"What’s wrong?" Roxanna asked softly as she held her daughter in her arms. She was sitting in the pool, keeping Azura close to her chest.

Maybe because Roxanna hadn’t been able to hold Azura for long during the journey, her daughter refused to let go of her now. Her tiny hands gripped strands of Roxanna’s wet hair, doing her best to keep her mother from leaving her side.

"Did you miss me that much?" Roxanna asked with a gentle smile. She rubbed Azura’s back soothingly while holding her close. "It’s okay. It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay with you all night if you want."

The water was a little cold, but thankfully, Roxanna’s blood could regulate her body temperature. Because of that, she was able to stay in the pool as long as Azura wanted her there.

While Roxanna and Azura relaxed in the pool, her husbands had already divided the work needed to keep the ship moving.

Calen stood behind the steering wheel, carefully guiding the ship forward. Meanwhile, Zeir adjusted the sails and made sure they stayed in place whenever the wind changed direction.

At the front of the ship, Azul sat quietly at the bow, staring at the orange sky as the sun slowly drifted toward the horizon. The sea breeze brushed through his hair, making the long blue strands dance in the wind.

His eyes looked distant, almost lost in thought. Yet there was still a small spark of hope in them.

Maybe he was hoping that Azura could be cured, or maybe he was hoping that someday he would finally remember the pieces of his past that had been missing for so long.

"Where are we actually going?" Roxanna asked softly, though the question was really meant for the system.

[To the middle of the ocean, Host,] the system replied immediately. [You only need to keep sailing forward.]

"We’ve already been sailing for hours," Roxanna said. "And where exactly is the middle of the ocean anyway?"

The system had never given them a clear route. It simply told them to keep moving forward. Because of that, Roxanna had no idea whether they were heading in the right direction or not.

Still, the system had never warned them that they were going the wrong way, so she assumed they were on the right path.

Then again... who really knew? The system could be tricking her.

[The system would never trick you, Host!] the system immediately denied the accusation.

Roxanna decided not to say anything else. Arguing with the system would not help her right now.

After all, the only thing she wanted to do right now was make sure Azura received her warmth as well.

"Just hold on a little longer, my daughter," Roxanna whispered softly. She kissed the top of Azura’s head before gently pressing their noses together. "Mommy will do everything she can to save you."

Azura could not answer her.

Still, when the little girl suddenly reached out and touched Roxanna’s face with her tiny hand, it was enough to tell Roxanna everything she needed to know: her daughter felt safe beside her.

===

A full day had passed since they left the shore, yet the system still had not given them any sign that they were close to their destination. At the same time, Azul had failed to find anything useful among the scattered fragments of his memories.

"We’re out of dried meat," Calen announced.

He held the last piece in his hand. To be honest, he really wanted to eat it himself. His mouth was already watering just from looking at it, but the moment he noticed Roxanna breastfeeding Azura nearby, he immediately walked over and offered the meat to her instead.

"Wife, you should eat this," Calen said.

Roxanna was about to refuse his offer, but then her stomach suddenly growled. The sound was loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

Her face instantly turned red. [That’s so embarrassing!] Roxanna screamed internally. [I already finished all my food supplies yesterday. Why am I still this hungry?]

The answer was actually quite simple; Azura could not stop asking for milk from her, so Roxanna needed a lot of food to keep producing enough for her daughter.

Unfortunately, knowing the reason did not make her feel any less embarrassed.

"Just eat it," Calen said, pushing the dried meat closer to her. "You need it more than I do."

"But this is the last piece," Roxanna pointed out.

Calen shrugged. "Then that makes it even more important for you to eat it."

Before Roxanna could argue again, Zeir spoke up from where he was adjusting the sails. "He’s right. You should eat it."

Even Azul turned his head from the bow of the ship and nodded. "Eat."

Roxanna looked at her husbands one by one before letting out a small sigh. "Fine."

She accepted the dried meat and took a bite. The moment she did, she realized just how hungry she actually was.

However, while she was still savoring the meat in her mouth, the ship suddenly shook. It started with a gentle tremor, then the shaking became stronger and stronger, as if something beneath the ocean was trying to flip their ship over.

"What is that?!" Calen asked in panic.

Everyone immediately grabbed onto the nearest part of the ship to keep their balance.

Roxanna quickly held Azura closer to her chest, afraid that the violent shaking might make her drop her daughter.

Another powerful jolt hit the ship, making the wooden deck creaked loudly.

"Something is under us!" Zeir shouted as he rushed toward the side of the ship and looked down.

The water below was churning violently and a huge dark shape moved beneath the surface.

Calen’s eyes widened. "That thing is bigger than the ship!"

Roxanna was about to say something, but the ship suddenly shook so violently that water from the pool spilled over the edge.

"Hold on!" Zeir shouted.

CRASH!

Roxanna widened her eyes when something truly massive rose to the surface.

"That’s a fucking Kraken!" she shouted.