“I promise you, as soon as we’re clear of this corridor, we’ll cool down properly. Maybe even take a detour to a nice, cold island if we can find one.”

Mira perked up slightly at that. “A cold island? Now you’re talking. Got any of those in your back pocket?”

Erik chuckled. “I’ll see what I can find. In the meantime, why don’t you three head below deck? It’s not much, but it’s cooler than out here.”

The women exchanged glances, then slowly got to their feet. As they passed Erik, Amber paused and gave him a worried look.

Erik turned his attention back to the sea. The water churned and steamed, heat radiating from below. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to this corridor than just the heat. Something about it felt… off.

But for now, his main concern was getting his team through this ordeal. Erik took a deep breath of the scorching air.

With a last glance at the horizon, Erik turned and headed back to the bridge. They had a long way to go, and every moment counted.

But just as that thought of rest crossed his mind, June called out, his voice tight with alarm.

Erik then mentally turned to the Chimaeric Demons flying above.

Erik was at the clone’s side in an instant, peering at the readout. A large blip was indeed

moving across the screen, heading for their position.

“How long until it reaches us?” he asked. June’s fingers flew over the controls. “At its current speed… ten minutes, maybe less.”

Erik nodded. “Then we have ten minutes to find the other thaid.”

he called out to the other clones.

The crew sprang into action. The weapon systems were going to be useless. If the creature coming was as powerful as those two thaids, or if it was one of them, even the brain crystal technology on the ship wouldn’t work.

June, in the meantime, entered the octopus area. The Chimaeric Demons were already searching around, hoping to find the creature. But the sea was vast and deep. They might cross it but could fail to see it or to be spotted. The clones doing the same with the Leviathan Serpent were in a similar situation.

Not knowing what creature was coming, based on how large it was, it could be one of the two. Erik didn’t know if he was strong enough to fight it. If he was, then good, but if he wasn’t, it was better to have a contingency plan, and that was why he sent the Chimaeric Demons to search for them.

If they saw each other, there would be great chances they would forget about the ship’s existence.

>

As the minutes ticked by, the tension in the pilot cabin grew. On the deck, the Chimaeric Demons were ready to leave.

They took on the form of Zephyrwings, so they were big enough to carry a couple of people while transporting the goods. June was also there, turned into a black Wyvern, carrying the Chimaeric Demons’ eggs and most of their provisions, but not everything.

They still had to leave most of the food behind, but that wasn’t a problem. By flying, they would reach Hin’s shores quickly. The problem was that there were much higher chances to be

spotted.

When the clone transformed, the ship swayed dangerously. The weight was a lot, but when June got a firm hold over the ship, it stopped moving.

Erik stood at the center of it all, at the pilot’s cabin. Outwardly calm, but inwardly ready to fight, if necessary.

Erik said to the others. There was no sight of the Chimaeric Demons searching for the two creatures.

Erik went through their options. Fight or flee? Stand their ground or try to outrun the

creature?

The computer estimated three minutes at that point.

One minute to intercept.

On the horizon, a huge vapor cloud formed, its size increasing with each passing second.

The billowing mass rose, stretching higher into the sky and expanding outward, drawing closer to the ship.

Erik realized at that point that it wasn’t a volcano that was making the waters so unbearably hot; it was the thaid approaching the ship.

“Do it now, June!”

The clone spread his wings and took to the sky. The Chimaeric Demons followed. Erik watched

them ascend.

June circled back, his gaze fixed on the ship. The temperature lowered a lot up in the sky, but it was still high. Heat tended to go up, after all.

Then, with a last beat of his wings, he led the Chimaeric Demons further up the skies,

ensuring the safety of Amber, Mira, and Emily, as well as the cargo they carried.

Erik remained on the ship, standing ready. He set the ship’s controls to keep heading toward

the center of the octopus’ s area, and he went on deck.

Thirty seconds. The vapor cloud was almost on the ship. June and the others could see it; it

was massive, long, and terrifying.