They were sirens, breaking through the waves from the northwestern sea. This vast deep-sea expeditionary force had even shattered the calm waters maintained by the Tower of the Voyager. In Byron's line of sight, they stirred up layer upon layer of surging waves and snow-tide foam. They moved swiftly; not long after the Winter's Wrath observers spotted them and sounded the proximity alarm, one of their vanguard units had already skimmed across the sea surface and reached the vicinity of the steel island.
"Signal the Winter's Wrath. Do not take hostile action," Byron said at once, rapidly issuing orders to the communications officer beside him before turning to Viola, who was gazing out at the sea. "Why are your people here? Didn't you say sirens rarely ventured far from Antavien?"
"I have no idea..." Viola looked even more bewildered than Byron. "I've been cut off from Antavien for days. Could something have happened over there...?"
As they spoke, the vanguard rushing over the sea had reached a connecting ramp at the edge of the steel island. More than a dozen agile figures leaped onto the nearby metal platform one after another, splashing water everywhere. Their leader was a tall siren with pale sky-blue hair, a long serpentine tail trailing behind her, and a trident-like weapon in hand. She had clearly noticed the people active on the island and the warships on alert nearby. She now walked straight toward Byron. Along the way, she and the soldiers she led occasionally looked up at the astonishing colossal tower rising straight into the night sky, their faces full of curiosity and surprise.
Viola finally recognized the member of her race before her and cried out in astonishment, "General Vanessa?! Why are you here?!"
"Viola? Why are you here?" The tall blue-haired siren spotted