---Flashback---
Zepher woke up to the rowing of oars and the gentle rocking of the ocean waves. A substantial soreness came from his neck as his eyes wandered to the clear mid-day sky above.
"What happened to me?" He asked aloud, struggling to get up.
"Careful there. I hit you pretty hard back then," a familiar voice came from before him.
"Cobra? Why are we on a rowboat? And where are we even?" Zepher asked, baffled at their current predicament.
Cobra, however, didn't answer him. Sensing his somber mood, Zepher slowly recalled the events in his memory. Enigma wanted them to help him with something since he felt torn. Then they set out— that's right! He betrayed them and killed Captain Vanderdecken! Not just the Captain, but their entire crew!
Zepher's breathing became rugged as the realization of everything came back to him. His thoughts short-circuited, and his agitated emotions ran rampant when he thought about all the familiar faces he would never see again. With their Captain dead, their revival crutch had disappeared, making this parting permanent.
"It seems like you remembered," Cobra finally said, sensing his restless situation.
"Why did he do it? You must have heard his reason!" Zepher asked, desperately hoping that his friend would provide some excuse to justify his other friend's actions.
An excuse like being from a crew that sought to overthrow their rule. That or being brought out by the other emperor crews. Just tell him something like that so he can blame this heartache on it! Please, anything! He'll believe it in a heartbeat! To his dismay, Cobra only shook his head and continued rowing, further disheartening him.
"Why? Didn't you ask? It's not like you to leave it like that!"
*Sigh*
"Let it go, Zepher. We are people from different worlds. Getting along was never meant to be, let alone comrades. Enigma wanted us to leave because he didn't want to kill us after everything. He still has a heart, so let's cherish our lives. To not waste his goodwill. Captain would have wanted the same thing."
"No! I refuse! How can I just let everything go like that? All our crewmates were killed! They were family to me! Don't you think of them like that as well? After so long, how could you cut off the past like that? You've spent three lifetimes on that ship, and you want to move on? What about revenge? What about the pain they will suffer in the afterlife? You know full well the sea never forgives!" Zepher chained these questions in full distraught.
"Like I said, accept it. Holding onto this grievance will only hurt you."
"How can you let down Captain's care like that? After everything he did for us? After everything he sacrificed to keep us safe? You know full well how much pain he had to endure to defy the cycle of life and death like that! He even gave up his original body, letting it mutate into that monstrosity so he could increase our lifespans!
Even Paul wanted Captain to stop consuming any more of his blood as he could sense the pain it brought him. Yet when the Captain continued, the innocent Paul started hating himself for it. Why was he such an ominous capable of only bringing pain to others? Because of this, Paul tried to stay as far away from the ship as possible, making his home in that lonely sea!
He couldn't bear to watch his friend suffer like that because of him. How could anyone watch such a sight every night? The Captain might have put up a strong front in front of us, but it was hard to ignore when everyone's been on that ship for a lifetime. Despite that, all of us pretended to be ignorant of it, trying to respect his wishes.
We wanted to give him happiness to diminish the pain as he did his best to forge a better future for us. We might be outlaws, but he treated us like his own children without asking anything from us. How could you give up on him like that? How—"
"I SAID ENOUGH!"
Zepher's heart-wrenching words finally broke the facade Cobra had tried so hard to maintain. A waterfall of tears streamed down his face and collected on his beard.
Nothing more was said, but Zepher realized that Cobra was affected more than him. How could he not when he had known the Captain for so much longer? He was simply putting up a tough front so that Zepher wouldn't wallow in his grief.
"So what was his reason?" Zepher asked after a while.
"Why does it matter? It's not like it will change anything."
"But can you at least tell me the reason? That way, I can put this behind me."
"I wish I could, but I don't know much. We live in different worlds. Those aren't my words, but his reason."
Zepher realized that Cobra was being earnest with him. He really didn't know, which left Zepher apprehensive about Genji's motive. He sighed in defeat and continued rowing, ready to leave this behind him as Cobra suggested. It was not like he could do anything about it now.
Hours later, they reached an island and settled themselves in a local inn. At this point, they were prepared to stop being pirates and make an honest living in a peaceful valley, away from conflict. After everything, they had become jaded from reality, so they sought an escape.
Using their strong bodies, they were able to easily cut down some trees to build themselves a small cottage and set up a farm. It was difficult to figure out, but after a little "persuasion," they got a local farmer to guide them. Days quickly passed like this as they set up their new home. If nothing happened, they planned to live like hermits for the rest of their lives.
But something did happen. A week after they built their homes, they felt a pulse from the sea. Specifically, the curse energy that the sea used to reak started waning. Since they were cursed pirates, they were especially sensitive to this change. Plus, it wasn't a small change either, as if the darkness in the atmosphere disappeared, replaced with a cleaner, refreshing breeze.
They knew this transformation signified that Genji and his group had succeeded in their endeavors. Their Captain had told them plenty about what would happen should the Heart of the Sea fulfill its purpose. Yet now that Vanderdecken was dead, this difference hardly mattered to them.
"I hope whatever he wanted to do was worth all this pain," Zepher muttered and returned to plowing the field.
But before he could make any progress, words of an unknown language appeared in his vision. For some reason, he could understand these words despite being illiterate.
[World cleansing finished...]
[Cursed Sea World has been claimed by EverRealm according to Galactic rule #3621.]
[This world has now been removed from the realm competition. Members of the realms will no longer enter this world to fight for ownership conditions.]
[Realm recruitment will now open.]
[You have been detected to possess high combat experience and a strong will.]
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
[An invitation to EverRealm has been extended to you. You have 5 days to accept before the invitation is retracted.]
These words caused Zepher to drop his hoe and wonder if he was seeing things. Zepher, however, quickly denied this possibility, as his body was in perfect condition. While the curses of the sea had faded, the traces of resentment in his body kept him strong.
No, the reason Zepher was so stunned wasn't this, but what it implied. What did it mean to claim a world after it had been purified? If this question were asked to one thousand people, one would receive a thousand different responses, each slightly different from the other.
For Zepher, his answer was that only the winner got the reward. And since he knew the person behind the act, didn't that mean he was part of the winning group? So, if he joined EverRealm...
At this thought, Zepher forgot his field and ran back to the cottage at his top speed. When the door burst open, Cobra knew instantly the reason for Zepher's agitation.
"You've made your choice, haven't you?" Cobra asked as he sat near the firepit, cooking their meal.
"How did you know?" Zepher asked, surprised at how Cobra seemingly read his mind.
"I also received the invitation," he replied with an even tone.
How could Cobra not figure this out after living for so long? If it weren't for the curse maintaining his peak condition, he would be approaching two centuries soon. He was practically an old man by now.
"Will you accept it?" There was a hint of expectation in Zepher's voice as he looked at Cobra like a child would at an idealistic older brother. Just the idea of having someone to support him in his endeavors was reassuring when trudging into the unknown.
"No. I'm tired and want to rest."
Cobra's answer disappointed Zepher, but he could understand his reason. Everyone has their choices in life, so trying to force his wishes on someone else would only end in conflict. He at least knew that much.
"Is the answer really that important to you?"
"Yes. I want to join that place and hear the truth from him myself," Zepher replied, hints of obsession and bargaining staining his tone.
"Take care then. From what I can tell, it's a dangerous place that no one has escaped from. By joining them, you would be signing the rest of your life away. In fact, you might not even live for long considering how desperate the members are."
Cobra had seen his fair share of realm members in his life. While he didn't make the connection back then, these things came together in retrospection. Then he connected these clues to form this hypothesis that was very close to the truth.
"It doesn't matter. Zepher died back on The Flying Dutchman. What remains now is only a desire to know."
A determined gleam flashed through his eyes as he turned around to walk out. Now that he had informed his friend and caretaker, he had nothing holding him back anymore.
"Before you go, have a last meal with me. Consider it a farewell if we never meet again," Cobra called out to him before Zepher walked out.
"I will," Zepher said, coming back and taking a bowl from Cobra. Then he ate with relish, enjoying the taste of home one last time before he departed for the journey ahead.
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"Zepher," Genji said, staring at his former pirate friend, with whom he had fallen out with. It didn't make sense. Why would he be here? Wasn't he native to the cursed sea? What was he doing in this world?
"Tell me! Why did you do it?"
Genji sighed and posed his own question. "Does it matter? It's all in the past now."
"OF COURSE IT DOES!" Zepher shouted, storming over in a fury and launching an explosive punch at Genji's face. The nerve of this guy! After everything he had gone through to reach this point, it was a mockery to hear him be so dismissive of his efforts.
Genji arced backward as the force of the strike hit his face. He had allowed the punch to land because he felt he owed Zepher at least that much. If taking a beating was enough to appease him, he didn't mind using some more potions. But before Zepher could continue, they received a prompt that answered all of Genji's previous questions.
[Conflict between champions detected. Please avoid harming your fellow champion of EverRealm.]
"Have you calmed down?" Genji asked as he got up.
Hearing his nonchalance, Zepher's fist crackled from the force of his grip. Deep breaths circulated through his lungs as he tried to rein in his emotions. Now was not the time to get agitated.
"Just tell me the reason that you couldn't tell Cobra. The real reason."
By now, Zepher could speculate that Genji's actions back then were directed by EverRealm, but it was because he guessed that his anger was augmented.
After going through several worlds, he knew EverRealm always provided an opportunity in situations of mission conflicts. It might become bloody in who would leave the world, but the possibility existed.
With the situation back then, Genji clearly had a way out, so why would he go so far to help some unknown people? Why would he kill people who treated him so well for a bunch of ungrateful strangers? That was what Zepher couldn't figure out.
"To fulfill a promise I made."
There was no point in hiding it now. Zepher had already figured out the situation and only needed Genji's side of the story. There was no need to be a jerk when he evidently cared so much about the issue.
"A promise? So you killed everyone because of A MERE PROMISE TO A STRANGER!?!?!" He bellowed, half hysterical.
Zepher's rash words, however, elicited a frown from Genji's typically calm face.
"A promise is everything to me. It's the only sense of integrity I have left, so I will try my best to uphold it. Think of it as my anchor to my rationality. If there ever comes a day when I don't value my promises, then consider me insane."
Genji's firm response brought Zepher out of his frenzy, making him carefully contemplate his words. In a way, Genji reminded Zepher of himself.
They might be able to throw away their past and dedicate their entire focus to this realm, but they needed something to act as their compass; a pointer that would tell them that they are still themselves in the hardest of times.
To Zepher, it was his loyalty and the memories of his Captain while Genji found this solace in his values. He might be cold-hearted and slightly crazy, but he was still himself.
If they didn't do this, they could easily lose themselves in this craze. Their breaks were short, and they were in constant danger. A single mistake and they would be abandoned or even killed.
In this environment, it was only a matter of time before they broke from the tension. No matter how sane someone thought they were, they would eventually become a monster, a being their past selves would abhor.
The weak might welcome this transformation since it improved their chances of survival, but the strong wanted to guard against it. Who would want to become like that if they didn't have to?
Plus, the weak needed to survive long enough to go through this process. But if they did, they had already become strong in their way, making this a problem exclusive to the strong.
"Fine, I won't argue about your purpose. Just tell me, did Captain know about this?"
"Yes. He was okay with it, and we fought."
"I see. Can you tell me his last words?"
"He said I fight dirty. Of course, that's true. If I fought like a normal person, I would have died a long time ago."
"I kind of expected that. There was no way you could have killed him and Paul otherwise. Can you promise me one thing, though?"
"Depends. If it's something detrimental to me, it's better to not make the promise than go against my bottom line."
"Just remember them. That's not much, right?"
"No. I can promise that. Plus, it would be hard to forget with this," Genji said, raising his newly attached arm. On his forearm, Zepher sensed a thick aura of curse and resentment, surprising him at how Genji endured such heavy erosion.
Unless Genji transitioned to curse energy, this concentration should have killed him long ago. Not even Zepher, with his improved strength, dared claim he could resist it. And the source of everything was an ivory-white armguard that contained the scent of deep salt water.
"Is that Paul's horcrux?"
"I guess you can think of it like that. Remember the shark thing I summoned when we first met?"
Zepher vividly recalled that incident when Genji escaped the sacrifice using the commotion of that attack. How could he not when he fell right after?
"Well, this used to be that armguard," Genji revealed, beckoning a bewildered shout from Zepher.
"No way!" He exclaimed, surprised at how the equipment changed so much.
"Yes, way. It became pretty damaged during my stay, so I got someone to repair it. Can you guess what was used for that?"
"Judging from the material, Paul's teeth?"
"Yeah. Funny how things work out, doesn't it?"
"But that doesn't explain how you're fine. That concentration of curse energy would have killed even Paul multiple times over! Why did he change so much in death?"
"If I had to guess, he was probably feeding off the resentment of everyone I killed. I've been quite heavy-handed since then, so I'm not surprised. As for how I endured it, it has to do with this baby," Genji said, manifesting [Curse Bearer]. With the appearance of this black flintlock, the aura of malice around him faded, sucked into the firearm.
"That's really something."
"Yeah. That's my reward after all the craziness in your world. Without it, Paul would have killed me. He sure gave me plenty of trouble. Anyways, I promise to remember them."
*Sigh*
"I don't know if your characteristic of upholding your promises is a good thing or not, but I admire that trait. Not many can persist like this," Zepher said, thinking back to the desperate acts people have done to survive. He had seen a lot in these past months.
With these words, Zepher turned around and walked away. From his position, Genji sensed his mind fluctuate and unwind as if a burden he had never known disappeared. It was a process he was familiar with as he experienced the same upon achieving his revenge.
It was a significant metamorphosis of the mind, difficult enough for EverRealm to classify it as a trial. With this change, Genji was convinced that Zepher would become a formidable champion if he could survive long enough. In any case, the path to the peak just became less lonely with Zepher's addition.