'Partner!' The giant eye pondered James' words.
Suddenly, memories intertwined within the colossal artifact, recalling an event from the past.
This was three hundred years ago in the White Sea!
The weather was stormy and dark that day. There was an enormous ship approximately 100 meters long, its design majestic and extremely luxurious, adorned with strange carvings that glowed with an emerald green light whenever waves larger than mountains crashed against it.
...
It tilted to the left, then to the right the next moment. Its prow was shaped like a dragon's head, its gigantic mouth filled with teeth. There were many sails on its deck, which shimmered with a faint emerald hue.
The massive mast held ten sails in a peculiar arrangement. At its top was an observation post… and on it stood a person with disheveled hair, holding a compass in his left hand… and in his right hand was an old-fashioned telescope. And… there was something in his vision behind all those raging waves—a strange island floating in the air, with water leaking from its right side and rising from its left side in a wondrous manner.
"Tell the Captain we'll reach the legendary Timeless Archipelago in about a week!" that person suddenly shouted, descending from the mast with a swift movement and landing on the ship's deck.
Another person ran quickly and descended the stairs leading to the ship's first deck before heading to the Captain's room and knocking gently on the door.
Knock knock!
That person knocked twice consecutively, slowly, and waited for a response from within.
"Enter!" a cold voice rang from inside the room.
The person entered the room but stopped after a few steps, standing erect and saying, "Member B greets the Captain!" Saying that, he struck his chest. There were no lights illuminating the room; it was almost completely dark, save for some lightning flashes illuminating from the room's single window.
"What's the commotion about?" the cold voice of that person rang in the room.
Member B looked toward the person sitting before a circular window. There was another person there, but he wore armor that was completely black. He said, "Member A said he saw the legendary Timeless Archipelago and estimated we would reach it next week!"
"Hmmm, that's good then. Gather the members and hold a celebration for this achievement!" that person said, moving his long black hair slightly away from his blue eye with its strange glow… He looked toward the person wearing the black armor and said, "You may leave now and take what you need from the supplies store." He fell silent, looked toward Member B, and his blue eyes emitted a strange celestial glow as he continued, "But… it's better you remain honest!"
"Your command!" Member B said, slowly and carefully closing the door, then ran hurriedly to tell his other comrades the good news. But he remembered the words "it's better you remain honest" and shuddered.
Inside the Captain's room, that person continued looking at the door briefly before turning his gaze to the person before him and saying, "Jack! You can remove your armor. No need for all this caution!"
"I wish I could! But I'm forced to this!" a voice replied from within the black armor… and continued, "Those chasing me aren't ordinary people as you think! They possess artifacts with terrifying effects, and so… I wear this artifact to avoid being exposed!"
"Alright, I understand your situation well!" that person replied, looking at the raging waves battering his ship but showing no fear. He said, "But you must remove it from time to time because the side effects aren't trivial, as you know!"
"Oh! Right, I'm sorry for what your ship is going through because of me!" Jack replied regretfully.
"Don't worry, Jack. We've been partners for 60 years! And I know your intentions better than anyone in this world!" that person replied in a friendly tone.
"Those were very beautiful days," Jack replied thoughtfully before saying, "Why didn't you go celebrate with your crew? Isn't that the Captain's duty?"
"Hahaha, crew? Those are greedy people waiting for the nearest chance to stab me in the back!" He let his words sink in and continued, "I'm not a Captain in their eyes, but someone who hoards everything for himself!"
"But isn't that a problem for you? You should prove you're more than that in their eyes," Jack asked while raising his hand and touching the window.
"No, it's not!" that person replied, and his strange suit was reflected in the window glass.
THOOOOOOM!
Thunder echoed, illuminating the room for moments… and fully reflecting that person's form. He appeared as an unnaturally handsome man in his twenties, his eyes glowing with a celestial light, carrying a strange purity in the room. He wore a cloak like ancient kings in legends, and at his side was a sword in a scabbard embroidered with very strange patterns that pulsed like a human heartbeat, but deeper and stronger.
"Do you know why I don't consider it a problem? Because making people acknowledge your worth is also beneath you!" that person said as strange waters moved in the depths of his eyes.
"As expected of you!" Jack praised while looking through that circular window and continued, "It seems your mood has soured! Well, that's my fault, then!" Saying that, he pointed his finger from behind the circular window glass… and raised it upward, causing the sea to split in half and the destructive storm to stop.
"Jack! You don't have to do this! I love seeing the sea like this because it shows its true nature and doesn't hide it from me!" that person spoke while moving his finger slightly, returning the sea to its original state along with the storms outside.
"I knew this! You're upset with me because I didn't tell you about the people chasing me?" Jack tilted his head, and the clattering sound of his armor echoed in the room.
"What I like is that you're smart!" that person replied while looking at Jack.
"Believe me, they're people you shouldn't mess with!" Jack replied seriously.
"Who do you think I am?" that person replied dismissively.
"I'm not joking!" Jack replied in a serious voice.
"Then, just tell me who they are!" said that person.
"Alright, but don't regret this later!" Jack replied seriously and continued, "They are Constellation Bearers!"
"Constellation Bearers? What are you talking about?" that person asked.
"Constellation Bearers: they are a legendary people living in a parallel world called the Reflected Sky… Their forms resemble humans, but only one thing differs from us—they cannot sense comprehensive energy, but they can sense the energy of the sky!" Jack replied in a normal voice.
"Hahahahahahahaha, all this fuss just over people from the Reflected Sky?" that person laughed before adding, "What did you do to them?"
"All I did was refuse the marriage contract between me and their princess, nothing more! And now they roam all corners of the worlds to force me into marriage!" Jack replied confidently. He continued, "No need to console me, Agil. I have already written my will and buried it in the Sea of the Nine Great Currents, to find someone to inherit me!"
"..."
Agil remained silent while rising from that chair. Strangely, he wasn't disturbed by the ship tilting from side to side… He walked as if nothing were happening. He didn't need a lamp to see what was in the room… He could see clearly.
He looked at his desk, on which lay a set of goat skins. There was a quill in a cup containing red ink inside it.
He took it and wrote some things, then handed it to Jack, who took it without hesitation.
"What is this?" Jack asked.
"It's my will!" Agil replied.
"And why are you giving it to me!" Jack asked again.
"Because you're my partner!" Agil replied while looking through that circular window.
'Partner!' Jack contemplated Agil's words and said, "Alright, my partner!" Jack extended his armored hand toward Agil.
"What do you want?" Agil asked, seeing Jack's fist directed at him.
"Perhaps a partner's fist bump?" Jack replied.
"Oh! I understand," Agil understood and extended his hand, which pulsed with strange power, and with all deliberation, struck Jack's fist with it.
…
End of Chapter ~ To be continued