Chapter 220: Surface

After everything that had happened, the sight of something so ordinary suddenly felt unbelievably precious.

"Fuck... Finally..."

The word escaped his mouth before he even realized it.

Aria, who was still in his arms, looked up at him and smiled.

"You’re really happy to see the sun, huh?"

Jake let out a tired laugh.

"Ohh... You have no idea."

He looked toward the surface again, watching the sunlight grow brighter and brighter.

"After almost getting crushed by a collapsing ruin, fighting that lunatic, and then nearly getting eaten by some ancient sea monster..."

A wry smile appeared on his face.

"...yeah. I think I’ve earned the right to be happy about seeing the sun."

Aria couldn’t help but nod with a small smile as she remembered everything they had been through.

She silently leaned her head against Jake’s chest and murmured softly.

"That’s true..."

Strangely, she loved the feeling of resting her head on Jake’s chest while listening to his heartbeat.

Jake smiled and hugged her gently back.

Meanwhile, Samu’dra remained silent.

Her attention was fixed on the unfamiliar brightness rapidly spreading through the water around them.

She had spent her entire life in the dark depths of the ocean, where sunlight had never reached her world.

But now, for the first time, she was seeing the sun Jake had talked about.

"..."

The warm golden light slowly illuminated her face, and she couldn’t help but stare at it in fascination.

Then, without warning—

SPLASH!

The bubble of light suddenly burst out of the water, carrying Jake, Aria, and Samu’dra into the open air.

Jake’s eyes widened as the three of them were lifted above the surface before falling back down.

SPLASH!!

However, instead of sinking into the water, the strange bubble kept them floating gently on the surface.

For the first time, they could clearly see the vast blue sky stretching endlessly above them, with golden sunlight shining across the calm ocean.

Yet neither Jake nor the others paid any attention to that.

All three of them were staring at the scene before them in shock.

Jake’s expression slowly changed.

"What the hell..."

There were massive ships... Not just one or two.

There were... hundreds of them scattered across the sea, their massive hulls forming an enormous fleet that stretched far into the distance.

And above them...

Jake’s eyes widened.

There were even flying ships.

Large vessels floated high in the sky, their sails and formations moving steadily through the clouds as they traveled alongside the ships below.

The entire scene was so majestic that it almost didn’t look real.

Yet there was something strange about it.

The sheer number of ships, both on the sea and in the sky, made the entire area look less like a peaceful gathering and more like a massive military fleet preparing for war.

Jake stared at the sight in disbelief.

"...What the hell is going on?"

Aria was equally stunned as she looked across the horizon.

"Why are there so many ships...?"

Even Samu’dra, who had been completely fascinated by the sunlight moments ago, was now staring at the fleet with wide eyes.

None of them had expected to emerge from the ocean and find themselves in the middle of something like this.

Jake was still staring at the unbelievable scene when a familiar voice suddenly rang out from one of the nearby ships.

"JAKE!!"

Jake froze.

His eyes widened as he immediately turned toward the source of the voice.

Standing on the deck of one of the ships was a familiar figure.

It was... Grace.

She was waving her hand frantically toward him, her golden eyes brimming with tears as an overwhelming expression of relief spread across her face.

"Grace...?"

For a moment, Jake simply stared at her in disbelief.

Then his face lit up as he gently released Aria, who was also looking curiously.

Jake then waved both of his hands back at her.

"Grace!"

But then, without warning, Grace suddenly jumped from the deck.

"???"

Jake’s face immediately turned pale.

"Grace?!"

She was falling straight toward the ocean.

But before Jake could even react, her body was suddenly enveloped in a brilliant light.

The next instant, that light rushed toward him at an incredible speed.

BOOM!

Jake’s eyes widened as the light slammed directly into his body.

Yet instead of pain, he felt a gentle warmth envelop him.

It was strangely comforting, almost as if the light itself was embracing him.

Before he could even understand what was happening, he suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from within the light.

"Jake..."

His expression changed when he heard the trembling voice.

"Jake... Jake..."

Grace kept calling his name between soft sobs, as if she could hardly believe that he was really standing in front of her.

The light gradually faded, revealing Grace’s figure once again.

Tears were streaming down her face, as she hugged him tightly.

"Jake...!"

She buried her face against his chest and continued sobbing, repeatedly calling his name as her body trembled from the overwhelming relief.

Jake was stunned for a moment before a gentle smile appeared on his face.

He slowly wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"I’m here, Grace," he said softly. "I’m right here."

Back on the ship where Grace had jumped from, several familiar figures had already gathered at the edge of the deck.

Vivian, Barbara, and Garrick stood there, staring at Jake with expressions of disbelief, surprise, and overwhelming relief.

For a moment, none of them said anything.

They simply stood there and watched as Grace clung tightly to Jake, as if they were still struggling to believe that he was actually alive.

Vivian’s eyes widened slightly before a relieved smile slowly appeared on her face, while Barbara covered her mouth with one hand, her expression filled with astonishment.

Even Garrick, who usually maintained a calm and serious expression, could not hide the relief in his eyes.

After everything they had just witnessed, seeing Jake alive was something none of them had expected.

"He’s really alive... and Aria too..." Barbara murmured softly.

Vivian nodded, her gaze remaining fixed on Jake.

"Yeah... they really are."