To all Koyans, this was the edge of the world. To her late husband, it was just a passage to the other edge of the world.

The last time Natsu saw land was ten weeks ago, when they had briefly stopped by Hokydo to triple their food supplies before setting out for the longest voyage a man would ever make.

The engines never stopped thanks to Jihoon and Tashihara, the two mages who kept taking turns. But the fire they produced to feed the engine seemed to be consuming their bodies. Starting from the third week of the voyage, their 'sessions' made them dizzy, and that urged Natsu to give each one of them an extra snack that included an apple, two eggs, and three spoons of honey. According to the mages' themselves, that snack was enough to replenish their anerjy. In return, Natsu had to reduce the food and water rations of the rest of her crew, Natsu herself included, to the bare minimum. Though Mushi didn't stop promising her that the voyage would be over soon, Natsu didn't wish to leave anything to chance. "I need to hear something a bit more specific than soon," Natsu told Mushi, but the helmswoman of the Wraith never gave her a better answer.

The seventy-seventh day brought the answer Natsu and everybody else had been waiting for. From the crow's nest, came the call that urged all men and women on deck to gaze in anticipation eastward, where the sun had risen a couple of hours ago. "Land!"

One word was enough to change the mood on deck. The crew cheered and roared in excitement upon spotting the distant coast. A sailor started singing, the rest dancing around him in a big circle. Mushi raised her hands in the air, but probably, she was just muttering prayers of gratitude to the Light. Even Riku, who was too young to totally understand the situation, was giggling at the dancing crew.

The clamor must have awakened Tashihara, who was taking a nap during Jihoon's turn, and for the first time, Natsu caught a glimpse of a smile on the face of the stern mage.

"Are we sure this is the western Goranian coast?" asked Tashihara.

"Let's hope so." Natsu glanced at Mushi. "She is the one who made this voyage before."

"Not this voyage." Mushi lifted a finger. "I only went to the port of Inabol in Byzonta with Botan." She nodded her chin pointedly toward the coast on the horizon. "This will be my first time to visit Paril, the capital of the Bermanian Kingdom."

Tashihara's rare smile faded as she asked dubiously, "Why are we headed to a venue you never went to before?"

"Because it is the nearest Goranian port to us. We have no reason to risk a longer voyage to Byzonta."

"What could be the reason to take that risk, may I ask?" Natsu scoffed.

"Coin, boss." Mushi grinned. "Byzonts never had a problem trading with us, even before the Inabol Treaty."

If the news Natsu heard about that treaty was true, then disembarking at Paril shouldn't be a problem. There was no reason for the Bermanians to be hostile, right?

To reach the port of Paril, the Wraith would have to sail through a gulf defended by a dozen guard towers on both flanks. "Raise a white banner. Quickly," Natsu urged the nearest man to her, before any of the Bermanian archers manning the towers might decide that the Wraith was a threat. One fire arrow could be the spark of a deadly fire shower. Shame if her impossible voyage ended a couple of miles away from her destination.

So far, the Bermanians didn't show any hostile reaction toward the ship that had just docked at their port. A squad of armored footmen was waiting for them at the piers, but none of them interfered with Natsu and her crew as they disembarked. Keeping her son behind her, Natsu studied the Bermanian soldiers standing in her way. "You speak Goranian?" she asked the two mages standing behind her, but to her surprise, they shook their heads. Very well, honorable mages. Let a simple man from Hokydo handle this. "Pantu," she called to the most fluent Goranian speaker here, nodding her chin toward the Bermanian soldiers. "We are going to need your services in translation."

"No, you won't," came a voice from behind the Bermanians, who made way for a black-bearded Koyan mage donning the red cloak. Before Natsu could ask who this Koyan was, Jihoon and Tashihara hurried to him excitedly, calling him by the name Kyong. They showered him with questions about how and why he had come here, but he gestured for them to slow down. "We will have all the time to talk soon." He told his peers, and then he smiled at Natsu as he approached her. "You must be Natsu."

Natsu never saw this face nor heard this voice. "Have we met?"

"No." Kyong grinned. "But you met our Archmage, Kungwan Sen. He told me you were worth a thousand men. He had no doubt you would make it here safely."

The Archmage with the mask. "How did he know I would make it here? We are hundreds of miles away from the original destination we agreed upon."

Kyong's smile widened. "Your agreement won't matter if a seer says otherwise. The seers are always right, Natsu."

Natsu never had much faith in seers, but this voyage between the two edges of the world had already shaken one or two of her core beliefs.

The brawny Bermanian soldier who seemed in charge leaned toward Kyong, and the two talked briefly in Goranian. "Alright," Kyong said to Natsu. "This is Blade, Captain of King Masolon's Royal Guard. His men will escort you and your men to your lodgings. You surely need some rest."

A lot of rest. A warm meal. And a bath. "What about you?" she asked Kyong, glancing at Jihoon and Tashihara who flanked him.

"We have a lot to discuss with the Bermanian court," Kyong said. "The start of a new era."

* * *

"When will we go back home, Mom?"

Natsu wasn't sure if she was ready to have this conversation with a five-year-old child. How could she explain to him that there was nothing left for them back home? That home was no longer a safe place?

"Don't you like it here? Look." Natsu opened the window of their new room, pointing to the colossal towers of the royal palace in the distance. "Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

Her son didn't seem impressed as he gazed at the magnificent building. He looked back at her. "I want to go home."

Natsu heaved a deep sigh before she took Riku into her arms and laid a kiss on his forehead. "This is our home now, Riku. You will love it." And she would have to love it too. Her first encounter with Bermanian food was not the most pleasant experience to start her stay in her new home with. The tavern they were staying at was serving charcoaled meat and cooked vegetables today, and she and her son had barely touched their meals. The only food they were able to eat was the apples, and fortunately the Bermanians did not cook them.

There were knocks on her door. Probably, it's Pantu, and he's just picked the right moment to show up. Natsu was thinking of sending him to fetch her and her son some raw fish.

Riku opened the door, but it was neither Pantu nor any of her men. "May I come in, Natsu?" the bald Koyan stranger donning the red cloak asked flatly.

"Kungwan Sen?" Natsu recognized the voice of the mage who finally came to her without his mask. The great Archmage of Koya. The former Archmage.

"Can we talk here?" Kungwan scanned the room quickly. As a venue, it was too underwhelming for such a meeting, but a wooden chair and a bed would do.

"If you have something to discuss in private, then I don't have a better place in mind at the moment." Natsu gave him an inviting gesture.

"I will be brief." Kungwan stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Instinctively, Riku backed to his mother's legs, as if seeking safety in her proximity. Or was he trying to shield her from that stranger?

"First of all," Kungwan began, still standing, "I've come here myself to say thank you. My folks and I will forever be in your debt."

Natsu shrugged, holding her son's shoulders. "It was a business deal after all. You kept your end, and I kept mine."

Kungwan cast her a pale smile that was short-lived. "It was way more than that, Natsu. That cargo you bravely transported across the Endless Sea might help us prevent the extinction of our kind. You and your men deserve to be remembered in history for your heroic mission."

Truth be told, Natsu didn't care that much about the myths of the Last Day. All that concerned her was her insanely huge payment that would secure her and her son for the rest of their lives.

"My men and I appreciate your respect." Natsu inclined her head toward him.

"Having said that, I'm afraid I bear some news that you might not like." Kungwan pressed his lips together. "It's not the end of the world, though. And that's why I have insisted on informing you myself to discuss together how we can figure this out."

Natsu should have sensed the bad news earlier. "What is it, Kungwan Sen?" she asked, tightening her embrace around her son absent-mindedly.

"Listen. Queen Rona does appreciate what you did." Kungwan smacked his lips then sighed. "But I don't think she is ready to accommodate too many Koyans in her kingdom. Not for the time being, to say the least."

Natsu was more confused than irked. "Queen Rona? I thought this kingdom was ruled by some king."

Kungwan winced. "I know it's different from what we are used to in our country, but the queen here is as powerful as the king. Anyway, she has given you three days to arrange for your departure."

"What is the meaning of this?" Her dream of a peaceful life had suddenly turned into a nightmare.

"I'm not saying this is right, Natsu, but until only a few months ago, Koyans were never allowed to set foot on any Goranian soil. The people here need time to get used to seeing us living among them."

Something did not add up. How were the Koyans supposed to help a faction that did not tolerate their co-existence, to begin with?

No, this is not only about us being Koyans, she thought. "You and your folks from Sun Castle," she started. "You are not included in that three-day time limit."

Clenching his jaw, Kungwan said, "They need us, Natsu. Raising an army of mages in Gorania is a priority now."

"Right." Natsu smirked. "But raising an army of smugglers? I guess that will be frowned upon."

Kungwan's silence confirmed Natsu's suspicions.

"I understand your frustration," he said apologetically. "But trust me, that will change over time. Mages have been flocking to Gorania since I came here. Some have brought their families even. It won't be long before we become part of the Goranian community."

"And what am I supposed to do until then?" she snapped. "Go back to Koya and surrender myself to the coastguards?"

It wasn't Kungwan's fault, she knew, and yet he didn't react to her fury. All the Archmage did was take a deep breath and say, "The people of Byzonta are more hospitable, I hear. I'd go there if I were you."

That coincided with Mushi's brief account of the Byzonts. I need to talk to her and Pantu right now. "Best of luck in your war, Kungwan Sen," Natsu curtly said, to conclude this disastrous meeting.

"Believe me; my priority is to prevent it." Kungwan opened the door, and before stepping outside, he added, "But if it happens, it will be your war too."

* * *

While Jirou was keeping an eye on Riku in the tavern, Natsu took Pantu and Mushi for a walk in the streets to breathe some fresh air. The instant they stepped outside the tavern, she became aware of the stares of every passerby. Some were staring in curiosity, others in disapproval and even disgust, but so far, no Bermanian actually harassed them.

To make use of her time, Natsu headed to the marketplace, hoping she might find some raw fish for herself and her starving son. On their way, she recounted her conversation with Kungwan to them and waited for their reaction. After a moment of awkward silence, she halted and faced them both. "What is it? You don't think we can settle in Byzonta?"

Both Mushi and Pantu exchanged a look. "Byzonta is fine." The helmswoman turned to Natsu. "But who said anything about settling in the first place?"

Only now did Natsu realize that she had never discussed the subject openly with them. "I thought it was the logical consequence for helping those mages. In the eyes of our people, we are traitors now."

Pantu shrugged. "Traitors, thieves; we have always been outlaws. What has changed now?"

Natsu found herself chuckling. We are outlaws here. We are outlaws there. But no, there could be a chance for her and her son to start a new life in Byzonta. "You know what has changed, Pantu? We don't have to be on the run until we die. With the commission we have earned from this job, we can all live like kings here."

Giving her a lopsided smile, Pantu swept an arm toward the royal palace, whose towers were visible from any corner of the city. "We don't need this to live like kings, Natsu. All we need is a boat."

Mushi nodded in approval. "The Wraith is our throne, the sea our kingdom."

Maybe Natsu shouldn't have assumed that her entire crew would follow her in her retirement plan. Not everybody sought peace; she should know better. Some would never feel alive unless life kept them on their toes. Natsu herself had been this person one day, but that person was gone.

For good, may I ask?

"Very well." Natsu put her hands on her waist. "Gather the crew in the dining hall tonight. We shall inform everybody of their share of the prize, and then we will let them decide."

"Sounds fair." Pantu paused thoughtfully. "But if you are going to settle in Byzonta, what shall happen to the Wraith?"

The Wraith was more than a ship to Natsu. It was the child of her late husband. A token of the most glorious and most humbling days of her life. It wasn't fair to keep this masterpiece idle, though. "Waive your share of coin to me, and she is yours."

Pantu's eyes widened, his jaw dropped. "I can never say no to this, but are you sure this is what you want, Natsu? I can't picture you spending the rest of your life away from deck."

Of course, it wasn't the life she wanted, but it was the life her son needed. "I believe I have a role to play for the Koyan community that Kungwan wants to establish in this part of the world." Natsu folded her arms across her chest, grinning at Pantu, the new captain of the Wraith, and Mushi, who was still digesting the fact that he had just become her new boss. "This continent is already in dire need of a tavern that serves Koyan food." 

_________________________
The End?

No, wait. Don't miss the post-credit scene 😁