Lost in the music, Aeris sang with the song Heela played; her voice intertwined with his, but the clearness of it conquered over the sharp twang of the acoustic guitar. The song they had created together belonged more in their wanderings before joining the quest of the Elementals, but it matched the openness of the sea: the boat rocked in time to the beat with each crashing wave, and the seagulls' cawing even echoed the tune.

I've been walking, running from a past,

Still trying to hold me back.

It keeps pushing, pulling me too fast,

No escaping what shaped you.

Can't stay too long, for time breaks all masks,

Must keep avoiding those ghosts.

I've been waiting, longing for a task,

Only wanting my freedom.

Always leaving, fleeing from that chance,

Life can't be too still.

Keep on moving, acting in a trance,

No one will ever notice.

I'll stay drifting, searching for reason,

Lost in ghosts of memories.

Never slowing, stopping in season,

Content with my company.

With the ending of the song, clapping ensued. Aeris opened her eyes and found that their performance had drawn a crowd: most of the sailors had stopped to listen, all of the spare passengers, Helian, Zelenia, and the rest of the group were in attendance. Only Geryon was missing, propped up against the captain's quarters, but close enough to hear and an eye surely watching.

Zelenia had on her usual sweet smile, only wider, and Helian clapped heartily. Renuo was shaking his head in disbelief, and even aloof Kalisa had a small smile pulling up a corner of her purple lips. Even though Tegen didn't have a smile on his face, he looked pleased.

"That was wonderful," Zelenia said.

"Your voices are so musical. Sorry, Heela, but Aeris, yours is so clear and pure," Helian praised.

Heela chuckled and waved the apology away. "There's no need to apologize; I don't sound near as good as she."

She frowned at him. "I am not that much better than you."

But his look at her had her ducking her head in avoidance of his knowledge: she was better, and they both knew it. She had proven that she was the best in Ethea with—

"Will you sing another song?"

Helian's question brought her out of her trip into the past, the very past she and Heela just sang about trying to escape.

Aeris looked at Heela and found him leaving it up to her. "One of your songs," she said.

A few seconds passed as he gathered the notes and lyrics for the song he chose, then turned to their little audience, and began.

Aeris recognized it by the first few chords. This song held a promise of finding hope, instead of a depressing tune of always trudging on.

Make the best of your life, don't leave it to your dreams.

Create a sun to dawn, over water in streams.

The world doesn't matter since you know how to bend,

Lie under your clear sky, dreaming dreams of no end,

This must be paradise—

Heela's song was abruptly cut off by the recoil of the ship, hitting something and pitching them all forward. The jerk unseated Aeris, sending her flying from her perch on the raised deck, and crashing beside a sprawled Heela. Water spewing up into the air like a geyser muted the groans. Aeris looked back at the front of the stalled ship to the wall of shooting water.

A colossal form emerged through the wall of water, rough and hardened hide in a stark black and shades of brown. Scales looked to be blended in with the armored skin.

"FANGRIL!" a sailor cried. A woman screamed, and all the passengers scrambled to their feet, rushing toward the back to put distance between them and the creature.

Aeris jumped to her feet, hauled Heela to his, then pushed him to follow the others. "Go!" she ordered at his reluctance to flee.

"There's nowhere safe on this ship from that!"

"Helian, you can't!" Zelenia protested.

"I have to try!" Consecutive twangs and whistles of speeding arrows followed his words.

The exposed part of Fangril retreated into the safety of the sea in an enormous explosion of water before the arrows could find their mark. Angry waves crashed against the ship, reaching up to snag a passenger, and rocking the boat dangerously, unbalancing those still on deck.

Aeris had begun to draw her blades out of the air to help, but with Fangril's sudden disappearance, she refocused on staying onboard and ordering Heela back. Again, he declared he would feel less safe away from her, gripping a handle on the rope casing as the ship tossed in the waves, eyeing the sea nervously.

Another wave climbed over the port side, knocking her back to the deck; even pushing her to the other side. She saw the others having no luck either staying on their feet.

The water erupted on the port side—the black, multiple ringed tail of Fangril raised high in the air, and swung back down, splashing the biggest wave up to cover the entire ship. Aeris almost didn't catch herself against a pole of the railing on the starboard side when the wave shoved her across the desk.

"Aeris!" Heela's scream snapped her around to just see the wave breaking his hold and carrying him to the railing.

She lunged for anything on him to grab, but he slipped right through her fingers as he went off the side. Aeris scrambled to the side to find him hanging below her, clutching a deep groove on the side of the boat.

She stretched down her left arm for him, thought better of it, and switched for her right, her left securely gripping a pole.

During this, the effect of Fangril re-entering the sea had the ship tipping toward overturning on one side, then rocked, trying to balance out. Heela was panic-stricken, in fear of going into the water and not knowing how to swim.

Aeris stretched further for him. "You go in, I'm going after you, Heela! Now reach for me!"

"I can't!"

His fingers strained to hold on and she could see them slacking. "You have to try! On this next tilt, reach for me!"

The ship rocked back, lowering Aeris and raising Heela. An arm lunged for hers just as his feet slipped against the hull and his fingers gave out. She twisted up to grab him, ignoring the groaning protest of the metal pole her left hand gripped.

Relief washed over him, and he went slack in her hand. She yelled at him to help haul him up as she pulled. Aeris released the pole she held so Heela could wrap around it and she grabbed another one, but not without seeing the metal bent and near snapping where her left hand had held it. There was even the imprint of her grip squeezed into it.

As the ship tilted back to the other side, it was at a lesser angle. She turned to check on the others, but the eruption of water again at the nose of the ship took her attention. Aeris saw the glint of a black eye as Fangril rose high into the air, like a breaching whale. It stopped rising in height and began to fall forward.

She whipped around to catch Heela's eyes widening in the realization of what was to happen. "Before we hit the water, take a deep breath, and just kick and pull to the surface. I won't let you drown."

His eyes welled with fear; the motion of Fangril's body falling on the middle of the ship blurred in his eyes. Wood exploded in loud booms and cracking, catapulting Aeris and Heela into the air.

She clawed for him as they spun through the air, but couldn't snag him. Please, Air, give him breath! she thought before slamming into the water on her back, smashing through some broken debris.

Her collision into the water and the pieces of ship stole her breath. It took her a moment to recover from the blow; she righted herself in the water and swam back toward the light of the surface.

Aeris broke through and immediately searched for Heela. Heads bobbed everywhere, some already clinging to floating debris, and some of the shattered ship still sinking.

"Heela!"

A gurgled call of her name brought her to flailing arms, splashing violently. She swam toward him, already trying to calm him.

But he didn't; as soon as she neared him, he clung on to her in a panic to keep his head above water, still kicking and fighting to stay afloat.

"Heela! Calm... down! Stop—stop... fighting!"

She had promised not to let him drown, but he was drowning her. His frantic movements forced water into her throat and nose. In her attempt to keep him up, she sank under his weight, bringing him down with her.

Heela's arms suddenly stopped flailing, and he was lifted away from her. She recovered to find the big Tegen holding a wide-eyed Heela in one arm and treading water with the other. He looked at her questioningly.

She searched for a large piece of debris to support Heela and also allow her to hang on as well. After snagging one and towing it back, Tegen released Heela to cling to the large beam. Aeris thanked him before he swam back to where she saw Zelenia's silver head and Helian's golden helmet.

"Are you okay?" she asked Heela.

He had collapsed on the beam fragment. He breathed hard and shook, but nodded.

She grabbed his arm out of comfort before turning and counted to make sure everyone was present: Kalisa looked miserable holding onto a life saver, she recognized some passengers and sailors, and Renuo easily swam from one floating head to another stretched out on a floating door.

"Where's Geryon?" she asked, her voice pitching in fear as her increased search came up with no result again.

Zelenia cried out in shock, and now everyone's head swiveled around in case he had been overlooked.

Renuo whipped around at her question, then peered into the water. "Trapped." He dove where he floated by a survivor and disappeared into the depths.