Chapter 92 : Return from the Depths : Eyes That Don’t Forget

"We weren't ready for this," Kaen murmured, his voice tight with disbelief. "Not here… not now."

"Ryoma?!" he called out suddenly, panic rising in his chest.

There was no answer.

Kaen's heart hammered. The water was still—too still.

Then, at last, Ryoma broke the surface with a sharp gasp, dragging in air, his eyes scanning wildly. "I'm not able to find—" he began, voice hoarse.

"There!" Seiya shouted, pointing out into the mist-shrouded distance.

Every head turned.

They squinted into the pale veil of fog, tension coiled in the silence. And then.. movement. A ripple. A silhouette cutting through the haze. Ryoma's breath hitched. Without a word, he surged toward it, parting the water with swift, desperate strokes. His movement stirred the mist, making it dance in swirls around him.

And there he found Astra.

Her body hung limp, her arms draped over the shoulders of a figure half-submerged in the water. The stranger's face was obscured beneath a drenched cloth, clinging to sharp features. Their grip on Astra was firm, yet careful protective.

Ryoma reached them fast, eyes going straight to her. "Astra—" he muttered, checking her pulse, brushing wet strands from her face.

The stranger didn't speak. For a heartbeat, their eyes locked—one an icy blue, the other a deep, gem-bright emerald. A silent weight passed between them.

Then, without a word, the stranger shifted. With precise, fluid motion, they pushed Astra into Ryoma's arms.

Ryoma caught her, pulling her onto his back. Her arms draped around his neck, unconscious but alive.

"…Thank you," he breathed, voice cracking under the weight of relief.

The figure gave a faint nod.

Water ran in rivulets down their veiled face, droplets catching faint slivers of light. Then, as silently as they had appeared, they turned and vanished into the mist, each stroke smooth and soundless, as though they had never been there at all.

Ryoma held Astra tighter, adjusting her weight, and turned back toward the boat. His heart still pounded—not from exertion, but from the lingering presence of whoever had saved her.

"…Who was that?

A rope dropped swiftly from above, slapping against the side of the boat.

Ryoma didn't hesitate. With Astra secured on his back, he grabbed the rope and began to climb—every movement deliberate, his eyes still scanning the misty water below, searching for the figure who had handed her over.

Gone.

Just mist now.

He reached the deck, boots thudding against the wood, and immediately the others swarmed around him.

"Move… make space!" someone shouted as Ryoma carefully lowered Astra onto the deck, cradling her head with one hand before easing her down.

Xue dropped beside them, blinking in confusion. He gently poked Astra's cheek, then placed a small hand on her.

Behind her, Shion's eyes narrowed. Something had caught his attention something that made his brows knit together in a silent frown.

Kaen knelt beside her at once, his fingers trembling as he placed a hand to her forehead. He exhaled slowly.

"It's gone…"

But as his gaze swept over her, something made him freeze. His eyes narrowed at the faint crescent-shaped wounds dug into the skin of her arm—tiny, fresh marks where nails had broken the skin. Blood still trailed from them.

Kaen dragged a hand down his face, frustration and guilt crashing into his expression.

Then, suddenly, Kaen's head jerked toward Ryoma, a thought crashing into him. His voice dropped to a whisper, tense.

"Wait—Ryoma. How did she…?"

Before he could finish, Astra jolted upright with a harsh cough, clutching her head. Her breathing was ragged.

Everyone froze.

She groaned, the pain splitting through her skull like a blade. Her eyes fluttered open—dazed, alert, filled with something no one could quite read. She coughed again, then again, and finally rasped out, Her gaze swept the crowd, her expression shifting rapidly from confusion to something far more disturbed.

Finally, she croaked, "What… happened?"

Seiya dropped to one knee beside her, his jaw tight, eyes blazing. "What happened?" he snapped. "You're asking that after jumping off the boat without a word?"

"Huh?" Astra blinked, clearly disoriented. "I… jumped?"

Seiya frowned at her response, but before he could get another word out, Shion abruptly shoved him aside, nearly knocking him off balance.

"Move," he snapped, dropping beside Astra and grabbing her shoulders. "Are you okay? Can you see me? Wait—how many fingers is this?"

He held up eight fingers, waving them slightly in front of her face.

Astra squinted, then blinked slowly. "…Nine?"

A beat of silence.

Shion turned to the others with a straight face. "She's fine. Back to normal."

Seiya, still half-dangling from the shove, muttered, "She's never been normal."

The group let out a collective breath as the tension melted into relief.

Ryoma sat back, drenched and exhausted, muttering, "I almost lost my calm trying to find you."

Astra, still disoriented, lowered her gaze. Her fingers curled slightly over the fabric of her clothes, as if grounding herself.

Gradually, the crowd that had gathered around began to disperse, murmuring as they drifted back to their tasks returning to quiet conversations. A few lingered, casting one last glance at Astra, their voices low but just loud enough to carry.

"What happened to her? Doesn't she remember jumping down?"

"I don't think so… not from how she looked."

"She might still be in shock."

"Thanks to the heavens someone found her in time."

Astra blinked, catching the words in fragments. She turned toward Ryoma, who sat beside her wringing water from his sleeves.

"Well… thank you," she said softly, voice hoarse.

Ryoma shook his head. "It wasn't me," he replied. "Someone else found you before I did."

Astra's brow furrowed. "Who?"

Ryoma lanced out at the still waters. "They left."

"Oh…"

After a few quiet minutes, the gentle rocking of the boat lulled the group into silence, mist swirling in soft tendrils across the water. Then suddenly, a voice cried out from one of the boats ahead.

"Look! Look at that… heaven on earth!"

Heads turned in unison. Gasps rippled across the deck as the mist began to thin—and before them, emerging like a dream from the veil of clouds, stood the Imperial Capital of Shenghara.

A vast, sun-drenched city rose behind towering walls of pale stone, each block engraved with celestial patterns that shimmered faintly under the light. The walls stretched across the horizon like a protective embrace immense, ancient, and proud. Guard towers stood at intervals, with elite sentinels clad in black and gold armor perched atop them, still as statues, their eyes ever-watchful.

At the center of the great gate was the symbol of Shenghara itself an enormous crest carved into the stone, depicting an eight-petaled lotus blooming from a river of flame and wind. It gleamed faintly, etched in silver and obsidian, a mark of divinity and power.

Beyond the walls, rooftops of jade and gold shimmered like scales of a sleeping dragon, catching the sunlight. Spiraling towers, massive pagodas, bridges arched high over glowing canals, and distant floating banners rippled in the breeze. The scent of incense and blossom trees seemed to ride the wind toward them, as if the city itself was breathing them in.

"The walls are massive…"

"I've never seen anything like it."

"Are those guards up there?"

Everyone leaned forward instinctively, eyes wide, breath caught in their throats. "It looks even bigger than the maps, No wonder they call it the Lotus Heart."someone whispered.

"So this is the capital of Shenghara… this is where it all begins."

Astra stared in silence, eyes wide as the towering walls of Shenghara drew nearer. The golden hue of the capital bathed the water, casting reflections that danced across her gaze.

"Is that… really it?" she murmured. "And we're supposed to walk in there like we belong?"

Kaen stood beside her, shielding his eyes with one hand as he looked up at the gleaming walls. A faint smile touched his lips. "We do belong, Whether they like it or not."

Astra blinked, turning to him. "Really?"

Seiya crossed his arms, his gaze steady on the view ahead. "Yes, but don't get ahead of yourself. Just… don't start thinking you're a princess or anything."

Astra shot him a flat look. "I know I'm not a princess."

Kaen chuckled beside her, and without looking away from the capital, he said softly,

"Who said you're not?"

Astra turned toward him, surprised.

"To us," Kaen said, that rare smile deepening, "you are. And you always will be."