Chapter 86: You're Looking Pretty Tasty Right About Now

In the Physical Dimension

Elijah's draconic features became more pronounced as he stood, his scales shimmering in hues of blue. Water swirled around him, rippling like a gentle tide. As the scales gradually faded, a lotus materialized behind him, a single leaf resting on it. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling as he murmured, "Twelve hours... almost up."

Opposite him stood Alter Elijah, his hair a striking blend of black and gold. He gazed at Elijah with a complex, unreadable expression. "Our bloodlines fused easily with the Draconic bloodline, but you still have no idea how to harness it," he remarked, his tone laced with a hint of mockery.

Panting, Elijah asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Humph, nothing," Alter Elijah said, his eyes narrowing before he vanished, leaving a sense of unease lingering in the air.

In this dimension, Elijah could only remain for a limited time. While his spiritual body could endure for twelve hours, his physical form could sustain only six.

Alter Elijah's cryptic words echoed in his mind as the space around him warped, forcibly pulling him back to the spiritual dimension.

'It has been two days... my body should be healed by now,' Elijah thought as he transitioned back to reality. But as soon as his eyes opened, a sudden, intense hunger surged through him, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"I'm starving," he muttered, rising to his feet. His upper body was wrapped in bandages, evidence of recent injuries.

Across the room, he noticed Stella lying on a bed, though he could tell she wasn't truly asleep.

Still groggy, he called out, "Stella, have you been sleeping this whole time?"

She didn't respond, just stared at him with dark, tired eyes before burying her face into a pillow. Confused, Elijah walked closer and added, "Or... not? Are you okay?"

But she remained silent, prompting Elijah to ignore the strange tension and head for the door. His stomach growled loudly as he opened it, stepping out.

He was greeted by the sight of Kai and Tank, both fast asleep in a corner of the ship. Adan was nearby, a clone of himself managing the sails, while Julia was busy steering.

"Adan, I'm hungry!" Elijah shouted, his voice echoing across the deck.

Adan looked down from the sails, surprised. "You're awake, Elijah?"

"Yes, and starving! Where's the food?" Elijah demanded.

"There should be some in the storage. Go check there," Adan replied, loud enough for Julia to overhear. She glanced back, startled, and her eyes widened in horror.

"KAIII!!" Julia screamed. "Elijah is heading for the food!"

In a flash, Kai snapped awake, unsheathing his sword as he dashed toward Elijah, who barely managed to leap back in time.

"Elijah, no!" Kai yelled.

"What's the problem?" Elijah asked, bewildered.

Julia blocked the entrance to the storage room, her arms spread wide. "Elijah, we're out in the middle of the ocean. We don't know when we'll find land, so you can't just raid the supplies."

"Raid the supplies? Are you insane?" Elijah retorted. "I should be eating at least two days' worth of meals!"

Kai positioned himself defensively in front of the storage. "We're glad you're okay, but if we let you in, there won't be enough food for anyone else."

Julia nodded. "Just hold out until tomorrow. We're approaching an island; we should reach it by then."

"Tomorrow?" Elijah groaned, clutching his stomach. "You're going to starve me to death!"

Julia sighed, trying to remain patient. "Fine. If you're that hungry, why don't you catch a fish or, better yet, bring in a sea monster, and I'll cook it for you."

Realizing that there was no way he could fight his way past Kai and Julia, Elijah relented with a sigh. "Fine, but I'm still getting a little something."

"Kai, guard the storage," Julia ordered. "Tank, keep us on course. I'll prepare something small for you, Elijah, or go try fishing in the meantime."

Adan chuckled as he landed on the deck. Elijah grumbled but didn't argue, grabbing a fishing rod and moving to the front of the ship to try his luck.

"Thank goodness he listened," Julia said, exhaling in relief.

Kai leaned against the door, closing his eyes. "You should probably get that food ready; I doubt fishing will keep him busy for long."

"Oh, I know," Julia replied, her tone dripping with exasperation.

Bam!

Kai winced as Julia smacked the back of his head. "What have you been doing besides sleeping all day?" she scolded.

"You told me to guard the storage, didn't you?" Kai shot back, rubbing the sore spot on his head, a small bump forming.

"Can't you also help sail the ship instead of letting Adan do everything?" she snapped, her eyes flaring.

"It's fine; I don't mind," Adan chimed in, trying to defuse the tension.

"You see?" Kai said, a smirk on his lips. "He doesn't mind. Let me sleep. I was steering the ship while you were napping, remember?"

Bam!

Another hit, this time harder. Julia glared at him. "Do I look like I care?"

"You stupid bi—" Kai began, but he quickly fell silent when he sensed Julia's menacing aura.

"Stupid what?" she challenged, her voice dangerously low.

Kai wisely chose to remain silent, getting up to help Adan with the sails while muttering under his breath.

Adan attempted to speak up, "Julia, I—"

"Shut up," Julia cut him off, her glare silencing him. She sighed, shaking her head in frustration. "Why am I stuck on a ship with idiots?"

"Julia, I'm still hungry!" Elijah called out from the front of the ship, where he was casting his line into the water.

"And a child," she added under her breath, making her way to the kitchen.

Elijah glanced over at Tank, who was at the helm. "Tank, you're a monster. Got any tips on where I can find a tasty sea creature around here?"

"Gaw gaw gaw," Tank replied. (I don't know; I've never tried catching fish this deep in the ocean.)

Elijah sighed. "Great, just great."

Kai overheard and said, "See? I'm not the only one who does understand her."

Adan nodded. "Yeah, even I'm starting to understand her a little."

Kai shrugged. "Then it's not so weird."

Adan shook his head. "It is weird. How are we even able to understand her?"

"That's because Tank is using the Beast Universal language," Elijah explained, reeling his line back in to cast it out again.

Kai's eyes widened in realization. "Now that you mention it, that makes sense."

Adan asked, "But how did she learn it?"

"I implanted the basics of the Universal language in her mind," Elijah said. "She's been slowly learning it ever since."

Kai nodded thoughtfully. "She must have been pretty smart to pick it up. Maybe she wasn't just an ordinary monster but something more..."

They all glanced over at Tank, but Elijah had a different thought. "Tank, you're looking pretty tasty right about now."