1629, Indian Ocean.
Together with the roar of the waves, a boy was stunned to see a crowd of fish fins swimming freely next to their ship.
"Woah !! What is it, daddy, what is it ?! "
His father, who saw the child in joy, smiled lightly, then he put his hands on the boy's waist and lifted him on his back.
"How is it, Edward? Have you seen what animal is it now?"
Not answering, Edward was stunned at the water animals swimming beautifully clustered under the surface of the blue sea, which was sparkling in the sunlight.
"Woah !!!"
"Hmm? How ... great isn't it, the ocean? "
Edward was completely stunned by the sight he saw as if it was a sight he saw for the first time. Whereas for Edward, he had already done the experience of riding a ship twice.
About a year ago, Edward and his parents left the majestic city of Batavia after hearing the salamander's gripping roar that night. The night on which the news of the governor-general's death soon spread throughout the city.
Leaving the magnificent city that has gripping memories. Edward and his parents sailed back to Amsterdam, the Netherlands for his father's first workstation and stayed there for several months.
Then right around three months later, the father of Edward ber profession as helmsman gets news from one of his acquaintances, that a new ship with beautiful architecture has been built and is ready to sail. Which was a special ship ordered by the largest trade union of the time, and along with the news he got a ticket to board the maiden voyage of the new ship with his family.
The sun shone brightly in front of Edward and his father. Attacked by ultraviolet rays, Edward covered his eyes with one of his arms.
"Akh !! Bring me down, the sun is really dazzling, father! "
"Wha ha ha, sorry daddy didn't quickly notice!"
While putting Edward down, his father's light laughter made Edward frown a little.
"Don't laugh! ~"
Edward's face flushed red over his crossed arms.
The father smiled at his son's cute expression, but he tried to hold back his laughter when he saw his son's face, which was getting redder when he noticed.
"Okay then, to make up for the mistake of dad who accidentally laughed at Edward, daddy will introduce Edward to someone great on this ship!"
Edward began to pay attention to his father when he heard the word 'great' in his father's invitation. What a great opportunity for him, little Edward who idolizes various heroic stories where the hero can do great things, makes him attracted by the word 'great' more than anything.
To admire and aspire to greatness, it seems to him a valuable opportunity to get to know and learn more about the true meaning of greatness from the source directly.
Next to his red face, Edward's eyes began to sparkle as he lowered his crossed arms and started grabbing his father's hand, who again had to hold back laughter at the look on Edward's face.
They walked along the wooden deck of the magnificent ship they were traveling on. The new ship was a special order from the largest trading company in the world at that time, the VOC.
The wooden ship with a width of more than a thousand meters is a large ship capable of carrying a thousand passengers and hundreds of tons of cargo on board. Sailing from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, the ship took a straight route to its destination city which had the same name as the ship, namely Batavia.
Slowly climbing the deck of the ship with his father, Edward turned his gaze left and right. Napoleon's distinctive architectural style was firmly attached to the walls and various parts of the ship. However, for Edward, who was only seven years old, all he saw was like a wooden ornament he often found in his hometown.
Then they came to a wide wooden door with round glass windows, which was far from the reach of Edward's height.
His chest was beating fast as his smile beamed.
Then the father began to push the door.
Kreeeeeektt ... !!
The clear blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see, together with the salty ocean air wafted into the nose. A wide deck of wood exposed in front of the eyes of Edward. The wide deck is filled with dozens of ship crews who seem always busy with something.
Glowing in his eyes, Edward was incessantly fascinated by the thing that was right before his eyes. "Really great !!" he thought, the various jobs related to the ship's voyage were carried out at once on a wide deck by dozens of ship crews who worked continuously.
"Look Edward, great isn't the crew working?"
"Wow, I've never seen anything like this before dad !!"
"Is that so !! I see ha ha ha, well then now dad will introduce you to someone who is no less great than all of this, someone who is in control of this entire ship! "
His father's hand was raised forward as if opening his panda hand to a middle-aged man in a dark purple suit there. The middle-aged man was holding a silver-colored metal rudder while gazing at the vast ocean.
Like seeing a classical music concert dreamed by a composer. Edward's eyes locked on the figure of a captain, who continues to give direction to the crew of the crew surrounding fro carrying paper and pen.
"Pelsaert !!"
The father waved his hand at the figure.
"Hoo, Angel !! You received my letter !! "
"Of course, Pelsaert."
The two of them smiled cheerfully while hugging and shaking hands.
"How, are you enjoying this cruise? "
"Incredible, apparently you dare to also take the middle route in this wide ocean !!"
"Ha ha, of course, with a ship this big!… Even the Indian Ocean, it's nothing! It is nothing! ! "
Pelsaert repeated the word as if the voyage were indeed easy voyages.
"Hmm, is that how it was? Ha ha ha !!"
The two of them laughed cheerfully at their topic, but to Edward, the two people in front of him looked ridiculous for laughing for no reason.
"It's ridiculous, right? They're always like that went meet!"
The voice came from beside Edward.
"Whaaa !!"
"Aha ha, I surprised you, I'm sorry. Introduce me ..., I was vice-captain of this ship, J. J . Torrentias! "
A young man dressed immaculately with hair straight pigtails to back up from beside Edward while smiling under an eyeglass box.
" Oh, so you're the new vice-captain that Pelsaert was talking about !! Introducing me Angel D. Dekker, a friend of Pelsaert and this is my son Edward, come on greet them, Edward! "
The man named Torrentias greeted the father, and Edward immediately joined in with an innocent greeting.
"Greetings, my name is Edward, nice to meet you"
"Hoo ho, so you're Edward! Let me give t ahu Edward, formerly I and father you ever worked as a ship's crew in the same boat, you know !! "
"Heee ...., is that really, dad!"
"Yes, that's right, father and uncle Pelsaert have been friends for a long time !! Isn't that right, Pelsaert? "
"That's right, that's right, wow ha ha ha ha "
They laughed together again, making Edward tilt his head.
Their meeting also lasted a long time, starting from the conversation that Edward thought was boring to the extraordinary things the captain showed Edward, which made him constantly amazed.
Away from everything he had encountered, Edward learned many things from the captain. The greatness he had been looking for all this time, maybe this is the time he found it here. That was Edward's thought at that time, and night came.
§
Kreeeek ... kreeeek ...
The wood of the ship that was being swayed by the ocean waves could be heard cracking, waking Edward from his bed. His parents were still sound asleep beside him, but the sleepiness had left Edward's eyes.
The candle in the room was still burning in the glass lantern attached to the ship's wall with yellow metal. Edward began to get out of bed and headed for the bedroom door.
Walking toward the door, Edward faintly felt a voice. Even his curiosity could not endure, making him begin to open the door to the room whose handle was still within his height.
In the dim hallway of the ship's deck, Edward passed, but he still heard the sound tickled his curiosity. Until he arrived at the door that connected him to the middle deck of the ship which was connected to the open night sky.
Slowly Edward opened it, but there was no one he could see. The voice began to fade faintly, but Edward still remembered which direction the voice had come from.
Edward followed that direction, walking through the barrels and wooden boxes on the edge of the deck, finally arriving at a ladder that connected him to the lower deck.
The waves, which swayed a little, made it difficult for him to stand up, and Edward stopped. But soon he put his feet back on again. Climbing the steps one by one, along with the sound of the wood creaking the waves.
Hhheeesssshhh...
Turning toward the puff, Edward rubbed his eyes at the end of the wooden steps.
Hhheesshhh...
Chapp !! Chapp !!
He wiped his eyes again, but the darkness of the night still didn't allow him to see the figure that was seen standing a few steps in front of him.
Plap...
His foot that took one step stepped on a liquid, thick and a little sticky he pulled his leg again with a complaint "Ugh !!".
A loud complaint was heard by the figure in front of him. Edward's eyes immediately met, seeing the red eyes on the sharp teeth that breathed a thin abab.
RAARRRRGHHH !!!!
A monster that was twice the height of Edward's father, with thick fur covering its body. It roared while gripping a woman's corpse in her big hand.
The moon was shining round.