Meanwhile, in Noctelagia.


    Orion finish healing Saffira and began to discuss on how to proceed.


    "There''s a big problem. The only one who can travel freely in water is Senia."


    "If we want to have a chance of dealing with it, Olivia and I will need to follow by boat. The only problem is..."


    The three of them looked toward the storm in the horizon. Olivia nodded and finished his previous sentence.


    "The storm that hasn''t cleared for more than a week."


    "Yes. We can expect rough waves capable of turning a boat upside down. This is probably not a good idea."


    "Then-"


    "No."


    Before Senia could utter nonsense, Orion shook his head and cut her off.


    "I won''t let you go alone. I know for a fact that the giants are tough to deal with, and they are not to be underestimated."


    "Sending you against this... thing, is like sending you to your death. We don''t know what it can do, and pretty much any information on it is unknown."


    Senia knew that he wasn''t telling her that to make her feel bad, or because he didn''t trust her. He sounded genuinely worried.


    "What can we do then? If I can''t go alone, and you can''t travel through the storm?"


    Fighting at sea was a very troubling situation. Compared to the stories of people hunting giant squids or whales during storms, the reality was that a single accident or attack could cost the lives of everyone.


    If the boat is destroyed, then all hope will be lost, as the corrupted giant will end them.


    "I... might be able to provide some help."


    Saffira, who quietly listened next to them, suddenly entered the conversation.


    "And what could that ''help'' be?"


    With a serious expression, Orion looked at the white kelpie.


    ''I''ll take anything at this point, even the help of a kelpie.''


    While thinking that, he witnessed a strange event alongside Senia. Olivia looked at it with a smile, knowing what was going to happen.


    A sphere of water enveloped the kelpie, and exploded a second later.


    "I already knew about it... but seeing it in person is something else."


    Orion opened his mouth slightly, surprised.


    "Aren''t kelpies water horses?"


    Baffled, Senia pointed at Saffira.


    "Only a kelpie able to shape-shift can become a leader. Not only that, they are also the only ones who can talk our language."


    Olivia explained to Senia, who had completely no idea what the kelpies actually were.


    "Only one appears when the previous leader dies, and that''s who Saffira is."


    A humanoid being made of pure water stretched its arms and legs.


    "I have not taken this form in so long. I could not with that bite wound, so let me thank you for kindly healing me."


    Saffira, in her shifted form, bowed forward.


    Accepting her thanks, Orion nodded.


    He checked Saffira from top to bottom for a moment, and looked into her yellow eyes.


    ''If not for its eyes, I wouldn''t believe it.''


    The yellow eyes of the kelpie were still unchanged. Its yellow eyes looked straight into Orion''s, as a small smile appeared on its face.


    "By the way, Saffira''s a female."


    "I noticed."


    Olivia smiled at Orion, who seemed to completely ignore the matter altogether.


    "I have plenty of beautiful women around me. I have no need for more."


    Both Senia and Olivia blushed slightly and looked away. Saffira looked at the man who blatantly rejected her before she could even try to seduce him, and laughed.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "Hahaha~ Even if I tried to seduce you, us kelpies can''t reproduce with other factions. This is also taboo for us, as it is against nature."


    "You don''t look very ''natural'' in this form. This is a special trait given by your Remnant, isn''t it?"


    Saffira expressed concerned as she heard the word ''Remnant''. She stared at Orion and carefully asked.


    "You know about that? About the Remnants?"


    He nodded without hiding it.


    "I am acquainted with quite a few of them."


    "Oh..."


    Not knowing if she should trust him, she looked at Olivia.


    "He''s not lying. To be exact, he even protects them."


    Then, she looked at Orion, and nodded.


    "Alright, I will trust you. Yes, this is a special ability given by our creator. He usually disappears somewhere and reappears uninvited, though, we have not seen him for around ten years."


    "He gave us this ability because he wanted us to bond with the humans."


    Orion brought his right hand to his chin and fell in deep thoughts for a little bit.


    ''As I thought. What I find strange is, why all the Remnants tried to make their own factions work alongside the humans?''


    ''What is it with the humans that makes them so interesting? Is it their creativity? Ingenuity? Tenacity? I don''t know...''


    ''I understand now that the corruption is what pushed humans to commit many atrocities in the past. It brings the worst traits out and removes any traces of common sense in them.''


    ''Hating them forever won''t help me, but still. This is very intriguing.''


    "Orion, what are you thinking about?"


    Senia bent sideways and appeared in his sight, forcing him out of his thinking. He pushed his thoughts in the back of his head and answered Senia.


    "Something about the humans. It''s not very important, but I somehow felt the need to arrange ideas in my head."


    "I see. Don''t overdo it, alright?"


    He nodded and patted her on the head.


    "Hmm."


    After Senia straightened, Orion walked toward Saffira and asked her a question.


    "Tell me, what was that ''help'' you were talking about earlier? It should be related to that shapeshifting ability if you took the time to use it."


    "You are right. Let me explains this while doing it."


    Saffira got even closer to Orion and placed her hands on his cheeks.


    "Bend forward a little, please."


    Orion complied without asking anything else. He bent forward, and watched the kelpie approaching its head toward his.


    "May the sea protect you."


    She kissed his forehead and took a step back.


    From the place the watery lips touched, a calm feeling traveled through his body. Like a wave, it enveloped his body and gently rocked him back and forth.


    That was what he felt.


    "A blessing."


    He immediately noticed the similarities between what Saffira did and what Silka had given him. It felt exactly the same.


    "This is exact. I made it, so the sea accept your presence. She won''t try to get rid of you like this."


    Something sound weird from the way she explained it, which bothered Orion.


    "Are you saying that the sea has a will? It can''t be."


    "For a land dweller, it might be right. Us sea dwellers understand her very well. She doesn''t talk, but makes her thoughts very clear."


    Saffira entwined her fingers together and clasped her hands tight, before closing her eyes.


    "Like a mother, she can be calm and comprehensive, and sometimes angry and devastating. With this blessing, she will recognize you as an ally. You will be able to breathe like us underwater, and move as if you were on land."


    Orion nodded, and understood.


    ''We have a different point of view on what the sea is. She is probably referring to ''Nature'', the same Henrietta and Tetra talked about in the past.''


    "I won''t disrespect the sea. I never planned to do it either way. With this blessing, I will help in bringing peace to the sea again."


    The kelpie leader bowed forward and smiled.


    "Thank you very much for understanding. Only you and Lady Olivia were kind enough to not push our ideals away."


    Next to him, Olivia smiled. At first, she only tried to make them an allied faction in case something were to happen, but she began to be interested in the kelpies with the passing of time. Saffira and Olivia became friends at one point, making it a first for both factions.


    "Can you bless Olivia too?"


    "Of course. Are you bringing her with you?"


    Orion smiled and placed his right hand on her blonde hair.


    "She is strong enough. With me and Senia, she will shine in this fight."


    After seeing what she was capable off, and knowing the extent of her magic power, he wanted her at his side during the fight.


    "If you say so... I hope nothing will happen to her then."


    Doing the same to Olivia, she kissed her forehead.


    "May the sea protect you. Please be careful."


    "Thank you, Saffira. I''ll return safely. In fact, there''s nothing to worry about with Orion, he is that strong."


    "I believe you. He is the one you chose that day, is he?"


    Olivia blushed and looked sideways.


    "Yes."


    When she wasn''t in her demon form, she acted very shy. Since Orion knew how she usually acted toward him, he smiled and walked away.


    Senia followed him by dragging herself on the sand, until they both entered the water. Having the water submerging his waist, he noticed how easy it was to walk in water.


    "There''s no resistance at all. It''s really similar to walking on land. Even my clothes are dry."


    A small layer of air around his body protected him from the water. It was also transforming a tiny amount of water into air, which helped him breathe underwater.


    "Are you taking the plunge?"


    With a small laugh, Senia dived. Orion prepared himself and followed her. He was a little apprehensive about going into the sea, but when he saw the realm expanding in front of him, he couldn''t help but be in awe.


    "This is incredible..."


    He could see normally. Everything was clear and bright, not dark as he was expecting.


    Near the shore, life still managed to thrive, away from the terrifying corrupted that lived in deeper water.


    Small fishes swam between corals and rocks of various colors and size. Anemones sprouted and retracted as they detected movement around them.


    Crabs walked around his feet and even tried to pinch his laces. He carefully walked around, trying not to step on the wildlife.


    Sponges, mollusks, seashells, seagrass, kelp... a whole world opened itself to Orion, who felt overwhelmed by its beauty.


    In the distance, the kelpies that flew into the water swam in deeper water, as their big size endangered the species of the shallows.


    ''This is what Senia sees every time she is in the water...''


    Somehow, he was jealous of her, but he also felt incredibly happy to finally appreciate something she always saw in her daily life.


    "Wait for me!"


    Olivia broke his daydreaming moment the moment she ran toward him. Orion returned to his senses and remembered why he came here.


    He waited for Olivia, and looked toward Senia, who swam next to him with a warm smile on her face. She seemed to have noticed his admiration for the sea, which made her very happy.


    "Alright, let''s kill that giant, and return home. We''ll deal with it before dinner."


    ""Yes!""


    Both Olivia and Senia turned serious, and nodded.


    "Senia, please lead the way."


    "Of course."


    With this said, the three departed into the depth of the Carmel Sea to remove the threat that was the corrupted giant.