Elise screamed at the top of her lungs. It was finally the end.

There was nothing left between her and the demonic void in Lyra's chest. "I don't want to go..." she cried. "I don't want it to be over!"

She screamed loudly and screwed her eyes shut. She could feel her glasses get sucked off her face. "My glasses!" she yelled, waiting to follow them into the depths of "shell," as she called it.

But much to her surprise, a surprisingly heroic voice squawked. "Worry not first mate Freckles. Glasses are replaceable. Lives are not."

She opened her eyes and saw Archibell holding her tight. He clung onto the edge of the void--the void inside Lyra's chest.

"Fortunately," he said gallantly holding up her glasses with his other hand. "You don't have to choose between one or the other!"

"My hero!" she cried as a crimson blush adorned her already freckled and red face.

"I'm not giving up on another set of crewmates!" he said triumphantly. "For you..."

Archibell sniffed loudly. "Are greater than any treasure!"

"Really?!" Elise sniffed, crying too.

"Well," Archibell said. "I still could use some doubloons to pull off my mortgage on Vacation House Island...but otherwise...yes! Freckles, you, shrimp scampi, Troutface and that attractive blond witch whose name I forget taught me how to love again!"

"W-we did?!" Elise squeaked.

"Aye..." the captain nodded. "When I lost my one true love and my trustworthy crew to death itself, it was like someone had torn my heart out, thrown it in a treasure chest and dropped it on the bottom of the ocean floor."

Elise's eyes sparkled brightly when she saw the look of happiness in the Captain's eyes. Salty tears like drops in the ocean poured from his hardy eyes. "And to continue this metaphor, when I met you. You and these other goofballs helped dredge it up like a mighty sea crane! And now...I see..."

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The captain exclaimed loudly, raging hard against Lyra's void of darkness. "The love in my heart and the friends I made along the way was what I truly needed.

Elise smudged her eyes, wiping her own tears. "That's cheesier than clam chowder!" she cried. "But I feel the same. You gave me hope that we could save my daddy. You gave that to me when I had none."

"Friendship for hope!" the captain cried. "A trade more fair and equal than a piece of eight for another piece of eight!"

"You betcha!" Elise nodded. "Yessity yes!"

Lyra's voice echoed through the void, sounding less desensitized and more frantic. "Why won't you ...die. Why can't I eat you?"

"Because, Lyra, my deara," Archibell bellowed in a voice that sounded like a gallant seagull. "The golden treasure of love is filling the void of your darkened empty heart!"

Elise wrinkled her nose. "Wow, this is even cheesier than a plate of sea cucumber fondue!"

"I'll just have to...try harder!" Lyra said, straining her already low voice in grunt.

The wind inside the swirling purple void started to pull harder. Archibell's fingers slide on the cusp of Lyra's chest. "No..." Archibell squawked as he struggled. "I'm losing my hold!"

"Oh noooo," Elise cried. "This is Sea Horse...sh....!"

Archibell shushed her. "A lady should never have a sailor's mouth...even in peril!"

The wind blew even harder. "Mother puffer!" Archibell screamed and he raised Elise up with his other arm. "Kid...you're gonna have to go on without me..."

Elise turned bright red and she began to gush. "Is this the part where the rogue realizes the error of his ways and sacrifices himself to save the sweet girl!"

Archibell sighed. "Yes first mate freckles. You know them classics well. Now then...go. Now I, the captain of this vessel bestow the rank of captain upon you...You, first mate freckles, are the Cap'n now!"

"I am...?" Elise stammered.

"Aye aye Cap'm Freckles!" Archibell said with a playful salute and flung Elise out of the void.

She tumbled onto the floor with a loud oof. She quickly turned around and watched as her fair and heroic captain was pulled into the void. "Noooo...please!" Elise cried, but the void closed up in Lyra's chest.

The sea reaper snickered. "I guess devouring those four traitors was enough to make my empty heart full!"

Elise's eyes grew red and puffy. She slammed the ground. "Please don't leave me...mateys."

"Your mateys are gone..." Lyra said, her red eyes leering at her with the frigity of frozen blood. "It's only us reapers now. And like your friends, we will make short work of you."