The clouds in the Ether Zone were thick—so dense that even moving his hands met resistance. Every motion felt like dragging through water. Breathing wasn't any easier. The air was thin, almost nonexistent, and each breath felt like forcing down a mouthful of dry food without water—strained, heavy, and unnatural.
Luckily, all of them had prepared for this. Each wore a mask that filtered the dense clouds, making it easier to breathe. Haruo tugged on the line that kept him secured to the ship, checking the connection. Once he was sure it held, he started walking, searching for the others.
He could hear his own breathing through the mask—steady, controlled, and a little too loud in the silence. Everything around him was quiet, save for the subtle hum of the ship cutting through the clouds at a moderate pace.
He walked and walked, each step felt like it led nowhere—just more endless gray. Then something grabbed his shoulder. Instinct told him to attack, but he stopped himself and turned, only to see it was just Ena.
Well, he couldn't really see her—only the faint silhouette against the fog. Slowly, she reached toward his ear. Then he felt it—a familiar touch, something he'd only experienced once before, back when they were exploring a tomb together.
An earbud made of blood slipped into place—one that allowed them to communicate with each other even through the thick silence of the Ether Zone. It had worked once before, back when they were sprinting through the halls of a tomb at a speed that broke the sound barrier.
Haruo pressed the earbud gently, then said: "Do you have the bag with you?"
Her silhouette shook her head, then said: "No, but I did see Leo grabbing it."
Haruo frowned, but didn't argue any further. He gave a small nod before gesturing for her to follow. After a few minutes of searching through the thick fog, they found Tatiana and Isaac. Ena quickly made an earbud for each of them, handing them over without a word.
Haruo tested the comms briefly, making sure everything worked, then gave them a quick rundown on how to use it. Once that was done, he set off to find the remaining two members so they could finally begin the search for Skavilens.
Haruo let Tatiana and Isaac test it briefly to make things a bit easier, after a minute or two they both nodded and they continued.
They walked and walked, each step muffled by the clouds, yet felt with full weight. As they pressed on through the haze, Ena—who had moved ahead of the group—suddenly bumped into one of the railings. Instinctively, she raised her hand to grab onto something, even though she still couldn't see a thing.
Just as she was about to fall, Haruo grabbed the thread connected to her belt. She froze for a moment, stunned, before steadying herself and shifting her weight back toward the ship, regaining her balance.
Haruo pressed the side of his ear, then let go of the thread after confirming she was balanced.
"Are you stupid? Did you forget we're on a ship? Stay close if you don't want to end up dangling off the side."
Ena tugged the thread behind her, making sure it was still securely connected—she wasn't taking any chances. Once confirmed, her silhouette turned toward Haruo and the others, slowly making her way back to the group. This time, she stayed with them instead of walking ahead.
"I'm new to this, okay? I mostly studied at home or played video games. What do you expect—me to be an expert at everything? I know I'm pretty, elegant, and well-mannered, but I'm not perfect." Ena didn't have to see Haruo's face to know he was rolling his eyes at that moment.
"Yeah, I don't know about well-mannered though." Tatiana said, shaking her head.
Isaac joined Tatiana, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I agree."
She expected that kind of reaction from Haruo—but not from the others. They'd only met a few days ago, yet they were already acting like they knew she was a troublemaker. Sure, she had her moments, but she was well-behaved most of the time. How could they possibly be this skeptical of her already?
***
After a while of exploring, they finally spotted Theodor. A small figure emerged from the fog, and even through the haze, his silhouette was unmistakable. As they drew closer and closer, the shape became clearer with every step.
But for a moment, they all froze—even Ena stopped in her tracks, as if she sensed it too. She might not have had much experience with hunting or situations like this.
but when it came to monsters, she had plenty.
All of them drew their weapons, moving cautiously toward the figure that was mimicking Theodor's shape. Just as they were about to close in, Haruo raised his hand, signaling them to stop. Without a word, he manifested his gun and aimed it at the silhouette.
He silently switched it to stealth mode. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the trigger. The clouds muffled all sound as the mana-formed bullet shot cleanly toward Theodor's temple. In that instant, the creature mimicking his form began to shift—growing large, then suddenly shrinking—before collapsing onto the floor.
Haruo dismissed his sword but kept the Monarch-13 in hand. "Stay on guard. They've arrived."
Haruo gripped his gun with both hands, eyes scanning the surroundings with sharp focus. Ena and the others followed suit, weapons ready. They moved slowly toward the corpse, and as they reached it, Haruo gestured for them to cover him. He crouched down and began to examine the body.
"Is that a Skavilen? I thought they'd be bigger… or at least have wings or something." Ena said.
Haruo stood up slowly, returning to his original position. "No, they're parasites. Well, a certain type—called Cyalia. They were first discovered during the late years of the Awakening Period, near the shores of Citalia."
"They were most common in seas or swamps. They can mimic the body of any animal by devouring its flesh from the inside. Once they've consumed enough, they leave the body, morph into it, and kill the host and lay eggs inside the corpse."
Ena's eyes widened. She turned to Haruo, then slowly looked away, facing forward again. She wasn't sure what to make of it—just the thought of something like that unsettled her.
"Are you saying Theodor's dead? Or that it just ate part of him and turned into him?"
Tatiana shook her head before letting out a quiet sigh. "No, you couldn't be more wrong. Where do you think we are right now? We're in the Ether Zone—not in any seas or swamps, but somewhere similar."
"Cyalia were first discovered years ago, back when they still lived in swamps and seas. But those places became uninhabitable over time, so they moved here—to the Ether Zone. Like any creature, when they lose their territory, they adapt to a new one. Hardly anyone sky fishes anymore, and Skavilens aren't exactly easy prey. So they adapted."
"Back then, they needed a host to reproduce and survive. But now, they feed off the excretion of Skavilens and have evolved into independent organisms—they don't need a partner to reproduce anymore. Most objects that end up here can't return to the surface, so they just float around. The Cyalia either lay their eggs in those objects or use the excretion itself to reproduce."
Haruo nodded and continued for her. "Now they only need a small piece of DNA to morph into something. Of course, there are limits to how large they can grow. The Ether Zone's infested with these bastards. They're weak—but they carry a lot of mana."
"We need to find Theodor and Leo—fast—before they infest the ship."
Ena, after absorbing all the information, gritted her teeth, tension creeping into her posture. She shifted her stance slightly before saying, "I'm guessing this is just one of the many reasons why sky fishing is so annoying."
Just as they were about to move, the ship suddenly picked up speed. It began swerving left and right, forcing them to steady themselves. They managed to keep their balance—barely—but each shift in direction made it harder to stay on their feet.
As the ship shook, a faint hum reached their ears—a strange mix of wailing and laughter. It sounded distant, almost like an echo. But they were in the Ether Zone, where sound was nearly swallowed by the clouds.
If they could hear it... then that thing was close.
"Skavilens!" the division shouted in unison—everyone except Ena.
With that, all of them began to move. Ena was the last to react, but she quickly fell in line with the group. They followed Haruo closely, keeping their formations tight. Whenever a silhouette appeared in the fog, they approached it with caution. If it was a Cyalia, they'd know—the creature's mana always gave it away once they got close enough.
By now, they knew if they waited any longer, the ship would be under attack. The Skavilen were getting closer. They moved quickly through the dock, eliminating Cyalia after Cyalia—steady, efficient, and tense with urgency.
Then the ship shook again—harder this time. It tilted sharply to the right, throwing off their balance. Everyone instinctively reached out and grabbed onto whatever they could to stay anchored. But Isaac wasn't fast enough. His footing slipped, and he missed the nearest railing by inches.
Before he could fall, a silhouette grabbed his thread, yanking him back just in time. It was Leo's shadow, firm and steady in the fog. Beside him stood Theodor's. Theodor held onto Leo's belt, anchoring him in place, while Leo used both hands to pull Isaac closer to the ship.
After that, they all held on tightly until the ship finally leveled out—neutral again, at least for now. Ena quickly stepped forward and handed Leo and Theodor each a blood-made earbud. They took a moment to catch their breath, the tension slowly easing. Then Haruo gave them a quick rundown on how to use it.
"Woo, if I wasn't there, you'd be dangling off the side, smacking into the ship every time it turned—haha," Leo said, letting out an awkward laugh. "I knew the dock was huge, but I didn't think it'd take us this long to meet up."
Haruo quickly stepped toward Leo, his expression serious as he carefully looked him over. "Where is it?"
"Serious as ever, Haru. But with the way things are now, I don't blame you." Leo pulling a large bag from his mana storage and handing it over to Haruo.
Haruo nodded. He couldn't check the contents directly—not with the thick fog clouding his vision. All he could do was feel the bag carefully, running his hands along the shape and weight of what was inside.
"We already have the baits," Haruo said, eyeing Theodor and Isaac carefully. "Now we need to decide who's going to be the hook—and who's staying back to defend the Cyalias while the hook uses the Velo."
All of them exchanged skeptical looks, a tense silence settling between them. But slowly, without saying a word, they all came to the same conclusion—and turned their gazes toward Ena.
Haruo stepped closer to her and handed over the Velo along with the bag. "Don't worry, it's a very simple job."
Ena looked at the materials before looking back up to them momentarily stunned. Back before they entered the Ether Zone, she'd assumed sky fishing was simple—just patience and timing, like regular fishing. But that was then. This was now.
None of them could see her pale face through the fog, but they didn't need to—they already knew what her reaction would be. After spending even a bit of time in the Ether Zone, it was easy to guess. She shook her head repeatedly, clearly refusing, before finally snapping back.
"What!? Why me! I barely know what to do—and Haru, you know how much I suck at hunting!"
"Relax, it's simple," Haruo said. "All you have to do is: when we get close to the Skavilen, you jump onto its body. Climb up slowly toward the nose using the Velo, and once you're there, press the button to anchor yourself. Then untie your thread, connect it to the rope, and come back to get another thread to attach."
"Oh yeah, I forgot—when you get close to the nose, you need to use the herbs and make it smell them. That's what paralyzes it."
"Are you telling me to die!?" Ena snapped. "If it's so easy, then you do it!"
Haruo went silent for a moment, then looked away. Without warning, he raised his gun to her side and pulled the trigger.
"No time. We have to do it fast—before the Skavilen eats us."
Just as the words left his mouth, something slammed into the side of the ship. The impact knocked them all to the floor. A deep rumble followed, and the ship trembled under the force—then suddenly lurched forward, speeding up again.
They all picked each other up, then they saw a large disfigured silhouette. Next to the ship, It's movement was fluid and fish like. Multiple tiny tentacle like things was moving from its body.
At that moment, a faint light began to shine down on the dock, cutting through the fog. They could finally see each other's figures—and just beyond them, several Cyalias creeping nearby.
They all looked up—and saw it. The Skavilen had opened its eyes.
And it was looking straight at them.