Spirits were Arthur's favorite power manifestations, as they involved mutual trust between the user and the spiritual being. However, spirit users were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Now that he thought about it, Trevor's ability to use a dark knight might have been a spirit in some way. However, abilities, traits, and spiritual contracts were hard to distinguish even by the users themselves.
An awakening back on earth could have been simply a spirit contract, while the user did it unaware. An ability could have been a human trait like those of Demis, only on the spiritual level rather than their genes.
There was an oblivious relation between summoners and spirits, so Arthur was sure that Jin was someone of high spiritual attainment.
They had to go far away from the harbor for Hana to show Arthur her spirit. There was a meadow where tall grass grew on the riverside. As they looked at the deep and wide Lo River, they could see countless ships going into Aquamia's harbor.
"You can go ahead," Dia told Hana, who jumped off the ice platform that the princess created. The little girl skipped toward the water before raising her hands toward the sky.
The princess's hand nudged him slightly to pull Arthur's attention toward the girl. When the ice platform disappeared from beneath them, lights began to gather atop Hana's hands.
'That lich was the one who gave this spirit to Hana, so it must be something valuable.'
After all, that spirit governed a domain of the Skyey World. True to his expectations, the lights began to manifest a conch shell that was pink in color.
When the process was over, the shell landed in Hana's hands, looking no different from any other. However, Arthur knew that appearances were deceiving.
"Watch me closely, Seika!" Hana shouted before she blew the conch shell, and a whistle that rang through their soul was emitted from it.
Arthur was confused because as he could feel the call from within the shell, nothing happened. However, the princess simply gestured for him to look at the water.
There was nothing for a while, but Arthur felt a presence approaching from within the river. It was faster than any ship, and it was rapidly approaching. While he was considering throwing a barrier to protect Hana, she stopped blowing as she threw her hand in the air.
"Mei!"
As the girl shouted, something broke the water surface in front of them. Arthur's eyes widened when he saw the giant whale that had appeared.
'This is… not an ocean!'
The whale was as big as a ship, and it took a large portion of the river. It was as big as a medium-sized ship, spanning the length of thirty meters at least.
The whale emitted a deep sound as if it was celebrating meeting Hana again. Arthur couldn't help but gape at the spectacle, and the princess pushed his chin to close with her finger,
"A lord should never make that expression," the princess smiled sweetly. "Everything is within calculations, right?"
"This is beyond logic," Arthur shook his head. "Whales usually inhabit oceans or seas at the very least. You don't see a whale in a river every day!"
"Well, that's because she isn't just calling for them. She is summoning them."
"What?"
"These creatures aren't from this world; they are summoned from other worlds to answer her call. However, she can only summon this one at the moment, and she calls this whale Mei," Diana walked toward the river and patted Hana on the head.
Then, the water began freezing to create a path toward the creature. The two girls walked on it until the princess carried her and jumped.
"Let me show you what I meant!"
Diana called out for him with a smile, gesturing for Arthur to hop on the whale's back as well. Then, with a sigh, Arthur teleported to stand beside her.
"Hana, could you ask your friend to do like last time?" Diana asked her, and the girl nodded. Arthur stared at them with furrowed brows, confused how they got along so quickly.
However, it seems the girl trusted Diana more than she trusted him, and it might have been a mistake to send the princess to rescue her. As if sensing his mood, the princess laughed when she turned to him. "Jealous?"
"Not at all," Arthur looked at the giant whale, which began to move when Hana asked it. Then, it swam across the water at an incredible speed, making Arthur use his spiritual energy to block the air.
"Liar," Diana smiled as she slid her hand into his and held it tightly. Arthur turned toward the princess to stare at her silently, but she simply changed the topic. "Have you ever heard of Luraqin?"
"No, I have not."
"Well, they see he's a man who lived on an island. The story talks about how that eccentric man convinced a giant turtle to take him home, only to realize that the turtle devoured islands, and he led it to his home."
"That's dark for a fairytale," Arthur frowned. "What relevance does it have with this whale?"
"Well, we can use the whale to transport goods. Hana said that as long as she learned how to use the conch shell, she could summon other sea creatures. So we can create a fleet of ships made of sea creatures."
"Eleven will be mad," Arthur laughed. "How do you expect her to sail a ship that isn't a ship?"
"We can use this method until we find an alternative," Dia proposed. "After all, it's better than forcing people to create ships for you," she revealed one of Arthur's options.
"Tell me about Luraqin," Arthur asked. "Do you think he did the wrong thing?"
"There is no such thing about this story," Diana answered as she leaned on his chest while Hana talked to Mei. "Luraqin wanted to go home, and that brought doom to his family. Maybe his desire to go back is his sin, but his desire to leave his family would have been a bigger sin."
Arthur didn't say anything before sighing and sitting down. Dia yapped when he pulled her to sit beside him, and she glared at him for doing that so suddenly.
"Sometimes, I think of that it's better if I never return home," Arthur said as he stared at the rolling waves. "I was the reason that my family was endangered, even if it was indirectly."
His feud with Tyrin was what made that man target Ori and Ellen. If not for Arthur's existence, then none of that would happen. The identity of the outsider also endangered his family, so this led Arthur to rethink things.
"Maybe it's better if I was gone," he listened to the quiet breathing of the princess. "Everywhere I go, I am the outsider. I end up being the hated person, and this place is the same. However, here I have no one that I can lose, but if I do return…"
"Then, why would you return?" Dia asked him, and he turned to stare at her blue and red eyes. However, even though she said that Arthur knew that she wasn't asking him to stay.
"There are things that I need to prevent," he said, "wars to end, and kings to overthrow. But, yet, what if I go back there only to bring a giant turtle with me?"
"You are selfish again," Dia smiled as she used her other hand to touch his neck. "Why are you choosing for whoever awaits your return? Have you ever tried to imagine their feelings?"
Arthur closed his mouth at that, and his lips pressed into a thin line. When he thought about his disappearance from his family and friend's perspective, he realized they would be worried.
"I'm sure that they wouldn't mind risking their lives just to see you again, to be with you. At least, I wouldn't mind."
Her words made Arthur miss his family terribly. The memories he shared with Emma, Oliver, Jonah, Miko, Sier, Li, Ivy, and everyone else appeared in his mind. A desperate need to go back suddenly overtook him, and it made the princess's face turn dreamy as if an illusion that was far from reality.
"Then why are you asking me to go back?" Arthur asked what was on his mind. When he asked the princess, he didn't think she would tell him to go back. After all, she wanted him here with her.
"Because that's what you want," the princess retracted her hand, and his skin missed her warmth instantly. "And I want nothing but your happiness, even if it doesn't include me."
A sharp stab pained Arthur's heart as he saw her eyes look away with sadness, despite her words. He knew that she meant what she said, but he also knew she wanted him to stay here as much as he wanted to return.
This time, unlike before at the trial, this time his body moved on purpose. The eyes meeting his widened before they softened and closed.. Then, as the waves rolled, their lips met.
