A beautiful white pearl, cradled by the hands of a formidable man, slid and rolled between his fingers. The room's light played with the precious gem's reflection, casting an entrancing glow on the wall. Alone in his quarters, he scrutinized the pearl, captivated by its gleam, while questions about its enigmatic owner raced through his mind.
He pondered her identity, a mystery wrapped in an alluring charm that left him both fascinated and perplexed. Throughout the night, he continued to contemplate, convinced that she must be someone far more intriguing than anyone had ever imagined.
A woman that served something for a purpose that he could not riddle. The woman that effectively touched the demon, burning her essence to the hilt of the monster that willingly thrashed his whole ship just for her. No one had ever made an effect on that man, let alone the beast inside him that refused to talk whenever he showed up.
However, the woman's presence had a transformative effect, as it unveiled a human side of this monstrous man. Axel had never anticipated that his hard-won control over this individual would be cast aside so easily with the mysterious woman's arrival. Unpredictable events were unfolding right under his watch, and the man he had previously held in check through sheer force was now uncontrollable, all because of her.
The bond between these two and the mysterious magic that seemed to bind them left Axel in a state of bewilderment and intrigue.
[ Does her past have a connection with the man? ]
He thought as he revisited the days he first met the man. Rogue as what described him, and with everyone warning of not taking him he risked his life on it. Without no knowledge of what it was and how large the anger and frustrations it grows everyday.
Axel delightedly let him in his care, wanting nothing but to have him as one of his brothers.
[ Do they even know each other? ]
His questions grew by size as the time passed him by, all the wonders had crossed him. The unanswered marks silently tutoring his mind together with all the thoughts that he had collected from the events prior.
Various things presented as if he could not, or at least allowed to catch a break. On top of all those things in his head, he just couldn't shake off the thoughts of her.
Her, who seemed to have bewitched the combatant..
"Fuck!"
He breathed out heavily, unable to contain his thoughts anymore. Both body and mind were tired with everything he had put on.
To him, it seemed that woman's appearance in his ship was not only for the demon but to torture him. When the words of the mayor, that conveniently fitted the description of her state, it continued to drive his mind into madness.
"What is it?"
Elijah suddenly sounded when he entered the chambers all alone. Looking at the man that sat on his chair in front of the table, his eyes lost with madness. The captain shook his head in denial, not wanting the eldest to get into his head and read all his fret.
He immediately cleared his throat and tossed the pearls back to the drawers, shoving it in secrecy. The other man took a seat next to the captain, his eyes heavily dropping, obviously tired after all of those events
" Tell me." Elijah spoke, demanding the things that needed to be explained.
And Axel decided to speak his mind.
The whole information falling out his mouth like recited oral folklore that he had memorized for the sake of passing to the untold. From what he took from the mayor's mouth, to the woman tha haunted him. What Axel had shared to both Hakim and Felix, he shared it with him. In hope that the quartermaster was able to understand where he stood at least.
The eyes of the woman that Axel had been thinking of flashed in his memories like a course of events he never wanted to remember. The scared two eyes looking at him even after assuring her that she was safe with him made him feel guilty for a moment.
He never meant to scare her, he was just too frustrated with the whole situation.
"How is she now?"
He asked the man beside him after a long time.
Elijah acknowledged the captain's implication with a nod, grasping the underlying message. "She's frightened by what she witnessed," He replied, his voice quavering, "Frightened of our presence."
"Crucially, she was profoundly disturbed by those pirates."
"Understandable." Axel agreed despite the heavy feelings inside him.
"Well, thankfully, she seems to be alright now and getting some rest."
Elijah e informed the man who awaited his updates. Axel simply nodded as he provided information about her condition, the crew's situation, and the state of the ship. He delivered a comprehensive report efficiently, carefully noting every detail.
"Aye! You should be off and allow yourself get some sleep,"
Axel told him off when he noticed the man yawning behind his hands. A low chuckle coming out of him when he saw how tired the quartermaster was.
"Just take someone to manhandle the duty of watching someone who's kissing the big lady! If he wakes up, be ready to walk on the plank for safety. The sea is far more inviting than him alone." Axel warned making sure that Elijah could pass it all along clearly.
"Understood, but." Elijah stood up to leave but momentarily stopped.
"What you did was wrong, and you better apologize to her."
"What is this? Sympathy?" Axel said in gritted teeth, mocking laughter that held venom.
"As long as I am not sure, I don't think I could ever stop seeing her as nothing but a mystery that needed to be solved."
"Are we fucking switching. You made me want to accept her as your new crew just for you to turn the other side the moment I start letting her in."
Elijah could not hide how upset he was.
"You don't understand me."
Axel whispered, trying to stop a now new discussion. He knew he was being unreasonable, but with all the things that had been thrown to him that connected to her, his mind was exploding.
"Because you've never attempted to help us comprehend. Even if you recount the mayor's words and how they sowed doubt about her, I won't grasp it. Even if you suggest that the stowaway might be the woman you've sought, it won't make sense to me. Do you know why? It's because you've never opened up about your troubles and never allowed yourself to be understood." Elijah snapped, although his voice was careful he was soundly upset.
"We're aware that we're under a curse, and we're desperate to free ourselves from it. Fine, I acknowledge the curse is tied to her, but we've never had a clear idea of who she is. How can we locate someone we have no information about, Axel? How can we be certain the stowaway is the woman you've been seeking when we have no clue about whom you're referring to?"
Elijah seethed with anger, his frustration on the brink as he struggled to maintain his composure in front of his captain.
"You don't understand." Axel repeated, as if it was a plea.
Elijah sighed as he tried to trace any hesitation and regret in his captain's eyes.
" No one will."
Once Elijah had left his quarters, he found himself once again ensnared by his tumultuous thoughts, unable to find peace in anyone's presence. The cacophony of these thoughts overwhelmed him, and he couldn't escape the relentless cycle of ideas that sought to explain his sense of loss.
The voices in his mind continued their relentless ramblings, imprinting their questions on his brain and preventing him from experiencing the tranquil night that followed the storm. He longed for a respite, a moment of silence from the relentless chatter.
He reached out to the drawer once more, retrieving the pearls and holding them in his hands. He tried to immerse himself in the things he cherished most, the treasures and the gleam of the pearls. As he traced his fingers over them, he sought to distract his mind and find solace in the satisfaction his avaricious heart derived from caressing these precious orbs.
The enchanting luster of the pearls intensified, almost transforming into a source of light akin to the moon's radiance. Their appearance gradually assumed a halo-like quality, nearly blinding him with the purity of the white orbs nestled in his palms. His gaze fixated on them, and a vague familiarity began to stir within him.
The sight of the pearls triggered a memory he couldn't quite grasp in its entirety. He realized he had encountered something similar before, but the details eluded him. The captain's inquisitive mind was abruptly overtaken by a new set of questions, casting aside the previous topic that had consumed his thoughts. He now focused on the luminous shine that danced in his dark emerald eyes.
[ It's shining? ]
The whiteness of the pearls seemed to move within his vision, akin to the splashing of waves that entranced him. His eyes slowly dropped as he continued to hold the pearls, deep in his appreciation of their beauty. However, the embrace of slumber finally claimed him, and his eyes closed as he unwittingly let the pearls slip from his grasp, their lustrous glow continuing to illuminate his room.
The ship was now under the tranquil and silent rule of the night, with cold winds billowing the sails as it continued its journey through the sea. The night had plunged into its deepest hue, and the ship lay still, with everyone onboard finally finding respite in their slumber after the day's tumultuous events.
The lone helmsman at the wheel guarded it diligently, his heavy eyelids fighting the urge to close. In the crow's nest, the young lad meant to keep watch had succumbed to the call of sleep, despite his duty. Another crew member sat quietly and attentively across the mast at the waist, leaning against the low railing as he kept a watchful eye on the unconscious combatant tied to a wooden pole.
He dared not close his eyes, knowing that the moment he did might coincide with the demon's awakening. The night enveloped them in a shroud of darkness, with the only sources of light being the lamps, casting their feeble glow from waxen sticks.
In this peaceful night, where everyone had managed to find a moment of calm sleep, the man in his seat was consumed by the recurring dreams that had haunted him for so long. These dreams always followed the same pattern, beginning at the same point and ending with a familiar conclusion.
Always and never changing, contains the consistency of its appearances.
The memories that were never a mystery to him.
...
{ 16 years ago }
Big waves almost crashed into the petite body of a young boy; the wind slapped his cheeks, the icy cold water chilling him as he fought the tides and got to the coast as soon as possible. Men around him, although sons of the sea, are being drowned by the mere effort of the cruel waters that they had made home. It stung as always, the felt of the cold waters on their skins. Icy pieces on its tips as if each are stabbed by knives.
The men shouted with both pain and anger, it's always the both combinations that were heard and nothing else. Especially from the man that he saw at the coast of the beach, stabbed in his chest with a voice that quivered his heart too. It felt so real, the pain and sense on him—dissociating him from reality and dreams.
Nightmares slowly as it turned to his memories.
He flapped unto the waves, weaving him into the deepness with no mercy. He couldn't breathe, he physically couldn't as the waters entered his lungs. A cry of a small boy heard from nothing as useless lands and ears. Disappearing right into the water with him, he fought his way to climb a wall of water hoping to catch the air. The icy cold touch of the air that surrounded him went through his nose, freezing the water that was swallowed before.
He felt numb to his core, unable to define what was the feeling of feeling at all.
He felt the water crashing his soul, wringing the life out of him as he continued to thrash around it. The men around him meet the same fate as they too tumbled in the waves unable to swim. The boy, despite such difficulty managing to outwin the raging sea, hoped in every grasp of air as he swam across it. Finally feeling the grail of the wet sands under his hands, he forced himself to stand in his little wobbly feet, rising from the waters that threatened his life.
White sand that shone its grain through the sunlight contradicted the red blood that slowly soaked the grains. A dead man with an icy dagger pierce right in his heart. In his hand the compass reflected an icy jewel that was too bright in his eyes as it illuminated all the lights that bounced on its mirrors. The eyes of the man dead as a fish yet opened like an alive person, staring blankly as life sucked out of him.
Then a voice came.
The voice haunted him as he rose from the waters, his small feet walking towards the man that he burst his tears unto. His tears rolling unto his cheeks, each string carries the revenge that wore his heart.
"Get angry my child…
Get angry, angrier, rage on.
Take those flames and destroy them.
Destroy her.
For you,
You shall continue on.
The stabbed heart and the wounded one,
Rage towards and find it.
The island of wonder.
You shall see her again,
and then rage on.
Towards her.
For him. "
The voice called upon him.
Mystically inviting him to strike a deal to the unknown, the fury in his heart blinding the boy completely with darkness that he could never get out of no matter what. With a tear stricken face, he stood up with haste, clenched fist and angry soul that would never let anyone break it again.
He followed the owner of the voice, a mysterious woman that seemed to float within the air. Yet her pale bare feet gracefully touched the sand. Her raven black hair swaying right at her waist, completely weaved through the earthy wind. Her voice was building and dangerously beautiful in his ear.
With nothing to lose he followed her to where his journey started.
"Find her; Find the vessel and kill her. That is the only way for you to find your peace."
"How?"
"Seal a pact with me; and allow me to take you."
...