Chapter 588: Adrift at Sea
Strax panted heavily. Each breath felt like a burn from within, as if he had swallowed burning coals. His wings throbbed, the membranes torn from the collision with the tentacles still dripping with blood, dripping in drops that mixed with the salt of the ocean. He knew he couldn’t sustain this form for long. Every second as a dragon drained his energy reserves, and there was nothing left to face here—only the liquid darkness that churned around him, as if mocking him.
With a suppressed growl, Strax closed his eyes and let the transformation fade. His scales disappeared in rapid waves, his massive body shrinking into his human form. But he didn’t completely abandon the beast. He still kept his wings, even if they were damaged. They were his only anchor, his only way to stay above water without being devoured by the hostile sea. The membranes hung in tatters, torn, but they were enough to support him, like patched sails on a doomed ship.
He floated for a few moments, his arms heavy, feeling his body being pulled by the current. The silence that remained after the battle was unsettling. No roar from the creature, no rumble of thunder. Only the endless sound of the waves and his own heart pounding too hard.
Strax knew he couldn’t stay still. He needed to find the others. Scarlet. Beatrice. Cassandra. Samira. Bellatrix. Tiamat. Scathach. And all the others. Each name weighed like a hot iron in his mind. Each face flashed before his eyes, memories so vivid they hurt more than his wounds.
He clenched his fists. “No… I can’t lose you…”
It was then that he expanded his demonic energy. The power flowed outward like an invisible wave, sweeping across the ocean in all directions. Strax felt every vibration return: the schools of fish moving away, the small sea creatures panicking, even distant echoes of the currents. He searched… searched desperately for any sign of them.
But nothing came. No familiar echo, no flicker of energy from the wives, nothing to betray their presence. Only the crushing emptiness, the suffocating weight of loneliness amidst endless miles of water.
“Damn it…” he growled, tasting blood in his mouth.
He tried again. And again. He extended his reach, drawing strength from reserves that should have been being conserved. But the ocean returned only silence. The emptiness was so absolute that, for a moment, Strax feared the storm had swept them all away… or worse.
His wings trembled. He realized he couldn’t sustain the energy for long. If he continued like this, he would be lost before he even found any of them. He let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes.
He was alone.
Adrift.
Strax took a deep breath, smelling the salt and blood mingled in the air. His body trembled, not from fear, but from exhaustion. Every muscle ached as if on fire, and the mental exhaustion was even worse. Still, he didn’t give in. He couldn’t give in.
He lifted his face, staring at the horizon. Everything was the same: sea and sky. No land, no fixed point, no reference point. Just endless emptiness. He could fly, but his wings wouldn’t carry him far in this state. The wind cut into his open wounds, each beat seeming to tear the membranes further.
Still, he began to beat slowly. One movement after another. It didn’t matter the direction. He had to try.
As he flew low, barely skimming the surface, his mind lost itself in thought. He wondered where Scarlet was. She, so ironic, would probably be complaining even in the midst of the storm. Beatrice… cold and logical, perhaps she had already thought of some survival plan. Cassandra… her sweetness would be a balm amidst the chaos, but Strax feared what might have happened.
And Samira. And Bellatrix. And Tiamat. And Scathach…
Each name was a weight, a cruel reminder that fate could snatch them from him at any moment.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and memories flooded him. Cassandra’s laughter at dusk. Scarlet’s steady gaze. The way Beatrice held a book even in the most absurd situations. The training sessions with Scathach, the silent conversations with Tiamat. Samira, always with that smile that could break down any barrier. Bellatrix, with her intense presence, dominating any space she entered.
Strax felt his chest tighten. He couldn’t imagine losing any of them. He couldn’t accept it.
“I will find you…” he murmured to the wind. “Even if I have to cross this entire ocean alone.”
He continued, each wingbeat a superhuman effort. Blood flowed, but he didn’t stop. Sometimes he would dive into the water to cool his body, but he would soon take flight again, staying above the surface, always alert for any sign.
Hours passed—or perhaps just minutes. Time seemed distorted in that endless sea. Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm him, but each time his wings faltered, Strax remembered the faces he needed to find.
At one point, he closed his eyes and expanded the demonic energy again, even though he knew it would be painful. The pulse traveled for miles around, and again, only silence returned. None of the familiar presences responded.
A roar caught in his throat almost escaped. But he held it back. He couldn’t lose control.
The ocean didn’t respond. But he would continue.
He knew he couldn’t give up. Even if hope was slim, even if the loneliness was overwhelming, Strax carried within him a silent oath: to protect those who chose to be by his side.
And even if he had to bleed to the last drop, he would find them.
Strax sighed, feeling the weight on his shoulders. His body begged for rest, begged for surrender, but his spirit burned even brighter. He looked to the horizon and, unsure of where he was going, continued to beat his wings, growing weaker and weaker, but steady enough to maintain flight.
“Wait for me…” he murmured, his voice nearly swallowed by the wind. “I will find you.”
The sun was beginning to rise on the horizon, tinging the sea with golden hues. The reflected light made the ocean seem like an endless field of liquid fire. It was beautiful, yet cruel. A reminder that the world could be too vast for one man alone.
And yet, Strax continued.
Adrift, yet alive. Wounded, yet determined.
Each wingbeat was a challenge to his own destiny.
And as he breathed deeply, feeling the salt corrode his wounds, he knew one thing: this was not the end. Only the beginning.
He didn’t have all the answers, he didn’t have solid ground, he didn’t have signs. But he had determination. And for now, that was what kept him aloft.
Strax lifted his face, staring at the sky.
And, even alone in the void, he continued to search.