A week had passed since Alric was kidnapped and then forced to join this crew, a week filled with an intense focus on honing his newfound abilities. He felt like those protagonists in countless novels, the ones who undergo grueling training arcs after a humiliating defeat.
Of course, Alric hadn't exactly been defeated in a grand battle. his 'antagonist', if one could even call her that, was far more persistent and irritating.
"You damn woman!!!" Alric cursed under his breath, the sound of Melissa's relentless pursuit echoing through the ship. He sprinted down the corridors, his lungs burning.
Why was he being chased like a common criminal? Because he hadn't revealed whats powers he was borrowing.
"Leave me alone!!!" he shouted, his voice hoarse.
"You bastard! Tell me now!" Melissa roared back, her pursuit as relentless as a bull charging at a waving red cape.
Albert, the captain's handsome right-hand man with his striking blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, watched the spectacle unfold with amusement.
Melissa, noticing his laughter, turned towards him with a glare that could curdle milk.
Albert quickly sobered up. "Apologies, my lady. You two... you're quite the adorable pair."
Alric, hiding behind a large barrel, scoffed.
"Adorable? Is that what you call this? Adorable my ass! She's going to kill me!"
Seizing her opportunity, Melissa lunged at Alric, catching him off guard.
"Excellent work, Voice Captain," she praised Albert.
"My pleasure," Albert replied, a mischievous glint in his eye.
Alric, struggling against Melissa's grip, cursed Albert under his breath. "Albert You fucker!"
He was a far cry from the royal, Alric Lyra he once was. Now, he was just Alric, a ran away royal who was a pirate now.
Despite his frustration, a strange thrill coursed through him. He enjoyed this unexpected game of cat and mouse, the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Realizing that brute strength wouldn't free him, Alric activated his ability for the first time since acquiring it – [Leap].
He vanished from Melissa's grasp, disappearing into thin air. He was transported back to that strange place, the void he had encountered after consuming the relic. A place of absolute nothingness, where sensation ceased to exist. It was as if he had always possessed this power, as natural to him as breathing.
He intended to reappear five meters away, a safe distance from his pursuers. But not yet.
One... two... three... four... five… Alric started counting.
But then, suddenly he materialized back in the physical world, And saw somthing he had not expected. 'Five seconds is the limit for now, but... I was in there for 5 seconds but it seems as though no time has passed here. I guess the time here and there pass differently' he thought carefully about how his powers work.
He saw Melissa sprawled on the deck, the wind knocked out of her. He saw Albert, his fork frozen mid-air, his eyes wide with astonishment.
He decided to let go of the matter for now.
The crew, every single one of them, stared at him in disbelief.
"Teleportation?" Melissa and Albert exclaimed simultaneously. There jaws dropping.
'Busted,' Alric thought, 'at least they don't know the true nature of my power.'
"Watch the flies," he quipped, trying to lighten the mood.
No one laughed.
Albert, the first to recover from the shock, approached Alric with a wide grin. "You remind me of those merchants who try to fleece you out of your coins." Alric told
Alric immediately tensed. "Now, now, no harm intended," Albert assured him, throwing an arm around Alric's shoulders in a friendly – yet surprisingly strong – side hug.
"You're my disciple now."
Alric's eyes widened. "What!? No!"
Melissa, having regained her composure, stepped forward. "What!? No! I will teach him!"
Alric groaned inwardly. 'Not again.'
"You're a busy woman, Captain. You won't have the time," Albert insisted.
"I have plenty of time for a promising young talent," Melissa countered.
Alric, sandwiched between the two, let out a frustrated sigh. "Haaaa! Teach me what!? I didn't agree to this! Stop making my choices for me!"
"You don't have a choice, boy," Melissa declared.
"Wh-what!? Nooooo! Not again!"
The room fell silent, the weight of their combined gazes heavy on Alric.
He felt a rush of frustration, a familiar feeling from his life before he was… well, before he was kidnapped. He missed the familiar routine of his royal duties, the structured days, the predictable order of things. Now, everything was chaos, unpredictable, and utterly terrifying.
He glanced around the room, saw the faces of the crew.
They were a wild bunch, a collection of misfits and outcasts.
Each of them with their own unique story and a spark of something dangerous in their eyes.
He wondered what their lives were like before they joined the crew.
what had led them to the life of piracy and adventure.
He thought about his own life, about the life he had left behind.
The royal cage of the palace, the big expectations, the constant security. He had wished for freedom, for adventure, for something more than the exhorting routine of royal duties. And now, he had it.
But it wasn't exactly how he had imagined it.
He felt like a prisoner here.
But it was fun.
Melissa and Albert, with their thick confidence and their charisma, were like two titans wanting for his attention, each determined to bend him to their will.
Alric felt a rush of defiance. He wouldn't let them control him. He wouldn't become their puppet, their prized possession.
He would find a way to use his own will, to carve his own path, even within this hell of this chaotic ship.
He looked at Melissa, her eyes gleaming with an unsettling intensity. "Fine," he conceded, his voice laced with a hint of defiance. "But I'll only learn from the one who can teach me the most."
Melissa and Albert exchanged a look, a silent conversation passing between them.
"Very well," Melissa finally said, a slow smile spreading across her face. "We shall have a trial. A competition. The winner gets to train you."
Alric felt a shiver ran down his spine. He had no idea what kind of trial Melissa was talking about.
but he knew of one thing for sure.
That this was just the beginning.
It was about to get a whole lot more fucking complicated then this in the future.
He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
He had no idea about what the future held for him.
but he was ready for it.
He was Alric Lyra, and he would not back down.
He would find a way to survive, to win, and to reclaim his own destiny, even in this strange and unpredictable world.