The night at sea was mercifully calm.

  No storms.

  No violent winds.

  Only the gentle rhythm of the waves beneath the ship.

  Sai sat quietly, watching Rose as she slept.

  Something was wrong.

  He knew it.

  Ever since that night—since the strange dreams, the fear that once clung to her whenever she tried to sleep—something had changed. For a long time, Rose had avoided rest altogether, terrified of what she might see if she closed her eyes.

  And then, suddenly… she began sleeping normally again.

  She stopped mentioning the dreams.

  As if they had never existed.

  But Sai was not fooled.

  Their mana cores were still connected—linked in a way few could ever understand—and through that bond, he could feel her.

  Rose’s core was active.

  That alone should have been impossible.

  A sleeping body should be still. A dreaming mind might stir, yes—but the mana core should remain calm unless the person moved, fought, or awakened.

  Yet Rose slept peacefully.

  And still, her core burned.

  Not wildly—but steadily. As if she were training. Or worse… fighting.

  A thin sheen of sweat clung to her skin.

  Sai had noticed it before. More than once.

  She’s hiding something from me.

  The realization weighed heavily on his chest.

  All their lives, Rose had told him everything. Every fear. Every doubt. Every secret.

  But now… she was keeping something from him.

  And yesterday’s sparring match with Mardukir only deepened his concern.

  That final strike—

  Sai had been genuinely shaken after speaking with Mardukir about the spar.

  The way he described it—calm, precise, almost detached—left no room for doubt.

  Rose’s spear hadn’t touched him.

  The force had struck first. Controlled. Directed.

  Mana released as a projectile.

  That wasn’t something Rose should have been able to do.

  Not yet.

  The mana had left the weapon—burst forward like a projectile, striking him without physical contact.

  Sir Rainer had never taught her anything like that.

  Sai had watched her train for years. He knew the technique Rainer used. None of them allowed mana to be expelled in such a controlled, external form.

  So where did it come from?

  And when did she learn it?

  Rose…

  What are you hiding from me?

  Rose lay gasping for breath, utterly exhausted.

  Ah… I’m really worn out…

  Hours of training had drained her completely—but the result made it worthwhile.

  She had done it.

  She had finally succeeded in pushing her mana out of the spear—controlling it instead of letting it explode. More than that, she had used it to knock Mardukir to the ground without ever touching him with the wooden shaft.

  She slowly lifted her gaze.

  Above her stretched a dark sky—empty of stars, empty of clouds. Nothing but endless blackness… illuminated by a strange, artificial light that had no clear source.

  This place.

  This strange dream.

  No—

  Not a dream.

  After weeks of careful observation and experimentation, Rose had reached several conclusions.

  First: this place was more than a dream.

  She could summon items from her storage rings here. Leave them behind. Move them freely.

  But once an item existed here, she could not retrieve it back into her storage outside this space—unless she returned here again.

  Second: her presence was incomplete.

  She could still sense Sai’s mana core in the outside world. She knew her physical body remained there as well.

  Yet at the same time, she could feel her own mana core here—active, responsive, feeding energy into her body as if this place were real.

  And injuries suffered here did not reflect on her physical body.

  But any changes made to items—food consumed, tools damaged, objects altered—did carry over.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Which meant…

  This place was real.

  Just not entirely.

  A separate space.

  A partial existence.

  Rose exhaled slowly.

  If that’s true…

  Then could I come here completely?

  The thought sent a shiver through her.

  It made sense. Terrifying sense.

  But she needed proof.

  There were still countless things to test—limits to uncover, rules to understand.

  And if she was going to survive what lay ahead…

  She would need to master this place.

  It’s time to leave.

  Rose said the words quietly as she rose from the small patch of solid ground she had raised above the water. It had been one of her experiments—to see whether changes made in this place would persist after she left.

  To her surprise… it remained.

  The ground was still there.

  That discovery alone sent her thoughts racing. She was already considering trying something more ambitious next—perhaps even creating a golem within this world, just to test the limits of what was possible here.

  She slowly looked around.

  The place felt endless.

  Maybe Uncle Rick would know something about it—but that would have to wait until they met again.

  Focusing on the faint connection to Sai’s mana core, Rose let herself drift back—

  —and woke abruptly.

  Sai was staring at her.

  Surprised.

  Just as she was.

  “Good morning,” Sai said, though the tone of his voice made it clear he hadn’t expected her to wake just then.

  “Good morning,” Rose replied, sitting up. “I’m hungry.”

  Sai blinked.

  “The sun hasn’t even risen yet.”

  Rose glanced around. Most of the caravan workers were still asleep, wrapped in blankets on the deck. Not far away, she could see Zamirah sitting on a crate, calmly keeping watch during the final stretch of her shift.

  Even aboard a ship—where Rose sensed no danger from the sailors at all—Commander Sharruk’s orders were strict. One guard was always assigned to watch over the sleeping workers, another to guard the cabin of Master Karandash and his relative, Narishta.

  At this hour, Kaveh should have been on duty near their cabin.

  Rose knew the routine well—she herself had stood watch before him, enduring six long hours of boredom with nothing happening at all.

  At least, Master Karandash had a habit of bringing her sweets and snacks.

  He seemed like a genuinely good person.

  Rose rose quietly, careful not to wake anyone.

  “I’m going up to the deck,” she whispered to Sai.

  He nodded and followed her.

  They moved easily between the sleeping workers until they reached Zamirah, who glanced at them and said,

  “You’re awake early.”

  “I can’t stop thinking about what the Eastern Continent will be like,” Rose admitted.

  Zamirah smiled.

  “Then you won’t have to wait much longer. We’re almost there.”

  Rose smiled back and headed toward the stairs leading up.

  The air on the upper deck was cold—but clean and refreshing.

  Rose walked to the railing and looked out over the sea. Moonlight shimmered across the surface of the water, and the deck was quiet save for a few sailors on watch.

  It was peaceful.

  She rested her hands on the rail and turned to Sai, who stood beside her.

  “Are you excited?” she asked. “We’re finally starting a real adventure—just like the stories my father and uncle used to tell.”

  Sai smiled softly.

  “The adventure began the moment you stepped onto the ship.”

  Rose considered that, then nodded.

  “You’re right.”

  After a pause, she spoke again—more quietly.

  “I was worried about the people we’d be traveling with. I really didn’t want a repeat of what happened in the cursed forest.”

  Sai noticed it immediately.

  She hadn’t healed from that experience—not completely.

  “How do you feel about them now?” he asked.

  Rose smiled faintly.

  “I feel… comfortable. They all seem like good people. I don’t sense any malice or deception from them.”

  Sai looked out toward the sea.

  “I agree. But still—don’t lower your guard. The Eastern Continent has all kinds of people.”

  “I know,” Rose said. “But you’re with me. That’s why I’m not worried.”

  Sai didn’t reply.

  Then why are you still hiding what happens when you sleep?

  he wondered.

  He didn’t ask.

  Pressing her might only make her uncomfortable—or worse, force her to lie. And that was something he never wanted between them.

  Suddenly, Sai felt it.

  A presence—barely there.

  So faint it was almost like a mirage.

  He turned.

  Rose turned with him.

  Commander Sharruk stood only a few steps away.

  Sharruk was mildly surprised.

  He didn’t show it, of course—but Sai sensing him before he made his presence known was unexpected.

  So the boy isn’t ordinary either, he thought. Not just the girl.

  He continued walking calmly toward the ship’s railing, his gaze drifting toward the faint light of dawn forming at the horizon.

  “Girl,” he said evenly, “may I ask you something?”

  Rose turned to him.

  “I don’t like being called that,” she said plainly. “My name is Rose. I’d prefer you use it.”

  For the first time, Sharruk smiled.

  “My apologies,” he said. “Rose, then. May I ask you a question?”

  “Go ahead.”

  Sharruk studied her for a moment.

  “Have you ever killed someone before?”

  Rose met his gaze without hesitation.

  “Yes.”

  No pause.

  No flinch.

  No shadow crossing her expression.

  As if he had asked whether she had eaten breakfast.

  “When was the first time you took a life?” he continued.

  Rose tilted her head slightly, thinking.

  “I don’t remember exactly. Maybe when I was ten. Or older.”

  Sai spoke quietly beside her.

  “You were nine.”

  Rose blinked.

  “Ah. Right. I forgot about that scoundrel.”

  Sharruk’s brow lifted slightly.

  “Scoundrel?”

  “He tried to kidnap me,” Rose replied casually. “He was weaker than I expected. I struck him in the chest, and he died instantly.”

  She shrugged.

  “I still don’t know why he tried. I’m not a noble. Not from a wealthy family.”

  Sharruk said nothing.

  But inwardly, his thoughts sharpened.

  With a face like yours… you would fetch a fortune in certain markets of the Eastern Continent.

  He had lived over two centuries.

  Never—not once—had he seen eyes like hers.

  Violet.

  Unnatural.

  Beautiful.

  And yet here she stood—so young—speaking of taking lives as though it were nothing.

  He had underestimated her.

  He had assumed she might hesitate when it truly mattered. That she might freeze at the moment of killing—and endanger them all.

  That innocent face… it misled.

  But now?

  Perhaps the greater danger was the opposite.

  Too much killing could create problems just as easily.

  Fortunately, she seemed obedient. She listened well. Mardukir had mentioned she never argued orders, never resisted instruction—and he genuinely enjoyed training with her.

  “Commander ?”

  Rose’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

  “My apologies,” Sharruk said smoothly. “I was just trying to imagine how you killed that scoundrel.”

  It was a lie.

  Rose laughed lightly.

  “Even my master said the same thing. He told me he couldn’t quite picture it either.”

  Sai watched Sharruk carefully.

  He knew.

  The Commander hadn’t asked out of idle curiosity. He had been testing her—trying to see whether she would hesitate to kill.

  Sai understood the concern.

  Most people couldn’t reconcile Rose’s appearance with what she was capable of.

  Sharruk turned his gaze back toward the horizon.

  Sai followed his line of sight.

  Sharruk slowly raised a hand.

  “We’ve arrived,” he said.

  “At the city of Veyrasha.”

  Rose’s eyes widened.

  She climbed onto the railing immediately, squinting into the distance.

  “I don’t see anything—”

  Then she focused.

  Far ahead, piercing the dawn mist—

  A towering column of light rose into the sky.

  “What is that?” Rose breathed.

  Sharruk answered calmly.

  “The Lighthouse of Ur-Dan.”

  He glanced at her.

  “Or in your tongue—The Beacon of the Earth.”

  Rose didn’t wait.

  She sprinted toward the mast and began climbing with startling speed. Sailors barely had time to react before she had already reached the top.

  Rose stood atop the mast, wind whipping through her hair as dawn finally broke across the horizon.

  The sea glowed gold beneath the rising sun.

  And beyond it—

  Veyrasha.

  Its towers rose like spears of stone and light. The great lighthouse of Ur-Dan burned against the morning sky, a pillar of radiance that seemed to pierce the heavens themselves.

  Ships moved like ants beneath it. Smoke curled upward from unseen streets. A city alive.

  A continent waiting.

  Below, sailors shouted. Orders were called. Ropes were pulled tight.

  But Rose heard none of it.

  Her heart pounded.

  Not from fear.

  Not from battle.

  From possibility.

  All the struggles in the cursed forest…

  They had all led here.

  Sai joined her below, watching quietly.

  “This is it,” he said softly.

  Rose smiled—not the reckless grin of a girl chasing adventure—

  But something steadier.

  Something deeper.

  “Yeah,” she said.

  “This is just the beginning.”

  The ship cut through the water toward the Eastern Continent—

  And neither of them yet understood

  that they were sailing into a world far greater than the stories they had grown up hearing.

  A world of wonders and forgotten powers.

  Of hidden cities, ancient truths, and mysteries waiting beneath silent skies.

  A world that would test them—

  change them—

  and reveal just how small they truly were beneath its vast horizon.