MUTE'S hand shot up, and everyone glanced at him awkwardly, momentarily forgetting that he could read lips.
He stood up and made various hand signs towards the old man, who nodded in approval. "You are well versed in this, aren't you?" the old man commended, and Mute bowed.
"Who can repeat what he said for those who cannot understand simple hand signs?" Ages requested.
A boy at the far back shot his hand into the sky, and Ages nodded at him. "He said, Azure, Brown, Moonlight, Eye, Sapphire, Tusk, and a star?" the boy said, his confidence wavering as he answered the question.
Ages chuckled and motioned for him to sit down. "You were close. It's challenging to distinguish certain nuances in sign language without a deep understanding of the topic being discussed. You need to be well-versed in the subject to make the connections," he encouraged, as he often did. "What he actually said was Azure, Amber, Moonlit, Concave Eye, Sapphire, Tusk, and Asterisk," he clarified.
The children nodded, though they knew they would likely forget half of the listed items in a few minutes. Still, they were excited when Ages listed them. The mysterious allure of the Sigils called to them, and even Ash found himself dreaming of wielding one. He imagined himself as a hero from Ages' tales, saving the world and charming beautiful girls with style.
However, he was jolted back to reality as Ages continued his story. "With the Sigils came the Cryptids: humans with the ability to harness the powers of these pearls, unleashing devastating abilities. These pearls are exceedingly rare, as are Cryptids. Only one out of twenty children would possess such abilities," he explained.
Ash drifted into a reverie for a moment, envisioning himself as a Cryptid, capable of commanding a ship and finding his family with powers that defied the laws of nature, making him a god amongst men. Though he knew such fantasies were far-fetched, he couldn't shake the desire for something extraordinary. The only thing remotely special about him was his unusual ability to tolerate the polluted air filled with Sigils in the room.
That's why he was the one tasked with carrying the ice into the chamber filled with vials of potions containing and preserving the Sigils; his resistance to their poisonous effects set him apart. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he refocused on Ages' story, only to realize he'd missed the last part as the old man was already instructing them to turn in for the night.
They all stood up and waved to the old man. Just as Ash was about to turn and leave, the old man called him back, and he obliged. "I have a piece of advice for you," he said, his breathing slightly heavier than before.
"Are you alright, Mr. Ages?" Ash inquired, his brows furrowing with concern.
"I am fine, just a little tired; this body suddenly feels its age," he chuckled, reassuring Ash. "As I was saying, I have a piece of advice for you." He grabbed Ash's wrist firmly, his grip tight, and Ash noticed a strange emptiness in the old man's eyes. He attempted to pull away, but the grip was too strong. The atmosphere around them darkened, and Ash felt a chill creep into the room, an icy aura enveloping them.
He glanced around, a scream bubbling in his throat, but as he locked eyes with the old man, only the whites were visible. "Seek not the lost, for it shall return in time. Trust the one who shaped you into who you are, but above all, trust your own heart. Your trials will be plentiful, and your path winding. Those you protect will determine your destiny; your journey has long since begun."
The old man then released his grip, and everything returned to normal. "Speak nothing of what just happened," Ages commanded him and soon fell into a coughing fit. He started to cough so brutally that Ash just froze.
"Are you okay sire?" Ash tried bending towards him with a shaky voice.
"Go!" the man wheezed as blood started to creep down his eyes.
He didn't need to be told twice; he bolted, his heart hammering in his chest. "What in the Kraken was that?" he muttered to himself.
Entering his room, he shut the door behind him, still breathing erratically. "You okay, man?" Kay asked, concern evident in his voice.
He glanced at the boy wearing his hat. "Yes, I'm fine. Where is Glit?" he asked, noticing her absence in the room. She was always the one he would run to in this kind of situation when his mind was troubled, she had a way of claiming him down. She was also quite logical.
"Oh, Felis sent someone to fetch her. It seems she'll be rewarded for finding the Sigil," Kay replied.
He nodded and simply went to lie on his bed, his mind swirling with thoughts about what had just transpired. He knew he would have trouble sleeping tonight, the images of the old man kept him awake for a long time but after a while he drifted to sleep.
After about three hours, the entire shop went still, save for some sailors that were reading with their night candles in the dark corners of their rooms, everyone was asleep. A distinct sound of thumping resonated around the deck as the Old Man stepped towards the stairs that led to the ship's exit.
He glanced around the deck and smiled to himself. "Memories have been made, tears have been shed. I enjoyed my time here," he chuckled, speaking seemingly to empty air but soon enough another figure stepped out of the shadows.
"You are leaving?" The figure asked.
"Yes, Felis!" He answered the newcomer who was Felis, the captain of the ship. "My time here is all but spent."
"That means it is starting right?" The man asked.
The Old Man glanced at Felis. "I will be back though, despite raging storms or damning hell," he smiled, climbed up the stairs, opened the latch and stepped into the night!