The atmosphere in the control deck settled into something deeply unnatural after that.
Not hostile.
Not peaceful.
Something in between.
The kind of silence that formed when everyone collectively decided it was safer not to touch certain subjects anymore.
The ship continued humming steadily around them.
Alive.
Heavy.
Enduring.
Blue mana currents flowed through the rotating control sigils surrounding Draven's chair while distant mechanical groans echoed faintly through the fortress-like vessel.
The pilot remained sprawled unconscious across the floor.
Actually unconscious this time.
Probably.
Kaelira still looked dissatisfied.
Her ears twitched faintly as she continued staring at the black cat curled comfortably against Draven's shoulder.
The creature blinked lazily back at her.
Completely relaxed.
As though the entire conversation surrounding it had been profoundly unimportant.
Kaelira narrowed her eyes.
"…I still think that explanation is terrible."
Aldric snorted quietly into his drink.
"Then think harder."
"That's not how explanations work."
"It worked for me."
"That explains a lot, actually."
Aldric's eye twitched faintly.
Nearby, the cultist subtly shifted farther away from the argument while clutching the wrapped artifact protectively against herself.
Experience had probably taught her that remaining silent around this group dramatically improved her survival odds.
The black cat stretched lazily against Draven's shoulder.
Then—
its gaze shifted.
Toward the floating navigation arrays.
Toward the glowing mana streams rotating around the control seat.
Its ears perked once.
Draven noticed immediately.
His eyes narrowed slightly at one of the outer displays.
A faint distortion rippled across the mana current readings.
Small.
Brief.
Wrong.
The floating sigils nearest the central control array flickered once before stabilizing again.
Kaelira caught his expression immediately.
"…What?"
Draven didn't answer at first.
His fingers moved once across the mana interface.
The fortress responded instantly.
Deep beneath them, enormous stabilization rings shifted position with a metallic groan that reverberated faintly through the ship's frame.
Aldric lowered his bottle slightly.
"…Something wrong?"
Draven's gaze remained fixed on the readings.
"The current changed."
Silence.
Kaelira blinked.
"…That sounds bad."
"It is."
The room quieted immediately.
Even Aldric's expression flattened slightly.
The navigation arrays rotated faster now.
Blue mana streams pulsed brighter around the control platform while warning glyphs flickered across several outer displays.
The black cat lifted its head.
Its ears twitched once.
Then again.
Draven noticed that too.
"…Hm."
Aldric frowned faintly.
"What?"
Draven finally glanced toward the massive viewing screen at the front of the control deck.
Beyond the reinforced glass—
the sky stretched endlessly around them.
Dark clouds churned slowly across the horizon.
Not natural clouds.
Too dense.
Too layered.
The sky itself looked bruised.
Deep violet currents pulsed faintly within the storm mass while thin streaks of silver light flickered silently between the clouds far in the distance.
Kaelira stared toward the screen.
"…That doesn't look normal."
"No," Aldric muttered quietly.
"For once."
Even he had stopped drinking.
That alone said enough.
The ship continued forward through the sky, but now the entire structure groaned intermittently beneath them as unstable air currents slammed against the outer hull.
The navigation arrays surrounding Draven accelerated again.
Warning glyphs flared brighter.
Altitude drift increasing.
Outer mana pressure unstable.
Cross-current turbulence detected.
The black cat remained perfectly still against Draven's shoulder now.
Watching the storm.
Its tail had stopped moving entirely.
Draven's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then—
another pulse hit the ship.
Harder this time.
The entire fortress lurched sideways.
A deep metallic groan thundered through the hull as several control sigils flashed red.
Kaelira grabbed the side railing instantly.
"Whoa—!"
Aldric steadied himself midair with a pulse of crimson mana.
The unconscious pilot slid several inches across the floor.
Still asleep.
Impressive, honestly.
The cultist tightened her hold around the wrapped artifact protectively.
Another violent tremor slammed through the fortress.
The control deck lurched hard enough for several floating mana screens to shatter into sparks.
Kaelira gripped the railing tighter.
"Okay— that one felt significantly worse!"
Deep metallic groans echoed throughout the structure as the ship entered the edge of the storm current. Outside the viewing screen, massive violet clouds twisted slowly across the sky like living things.
Warning glyphs blazed brighter.
Outer hull stress increasing.
Cross-current deviation unstable.
Barrier integrity offline.
The black cat's ears flattened slightly.
Draven's gaze remained fixed ahead.
Then he moved.
His hand lifted calmly from the control array.
Blue mana surged instantly through the chamber.
The entire control deck vibrated as enormous dormant formations hidden throughout the fortress awakened one after another beneath them.
Far below—
deep within the ship—
ancient barrier cores ignited.
A low resonant hum spread outward through the walls.
Then—
outside the viewing screen—
a translucent blue barrier unfolded around the fortress in expanding layers.
The violent wind currents striking the ship immediately softened.
Not gone.
Reduced.
The fortress stabilized slightly.
Kaelira stared upward.
"…We had barriers this whole time?"
Aldric snorted faintly.
"Of course it has barriers."
Another pulse of mana spread through the hull.
Aldric's eyes narrowed toward the outer displays.
"…Though those are small."
Draven spoke calmly while adjusting the navigation sigils.
"The ship was never designed for something like this."
Blue light reflected across his face.
"The barrier will hold for now."
For now.
Nobody liked the sound of that.
The cultist quietly tightened her grip around the wrapped artifact.
Outside—
silver lightning crawled soundlessly through the violet clouds.
Then Draven raised one hand toward his ear.
His finger tapped lightly against the black earring hanging there.
Mana flowed instantly into it.
The earring pulsed once.
A faint distortion spread through the air beside him—
then stabilized.
A voice emerged immediately.
"My Lord."
Vaelith.
Cold.
Calm.
Perfectly composed.
But before Draven could respond—
she continued.
"I have already secured both the young master and the young miss."
Kaelira blinked.
Aldric lowered his bottle slightly.
Vaelith's voice continued through the mana link.
"They are unharmed."
A brief pause.
"They woke briefly after the turbulence began, but they have since calmed down."
Draven's gaze remained fixed on the storm ahead.
"Any issues?"
"None significant."
The sound of distant movement echoed faintly through the connection.
"They are currently within the lower sanctuary chamber."