Chapter 1
The Hurricane
The sky was turning dark ebony and it had only just become noon. The ocean current was beginning to roughen and rain had begun to fall at a massive rate as the wind blew harder, thunder grew louder, and lightning shined brighter. It was the start of a grudge-bearing hurricane. Amidst the beginning chaos, a fearsome, pirate captain was attempting to steer her ship and crew to safety. The crew didn't know this though. They thought she was purposely going through it in an attempt to murder them. She continuously reassured them that that was not the case, but, the farther they went, the less they believed her. She didn't fear a mutiny because she knew it wouldn't happen. They all knew she was their best chance at survival. Now, who was this well-known captain? Her name was Akurei Hakyoku.
"Captain!" one of the crewmen cried out.
Akurei had learned to ignore her crew's whining so that she would be able to concentrate, but, with the stress of the hurricane on her, it was becoming difficult. She was beginning to panic. No. She couldn't let that happen. She needed to remain calm if they were ever going to reach safety. Suddenly, the ship began to turn itself toward the storm.
"Shit," she cursed, loudly, "Whirlpools!"
She pulled desperately at the wheel, but it refused to change direction for her.
"Abandon Ship!" the crewman seemed to yell simultaneously.
Some of them began jumping off the sides.
"No! You fools!" Akurei yelled, "You'll drown!"
She released the wheel and it began spinning rapidly, but she wasn't paying attention to it. She was more concerned about the safety of her men.
"Don't!" she screamed, "You'll die!"
"We will die either way, Captain," her first mate, Trevor, responded.
He gave her a heartwarming look before diving off the side of the ship. As if she were being pulled to look, Akurei leaned over the railing.
"No," she breathed.
The ship had gotten stuck in what veteran sailors refer to as 'The Vengeful Mother of Disgraced Children', a maelstrom. Akurei knew now that this would end no other way but bad. Her head began spinning, causing her to almost fall, but her hand reached the railing enabling her to stabilize herself as much as possible. It took her a moment to snap back into reality, but, when she did, she checked to see if there were any loyal to her. There were none. She had been left alone. Downheartedly, she crawled to her cabin and locked herself inside. She realized that this was it. Her captaincy, her life, they were all over. She moved into her bed and curled up under the blanket.
"This is how it is supposed to go, right?" she asked herself, out loud, "The captain going down with the ship?"
She closed her eyes and smiled, embracing the idea. She and her ship had been through Hell together, so if it was going down, she was gladly going with it. With that final thought in mind, the maelstrom engulfed the ship, Akurei and all.