Yuriko expected the Chaos Channel to be situated near or even inside a city or town, but the one they emerged from was empty. There didn’t look to be any roads or settlements within easy sight, which she felt was quite strange. Unless nobody lived in this plane.

“Are there any towns or villages here?” she asked one of the sailors nearby, a young man often called by his fellows Lammie.

Lammie scrubbed his close-cropped hair with his fingers, glanced at her face but quickly averted his eyes. “Riwuc’s filled with miners and prospectors. Not much call for cities here.” He shook his head, “If not for the fact that the Ebon Horizon’s protections have to be cycled down, we wouldn’t even visit this forsaken wasteland.” He made to spit over the railings but thought better of it and just grunted.

“How long does it normally take?” Yuriko asked, “The, uh, cycling down?”

“A couple of days, normally.”

“Ah, thank you for answering my questions.”

“No problem.”

Yuriko wandered over towards the deck railings and watched curiously down at the earth. Contrary to Bella plane, the Chaos ship had appeared merely a dozen paces above the ground and was currently drifting slowly towards a distant mountain range. She wasn’t sure if it was north or south though. The sun was up but she had no idea if it was morning or afternoon.

It was warm for the Season of Air, but the temperature varied between the planes. Even as she watched, the Ebon Horizon increased in speed. They didn’t travel for long though, only a couple of hours - ah, it was afternoon from how the sun headed towards the west, which meant they were headed south.

The ship slowed to a halt, then descended into a small valley. It was just enough to conceal the Horizon from casual sight. Once the ship was settled, the sailors put down the ramp and started to construct a temporary camp. Meanwhile, Layla came out of the engine room and beckoned to Yuriko.

“Oi! Come with me!”

Curious, Yuriko headed towards her aunt. She just jumped down from the deck, landing gracefully with slightly bent knees on the hard-packed dirt. Layla was inspecting the hull. She turned to Yuriko upon hearing her footsteps.

“You know how to use Chaos sight, right?” Layla asked, but she continued before Yuriko could answer, “It’s the same pattern as the Davar Enhanced Sight technique, but just mirror and flip it.”

“I know,” Yuriko said.

“Good, good. We could use the help with the inspection. I don’t know how well you can do, but here, mark the wood with this chalk when you see any corroded runescript lines. Even the tiniest bit, mind. That can fail catastrophically if we enter the Chaos Sea with it.”

She tossed a white-coloured writing chalk at her. Layla’s aim was a bit off, it would have flown off to the side but Yuriko easily caught it anyway. Her aunt had already turned to the hull and started her inspection, her eyes glowing purple.

Shrugging to herself, and more than glad for something to do, Yuriko activated her Chaos sight and moved over where the sun could shine down on her. Might as well.

The runescript lines were thin and fine, nearly indecipherable to Yuriko. Each one was thinner than a strand of hair, and she found that she needed to activate both Chaos Sight and Enhanced Sight to see properly. Some signs of corruption were easy to notice. The lines had gaps or smudges. Sometimes the grain of the wood shifted from the Chaos Sea’s influence.

She marked those she could find by drawing a circle around it, though honestly, the thick chalk lines encompassed several layers of runescript patterns, so she wasn’t sure if that really helped. Unlike with reading a book, her head didn’t start to spin after a few minutes. She was actually fine. Huh.

Try using your Anima to check.

‘Oh, you’re back.’

Fine, I’ll go back into my lair.

‘That’s still in my head, you know.’

Heh.

She did what Damien recommended though. When the light of her Anima touched the hull, she could feel the runescript lines more easily. Feel, not see. Weird. It was as if she ran her fingers along grooves. That sense alone wasn’t as clear as using her eyes, but it did allow her to determine gradients more easily. And the corroded areas practically jumped out to her awareness now!

Huh. Some of the ones that felt off to her Anima’s touch looked fine to her Chaos Sight. She marked those down after a bit of hesitation.

It took the rest of the afternoon to cover the remaining side of the hull. Layla and Christoph managed the rest of the hull in the same amount of time, but that was quite understandable. They had far more experience than she did.

As night drew closer, the crew members of the Ebon Horizon gathered around in a circle, with a strong bonfire burning in the middle. It was powered entirely by Animus, with the runescript lines clear and well written. They roasted some meat, from the supplies rather than freshly hunted. Yuriko wasn’t sure if there were any creatures nearby since she didn’t hear anything. No bird cries, no howling canines, or even the wuffling of wild boars.

It was eerily silent save for the howling of the winds and the gritty sand striking the bare cliffsides.

Captain Mitchell passed a bottle of liquor to her officers while the Bosun did the same for her charges. Layla gave Yuriko a small cup filled with the same.

“Tonight is the Celestial Refraction and here’s to another year of fruitful trading and safe harbours.” Captain Mitchell said as she raised a glass.

“To a better year!” they cheered, the sound echoing up the sides of the valley.

“Eh?” Yuriko gasped. She stared up at the skies, noting the Half Moon. “It’s already the Refraction?”

“Yes.” Layla smiled. “It's hard to tell the time while in the Chaos Sea, but the Ebon Horizon’s instruments are sensitive enough to read the time dilation. This journey, time passed slowly for us, while it raced in the planes.”

“But…”

“Haha, it's normal for sailors.” Layla laughed.

“I’m still not used to it,” Riley interjected.

Yuriko nodded. Another year passed. She drank from her cup, then immediately spat it out.

“Hahaha!” The people who were surreptitiously watching her guffawed.

“Urk.” Yuriko spluttered. Whatever it was, it tasted so strongly of liquor that it burned her palate and made her eyes water.

“Tradition.” Captain Mitchell laughed. “New crew members drink to the Ebon Horizon after their first crossing!” She took Yuriko’s cup and poured some of the clear liquid inside. “Come on! You can do it!”

Eyes watering, Yuriko couldn’t help but note the expectant looks. Gritting her teeth, she pinched her nose shut then drank it straight down. It drew a line of fire down her throat and her head felt oddly light.

It only lasted for a few moments though, before her body and Anima neutralised whatever it was she drank. It still left her flushed and sweaty, but no longer lightheaded.

The sailors laughed good-naturedly then proceeded to drink and eat. A few didn’t touch the alcohol and just ate the meat.

Come midnight, the heavens turned dark and they returned to the ship. Yuriko spent the night in her quarters reflecting on the past year. She spent most of it in Kogasi and Bella, fighting for her life. Perhaps it was lucky that she didn’t have to spend the Refraction there.

The entirety of the Refraction, everyone simply lounged about with no work being done except for the bare necessities. Yuriko resolved to grow strong enough to venture back out into the Chaos and go look for her Da. Though hopefully, he and the rest of his team had already made their way back to Rumiga. She could only pray to the Ancestors.

Afterwards, Layla and Cristoph continued the inspection and repairs. It was far too complex for Yuriko to help with, but she watched them anyway while she absorbed Radiant energy.

She continued to pour the Radiant energy towards her heart, though she was already feeling a bit of a resistance when she did so. As if the area wasn’t quite full, but it was getting there. The feeling was similar to putting water inside a sack. There was a point that it could be considered full, but the material could still stretch and take in more water. Too much and it burst.

Now she wondered if there was a point where the Radiant energy could overfill her body.

No. Push as much as you can. That will lead to the best result. If no more can fit, it will just spill out of you.

‘Oh, alright.’

The day after the Refraction, the repairs and maintenance for the Ebon Horizon were complete. The Chaos ship returned to the skies and slowly made its way south. Along the way, Yuriko saw a few settlements, tucked into small valleys and ravines, visible only from the smoke of their cook fires in the early morning.

“What do they do here?” Yuriko asked Layla when her aunt was off her shift. The two of them were having breakfast in the mess hall, late to avoid the crowd.

“Who? The locals? Or rather, the prospectors and miners.” Layla shrugged. “I’m not sure, but it's mostly minerals. Gems, maybe. Iron, I think. There are many deposits here in Riwuc.” Layla took a sip of her tea and stabbed into the buttered roll on her plate. “Nice work on the initial inspection, by the way. You missed a few, but less than I expected.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“I suppose your Heritage lends itself to fine Animus control.” Layla smiled. “That makes your absence at the Academy particularly painful. At this point, you’d be learning the minutia of proper Runescribing and Spellweaving.” Layla sighed. “I’ve not the skill to properly teach.”

Yuriko just shrugged. She wasn’t really that enthusiastic about it. She still preferred fighting with a Plasma Caster…huh. She hasn’t used one in nearly a year. Had her aim suffered?

“Hmm,” Yuriko took a sip of her tea. “Master Alfein never did explain what the difference between Spellweaving and Runescribing was.”

“There’s barely any.” Layla muttered into her tea, “except for the most important thing: Will and Intent.”

“Huh?”

“You should know by now that runescribing is absent of any Intent from the scribe. You create the runescript lines, power it with Animus or ambient Chaos and whatever you’ve written down takes effect. Changes in the line alter the effect, but the scribe's intentions do not.”

“And in Spellweaving it does?”

“Yes.” Layla reached into her pouch and pulled out a familiar cube. It was the one she used to raise the earthen rampart during that battle with the Sorcerer. “This is inscribed with runescript lines that manipulate earth, metal, and stone. If you take a closer look, you’ll find it absent of any direction or control. Instead, since I am the one who created it, it will move according to my Intent when I use it. Other Spellwoven foci already have an Intent included, such that anyone could use it to the weaver’s Intent.”

She put the cube away. “It's that simple, but Spellweaving Is incredibly complex. Especially the ones designed to be used by others. That kind of foci will create effects according to the weaver’s Will with no regard to the current circumstances. Also, little distractions while weaving can have unexpected or disastrous consequences.”

“But it makes it more flexible in some situations,” Yuriko observed.

“Yes.” Layla grinned. “And without plain runescribing’s need for extensive lines and preparations.

Yuriko reached into her satchel and pulled out her alarm stones. “I made these to protect myself while I sleep. I vaguely remembered a bit of the Neophyte Rune Scribe…”

“What?” Layla gasped as she snatched the stone off Yuriko’s hand. She scrutinised every inch of the surface for a few minutes before she returned it. “That’s interesting. You’re more talented than I expected. That’s not pure runescribing. That has elements of Spellweaving already in it.”

“Huh, how?”

“Look here. Your lines are sloppy, and this technically shouldn’t work. You didn’t define the alarm target, and you didn’t define how it would notify you. There are also traces of your Animus signature outside of the lines and it left a pattern. I can’t tell what it is, not without more extensive study, but enlighten me, what are the triggers you put in here?”

“Proximity,” Yuriko said faintly, “and it would let me know when it’s tripped.”

“How?”

“A sound in my head.”

“Impressive. Runescripted alarms do not send a mental call. They either make a sound or if it's connected to a wider network or lines, it will trip a set of conditions instead.” Layla sighed. “Indeed, you are talented.”

Yuriko felt her cheeks redden. It wasn’t a talent she expected, and honestly, not something she really wanted. But having Layla praise her for it left a warm feeling in her tummy.

The door to the mess hall slammed open and Riley ran inside face grave. “You’re wanted at the bridge,” he said to Layla.

“What happened?”

“Trouble.”

“Of course it is! You wouldn’t be slamming the doors otherwise!” Layla got to her feet and hurried away. “Ah, put that away please!”

Yuriko stared at the half-empty cup. She shrugged and brought it to the bussing window before she made her way to the deck. As soon as she arrived, it was immediately clear what the trouble was.

A league away from the Ebon Horizon floated three Chaos ships. And from how they were positioned, they were more than ready to block the path.