In the morning, Eylan decided to use the rest of the journey to learn more about his Aspect and its applications.
He believed it would be easier to train at sea than on land. To make things smoother, he chose times when there were fewer people moving around the ship and went near the water to test his powers.
Of course, like with many things related to Aspects, there was a certain level of instinctive understanding buried deep in his subconscious. That understanding had either been granted by the Nightmare Spell or was something innate to all Awakened.
Still, it was up to him to figure out how to use that power efficiently—through wit, experimentation, and intuition.
Approaching a hatch close to the sea, he began his experiments, starting with the most basic ideas.
"I order you to obey me!"
Nothing happened.
"Uh… come here…?"
Still nothing.
'Alright, then what is this power even for?'
While complaining internally, Eylan decided to try sensing his spirit, searching within his subconscious.
Then he felt something.
And he spoke—his voice firm, without a trace of hesitation.
"Listen to my voice and do as I say."
The water trembled at his command—obedient, yet fragile.
The nearby sea vibrated, as if splashing against his mind. Droplets rose from the ocean, each one separated from the others.
Suddenly, he had an epiphany and shut his eyes tightly.
In his mind, he imagined a sphere of water. Using his hands, he gathered drop after drop—until he opened his eyes.
There it was: a sphere of water, floating above the sea.
The small water bubble was tiny. Eylan felt that if he pushed himself, it could grow to the size of a cannonball. Its speed and power wouldn't be that impressive, but it would still be enough to knock down or distract an opponent.
"So cool!" A goofy smile spread across his face.
"I feel like Aquaman." A soft, genuine laugh slipped out.
"What else can I do?" he wondered, curious and barely hiding his excitement.
Noticing his rising anxiety, he calmed himself and focused on his mind and spirit.
Little by little, he felt a gentle pressure brush against his skin—the current had changed direction.
It was instinctive. He could feel the sea around him.
The passing wind seemed to carry news, whispering in his ear, telling him that they would soon encounter another storm.
It was as if nature itself recognized him as one of its own. The elements spoke to Eylan like old friends reunited after a long time.
"A sensory ability? Jackpot!"
'Sensory abilities are insanely useful. You could even say that one of the skills that helped Sunny the most when he was still an Awakened—and even later as a Master—was his ability to sense his surroundings!'
Eylan lost the ability to speak for a moment. Obviously, this would be useful no matter where he was.
After recovering, a comment slipped out of his mouth.
"I really need to stop being surprised all the time… at this rate I'm gonna have a heart attack."
After his initial success, Eylan decided to go beyond a simple sphere.
He wanted something more complex.
First, he tried a katana.
His eyes shone with anticipation.
For a brief moment, the water responded—rippling, thinning, trying to take on a defined shape.
Then, as if it lost the will to exist, the blade fell apart before it could even finish forming, dripping back into nothingness.
Eylan frowned.
Maybe it was the curvature.
Taking a deep breath, he tried something else.
A broad sword. A greatsword.
More specifically… the Dragon Slayer.
This time, it was even worse.
The water couldn't even form the hilt. The failure was immediate.
Something snapped inside him.
Eylan clenched his teeth.
A hot irritation surged up from his chest—too fast, too intense.
"Damn Aspect…" he muttered. "If I wanted to fight with a ball, I should've changed my name to Gyro." The joke came out bitter.
After a few seconds of silence, something bothered him.
Not the failure.
But his reaction.
'Since when do I get irritated this easily…?' His eyes instinctively lowered.
The answer was right there.
Engraved in the runes.
"…tormented by the death of your ancestor, you are seized by tremendous fury…"
Eylan went still.
He didn't feel outrage.
Nor surprise.
Only understanding.
'So that's it…'
With a slow sigh, he chose to stop.
Take breaks.
Keep his mind clear.
Time had passed faster than he expected.
After consuming a large portion of his essence, dawn was approaching and people would soon wake up.
Eylan decided to end his tests for the day and continue the next night.
His routine stayed like that for days.
He woke up, ate, and trained at night.
However, a strange event occurred a few days later.
While training, Eylan felt something… a disturbance on the surface of his consciousness.
A faint chill ran down his neck.
It was as if the sea had lightly growled inside him—a distant, blurry, but persistent whisper.
He frowned.
"…Huh?"
The sensation grew clearer.
Someone was watching him.
Or at least… something was.
But it was too far away to pinpoint.
The discomfort built up until he finally snapped:
"Who's there?!"
His voice echoed through the hatch.
No answer.
For long seconds, the silence of the sea seemed to mock him.
Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the sensation vanished.
That invisible gaze simply… disappeared.
Eylan closed his eyes, trying to catch any other vibration in the air.
Nothing. No movement within his sensory range.
"…Must've been my imagination."
But he knew it wasn't.
---
One corridor below, two figures ran in muffled silence.
"How did he notice?" one of them whispered, panting. "We were more than twenty meters away!"
"It must've been a coincidence… there's no way a Dormant could sense that." the other replied, even more nervous.
The two vanished into the shadows of the ship.
---
Time passed, and Eylan's proficiency improved. Of course, due to lack of time, he couldn't explore every aspect of his Aspect—but he gained a solid basic understanding.
His abilities could be summarized into three.
• The first was control over water. Eylan could command water to take the shape he desired, but if the form was too complex, it became difficult to turn it into something useful, as it required too much time and concentration.
'The flow of essence needs to be kept under "mental tension."
…It's like holding several delicate threads at once.'
Any interruption—pain, surprise, fear, exhaustion, loss of balance, or even a stray thought—would cause the structure to collapse, returning to droplets, mist, or splashes.
The greater the pressure, the greater the Essence cost.
He decided to name this ability Wave Gesture.
He then chose only three forms that would be convenient for combat.
The first was a water sphere, which could be launched with force to impact opponents, distract them, or be used as a small shield to deflect attacks—after blocking or deflecting, it would explode, soaking the opponent.
The second was a simple spear. He even tried making it in the style of a qiang, but couldn't wield it with enough skill to use it effectively in combat.
Lastly, a simple battle axe—no engravings, nothing fancy. Pure efficiency. After all, he didn't have any proper close-combat weapons.
Why not a sword?
Simple. Without proper training, a sword is basically useless in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to fight.
"Still, I'll try to learn how to use a sword at the academy. That way I can expand the applications of my powers," Eylan said with a sigh.
• His second ability was his sensory skill, divided into two parts.
A passive one, through which he was aware of what happened around him, limited to a range of thirty meters.
However, beyond ten meters, the information became blurrier, with some details slipping past his senses.
There were also obvious limitations: it couldn't pass through reinforced walls, dense metal, or multiple layered structures.
It was also affected by exhaustion and loss of concentration.
The active part worked like a tracker. He could receive certain pieces of information or "news" through the wind. Its true potential, however, shone in areas rich in water—rivers and oceans—where the ability reached its peak.
He could receive information from both wind and sea, making it a perfect skill for a navigator.
Sometimes the information could be inaccurate, or he could even be ignored—but for the most part, it was an extremely useful ability.
He named it Tide Pulse.
• Lastly, the ability that caught his attention the most—a premonition skill.
He named it Whisper of Misfortune.
This ability seemed to fall under the disaster domain of the goddess.
'Now that I think about it… doesn't the goddess have way too many domains?
She's the goddess of Storms—the divinity of depths, oceans, darkness, stars, travel, guidance, and disasters.' Eylan questioned, a hint of anticipation in his thoughts.
"Pretty impressive. But what's the point of being a goddess of all that if you die in the end?" he muttered mockingly.
Back to the ability—it was a bit confusing, but its function was unique.
A whisper would resonate inside him. It was like hearing the sea growl and thunder crash—not with his ears, but with his chest.
Every time it sounded, something bad would happen. From small things, like breaking something or bumping into someone…
To bigger things. In their current situation, for example, hearing it could mean a massive storm ahead—or that they were about to encounter an extremely dangerous creature.
The greater the danger, the louder the sound.
Eylan was glad to have this ability, but he wondered how far in advance it warned him. Could he decide to travel and receive no warning, only to encounter danger midway? Or would the alarm sound right before departure?
Those questions would be answered with time. There was no way to figure everything out in just one week.
On the last day of the week, after finishing his experiments, Eylan was heading back to his cabin to prepare his luggage—they would reach the outpost the next day.
That's when he ran into Willian Lupus, the young legacy he had spoken to some time ago.
Eylan decided not to even look at him. He moved to the other side of the corridor, pretending to admire the view.
The young legacy stepped in front of him.
"I'd like to speak with you for a moment," the young man said politely.
"Sorry, but I have somewhere to be," Eylan replied bluntly, eager to move on.
'What do these spoiled brats want with me? I didn't insult them, didn't mess with them—I don't even know who this guy is!'
"I just want to ask you one thing. Just one," the legacy insisted.
"Alright, but who are you?" Eylan asked honestly.
"Did you forget? We talked a week ago. You already forgot?" The young man looked irritated at being forgotten so easily.
Eylan thought.
'Huh… I talked to this guy? Must be because of my Flaw—I forgot!'
Seeing the delay, he replied in a measured tone.
"My memory's kind of bad, you know?
But anyway, what do you want?"
Explaining himself, Eylan looked like he was in a hurry to end the conversation.
Willian didn't beat around the bush.
"I saw you controlling water. You really are a member of the Night Walkers—are you trying to make a fool out of me?"
With a cold expression, Willian questioned Eylan's motives.
'He was watching me…? When did that happen?' Eylan wondered internally.
"My reasons don't concern you. And I already told you—I'm not part of any clan," Eylan replied seriously.
His fists clenched unconsciously.
He turned around and walked away, while Willian stood still, watching his back as he slowly disappeared down the corridor.
A scowl appeared on his face.
At that moment, two young men emerged from different rooms, their faces red with anger. One of them spoke:
"Boss, that's enough. Let me teach that mutt a lesson!" the boy said, veins bulging on his forehead.
"Of course—but not now. Let's wait until he leaves the ship, away from the government and Saint Bloodwave.
We'll hunt that bastard the moment he sets foot in NQSC…" Willian said, his tone dripping with malice.
Silence followed.
Then Willian murmured:
"I forgave your first transgression. Now you've crossed the line." His voice carried pure disgust.
A thunderclap resounded.
Loud enough to shake the world.
But only one person heard it.
Eylan heard it.