just try and get in touch with her father, too. 

He was a big deal, apparently. 

Maybe I can send a message to Mano? 

Would it even reach Dad in time?

And how would I send the message to Mano anyway?

It’s not like Mayor Boro’s office has a line to the Market, do they? 

She trailed off, her gaze drifting to the window.

The view outside was still gray and dreary, a stark contrast to the imagery in her father’s letter. 

With a sigh, she carefully folded the letter and slipped it back into the journal. 

As touching as the words were, they didn't provide the information she desperately needed. 

The mysteries surrounding Dark Water and the Well remained frustratingly out of reach.

What did they need the Dark Water Well for anyway? Talia mused. What was Mom up to? 

Talia's hand unconsciously moved to her glaive, which leaned against the bed within easy reach. 

The memory of her recent battle with the Slashing Crusters and the awakening of her new skill, [Ravenous Wounds], sent a shiver down her spine.

The power she had felt in that moment had been also terrifying. 

The hunger that had coursed through her, the overwhelming desire to drain the life force from everything around her... it was a feeling that had horrified her.

"What if I lose control?" she whispered to the empty room. "What if this power turns me into something I'm not? Something... monstrous?"

It had been a while since she had last had these thoughts.

Back on Solara, they had been regular companions—perhaps because everyone else shared them.

But now, even with Keanu telling her that it was fine, that she had simply momentarily lost control, even with Nami and Lilo always complimenting her envying her Skills, she couldn’t help but feel like the monster everyone on Solara had made her to be.

What kind of Skill was that? 

Talia knew, at least on an intellectual level, that Skills couldn’t be evil. 

[Ravenous Wounds], the Star Glaive’s Skill she had unlocked after pouring the ocean of vitality from her body into the Star Glaive clearly looked powerful, but what really scared her about it was how it had influenced her thoughts.

She had felt genuine hunger, a genuine need to consume Keanu, to take his blood.

Maybe everyone’s wrong. 

Maybe there are Skills that are inherently evil. 

How could it not be evil to consume lives just like that? 

How many criminals and monsters would I be able to consume before my appetite would turn toward my friends? 

What would they say when, after losing my mind, I would attack them, trying to consume them? 

Talia didn’t know. 

But she really didn’t want to turn into the monster she was afraid hid under her skin. 

However, something was undeniable. 

For all she was afraid of turning into the Kraken’s spawn, as they had treated her back on Solara, [Ravenous Wounds] was posed to be a very powerful tool in her arsenal if she ever mastered it without falling to its hunger. 

It almost got Keanu out and he only had a small cut… 

Maybe she would have to go hunting alone, to go seek monsters by herself to test it out where she could just unleash the terrible Skill without worrying about hurting her friends. 

She gave one last look to the journal. 

"What am I missing here?" Talia muttered, frustration creeping into her voice once more. "There has to be something to unlock this."

But no matter how hard she searched, the journal remained stubbornly uncooperative. 

After what felt like hours of fruitless examination, Talia finally closed the book with a defeated sigh. 

***

Meanwhile, in another part of Placid City, Takai trudged along the sandy shoreline with his shoulders slumped and his gaze fixed on the ground. 

The rhythmic crash of waves against the beach did little to soothe his mind.

He had just emerged from one of the rotations in the Placid Cave, and while he had managed to hold his own against the Torpedo Snappers, he couldn't shake the feeling of inadequacy that clung to him like a second skin.

Lilinoe's words echoed in his mind, a constant, taunting motive.

"Weak... unworthy... a disappointment."

His own sister, not much older than him, if at all, had disposed of him as if he had been nothing. 

He had started thinking that maybe he was on a new path, especially after talking to Principal Kaimana, but now… 

Takai kicked at a small pebble, watching it skitter across the sand before being swallowed by an incoming wave. 

"Maybe she's right," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the sound of the sea. "Maybe I am weak. Maybe that's why Dad left."

The thought of his father, the infamous Sword Demon, brought a fresh wave of confusion and pain. 

Takai had spent years imagining what it would be like to meet his father.

Somewhat foolishly, even though he knew that his father was a criminal, he had always wanted to prove himself worthy of the man's legacy.

Sure, the Sword Demon was feared, but with that fear also came reverence. 

His sword skills, after all, were legendary.

Even Elder Krakatoa mentioned his father’s incredible swordsmanship.

Takai knew he himself wasn’t anything special, but he had hoped he would have been able to somehow do something that would have given his father a reason to at least talk to him.

But now, faced with Lilinoe's scathing assessment, those dreams felt childish and naive.

Takai's hand moved unconsciously to his chest, where he could feel the faint pulse of the Heavenly Heart Rending Technique if he paid attention to it. 

It was the technique Principal Kaimana had tested him for.

Yet, right when he had thought he would have gained something to make him worth of his father’s name, all his hopes had been washed away like writing in the sand of a stormy beach. 

He should have never even hoped for it.

Maybe, he should have never left Solara.

He probably wouldn’t have left if it hadn’t been for Talia. 

"A technique that all it requires is a good heart," Takai said bitterly, kicking at the sand. "And I can't even use that. What does that say about me?"

He thought back to his performance in the Placid Cave. 

While he had managed to defeat several Torpedo Snappers, he couldn't help but think about someone like Lilo.

Lilo had inherited a Soul Weapon, White Rose.

She was the heir of the Moana Family.

And not just the heir—she was the Chosen, the Promised Slayer. 

He had felt such a power behind the girl’s attack during Elder Krakatoa’s class that he knew for sure that if they had ever met in a real fight, he would have been crushed and humiliated.

Just like with Lilinoe.

Maybe his sister could have faced someone of Lilo’s level—not certainly him. 

Lilo had destroyed his sword by accident.

That was the difference between them.

The Chosen of the Moana Family was part of a category of people destined to be heroes.

Him? 

Takai smiled bitterly.

He was destined to be so weak that his own father didn’t even want to acknowledge his existence.

"What would you think of me now, Dad?" Takai asked at the empty beach, his voice cracking slightly. "Would you be disappointed? Is that why you left Mom and me behind?"

The lack of response from the uncaring Deep only deepened Takai's melancholy. 

He had felt strong when, aboard Professor Iakopo’s ship, he had used [Silver Mist]. 

He had felt like he was on his father’s tracks, and that he could do better—at least in the good deeds department.

Something that the Heavenly Heart Rending Technique had disproved.

So, with shame washing over him, he continued his solitary walk along the shore. 

As he walked, Takai's thoughts turned to Lilinoe’s talent with [Silver Mist]. 

Lilinoe, his half-sister, the daughter his father had chosen to train. 

The stark contrast between them was a pain to acknowledge.

"She's everything I'm not," Takai murmured, his fists clenching at his sides. "Strong, talented, worthy of Dad's attention."

Professor Iakopo had allowed him to see her after Takai had told him who she was. 

But Takai wasn’t sure that had been a great choice.

Their meeting kept weighing on her mind. 

Takai's steps slowed as he approached a large piece of driftwood half-buried in the sand. 

He sank down onto it, his body suddenly feeling heavy and tired. 

The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky orange and pink.

"I don't know what to do," Takai admitted to the empty air, his voice small and lost.

Never so much in his life he had felt the need to be loved by a parent he had never met before.

***

A Few Days Later

As night fell over Placid City, a tense scene unfolded in the town square. 

A crowd had gathered, angry and somewhat fearful. 

No one could believe what was being said. 

At the center of it all stood Professor Iakopo.

He wasn’t acting high and mighty like usual.

He was… 

Indignant. 

Two Water Riders from the Academy dressed in crisp uniforms and wearing grim expressions on their faces, flanked the man. 

One held a pair of mana-absorbing cuffs that glowed in the night.

"This is ridiculous," Iakopo growled, his voice carrying across the square. "I demand to know the meaning of this!"

The taller of the two Water Riders stepped forward, his voice calm but firm. 

"Professor Iakopo, you are under arrest on suspicion of endangering students, collaborating with Cultists, and gross negligence in your duties as a Water Rider."

A collective gasp rose from the crowd. 

Students who respected and feared Iakopo looked at him in shock.

The locals whispered among themselves.

Some of them looked happy, for some reason.

Others just shook their head, not knowing what to make of this. 

Professor Iakopo's own face contorted with rage. 

"This is absurd! I have protected these people and these useless students! I have trained more good Water Riders than anyone at the Academy! And now, those with shoddy standards, you two pesky nobles want to cuff me?!”

“There’s evidence, Professor. If you’re innocent, we’ll find out soon. But we need to restrain you. It’s protocol.”

“I have killed hundreds of Cultists,” Iakopo said, beside himself. “Why would I ever ally with them?!”

The second Water Rider moved to place the cuffs on Iakopo's wrists. 

"Please don't resist, Professor. We have orders to bring you in for questioning. If these accusations are false, you'll have the opportunity to clear your name. Again, this is just protocol."

For a moment, it seemed as though Iakopo might lash out. 

The air around him shimmered with barely contained energy, and several onlookers took involuntary steps backward. 

But then, as quickly as it had come, the fight seemed to drain out of him.

"Fine," he spat, holding out his wrists. "But know this - you are making a grave mistake. While you waste time with these false accusations, there’s a real danger threatening Placid City."

Then, the Mana cuffs clicked into place, sealing away the Professor's access to his magic.