Chapter 4: Meeting on the Endless Sea

"Bastard!" Captain Marik Voss snapped angrily, slamming his half-drunk bottle of alcohol onto the table. Marik had been sitting alone in the hold of his ship, slowly drowning his sorrows in alcohol for the past five hours. They had returned from the ghost ship, and they were once again sailing through the Border Mist. The first thing Marik did was distance himself from Hellcage and those cursed marionettes and start drinking.

"Hicc." Marik hiccupped, looking at the bottle in his hand while he remembered what Hellcage had said to him on the ghost ship. He was surprised that he wasn't quite human anymore.

Hellcage chuckled in amusement. "Of course. Little admirer, do you think you'll remain normal when the divine power of our Liege has entered your body? The blessing of our Liege is truly miraculous."

Marik was stunned by those words. "What... what... what does that mean? Did I turn into a monster?" He was terrified.

Hellcage smiled. "That's up to you."

"What the hell does that mean!" Marik raged.

"Watch your language. There are children here. And it means that in time, you'll see for yourself." Hellcage took the two cursed marionettes and headed off.

Marik was momentarily stunned and rushed after him, wanting a clear answer, but Hellcage refused to say more.

And that was the end of it. Marik went to drink to calm his nerves, and for a moment, he forgot the terror of what was about to happen to him. Not knowing is the worst. Turning to stone was better! At least he knew what was going to happen to him.

Marik drank the remainder of the alcohol from the bottle before angrily hurling it against the wall, where it shattered into a thousand pieces, scattering broken glass everywhere.

"That... hicc... fucking bastard... hicc... he's a nasty monster after all!" he cursed, grabbing another bottle.

Creak

The door creaked as someone slowly opened it. Marik turned his head sharply and watched as two children... no... two cursed marionettes entered through the open door. The girl marionette seemed much more alive now that she had linked her strings with the boy marionette.

Clank Clank Clank Clank

As the marionettes moved, they made wooden sounds of bending wooden joints, and with each sound, a muscle in Marik's cheek twitched.

Marik watched stiffly as the two marionettes approached the table, looking at him with a mixture of curiosity. But Marik got the impression that behind their normal expressions was madness. He felt sorry for the children and what had happened to them, but he couldn't bring himself to feel pity for these marionettes.

"Uncle, what are you doing?" Leo asked.

Dali blinked once. "Drinking is not good for your health. And you're making a mess, uncle."

Marik flinched when the two referred to him as uncle. "You... hicc..." Marik stood up. "You two freaks, get out! Don't come anywhere near me, you monsters! And I'm not your uncle!" He shouted, waving his hand violently as he shooed them away.

Leo and Dali backed away in fright. Dali made a strange sound and stormed off, while Leo glared at Marik for a moment, his eyes glowing red. Then Dali followed, and they left the room.

Marik grunted, uncorked a new bottle, and took another drink. "Damn me for... hicc... becoming an uncle to some monsters..." He mumbled depressingly to himself.

He wasn't left alone for long; a few seconds later, Hellcage walked in. He had to lower himself to walk through the low door, and when he straightened up, he looked around before focusing on the drunken Marik.

"I'd say you've had enough," he said.

Marik frowned and took another drink in a sign of rebellion. "I'll decide when... hicc... I've had enough."

"I don't think so." Hellcage walked over to him with several long strides and snatched the bottle from his hand.

"Hey!" Marik stood up unsteadily.

Hellcage raised the bottle high above his head as Marik reached for it, then pushed it with his other hand.

Thud

Marik fell down easily to the ground, his soft and unsteady knees unable to keep him standing straight as Hellcage pushed him.

"Hm. I have some sympathy for your state of mind, Captain," Hellcage said before setting the bottle down on the table and walking closer to the seated Marik.

"Finally, your life has been completely turned upside down. What you thought you knew is gone, you don't understand things, you're afraid, you're surrounded by strange creatures, you just can't deal with it yet. I know. I know. It's understandable. You're having a hard time," Hellcage spoke calmly, smoothly with understanding in his voice.

Leaning toward Marik as if to help him up, Marik raised his hand slowly, but Hellcage didn't take his hand. Instead, he pressed his palm to his face, his fingers wrapping around Marik's head.

Marik's eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately tried to pull Hellcage's hand away, but Hellcage's grip was as firm as steel. He lifted Marik effortlessly into the air and held him in front of him while Marik flapped around in panic like a fish pulled from the sea.

"What... what... are you doing?!" Marik asked, stunned, his voice muffled due to Hellcage's hand.

"Shhh. Don't talk and listen," said Hellcage, who put a finger to his lips in a sign of silence. "As I was saying, Captain, I have some sympathy for your situation. Indeed, I do. And after all, you're also now a follower of our Liege, so naturally, I have to take good care of my younger ones," continued Hellcage, who raised his hand to his cylinder and slowly removed it.

His face still remained drowned in shadow, but the hint of his eyes, nose, and mouth disappeared, and instead, darkness began to swirl in his face, resembling a miniature water vortex of darkness.

Marik's heart pounded in fright as he watched Hellcage's face and couldn't tear his gaze away. Small red dots began to appear in the vortex, first a few, then dozens, hundreds, thousands. It was thousands of red eyes swirling in a black vortex. The closer to the dark center of the vortex, the more the black faded until only red remained from the countless staring eyes. The center of the vortex was smooth and black, as if the dark depths of space were staring at Marik.

"But..." Hellcage continued. "You're a grown man with a child of your own. Yet now you've called those poor children monsters to their faces. How cruel. How despicable. Captain Marik Voss. I strongly suggest you get your mind straightened out quickly. If you ever treat those two innocent souls like that again, despite our connection, I will drain your soul and use your body as fodder in Hell."

Marik's heart stopped for a moment, the words ringing in his ears, and the look that many red eyes fixed on him gave him a clear feeling that his soul could be taken away at any time. He began to tremble, his frightened, still slightly drunk mind panicking. "Yes, yes... it won't... happen again," he promised.

Hellcage slowly put his hat back on, and the vortex disappeared, a hint of his face reappearing and releasing its grip. Marik slumped to the ground, not daring to move. "Good. Little admirer, I believe you can do it. I hate to frighten my compatriots, but for the sake of future cooperation, some things are inevitable. Now go to sleep. Take some time for yourself and adjust your thinking," Hellcage advised him calmly before slowly leaving the room.

Marik didn't dare move for a while after Hellcage left. He was slowly calming down, having sobered up quite a bit after this experience. He swore he would never drink again so he wouldn't risk something like this happening again.

Marik let out a long breath, and then shame overwhelmed him. He looked down at his wet pants.

*****

Hellcage stood once again at the stern of the ship, which was still moving through the thick Border Mist, and leaned comfortably on his walking cane. He let out a long sigh. "Humans are indeed complicated creatures," he said aloud to himself while a black sphere the size of a year-old's head with a red pupil flew out of his shoulder and disappeared into the thick fog.

It was invisible to everyone else, but the entire area around the ship, both in the air and underwater, was surrounded by a large number of black spheres guarding them. "Hmm... the activity in the fog is decreasing. We'll be out of the fog soon," remarked Hellcage, who straightened up after checking his surroundings.

He stood for a moment more before taking another step and making his way below deck. As he walked down the short corridor, he heard a soft tapping. He opened the door to one of the quarters that had originally been for one of the crew, judging by the layout and a few plush toys; it was a lady's room.

Hellcage looked over at the children, Dali and Leo, who had tools in their hands and were making something out of a bedside table in the middle of the floor. Scattered all around them were various items they had collected from the ship: fabric, a candlestick, a silver plate, and other items.

"How's it going?" asked Hellcage.

The children looked at him. "Fine, Mr. Hellcage," Leo replied. Hellcage smiled. "Remember, it doesn't have to be a work of art; the main thing is that you two like it."

Dali smiled and picked up one of the stuffed animals. "I'll put that in there too," she said, showing it to Hellcage.

Hellcage nodded in satisfaction. "Well done. Well done. I'm sure Liege will love it." He agreed.

Leo looked down at the hammer in his hand and pouted his lips a little. "And then if we pray to her, she'll hear us? Are you sure? No gods have ever heard us before. Not even when we were dying."

Dali froze for a moment, clutching the stuffed animal in her hands. "We prayed to every god we knew. No one answered. No one saved us."

Ripping

Dali ripped the stuffed animal's head off and glared at it.

Hellcage kept smiling. "Our Liege is different. She'll hear you and answer."

"Why is she different?" Leo wanted to know and doubted; the boy's bitter heart had lost faith in the gods.

Hellcage paused, his mind momentarily drowning in memories. He remembered a time when he was surrounded by a darkness darker than his own body. The abyss surrounded him everywhere, tearing at his body in an endless cycle. He screamed words of vengeance, anger, pain, and pleas for who knows how long, and then one moment a tiny little blue flame sparked in the darkness.

He couldn't forget the feeling relief and joy until now. It was a tiny blue flame that could have died out at any time, but the darkness of the abyss could not touch it.

Slowly, the little flame grew larger, but not by much, forming into an fetus, yet a voice came from it. "A lost soul, forgotten and unwanted. I have come for you. Be my pillar, and I will be your shelter." The faint voice made his torn body tremble.

Hellcage snapped out of the memory of his first encounter with his Liege and looked at the children. "Trust me. She'll answer," he promised, his voice trembling a little with suppressed feelings that had long ago passed the level of mere worship.

*****

Marik woke up after who knows how long, and his head was buzzing while his stomach felt sensitive. With a groan, he sat up and clutched his head. It took him a moment to gather himself and begin to recall what had happened.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and shuddered as the memory of the dark vortex full of staring eyes came clearly to mind. Hellcage had been a lot scarier than he had thought.

He began to think of the two cursed marionettes. He still had trouble thinking of them as 'children,' especially when he saw what was inside one of them, but he admitted he shouldn't have called them monsters.

Marik let out a long sigh. He would probably have to spend a little more time with them if he was going to change his thinking. He felt a strong dislike for doing so, but he felt even more dislike towards having his soul sucked out by Hellcage.

Marik sat for a while longer, sorting out his thoughts before nature called him. Returning from the lavatory, he heard muffled voices from Rize's quarters. He frowned and made his way there, slowly opening the door and standing stunned on the threshold.

Hellcage, Dali, and Leo were kneeling before a small, strange altar filled with candles and small objects, with a small white plush rabbit that belonged to his daughter taking the place of honor. All three of them looked like they were praying, but as he walked in, they turned their heads toward him.

"Little admirer, you're just in time," Hellcage said, acting completely normal as if nothing had happened yesterday. Dali turned away from Marik, but Leo stared at him for a few seconds longer before he too looked back at the white rabbit.

"What... what are you doing? What are you doing with Mr. Paka?" Marik wondered if he should pinch himself to check if he was still dreaming. Were they praying to the stuffed rabbit?

"This is an altar the kids made with all their strength, and it's devoted to our Liege. You don't have quite the right equipment on the boat, but I think the kids did it quite well," Hellcage explained.

Marik looked at the altar again and found it hard to connect the image of the terrifying statue of a god with Mr. Paka the rabbit. "Come join us and pray to our Liege," Hellcage urged him.

Marik's face went blank, but he did as Hellcage asked, joining them on the ground and clasping his hands. He stared at the stuffed rabbit for a moment, then looked at his three companions, who had their hands joined piously and their eyes closed as they prayed. Eventually, he closed his eyes and joined in the prayer, although it wasn't easy for him.

Mr. Paka's blue eyes glittered, and tiny blue flames appeared in their center.

Marik tried a little, but he had no idea how to properly pray to his new god. So he just thought of the memory of the statue and considered it as the God of the Forgotten and Unwanted, as Hellcage had revealed to him.

Suddenly, his image vanished, leaving nothing but darkness with only a tiny blue flame remaining. Marik jerked and opened his eyes but saw only darkness around him with a faint blue flame in front of him.

"What..." Marik said, but he couldn't hear his own voice. He touched his neck and tried to speak again. He could feel his vocal cords quivering, but he couldn't hear the sound.

"You prayed to me. I hear your voice," the low voice sounded again, and Marik looked at the flame, which glowed a little brighter with each word.

Marik swallowed and moved closer to the flame. "You are... Liege, right? The God of the Forgotten and Unwanted."

The flame didn't answer for a moment. "Indeed," it finally replied, rising a little higher so that it was level with Marik's face.

Marik felt a little helpless. He hadn't expected his not-so-pious prayer to actually connect him with this dark god. Since when do gods answer prayers?

"What's bothering you?" The quiet voice of the flame asked when Marik didn't say anything for a long time.

Marik startled and stared at the flame reflected in his eyes, then sighed and decided to speak.

"My Liege... Everything that's happening... scares me. Hellcage is scary, you are scary, those two cursed marionettes are scary. I have lived my entire life knowing that creatures like them... like you... must be avoided, feared, or dealt with quickly to avoid becoming a victim. Things are strange, and I've discovered that I'm no longer human either? How am I supposed to deal with such changes?" Marik confided in the god, sharing all his fears and doubts.

It took the flame a while to answer. "Fear is a good thing, Marik. Fear is what protects you from danger. Hellcage and those two children are indeed creatures to be feared, but only if you are their enemy. There is no need to fear your companions. Have the courage to talk to them and get to know them," Liege's first low voice responded.

"As for your change... it is only a tool. You are still you."

Marik lowered his gaze and pondered the god's words, letting out a long sigh. It may not have dispelled his concern, but it did make him feel a little better. Yes... he was still himself. Hellcage had said he was no longer human, but... he hadn't noticed any change at all.

"I understand, my Liege. I... thank you," he said finally, and at that moment, he opened his eyes and stared at the stuffed rabbit again.

The little flame sighed softly in the darkness. "Did I do a good job? Hm... perhaps so. He seemed calmer. It's hard to play god when I don't have enough information." The voice paused.

"So, the God of the Forgotten and the Unwanted, huh? That sounds pretty dark. No wonder the minds of Hellcage, Dali, and Leo were like that. I'll have to be careful about how I handle them." With those last words, the blue flame flickered and died

*****

Marik looked at Pan Pak and had the impression that a considerable weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He then turned his gaze to Hellcage, Dali, and Leo.

He was momentarily stunned because both children no longer looked like cursed dolls but had regained their human form. He and Hellcage stared at him.

"You talked to our Liege too, didn't you?" Hellcage asked, his voice brimming with satisfaction.

"It's a divine feeling, isn't it?" Hellcage shook his head as if he had no doubt about Marik's answer.

Marik tore his gaze away from the children's faces and looked again at the ordinary-looking stuffed rabbit. It was really shocking that he could talk to it. However, he wasn't a true believer, so he didn't feel any ecstasy like Hellcage. Yet he had to admit that it wasn't bad, and even rather comforting. Apparently, as long as one kept a certain distance from God himself, it wasn't all that scary or oppressive.

"Yes," Marik replied affirmatively.

"Um. What happened to the children?" He asked then cautiously, watching as the children stood up and began to extinguish the candles on the altar.

Hellcage picked himself up off the floor. "Our Liege helped them a little. After all, we have other people to meet soon. Their real appearance would make people panic. Like you panicked." Marik felt like the words pinned him.

"I see. That's... good," Marik replied and stood up as well.

"By the way, you should go to the helm. We'll be out of the fog soon," Hellcage announced.

Marik blinked. "Out of the fog soon. Are we finally at the edge of the Border Mist?" He repeated before quickly turning and hurrying up to the deck. Hellcage patted the two children on the head before bowing to the altar and following Marik.

Marik quickly arrived at the main mast and used the lever to furl the sails only halfway before taking the helm and gazing tensely into the fog.

Hellcage arrived after a moment behind him. "What's the rush? We've been sailing pretty much without steering until now," he wondered.

Marik nodded his head. "Mostly, we just need to secure the rudder and let the wind carry us. But the edges of the Border Mist are accompanied by a strong wind. It could capsize us or rip the rudder off," he explained.

Hellcage stared ahead of them and deliberately began to hold his hat, subtly calling all his spies back to him without Marik noticing.

Marik, seeing the fog lighten in front of them, felt excited. Finally, they would get away from this dark and grey environment! The fog was getting lighter and howling more wildly, as if it disapproved of their leaving. But the bow of the Fast Wave cut through the fog mercilessly as it caught the strong wind that haunted the edges of the Border Mist.

The deck of the ship was caressed by the first rays of sunlight, their ship breaking through the fog wall, and the azure blue sky above them opened up, striking their bodies with warm sunlight. The half-rolled sails tautened, and their ship surged forward even faster. Marik gripped the helm tightly in his hands, and for the first time in a long time, a smile appeared on his face.

"Haha! We're out!" Marik rejoiced.

Marik took a deep breath, and at that moment, there was a loud honking which caused Marik to cough.

"UNKNOWN SHIPS! IN THE NAME OF THE BOUNDARY MIST LAW, WE ORDER YOU TO DROP ANCHOR AND UNDERGO AN ANOMALY INSPECTION!" came the loud announcement, and Marik and Hellcage turned their heads in that direction.

"By the stinking cod! Researchers of the Goddess of Sea and Storm," Marik groaned grimly. It should have occurred to him, though. Researchers often chased after the Border Mist and examined it or what it left behind.

Hellcage felt a little overwhelmed for the first time since he had woken up. "Why did their ship look like a big cup of tea?" he wondered.

Marik looked the ship over as well, but he was used to it by now, so nothing struck him as odd. The boat was shaped like two teacups nested inside each other, the bottom of the boat had many paddles that propelled the boat forward; this kind of boat didn't rely much on wind and sails. The ship was largely balanced by the considerable amount of machinery they used for fog research, most of which was located aft.

That it was a ship belonging to the Church of the Goddess of the Sea and Storm was easily discerned by the decorative depiction of waves on the outer hull of the ship.

"This is the C.G.S CUP. It is quite a unique ship falling under the Church of the Sea Goddess. They are the only ones who make it. Of course, everyone just calls it CUP because of its appearance. It is a research ship that studies the Border Mist and its anomalies. If you look behind it, you can see there is another ship. From the color, it looks like a Church of Steam research ship. We seem to be close to a Sea State... how fortunate for us." Marik paused and became concerned.

"That... if they discover what we are, we are in trouble. If they don't try to eliminate us right away, they will at least try to capture us for research." He looked at Hellcage.

Hellcage cocked his head to the side. "Were they strong?" He wondered.

Marik weighed that against what he knew of Hellcage and the children. "It depended. Explorers needed to be strong for the sake of dealing with anomalies or quickly taking over newly discovered islands. At the very least, there needed to be an Abbot or Abbess. I'd say comparing them to you wouldn't be a problem. But I wouldn't recommend fighting. Surely they've already telegraphed a record of our meeting. We would be persecuted."

Hellcage pondered his words. "How strong were they compared to the priest from your ship?"

Marik grimaced at the mention of his crew. "She was just a Monk. She could give blessings and chant chants, but that required holy symbols and chants, all prepared in advance. Abbots are different. They still have to rely on the holy symbols on their body, but their actions are much faster and they can actively fight. Their blessings are much stronger. And especially those who followed the Goddess of the Sea and Storm were stronger on the sea."

Hellcage tapped his finger on his chin in an interested manner. "Are you saying they were stronger because of their stronger blessings?"

Marik looked at Hellcage strangely; after all, doesn't he also draw power from their Liege? Why would he ask something like that?

"Yes. The longer they served, did meritorious deeds, made sacrifices, the stronger they got," he replied.

Hellcage chuckled briefly upon hearing the answer. "I wonder if everyone believed that."

Marik blinked in confusion. "What?" He didn't understand.

Hellcage reached out and grabbed the lever to drop the anchor. ""That the more they worship their god the stronger they get. What nonsense." He exclaimed in amazement.

Hellcage laughed again. "I doubt if everyone in those churches of yours really believed that. Well... I have too little information so far. But I'm beginning to get the picture. Your gods are some bitches."

Marik blinked and shuddered a little because hearing Hellcage cursing sounded somehow out of place.

"It'll be alright, little admirer. Let them come and see us. I'll be happy to do the same."

Aboard the research ship Goddess of the Sea and Storms,

A woman with long wavy beige hair and steely grey eyes looked toward the ship they had seen emerge from the Border Mist. She wore an outfit of blue, white, and copper with ornate decorations depicting the Goddess of the Sea and Storm. In addition to the wild wave emblems, their church also had a helm emblem. Over her clothes, she wore just such armor that had the helm emblem in the place of the stomach; the whole outfit was a sign of her status as an Abbess.

Leontine Makedon had only recently been promoted to Abbess status, and this was her first mission on a research ship chasing the Border Mist. It was only their second week of sailing, and it was a rather boring voyage as the Border Mist had long decided not to give anything away.

Naturally, what she wished for the most would be if the Border Mist left behind an island that she could occupy in the name of the Goddess of Sea and Storm. Such a meritorious act would help her climb the career ladder quickly. But so far, they hadn't been lucky enough to encounter any of the oddities the Border Mist sometimes left behind.

And now, suddenly, a ship had come out of the fog. Leontine wondered in what way it had been twisted, changed, or cursed. She hoped for some interesting expletives to bring back to the church.

While Leontine stared toward the ship, which might contain many strange treasures, a young pastor in training approached her. He was only about sixteen years old, and his hair was bright orange, his eyes were yellow with vertical pupils, and he had two small horns on his head.

Claude Vemer was of the Kadion race, which had appeared on one of the now-inhabited island some fifteen thousand years ago. In that time, their race had become accepted and common to all.

Claude was about to announce to Abbess the report of the sighting through the telescope when he paused and reached into his pocket, from which he pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to Leontine. "Abbess, you're drooling," he warned her.

Leontine recovered and quickly accepted the handkerchief before she began to wipe her mouth. "I got a little excited," she apologized and smiled before glancing again at the ship they were approaching.

As they approached the ship, the crew prepared hooks with chains, which they threw onto the smaller ship and began to reel it in. They hooked the chains onto the railing of the ship and pulled it closer.

Leontine saw that there were four people standing on the deck of the ship: a man with red hair and an unkempt beard, a very tall gentleman in a tuxedo and an old-fashioned high top hat, and two children around the ages of six and seven.

Leontine, however, was not reassured by this simple sight. She knew full well that they could all be monsters in disguise... well, they could be. A number of bronze cannons slid out from the side of their research ship and aimed at the secured ship. In case even the ship itself proved dangerous, they had enough firepower to destroy it on the spot.

Once the ship was secured, all hands piled aboard with rifles and guns ready, and they pointed them towards the crew of the other ship. It was not an act of aggression but a matter of safety.

Leontine turned to the five priests who were preparing their holy symbols. "Prepare the blessing!" Leontine called out in a strong voice.

Claude joined the group and pulled a golden talisman in the shape of a ship's rudder with a blue gem in the center from under his clothes and began to chant a prayer with the others.

Leontine turned and watched the secured ship and its crew, a long narrow sword ready in her hand.

As the priests continued chanting, their voices rose to the sky, and their sacred symbols began to glow the color of the stormy sky. The greyish energy rose stronger, coalescing into one writhing mass of energy across which the occasional flash of stray lightning swept.

Then, at the same moment, the priests raised their hands, and the grey energy shot towards the secured ship, hitting the deck and beginning to expand, covering the entire ship. Leontine saw the two children seize the feet of the tall gentleman in alarm, who tilted his head curiously to one side but did not lose his composure, the red-haired sailor also showing signs of apprehension.

As the grey energy covered the entire craft, Leontine leaned over the rail and stared intently. The grey energy quickly began to clear to reveal any hidden evils, but to Leontine's disappointment, there were none.

The enchantment they used was specifically designed to reveal illusions, curses, and cause pain to any unclean entity. But just because nothing was revealed didn't mean everything was okay. It could only mean that the hidden monsters were too powerful, and the blessing wasn't enough to reveal them.

"The result of the first round of inspection came out negative!" One of the priests announced.

Leontine nodded and waved her hand. "Permission to board. Begin preparations for the second round of inspection!" She ordered as she prepared to descend aboard the secured ship. Claude stood at her side; he was only a young pastor but had been assigned to the Abbess as an assistant.

The gangplank was lowered so that all the investigators could board the ship comfortably. Leontine and Claude were the first to step aboard, followed by a squad of sailors with guns who cautiously observed everything around them.

"I am Abbess Leontine Makedon of the Church of the Goddess of the Sea and Storm. This is my assistant, Pastor Claude Vemer. Thank you for your cooperation. May the Goddess of the Sea bless you. Which one of you is the captain?" She asked, but naturally, her gaze was drawn to the somewhat scruffy red-haired man.

The man raised his hand slowly. "I am Captain Marik Voss, and my ship is called the Fast Wave," Marik introduced himself.

Leontine nodded. "You have passed the first round of inspection successfully. Now you need to go through the interviews and personal blessings. If you pass the second round of inspection, there will be a third and final round where you and the entire ship will be under surveillance for twenty-four hours. If even then nothing untoward comes up, you are free to leave. If any anomalies are found, you will be detained and transported to the Grey Tower for further examination," Leontine informed them of what was going to happen.

The Grey Tower was a building where they would close and study the oddities that managed to be captured. There were more than one Grey Towers, and they were buildings that stood on small islands, too small to be inhabited and so suitable for holding dangerous things.

Captain Marik nodded. "We understand. We have no problem submitting to an investigation," he agreed.

Leontine looked around. "Where are the rest of your crew?" She asked, glancing at the silent giant who was covering his face with a full-face black mask, which was odd but not inappropriate, and then at the two children who were clinging to his legs and staring at them with bulging eyes.

Captain Marik sighed heavily. "We've been stuck in the Border Fog for quite a while. Unfortunately... most of my crew... didn't end well. As soon as they started to seem strange, I had no choice but to throw them into the sea. We're all that's left," the captain explained.

Leontine felt a pang of pity, not just for the poor lives that were lost but also regret for the loss of catching the monster! She sighed and ran two fingers across her chest in a wave sign. "May the Goddess of the Sea accept their souls into her kingdom. I am sorry for your loss."

Claude also made the same hand sign as the Abbess and nodded his head.

"If you will allow your ship to be inspected first before we subject each of you to the blessing. Have a moment of patience," Claude said and motioned with his hand for them to go to the side while the Abbess and the other priests went to investigate the ship.

Claude, being the second strongest, stayed with the crew to watch them, with a few other sailors who let their weapons drop a bit but were still ready to make a colander out of them.

After a while, Claude heard the deep voice of the tall gentleman. "Interesting," Claude looked at him. The man's height and full-face mask seemed a little intimidating, but Claude didn't let on.

"What's interesting?" He asked the tall stranger.

"I find it interesting since when does someone like you of the Cambion race serve and worship the Goddess of the Sea and Storm. Abraham kicks you out? Hehe... or were you given an order?"

Claude's eyes widened in shock, and the blood drained from his face, making him look sickly. "You... you... who... what are you?" Claude's voice dropped to a shaky whisper.

*****

The End of the World

Caila emerged from the darkness of her mind, feeling another wave of tingling pass through her stone body.

'Probably thanks to Dali and Leo. But it feels weaker. Is it that they're far away?' she wondered.

She recalled the dream, or rather her communication with Hellcage, Dali, Leo, and Marik. It did scare her a little. To suddenly wake up and face old and new worshippers was quite unnerving. She was nervous about it, but she felt like she handled it well despite having to adjust pretty quickly.

But she definitely benefited from it. Especially from Hellcage; there were a few scraps of information in his mind that she could use. Not to mention that she learned what a terrifying creature Hellcage was.

Dali and Leo were more difficult. Their minds were like a broken mechanical toy; the kids would need some tending to, but she had learned enough about them to understand their situation. Poor kids.

And finally, Marik, who was traumatized and in a state of semi-panic. But it was nothing serious that time can't solve. He just needed to find his lost confidence again. Caila redirected her attention to the improvised altar the children had made for her.

'So this works too. That's good. They don't have to take all my new worshippers to me right away. Just build me a altar. Hmm... kind of a weird altar. I wonder if a bigger one would have a better effect. I just got enough energy to wake up again. The statue cracked a little more, but it didn't fall off.' Caila assessed her condition and couldn't wait to get more energy to finally free herself from the statue.

'Huh? What's that sound?' Caila paused and listened. Caila felt like she heard a distant shriek.

"Someone else woke up?" said Caila in a low voice.