Please leave a review and power stones if you are liking the story.
...
[Narrator's POV]
A few minutes before the barrier cracked...
High above the chaos, James sat cross-legged in midair, his eyes closed in quiet focus. He reached deep within, drawing upon the wellspring of power that had steadily grown since his awakening on the island. The air shimmered faintly around him, crackling with unseen energy as he tried to align his Trinity, seeking to enter the elusive Mana Lord state.
Nearby, Lyra hovered anxiously, eyes flicking between the embattled vessel and the growing tension in the sky. The Kraken's tentacles slammed mercilessly against the shimmering barrier that protected the ship.
Please, hurry, she thought, clenching her fists. Gaia, help us… it's going to break!
Just as she was about to call out, James's eyes snapped open, now glowing with a fierce azure light. Without a word, he raised his hands. A runic seal formed between his palms, pulsing once before firing a condensed bolt of pure mana.
The projectile soared like a beam of silent judgment, slicing through the wind and sea spray. When it struck the Kraken's massive head, the impact was thunderous—the beast reared back with a roar that trembled through the clouds.
But the creature was not so easily defeated.
With renewed fury, the Kraken lunged again, its tentacles whipping through the air and crashing against the vessel. One massive limb struck the ship's side with brutal force, sending sailors tumbling through the air. At the same time, stingers tipped with a venomous sheen launched toward James.
He moved instinctively, slipping through the poisoned barrage with near-invisible speed. Golden light surged from his palm as he raised a protective barrier between the ship and the Kraken's descending limb. The tentacle slammed into the shield with enough force to shake the vessel, but the barrier held.
Lyra, wasting no time, began weaving her magic. Drawing upon the surrounding sea, she shaped the water into icy spears with a sharp flick of her fingers. They launched forward, striking the beast's scaled hide with deadly precision. The Kraken screamed, thrashing as it retreated from her assault.
Freed momentarily from its grip, the ship struck back. Hidden compartments opened, revealing energy cannons that launched plasma-like projectiles in rapid succession. Each blast lit up the sea with fire and light, detonating on impact with the Kraken's flesh. Then came the sonic emitters—unleashing waves of concentrated sound that battered the creature's senses and sent it into a frenzied spiral.
Floating above the chaos, James felt a pull within himself, deeper than mere magic. As the battle raged on, he dipped into his Mana Sea, the vast internal reservoir that had slowly matured during his year of training. He felt it stir, responding to the primal threat before him.
A brilliant white seal formed before him, delicate yet immensely powerful.
"White Meteor," James murmured.
Below, Lyra whispered his name, her voice tight with awe and concern. "James…"
With a single breath, he unleashed it.
The world seemed to still.
A radiant meteor of pure white mana tore through the sky, trailing light like a falling star. It struck the Kraken with the fury of the heavens.
BOOOOOMMMMM
The impact was cataclysmic.
The ocean surged upward in a titanic wave, nearly a kilometer high. Winds howled and twisted into tornadoes, forming a violent vortex of elemental fury. The sea, the storm, the magic—they all converged into a breathtaking display of destruction.
And then, silence.
Through sheer will, James gathered the last of his mana and fused it with the ship's fading energy to cast a wide protective shield. It shimmered like sunlight through fog, holding fast against the apocalyptic surge.
In the minutes that followed, the skies began to clear. The ocean settled. The Kraken was gone—whether slain or fled back to the abyss, no one could say.
James descended slowly onto the ship's deck, his limbs shaking from exhaustion. He dropped to one knee, his glowing eyes dimming, the last vestiges of power flickering out. Lyra was at his side in an instant, supporting him with a quiet hand on his shoulder.
"You did it," she whispered, her voice soft with awe.
James gave a faint smile, still catching his breath. "We did it," he said, his gaze drifting to the battered ship. Its strangely armored crew had already begun tending to the wounded and repairing the worst of the damage.
From the upper deck, Captain Nerida approached them. The warrior-woman was composed despite the strain of battle, her scaled armor still gleaming under the sun. She bowed deeply.
"You have saved us all," she said solemnly. "The people of the Continent of Atlantis owe you a debt beyond words."
The phrase hit James like a thunderclap.
Continent of Atlantis.
His suspicions finally clicked into place. The magical island. The ancient beasts. These people with their high-tech vessel. And now, the explicit mention of a continent—Atlantis, before its fall.
This wasn't the future.
It was the distant past.
Thousands of years in the past.
His thoughts must have shown on his face, because Lyra looked at him with quiet concern. Shaking off the shock, James turned back to Nerida.
"There's no need for thanks," he said. "We simply did what needed to be done."
But curiosity gnawed at him. He needed confirmation.
"Tell me, Captain… is there a nation known as the United States of America?"
Nerida blinked at the strange name, then shook her head. "No. I have never heard of such an empire."
That settled it.
James looked out across the now-peaceful sea, a sigh escaping his lips.
The past.
This world, this era—it wasn't just a world of magic. It was prehistory itself.
Turning back, he steadied himself and met Nerida's gaze. "I'd appreciate a place to rest, if that's possible."
"Of course," she replied without hesitation. "It's the least we can offer. Please, follow me."
After delegating command to her second-in-command, Captain Nerida led them below deck.
And thus, the journey of James and his faerie companion continued—now no longer just through an unfamiliar world, but through time itself.