The Great Sea

The great galleon gently rocks on the sea. The waves push against the boat as it sails across the Shark Sea. Phoenix is standing next to the wooden steering wheel. Phoenix looks out onto the horizon and scans the surroundings. Carson is standing next to him and he is holding on to the railing of the ship. There are around fifty people who left with Phoenix, but there are hundreds of people in the Hearts of Flame Rebellion. They are all scattered around the Kingdom of Dusk and the Kingdom Light. A small group hovers in Golden Gate, but none are in Crow Tower because they are afraid of King Mortis.

"Hey! Someone take the wheel!" Phoenix yells across the ship to the crew.

"I will!" a man yelled back from the crowd. The man ran through the crowd and took the wheel. The man was a very scrawny and tall man.

"Thanks, what's your name?" Phoenix asked

"My name is Jerry Dowel." Jerry said, "I've been a follower since the beginning."

"Nice to meet you." Phoenix said

"Likewise." Jerry said, smiling.

Phoenix stepped over to Carson. Phoenix placed his hand on Carson's shoulder. Carson looked up at him and then looked back at the sea. Carson leaned forward onto the rails. The ocean was crystal clear and they could see the sea creatures swimming next to them. Occasionally dolphins and whales would jump out of the water for them to see.

"It's been almost a month since we left the Kingdom of Dusk." Carson said

"We had to stop and fish for food. In two days we will reach the shore." Phoenix said

"Where are we going? Are we going to the Kingdom of Light?" Carson asked

"No and yes. We will pass through the kingdom and head South. After we rest and get resources for the journey we will ride on wagons to the Dunes." Phoenix said

"What?!?" Carson said, turning around to look at him, "Those scavengers are barbarians! They're crazy! They'll kill whatever they want and they will steal whatever they want. They rampage small towns and rape and kill everyone. They are thieves and the worst type of people."

"Carson, calm down. I have a powerful ally in the Dunes." Phoenix said

"Who?" Carson asked

"His name is Hunter Rina. He is the most powerful and most skillful fighter in the world! He beat Shadow three times!" Phoenix claimed

"The Bounty Hunter?" Carson asked

"Yes. He is respected among the scavengers and he is my cousin." Phoenix said

"Where will we stay?" Carson asked

"I know you are worried about the future and the plans, but fear not, I have sent letters to our fellow followers in the Kingdom of Light. They have set everything up for us." Phoenix said

"Ok." Carson said

Phoenix walked down the stairs onto the main deck. The followers are on the deck hanging out, playing cards, and drinking. The Captain's Quarters is on the main deck underneath the steering wheel. Phoenix enters the Captain's Quarters. In the Captain's Quarters, there is a bed, a table, and some chairs. Phoenix looks around and sees a little boy, George, and a woman ,Jessica, George's caretaker. Phoenix sits next to Jessica as he watches Gearge play with toys on the floor.

"We are almost there." Phoenix said

"That's great news." Jessica said

"YAY!" George cheered, "I can't wait!"

Phoenix and Jessica both laugh. Jessica looks over at Phoenix.

"Is this about your father?" she asked him

"It's always about him." he responds, "I have to find him."

"You believe he is in the Dunes?" she asked

"I do. I think Hunter knows where he is." he said, "If he doesn't, then he can help find him."

"I hope so. I love you, Phoenix." she said, resting her head on his shoulder

"I love you, too." Phoenix said, putting his arm around her

"I love ya guys!" George said, jumping up and down and then jumping onto Phoenix's lap.

Phoenix and Jessica smiled at each other and began to play with George. A bell is rung three times. Phoenix looks at Jessica and she does not look worried. She picked up George and headed down to the cabin. Many of the followers went down into the cabin except for the ones who know how to sail. Phoenix exits the Captain's Quarters and looks out at the horizon. In front of them is a huge thunderstorm barreling towards them. Phoenix closes the cabin so no rain water gets down there. The crew begins to strap down the cannons and any other loose equipment. Phoenix walks up to the wheel where Jerry is.

"I'll take the wheel, Jerry." Phoenix said

"Alright. What do you want me to do?" Jerry asked

"Go on the deck and check to make sure everything is tightly secured." Phoenix ordered

"Yessir." Jerry said, hustling down to the deck.

"This storm is going to be our last one to endure! Let's make it through!" Phoenix yelled to the crew

"Yay!" The crew cheered back.

The rain fell down like hail. The storm blocked out the sun and it was as black as night. The waves were massive! They towered over the boat before slamming down, rocking it like crazy. Lightning struck and the sky roared. Bright lights flashed everywhere. The crew was holding on for their life. Phoenix was using all of his strength to steer the ship.

At the end of the storm, the whole crew was soaked. The boat stayed afloat. They unlocked the cabin and made sure everything was still intact and that everyone was not hurt. Phoenix stayed at the wheel with Carson for the rest of the day. At night they would rotate sailors so that they could rest. Carson, Phoenix, and Jerry are the only ones who would steer the ship.

In front of them was the great Kingdom of Light. Kingdom of Light has the only working Lighthouse. Phoenix ordered the crew around and they easily parked the ship at a dock. Phoenix threw the anchor in the water and then he helped tie the galleon to the docks. Once the boat was secure, they began to unload the cargo onto wagons and they rolled them to a storage shed. The followers that have been in the kingdom have set up everything. They set up where to take the supplies, where they are going to sleep, and how they are getting to the Dunes.

The Kingdom of Light has two great stone statues in the center of the city. The stone statues are of the two gods Kayotic and Kryptonick. The two gods are standing tall with their arms out wide. The Kingdom of Light is the second weakest kingdom because the king, King Nick Arnald, doesn't focus on conflict but on trade. King Nick Arnald mostly trades with the scavengers and other kingdoms. The Kingdom of Light is around two weeks from the Dunes. The kingdom is on grassland but the further South you go the more sand you will encounter.

Phoenix and Carson help the people in the cabin out after they get the supplies out. Phoenix picks up George and walks with Jessica to the designated hotel that they will be staying at. The kingdom is the cleanest out of all the kingdoms and has the lowest crime rate.

"How was the trip?" the hotel manager asked

"It was alright." Phoenix answered

"Your room is on the second floor on the left. It's the last room in the hallway." the manager said

"Thank you kindly." Jessica said, smiling at him.

The rest of the crew filled the remaining rooms. Jessica, George, and Phoenix are staying in the same room. Each room fits two people comfortably. Since George is a little boy, he is able to stay with them. In the room, there are two beds, a small kitchen, a bathroom, and a small table with a few chairs. The hotel is fairly new. The wallpaper is extremely bland and it is just a light gray color. The bed sheets were plain white. Jessica layed George in the bed and tucked him in. Phoenix and Jessica sat next to each other on the other bed.

"How long are we staying?" Jessica asked

"Once the wagons are prepared and the horses are ready. It should take at least a day or two." Phoenix replied, laying back on the bed.

"Good night." she said, kissing his check.

"Good night," he said.

The moonlight shines through the window. The stars twinkle in the darkness. The wind gently breezes through the kingdom. Crows chirp through the night. The clouds slowly pass across the sky and eventually block the moon. Andrew stands in front of the door that leads into King Dominus Mortis' room. A dark figure moves through the shadows. Andrew pounds on the door to wake up Dom. After a few minutes, Dom opens the door with a lit candle. Andrew takes the candle and lights the torches that are attached to the walls. When Andrew looks down the hallway, he quickly draws his sword. Dom has a puzzled look on his face, because he sees nothing in the dark empty hallway.

Andrew freezes in his place when he makes eye contact with the figure in the Darkness. The eyes are bright yellow and they are fixed on Andrew's eyes. When the figure takes a step, it is followed by silence. The figure gets closer to the light and Andrew can barely make out what it is. When the beast opens its mouth, its teeth are pearl white and they glisten in the candlelight. Its teeth are like a dog's. Its mouth is like a snout and it quietly growls at Andrew. Andrew lifts his arm and begins to swing at the beast. The sword went through the beast like it was just a shadow. Andrew's eyes enlarged in surprise.

"What?!?" Andrew said with shock

Before he could swing again, the beast was gone.

"Are you mad?" Dom sleepy said

"No, there was something." Andrew said

Dom went back to bed and left Andrew in the hallway. A cold chill went down Andrew's spine. Andrew looked around in a panic but there was nothing.

"Andrew." a voice called out.

"Who's there?" Andrew asked

Andrew felt a cold breeze that shot past him. Andrew went back to guarding the door. He didn't hear anything for the rest of the night. Andrew peeked into Dom's room to check if he was still there. The second he opened the door he heard Dom snoring. Andrew let out a sigh of relief and quietly closed the door.

Phoenix woke up to the sound of his followers roaming the hotel halls. He looks over and sees Jessica snuggling with George. Phoenix quietly gets out of bed and gets dressed before leaving his room. Phoenix walked to the cafeteria, where most of his crew was, and got a plate of food and sat next to Carson. Carson has finished his meal and patiently waited for Phoenix to finish his.

"How'd you sleep?" Phoenix asked

"Alright. I had a weird dream last night. It felt so real, too." Carson said

"Want to tell me what it was about?" Phoenix asked

"It was about this old temple in the Dunes. The temple was in this ancient city that was mostly swallowed up by the sand. In this temple was some sort of… godly device. It was a circle but the center was hollowed out and it was just a ring like a donut. The thing was made out of this dark metal that I've never seen before. When it activated, the center glowed gold and a monster walked through. The scavengers bowed before it and it shouted one thing: 'I am Leviathan, the most powerful Titan!'" Carson said

"A Titan? Like Invictus?" Phoenix said

"I don't remember what he looked like, but I remember it terrifying me." Carson said

"Titans are like gods. Except they are mortal. Gods are immortal." Phoenix said

"Anything else?" Carson asked

"Yes. There are many Titans that live in this universe. They all have some kind of godly power. The more powerful you are, the closer to a god you are. Titans can't become gods but they could be just as powerful. Titans are the children of gods that they had with a creature that wasn't a god." Phoenix said, "The ten most powerful are called The Ten Kami. They rank up by competing with each other. The ranks don't change that much. Especially the top three. Honestly, the ranks have not changed in one hundred years, according to the prophets. The Titans get more power by doing deeds for the gods or by eating life. It can't be just any life, it has to be an intelligent lifeform."

"Isn't it just a demi-god?" Carson asked

"No. Demi-gods are the child of a human and a god. Titans are the children of a beast and a god." Phoenix answered

"How many are there?" Carson asked

"I don't know… There could be thousands of them." Phoenix answered.

"Who are the top three?" Carson asked

"Leviathan, Azazel, and Dagon." Phoenix said, "They could destroy all four kingdoms in a blink of an eye. No human could match their speed and strength. Even without the powers that they got from the gods, they could still win."

"They sound terrifying." Carson said

"Not all of them are mean. Just like the gods, some are friendly, others just want destruction." Phoenix said.

"Do you know all ten?" Carson asked

"I do not." Phoenix said, "Do you know many gods there are?"

"No, I only know of a few." Carson said, "Do you?"

"No. I was just curious." Phoenix said, "I wonder how many there are."

"I can't believe we are going to the territory with the scavengers." Carson said

"I know. It's crazy." Phoenix said

"I hope we get to kill some." Carson said, clenching his fist.

Phoenix and Caron stand up and help clean up the eating area and the kitchen. Jessica and George are in the room getting ready for the long day ahead of them. The followers leave the hotel. The horses are rested and the wagons are ready. The people climb into the wagons and begin the trip to the Dunes. Phoenix, Carson, Jessica, and George all are riding on the same wagon. Their wagon is leading the line.

The scavengers are not the only threat in the Dunes. The storms in the Dunes are vicious. The wind speed goes up to thirty miles an hour. In the Dunes, there are also worm-like creatures. These creatures are called Sand Snakes. They borrow underneath the sand and eat the scavengers and anything that moves. The Sand Snakes are ten feet long and their mouth is two feet wide. The scavengers learned how to kill these creatures and they eat the bodies. These creatures are extremely rare, but they do exist. The scavengers are not civilized.

The trip shall take around two weeks to get to the Dunes from the Kingdom of Light. Phoenix knows and he can feel that something is wrong. They ride for three days without stopping. The steerers switch every few hours to eat and rest. If someone has to use the washroom, there is a bucket in each wagon that they dump off to the side. There are twenty wagons in total. Eventually the grass blended with the sand and then at a certain point the grass was completely gone and there was only sand. In the distant horizon, they could see movement on the dune hills. Phoenix knew what he was getting into, but the people did not. They became scared. The followers knew that scavengers were in the Dunes. Once they realized where they were heading… That's when the real danger began. Phoenix was worried about the wrong thing. He focused only on the scavengers and how they would defend against them. He didn't even think about what lies ahead of him in the Future. For the followers became afraid and Darkness was close. The path that was ahead of Phoenix was a dark and bloody path.