The old man pressed his massive hand firmly against the fish's slick body, pinning it down with practiced ease. The creature still flailed weakly, its enormous tail slapping the wood with dull, wet thuds. But Yograj wasn't restraining it out of strength alone. His old face grew strangely calm, his eyelids lowering as though he were preparing for something far deeper than simply holding down prey.

And then something unnatural happened.

The marlin's body jerked violently as though pierced by invisible needles. A ripple passed through its flesh, its muscles twitching in a wave that traveled from its tail to its head. Its sword-like bill quivered, and then, horrifyingly, the fish convulsed like it had been struck by lightning.

From under Yograj's palm, a strange movement began subtle at first, then undeniably wrong. It was like watching liquid being drawn through an invisible tube. The flesh beneath his hand seemed to sink, tighten, compress unnaturally as though something vital was being pulled out of it. His palm darkened faintly, as if veins of shadow spread upward into his arm.

It was like the sucking pull of a mosquito, but far more grotesque, more deliberate.

The marlin's bulging eyes rolled violently before turning stark white, its gills flaring desperately one final time. Its chest sank inward as though collapsing. Its thrashing ended in an instant, its body stiffening unnaturally before falling limp.

Dead.

Just like that.

The silence that followed was heavy. Only the ocean's endless rhythm filled the void, lapping quietly against the ship's hull as though mocking the unnatural death that had just occurred.

Levy and Maria exchanged a sharp look, their expressions almost mirroring one another's disbelief. Neither of them had seen anything like that before. There had been no cut, no wound, no broken scales. The fish's body was perfectly intact, untouched yet its life had been snuffed out.

Maria's brows furrowed hard, her lips parting slightly, but no words left her mouth. She could only stare at the old man's palm, then at the lifeless marlin, as her thoughts ran in circles. He sucked something out of it… I saw it. But how?

Levy's green eyes narrowed, his chest rising slowly as though he were holding back words of his own.

Aurora, however, wasn't as easily shaken. She tilted her head, her sharp pink eyes narrowing faintly as she studied her father. She watched carefully, searching for the faintest trace of what he'd just done. Her gaze flicked to his chest as his posture straightened, the way his breathing shifted, steadier, fuller, as though he'd drawn something new into himself.

"So…" A plain voice broke the silence. Razeal stepped forward, his eyes calm but watchful, his tone carrying a hidden meaning. "Is this the ability you received?"

There was no awe in his voice, no disgust. Only quiet curiosity though beneath it, a sharper intent lay buried. He wanted to know.

Well.. Even though he was very sure of what Yograj's ability actually is, he still wanted to make sure. After all, who knew if there was more to his power than what the plot or the novel had revealed? Why rely only on that, when he could hear it directly from the old man's mouth?

Yograj turned his head toward the boy, one brow quirking slightly at the question. "You knew about the divine boon," he said slowly, "so I thought you'd already be aware of my this ability too?"

He straightened fully, pulling his hand away from the marlin's body. He inhaled deeply, and it was as if his lungs had doubled in capacity, his chest rising broader, fuller. His face even seemed lighter, as though something new had bled into him.

Razeal's gaze didn't waver. He glanced briefly at the fish again.. still whole, unwounded before returning his eyes to Yograj. "I've heard about the divine boon," he said, his voice calm, but each word chosen carefully, "and about your ancestors. But I definitely don't know what each of your abilities are."

His tone was pointed, quiet but sharp. A test.

Yograj's eyes narrowed, suspicion flickering across his weathered face. "How much do you know, boy?" His voice dropped lower, serious now, his earlier dramatic tone vanished.

Levy glanced between them with furrowed brows, confused by the shift in weight between their words. Maria's frown deepened further, and she crossed her arms, frustration lingering from earlier but now tangled with growing confusion.

Aurora, however, didn't blink. Her gaze sharpened, locking fully on Razeal as though his words were just as shocking to her as to her father. He knows about this? She wondered not able to make sense why would someone out there bloodline knows about this?

Razeal exhaled slowly, his lips twitching faintly as though mocking the secrecy. Then he said it plain, unflinching, as though he were simply reciting a dull stuff.

"That one of your ancestors in ancient times did something that made Vareth.. the Creation Godbhappy. Happy enough to ask what he wanted as a reward."

Levy and Maria's head whipped toward Razeal, eyes wide in confusion. Even Aurora's gaze darkened, her brows knitting tightly as her lips pressed together. He knows too much. She thought.

And Razeal continued, his calm voice cutting through their silence.

"Which led to him asking for the perfect ability for himself." His eyes narrowed slightly, catching the flicker of tension in Yograj's stance. "And immortality."

The words hit like a hammer.

Maria blinked rapidly, shaking her head slightly as though she hadn't heard right. What… what kind of bullshit.. she said in her head, her voice faltering even in there. But she stopped herself, her eyes darting between Razeal and Yograj, because the old man's face wasn't scoffing or mocking. He wasn't laughing. He was watching Razeal in heavy silence.

Her lips parted again, but no words came. For once, Maria Grave so sharp-tongued, so quick to bite was speechless.

Levy, on the other hand, looked stricken. His green eyes widened faintly, but then something else flickered there something deeper, more unsettling, a light that wasn't mere shock. He clenched his jaw, his fingers twitching at his sides as though his thoughts were running in directions he couldn't voice aloud.

Aurora's gaze stayed locked on Razeal. Unlike the others, her shock didn't spill out visibly. Instead, her expression tightened, a deep seriousness settling over her face. Her lips pressed into a thin line, her pink eyes reflecting only the boy standing before her.

Razeal said nothing further. His face remained calm, unbothered by their reactions, as if he had simply dropped a pebble into a still pond and now watched the ripples spread.

Finally, Yograj exhaled through his nose, his chest rising and falling as though weighing whether to deny or confirm it. Then his lips curved into something like a half-smile.

"Not immortal," he said at last, his tone steady. "Our time is limited, just as yours is. When our thread runs out, it runs out.. Difference is we just know our time. But until then…" He raised his chin slightly, his old eyes gleaming with something sharp. "…we cannot be killed."

Maria went more confused.

Levy's fists clenched tighter, the strange light in his eyes intensifying.

Aurora remained stone-still, but her throat bobbed faintly, betraying the weight of his words.

"And as for ability," Yograj continued, his voice deep and matter of fact now, "you are right. That was the boon. Every child of his bloodline would be born with an ability.. the one most suited to them. Not chosen, not forced, but destined. A perfect fit for who they are."

He glanced at the dead marlin, then flexed his hand once as though to test the energy that now hummed faintly in his veins.

"That was what the ancestor asked for," Yograj said, his eyes flicking back toward Razeal. "And that is what we received."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Maria's lips parted, but she said nothing, her chest rising with uneven breaths as her mind scrambled to piece together what she'd just heard. Levy's jaw worked silently, his face pale beneath his green-eyed stare. Aurora lowered her lashes just slightly, her expression dark.. This old man is revealing there family secret like nothing.. Still she didn't said anything.. Afterall what does it matter.

Just as I thought, Razeal thought, rubbing his chin absently, his gaze steady on the old man. His expression betrayed nothing more than mild curiosity, but inside, a faint spark flickered. The pieces were falling into place exactly as he'd known.

"So…" Maria's voice cut in suddenly, breaking the thick silence that hung on the deck. Her tone cracked between disbelief and outrage, her words tumbling out fast, almost exaggerated. "Wait.. you mean to say… you can't be killed? At all?"

Her face twisted as though the absurdity of her own question left her half convinced she'd lost her mind. Her brows were drawn tight, her lips parting and closing as if she couldn't decide whether to laugh or scream.

Boon? Creation God? Vareth? She had never even heard the name. Not once. And she was from one of the empire's Pillar Families a lineage older and deeper than most. That should've meant knowledge, secrets, traditions passed down. But nothing like this.

She stared at Yograj like a drowning person grasping for something to cling to. Are they lying? They have to be lying. But then her eyes flicked between him and Razeal. Both wore expressions far too calm, too matter of fact, for this to be a bluff. And worse, what reason would they even have to lie?

"I certainly am," Yograj replied without hesitation. His deep, gravelly voice carried none of the showy dramatics he often layered into his words. This time, he was blunt. Cold. Certain. "Why do you think the Empress wasn't able to kill me? Why do you think all she could do was throw me into Eternal Hold?"

He shrugged, as though the words explained everything. As though it were nothing more than common sense.

Maria's jaw fell slack, her lips forming a hollow "ah" before sound failed her completely. His words sank into her chest like stones, dragging her deeper into confusion. Eternal Hold. That's right. He was put there thirty years ago.

Her eyes darted over him the broad shoulders, the thick arms, the vitality radiating from his weathered but unbowed body. He looked… well, he looked healthier than most men half his supposed age. Not frail. Not broken. Certainly not like someone who had spent three decades entombed in a prison said to drain hope itself from its captives.

It clicked. And yet it didn't.

No… no, there could be other reasons. There must be. Eternal Hold was for enemies too dangerous to let free. Maybe… maybe she couldn't risk killing him for political reasons. Or...

But no matter how she twisted the thoughts, none explained the vitality standing before her. And that shrug.. that maddeningly casual shrug pressed into her mind.

Razeal's voice returned, calm, anchoring. "So… what ability do you have?" He nodded faintly, as if already certain of the answer but unwilling to leave it unspoken.

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Guys don't forget powerstones and golden tickets 😭🤧 Don't forget my entire motivation is on that..

Don't be lazzy ya all

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