Tenebris Renasci: A World of Magic and Gunpowder

Alexander spent about a week traveling on the sea and was now sitting in his quarters along with Ben.

The quarters they had been given belonged to Camilla. It was filled with books, artifacts, weapons, and other miscellaneous items. 

There was a row of windows that gave a glimpse of the vast blue ocean. 

There was one bed which Alexander used, while Ben slept on the floor. 

Currently, Alexander occupied that very bed, while quietly thinking to himself as Ben went to fetch breakfast from the crew. 

Life on the ship wasn't great but it was bearable, most meals consisted of fish and bread, with either a glass of mead or water. 

Sea sickness wasn't a thing for him, though he didn't know if he was just lucky or Hakshi in general wasn't at risk for it. 

The regular day-by-day consisted of eating, sleeping, and staring out the window. 

Alexander didn't see much of Ben, who he assumed was with Antoinette, and Louise rarely left her quarters in general.

So there wasn't anyone for Alexander to pass the time with. 

Alexander sighed deeply as he hopped down from Camilla's bed. 

Ben hasn't returned in a while, I should probably check on him. 

Stretching out his arms, Alexander yawned as he approached the exit. 

Pushing open the wooden door that separated Camilla's quarters from the rest of the ship, Alexander was immediately greeted with rushing sailors. 

"Furl sails!"

"Warping crew ready!" 

Alexander took a step back as the sailors rushed about the ship. Looking around the deck, he saw the massive sails being rolled up as a small crew of eight men entered a small row boat.

Looking beyond a short distance, Alexander spotted a large island that had a grand estate sitting upon a massive hill. 

Below the hill was something akin to a massive stone fortress with Barracks, towers, and other military structures. 

A small distance away from the fort was a medium-sized port city that probably had a population of a few thousand. There were several war and commercial ships, docked at the harbor, and looked to be fairly busy with coming and going ships.

Is this the kingdom of Ambur…?

Alexander was confused and concerned. 

He knew Ambur was an island kingdom, but he didn't expect it to be so small.

As Alexander pondered over what he thought was the entire kingdom, Ben approached him from behind with a fish sandwich.

"My apologies lord Alexander, I meant to return to you sooner," Ben said as he stepped beside Alexander, handing him the sandwich on a wooden plate. 

Alexander looked at Ben with a small smile as he accepted the food. "T-thank you." He said softly as he took a bite of the sandwich.

It was terrible, but he wouldn't complain.

As he ate the sandwich, both he and Ben watched as the ship was guided into the harbor. 

"I heard about the Nova family's private island from Antoinette, but I didn't expect it to be so massive," Ben said as he was as he leaned against the ship's railing. 

Suddenly Alexander remembered what Louise had said before, about how her family had thousands of pathfinders and owed an entire island.

This was the Nova family's private land.

And in that context, this island was huge.

Noticing Alexander's wide eyes, he looked at him curiously. "Is everything alright my lord?" He asked worriedly.

Alexander slowly nodded as he closed his mouth. "Uhm, yeah…" Alexander said as he squeezed his sandwich, "I just, to think one family owns so much, it's crazy."

Ben chuckled softly. "Oh, I'd imagine it's hard to believe." He said as he adjusted his position on the railing, "The Nova's are truly an exception when it comes to pathfinder houses." 

"Yeah." Alexander replied, "This makes our family look like amateurs." He said with a chuckle. 

Ben chuckled alongside Alexander briefly. 

He then sighed as he lowered his head. "But that makes me wonder what lord Lance would've created had he been given the time."

Alexander's expression fell as he thought about his family.

"Yeah," Alexander said softly as he looked down into the blue water beneath him. His mind replayed the vivid memory of his father being left to die, the smile on his face as he Ben ran into the night.

Alexander felt himself teetering on the edge of tears the more he thought about it. He closed his eyes tightly as he tightened his grip on his sandwich. 

Ben, noticing Alexander's emotional state, gently placed a hand on Alexander's shoulder. "Your father was a great man, my lord," Ben then paused as he looked out to the rapidly approaching harbor. "And I'm sure that in time, you'll make it through this, and become just as great."

Alexander nodded, swallowing hard to keep down his emotions. He turned to look at Ben with tears in his eyes. "I… thank you, Ben," Alexander then forced a smile to keep back the emotions that threatened to overpower him. "You're all I got, so… thank you."

Ben smiled as he brought Alexader into a hug. Gently pulling him from the rail and into an embrace, Ben held Alexander closely.

Alexander closed his eyes as he wrapped his hands around Ben's waist. 

Why did this happen to me? For what purpose was I fucked over this hard?

As Alexander and Ben held each other in their embrace, the ship reached the dock. 

The grandeur of the Nova family's island was truly impressive. The port city was filled with homes, shops, trams, and carriages. 

In the center of the town was a large stone church that stood high and proud. 

And atop that church was the flag of Ambur.

"Drop anchors!" The captain yelled from the bridge of the ship.

Sailors rushed about the ship as they began approaching the front of the ship. Alexander, slightly confused, looked up to Ben. "Isn't this ship steam-powered?" He asked, " Shouldn't it just turn off the engine?"

Ben chuckled as he ruffled Alexander's hair, with the sound of the anchor chains scraping against the metal exterior of the ship, fading in the background.

"Ambur's ships, fancy though they may be, are still like normal ships," Ben explained. "Even with its fancy metal coating and steam engine, it has to drop anchor the old-fashioned way."

Ben then grinned. "But dropping the anchor is the easy part, it's raising it that's difficult."

Just then the ship's anchor finally fell and the chains tightened. With the ship settled in place, sailors began moving a large gangplank in place. 

As the gangplank was secured, the crew prepared to disembark. It was around then that Antoinette and Louise emerged from their quarters and onto the deck. 

Louise was elegantly dressed in a long-sleeved dress with knee-high socks and white slippers. 

Her hair was tied tightly in a Dutch braid, and her face was a mixture of annoyance and frustration. 

Antoinette for her part was dressed in a freshly pressed uniform and cap. her hair was tied back in a ponytail and her hands were covered by white gloves.

Seeing how well-dressed the two women were, Alexander couldn't help but feel off. Looking down to his own clothes, he was dressed in a shirt that was too big for him, and the same pants he had worn since the beginning of everything.

Ben for his part was still dressed in his ragged and torn uniform. It's once vibrant blue now dimmed and dirty. 

"Antoinette," Ben called to her as she approached them. "What's with the clothes and makeover?" 

Antoinette sighed as she stopped near the gangplank. "It's…" she paused for a moment, looking over Alexander and Ben's appearance.

She then shook her head, "I wouldn't worry about it, I'm sure she'll understand."

"Who?" Ben asked. 

"My mother," Louise said with an irritated sigh.

Ben and Alexander raised their eyebrows simultaneously, however, both men remained silent. 

"Come Ben, lord Alexander, we have people to meet and inform," Antoinette said as she led Louise down the gangplank. 

Ben frowned as he squeezed Alexander's shoulders. "Let's hope for the best my lord."

Alexander nodded hesitantly. "Yeah…"

After making their way down the gangplank and joining Antoinette and Louise, the group began making their way towards the city from the dock. 

As the group walked, they were escorted by four pathfinders. 

Entering the town, the group stopped before a carriage that held the Nova family crest on its door and was painted in the colors of the Ambur kingdom. 

The driver a man dressed in a black suit and cap, who looked to be a butler of sorts, spoke up. "Lady Louise, Lieutenant Antoinette, I am here to retrieve you." He said respectfully, hopping down from the driver's bench. 

He moved to open the carriage door, as he did so Antoinette guided Louise forward. "Thank you, Charles." She said while helping Louise to enter the carriage.

As she did so the butler- Charles turned his attention towards Ben and Alexander. 

His expression was curious.

"Ms. Antoinette, who are these gentlemen?"

"Sir Ben and lord Alexander from the Daname family." She said as she looked back at the duo. "They're with me." She then reached her hand out them. 

Ben sighed as he gently pushed Alexander forward. 

Upon reaching Antoinette, she took his hand and guided him into the carriage opposite of Louise. 

As he got settled, Antoinette then allowed herself to enter, sitting beside Louise. 

Lastly, Ben entered and sat beside Alexander. 

With the four of them settled, the butler closed the carriage door and made his way back towards the driver's bench. 

With a flick of his wrist, the spotted Windwalker pulled the carriage forward and further into the town. 

As the carriage navigated through the town streets, Alexander couldn't help but marvel at the town and how lively it was with activity. Merchants hawking their merchandise, tourists, and pathfinders walking the streets alike. 

Alexander was intrigued by the sharp contrast between this place, and the chaos of Foca. It seemed that although his world had changed so dramatically in the past few days, the world around him continued on as usual.

But as Alexander was pleasantly surprised, Louise looked to be dreading the upcoming meeting with her mother. Her expression was sour and her eyes were narrowed. 

This was going to been an interesting meeting…