The Calm

Amanda thought her captain Arthur was a smart individual. She didn't know much about him, the only person aboard the Black Pearl that might know something was Sabrina, but she believe herself a good judge of character.

He sometimes would do strange things but in the end, everything worked out.

So, when Arthur said they would be hunting for a treasure he didn't know the location of, or what the treasure was, she just accepted. Captain Black had given her the chance of becoming a Beyonder, and he hadn't given her any reason to doubt his reasoning yet.

Oh, how Amanda wished she could go back in time.

She didn't have any complaints about sailing under the sun, that was life aboard a ship. But entering the Berserk Sea through the Spirit World because it was 'less dangerous', only to be attacked by Wraiths the second they entered the sea was just horrible.

They had managed to defeat all the spirits in the end and even gained some rare ingredients from it. But Amanda was really worried about what else was coming if the welcoming party was already this awful.

...

Arthur had no idea what his subordinate was thinking.

If he knew, his answer would be that only through hardships one could grow stronger, even if in his mind every instinct told him to turn the ship around and go as far away as possible from the Berserk Sea.

At this moment he was in the helm, steering the Pearl so that they followed the compass directions.

Even though they had managed to defeat the Wraiths, it didn't mean they were safe. The wind was still strong, the waves crashed against the hull of his ship, and the sky was still covered in gray clouds illuminated by the streaks of lightning.

For now, they weren't being attacked, but Alex could see the shadows moving beneath the sea and the flying or floating monstrosities in the distance.

It was worse for him as someone from the Mystery Pryer Sequence, he had to constantly restrain himself to not look or listen to something he shouldn't.

Knowledge might not corrupt him, but seeing or hearing things could do it.

Soon enough, something different happened.

From one moment to the other, the winds died, the sea calmed down, and although the gray clouds were still there, no lightning streaked.

"What is this?..." Alex wondered.

He went to his cabin and asked Harrion, but even the tome didn't know.

That meant Pearl's crew were the first to encounter this phenomenon or everybody who encountered before died without leaving the Berserk Sea and therefore passing the information.

Alex went back to the deck, called every to gather, and said, "I don't know what is happening, so don't let your guards down. This point of calm might be a trap or it might be really peaceful, but don't get complacent."

"Aye, captain!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Okay, Arthur."

Since it was almost night, Arthur decided to anchor the Pearl in the calm sea.

Soon enough they were all eating at the deck, chatting but always vigilant, on the lookout for anything suspicious.

Nothing may be happening but we will spend the night here... The night is always more dangerous, Arthur thought.

Time passed, the only light now was the one that came from the lanterns in the crew's hands and the moon above, a starless night.

Everyone was still awake, no one dared to sleep in such a strange place.

Jack was looking towards the sea when he heard. It was the sound of something moving in the waters, not as if they were just swimming beneath the sea, but trying to get out of it.

There, Jack thought as ripple appeared on the surface of the sea.

"Captain, you should come to see this," Jack called.

Arthur ran from the other side of the deck and looked towards where Jack was pointing.

It was a man, wearing a sailor uniform, but what caught Arthur's was the fact the man had pieces of flesh missing, even bones were exposed. But it didn't seem to bother him.

Another one appeared, and another and another and another.

"Undead," Arthur murmured. "Undead! Amanda, prepare yourself, your powers are the most useful now! Everyone else, get ready to fight, if you can without affecting the ship, lit them on fire!"

Damn, am I in a zombie apocalypse movie?! Arthur shouted in his mind. Even though he knew the world of Lord of the Mysteries was crazy, a hoard of zombies attacking him from the sea wasn't something he was expecting.

The Black Pearl's crew promptly got ready.

They had been surrounded by the dead.