The Second Day

As the second day proceeded forward, Faith continued to lightly scathe her hand on her blade; not enough to cut her hand, but enough to feel its sharp edges.

Both Mizu and her were off looking in the same direction of the boat near the front, watching closely as the waves began to warp in a strange way.

The waves, forming like a whirlpool in front of her, were starting to suck fish and different bits of coral and rock into the middle, churning steadily. Faith wasn't sure what it was she felt, but it seemed to feel like inherent fear.

She felt chills shoot up her spine as a single icicle fell from the sky, into the center of the whirlpool and froze the entire ocean over.

Sparkles of blue and white mixtures formed from above the solidified icy ocean in front of Faith and Mizu. As the ocean froze over in the surrounding area, the water from the outside of the area began to spill over on top, freezing more and more, until the ice was about a foot thick. It trapped the boat within the frozen area, causing it to shake and throw all American Explorers and Khalil off of balance.

Khalil ran out of the cabin, searching for the Leviathan he thought was at fault. However, he was instead met with the icy ocean. Right behind Khalil was Sky, walking out with Dani and the others remaining inside.

Almost annoyed, Sky jumped off of the boat and landed on the ice as bravely as possible. Not even Khalil was thinking of doing such a thing, however, he joined Sky on the ice, looking around for the danger.

"Is that him?!" Both Khalil and Sky turned their heads to the sky as a man fell out from the exact point the icicle fell out of. Finlis landed on the ice with a smile and crossed arms; his normal pose.

"Wow! You are... younger than I thought you would be," Finlis told Sky. He smiled, watching the boat to see if Faith would arrive. The only reason he was able to find Sky was because of the tracker he had placed into her.

"Sorry, am I supposed to know you?" Sky asked him. Finlis introduced himself, and Sky couldn't help but smile.

"Great, Finlis, I am Sky Asterio. You have business with me, I assume?" Sky remained calm, even remembering the name he read from Faith's note earlier. He was a scary man, but he could save Faith from suffering if he took care of him there.

"Is there a man who doesn't have business with you, Sky Asterio? I'm here to settle it all!" Finlis declared. Faith kept her mouth shut on the very top of the boat. If she revealed herself, Finlis would declare her identity, but if she stood silent, her dad would take care of it for her. Both things she wanted to avoid at all costs.

However, no matter what Faith wanted, she was still unsure if she could even beat Finlis.

"Can you make it quick? Settling it with me, I mean. I don't have a lot of time, and would rather not get caught up in this. You're holding up my trick to the Americas," Sky said. He took off his overcoat, throwing it up back on the boat and moving it with his Strands to get it to lie on the side of a barrel.

Finlis opened with the first attack, barreling at him over the ice like a wild animal. Sky was forced to remember the first time Zeal ran at him on the Icy Bay where Red died, but his mind was much more calm and controlled, allowing him to read Finlis's movements perfectly.

Sky dodged to the right, allowing Finlis's surprise blade to fly past his head without even scathing his skin. The speed of both ended up shocking Khalil and Faith all at once. 

Sky had moved so fast that his body blurred against the wind, kicking Finlis in the back and pushing him across the icy platform he created on the ocean.

Finlis wickedly smiled at the sight of getting hit by Sky. After being hit, he obtained the Asterio Strands! Or... so he thought...

Sky hadn't used Strands to attack Finlis, pushing him back with his raw strength, unenhanced by Strands. Finlis, with wide eyes, bounced his sight across the icy ocean to see Sky standing with his hands primed upward, and his head moved forward.

"What's the matter Sky? Too afraid to attack me with your Strands?" Finlis asked him. It was at that moment that Sky's battle sense went off, realizing Finlis had something sinister planned, and Strands must not be used.

With Sky's advancement in physical combat, he could potentially win against Finlis, so long as he stayed smart and kept his distance. Finlis looked unbridled, ready for anything all at once, and ready to do anything all at once. It was an exact copy of the way Sky was previous to his new advancements. For no reason could Sky activate his Strands.

Finlis ran at close range, gathering his composure as he threw a punch right at Sky's face. Before the punch connected, however, Finlis suffered a broken forearm and a force of energy that pushed him back along the ice once more. After being thrown a second time, Bruno, Maestro, and Seano all fell from the sky as well, landing on the ice beside him.

"Wow... I can't believe this..." Bruno said, looking at Sky as he analyzed the situation he was being put into. Outnumbered on an icy body of water invoked some sort of fear within his bones, but only fear of others drowning. With that being said, he turned to Khalil with his hand pointing up at the ship.

"Go, I know you won't drown, but I can fight better if you are not in danger. Allow me to handle this problem," Sky told Khalil.

Sky cracked his fingers and stretched his muscles as the four people standing a good distance away from him all looked upon him in dread.

They poked the bear that was Sky Asterio with a stick and now they wouldn't leave uninjured.