Chapter 104: Emergency Distress Signal

"Dinner is served, Chairman," the executive chef announced with a respectful bow, setting down three covered silver platters on the long outdoor dining table.

When the covers were lifted, Amber let out an appreciative gasp.

The platters were piled high with freshly caught king crab legs cracked and steaming in lemon butter, grilled sea-bass fillets over wild rice, crisp seasoned wedges, and chilled crystal flutes filled with sparkling berry nectar.

Amber sat down across from Evren, her coral-and-gold wrap dress flowing around her slender legs. Her dark-brown eyes danced with delight as she picked up a crab fork.

"If this is how we travel for medical ingredients, Chairman, we should get sick more often," Amber teased, cracking open a thick shell and dipping the tender white meat into the butter.

"Don’t jinx us," Evren laughed, sitting down beside her.

Zephyra took her seat with her usual grace, smoothing the skirt of her violet summer dress. She picked up a king crab leg and snapped the shell on her own this time.

She dipped the meat and took a bite, nodding slightly at the rich, savory flavor.

Amber noticed and grinned. "Good, isn’t it, Z?"

"It is," Zephyra murmured softly.

Evren watched her with a faint smile. She hadn’t inspected her plate for poisons... she didn’t sniff her glass or check the perimeter of the deck like she’d always do. She simply ate, relaxed and at peace.

Amber peeled a succulent piece of crab, dipped it into the garlic butter, and held it up to Evren’s mouth with a sultry wink. "Open up, Evren. I’m on feeding duty tonight."

Evren chuckled and leaned forward, taking the bite from her fingers.

The butter was rich, and the meat melted on his tongue. Amber laughed happily, licking a stray drop of butter from her thumb while looking at him with adoring eyes.

—

After dinner, twilight gave way to a deep indigo sky blanketed with brilliant stars.

Amber stood up, stretching her arms above her head with a satisfied sigh. Her wrap dress pulled tight against her generous bust, showcasing her trim waist and feminine curves.

"That was wonderful," Amber said, looking toward the spiral stairs leading to the top deck. "Now, who’s coming up to the jacuzzi with me?"

Zephyra blinked. "There is a heated bath on the roof of the ship?"

"An open-air hot tub under the stars," Amber giggled, grabbing Zephyra’s hand. "Go put your bikini back on, Z. You haven’t lived until you’ve soaked in bubbling water in the middle of the ocean."

Ten minutes later, all three were on the private top deck.

The massive circular jacuzzi sat raised above the deck, surrounded by polished teak and gentle blue LED perimeter lights. Steam drifted off the swirling, heated water into the cool night air.

Amber slipped off her silk robe, revealing her coral-red bikini. Her smooth, sun-kissed skin glowed under the moonlight as she stepped down into the bubbling water with a long, contented shiver.

"Oh, that feels heavenly," Amber sighed, sinking in until the water reached her shoulders.

Evren dropped his towel and stepped in beside her. The hot, bubbling water massaged his muscles, washing away any lingering fatigue.

Zephyra stood at the edge of the tub, wearing her midnight-violet bikini. She hesitated, her cheeks flushing pink as the steam wrapped around her pale legs and the tight curve of her hips.

"Get in, Z," Evren said with a warm smile, patting the bench beside him. "The water is perfect."

Zephyra swallowed lightly and stepped into the water. She let out a quiet gasp as the heat enveloped her, slowly sitting down right next to Evren.

Amber rested her head back against the rim of the tub, her legs brushing playfully against Evren’s beneath the water. "Look at the stars out here. Back in the city, the skyline lights drown everything out."

Evren glanced up at the glittering expanse of the cosmos, then looked at Zephyra sitting quietly beside him.

Her head was tilted slightly forward, her silver hair pinned up to keep it out of the water. Beneath the surface, Evren noticed the stiff, tight knot along her left shoulder blade and the back of her upper arm... the exact junction where the necrotic poison had scarred her deep combat conduits four months ago.

Evren moved closer and placed his warm, strong hands on her bare shoulders.

Zephyra gasped, her violet eyes snapping wide. "Evren...?"

"Your shoulder is tight," Evren said gently. "Relax, Z. Let the heat do its work."

His thumbs began working deep into the tense muscles around her shoulder blade, applying firm, steady pressure that targeted the scarred conduits beneath the skin.

Zephyra let out a trembling, breathy sigh. Her chin dropped toward her chest as her rigid posture completely melted under his touch.

"Ah... Evren..." she whispered.

"Hurts?" Evren asked softly, easing his pressure slightly.

"No," Zephyra murmured, leaning her back directly against his chest. "It feels... relieving."

She turned her head slightly, looking up at Evren.

"In the shadow corps, when a blade broke, it was discarded," Zephyra whispered. "When my conduits shattered, I thought my life was over. I was garbage waiting to die."

Evren stopped his hands and rested them gently on her collarbones, pulling her back against him.

"You were never garbage, Zephyra," Evren said firmly. "And nobody discards you while I’m around. Tomorrow, we get that orchid. Your conduits will be stronger than they ever were."

Amber smiled softly from across the tub, her dark-brown eyes misty with affection. "Told you, Z. He’s our Chairman."

A single tear slipped down Zephyra’s flushed cheek, disappearing into the swirling bathwater. She brought her hands up to rest over Evren’s hands on her chest, closing her eyes in complete surrender.

"My life is yours, Evren," she breathed. "Forever."

—

Around midnight, the pleasant sea breeze began to change.

The air turned abruptly cold, carrying a sharp, sulfurous tang that cut through the salty ocean scent.

A thick, swirling lavender fog rolled across the water, so dense that the yacht’s standard navigation lights could barely illuminate twenty feet ahead.

BEEP.

The deck intercom crackled to life, and Captain Harris’s grave voice came through the speaker.

"Chairman Evren, apologies for the intrusion. We have reached the sixty-mile mark and entered the outer shelf of Mistral Crag Isle. But our thermal sensors have just picked up an emergency distress transponder three miles off our starboard bow."

Evren’s eyes sharpened instantly.

He stood up from the jacuzzi, stepped onto the deck, and wrapped a dry towel around his waist. Amber and Zephyra quickly threw their silk robes over their bikinis, following him down the stairs straight to the bridge.

The bridge was dark, illuminated only by the glowing blue and green displays of the navigation consoles. Captain Harris stood by the radar table, looking tense.

"Report," Evren ordered calmly.

"Sir, a civilian sport cruiser got caught in the volcanic fog when their engine threw a turbine," Captain Harris explained, pointing to a pulsing red dot on the tactical map. "They just launched a flare."

Through the reinforced glass of the bridge, a bright flare arched high into the foggy night sky, casting a blood-red glow over the jagged waves.

"That’s not all, Chairman," the first mate added, zooming in on the sonar feed. "Look at the water beneath them."

Clustered around the disabled boat were nearly a dozen large, fast-moving thermal signatures.

SCREEECH!

A deafening, reptilian shriek cut through the fog outside, loud enough to rattle the bridge windows.

Zephyra stepped up to the console, her violet eyes narrowing with deadly focus. "Mistral Sea-Wyverns. Level forty-five abyssal winged predators. They nest in deep oceanic trenches. Why are so many clustered on the surface?"

"It happens whenever volatile mana flares up in the crater," Captain Harris said grimly, tapping the sulfur temperature readouts. "The old sea charts call it a bloom surge. If a rare alchemical plant opens up top, its vapor washes down through the underwater vents. To deep-trench beasts, that sweet mana is like blood in the water."

Zephyra’s breath caught as she looked at Evren. "The orchid... its bloom started today."

Evren’s eyes darkened. The pieces fell into place instantly. The orchid’s sudden maturation hadn’t just triggered the seventy-two-hour clock... it had awakened the entire trench.

On the radar, two of the thermal signatures leaped out of the water, slamming into the disabled cruiser’s upper deck. Distant screams echoed over the emergency radio channel.

"Captain, we’re moving in," Evren commanded. "Bring us alongside them."

Captain Harris stiffened, turning to Evren with genuine alarm in his eyes.

"Chairman, with all due respect, those are Level forty-five abyssal predators. If we charge in with our engines, we risk drawing the entire swarm onto our ship. The Empress has reinforced armor, but we don’t carry naval-grade deck cannons to repel airborne beasts. And the shallow volcanic reefs ahead are a navigational nightmare!"

"Sound general quarters and secure all non-essential crew in the sealed lower decks," Evren instructed calmly. "Raise the yacht’s hull mana barrier."

"And the wyverns, sir?" Captain Harris pressed, sweat beading on his brow. "If they swarm our bridge..."

"You don’t need deck cannons, Captain," Evren smiled faintly, looking over his shoulder. "Not when you have an S-Rank Valkyrie on board."

Captain Harris blinked in confusion. Before he could ask what Evren meant, Amber stepped forward and let her silk robe slide off her shoulders.

FWOOSH!

Radiant, red-golden wings erupted from Amber’s back, stretching ten feet across the bridge. The brilliant light pierced the reinforced glass, cutting through the dense purple fog outside and bathing the wheelhouse in warmth.

Captain Harris and his first mate froze in place, their jaws dropping in disbelief.

"Wings of light..." the first mate stammered, staring in sheer terror and awe. "She’s... an S-Rank Valkyrie?!"

Amber turned toward Evren, her wings fluttering quietly. A confident, radiant grin spread across her lips.

"Looks like our vacation has an intermission, Chairman," Amber said, extending an open hand toward him with a playful wink. "Hand over my twin blades. Permission to clear the sky?"

Evren chuckled softly. With a flick of his wrist, his Spatial Storage Ring flashed, and her curved S-Rank dragon-bone twin sabers appeared in his grasp. He placed them into her hands.

"Permission granted," Evren smiled.

Captain Harris swallowed hard, his hands trembling as he stared at the armed, winged warrior before snapping to attention.

"Aye, Chairman! Sounding general quarters! Raising bow floodlights, engines ahead full!"