Amidst the bustling market, she wandered from shop to shop. She attempted to immerse herself in the experience. She sought to savor the brief moment in the midst of the crowd, trying to put aside the worries that troubled her. She strolled through the streets in the hope of finding something worth spending her money on.
The market stalls and shops exuded liveliness, and the people were warm and welcoming. Although she was hesitant to part with the money she had been given, fearing that Elijah or Axel might reclaim it later, she indulged herself in a few snacks and sweets she had longed to try.
For a while, she was having fun. The small taste of freedom from the ship and her tumultuous thoughts allowed her to breathe. In that whole escapade, she had forgotten the eyes that she was sure she had been feeling watching her. It was as if the weight around her was suddenly lifted, whilst she was roaming the streets, she was able to breathe for a while.
Little did she know that it wouldn't last long.
"I told you I will come back for you, sweetheart."
She had been straying far from where she was supposed to be. Having been distracted by the busy market and establishment around her, she didn't realize she had walked far.
Hardin stood across her, with the same menacing smirk that he gave her that night. And although she could not collect any of her memories about the man in front of her, all she felt was that fear traveling through her veins at the sight of the man.
The slick brown hair, the blue eyes, the sinister smile, it caused terrible headaches all at once. The noise of the market disappeared, only the painful ringing sound that seemed to get louder and louder that only she could hear. Just by the sight of this man, her feet wanted to take her far away.
[ Why? Why does this unknown man provoke great fear within me? I can't remember him but everything about him makes my whole being tremble. My heart is beating so fast, I can't feel the air. I just want to run away. ]
The grip of his hands over her arms triggered something in her memories. The scenes of being dragged, abused, and the painful memories shackled her. Her tears immediately escaped her now scared hazel eyes, as if it remembered every single thing it had seen before.
In the smile of the man, she felt herself dying.
She didn't know how she did it but she freed herself in a matter of instant. Her feet carried her to wherever, a sense of deja vu coming to her. She felt like she had done this before, running away from something or someone that was threatening her.
She ran like she remembered.
[ I have to get away. ]
That was all that she knew, running away.
[ No matter how much they will claim that they know me….I should–I should be glad, right? I should be relieved that I found someone who can tell me who I am, but why? Why does my body thinks differently whenever I see that man? ]
On her tail was the stubborn man who refused to let her go away. His strong build easily caught up to her fast movement. Although fast as she went, she was clumsy. Almost bumping into every person that was in front of her, the adrenaline ran past her veins and took her to where her feet could go without thinking. The air in her lungs almost ran out as she ran, the pain in her head worsened.
But she did not care, she continued to let her feet drive her to what seemed to be a safe place away from him.
Yet he continued to take the safe place away as he chased her.
"Help."
She sobbed through her screams. Many people witnessed the chase yet they did nothing but watch, unable to react.
[ Somebody, please. ]
Whilst she suffered from the pain in her feet, the fire on her sole almost burned her as she continued to run in nowhere in particular. The surge of energy fueled her fear, wanting nothing but to get away from him. His laughter echoed maniacally around the busy market into the more secluded area of the island where he continued to chase her like he was her doom.
The tears in her eyes did not stop.
"What the fuck?..."
Someone who just came out of a shop confusedly cursed upon seeing the stowaway run, the fastest he had ever seen her move. Her distress look worried him, his eyes following her figuring unto the thick forest along the coast..
"Beauty, why-"
Hakim was just about to call her when he saw another man running after her. In an instant, he recognized the man as the pirate that night who wanted her. The horror got into his whole realization, before he knew it he ran towards them and hoped that she was not hurt.
"Motherfucker."
The whole chase escaped the busy town, and in the quiet side of the island where the luscious green trees grew she ran through it. Ignoring all the gushes she receives from the branches and twigs that marks her skin. She carried on despite the pain she felt all over her body from the wounds she did not realize she had gotten. All in her steps were the cry and screams of survival, and the words of hope and pleas on her tears.
She ignored everything, the footsteps behind her growing closer and louder. She ignored, she completely ignored everything--everyone.
...
In the same forest, someone who was checking the logs he could for the ship was busy on his own. The noise of the moving leaves along the wind, and the sound of the waves in the nearby shore went along with the echoes of the birds and other creatures inside the beautiful forest.
Draco was expertly scanning the spare logs he could get for free, calculating how many crewmen he might need, and how many materials he might need to fix what was broken prior to the fight the other night.
[ Fucking Calev, fucking demon. ]
The boatswain wasn't having any of it. Everytime the crew got into a fight, whether with other crew or with the demon, he was the most stressed–perhaps even more than Zeki who had to take care of the injured. Whenever the fight was over (or even the fight was still going), his mind could only think of the amount of problems he had to face when it came to renovating the ship.
"Just one month! In just one fucking month, I have fixed more than what I did when Axel was still on the battle to be the King. Fuck this crew!"
He couldn't tally how many times he had to fix some issues, from broken doors to broken yard, to the hull, to the mast.
"Fucking crew."
Draco just continued checking the trees, as he wondered if the mayor would allow them to cut some for free or probably negotiate. As far as he knew, the mayor was a peaceful man so using their pirate ways into this wouldn't work. Even Elijah had to remind them not to loot the market or any house, in exchange that the mayor let them drop anchor.
This was all the same for the other crew as well.
"Maybe, I could visit a lumber shop and ask if they sell woods like th–WHO'S THERE?"
Footsteps could be heard in the forest, Draco was alerted the moment he noticed someone was there. Although he couldn't see anyone near, he could hear those steps getting louder and faster. The sound of the ground and broken twigs were all near, he searched the place, his amber eyes intensely scanned the area. He knew there was someone.
"Who the fuck are–"
"It's err me, Master Draco."
A timid looking guy came out of the big tree where he was standing. His bright brown hair was recognized by the boatswain right away, along with his shaky chestnut eyes. He appeared to be nervous, the anxiety was nothing to be unnoticed. It was written all over his face, whilst his hands were trembling together tightly.
Confusion was drawn into Draco's expression upon seeing him. He could see the troubles in the guy's face without even trying. He couldn't think of anything to say upon his pathetic appearance but to motion him to come closer.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Draco blurted out, the way how fast and firm that question was almost made him sound pissed and dumbfounded at the same time.
"I, err…"
The boatswain dropped the confusion in his eyes and shifted it into his fierce glare. The brown haired guy swallowed hard when he realized Draco was getting pissed and impatient by the way he was acting.
"Tyke…" Draco pressed as he heaved a huge breath.
" Err…Uh.."
"Tyke!"
"Err, I was searching err the stowaway." He answered right away, almost raising his voice as he did.
Draco groaned before he shifted his attention to what he was doing before.
"You've been tasked to spy on her, am I correct?"
"Err yes."
Draco just shrugged completely unbothered yet not pleased by the decision of his captain. He was aware how these past days, Axel had completely grown wary of her but if Draco could have the word he would say it was unnecessary for Axel to get her actions monitored.
"You were really not doing a great job, Hakim and I could tell."
The boatswain chuckled, and Tyke wasn't so sure if Draco was making fun of him or was just so disappointed that all he could do was laugh. He had just started this task that the captain had given him for three days, and he had already fucked up. And the worst thing was, he lost her.
"Argus will skin you alive if he knew you are fucking things up, especially you are under him."
Draco's words almost made him cowered, just thinking about it sparked countless scenarios in his head. Tyke weighed down what was the worst, his Master Argus finding out he suck at what he was trained for or his Captain anger for sucking at what he was trained at.
"I err…Master Drac–"
"So, what are you doing here?" He interrupted Tyke by asking gently, although he was more focused on the big logs he had collected. When Tyke did not answer but just sighed out loud, he glanced at the now gloom and pale man in front of him, shaking in fear.
"You lost her, so look for her instead of spacing the fuck out here in front of me."
Draco playfully sneered, moving away from where Tyke was just to pick up another log. He heard Tyke respond something, however his attention was taken by the sounds of yet again, another footsteps. This time it was clearer, louder and faster, the sound of someone's voice as their breath echoed the woods. When all of a sudden someone bumped into them, knocking him to the ground and did not even bother to apologize.
"Watch where the fuck you are going....."
He was ready to fight against the impolite person when he realized it was his crewmate that was running for her dear life.
[ What the fuck! ]
"Stowaway?" Draco glanced over Tyke who also held the same expression as he did.
"What the fuck?..."
He continued to curse while he was on the ground, watching another man chase after her. The perplexity in their eyes remained unwavering, and their entire being and mind struggled to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
"Get the fuck out my way!"
The loud and deep voice of a familiar man took the two of them out of their daze. In front of them was an angered gun master running after the two.
"M-master Hakim."
"Hakim-what the actual fuck?..."
The curses continued on, while they tried to let their mind process everything. Feeling somehow stupid when the situation hit him later on.
"I think…she is being chased."
Tyke finally spoke in a mere whisper, still slightly unsure of what he had seen. Draco looked at him, still perplexed.
"Well, yeah smartass."
All he remembered was the face of the stowaway, desperately trying to get away from the unknown man, and her screams that echoed through the place. Reminding him of the night where her screams awakened the demon inside Calev.
And if the wind could carry such sound, he had no doubt that Calev would kill anyone who would terrify her to that extent.
"Stay here and guard the area!" Draco ordered Tyke before sprinting away to the chase.
Outside the forest, the stowaway stumbled upon a small beach, completely unaware that it was a dead end.
For a moment, the azure waters captivated her attention. Upon reaching the white sands of the beach, her steps came to a halt, her cries and tears subsided. As if entranced by the emerald blue hue of the churning saltwater, she stood a few meters away from it. The beach stirred a sense of recognition within her, reminiscent of a place she couldn't quite pinpoint. The waves were harsh as it moved, as if it was anger for a reason.
The grains of white sand blended with the emerald blue sea, waves crashing on the shore violently. Yet despite how raging the sea looked, the breeze carried the scent of the salty water, the sound of summer echoed and it felt as though she remembered something. But it remained elusive and unclear.
A place she had been before.
Yet it was unclear.
'Come'
In that moment, she forgot why she had been running, and the very act of fleeing escaped her memory. All she could feel was the call of the sea. The waves danced with joy as they surged towards her, beckoning her. An inexplicable connection seemed to link her to the vast expanse of the ocean before her. She longed to touch it, to feel it against her fingertips.
Deja vu flashed in her mind, as she was yet again reminded by something of her past.
'Come, my child.'
The same scene, the same feeling, the same desire.
"Who are you—?"
'My child, reach me.'
The same sea, the same calling.
Yet it was so unclear, no signs of fully remembering just the vague visions she could muster to see.
She tentatively walked closer to where her unknown desire wanted to go. To touch the waters, the calling kept on coming. Louder they had become as she went closer. She slowly reached out, her hands finally about to touch the excited water below her. Like a reunion that was fated to happen, the sea loudly flowed for her.
But that didn't come.
" You are not getting away!"
A voice pulled her out the haze, immediately she was brought back to reality.
Next thing she knew, she was being carried against someone's shoulder. The laughter she heard was sinister, like a thief finally getting his heist.
She feared for her life.
"Let me go."
She cried, thrashing around Hardin. She successfully hit his back with all his might, the brute force she exerted affected him physically.
"You bitch!" He growled, harshly dropping her to the sand.
"I forgot how much of a fighter you can be." He chuckled, but the venom in his voice made her more terrified.
"I will let you live sweetheart, despite all that you did, I will let you live. If you listen." Hardin dangerously coaxed, gripping and harshly holding her chin up to look at him.
She cried loudly, when the pain subdued her whole body. His hands leaving a mark on her face, it stung as he repeatedly slapped her like she was not a human being. Hardin laughter was all that she could hear.
His evil eyes preyed upon her, anticipation laid over he licked lips as he opened an unknown bottle and poured the content all over her.
"For extra measurements." He smirked.
As she felt the cold content that Hardin poured on her body, she felt herself getting numb. The taste of blood all over her tongue, dripping from the wounded cheeks. Yet she couldn't do anything but cry and beg.
"Pl..ease.. S..top."
" Stop? This reminded me of that night sweetheart, looks like you haven't forgotten it at all."
Hardin laughed, picking her weak body after the abuse she received. Her tears were begging for help. She didn't know who she was begging for, but she hoped someone could hear her plea.
"Please.... I d....don't even kn...know who yo-u are." She cried with her broken voice. " I..Im s..sorry, pl-please."
[ Whoever is there please, please, please. I am begging you, help me. ]
Her begs were left ignored, Hardin picked her up once again. This time there was no resistance coming from her, the fatigue in her body taking over, absentmindedly letting the pirate win the chase.
"Fucker..."
Hakim came running, his bellowed voice could frighten anyone who had heard him. Hakim threw a punch, immediately. He did not let Hardin compose himself as he dropped to the sand, the stowaway getting thrown to the other side in the process. Hakim continuously threw a punch, hovering over Hardin's defensive body as his offense left the latter unprepared.
"Go, run!" Hakim shouted at her.
Although she desperately tried to move her body, the sensation of paralysis overwhelmed her. Her legs refused to respond, and she felt entirely immobilized. This experience triggered a distant memory within her, as if she had encountered a similar situation before.
[ I can't move. My body….it's not moving. Why? ]
Helplessness, an inability to move, and a profound sense of vulnerability weighed down on her. Her body felt heavier than it should, and each attempt to stir a single limb only resulted in increasing numbness.
[ Hakim. ]
Her gaze fixated on the unfolding confrontation before her, and she hoped for the gun master's safety. However, what she witnessed sent shock and panic coursing through her veins. Hardin extended his hand toward Hakim's holster while the latter remained oblivious. In his hands was the favorite pistol of the man.
The scene was going too fast, the trigger was pulled, the sound rang through the waves and wind. The crimson color rushing out of his left leg, Hakim fell down the ground with groans in his lips. The pain almost came through his system.
"Hakim." She weakly screamed, but it was too late.
The gun master was shot already.
Her cries bore no sounds, the pain in her body doubled and so did the pain in her heart as she watched Hakim and his wounded legs. She felt bad, she felt scared, so terrible as the sense of being a pure bad omen of the ship had gotten into her.
"H…hakim"
[ Wench is truly bad luck. ]
"Nice pistol. Great caliber I see." Hardin complimented while studying Hakim's gun. "But I'm not into these." He shrugged, throwing them into the ground next to Hakim.
"Now, where were we?" He laughed maniacally while he approached her helpless body.
She watched him trying to pick her body up, all that she prayed for was that if she couldn't make it out alive from this man and her future, she hoped Hakim would survive.
[ Please, I beg of you. Whoever is there, whoever is listening to me. Be the God or Goddess, be anything, be the devil. Save him, if you can't help me, at least him. ]
That was all she could hope for.
"You fuck!"
A familiar voice came to her. Hardin who was getting near her was suddenly thrown aside with great force. She tried her best to open her eyes and look at the man properly. Standing proudly with his mighty physique, the youngest in the Mad Treasure looked angrier than what she remembered.
Draco stood as he glanced at both the stowaway and Hakim.
He was furious.
Hardin stood almost immediately, cursing at the continuous interruption of his poorly planned abduction. His glares quickly facilitating Draco's figure, the look of death lies in his gaze as he had enough of the oppositions of his job.
"Let's see what you got."
Draco groused, his whole body preparing for a full combat. His posture elegantly showcased how great of a fighter he was. Hardin screamed in frustration as he lunged towards the man, their fist colliding into each other as the brutal duel commenced. Their punches landed into each other, they tackled on the sand as Draco tried to widen the space between them and her.
With no subtlety in the unfolding situation, Draco relied on his instincts. Fueled by a rush of adrenaline, the fight intensified as both men displayed brutal strength. Hardin landed a massive blow on Draco's face, but the young pirate endured it without faltering.
Not a hint of pain disrupted his concentration. Draco's fists continued to deliver punishing strikes to the pirate's face, and blood from the cuts inflicted by both combatants began to flow more profusely.
"Hakim!"
Draco shouted amidst the blow he had taken once Hardin pushed and hovered over him.
"Take her and run! I got this!" Draco sharply exclaimed, not even sparing a glance at them. His big hands strangled Hardin as he fought back.
Fortunately Hakim wasn't wounded critically by the amateur effort of Hardin to pull the trigger. Despite the pain he felt, he pushed himself to stand even limping his way to the now unmoving stowaway.
"I'm alright, beauty."
He whispered reassuringly when he saw the concern and fear in her hazel eyes. Hakim picked her up, noticing the coldness in her whole body and how tense she was.
"Hey." He nudged the woman wanting to see any reaction from her.
"Hey, can you move? Are you alright?"
Yet she did not move, only her eyes staring right into Hakim's soul that confirmed that she was at least conscious. Even though it was a bigger concern that she couldn't obviously move, Hakim decided to further analyze the situation later and took off and ran instead.
"You're not getting away sweetheart!"
Hardin bellowed from the distance, pushing Draco away from him when he saw the other man carrying her as they both tried to make an exit.
"And you won't get away from me, you fuck!"
Draco immediately stood up and chased the man when he started chasing Hakim and the stowaway. Pushing his body to run faster even at the difficulty of balancing himself in the sand.
"You piece of- '' Draco's curses stopped when he witnessed a bizarre scene in front of him.
At the peak of the chase, when Hardin had managed to almost reach the two runaways Draco was prepared to throw his whole body and stop him. But something beat him into doing it.
Amidst all of it, the wind breeze from the sea started to blow fiercely and dangerously. The coldness of it, the sharpness of its attack. Anger, the obvious wrath in those waters traveled through huge waves that reached more than the coast of the shore.
The sea, as if it had its own life, moved towards the man who displayed the great threat. In a matter of moment, Hardin's body was thrashed along the impactable wave, the sound of it loud and deadly along with his voice of horror. In front of Draco, Hardin tried to fight back the gushing attack of the ocean.
"Run! " Draco shouted tremendously when he noticed the waves did not falter, but instead it got more dangerous.
While the three managed to escape the beach, Hardin constantly suffered the unknown wrath of the sea. His body fought hard, while the waters around him took his composure. Along the steps of the runaways, through the woods where they exited-Tyke saw through the event.
He witnessed how the ocean worked, seemingly for her.
The fury of the ocean made itself known through the ships that braved its waters. An unknown, powerful force shook not only the vessels themselves but also the souls aboard. Passengers and crew members alike struggled to maintain their footing on the unsteady decks as they were tossed about by the unpredictable and unrelenting power of the sea.