Marik Voss, captain of the small yet trusty, low-crew ship Fast Wave, stood at the helm and prayed in his mind to his Goddess of the Sea and Storm. He prayed that they would pass through the Border Mist without any problems, and that she would also give him the strength not to look towards Hellcage.

His ship, the Fast Wave, was easy to steer, even with only one person on board, but it was more comfortable with two. The maximum crew capacity was fifteen people, but now there were only two. Marik had left his petrified friends back at the End of the World, albeit with great reluctance. But he couldn't bear to think that the statues would somehow get damaged during the journey.

So he carefully placed the crew in one of the abandoned houses before setting sail for the Endless Sea, accompanied by the tall and terrifying Hellcage.

They had sailed into the Border Mist several hours ago, and since then Marik had forced himself not to look in the direction of Hellcage, who stood motionless on ship back. Though he couldn't see much from where he was, he was startled by the strange shadows and the way round objects were flying out from Hellcage and disappearing into the mist.

Marik had asked him once what he was doing, and Hellcage replied that he was looking at things in the Mist. It sounded innocent enough, but what 'things' was he seeing in the mist? Marik ran his eyes over the thick fog that surrounded them before lowering his gaze and pulling his shirt away to look at the mark he had received from their Liege.

It wasn't glowing like before; it looked like a blue tattoo, but as Marik looked intensely for a moment, he could feel the mark glinting here and there.

He sighed and looked in front of him again before flinching as he noticed a small round object about the size of a child's head hovering near the mast for a moment before it flew away. "By all the billfish!" He swore in a whisper, letting out a long breath to steady his heart.

"Hmm? Little admirer, did you say something?" Marik heard Hellcage's somewhat muffled question from the stern of the ship.

Marik gripped the helm tightly; he didn't really need to steer his ship at the moment, but the other options were to do nothing or to keep Hellcage company. Neither of which he liked very much. Marik could only mentally berate himself for how a confident captain like him had been reduced to a nervous wreck. "Nothing, Mr. Hellcage. I was just commenting on how annoying it is for captains not to see where they sail," Marik replied.

Hellcage didn't reply, but then Marik heard footsteps and tensed. A moment later, the figure of Hellcage, more than two meters tall, appeared at his side, leaning nonchalantly on his walking stick.

"Since our Liege has approved of you, I don't mind you having another faith, but I would ask you not to say prayers to them in front of me. It makes me considerably uncomfortable," Hellcage said, not masking the displeasure in his voice. Marik didn't know if it was displeasure towards him or the other gods. Maybe both.

"Did I say that out loud? I'm sorry," Marik replied immediately.

Hellcage chuckled softly. "You mumble things all the time. Haven't you noticed?"

That surprised Marik. Was he saying his thoughts out loud? His mind was chaotic for a few seconds before it calmed down. "I think it's a remnant from when I went a little crazy, haha," he laughed nervously. Now that he wasn't cursed anymore and had met... let's say, other people, he realized how insane he had been earlier when talking to the statues of his crew.

Hellcage looked at Marik and shrugged. "Who's ever been hurt by a little madness?" He straightened and slowly made his way back to the stern of the ship.

Marik breathed a sigh of relief as Hellcage moved away. He couldn't help it—though Hellcage wasn't aggressive, he was still somewhat intimidating, and Marik couldn't relax around him.

The ship fell silent again, broken only by the quiet sound of the sea waves. This was how the day and night passed. Marik could only tell by the ship's clock, as it was impossible to discern whether it was day or night in the thick Border Mist.

Nothing special happened. Marik went to sleep, ate, suggested to Hellcage to rest or eat as well. The reply was that he didn't need that much sleep and that he had already eaten. Marik did not ask when or what he had eaten.

Gradually, Marik's heart and mind calmed down, and he was getting a little used to the strange Hellcage and this whole situation. The calm and the sea gave him enough time to think about things.

Actually, his situation wasn't that bad. Their Liege may have been a malevolent god, but she didn't really want anything from him like blood sacrifices or his soul—things like that. That was good, right? She also allowed him to continue following his goddess... can evil gods be benevolent?

"Drop anchor!" Hellcage's voice suddenly snapped him out of his reverie.

Marik flinched and immediately reached for the lever next to the helm, then hurried to the mast where he used another lever to furl the sails. The Fast Wave began to slow until finally, it stopped, rocking slightly on the waves.

"Mr. Hellcage, what's going on? Why did we stop?" Marik asked as he made his way to the stern.

He found a tall gentleman standing on the starboard side, looking into the fog. "We'll have company in a moment," Hellcage replied, his voice sounding a little cheerful.

Marik immediately looked into the fog and shivered. "Company? Mr. Hellcage, whatever is in the Border Mist is not good."

Hellcage laughed briefly. "Indeed? But we're here too, little admirer."

Marik stared at Hellcage in silence—his intimidating height, his face in impenetrable shadow, his cloak burning with black fire. He looked away and sighed. Any normal person would say they were not good either!

Hellcage tapped his walking cane on the railing of the boat and pointed ahead. "They're coming. Look."

Marik turned and stared at the fog. At first, he saw nothing, but then he noticed a faint greenish light in the fog coming towards them. Marik tensed and watched as the light grew closer and bigger until he could clearly see the ship's silhouette. "Mr. Hellcage, how did you know it would appear?" Marik asked, thinking of the round objects he had seen flying into the mist.

"I need to keep a little watch on our surroundings to ensure our voyage is smooth. This, however, caught my eye," he laughed softly, as if he had told a joke that Marik didn't quite get.

Marik looked at the silhouette in the fog, which was becoming clearer as the small transport ship emerged from the fog. Marik ran a skilled sailor eye over the ship's appearance and frowned. "That's ATLAS 110. It went out of production ten years ago, but some of them are still operational. Mostly, they're only used in the nearby Sea States. It shouldn't be out on the open sea. It's not suitable for this," Marik said confidently.

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He was just stating it, not wondering why it was here. This was the Border Mist, after all. The Mist had probably engulfed this ship at some point and left it to wander inside the fog.

The ship was not in good shape. It was visibly rusting, the wooden parts were rotting, and even some sections of the ship had fallen off. The entire vessel was illuminated with a ghostly greenish light that might evoke thoughts of a ghost ship at first, but the ATLAS ship seemed too solid to be a mere phantom.

Marik could see no passengers or sailors, yet the ghost ship began to slow down until it finally came to a stop in close proximity to them.

Hellcage held his hat with one hand, then placed a foot on the rail of the Fast Wave. "Let's go check it out," he announced and swung himself up onto the railing with absolutely no problems, like some kind of acrobat.

Marik opened his mouth in amazement. "Mr. Hellcage, it's not safe! Interfering with things in the Border Mist is too..." He protested, but Hellcage cut him off. "What are you afraid of, little admirer? We have the blessing and protection of our Liege." Hellcage twirled his walking cane in his hand, then pointed it at Marik. Marik looked dumbfounded at Hellcage's face and shuddered when he thought he saw a smile that stretched very wide across Hellcage's face.

"Open your eyes and mind, Captain. Forget what you thought you knew and know," Hellcage advised him before he lightly hopped from one ship to the other.

Marik stared at him, a little stunned, before looking around as if searching for support from someone, but finding none. He let out a long sigh and finally followed Hellcage. Much less gracefully.

The first thing Marik did was cautiously test the strength of the deck, which didn't look or smell very solid; it had the scent of rotting wood and fishy seaweed everywhere. He frowned and looked up, only to see Hellcage looking around and walking slowly without any concern.

Was this the behavior of higher beings? Was he not afraid of anything?

Marik quickly followed the confident gentleman. "Mr. Hellcage, could you be a little more cautious? I know you're strong, but you only recently learned about the Border Mist. It's better to be wary, at least a little," Marik urged him, being aware of too many life stories of people who were too sure of themselves.

Hellcage paused and looked back at Marik, tilting his head to the side before nodding. "'Very well. If it makes you nervous, my little admirer, you can lead our reconnaissance mission. I will follow your lead completely," he said politely, bowing slightly and then gesturing with his hand for Marik to go first.

Marik bit his tongue, as this wasn't exactly what he had in mind, but he didn't take back his words and was actually surprised and a little pleased that Hellcage had obliged. He honestly hadn't been expecting it. "So... alright. Thank you," Marik said and walked forward.

Marik moved forward slowly, looking around, with Hellcage following him. Although Hellcage still didn't seem particularly cautious, he kept his promise by following Marik's lead, stopping when Marik stopped and refraining from touching anything.

Feeling more confident with this approach, Marik and Hellcage explored the entire upper deck first, attempting to peer into the cabin as well. However, the glass was so dirty that only dim light and the shadows of a few bugs crawling across the slimy, moist glass could be discerned.

During their search, Marik didn't find much. He discovered a few shells, a lost lady's slipper, and disturbed a small family of crabs that scurried away with angry clacking claws.

Then, Marik turned his head and peered at the iron door leading to the lookout deck, which also had stairs leading below deck. Since he hadn't found an entrance anywhere else, it seemed that this was the only option.

Approaching a door that resembled a vault door and was slightly ajar, Marik pushed it open. He had to exert a little force before it creaked open and large chunks of rust fell off. Both Marik and Hellcage looked inside.

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Marik walked in, and Hellcage followed him. They looked around, but there was nothing except furnishings like seats and lamps. Marik wiped his nose as the fishy smell was stronger here, and he looked at the slimy window with algae growing on it. He lunged forward and paused for a moment as the wood groaned under his weight.

Marik had expected to find some human remains here, but the place was empty. "Strange. Where did all the passengers and crew go?" Marik muttered, but no answer came from Hellcage.

Marik made his way to the opposite door. "That should be the captain's bridge, where the ship was steered. There should also be an entrance to the hold of the ship," he announced. As he approached the door, he heard a quiet sound.

"Hmmm hmhmm."

"Hmmh! Hmhmm."

Marik frowned and stared at the door in front of him. It sounded like someone was talking, but he couldn't discern the words. He walked up to the door with Hellcage in tow, and only now could he see something moving behind the dirty glass. Were there two people? The dirt made them look like fuzzy shadows.

"Ca....n! It's... Bo...r ...st!"

"Wa.. the .....ngers!"

"Cap...., we ..st av... it."

"Impo....... It's co......ly surro..... s."

At that moment, a gurgling sound came from the brass pipe next to the door, and some water poured out.

All the hairs on Marik's body stood on end because he knew it was impossible for there to be people in there. Moreover, the few muffled words he overheard didn't even fit the situation on the ship.

Marik's breath shortened, and he backed away from the door again. The shadows passing behind the dirty glass disappeared, and the voices changed again into an unrecognizable hum.

"Voices of the past," he was startled by Hellcage's voice, speaking in a low tone that was so deep it almost resembled a gentle pat before sleep.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Marik turned to look at him. "Voices of the past?" he repeated. Hellcage returned the look, even though Marik couldn't quite see his eyes, and nodded in agreement.

"'Emotions are a powerful tool, especially in a mystical place like this Border Mist. Fear, regret, remorse, desires, love—beings who died or experienced something traumatic and had intense feelings during the process can leave something behind," he nodded his head toward the door.

A chill ran through Marik's body as Hellcage explained. "Ghosts?"

Hellcage chuckled briefly. "Not necessarily. Sometimes they're just echoes from the past." He placed a hand on Marik's shoulder and turned him toward the door.

"Unless someone witnesses what they want to convey, they'll never dissipate. Being forgotten is one of the things everyone fears most. Luckily, we're here. We can be witnesses," Hellcage urged Marik to open the door.

Marik gulped tensely; he had never dealt with ghosts before, nor had he encountered those echoes of the past as Hellcage had mentioned. But he had to take note that Hellcage seemed very confident, so it should be fine. Marik didn't think Hellcage would let him die. Even if not due to sympathy, at least because he had been useful to his Liege so far, right?

He chuckled grimly inwardly before hurrying forward and opening the door to the captain's bridge. Marik blinked quickly as he caught a glimpse of the pristine captain's bridge, the sun shining through the clear glass windows, but a thick wall of fog rolling in very close to the ship. He recognized this sight and had seen the same when his ship had been driven into the Border Mist by the storm.

He looked around the room and saw four people. The older captain stood at the helm with a young sailor at his side. The old captain gripped the ship's helm tensely, but his eyes were closed in a sign of surrender. The young sailor beside him was looking out at the white wall, and his face displayed wonder and fear.

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Two children stood in the back corner: an older boy with black hair and red eyes, about ten years old, and a girl of about six with slightly flowing white hair and equally red eyes. They both watched the captain and the sailor while holding hands and standing near the narrow staircase that led down to the ship's hold.

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The young sailor turned to the captain. "Captain! It's the Border Fog!" He gasped, his eyes bulging with terror.

The captain opened his eyes, which had been closed until now, and let out a long breath. "Warn the passengers!" He ordered in a strong voice, even though he had obviously resigned himself to his fate.

The young sailor walked quickly over to the machine on the side of the helm, which had several buttons and a large microphone, but did nothing; he just looked out again. "Captain, we must avoid that."

The captain shook his head. "Impossible. We're already surrounded."

The young sailor pursed his lips and finally pressed a button on the machine, then began to speak urgently into the microphone. "All passengers! Soon we will be drawn into the Border Mist! I repeat, we will be drawn into the Border Mist! Everyone, stand by!" He glanced at the fog beyond the glass that was almost upon them. Tears of fear glistened in his eyes, and he gritted his teeth. "May the Goddess of Sea and Storm protect us all."

Marik could see the Border Mist licking the ship gradually, passing through everything as if there were no obstacles for it. He saw the old captain, whom the mist touched and vanished as if he were made of nothing but smoke, and the young sailor suddenly disintegrated into a pool of lumpy liquid. Marik glanced at the two children; he saw them rushing down into the hold of the ship.

Marik blinked again, and the scene disappeared. The captain's bridge had changed beyond recognition from what he had seen. The rudder was broken and rotten, the glass was dirty and slimy like the others, and the foul smell of fish had returned. Noticing that a black, eaten trail remained where the young sailor had melted, Marik shuddered.

"The Border Mist is certainly powerful," Hellcage commented, and Marik was startled again. Hellcage managed to be so quiet that he had almost forgotten his presence. He nodded. "Yes. Not for nothing is everyone afraid of it. At least they got it over with quickly." He looked at Hellcage.

"Are we done here? Can we go?" Marik felt depressed. He and his crew were lucky that something like this hadn't happened to them. Yet, seeing the scene of the crew's last moments made him feel like the air suddenly tasted of despair.

"We're not done yet. There's still some business to settle," he said, pointing to the stairway leading to the ship's hold. Marik remembered the two children who had tried to hide there. As a father, he really didn't like situations where children were the victims.

"Do we have to?" He protested.

Hellcage chuckled. "Yes, we have to," he replied. Marik had no idea why Hellcage wanted to search this ship, but he couldn't argue with someone like him. So he just sighed and made his way below deck.

"Don't be so depressing, little admirer. There's a purpose to all this," Hellcage laughed softly and followed him.

"Yeah, you enjoy seeing me scared," Marik muttered under his breath.

"That too. You're quite hilarious."

Marik bit his tongue and walked slowly down the rickety staircase to the hold. They found themselves in a long corridor with several doors. Marik frowned.

The smell of fish was weaker here, but the atmosphere was oppressive. He felt as though if he went any further, the walls would shift and crush him.

"Just calm down. Nothing's going to happen," he heard Hellcage's calm, deep voice from behind him.

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Marik hesitated for a moment and then stepped forward, his gaze falling on the folding bed nearby. The mattress and blanket were moldy, and his step faltered momentarily as he noticed a bulging dent in the mattress, which suddenly righted itself as if someone had sat there and then stood up.

Marik averted his eyes, his face twitching a little. 'It was nothing. You didn't see anything!' he admonished himself mentally, pausing at the first door in the corridor.

He groaned and reached for the handle before flinching in fright as the handle pressed down of its own accord.

Click

Click

Click

The doorknob moved up and down on its own several times before it stopped.

Thud! Thud!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Thud!

A second later, the door began to shake as if someone were banging on it with a clenched fist. Marik backed up against the opposite wall, pressing himself against it in fright, while Hellcage lowered his head to look at the door with interest.

Hellcage glanced briefly at the frightened Marik before shaking his head in amusement and reaching for the doorknob.

"Don't open it!" Marik whispered, his eyes bulging.

Ignoring Marik's plea, Hellcage grabbed the handle. The banging on the door stopped, and he said, "Why not? Someone just wants out," before opening the door to the room.

As the door swung open, Marik felt a slight movement of air; it sounded like someone sighing in relief.

Hellcage looked inside, and at that very moment, quick, short footsteps echoed down the hallway. Marik looked down the corridor but saw nothing, although he could clearly hear the hurrying footsteps.

"Something... something came out?" Marik's voice trembled slightly.

Hellcage turned away from the door. Marik didn't dare look to see what was inside and Hellcage nodded his head. "Of course. The thing that wanted out. Isn't that obvious?" Hellcage answered, and Marik wished he hadn't asked. Hellcage clearly couldn't distinguish what was scary from what wasn't!

Marik clutched his heart and exhaled. He was a fearless captain who had no problem facing storms, pirates, monsters, and even the Border Mist. However, there was something about ghosts that frayed his nerves.

"Good. Good. So you let it out. Mission accomplished. So we can leave," Marik straightened up and turned toward the staircase.

Hellcage laughed briefly. "Not yet. We have to catch it," he stated, then moved on.

Marik opened his mouth in amazement. 'Why do you want to catch it?' he thought, not understanding. As Hellcage moved away, Marik quickly followed.

As they moved forward, they heard hurried footsteps once again, followed by the creaking of a door. Marik leaned over to look beyond Hellcage and noticed that another door ahead of them had opened slightly.

Hellcage came to a stop in front of them. Without hesitation, he opened the door and stepped inside. Marik followed a few seconds later. They found themselves in a room with two beds and a few toys scattered on the floor: blocks, a wooden train, a dismembered teddy bear with no legs, a broken doll on one of the beds, and a flattened rag ball on the other. Marik thought again about the two children who had escaped into the hold of the ship; this was probably their room.

"Is it here?" Marik asked quietly but didn't notice anything strange.

"Indeed," Hellcage replied, looking at the bed with the doll.

An unpleasant sound, akin to the crunching of wooden joints, followed by a soft, hollow laugh, echoed in the room. "He... he..."

Marik immediately turned his head in the same direction. His eyes darted back and forth, but he couldn't locate the source of the sound until his gaze landed on the doll.

The doll had soft fawn-to-white hair, red eyes, and a damaged purple dress. Marik frowned, reminded of the little girl. The doll's red eyes glittered slightly, and she opened her mouth, the old jaw joint creaking as she let out a hollow laugh. "He... he..."

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Marik quickly gripped the hilt of his sword, drawing it as a cold sweat covered him. "'Possessed Marionette!" he exclaimed urgently, backing away while keeping his eyes fixed on the terrifying doll.

He had heard of a similar case where an ordinary toy turned into a monster. In that instance, it was an ordinary teddy bear that belonged to a little boy who adored it. Tragically, the boy's mentally ill mother murdered him one night. To conceal her crime, she grinded the child and put the remains in a jar, which she then sewed into the teddy bear.

She subsequently claimed that her child had been kidnapped. The teddy bear eventually ended up in the possession of another child, becoming their favorite toy. The bear devoured its new owner. It took a few years to uncover the truth that the disappearance of the children wasn't due to a kidnapper, but rather the seemingly innocent teddy bear. The jar sewn inside the bear's body was much fuller than before.

Marik shuddered. Was it his imagination, or had the doll grown larger? She had indeed grown to the size of a six-year-old child.

"He... he..." The doll suddenly extended its arms and lunged forward as if thrown, arms outstretched with fingers curved like claws, its mouth unnaturally wide open in flight, capable of swallowing an adult's head.

Marik was horrified by the sight of the doll's insides, a writhing bloody mass of flesh and maggots. He swung his sword, ready to strike the creature, but suddenly a long gloved hand shot forward and caught the doll in mid-air. Hellcage held the rearing doll by the neck and looked displeased with Marik.

"What are you doing? Can't you see you scared the poor girl?" he accused, leaving Marik astonished.

"I scared her?!" Marik exclaimed in disbelief, staring at the doll whose mouth was slowly returning to normal size. Gradually, she stopped struggling and turned her head toward Hellcage, her red eyes lifeless.

Hellcage gasped. "Of course. She was trying to hide, and then suddenly you started pointing your finger and unsheathing your sword. Naturally, she got scared."

Marik was at a loss for words. Was this how Hellgate had perceived the situation? Hadn't the doll attacked him first? No, wait... In reality, the first thing he did was grab his sword. Marik felt confused. Shouldn't that have been a normal reaction? Why is he the bad one?

Marik's shoulders slumped as he watched Hellcage pat the possessed marionette on the head. "There, there. Don't worry anymore. He's just a scaredy-cat, he acted impulsively. He won't harm you." He comforted the Marionette.

"He... he..." Marionette replied.

Marik raised his hand and rubbed his face in a bewildered gesture.

Marik stayed away from the two; it was too bizarre for him. He knew Hellcage was strong and strange, but this was a whole different level for Marik.

He was treating a possessed marionette like a normal child! When the marionette stopped rebelling and calmed down, he set her on his arm and straightened her wrinkled skirt.

"There, it's all right now. Now, where's your brother?" Hellcage asked.

Marik flinched. "Brother?" he repeated, anticipating the answer he would receive. He just wanted to pretend he hadn't noticed.

Hellcage nodded and strode toward the door while carrying the possessed marionette on his arm. "Don't you remember there were two kids? She's the little girl. Now we still have to find the brother," he replied.

The marionette turned her head one hundred and eighty degrees without moving her body and stared at Marik. "He... he..." She laughed before turning her head back in front of her.

Marik shivered and walked slowly behind them, still keeping his distance as he still had the image of the possessed marionette's insides in front of his eyes.

"Border Mist did that to them," Marik said grimly, preferring to remember the normal, innocent, and human appearance of the children.

"Yes and no," Hellcage replied. "Like I said, emotions are a powerful thing. The Border Mist killed them, but their will and desire to live were also strong. They found their own way to stay alive."

Marik didn't comment because it wasn't appropriate for him to say that such an existence wasn't worth it, especially in front of these two. How could it be good to be stuck in such a cursed form? Wouldn't it be better to die?

Hellcage left the room and went to the back, where he opened the door to the storage room.

"He... he..." Marionette said hollowly, raising a thin hand and pointing a finger towards the back.

Hellcage nodded and walked slowly with Marik in tow. "Do you know what she's saying?" he asked curiously, eyeing the still-possessed marionette warily.

"No. But I just watch which way her head turns, and now she's pointing that way. I'd say that's foolproof," Hellcage replied amusedly, and Marik couldn't say anything in response.

They stopped and looked at the damaged and crumbling crates; whatever was in them had turned into a smoldering mess. But they didn't see anything resembling another doll. Marik tensed at this; he had no desire for another heart attack-like experience.

"He... he..." The possessed marionette laughed and pointed her hand again.

They all turned towards the ragged and wet suitcase lying in the back corner.

Hellcage turned to Marik. "Hold it for a moment."

Marik immediately stepped back. "Absolutely not!"

Hellcage frowned, or at least that's what Marik felt. "Well, that was very rude. She's just a kid."

Marik's tongue was completely sore from holding back his words today. "I need some time," he finally managed to say.

Hellcage sighed. "Very well. Open the suitcase, then."

Marik hesitated but walked over to the trunk, in front of which he knelt. He wasn't thrilled about this either, but it was still better than holding the creepy marionette.

He grabbed the zipper of the suitcase and then opened it, immediately stepping back because he was momentarily scared that there was a sliced body lying there. However, it was actually a dismembered marionette.

"He... he..." The possessed marionette laughed and jumped off Hellcage's arm, walking with wobbly steps to the suitcase. She placed her hand on the disassembled puppet, and all the parts began to shake.

After a moment, they floated into the air and began to reassemble themselves. This marionette looked more human than the first one; it was a boy the size of a ten-year-old child with black sleek hair and red eyes, but his gaze seemed a little crazy. Several broken strings stuck out of his body, and he smiled a little when he saw the girl marionette.

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"Dali, sister," he said, taking her in his arms. The broken strings on his body suddenly moved and connected themselves to the possessed marionette girl. Her eyes looked more alive all of a sudden. She blinked and smiled. "Brother Leo," she said in a surprisingly soft girlish voice, hugging him as well.

Hellcage clapped his hands. "What a touching sibling reunion!"

Marik wouldn't call it touching. It was more like strange, weird, scary, and a little sad. "What happens now?" Marik asked instead, watching the two possessed marionettes embrace lovingly.

"What do you think? Naturally, we'll take them with us," Hellcage replied as if it were an obvious thing to do.

Marik gave him a dead, tired look. "Naturally," he sighed.

Hellcage walked over to Marik and patted him on the shoulder. "Of course, of course. After all, our Liege is the God of the Forgotten and Unwanted. I, Hellcage, as her faithful servant, cannot let these poor souls remain forgotten," he replied proudly.

Marik blinked and glared at him. "God of the Forgotten and Unwanted?"

Hellcage nodded and put his hand on his heart. "She naturally accepts anyone who wishes to follow her. Our Liege makes no distinctions."

Marik had never heard of such a god. He looked at the possessed marionettes and then at Hellcage. But it made sense. He wanted to ask more about it, but he really wanted to get off this ghost ship first.

"They're not going to do anything to me, are they?" he asked, pointing at Dali and Leo.

Hellcage turned away from Marik and walked over to the kids this time, who had stopped hugging and were looking at him. "Of course not. As long as you don't do anything to them. You don't have to worry." He inserted his walking cane under his arm before placing his hands on the heads of the possessed marionettes, and all three looked at Marik.

"Besides, you're not exactly human anymore either," Hellcage smiled.

Marik jerked in alarm when he heard that. "What?"