The sea was restless that morning, as if it, too, could sense something was about to change.
Caius Mercer stood at the edge of the old dock, his bare feet planted firmly on the weathered planks. The wind tugged at his loose shirt, and the salty air stung his skin, but Caius barely noticed. His eyes were locked on the horizon, where the pale light of dawn stretched across the sky like a promise.
At sixteen, something was already untamable about him—something that made the villagers in Greywater look twice. It wasn't just his tall, lean frame or the wild black hair that fell into his sharp green eyes. It was the way he carried himself as if he belonged not to the village but to the sea itself.
"Caius! Are you listening?"
The voice pulled him back. Caius turned slightly, just enough to see his friend Jory's familiar figure rushing down the dock toward him, breathless. But Caius didn't smile or crack a joke like he usually did. His focus remained elsewhere—on the waves that rolled and crashed with a rhythm that matched the beat of his own heart.
"Yes, I hear you," Caius muttered, though his voice lacked its usual carefree tone.
"You look like you're about to jump in and swim to the next island," Jory said, grinning, though concern edged his words.
Caius didn't answer. Instead, he reached down and picked up a smooth stone from the dock's edge, feeling its weight in his palm. His fingers clenched around it briefly before he tossed it into the sea. The splash was small, insignificant—like Greywater, just like his life here.
"Do you ever feel it?" Caius finally spoke, his voice low, thoughtful. "Like there's something more out there… something waiting for us?"
Jory frowned, confused. "More? What do you mean?"
Caius didn't respond immediately. He stared at the ocean as if it held the answers. "I don't want to be stuck here, Jory. This place... it feels too small for me."
Jory laughed, but Caius knew he didn't understand. No one did. Not even his family. They all thought his dreams of sailing the seas, of becoming something more than just another villager living under the empire's shadow, were the fantasies of a boy with too much time on his hands.
But Caius knew better. He had always known there was more to the world than Greywater offered. More than what the empire would ever allow.
"I don't want to just live," Caius said, almost to himself. "I want to see everything, Jory. Every island, every ocean. I want to know what's out there."
The wind picked up, carrying the scent of salt and adventure, and for a moment, Caius felt like the world was on the verge of opening up before him.
Jory stared at Caius, still clueless about what his friend was getting at. He shook his head, a puzzled smile crossing his face. "What are you talking about, Caius? What do you really mean by 'something more'?"
Caius finally tore his gaze from the horizon and turned to look at Jory. A playful grin slowly spread across his face, his usual lighthearted nature returning, though his eyes gleamed with mischief.
"I want to become a pirate," Caius said, his voice soft but brimming with excitement.
Jory's face went pale. He quickly glanced around, ensuring no one else had heard, before rushing forward and grabbing Caius by the arm. "Are you mad?" Jory hissed, his voice a panicked whisper. "Lower your voice, you fool! Don't go spouting nonsense like that publicly!"
Caius laughed, though quietly, clearly enjoying his friend's reaction. "What? We've been dreaming of that, aren't we?."
"We?" Jory's eyes were wide, and his voice trembled slightly. "If anyone hears you saying that, you'll be thrown into the empire's dungeons before you can even set foot on a ship! And what about me, huh? People might think I'm in on your 'plan,' too."
Caius shrugged, still grinning. "Relax, Jory. No one's listening."
Jory shook his head, exasperated. "You don't joke about things like that, Caius! The empire has eyes and ears everywhere. If they even suspect you're thinking about piracy, they won't hesitate to lock you up—or worse."
Caius's smile faded slightly, though the spark of determination in his eyes didn't waver. He stepped closer to Jory and lowered his voice to match his friend's serious tone. "I'm not joking, Jory. I'm tired of living under their rules, and following the path, everyone says we have to follow. I want something different. I want to sail the seas, not as one of their soldiers or merchants, but as someone free. A pirate."
Jory's face grew even paler, the blood draining from his cheeks as Caius's words sank in. He opened his mouth to speak, but for a moment, nothing came out. When he finally did find his voice, it was a shaky whisper.
"I know why you think that way, Caius," Jory said, his gaze drifting away from the sea and back to memories neither of them liked to revisit. "I remember… those soldiers. What they did to us, to the village."
Caius's expression shifted slightly, his grin fading into something more serious as he listened. He knew exactly what Jory was referring to.
"It was three years ago," Jory continued, his voice barely above a whisper now, as if speaking too loudly might summon those memories back to life. "The empire… they sent their soldiers to 'protect' us, they said. But all they did was take advantage. They threatened us and made us pay for their so-called protection. They destroyed things, demanded money we didn't have, and—" Jory paused, swallowing hard, his eyes glancing toward the village to ensure no one was overhearing. "They took advantage of the women."
Caius's jaw tightened. He hadn't forgotten. How could he? He'd been thirteen, too young to understand the full extent of the soldiers' cruelty but old enough to know that what they did was wrong. Old enough to feel the helplessness that came with being unable to stop it.
"But then…" Jory's voice softened even more, a faint glimmer of relief in his eyes. "Old man Reynar stepped in. Without him… I don't know what would've happened to us."
Caius's lips curved into a small, grim smile at the mention of the old man. Reynar had been more than just a village protector—he had been a legend in his own right. A man who had once sailed the seas as part of a legendary pirate crew known as the Silver Serpents. No one had known at first, not until the day he stood against the empire's soldiers.
Reynar had been quiet, living a simple life as a fisherman, but when the soldiers crossed the line, he'd shown his true nature. He had taken down those corrupt soldiers with swift, precise movements that defied his age. There was still power in the old man and a past that Caius had long admired.
It was from Reynar that Caius had learned the truth about the Silver Serpents—a pirate crew unlike any other. They weren't the marauding, plundering criminals that the empire made all pirates out to be. The captain of the Silver Serpents had led his crew with honor, choosing to fight against tyranny, protect the weak, and sail not for gold but for justice.
Reynar would often tell the children of the village stories about his time aboard the legendary ship. He would gather them around the fire and recount tales of their captain's bravery, how they had rescued islands from corrupt governors, how the Silver Serpents had defended villages from other pirate crews, and how they had always left behind more than they had ever taken.
However, only Caius and Jory really believed what Reynar said. The rest felt that the empire was much more powerful than pirates. Besides, they have been told how notorious the pirates were.
"Pirates can be more than what the empire wants you to believe," Reynar had once said, his eyes gleaming with pride. "We were more than that. And one day, someone else will rise to continue what we started."
Caius had taken those words to heart. While others had listened to Reynar's stories with wide-eyed wonder, Caius had seen something more—a path. A way to break free from the chains of the empire, just like the Silver Serpents had done.
"I haven't forgotten," Caius said, his voice steady as he looked at Jory. "I remember everything."