He speaks to me, a familiar voice I’ve never heard before. That mysterious gaze behind the shadow that conceals his eyes, I know it well… but I’ve never seen it before. That gentle touch, a striking contrast to a nature I’ve been warned about… a touch I’ve never felt before.
Every inch of his face, every note of his voice, everything that makes him… I’ve never heard, seen or felt before. I do however, know them all too well, that’s why I’m back here. Despite the odds of this ever happening, it’s undeniable that I was brought here with a purpose… one that I realized the moment we met during that cold day in the beach. One that keeps slipping my mind once it’s time to awake.
This is all but a dream of course, as the eyes I look through are someone else’s entirely. They see jet-black, but I watch it lose its color… they stare at the azure, while I gaze into the crimson. Have I made a mistake? Or perhaps was Gladea herself who’s at fault, maybe even his. All I know is that he chose me… and that is no coincidence or dream of mine.
Gladean Empire, Voyin Province: 936, August 12th, Sunday, 4:30 PM.
“Lieutenant, please wake up.”
“Ah!” Claire jumped on her sit at the sound of Tori’s voice—who swayed her body gently with both hands. “Tori…?”
“Y-yes, we made it back to Voyin.”
Having driven Bloodhound and the emperor himself in their rented bus, Jean and the blue lobsters arrived safely at the Voyin province—territory of the Albury’s under control of Eric’s father the duke. Naturally, a large escort of vehicles surrounded the bus driven by the pirate, assuring the safety of their ruler and free passage across the roads of the empire—facilitating their arrival at Voyin.
“We’ve arrived at the port,” Eric stated as he stood up from his seat. “It is here at my father’s province where we safeguard the emperor’s vessel,” he turned his gaze towards the young Elias—who remained seated with a nervous gaze. “Could you guide us to it, your majesty?” the noble requested with a bow.
“Ah, y-yes of course…” nodded the emperor, promptly standing from his sit. “Everybody knows we are here, so it should be no problem. Please, follow me.”
Gulping down with anxiety, Claire looked at the screen of her phone one more time before standing herself—noticing the unread message she sent over an hour ago. “Let’s hurry…”
Not wasting further time, Bloodhound, the blue lobsters and the emperor quickly opened their path towards the magnificent harbor of Voyin. As expected from a rich and large province, their port was not only immense in size, but constructed in a way that represented its culture to the last minor detail. Its stone buildings were sturdy and large, with statues of gladea proudly displayed in some areas, as well as a large plethora of diverse and fancy vessels—big and small.
Within the fancy cruisers and ships, one in particular stood out like a sore thumb however. A wooden vessel with ragged flags and sails—displaying the image of a blue lobster. Holes were crafted on its sides—which were once used to hold its cannons, with a single man waving at them from the deck. He wore a blue bandana in his head, and observed the group with a pair of binoculars.
“Alright, lobsters!” Captain Jean shouted at her team—rallying them all in front of her. “Go back and take care of our castle, your captain has royal business to attend here!”
“What?” the pirates glanced around at each other, scratching their heads raised eyebrows.
Their reaction prompted their captain to stomp the floor multiple times, growling at her pirates as she yelled at them. “It means that I’m not going with you! Someone needs to pilot the emperor’s ship, and it’s gonna be me!”
“Who the hell decided that?” Claire chimed in as she queried while crossing her arms.
“I did!”
Stepping in to explain the situation, Gaspard bowed at the pirate with a smile before assuring the lieutenant of his decision. “Thank you, miss Bonheur.” He said, turning to face Claire next. “The decision was made by me, young miss. I was hoping you’d have no objection against it.”
“Well… if you are sure…”
Scott fixed his glasses, clearing his throat before speaking. “I mean… it’s not like she’s bad at piloting a ship but…”
“The guards are definitely not happy about it,” concluded Eric—noticing the royal guards surrounding the pirates.
The situation was quickly solved as the emperor himself stepped in to defend the lobsters however—who returned to their ship without their captain. Despite this, a new issue emerged immediately after, as the group arrived at the large steel crafted vessel of the emperor. Its design was quite elegant, with a gold painted hull and the statue of Gladea proudly displayed at the prow—guiding its path across the sea. The ocean liner was the pride of the empire, and was built almost like a small city.
“Damn…” Scott observed the beautiful ship open mouthed—a similar expression to Tori’s, who stood next to him.
“It… it’s beautiful…”
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“Thank you!” Elias exclaimed with a smile. “It should be fast enough to take us to Hemel in about a week!”
“We?” Claire raised an eyebrow, giving a skeptical frown to the young emperor. “I believe it’s best for you to stay here, your majesty.”
“Ah…” Elias shyly lowered his head as to avoid the lieutenant’s eyes, rapidly shaking his head right after. “N-no! I want to help too!” he gulped down before meeting Claire’s gaze with determined eyes.
Approaching the pair, Gaspard placed his hand gently on the young man’s shoulder, smiling reassuringly at his nephew. “We are grateful for your aid, young nephew. However, this conflict is well beyond what you can do in person. It will best for you to remain here, where your people need you now more than ever.”
“But…”
“We’ll take care of her for you, your highness.” Announced Eric, joining in the conversation. “I will provide you with her number in case you need it.” The noble took out the phone from inside the pocket in his pants.
“What?” recoiled Claire.
“Hm!” Approached Scott, wrapping his arm around Eric’s shoulder. “That’s right, we are not her most trusted officers for nothing. You can count on us for anything.” The young man leaned in closer to Elias, offering expert advise to the young emperor. “By the way,” he whispered. “She likes the game Cards O’s, so make sure to up your game next time you see her.”
“Really?” the young emperor whispered back, sparkles radiating in his eyes as he smiled enthusiastically. “I-I’ll learn how to play then!”
“What are they talking about?” wondered the lieutenant, keeping her arms crossed as she looked at Gaspard next to her. “Isn’t this some sort of… disrespect towards him or something?”
The butler chuckled with a warm smile at her words, offering a usual lax response. “There is nothing to worry about, young miss. I’m just happy to see him interact more with people his age.”
“G-guys…” Tori smiled nervously, approaching both Eric and Scott as they poisoned the young emperor’s mind with card games.
The problem settled, Bloodhound and Jean left Elias and his guards behind, right after the ship received a quick inspection before departing—prepared with the necessary supplies and crew to maintain it during travel. The young emperor waved from the harbor as his ship kicked into motion, with Bloodhound returning the gesture by waving back—all smiling at the young emperor from aboard the ocean liner, all but Claire—who’s eyes emptily stared into the distance.
“Ah,” she was quickly snapped back into reality as an arm wrapped around her shoulder.
“Well… guess it’s time to go back home!” Scott enthusiastically claimed.
“Indeed…” Eric nodded—also wrapping his arm around the lieutenant’s shoulder from the other side.
With a low growl and a frustrated frown, the lieutenant shook with boiling rage as she lifted the arms of both men from her shoulders. “This isn’t time for jokes,” she claimed, sighing deeply as her brows furrowed—her anger fading quickly into worry. “We haven’t heard a word from headquarters in a while…”
“I’m sure they are fine…” Tori commented in an attempt to lift Claire’s spirits, keeping her hands clasped together. “They’ve been through worse… I’m sure.”
Nodding once again with his arms crossed, Eric hummed in agreement before speaking. “HQ has a massive fissure in the ground that almost reaches the city to prove it. That was when were sent away to Pelkesk.”
“Yeah…” Scott pushed the bridge of his glasses, a drop of sweat rolling down his cheek. “That thing looks crazy big from up close.”
“That’s right!” exclaim Tori while pumping her fist, moving her smiling face closer to Claire’s. “We should be focusing on what’s going on here with you, lieutenant!” she pouted.
Her words confused the lieutenant, who raised an eyebrow while baring one fang as her lip curved upwards. “Uh? What’s going on with me?”
Eric leaned his back on the ship’s safety railing, resting both elbows on top of it. “Hah… to be young and in love again…” expressed the noble with a sigh.
“You are young…” protested Claire.
Following the noble, Scott leaned his back on the railing as well—pushing the bridge of his glasses to lighten up the lenses as he smirked. “Hm! We might’ve offered some advice to the young Elias, but to be honest... there was nothing to worry about to begin with. It was only natural that the lieutenant would reject such of an offer,” he said. “Emperor or not, we all know her too well by now.”
“What are you both going on about?”
“Y-yes!” Tori attempted to mimic the men’s posture, legs quivering as she moved away from the railing right after—her nervous nature prohibiting her from being too close to the water. “Um… you wouldn’t abandon us to live in the palace, right… lieutenant?”
As she finally caught up with the insinuations of her team, Claire dropped both shoulders while exhaling through her mouth—rubbing her forehead as she replied. “Did you really think I would just accept his proposal and marry someone I don’t even know?”
“Yep!”
“No!”
Scott and Eric confidently nodded with affirmation, while Tori denied her worries with an immediate answer. A long and strict scolding later, the group decided to explore the fancy and expensive vessel they now boarded—met by near perfection once inside. The ocean liner was built like a palace, with fancy tables, red carpets, curtains and walls painted in gold. A few servants roamed the place, making sure to fulfill the group’s needs and desires.
Each member of Bloodhound was given their own room, similar to the ones they were given during their stay at the Albury’s manor. The golden paint blending with the yellow lights of the chandeliers in the ceiling, flowers inside expensive vases decorating parts of the place.
Having taken a quick shower in her own private room, the lieutenant took time for herself to relax and clear her mind, feeling the pain and soreness in her muscles finally settle after her battle with Loki. She dropped on the bed with a tired groan—her long black hair slightly moist from the shower. She wore an untucked white dress shirt and shorts, exhibiting a vibrant azure ring in the index finger of her right hand. She lied her back flat on the soft mattress, stoically looking at the ceiling above.
“Hah…” she sighed, feeling her mind spinning as her vision blurred out. Picking her phone from the desk next to her bed, she rolled on her side to look at the screen with squinted eyes—forcing herself to stay awake. “Nothing yet…” she whispered while her eyelids dropped repeatedly, eventually closing themselves, and allowing Claire to fall asleep on the spot.
It’s not him, my mind tells me. I knew him well, my heart says… that’s why I never doubted a word he said, and believed every promise he made. Even the spectral gear feels so familiar in my hands, as if I’ve been using it my entire life... I know it’s not a coincidence he gave them to me. It was all nightmares before he showed up, but now… after that day at the hospital. Those nightmares that haunted me for years had long but disappeared. Who is he? And was I supposed to be here?
END OF CHAPTER