Just like what Francoise had promised, she told everyone about what happened to Captain Israel - how she would not be able to join us for this trek - and how I would act as the proxy Captain… leader of the pirate pack heading towards Horizon. I left the human… Kingdom settlement from the north and led the people elsewhere, far from any enemies. Captain Israel might have sacrificed herself, and she needed someone to protect her. But I wasn’t the guy cut for it. It wasn’t because I couldn’t do it, but because I didn’t want to stick my nose in someone else's business. Then again, my ignorance left a bitter taste in my mouth. And if I told everything to Kirameki, she would definitely freak out and be upset about it.Which happened right now.Before Francoise, Azure, and I could escort everyone towards the Horizon, we still had a few needed hours of rest to accomplish for everyone. So I used my precious time to visit Kirameki, which I initially wanted to do, and talked to her. The last ti
As soon as the conversation with Kirameki and I ended, I hit the sack and rest for a few hours before resuming our journey. The mattress was made of soft leaves found near the coast. It wasn’t like the palm leaves we had from the isolated island, and the trees we used as our bed and pillow seemed awfully nice to my skin. It was even bouncy for a second, but my eyes and mind had already wandered in my rem state, until the sun’s rays blinded my eyes and eventually woke me up.But even though my body had relaxed even for a bit, my mind was in complete shambles. My thoughts battled against each other, blaming myself after what had happened between Kirameki and me. The talk wasn’t supposed to end with a bad taste in our mouths, but it did. And it was mostly my fault. Upon rising from my cushion, I got up and checked on the entire group how they were coping up. It also looked like Kirameki also had a good night’s sleep, but her mind was pretty jerked up. By the time she saw me, everything
We were where we wanted to be, out in the wilderness, far from any monsters or humans acting like ones. By the time we arrived, a cliff caught my eyes. So before we could continue onward, I suggested we look at the view and see if the place was safe.But… “You don’t have too. This is Horizon.” Just like Francoise said, a town of some sort welcomed my eyes. As soon as I set my eyes for what was in front of me, my mouth couldn’t help but gaped open in surprise. The view was breathtaking. The moment that I stood on that cliff, Horizon greeted me with open arms.Similar to any other town, the place had a municipal hall belonging to the temporary leader of Horizon, assumed, and to Captain Israel. Beside the town hall were a bunch of stores right around the plaza. If I stretched my eyes, a field enveloped the village packed with rice, onions, potatoes, and garlic. There were some crops planted on the other side, but the place was far from my reach. Everywhere my eyes met, people came walk
The place was as good as it could get. Skulls was an inn made by pirates in this primitive area where no electricity persists and no engineers that could design the foundation of the tavern into a proper building. And yet, this world continued to amaze me. What was in front of me right now was the hut itself, worn out and filled with nests of dust that even spiders and rats would clearly avoid. My nose should be itching, but… my body never tingled or reacted. Not even my allergy from bullshit, err… from soiled things were activated. Something was not right.From the outside, this inn didn’t look like anything brand new at all. It had cobwebs like no other. And the door in front of us looked like it would break if someone, a kid, pushed with all its might. That was the state of this tavern.I loved hating this place. But the more we drew near to this area, the building finally revealed its perfection. “Are you sure we’re at the right place? Don’t tell me we’ll sleep on this piece of
Four years before… (Special Chapter) _______________________ My sister gave me a call. Even though my sister said nothing from the phone call, her voice trembled. She croaked and finally said a word, only to hang up and turn the damn technology off from the world. My chest pounded as if acting like a drum. I didn’t know what happened, but I was sure as fuck something terribled occur while I was out from my part-time job. Today was supposed to be the day where Kirameki would meet a few people around her age in the neighbourhood, wanting to make new friends along the way. It was the happiest day for my sister. But after what had happened - what I had heard - I rushed out from the convenience store where I was working and went straight back, only to find Kirameki huddled up in a blanket. She refused to show her face to me. But despite Kirameki having buried her face behind that blanket, her expression was as clear as day. “Why are you upset? What happened?” I asked. My phone kept v
“So aren’t you going to tell me about it?” There it was, Kirameki’s first line of question, which was akin to the calm before the storm. I steeled my heart and braced for impact, only to find myself dwelling deeper into the abyss as it swallowed me whole. “What do you want to know?” I threw a question back to my sister, as I lightly tapped my hand against the bed, enough to make a slight noise. “Come on. You can sit beside me. We had an awful and tiring day.”“Don’t worry. I won’t change the topic. And the two of us won’t sleep before we can resolve this… just like always.”Kirameki hesitated for a second after hearing my invitation. She thought I was driving her into something horrendous, but Kirameki was talking to me. I was not a stranger. So instead of rejecting my invitation, my sister fully accepted my instructions as she later on sat beside me, whilst staring at the ground. I promised Kirameki that she would never cry again before going to sleep. Right now, as I glanced towa
Even if it was in the middle of the night, the town of Horizon was still beaming with life. Every pirate and civilised person roamed around the place without showing any fear from bandits or neighbours that could ruin their lifestyle. I had no idea if it was thanks to Captain Israel’s leadership or because of her people. Regardless, it didn’t concern me.It was the ideal life back from my hometown. Some streets were filled with crime, while others worked thousands of hours, day and night, just to provide what little amount of money they could on the table. I couldn’t imagine living in a world without war or disputes, but this mere town alone proved my thought wrong…‘What if these pirates chose to follow Captain Israel's chivalrous effort and genuinely wish to shape the town into something new?’ I couldn’t help but think about that possibility. But alas, I brushed those thoughts aside and carried on bearing the weight of my own problem. This world was nothing to me, and I just had to
As I was passing by a lonely alley, the people coming by became fewer than usual. And upon reaching a dead end, a familiar face greeted my eyes. It was a pirate. She stood there for a while, staring into nothingness as if reminiscing of the past that she once had. But her eyes were drowning, and her hands vibrated. Tears had been flowing from her eyes. “Margarette, what are you doing in a place like this?” I asked, but I was a hypocrite. I found myself walking around this lonely alley, without any reason for anything. Maybe Margarette was the same. “Nothing… Just, you know, reminding me about stuff I don’t want to recall.” “Those are… contradicting things you’ve said there, Margarette. Makes it hard for me to believe…” “No, I…” Margarette tried to rephrase her sentences, but I continued, letting her know I knew what she wanted to say. “But I get it. Don’t worry. I get every single thing you’re feeling right now because I… find my past almost identical to this very road.” “You do