The sea was cold yet warm on the boy's feet, the waves crashed onto his tanned skin. Every bubble and foams vanished at the touch, the sea was nothing but pure summer to his feelings. The refreshing breeze of the wind, along with the salty air of the shore. The sound of the water, the birds, the warmth of the sun. All of that was nothing to him.
What the boy had deemed as everything was the little girl in front of him. She, who was filled with a smile, the smile that could be stretched from ear to ear. He wondered if she was hurting from smiling that wide. All beautiful teeth that shined with the gleaming light, visible as she laughed louder than he had already heard her. Her eyes closed tight, wrinkles were visible at the side of her eyes as she did. Her nose crinkled in the middle while she laughed.
Nothing he had ever seen, so unlikely as before.
He would have been upset to not see her beautiful eyes by the way she had shut it. Yet how can he ever complain when she was looking so beautifully happy right there, within his grasp.
The boy felt the surge of happiness inside him, as if something in him was fulfilled and satisfied by just seeing her like this.
The sea around them seemed to have agreed with the way he felt. Just like him, the waters felt and looked happy for the way she was. The way she moved, the way she touched it, the water seemed to react as if it was waiting for her for a very long time.
Just like that, the two of them immersed themselves in the sheer happiness of being a child. The laughter echoed through the shore, her melodic voice rang his ears. The cold splash of water around them, as she dared to hit him with it. He too fought back, even with his gentle effort of splashing her the water felt like it was an embrace. Their voices mixed together, and for him it was the sound of music.
A beautiful one.
" Lia! Look what I found!"
The sound of her name was what wished he could remember forever.
" What is that? *** "
The sound of his name with her voice was something he wished he could hear again.
And the way her beautiful brown eyes sparkled with innocence and curiosity as she looked at him was something he wished he could see again. The smile under those lips when he gave what was on his hands, the pearls of which reflected the illuminating gaze under her own gaze, he wished he could see for another chance and another life.
He wished he could see her again.
He wished he could remember who she was.
...
"Wake up."
Felix woke the prisoner on the brig that appeared to be in slur of vision on his slumber. The man groaned before opening his eyes, struggling around the chains that Zeki had embedded his magic on. He looked worse than he could ever be. In front of the navigator was someone who he couldn't recognize.
"You alright?" Felix asked.
And of course he knew the man wasn't alright.
His black hair was drenched by sweat, his skin was almost shining by the amount of sweat rolling off his skin. His eyes had sunken even though he was in the brig for two days, the colors in his pupils had darkened but it wasn't the darkness of danger but something defeated and weak.
Felix had gotten worried by seeing him so disoriented. It wasn't even the first time that he had been chained to this brig. This is practically his second cabin if necessary, it was built for him. He had never been like this despite being under Axel's punishments, yet…
"Hey, same dream?"
Calev finally looked up to him, his eyes were so empty and shallow as if no life was ever seen in those orbs. Pain and tiredness was written in his face, etched with madness and sheer confusion alongside the hint of something lonesome could be seen in the pathetic gaze of the fearsome combatant as he nodded to answer his question.
He looked so out of it.
Felix sighed out loud, unable to find something to say.
Calev sometimes would have vivid dreams. Due to his lack of memories, he couldn't understand what those scenes were. Calev had shared that it was always the same dream, repeatedly showing him the same event and the same person.
Yet he bore no knowledge.
"You want to talk about it?"
Felix was kind enough to let the poor man decide if he would like to discuss it. To his expectations, Calev refused just like always, keeping all the dreams all by himself and drowning through the surge of emotions he couldn't define.
It had always been like this, Calev was.
A dream in which he had no idea which and what was the origin of. The person, the place, the feelings were all nothing but dust of a forgotten past.
"Mate, sometimes talking can help." Felix's words left him stunned but he did not utter a word.
The two of them remained in a quiet place of the brig, with both of them having nothing to say. Felix was trying to clean the combatant's wound, even at the mercy of unprofessional hands he wanted to do and give his best. No medical staff was vacant, Zeki was already awake but still replenishing his magic and the other medical staff–well he was injured and chained in the brig.
From time to time, Felix would nudge the combatant gently to have him check what he was doing. To which the latter would only nod in silence, Felix found himself wanting to finish his duty right away.
Calev had been put away for at least two weeks, he was allowed to eat one bread per day and a glass of water as his punishment. This was nothing to him if someone were to tell, none of Axel's punishments could break him. It would hinder him, yes–but Calev seemed to be a natural monster without even the presence of his demon. Because even if how much Axel would torture him whenver it was needed, he would bounce back as if nothing had ever happened.
That was why Felix was finding it weird that despite his knack of tolerance and endurance, yet here he was looking as if death had visited him already.
[ Is it because of her? ]
Felix was fixing all the medical tools he was using and was about to leave when he heard a low groan from the man beside him. He almost forgot that he was a battlemaster upon seeing how ominous the combatant had become. His arms were flexing as he tried to tug upon the chains, the mana from it repelled his movements.
He was harsh yet not destructive, the veins in his arms could pop any moment as how much he was tugging it. His wrist burned into the metal cuff, almost causing a wound around it. Calev continued his sudden outburst, alarming the navigator. Yet he noticed how different the outburst was, instead of his usual destructive force he was calm but anyone wouldn't fail to notice the wrath around him.
"What's wron–"
Felix stepped back and reluctantly asked Calev, however he was thrown to the side with a sheer force. For a second he was blinded, the tray on his hands were knocked down above him. Realizing what was happening, he brought his arms to protect himself from the upcoming attack, his whole body already prepared for a duel, but nothing came.
Instead his body continued to move harshly according to the ship. When he looked around to observe his perimeter, he saw the combatant still on his chains fighting against Zeki's magic. Felix felt the ship moved, the harsh movement almost throwing him to the side once again. As the navigator he was alerted, wondering what was the sudden shift of the ocean surface. As far as he could remember the weather was fine when they anchored the ship.
"Sir! Big waves ahead, no storm!"
The unforeseen tenacious waves were so surprising that even one of the pirate crew came down to brig and ask for his advice to which he was still confused. Not to mention the abrupt imposing manner of the combatant was also getting all over his thoughts, he was uncertain what issue he must attend first.
"Calev, don't give in just yet! I only have two hands to handle two calamities."
Felix was frustrated, unable to find a way to figure out through the tough situation. He could see that Calev wasn't inflicted by his demon yet, but he sure as hell was getting into it. The way he was struggling through the chains that was strongly holding him up, was also how strong he was trying to stop himself from giving in.
Calev was begging his demon not to shift.
"Fe…"
He croaked painfully, his consciousness almost disappearing while Zeki magic held him against the will of his beast.
"She's…"
"I'm sorry, mate." Felix sighed with frustrations, he walked closer to the combatant as he struggled through the movements of the ship. He had no choice but to put him to sleep by force especially in a dire situation. He was the only battlemaster that was around the ship while the others were on the island, there was no way he could hold him down.
"Felix…"
The navigator could barely hear him, from the sound of the waves crashing the ship to the sound of the men above screaming for orders as their hurried steps tried to run around the floors. Yet he spoke as if he was desperate to be heard.
"She's…"
Calev could feel it, the string inside him felt like it was being pulled harshly. Whilst the beast inside him tried the hardest to come out, he knew something was going on. As if it was a feeling he should know, something he saw and heard, like a snap of magic inside him burst into flames he felt her desperation and fear.
That godforsaken pull was telling him she needed someone's help.
"She's in danger."
Felix heard his faint whisper before succumbing to unconsciousness. The navigator had forcefully put him down by knocking him out with a single punch. Calev had not even felt it, he was occupied by the sheer amount of pressure inside him that kept his mind away. As he collapsed, all he could ever think was her.