CHAPTER 49: The Weatherer

*CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH*

*WHOOSH*

Alex felt the peebles in the sand being crushed underneath his boots, and could hear the waves crashing against the shore.

His head then turned to the left and under the dim moonlight he saw the gentle and calm movements of the waves.

'I can't say what it is, but there is something off with how those waves look.'

Alex's gaze then turned back to the two instructors walking ahead of him.

'Now that I think about it,' a troubled expression appeared on his face, 'why are they even here? Shouldn't the field trip have ended and everyone gone back to Freestone?'

Alex considered approaching the instructors but hesitated at the last moment.

'They already said they won't answer any more of my questions, so is there any point?'

Alex pondered that question for the next few seconds as he trailed after the instructors.

'Whatever.' Alex violently shook his head. 'I'm overthinking it, the worst they can do is ignore me.'

He then took a deep breath and loudly called back. "Hey, I have a..."

*BOOM*

Suddenly, a loud and deafening explosive sound erupted from behind Alex, causing his head to violently turn around, his earlier question now long forgotten.

A bright white light abruptly shone from the towering veil, briefly illuminating the perplexed expression on Alex's face. However, just as quickly as the light appeared, it faded away.

Nevertheless, just before the light disappeared, Alex saw something seemingly coming from within the veil before it plummeted to the ground.

"Was that a body?" Alex said as his mouth hung open.

*PAT*

Alex felt a hand on his shoulder. He then turned and saw Instructor Romguy standing behind him.

"Keep on heading to the ship," Instructor Romguy inclined his head toward the other instructor. "Instructor Megan will lead you there."

"Hey!" A begrieved expression appeared on Instructor Megan's face. "Thanks for asking for my opinion first."

Instructor Romguy's eyes narrowed as he turned to stare at her. "Instructor Megan will lead you there."

Megan defiantly lifted her chin, locking eyes with him in a silent challenge. The atmosphere around the two instructors grew heavy as a silent battle passed between them.

Nevertheless, this standoff only lasted a few seconds. Slowly, Instructor Megan's leg began fidgeting, and a doubtful expression clouded face.

Instructor Romguy, seeing his chance, pressed her harder. "You'll show him the way, right?"

Instructor Megan's teeth clenched, and with a defeated sigh, she lowered her gaze. "Yes I will."

Instructor Romguy smirked and nodded his head before turning back to Alex. "Good."

*PAT*

He then patted Alex on the shoulder one more time and started walking toward the veil.

"Let's go."

Alex turned around and saw Instructor Megan standing there with her coat billowing in the breeze.

She pivoted, making the fabric swish over the sand, and continued toward the ship.

Alex stood there with furrowed eyebrows, watching the trail Instructor Megan's footsteps made across the sand.

'What's happening here.' He turned and observed the retreating figure of Instructor Romguy. 'I didn't even see a hint of concern on either of their faces. Could it be that the light is a common occurrence?'

Alex pondered for a few more moments. However, as he couldn't come to any reasonable conclusion, Alex sighed heavily and turned around, after which he followed the trail left by Instructor Megan.

'I sure hope I'll get some answers.'

For the next few minutes, Alex followed after Instructor Megan in silence as she swept toward the ship.

Even though she didn't say a word, Alex instinctively knew that she was in horrendous mood, and any small thing could quite easily set her off.

'From their earlier interactions I assumed that she and Instructor Romguy were friends.' Alex thought this as he stared at her straight back and tense shoulder. 'I guess their relationship is more complicated than that.'

Alistair's image flashed in Alex's mind. 'I understand how that feels.'

With Alistair's image fading from his mind, Alex refocused on the distant ship.

Soon after, while wondering why they didn't just run, Alex coincidentally turned his head, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a faint glimmer.

"Is that?" Alex said as he furrowed his brow. He then turned slightly and walked to the right.

'I thought so.' Alex thought as he crouched down. 'Train tracks.'

He extended his hand and touched the cold, hard metal. 'And Freestone's design at that.'

With one finger, he traced the metal and immediately realized it was headed in the direction he was going.

Alex raised up his head and turned to look at the distant ship. 'Is that the ship which was supposed to take us to the Pink Sea?'

Alex felt that he was probably correct with his assumption. 'Then that means I was right, they've already come back.'

Even though he had been expecting this, Alex still felt extremely disappointed.

'Well,' Alex buried his feelings, stood up, and dusted himself down. 'As long as I'm alive, there will always be another opportunity.'

Despite the lingering disheartenment, Alex turned, and seeing that there was now a gap between himself and Instructor Megan, he increased his speed and was soon behind her.

Instructor Megan glanced at him over her shoulder, then, for the first time since Instructor Romguy left, she spoke to him.

"We're here."

Alex stared at her in confusion and looked ahead. "What do you mean? We're at least a few more minutes away from..."

*WHOOM*

Suddenly, the space around Alex distorted, and he abruptly felt sick.

'What's going on?' Alex thought as his body swayed from side to side. 'I feel dizzy.'

To avoid vomiting once again, Alex closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He then waited until he felt the strange sensation pass before he slowly opened his eyes.

"Wait, what!" Alex exclaimed in shocked disbelief as he looked around himself. "How?"

Instructor Megan looked at Alex with an amused expression and smiled slightly. "Like I said, we're here."

Alex's head swiveled around before it eventually rested on her. "How are we at the dock?"

Without waiting for an answer, Alex resumed staring around himself. '

He looked to the right and saw a line of warehouses, and ahead of him was what looked like a mini train station. But the most important thing was to the left, exactly where Alex was now looking.

"The ship." Alex mumbled in awe.

Instructor Megan walked up to him and nodded her head. "Yep, The Weatherer."

The Weatherer, a majestic wooden vessel standing tall at twenty meters with a length stretching thirty meters, boasted the classic design of merchant ships tailored for extensive sea voyages. What set it apart, though, was its formidable armor, a testament to its reinforced hull and strategically placed metal strips guarding vulnerable spots.

The ship proudly displayed three towering masts, usually unfurling its sails for open sea journeys. Yet, in its current docked state, the sails were neatly rolled up, resting silently against the sturdy mast, which somehow took away from the visual impact of the scene.

However, as its name implied, it was evident that the ship had seen its fair share of troublesome situations, as seen in the glaringly obvious worn and battered planks dotting the body of the ship periodically.

Nevertheless, the ship was a marvel to behold, its imperfections not taking away but rather adding a sense of seasoned resilience to the vessel, thereby increasing its character.

There was a gangplank at the end of the pier, which led up to the deck of the ship.

"Isn't she a beauty?"

Alex absentmindedly nodded his head. "Mhhm."

Instructor Megan looked at Alex for a few seconds and smirked slightly at the dumbfounded expression on his face.

"Time to head up." She said.

Those words were what snapped Alex out of his daze. "Wait, you never answered my question."

Instructor Megan sighed in deep exasperation and rolled her eyes.

'I remember now.' A memory of a woman, who Alex now knew to be Instructor Megan, rolling her eyes at him on the train flashed by Alex's eyes.

However, Alex didn't have time to think more about it as he realized she was talking.

"Sorry." Alex said apologetically. "What were you saying?"

Instructor Megan looked at Alex frostily and replied sharply. "What I said was that I distinctly remember making it clear that I wouldn't answer any more questions."

"It's nothing too hard." Alex said as he raised his hands up in defeat. "I just want to know how we got here. Did we maybe teleport?"

*WHACK*

Instructor Megan smacked Alex on his arm.

"Of course not. What happened is a lot more basic than that."

Alex looked at her hopefully. "So, you'll tell me?"

Instructor Megan hesitated for a few seconds and turned toward the ship. "Well, I guess that shouldn't be a problem."

She then turned back to Alex.

"What happened is actually very simple, there's a distortion formation which covers this whole area."