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Chapter 47 - Awakened [2]

The pain and extreme heat ceased abruptly. As they struggled to free themselves, the moment they could move, they fell backward, landing hard on the ground. However, the strange effects were far from over.

On the ground, neither Jack nor Mary were conscious. Their bodies twitched and vibrated uncontrollably, as if caught in an unseen current. Their palms now bore the same sigil they had touched, almost as if branded by an otherworldly force. The sigils glowed with a faint blue hue, pulsating rhythmically, the intensity fading with each passing second. The light grew dimmer until it vanished entirely, merging seamlessly with their skin.

As the sigils disappeared, an eerie calm settled over their still, unconscious forms. The essence of the sigils began to travel through their bodies, a tingling sensation tracing a path toward their hearts. It felt as if a new energy was being woven into their very being, seeking out their Link located near their hearts. Their breathing grew steady, and a faint, synchronized heartbeat echoed the rhythm of the sigils' earlier glow.

"What be this place? Where am I?"

Before Jack's eyes stretched an endless black void, devoid of sound, scent, or form. His question echoed into the silence, swallowed by the emptiness as though it had never been spoken. All that greeted him was the profound darkness.

"Did I die? Nah, it can't be. I ain't dead. I wouldn't meet me end like this, no way. Cause of death—touchin' a sigil, or maybe sheer shock."

I can't die yet. There's so much left to do. Havin' lasses on me ship, at least twelve of 'em. Bein' hailed across the seas for me exploits. Statues of me standin' tall, speakin' of my legend for generations to come. Jack, the renowned Pirate Lord. That's how it should be.

He wasn't panicked or sorrowful. Instead, he felt a deep disappointment. His adventure had barely begun, and there was still so much he yearned to experience. His mind was a swirl of unfulfilled dreams and ambitions, haunted by the legacy he had yet to achieve.

With a jolt, memories ignited the darkness, slicing through the void in a blaze of glowing, hologram-like blue flames. For a split second, amid the blue flames, an image of an ancient, gnarled tree, blackened and rotting, with a glowing red ring hovering above it, materialized. The oppressive silence unraveled, replaced by a vivid panorama of yesteryears, as the past unfolded before him in all its vibrant clarity.

Jack found himself gazing at a young boy playing outside a modest stone cottage nestled on a hill, overlooking a quaint village below. A large windmill turned lazily in the background, while his mother tended to a field of wheat. The boy, small and lively, had short, dark blue hair and a touch of sun-tint to his skin.

"This looks familiar," Jack mused. "This scenery. The mountains afar. This village. It's…"

"Home."

"Boy, come 'ere!" His father called from the porch, his voice a gruff command that cut through the air.

The old man had oily, dark blue hair tied back in a ponytail. His face, though etched with numerous scars, betrayed a strength that belied his appearance. Shallow cheeks hinted at a life of hardship, but his piercing light blue eyes and prominent nose spoke of a fierce, unyielding spirit. His bronzed skin bore the marks of countless days spent under the sun and on the sea, a testament to his life as a pirate.

Young Jack eagerly scrambled onto his father's lap, his eyes wide with joy and curiosity.

"Father!" spectator Jack thought to himself.

"You've grown up, lad. It's time I be passin' the family's legacy to ye," his father intoned gravely, his usual warmth replaced by a serious demeanor.

Young Jack listened intently, his youthful eagerness overpowering his confusion.

"I'll be tellin' ye this now, and now only. Ye must remember it, savvy? Sea of Lerton, treasure, Sea of Lert—" He repeated the phrase so many times that the sun began to dip lower in the sky.

Why does he keep repeatin' this, I don't remember it bein' like that? Did he ever speak of any family legacy before? If what he says be true, it means the Link's been passed down through our bloodline for generations. But why didn't he explain what the Link be or why it's important? Why no talk of its significance or purpose? At least he passed it on to me.'

"Do ye remember? Will ye carry this knowledge with ye throughout yer life and seek out the treasure?" 

"Ye, Papa. Sea of Lerton, treasure."

Young Jack barely understood his own words but knew that remembering them was crucial.

"If ye forget, I've left a number of clues scattered about, which ye might stumble upon eventually." 

His father's voice fell to a whisper, so faint that young Jack barely heard it. "I be hopin' ye'll achieve what I could never, what our family has never accomplished. Strive to surpass even me grandest feats, and save the corrupted worlds."

Save the corrupted worlds? From whom? What worlds be there? I— Jack suddenly recalled an old captain speaking of such a world.

Then, the world faded to black, and a text appeared before him in white letters.

[Synchronisation Success]

[Returning…]

"Who be there! What's happening?" he shouted, but his voice was swallowed by the silence, and consciousness slipped away.

"Jack! Jack!"

He opened his eyes, initially greeted by a blurred haze that gradually sharpened. Before him, Mary crouched close, her head lowered over him, her voluminous dark blue hair brushing against his face.

Her expression was one of deep concern, her eyes red and tear-streaked as her tears trickled down onto Jack's confused visage.

"Ye're okay!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling. "I thought ye were a goner. Ye didn't breathe for a minute, and your heart… it stopped."

"M-" 

Mary leaned closer, her tears soaking into his shoulder as she wept, "Ye were dead, Jack. Cap'n'. Thank the seven seas ye're back."

"What happened?" Mary asked, her voice trembling. She lifted her head, her face flushed with distress.

"I was about to ask ye that," he replied. "I don't remember much—just darkness all around me, that's it."

"That damned temple killed ye," Mary said.

"Did it hurt ye?" Jack inquired.

"No, I just fell asleep and woke up quickly to find ye on the ground, not breathin'." 

"Um, could ye… get off me?" Jack requested with a serious tone.

"Ah, sorry, Cap'n'," Mary said, standing up and offering him a hand.

"Oi. When'd that come 'round?"

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