Chapter 700: The Sea at Vespera

That same afternoon, Seraphine spread three travel books across a library table and spent almost an hour comparing maps, descriptions of ports and distances. Kael sat on the other side without interfering until she pushed one of the books toward him. The page showed a small coastal town surrounded by low cliffs, with a fishing harbor to the south and a long beach outside the walls.

“Vespera,” Seraphine said, pointing to the name printed beneath the map. “It’s a day from here by the western road. It’s not a large city, but the book says there’s an open beach to the north and an old lighthouse at the end of the cliffs.”

Kael looked at the map. “Seems sufficient.”

“Sufficient for what?” Sylphie asked, approaching from behind the chair.

“To see the sea.”

Seraphine closed the book. “I don’t need an important city.”

“Better that way,” Kael replied. “Important cities usually come with important people.”

Umbra appeared from beneath the table. “And more expensive food.”

Kael lowered his eyes. “You don’t pay.”

“Exactly. I still recognize abuse.”

Sylphie pulled over another chair and examined the map. “We can leave early tomorrow and arrive before the end of the afternoon. Stay two nights, maybe three, depending on what Seraphine wants to do.”

Seraphine looked at her. “I don’t know what people do at the sea.”

“Look at it,” Kael replied.

“That seems like very little.”

“You can also go into the water.”

Seraphine remained silent for a few seconds. “People do that voluntarily?”

Sylphie laughed. “Yes.”

“Interesting.”

Elion entered the library shortly afterward and found the four of them still organizing the trip. The former Reference floated beside him, although her attention was entirely on the open map.

“Is it here?” she asked, moving closer to the blue representation.

“Vespera,” Seraphine replied. “We want to leave tomorrow.”

The small creature looked at Elion.

He understood before she said anything. “I’m going too.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“I know,” Elion replied. “But you still depend on the matrix to maintain stability beyond certain limits. If you want to travel to the coast, I need to go with you.”

She continued looking at him for a few seconds. “So you’re going because it’s necessary.”

“Yes.”

“Not because I need permission.”

“No.”

She seemed satisfied. “Good.”

Kael closed the book. “Then there are five of us.”

Umbra appeared behind the chair. “Six.”

Kael looked at her. “You count when you want to.”

“I always count.”

“You spent half of the last trip inside my shadow.”

“I’m still a person.”

Kael stood. “Six.”

The preparation did not take longer than necessary. Sylphie packed light clothes, a few simple medicines and a small bag of seeds she insisted on bringing because, according to her, you never knew when you might find something interesting to trade with local farmers. Seraphine spent more time choosing books than clothes and had to be convinced that four volumes were enough for three days.

“Two of them are small,” she argued, putting the fourth inside the suitcase.

Kael watched. “That one has almost six hundred pages.”

“Physically small.”

“That doesn’t help.”

Seraphine closed the suitcase over the books. “It fit.”

“Irrefutable argument,” Umbra commented, sitting on the dresser.

In the garden, the nameless man received the news that they would leave in the morning without showing any regret over his decision to stay. He was focused on rearranging the small wooden markers around his own flowerbed.

“If another one appears, write down the time too,” Kael said, stopping beside him.

“I don’t know the exact time it will appear.”

“Then write down when you find it.”

The man thought. “That’s different.”

“Yes.”

He opened the notebook and added a line to the next page.

Seraphine approached. “If we find something interesting on the coast, I can bring it back for you.”

The man looked at her. “Like what?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“Then all right.”

“That answer was strangely efficient,” Kael commented.

The man closed the notebook. “I can’t choose something I don’t know yet.”

Kael nodded. “Fair.”

Before they left, Seraphine looked at the flowerbeds one last time. “You really don’t want to go?”

“I want to see the sea,” he replied. “But I want to see this first.”

He pointed toward the sixth sprout.

“I’ll go afterward.”

Seraphine did not insist.

The carriage left shortly after breakfast. Kael could have shortened the trip using magic or Celestial Step, but no one was in a hurry. The road followed low fields for the first few hours, then crossed small hills covered in low vegetation.

Seraphine spent much of the morning near the window.

The former Reference floated on the other side, observing everything with the same attention she gave to the leaves in the garden. Elion remained seated nearby, with the matrix protected inside a rigid box attached to his belt.

“Is that wheat?” the small creature asked as they passed an extensive field.

“It is,” Elion replied.

“And that?”

“Rye.”

“And that?”

Elion looked through the window.

“Wheat too.”

She continued observing. “It looks different.”

“Because it’s younger.”

“Then it’s not the same.”

“It’s the same plant at another stage.”

She considered that for a few seconds before looking outside again.

Kael was reading on the opposite bench. Seraphine noticed the cover.

“Cookbook?”

“Yes.”

“During a trip to see the sea?”

“I want to test gingerbread when we get back.”

Umbra appeared over the back of the seat. “This trip just got better.”

Sylphie, sitting beside Kael, took the book and opened it to the marked page. “Still thinking about that recipe?”

“Yes.”

“It has a lot of spices.”

“I can reduce them.”

“Don’t reduce everything. That’s exactly the point.”

Kael took the book back. “Then you make it.”

Sylphie smiled. “I can supervise.”

“That means standing beside me criticizing.”

“Exactly.”

Seraphine observed the two for a moment and returned to the window.

The landscape began to change after midday. The ground became sandier, low trees replaced the woods and the wind began carrying a different smell.

Seraphine noticed first.

She opened the window a little farther.

“Is that the sea?”

Sylphie took a deep breath. “The smell of it, yes.”

Seraphine remained near the opening.

The former Reference moved closer as well.

“Smells like salt.”

“Because it has salt,” Kael replied.

She turned toward him. “How much?”

“A lot.”

“Bad answer.”

“I don’t know the exact amount.”

“Better.”

Elion muffled a laugh.

Vespera appeared on the horizon shortly afterward. The city stood between a rocky rise and the coast, surrounded by low walls that seemed to exist more to control the entry of goods than for defense. Light-colored roofs clustered around the harbor, and dozens of small vessels occupied the docks.

Seraphine did not look at the city.

Behind it, beyond the buildings, there was only blue.

She became still.

Kael noticed and did not comment.

The carriage crossed the gate, followed the narrow streets and stopped in front of an inn near the northern edge. Seraphine got out before anyone else and immediately turned toward the street leading to the beach.

“Can we leave the luggage later?” she asked.

Kael got out of the carriage. “We can leave it now. It’ll take five minutes.”

Seraphine looked at the inn, then toward the end of the street.

“Five?”

“Five.”

“I’ll count.”

Umbra appeared beside her. “Me too.”

Kael sighed and picked up his suitcase.

It took six minutes.

Seraphine noticed.

“You said five.”

“The receptionist took too long.”

“Then it was six.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll record it.”

Kael looked at her.

Seraphine smiled and went out the door.

The beach was only a few minutes away.

The path ended at a broad stretch of pale sand, bordered to the north by low cliffs and to the south by the distant harbor. The wind was stronger there, carrying droplets of water and the constant sound of the waves.

Seraphine stopped as soon as her feet touched the sand.

This time no one made a joke.

The sea occupied everything before her.

There was no opposite shore, wall or building on the horizon. Only moving water as far as the eye could see.

The former Reference moved away from Elion and floated several meters ahead.

“It doesn’t end,” she said.

“It does,” Elion replied, approaching. “We just can’t see it from here.”

“Then it looks like it doesn’t end.”

“Yes.”

She liked the answer.

Seraphine walked toward the water without taking off her shoes. The first wave reached her feet and soaked the lower part of her boots.

She looked down.

Then at Kael.

“Water got inside.”

“That usually happens.”

“You could have warned me.”

“You wanted to see the sea.”

“Seeing it didn’t require wet socks.”

Sylphie started laughing.

Seraphine removed her boots, then her socks, left both on the sand and returned to the water barefoot. The next wave reached her ankles.

She did not step back.

“It’s cold.”

“Also normal,” Kael replied.

Seraphine walked a little farther, only until the water reached halfway up her calves. She remained there for several minutes, watching the waves break around her legs.

The former Reference descended until she was almost touching the surface.

A small wave passed beneath her.

She quickly rose.

“It moves.”

“Constantly,” Elion replied.

“Why?”

Elion opened his mouth.

Kael spoke first. “Don’t start.”

Elion looked at him. “I was going to explain.”

“She’ll ask questions for two hours.”

“I want to know,” the small creature replied.

Elion adjusted the matrix box. “Then I’ll explain.”

The two moved a few steps away along the beach while he began talking about wind, gravity and tides.

Sylphie removed her sandals and walked over to Kael.

“You’re not going in?”

“I didn’t bring clothes for swimming.”

“You’ve crossed a forest covered in blood.”

“That’s not an argument for getting my pants wet.”

Sylphie took his hand.

“Up to the ankles.”

Kael looked at her.

“Up to the ankles,” he repeated.

He gave in.

The two left their footwear near Seraphine’s things and stepped into the water.

Umbra remained on the sand.

Kael looked back. “You’re not coming?”

“Salt.”

“You’re a shadow.”

“Exactly. I don’t know what happens.”

“Nothing.”

“I’d rather keep it that way.”

Kael looked back toward the sea.

Seraphine was several meters ahead, now keeping her feet firmly planted in the sand whenever the water receded.

She did not seem to be looking for an answer to anything.

She was simply seeing it.

After some time, she returned to them with the hem of her clothes wet and her hair disheveled by the wind.

“I want to climb the lighthouse tomorrow,” she said.

Kael nodded. “Then we’ll climb it.”

“And afterward I want to eat fish at the harbor.”

“We can do that too.”

“And maybe go on a boat.”

Sylphie smiled. “Maybe?”

Seraphine looked toward the distant vessels.

“First I want to find out if I get seasick.”

Kael agreed. “Sensible.”

She looked at the horizon again.

“I liked it.”

The former Reference, still near Elion, heard and immediately replied.

“Me too.”

Kael remained there with Sylphie while the sun began to lower over the water.

There was nothing to solve.

The next day, they only needed to decide what time to climb the lighthouse.