Five minutes later.

A sudden boom echoed across the quiet ocean as something massive shot out from beneath the waves a violent splash that sent seawater crashing over the sides of the ship.

Razeal landed hard on the deck, droplets of seawater scattering around him like shards of glass. The wood groaned under his weight or rather, under the weight of the enormous thing he was holding in one hand.

"What the?!" Maria yelped, nearly stumbling as the deck shook beneath her feet. "What are you doing now?!"

Her voice trailed off when she finally saw what Razeal was holding.

Her eyes widened, the color draining from her face.

It was a shark...And definitely stronger then her or around her strength..

A giant one.. easily two or three tons in size, its massive body glistening wet under the sunlight, fins flapping uselessly in the air. The creature's mouth opened, rows of jagged teeth gleaming, but it couldn't move freely.

Black tendrils.. shadows wrapped around its entire form, binding it tight from head to tail.

The creature struggled, letting out muffled thrashing sounds, but more tendrils crawled from beneath it from its own shadow, as if the darkness had come alive. Within seconds, it was pinned firmly to the deck.

Razeal ignored all of them. Droplets still fell from his wet hair as he crouched beside the creature, inspecting it with calm focus. "It's working," he murmured to himself. "The potion's perfect. I was able to breathe underwater without any issue."

He looked up briefly at the others, his tone matter-of-fact. "You can all breathe underwater now, too. The potion's effect will last for one year. Keep that in mind."

His gaze lingered on the bound shark, then he straightened up. "Also," he added, "don't touch this thing. I'm not done yet."

He gestured once, and his shadows dragged the enormous creature across the deck, sliding it with unsettling ease toward the center of the blood-drawn ritual circle he had created earlier. The wood beneath it groaned from the weight, leaving streaks of seawater and faint lines of blood in its wake.

"Ohh," Yograj said, watching the motion with surprise. "That's quite the useful potion, I admit. Though…" He tilted his head, studying the circle and the strange symbols carved into it. "I didn't know you were capable of alchemy, boy. Are you an alchemist by any chance?"

Razeal didn't look up, continuing his work. "Something like that."

The old man hummed thoughtfully. "Fascinating," he muttered. "I've seen many forms of alchemy, but none quite like this…"

He stepped a little closer, eyes narrowing as he examined the blood circle and the glowing runes around it. "Most alchemists use herbs, minerals, elemental cores even rare magic stones. But I've never seen one use flesh or organs as the main components. It's crude, maybe even horrifying, but… seems like very effective."

Yograj's tone carried genuine intrigue. Despite the grotesque appearance of Razeal's method, he couldn't help but be impressed.

That was really impressive.. especially for a sixteen year old kid. Sure, he might have been born into a great family, but still… not many at his age could reach that level.

It had been a long time since the old man had last walked the world, and he wasn't sure how much recognition alchemists held nowadays. But before he'd entered the Eternal Hold, alchemists had been rare.. very rare actually, but invaluable. The craft was difficult, demanding not only talent but deep knowledge and endless study. There hadn't been much research or understanding of alchemy back then, and the few who pursued it faced a nearly impossible path.

So yes, seeing Razeal practice it even in such a strange, grim way.. genuinely surprised him. It looks shady, disgusting, and dirty… but if it works? Isn't that what really matters? he thought silently.

Yeah… well, it worked. Razeal, though, was busy setting up the circle. In this blood circle, he kept adding lines blood flowing endlessly from his fingertip onto the floor, as if there were no limit to it. The pattern was forming into a star around the shark, inside the circle, and definitely within it too.

On one side, the old man watched curiously, intrigued by Razeal's methods. On the other, Moaria and the others were just worried what was Razeal doing this time? Was he about to make another one of his strange concoctions out of the shark and force them to drink it again? The taste of that black water they'd swallowed minutes ago still lingered in their mouths. No way. They weren't going through that again. So, they kept their distance, watching him cautiously.

Though they couldn't help but feel disgusted, everyone was also secretly curious. The black soup they had just drunk ..would it really let them breathe underwater? None of them said it out loud, but the thought lingered in their minds.

At the same time, they couldn't help but glance at the massive shark lying in the middle of the deck. What was Razeal planning to do with it now? Was he about to make another one of those twisted potions? If yes, what kind of effect would this one have? Would they start growing shark teeth or something? The uncertainty gnawed at their nerves. Still, no one said a word. They simply watched from a safe distance, both disgusted and curious.

Razeal, meanwhile, kept working quietly. His expression was calm, his movements deliberate. After several long seconds, he finally stopped, straightening up and standing before the shark. He stayed silent for a moment, deep in thought, his eyes fixed on the bound creature.

"You should finish whatever you're doing quickly," Yograj said, his voice carrying across the deck as he stood by the ship's railing, watching the horizon. "We're about to reach the Gate of Atlantis."

"Don't worry," Razeal replied without turning around. "It won't take long."

He took a step forward, approaching the shark's head. The creature's mouth was sealed shut by black tendrils of shadow, coiled tightly around its jaws.

A C-ranked beast, Razeal thought to himself, narrowing his eyes. That means the mind control spell should work on it, right?

He recalled the instructions he had read from the Book of Eventual Evil.. step by step, method by method.. for what he wanted to accomplish.

Hmm… the first step was to put a bodily fluid inside the target's body, right? he thought, expression blank. The weaker the creature's mind and will compared to the user, the better the control will be.

Without hesitation, Razeal lifted his hand. The shadows around the shark stirred again, thick tendrils slithering forward. Some gripped the upper jaw, others the lower, and with an eerie creak of muscle and flesh, they forced the shark's mouth open wide.

The massive creature thrashed weakly, its gills flaring in panic but the shadows were too strong. It couldn't resist.

Razeal leaned closer, no hesitation or emotion in his eyes.

Then, he simply opened his mouth.. and spat into the shark's mouth.

The tendrils immediately pulled the jaws closed again, sealing it tight. The shadows wound around its snout once more, binding it completely.

There was no expression on Razeal's face, no reaction at all.

For a moment, silence filled the deck.. except for the sound of the waves against the hull.

Why spit? one might ask. Why not use blood, or some other medium?

Well, Razeal could have. But the ritual's description had been clear.. saliva was the better conductor, the "purest living fluid" of control. There were other fluids that could work as well, but… those methods were far worse. He didn't fully understand why the ritual worked that way or how such logic even existed.. but he didn't need to.

The book said it would work, so he just do it.

And honestly, it wasn't that difficult. Just… disturbing.

"Eww…" Maria muttered from a distance, her face twisting in disgust as she watched him.

Razeal didn't react. He simply turned away, walking toward the outer edge of the blood-drawn ritual circle. He spat once more this time onto the deck, right inside the circle.. then raised his hand.

He began to chant softly, the sound low and rhythmic, each word rolling out in a strange, ancient tongue that none of them could understand. His voice carried an eerie echo, as if the air itself was repeating after him.

He made several hand gestures, precise and deliberate. His shadow flickered behind him, stretching unnaturally across the deck, its edges curling and shifting like smoke.

Finally, when everything was ready, Razeal flicked his finger. A small drop of his own blood fell, landing at the center of the circle.

The moment it touched the surface, everything changed.

The runes and blood lines carved into the deck suddenly flared to life, glowing crimson. The light spread like wildfire, running along every line until the entire circle was alive pulsing, shifting, breathing.

A low hum filled the air, followed by a faint vibration under their feet.

Everyone froze, staring.

Then, before their eyes, the shark's body began to twitch.

"What the hell.." Levy started, but stopped mid-sentence.

The shark's form started to warp. Its flesh rippled like liquid. The massive body twisted, bent, folded upon itself in ways that defied nature. Its fins merged, its teeth vanished, its size shrank rapidly as if something invisible was compressing it.

Maria, Aurora, Levy, and Yograj all stepped back instinctively.. Very surprised

The sound of wet flesh twisting filled the air unpleasant, organic, alive. The massive beast shrank smaller and smaller, the dark tendrils melting into its body until the entire thing began to glow faintly.

The smell of blood and sea salt mixed in the air.

And then…

It stopped.

Hovering silently just a few centimeters above the deck, the creature's shape solidified no longer a shark, but something entirely different.

A small object floated there.. blue, sleek, and glimmering faintly under the sunlight.

As the glow faded, they finally saw what it was: a waist bag.

A beautiful blue leather waist bag, covered with shimmering scales that looked like polished sapphire. The upper side was open, designed like a pouch to hold things, with a slim belt made from the same scaled leather.

It looked elegant.. far too elegant for something that had, seconds ago, been a massive predator of the sea.

Razeal's expression didn't change. He simply looked at it, then stepped into the circle, the red glow beneath his feet dimming as he moved. He bent down, picking the bag up carefully with one hand, brushing off the faint trail of blood from its surface.

"Good," he said simply, his tone calm, his gaze fixed on the object in his hand.

The ritual circle lost its light completely now, the blood symbols dull and lifeless. The ocean breeze swept over the deck, carrying away the last traces of dark mana.

He just examined the item in his hand with silent focus as if confirming that the ritual had worked exactly as he intended.

Razeal, without saying another word, fastened the newly created blue waist bag around his waist. He adjusted it slightly until it sat perfectly, fitting snug against his black coat. Then, from inside his coat, he took out the Book of Eventual Evil.. the black, ancient tome that had rarely left his hand in days and slipped it carefully inside the new bag.

The bag took it in perfectly, as if made for it. It wasn't too tight or too loose just a perfect, full fit.

"Now this will keep it a little protected too," Razeal murmured with a faint nod, a small, genuine smile crossing his face. There was a hint of satisfaction in his tone quiet pride. It wasn't often that he smiled, but right now, he did.

After all, this was his first real achievement in the dark arts ..The Dark Transformation.

It wasn't something he had found in the Book of Eventual Evil. No, this was his own creation a combination of multiple rituals, spells, and categories of dark magic merged into one unique process. The result was a success something truly his own.

What looked complicated or even horrifying to others had come easily to him. Perhaps it was because of his talent his unnatural connection to the darkness itself. Whatever the reason, he didn't dwell on it. He simply patted the bag once, as if sealing his satisfaction, and turned his attention back to Yograj.

"So," he asked, "how far are we now?"

"Oh, very close," the old man said, blinking as he tore his gaze away from the ritual circle and the strange, scaly bag now hanging at Razeal's waist. He still hadn't fully processed the idea of someone turning a shark into a waist pouch, but he answered the question nonetheless. "See those water waves ahead? We're nearing it.. maybe two minutes, and we'll be there."

"I see," Razeal nodded lightly. "Good. I'm ready.. we're all ready."

He adjusted the strap of the bag one more time and turned toward the sea ahead.

Maria, who had been watching all this from a distance with a completely unimpressed look, squinted her eyes. "That's it?" she muttered, tilting her head slightly. "He made just a bag after all that mess? That much blood, stench, and ritual… just for a damn bag?"

Her expression screamed disbelief and boredom more than anything else. Shaking her head, she sighed and stood up from her chair, brushing her dress.

"Whatever," she murmured, walking toward the front of the ship. "Might as well see this Atlantis thing."

Aurora and Levy exchanged a look.. one of mild amusement, one of curiosity and followed her toward the bow of the ship.

At the front, Yograj stood waiting, his long white hair flowing lightly with the wind. The ocean before them stretched endlessly, but now, in the far distance, there was something different.

"Yes," the old man said, lifting his hand and pointing ahead. "That… is the Gate of Atlantis."

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