(CHAPTER 14: LEAVING)

Hero let out a pant, the iron shield on his left hand is shattered, only a few scraps of it is still attached to the handle on his wrist. His right arm is sore, barely gripping on his obsidian saber as he fend off another incoming Guardian. He turn around and look at Captain Black and Brine. Brine was still shooting, never stops but her pace has slow down a lot. Blood was trickling out from her palm due to the constant friction for firing the arrows. Captain Black isn't in great shape too, one of his leg is limping due to being hit square in the face by one of the Guardian's laser. He is barely able to stay afloat with only one leg kicking desperately. The chain attaching the anchor was broken too, forcing him to keep the fight between him and the Guardians melee.

Hero was extremely tired right now, every time he defeat a Guardian, another one will take his place. Giving him a why there are infinite Guardian's kind of scenario. His head humming like crazy for staying underwater with such a huge water pressure for too long. His tights is shaking like crazy as he is barely kicking the water beneath him. His sights failed to focus, the scene in front of him started to twist and turn. He shook his head in order to keep himself energized but another Guardian seize the moment and charges at him, ramming him into the stone walls of the ravine. He let out a cough as he felt a sharp pain from his lungs, this is bad, his old wound from the fight with the Frostmaw was triggered once again.

He push away the Guardian and knock him off with the handle of his Saber but it was too late. The pressure has forces the broken collarbone to pierce into his lungs once more, this time deeper. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and the feeling of something is choking him came right after that. He let out a wheeze as he tries to fend off the feeling but right now he is basically chocking as he let out another gag, he can't fight, not anymore.

"Why, is they- ta, taking them so long." He barely gasp the word out of his mouth, as he drift towards Captain Black, barely having the energy to swim. "Get back to the ship kid," The captain ordered "You can't fight anymore, staying here is just a death sentence."

"But what about you-" Before he could finish his sentence, a huge flash emerges from the Ocean Monument, followed by the moans of the fellow Guardians as they stop attacking the trio and headed back to the monument. "And what a great timing." Captain Black let out a tired smile, "Took them long enough."

Hero and Brine turn their heads and saw Gale and Edward swimming towards them, with almost a thousand of Guardians on hot pursue behind them. "Go! Go! Go!" The captain ordered them to head back to the ship immediately upon seeing the amount of Guardians behind them. Together they dash out of the ravine as soon as possible and headed back to the Big Betty, which is right now a few hundred blocks away from them, docking near a coral reef.

Hero kick his feet with all his might, his lungs tighten after every breath, piercing the collarbone deeper and deeper. He need air, he wants air, HE MUST HAVE AIR! His focus is starting to grow hazy as his mind buzzes as if a whole colony of wasp were living inside it. He starts to drift away from the group, slowing down as every second passes.

And just as things were already bad enough, the potion effect ran off.

His lung is squeezing air out of natural reflex and what he get is gulp after gulp of sea water gushing into his lungs. After a few seconds of struggling and gasping, his body finally gave as he let out his final breath and fell unconscious, right past Edward, right past Gale, right into the hoard of Guardians behind him.

As his sight fades and blackens, he felt a strong gust of force as something warps around him before lunges him out of the water….

It was ten minutes later before he awakes as the witches pour in every healing potion they can into his mouth. He let out a cough as he vomit out the sea water from his mouth. He let out a splutter and shook his head, trying to shake off the dizziness and the humming that was still in his mind. "Where are we." Before he could react a punch landed on his face, sending him slamming into the column in the middle of the ship. Before he could react what is happening, a hand reaches towards him and pull him up by the collar of his shirt, it was Gale.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!!" He let out a roar in his face as he slammed him right into the wall of the ship. "Let go!" He struggle but was instead hit square in the face with another fist, he could hear his nose bridge breaking this time. It was after that punch that he is pulled away by Edward and Norman, telling him that "he didn't mean it." And "it isn't his fault." Gale shook both away and glare at Hero for a few second before kneeling to the ground and strangely he starts to sob. Edward and Norman let out a light pat at his shoulder as they turn around and walk towards the front deck of the ship and stares down to the ocean. They seem to be disgust or afraid of what they've seen though as they turn their head around and look aside.

A sudden bad feeling struck into Hero's though as he stood up and limp past the witches and Brine beside her and onto the deck. The wind was howling and the waves was strong, hitting the haul of the ship hard as it shakes violently. His hands were trembling and so do his eyes as he hold on to the armrest at the deck where he and the captain nail it all down pole by pole just because he accidentally fell down into the ocean once. He look down below, towards the sea beneath him, and he met with the thing that he doesn't want to meet the most. He has plays a lot of scenario before but this is one of the worst in his mind.

His leg shakes like crazy as he cover his mouth with his palm and cried. His eyes wide open as tears stream down, along with the rain that started to drizzle. There were drowns swarming around the ship due to the presence of the Heart of the Sea on it. All of them were growling, bawling, hissing, but one of the drowned undead is the one that he recognizes.

Captain Black.

His whimper turns into sobs, then into an uncontrollable sob as he kneel down, the drizzle turns into rains and into storms. Every single member of the Big Betty hung their head low as the cry echoes with the wind and the waves. It was a moment of silence for the dead as everyone keep their mouth shut, as the rain mixes their tears, and drip into the ocean. Through the raging storm he finally remember his last moment before blacking out. The Captain swam back to him and tied the anchor onto him and uses all his might to throw him out of the water, but as a price, he was pushed back into the sea, and into the darkness, into death….

It was when the rain settles that everyone stopped crying and wipe away their tears. Edward took out the Heart of the Sea out of his case, he wipe it with his silk handkerchief until it is clear is if someone waxed on it. He has been doing this for the past five years and yet this it is special for him, it was important not only to him, but to everyone onboard. After taking the final look out of his reflection in the sphere that he handled the relic to Gale, signaling him to do what he need.

But instead, he handed the Heart of the Sea to Hero. "Captain must've get a reason to save you." He sniffed, his eyes were swollen red. "You will do it for him." Hero hand in the ball, and look at the crew before nodded. He walk slowly towards the head of the deck, still limping as the wooden planks beneath him creaks. He stood at the tip of the deck as he closed his eyes. Flashes of memories flooded his mind while he slowly let go of his hand, letting the orb slip through his fingertips and fell into the water.

These 30 nights has been a real fun, right captain?

As the orb touches the water, the sea glows. The drowns stopped growling as they look at the orb and close their eyes. Their body starts to chip into light particles before floating into the sky, like stars, beautiful stars. But exceptionally, the particles of Captain Black flew towards Hero instead, and circling around him gently, before merging completely with him as he glows beneath the night sky, brighter than every stars among the clouds, as if it was a blessing.

A blessing of the sea.

The member of the Big Betty look at the beautiful scene as their eyes grew wet, their minds were each filled with their own precious and unique memory with the true man of the sea. Only Gale frowned as he clench up his fist and glare at him. The light finally fades, leaving a dimly cyan mark at his shoulder, taking the shape of the Heart of the Sea. Hero look at the mark and smiled before looking at the night sky and smiled, through the clouds he could see him, staring down, laughing at them, waving his hand and stroking his bushy beard…..

Alas the captain will leave his sea.

Ruff Queens.

Jack Black.

The Captain of the Big Betty.

Has complete his Journey the way he intended to.