On a Tuesday morning in the Caspian Sea.
April 8, 1544 according to the star calendar.
A dense fog and violent storm battered the seven ships crossing its waters.
Bound for the same destination, every ship began throwing its cargo overboard to avoid disaster.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" a crew member shouted frantically.
Unable to see the sun or any navigational markers, they could only rely on instinct to survive and return to the warm embrace of their families.
The Caspian Sea, however, was infamous for its savage and unpredictable storms, even among the most experienced sailors.
Frequently pressured by the ship's owner to arrive as quickly as possible, the captain struggled toward the main deck.
"Hurry up," shouted a man wearing a bandana.
He walked two steps beside the captain, glancing at him while holding his breath.
"Did the captain order the other mates to gather on the main deck?" he asked suddenly.
The captain's chattering teeth stopped. His steps became steady as he answered without looking back, "There's no need."
"No need?" the mate repeated, faltering mid-step.
After a moment's thought, he straightened his gaze and looked at his captain's back, as upright as ever.
"Understood," the mate said, continuing forward and giving a salute.
Upon reaching the deck, the captain stood at the edge of the wheelhouse, narrowing his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings.
He noticed the dim glow of the hanging lanterns, faded as though worn away by age, and several second-class passengers who reluctantly looked at him.
He took two steps to the right and pulled back the curtain. His words caught in his throat for a moment as confusion suddenly overtook him.
'What exactly is happening to you, Caspian?'
Completely stunned, the captain stepped into the control room and fixed his sharp, masculine gaze on the three men inside.
One of them noticed the captain's presence and immediately saluted.
"Is there anything I can do for you, Captain?" ...he asked, hoping the captain was not in one of his usual bad moods.
The captain watched them struggle as they gripped the wheel, which moved in harmony with the muscles in their fingers.
"Proceed as usual." He turned, took a few steps toward the door, and added, "If you see that thing... just ignore it."
Click.
The door closed, leaving behind a loud thud that echoed through the room.
The three men saluted once more, even though their captain was already out of sight, and for a brief moment the weight pressing on their bodies eased.
The chilling sensation made them overthink the situation, drawing long sighs from them as they rubbed their temples.
"Phew... is the Captain worried about that again?"
The man seated on the left stretched out his legs as he asked the question.
Meanwhile, the man holding the main controls turned toward him.
"Ahem... that's entirely possible."
The other man, who had his feet propped up on the table and his head resting on one hand, nodded in agreement.
"That anomaly happened because of the shifting of the Arum Archipelago and the migration of those creatures once again."
The other two men held their breath.
'Xie, huh? It'll be a disaster if a swarm of those creatures migrates to the Chynoria Continent.'
The man at the controls tightened his grip, lost in thought.
'But... Xie. Those sea creatures could make me a fortune. Hahaha.'
Even in the midst of danger, the man seated on the far right still found time to think about money while suppressing the trembling in his heart.
Regardless, the hunt for Xie, creatures whose remains, particularly their powdered residue, were highly sought after for supernatural purposes, was about to begin.
...
Aboard the ship, with the engine roaring in a piercing hiss, the captain's face reflected the vessel itself: Howwes Mamedya, a ship that had survived the fury of the sea.
On the main deck, Captain Goswer Questo stared blankly at the raging ocean through the window, the lantern's glow illuminating his indifferent face.
The sky outside looked bleak, standing in stark contrast to the silence within the room and the ship.
Yet he radiated an air of authority. His rank spoke for itself.
"We're expected to reach the Thousand Islands in six days," the captain said in a monotonous voice.
"Six days, Captain?" asked a man named Johan, seeking confirmation.
The captain blinked as he looked at him.
"Yes, six days."
"Shouldn't it be one week and one day?" another officer asked in confusion.
The captain leaned back in his chair, looking at the officer seated across from him with a faint grin.
He pointed toward the layers of fog and spray that nearly obscured the view beyond the glass.
"Out there, we'll be facing that creature," the captain explained, leaning slightly forward.
One officer's hand froze on the wheel.
'Just as I thought. He earned this position in only one year through sheer hard work and brutality in the field.'
He glanced at his two colleagues whispering among themselves, his thoughts continuing as he wondered what would happen next.
'I knew they'd bring that up.'
His brows furrowed, but the expression vanished when one of them, a dark brown-eyed man, asked,
"By the way, Captain, did you bring that weapon?"
He spoke bluntly, completely unaware that the captain's long rifle was already slung over his shoulder.
It sounded trivial, but Captain Goswer Questo was also renowned for his prowess in the field.
The officer at the wheel let out an unconscious whistle.
The brown-eyed officer smiled sheepishly.
"I mean, for the three of us and everyone else... is it..."
His sentence was cut short as the captain replied in a deep, heavy voice, "That's what I should be asking you."
He narrowed one eye, lowered his long rifle, its barrel glinting faintly beneath the bright lamps above the oval table, and pointed it at the officer wearing his cap.
"Wouldn't it be better if we got there as quickly as possible?" Captain Goswer said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
All he could do was remain calm inside the wheelhouse while his subordinates busied themselves taking care of the other passengers.
Despite the circumstances, the ship's sixty-seven standard firearms were invaluable assets to them all.
Some of them knew that the creatures known as "Xie" reproduced at a rate that far outpaced every hunting effort directed against them.
At least three types were known to exist. One was frequently seen in the open sea, far from shore. Another remained unidentified, with reports of its existence contradictory and unreliable among sailors and treasure hunters.
From the formation of four ships behind them, the two leading vessels, known as "Helawars Amome Ansquers," watched the raging waves twist into unstable whirlpools while towering columns of water crashed violently around them.
Unwilling to jump to conclusions, one crew member hurried downstairs.
As soon as he reached the main deck, his frantic pace caused some of the passengers to panic.
"Grab your weapons..."
He continued forward, shouting as he went.
The other passengers panicked instinctively.
Inside Cabin No. 61, a family gathered in the sitting room.
"Dear... did you hear that?" the wife asked anxiously.
Her husband looked at their son and daughter before answering without turning around, "Of course. The captain himself said the condition of the sea has changed from what they expected."
"I see."
The woman glanced at her two children while resting a hand against her chin.
After thinking for a moment, she walked over to them, bent down slightly, and placed both hands on their shoulders.
The two children looked up at their mother with innocent expressions.
"Mom?" the young boy murmured hesitantly.
"Don't worry," she said with a bitter smile. "We'll reach our destination safely."
After a brief conversation, they decided to wait for further instructions from the ship's senior officers.
...
On the main deck, the officer who had witnessed the strange phenomenon earlier led his two companions into the engine room.
Click.
The hiss of steam and the smell of lubricant filled the engine room, making them hold their breath as though searching for something nearby.
Not long after the door closed automatically, the three of them resumed their search.
Far from there, near the staircase.
"Has that thing really appeared?" one officer asked while adjusting his cap.
The man beside him sighed.
"What can you do? This is the most exciting part of life, bro," he said in the accent of Talazze Vana, Vinohoshi Province.
The other officer adjusting his cap stared at him in disbelief.
"Don't be ridiculous. This isn't something to joke about, you know that, right?"
"Shut up," the other officer grumbled, his voice as heavy as the burdens he carried.
They continued walking until they reached the main deck, accompanied by several officers who had previously been assigned to the floors under their responsibility.
The officers from the third and fourth floors noticed their arrival.
"Are you all right?"
One of the officers from the second floor approached his friend.
"By the way, have you proposed to your fiancée yet?" he asked earnestly.
They exchanged greetings, but the atmosphere around them suddenly became awkward as they walked.
The air felt heavy. The man knew exactly what the other meant.
'Why is he asking that? Is he a woman?'
Back in his hometown, that kind of sensitive question would usually come from a woman in her forties or older.
After letting out a quiet laugh, he nodded hesitantly and answered, "Don't worry. Once I get back, I'll go see her."
"Good." The man nodded with a murmur.
While the others had already moved to the upper deck, they remained where they were, absorbed in their trivial conversation.
Realizing this, they quickly made their way toward the ship's upper deck.
Inside the room, the light seemed to be swallowed by the silence. Time itself appeared to stop as the three of them held their breath, their eyes meeting.
A few moments later, a soft knock came from behind them.
Startled, they turned around, and one of them hurried over to open the door.
Click.
The door opened, revealing a charismatic man whose face radiated an aura of calm.
"Come in. The captain is waiting for you," he said wearily.
The corners of the brown-haired man's lips curled upward slightly as he adjusted his cap and stepped forward.
The meeting to formulate their plan lasted exactly one minute and fifteen seconds.
"All right, take your men and secure the right flank," he said into the telephone, lifting his head as his gaze swept across the three men before him.
"You'll cover the left flank, and you two advance with me," the captain continued before hanging up the phone.
Beep.
The call ended, though the signal had briefly interfered with their conversation. The captain had already relayed the details to the captains of the other five ships, all of whom were preparing to face the arrival of the being that embodied the true meaning of "fear" and "resignation."