"Go underneath it," I blurted.

The captain darted his gaze in my direction.

Startled, I looked away apologetically.

"Why is that boy still here? Take him off my bridge, now."

"No," the Boar interrupted. "Again, he’s right. The Serpent's Back is bound only to the sky. We must make for the ocean below where it cannot reach us."

With a small measure of reluctance, the captain immediately ordered the ship to descend.

All sorts of bells chimed and rang, giving orders and warnings throughout the entirety of the ship. We waited patiently, watching ominously as the crew below and the children in the ritual room set about their tasks. The Boar lit his pipe and Han anxiously shook my arm asking me for any sort of explanation as to what was going on. Amidst the concerned faces of my classmates I told them about the storm outside. Kidou, with a calm, proud expression reassured everyone and told them there was nothing to worry about, while Han ordered them to return back to their rooms. A moment later, an additional alarm bell sounded.

"Why is the bow still rising?" The disgruntled captain asked.

The helmsman pulled fiercely at various levers and switches as if he were fighting against something.

"I don't know sir," he said. "The ritual room says they’re doing everything they can to bring us down. Engineering reports that the engines are in full reverse. Even the diving vents are fully open, but the ship isn't responding."

Outside the bridge window lay a ferocious current shaped like a behemoth river, pressing us along against our will.

"We're being drawn in," I said. "The storm is pulling us into itself."

"Strange. You can see these things?" The Boar queried.

"Yes, every detail."

The Boar remained unmoved as he continued to puff at his pipe, studying me with suspicious eyes. Even as the captain bellowed out his orders, there was no denying that his efforts were in vain.

A small feeling of dread gripped the inside of my chest as I imagined the ship smashing against a piece of wreckage, then sent tossing and tumbling, doomed to hover ceaselessly across the sky among the other storm's helpless victims.

The captain called for the Boar's assistance. He pressed his hand on my shoulder before answering the captain’s summon.

Most of the students had disappeared below decks, except for Han and Kidou who looked onward with both desperation and awe.

"Do you see it?" Han asked.

"Yes, I do," Kidou replied. "So many colors. It's like a painting.”

Indeed, there was a beauty to the churning mass. To everyone else who looked on unknowingly from the windows and portholes, there was a hollow blackness with only the glow of the timid moon, peering every now then from behind thick, scattered clouds.

We faltered backwards as the bow rose sharply. An ethereal wave had picked up the ship and the currents quickened, driving the us further and further away from world below.

"Han. Kidou." I said. "I think you should go below and find some place safe."

I darted off the bridge and descended the steps to the decks below.

"What about you?" Han said, calling after me.

"I'm going to help."

Of course, they followed me. It was pointless to even suggest otherwise.

Along the way, I met Kassashimei, who was still slowly making her way across one of the corridors to the bridge. She was quick to pelt me with insults, angry that I had left her behind. Without a word, I took her by the wrist and urged her to follow.

As we made our way further below, I found Meng, who looked utterly confused and scared. She was huddled beside Madame Quoli, who stopped us immediately and ordered us to go back to our rooms.

"I'm sorry Madame Quoli, but I cannot.” I meant to sound apologetic, but it was obvious that I was hardly sincere.

"Disrespectful child. Who are these other two with you? Have you been going around causing mischief? Return to your rooms immediately or I will see that all of you are punished."

"Everyone is in danger. I have to help."

"Nonsense. How could anyone possibly need your help? Now go back this instant."

I shoved my way past her, but she took me by the neck, as if I were some unruly pup. Instinctively, I slapped her hand away. When she tried to reach for me again, I pushed her back in such a way that she must have thought that I was attacking her. Meng uttered a dreadful gasp of surprise. Quoli grabbed the cloth of my shirt and shook me about, as if airing out a dusty rug. I rammed my weight against her, causing her to stumble and fall to the ground. Hardly allowing anytime to feel any regret for what I‘d done, I turned and ran, making my way towards the ritual room.

There was a sudden tremor. The wooden walls and floor gave a sickly, crackling sound. Then there was a loud crash as if some beastly thing had been let loose from its cage. We braced ourselves as a cloud of dust and small bits of debris rumbled through the corridors. Thankfully, we’d managed to keep our footing as the murky air began to clear.

"Is everyone alright?" Han inquired, dusting himself off. Everyone gave a small, approving groan.

"Terr, let's go back." Kiddou said, his face betraying the same growing sense of dread that I‘d felt. "I'm sure the captain and the rest of the crew can take care of things."

Kassashimei was coughing. Her breath was tired and wheezing, but she seemed more determined than ever.

"The both of you go back." It was more of a demand than a request. "Terr may be a selfish idiot, but I can tell when he‘s committed himself to a plan; and it doesn‘t involve either of you."

Han and Kidou were certainly offended, Han especially, who looked about ready to feed Kassashimei his own stern words when he was interrupted by the sounds of pained moans echoing from further down the corridor.

There was no question as to how severe things had become, for when we approached the source of the moaning, we found that the large, ornate double doors that led to the ritual room had been flung wide open by an enormous piece of debris that had, just a moment ago, crashed through the bow. Wood and metal were strewn in ragged mounds along the floor and impaled like spears along the walls. Pinned underneath were the monks that guarded the doors, desperately reaching for us.

"Help me," I yelled as I worked my way through the pile.

It took all of our combined strength to move the heavy pieces, but as we dragged out the monks, we found yet more people trapped underneath, including the children that had been flying the ship. They were battered, bleeding from deep scrapes and cuts all over their bodies, but they were still alive.

"Han, Kidou, stay here and help them," I said ", Kass, come with me."

We climbed over the jagged pile, into the shattered mess that was once the Ritual Room. Wind gushed in from the open gash at the front of the ship. It was hard to stand, but we managed to make our way to the center of the room. The ship was rising on its own now, caught by the storm's clutches. Just like its other victims, the Serpent’s Back was seeking another vessel to add to its grim collection.

"Kass, what should we do now?" I bellowed over the howling wind.
I lost my footing and fell back against her. Annoyed, she braced against a piece of shattered wall, and kicked the small of my back. Realizing that I wasn’t moving, she kicked me again, forcing me towards the center of the room.

"Do it Terr," she cried out ", you wanted to help. Then help."

She was watching me. . . as my shyo mah.

Indeed she was ready, giving me all her attention and focus. I envied her courage. Surely she was just as scared as I, but she refused to let it show.

I planted my feet as securely as my frail weight would allow and braced against the wind, letting my second sight overtake me. Just like before, the room became hazy, and then transparent. The ether circled the ship like a snake waiting for its moment to strike. In the distance, a whirling cloud of metal, wood and decapitated and maimed ships tumbled and collided amongst one another. There was no mercy to be found among the towering waves and currents that lay ahead. How could I hope to part them, to control them, or even steer us away. They were much too powerful, and I was too scared. I didn’t even have my tamma with me, which left me blind to most of the currents' directions. Still, there had to have been a reason for coming all this way. I was sure there was a purpose to my being in that room. And then I saw it. The only path left to us.

I spread my arms wide, sweeping at the air around me, creating a sphere, larger than any I had ever made. Immediately, the wind stopped as I silenced its sickening howls. The only sounds that remained were the desperate creaks and groans of a mutilated ship, stretched and pulled to its absolute limits. With every bit of skill I could muster, Kassashimei and I pushed away the wind and diverted the writhing currents.

Our barrier grew larger and larger, and the waves began to give way. Already I was tired and I suspected that Kassashimei felt the same.

"Kass, please, whatever I do next, don't hesitate," I pleaded. She did not answer, but I trusted that she must have understood.

My motions become more elaborate as I fought against the forces that dared to tear us apart. We were bombarded by all sorts of things: wood, metal, the claw-like fingers of an angry ether; all of them scraping and gnawing at our barrier, causing it to dent and become misshapen.

In some places, cracks began to form, causing a sharp pain in my body. It was not long before I felt a weakness in my arms and legs, as if a weight had been tied to my limbs. In my final moments, I drew my arms in as if cradling something against my chest. I glanced at Kassashimei one more time, and she gazed back at me, content, as if she had been waiting for this moment all along.

My arms lashed out, and with one great push, a sound like thunder pierced the air. The sphere shattered, creating an enormous pocket of etherless sky. With nothing to keep it afloat, the vessel started to fall.