"Captain Julian Dunmore's an old pro. He's made the Sheran-Fogland trip like a million times without a hitch. Plus, he and your mom were kinda tight. He even came to check you out when you were born."
Dulmi was a bit thrown by that.
His mom - Adeline Fernival Night - was from Fogland. When she was young, she crossed the Shenlo Sea to study in Sheran. That's where she met Adolphus Night, another brainiac. They fell hard for each other and got hitched pretty quick.
So Adeline settled in Sheran and never went back to Fogland.
She'd planned to go back to Fogland with her hubby after the wedding, but she got knocked up soon after. Little Dulmi's arrival kept pushing back that homecoming plan.
The Nights came to Nightingale to sail to Fogland. But they never made it.
Death had other plans for them.
Benjamin said, "Twenty years ago, your mom sailed to Sheran on Captain Julian's ship."
Dulmi was surprised. He thought for a second, then asked, "But it's been twenty years. Would Captain Julian even remember me?"
Benjamin's gaze grew distant, like he was thinking of some old, half-forgotten memory. "Of course he'd remember your family. After your parents died, he even sent a letter... but I'm guessing you don't remember that."
Dulmi's parents were pretty famous scholars. After the tragedy, Dulmi got swamped with letters.
But he couldn't remember what any of those letters said. At the time, how could he have cared about letters?
He was 15 when his parents died.
That day, in his memory, was all blood and darkness.
After that, they talked about some sailing stuff. Benjamin wrote a letter for Dulmi to give to Captain Julian Dunmore.
Dulmi didn't want to just be a passenger on the ship, though. He wanted to be a sailor, to explore, to truly experience the vast Shenlo Sea and the strange, mysterious continent of Fogland.
No doubt being a sailor was risky as hell.
But whatever, Benjamin finally caved.
The trip was set, and Dulmi felt a weight lift off his chest.
Finally, Benjamin said quietly, "Praise the Sea Mirror. May They bless your journey. Before you leave, Dulmi, head over to the Shenlo Association in Nightingale. You've gotta register as a sailor there.
"They'll give you the rundown on ocean travel—dos and don'ts. Take their advice seriously—you're gonna need it out there."
Dulmi jumped in, "I got it, Uncle Benjamin. Praise the Sea Mirror."
"...I'm home!"
A young, peppy voice interrupted their conversation.
This little girl tiptoed in, pushing open the antique shop door. She bounced in, yelling, "What's for dinner... Oh! Dulmi's here too!"
Dulmi turned, giving her cheek a playful pinch. "Hey there, little Amy. Early day at school?"
"I was starving, so I booked it home," Amy said.
She was Benjamin's adopted kid.
Three years ago, on his way to Nightingale, Benjamin had found this abandoned orphan. Amy was six then, skinny as a rail, staring at him with lost but clear eyes.
Benjamin figured, since he was already heading to Nightingale to look after Dulmi, one more kid wouldn't hurt. So he brought Amy along.
Over the past three years, Amy had slowly shed her shy, introverted shell. Around Benjamin and Dulmi, she was always a bundle of energy—cute and totally lovable.
But maybe because they were outsiders, both Benjamin and Amy never quite fit in with Nightingale. Most of the town's folks kept their distance from this odd father-daughter duo.
Benjamin's hired help had dinner ready. Since he wasn't into ocean grub, being from inland, he'd gotten a special chef to handle meals.
During dinner, Amy found out Dulmi was setting sail.
"The ocean!" Her eyes went wide with excitement. The little girl didn't understand how sad goodbyes could be or how dangerous the sea was—she was just amazed and curious. "Dulmi, are you gonna conquer the ocean like the heroes in stories?"
"But the Shenlo Sea's so huge. How could I do that?" Dulmi teased.
Amy scrunched up her nose, pouting, "But my big bro Dulmi can do anything!"
Benjamin and Dulmi both cracked up.
It should have been a cozy moment before Dulmi's departure, but as the last sliver of sunset faded, the Time believers rang the evening bell from the city tower.
Dulmi heard candles being lit.
The antique shop stayed old-school. After dark, they always lit candles.
Now, with the candles' warm glow, the whole shop got kinda eerie, like a lonely island cut off from everything. No one knew what might happen here.
But then, in the darkest corners, a strange green light began creeping out. It spread like water filling cracks, or fire flickering into the forgotten corners.
Dulmi knew the light came from somewhere far away, unknown. He blinked, quietly observing.
The green glow bloomed like wild, hazy flowers in every corner of the shop, twisting everything into something strange and unsettling.
Everything had changed. Everything seemed rotten, falling apart, chaotic.
The once fancy wallpaper was now smeared with ash. The bricks and tiles seemed to be stretching. Through the creaking floor and walls, Dulmi could almost smell the dust of ancient times.
On the shelves, the suspicious fangs reeked of wild animal. Every bit of rust on the dagger rippled actively. The pretty mermaid swished her tail and smiled. The stopped clock started ticking again...
Dulmi casually shifted in his seat, moving away from the now-rotten, foul-smelling food on the table.
He thought lazily, Not bad, at least I ate more than half today.
Across from him, the little girl's once-peppy face was now decayed. She wore a fancy dress, but half her face had rotted away, and her empty eye sockets were filled with ash. She tilted her head, confused. " Dulmi, why'd you stop talking?"
Next to her, the middle-aged man was dressed like an old knight. His head, resting beside his plate, spoke calmly, "Maybe he just wants to enjoy the food." The head turned slightly, intense eyes peering through dry eyelids at Dulmi. "Right, my dear little Dulmi?"