portholes gradually gave way to gray-blue seawater. As it rose further, the water lightened until it reached a sea surface pressed down by thin mist.
When the Capitano surfaced, it made no dramatic splash—only parted the water gently, leaving behind ripples that spread outward in silent rings. Giovanni stood on the upper deck, his cloak-like coat fluttering slightly in the sea breeze. He glanced toward the horizon, then raised a hand to signal the helm.
"The nearest island," he said. "We're heading there."
Miguel and Fais followed him up onto the deck. Neither of them spoke. Their gazes swept across the sea toward a low, dim island not far away. The island had no lights, nor any visible fishing port facilities.
As the submarine approached, First Mate Renass disembarked first to scout a landing point. Soon after, a rope ladder was lowered, and the group took turns climbing ashore.
The moment Miguel set foot on the reef, he instinctively turned back to look at the sea—the enormous chains beneath the water had vanished from view in the murky depths. But when he turned back toward the coastline, he froze.
Along the coastline stood column after column of milky-white pillars, as if carved from polished quartz, their surfaces unnaturally clean. These pillars weren't standing alone—between each was a semi-transparent white energy field, not quite mist, not quite light. It resembled more a "wall." Rising from the reef's edge, it extended left and right, sealing the entire stretch of coastline in a flawless barrier.
Miguel stepped forward, then stopped.
The wall made no sound, emitted no heat, yet his skin instinctively tensed as he approached.
Giovanni stood in front of the energy wall, his usual flamboyant tone gone. What remained was a calm, even voice:
"The chains are at the seafloor. On land, it's this."
Renass looked around, her voice lowered to a hush:
"Don't get too close."
Fais didn't move. He pulled a compact scanner from his coat pocket. The numbers on its screen were flickering erratically, pulsing faster and faster.
Fais looked up at Giovanni. "This is mutation energy."
Giovanni glanced at the device and didn't argue. He simply asked, "You sure?"
"My scanner doesn't spike for no reason," Fais replied. "And it's not a single peak—it's a continuous fluctuation. This wall is 'responding.'"
Miguel frowned. "So… this thing is the blockade you were talking about?"
Giovanni nodded and gestured down the length of the energy wall. "Not just Akrias. What it surrounds is an entire continent—our side of the world calls it Asias. "
He continued, "Refugees from North Phoenix Continent have another name for it—The Wall of Angramainu."
He paused, then went on:
"Rumor has it this thing started appearing more than a hundred years ago. At first, it just encircled a lost city. Overnight, the city vanished—no one could get in. Since then, it's been expanding."
Fais asked, "How fast does it expand?"
"Very slowly," Giovanni said. "So slow that you'd think it's not moving at all. But it never stops—it pushes outward every moment, generating new barriers. It winds around mountains, crosses rivers, turning entire lands into dead zones."
Renass glanced out toward the sea, her voice heavy with restrained emotion:
"Akrias used to be a key trade hub. There were ships coming and going every day. And now… you've seen it—it's been carved into a dead corner."
Miguel followed her gaze. The energy wall extended to the edge of their vision, flattening the coastline into a cold, hard boundary.
Giovanni continued, "A few more years—maybe even less—and this inland sea will be completely severed from the Angras Sea. By then, routes, supplies, communications—everything will have to be recalculated."
As he said this, his tone grew visibly heavier. It wasn't an act.
Renass added quietly, "No one even knows how much longer Antus City on the far shore can hold on."
Fais stowed the scanner and pulled Miguel slightly aside, whispering:
"We still can't fully identify the chains on the seafloor, but this wall is definitely composed of mutation energy. The readings are unstable—high, and very stable."
Miguel whispered back, "How strong?"
Fais was just about to answer, but Miguel had already turned and asked Giovanni directly:
"Has anyone tried to cross it?"
Giovanni didn't shy away. "They have. Many have."
"The First Mate did the measurements," Giovanni added, gesturing toward the Tin Man standing silently by the rocks like a mute sentinel. He said nothing but clearly confirmed Giovanni's statement.
"We don't know exactly what this wall is made of," Giovanni continued, "but based on cross-sectional estimates, the energy density is around one thousand kilowatts."
Miguel frowned. "A thousand kilowatts? That's just the density?"
Fais immediately followed up. "And what happens on contact? Burns? Ionization? Or—?"
Giovanni shook his head. "We don't know. All we do know is—direct contact results in instant death. No struggle. No explainable injuries. The person just disappears."
Miguel was silent for two seconds before asking, "Any other options? Like going around? Flying over? Diving under?"
"You can't go around it," Giovanni said. "It's expanding. The gap you find today will be closed by tomorrow."
"What about above it?" Fais pressed.
"No one knows if flying over is possible," Giovanni answered cautiously. "Few have tried. Even fewer had the resources to attempt it. As for below—you saw the chains. That sea zone is becoming more dangerous by the day."
Fais's brows furrowed tighter. "No mutated creatures appearing near the wall?"
Giovanni tilted his head slightly. "Mutated creatures?"
Miguel interjected, "Beings warped by mutation energy—turned into monsters. Haven't you seen any near the wall?"
Giovanni shook his head, certain. "No. At least not near Akrias. The greatest danger here is the wall itself."
Fais couldn't help himself. "That doesn't make sense. With energy levels this high, the surrounding ecosystem should show some reaction."
Giovanni didn't argue. He said calmly, "Maybe the response isn't in the form you're used to. Maybe the effect is… something else. We don't know."
Miguel gritted his teeth. "What about the refugees who want to go home?"
Giovanni glanced at him, voice low but direct: "They confirmed the consequences of contact with their own 'disintegration.' Again and again."
Renass added from the side, barely concealing her emotion: "You'll find that people's obsession with 'going home' is stronger than their fear of death."
Fais didn't press further. He put his scanner away, but his fingertips kept tapping the casing unconsciously, as if forcing himself to stay calm.
Giovanni turned his gaze from the wall to the two of them. His voice now had a tempered, forward-moving weight—still restrained, but steady.
"I once thought I could change all of this," he said. "Destroy the pillars, sever the energy lines, find the source—we tried everything. None of it worked."
Miguel looked at him. "So that's why you say this is a global disaster."
"Yes," Giovanni nodded. "And in the face of disaster, a single person, a single ship, a single city—none can hold out alone. We have to unite every force we can."
Fais looked him in the eye. "Is that why you invited us to join you?"
"That's part of it," Giovanni admitted. "The other part is—you need answers. Whether you're looking for the Anchor of Elsewhere or a way home, as long as this wall expands and the Empire keeps sealing the world, you won't remain spectators."
Miguel was about to speak when Renass suddenly pressed a communicator to her ear, listened for two seconds, and quickly walked to Giovanni's side.
"Captain," she said briskly but steadily, "a drifter spotted on the sea. Alone, possibly hypothermic, drifting this way."
Giovanni's expression instantly tightened—but he quickly shifted into a sharp, decisive state.
"Location?"