Chapter 2!
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ONWARD!
Feizhi lurched again as the ship was knocked by a wave. It was nothing overly strange for the boat to encounter, but having spent her entire life having only seen glimmers of a ship in the distance, the purple-haired girl was not at all used to the sensations of being on board a seafaring vessel. She had told herself to go inside and stop watching the waves, to try and focus and meditate, but the waves were as mesmerising as they were nauseating as they sprayed froth about the ship.
She had been with the group for a week now as they sailed to the Elemental Rock that represented her element. In her time there, Piers had been her closest friend. He took the time to talk to her every day and ensure she was comfortable and settling okay. That and she often pestered him for lessons on Psynergy and the mysteries of the world that he had encountered. She found herself enraptured as he spun tales of delving into deep caverns and fighting off hordes of enemies
It had also taken a day or two for him to realise that they had some Jupiter Djinni shared between them, which were promptly given to her, though she already had such a companion, the extra strength and company was a welcome bonus. She was vastly interested in their abilities and effects on an Adept. Piers had done his best to explain to her as his had for him. It seemed Breath had forgotten that when she first encountered her.
Most of her time on board the ship, apart from doing all she could to learn of the world and Adepts of which she was now a part, she spent her time training with Piers to gain a firmer grasp on her Psynergy. She still had not been able to recreate the attack that had ultimately resulted in the defeat of that lizard in Champa, but she had conjured a weaker version of it. Piers' words were confusing and often proved ineffective for her. After one session when she was particularly frustrated of being able to do, let alone master, a technique Piers spoke of, she had asked Jenna how to do it.
The girl was oblivious to this form of focus for Psynergy and was unable to produce any more than a small flame from her finger with it. Jenna had simply said that she was able to do things her own way and that Piers' ways just seemed odd to her. After overhearing this, Kraden put forth a theory that each Adept harnesses and releases their Psynergy through their own methods. Being taught one way did not necessarily mean it would work for a particular Adept.
Feizhi sighed at this knowledge, though learning from Piers was helpful, and she was learning, to have to grasp the full extent of her power alone seemed daunting. All her life she had other students or her father, or Master Hama to help teach her in whatever arts she studied, but to have to learn alone without any form of guide or way forward seemed nigh on impossible.
It wasn't all bad though, she had been teaching Piers and Jenna the art of Chi in return. They were not particularly fast learners, mostly because Feizhi's directions usually led them to the sort of thinking that would unleash Psynergy, but she had no doubt that in time they would master the art if diligent enough.
All in all the ship was a rather homely place… but… only if Piers was present, which was less than half of the time. He may have been working on the lower decks or piloting, and everything changed without him around. Jenna became withdrawn and quiet, preferring to shy away from any questions, doing her best to avoid conversation. Similarly, Kraden invested extra effort into his studies, feigning being absorbed so as not to disturb anything.
This was not all of the time though, it could last from anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or two, but when Felix was amongst them it was constant and even Piers' presence did little to break the dull mood. The masked man seemed to bring the worst out in all of them, Feizhi felt particularly uncomfortable whenever he was near, primarily because he still refused to even acknowledge her existence. The most interest he showed in her was through the dark slots of his mask as they stared for a moment before turning away. What was he thinking as he stared?
"Feizhi?" Piers called over his shoulder from the wheel, "Are you okay?"
Feizhi swallowed twice, turning her eyes away from the frothy waves surrounding the ship and to the blue-haired captain. She took a few unsteady steps forward before breathing out in an attempt to calm her turbulent stomach and the dinner from earlier within, "I am still unused to these sensations." She responded simply.
The answer had Piers chuckle a little, "Yes, Jenna had much the same problem for the first few trips. It will pass within a few days more, I'm sure."
It didn't fill the girl with much confidence for overcoming this, but if Jenna could do it then she could as well. Slowly placing one foot in front of the other she edged closer to the bandanna wearing pilot as he guided the ship south. Feizhi glanced out at the horizon seeing nothing but sea or the faint outline of the land surrounding her, its beauty made her feel so small. Far to her west she could see a large yellow tower which Piers had identified as the Elemental Lighthouse of Venus, and far to the east was an expansive cloud of fog which Piers claimed was his home.
"Piers?" She asked hesitantly, this being one of the few moments in which it had just been the two of them alone, "What is wrong with Felix?" She had intended to ask the question since she first arrived, but there was always something to stall it. Be it Jenna, Feizhi not wanting to hurt or insult Felix's sister, Felix himself, monster attacks, or some other event.
Piers sighed heavily, his eyes dropping for a moment before he glanced back up at sea, exhaling deeply again. For a few moments he was silent and Feizhi might have asked the question again had she not seen the mind working behind his golden eyes.
"I do not know." He answered simply, before Feizhi asked another question he pressed on, not favouring this topic, "He has been like this since I met him. He is cold and calculating, yes, but he is not without logic, compassion, or a sense of moral. I suspect something happened in his past, not long before I met him, and it has scarred him, his sister, and Kraden." Piers sighed again, releasing the wheel for a moment as he combed both his hands over his head.
"I have asked all of them what has happened." He continued as he took hold of the controls again, "Felix refuses to even pretend I asked it, Jenna shies away afraid to answer, though if she's afraid of the memory or of Felix himself is debateable, and Kraden is much the same, though he does say that it is not his answer to give. I suspect Felix is like he is now because whatever happened him shook him to his very core. A death of someone he cared about seems a strong possibility."
The cogs were working in Feizhi's mind, trying desperately to figure out what must have happened to them. Perhaps it was as Piers said, a death or some form of loss. That man, the blue haired one… Al… Ala… Ale… something, he had said that she was a replacement. Maybe he, or one of those ones with him, had killed one of their friends?
"I have tried to help, but my role seems to have fallen to keeping Felix from doing anything too extreme." Piers stated, seeming to loathe that fact, "It is a shame, because I have seen Felix is a good man, and it pains me to see him hurt and that I have to defend the others from him at times."
Feizhi frowned, mulling over this information. Perhaps Felix was just hurt. Maybe he did not want it to happen again, whatever 'it' was. Maybe he could be a normal person beneath it all, behind that mask. She didn't think it possible, truly. Of the brief time she had seen of him on the ship, since he spent the majority of it alone in his room, she did not think he was ever normal, not in the past few years at least. The savagery he assaulted everything with, be it battle or conversation… he just didn't seem… human.
"If you would, Feizhi, could you please call Felix for me? I wish to update him on our progress."
Feizhi glanced up, afraid. She had never ventured toward him willingly, and she would no doubt have to disturb whatever it was he did when he was alone. Piers' casual smile eased her though, Felix did seem to ignore her more than anything. He would likely accept whatever news she had without a word and brush her off. She nodded to the Lemurian and turned to the cabin.
Quickly making her way through the ship, Feizhi passed by Jenna, who was staring at the sealed wine bottle in her hands with such sombre longing, and Kraden who was buried, or at least pretending to be, in his studies. Before the Xianese girl knew it, she was standing in front of the door to Felix's room, listening to the absolute silence of the ship. Swallowing, almost ready to retreat and ask Jenna to do it for her, Feizhi knocked on the door.
"Felix?" She called out hesitantly. After a few moments passed in silence, it was obvious the man had not heard her, "Felix?" She repeated, knocking again a few times, "Piers wishes to speak with you."
Still no sounds from beyond, no footsteps to indicate he was moving, no creaking to suggest furniture being moved, no rustles of cloth as he dressed himself, just complete silence. Wholly unsure of what her body was doing, but not stopping it, Feizhi found herself gently opening the door to the man's room, cautiously peeking in.
The room was dark, the porthole covered by some fabric to obscure the light. It was a mess, clothes and bottles littered the floor, the door causing clinks as it pushed many bottles aside, numerous liquid contents spilt and stained on the wood. The air was heavy, fully stale with the stench of alcohol, sweat, sorrow, and hatred. Feizhi coughed slightly, not to gain his attention, but from the inability to breathe in this environment.
Taking steps in, being sure not to step on anything but the floor, Feizhi made her way toward a mass slumped over the bed. She strained her gaze, trying to find his face, only to find it still covered by his mask. Seemed no matter what he did he was always sure to return his face to its hidden state. He was huddled under some form of small purple blanket, which had a trail of beads sewn into its ends. It was far too small for him… didn't even seem designed for its current use.
"Felix?" She asked quietly, but no response prompted volume, "Felix?" Still nothing… Gently, Feizhi pressed a hand against his back, shaking him ever so slightly, "Felix?" A few spluttering coughs alerted her to withdraw her hand, "Felix? Piers wis-"
Within a moment she had been knocked back and Felix's sword was pointed straight at her neck, "Get. Out." His broken voice growled.
Feizhi complied, moving toward the door and nodding, "Piers wishes to see-"
"Get out!" He roared, shoving her with such force that she flew through the door and collided with the wall beyond it. Feizhi coughed slightly, hearing the man do the same much more raggedly behind the door he had just slammed.
"Piers wishes to see you, Felix!" She called beyond the door, greatly angered by the violent contact. Were she not a guest on this ship, she would have retaliated. Piers and Jenna would likely not forgive her for fighting back, but she promised that if Felix grew too accustomed to doing that she would take him down.
Straightening up, smoothing herself out after hitting the wall, she returned to the deck to be by Piers.
Don't do it, Jenna.
The scarlet haired girl caressed the glass bottle in her hands, feeling the liquid swirl around inside as she did. The sanguine liquid could so easily drown sorrows, it had done so for Felix, though he had turned to far stronger poisons in recent weeks. She found herself tempted day by day to just open the bottle and down the contents, to enter a blissful state of euphoria. She had seen a flipside to that though, sometimes it made people even more depressed, or angry… it seemed to do all that and more to her brother.
She put the bottle back onto the table, not where it had been originally, but she couldn't bring herself to stand to return it to its shelf. She knew she would be up again and holding it soon enough. For now, she took to staring at the liquid, trying her best to resist its allure, its promise to drown out her worries with its rich flavour. She had done it once… but Piers had chastised her when he had discovered it. She wasn't sure if Felix knew, if he even cared…
Jenna found herself scratching the table as she stared at the bottle, temptation nipping at the back of her mind, constantly urging her to uncork the bottle, to be rid of these horrible feelings and memories that plagued her waking hours and her dreams… her nightmares.
No… what would Piers think if she was caught again? What would Isaac think if he learned she had turned to such pathetic means of escaping her pain? What if… what if they didn't find out though? What if she could do this in secret, away from the prying eyes that would judge her for being weak? Again, she found the bottle in her hands as she caressed the thick glass that contained wine from Piers' uncle.
She vaguely noted that Feizhi had waved to her as she descended the stairs to the bedrooms below. Her gaze was focused on the promises before her. The chance to forget for a short time, to have her horrible memories and thoughts just erased while she drank. She could escape it all… there would be no need for her to be sad.
Don't do it, Jenna…
Felix slumped against his door raggedly after slamming it, doing his best to regulate his breathing to its normal calm state, while the damn girl shouted something about Piers. A foul mixture of liquor, bile, and vomit was rising in his throat, threatening to splatter up against the wooden shield over his face. He swallowed, feeling the evil slide back down within him, as he began stumbling forward toward the dresser where a half emptied bottle awaited. No easier way to drown everything than with more…
He raised his mask just enough, blocking his vision, allowing his mouth access to the cool neck of the bottle that contained whatever potent mixture he had acquired from whatever cursed hamlet he found in this damned world. He coughed as the mixture burned its way down his throat, the warm, stale, tang of Alhafran ale. He lowered his mask as he downed another mouthful, staring into the cracked, grime-covered, mirror in front of him.
His mask stared back, the black holes of its eyes sucking him in, dragging him down deeper into this despair. It was what he deserved. He stared into the black abyss on his face, paying no mind to their segmented form in the mirror. He allowed himself to be lost, swirling in the solid darkness. For just a second, it was her he was staring at.
He dropped. A hand catching his head as he nearly wept into the cool wood lying against him. He combed his hands back through his hair, tearing through knots and tangles that had formed since he had last bathed, with little care for the minor pain they caused him.
He stood up quickly, turning his back on the mirror, before grabbing the hilt of his sword at his belt and storming from his room with purpose. He quickly passed by his sister, who he noticed was trying to pretend she was not eyeing a bottle of Lemurian wine, and Kraden, ever buried in his fake studies.
"Piers!" He yelled as he burst into the fresh air of the sea, air that nearly flushed everything within him from his mouth, and strode toward the Mercury Adept and that blasted girl.
Both bodies by the wheel jumped instinctively, whirling about to see the masked man marching toward them, his ebony hair flying about him in the sea-breeze. Each step seemed to echo across the wooden panelling, channelling ripples through them into the two he advanced on. He eventually drew up to them, completely disregarding the green-eyed girl as he addressed Piers.
"What do you need?" He asked simply, his tones direct.
Piers took a cursory glance around before answering, "We are about a week from the northern coast of Osenia, a day's travel from the southern Sea of Time inlet, and a day and a half from the coast near the Shrine of the Sea God where Obaba claimed we'd find the remaining fragment of the trident." He answered easily, "However, Kraden informs me that it would be wisest to dock at a beach on the southern coast of Osenia, directly south of Air's Rock, rather than land at its north and have to hike for a few weeks. It is two and a half weeks from where we are now."
There was silence for a moment before Felix nodded, "Very well, I shall pilot us through the night to hasten this trip along."
Piers shook his head, tightening his grip on the wheel, "I think not, Felix. The seas are dangerous enough under the sun, at night it shall be far more dangerous. If you must insist though, I suggest you have someone watching over you."
"Very well then." Felix replied, though it seemed a trained response used to end a conversation. As he turned away from Piers his mask stared into Feizhi again, as it always did whenever he saw her. He stared for a few moments, she returning the gaze uncomfortably as he does, before he turned on his heel and marched away again, presumably to rest for the night.
Why does he stare? Feizhi thought. She imagined him scowling with hate, holding back anger and harsh words behind that colourfully dark mask of his. She knew he wasn't at all fond of her presence here, but she didn't know what she had done to warrant such disdain. Maybe her desire to meet Isaac angered him seeing as they were past rivals, according to Jenna.
"You should try to get some rest, Feizhi." Piers spoke up, having returned to piloting while she was lost in her thoughts, "Each of us will have to take a few hours through the night to guard him."
She would have to guard him? With his aversion to her very presence? Was that even wise? She didn't question it, they had duties on this ship, they were all a team, and they all did them, though sometimes with a bit of complaint or persuasion. She stifled a sigh and nodded to Piers as he smiled to her, leaving his side and going back into the cabin, hoping that Felix wasn't there.
She smiled to Jenna as she entered, though the girl barely managed to return even a grin. The bottle she had been cradling had been taken from her and she was clearly in one of her moods. As soon as she had attempted to smile it was replaced by a very noticeable frown, still she walked past Feizhi and took over her shift guarding Piers. Feizhi tried to speak to Kraden, but he was similarly absorbed in his books, or pretending to be at least.
The girl sighed, shaking her head as she proceeded down the stairs and to her room. She quickly changed and climbed under her covers to wait for the wake-up call to go and protect Felix on deck.
Felix cursed under his breath as Piers informed him he would get Feizhi to work the first shift. He was sick of that girl quite frankly, it didn't matter where he was she always seemed to be nearby. His room seemed to be the only refuge from her presence, and even that had been defiled. It was becoming difficult to hold his tongue as she asked him a question or spoke to him. He did not want her here.
He had failed before.
"Hello, Felix." Her voice came from behind him.
He turned to find her, simply to ensure he was not slowly going mad. Sure enough, there she was, holding a torch in her right hand which spilt its orange light around her and through the violet strands surrounding her face. She raised the torch up, hooking into one of the slots on the cabin wall to keep the light constant around them. As she did, the light shone across her eyes… those horribly green eyes.
He turned back, disgusted, fixing his eyes on the light being offered in front of them by one of Jenna's Djinn. Silence quickly settled across the deck, broken only by the lulling waves lapping the length of the ship. The rhythm was soothing, sobering, and Felix felt himself relaxing as he listened to them. He kept himself focused though, refusing to let the waves relax him to the point of being careless and defenceless.
Frankly, he didn't trust the girl's combat abilities. She could handle herself in battle, yes, but being able to fight and doing it effectively were two different things entirely. For one, the girl lacked the ability to properly utilise her Psynergy and she often resorted to whatever she called that technique she used despite the increased danger to her allies and herself. It was reckless and foolish and he was having trouble quietly tolerating it.
He shook his head, doing his best to turn his thoughts away from the green eyed girl.
I'll keep you safe…
Felix grunted, pain gripping his chest for a moment. He hunched over, lifting his mask from his face slightly, coughing in response to the thought. Worse still because of it, the girl was at his side now, her hands on his shoulder and side as he coughed. He turned away from her, insistent on hiding his face, fixing his mask despite the fact that he was still coughing.
"Felix?" She asked, her voice so full of concern, "What is wrong? Are you hurt?"
Only by your presence. He thought harshly. He pulled himself up to stand, only now realising that her hands were still holding onto him. They were soft. "No." He replied simply, shrugging out of her grip and seizing the wheel again.
"Be careful." She said quietly, retreating back to wherever she had been before rushing to his side.
A few more strangled breaths escaped before he recovered and stood up fully. He gripped the wheel tighter, straining the leather around his knuckles as he did. He felt bile rise in his throat as his thoughts again turned to the girl who had just rushed to his side. Being close to her made him impossibly uncomfortable… why did she have to be here? Why couldn't the others just agree with his plans to find a Jupiter Adept near the Lighthouse to use?
He didn't have a chance to dwell on the thought long, the girl in question called to him and he turned just in time to spy the monsters clambering over the rails. Needing to be quick because he could not be absent from the wheel for too long, Felix darted to his right to dispatch the few on board while the girl dealt with the others.
The monsters were surprisingly weak under his onslaught, quickly falling to his blade, before disintegrating and breaking into Psynergetic dust. He threw his eyes to the other side where the girl was fighting. He was rather amazed to see only one monster left, which fell to a strike from her palms followed by a quick burst of electricity. As the final beast fell and its remaining energy melded to the two Adepts on board, Feizhi fell to her knees, staring at her palms as the Psynergetic rings around her faded, which gently crackled with the waning energy she had just used.
Feizhi glanced up at Felix who was staring at her again, before he turned away and to the wheel, "What was that?" She asked, closing her hands, cutting off the flow of energy.
"Psynergy." Felix responded harshly, "Get used to it."
Feizhi looked back down at her hands, she had intended to use her Chi and instead her mind had allowed Psynergy to take hold. She wondered how best to take control… perhaps she needed sparring dummies to practice on rather than Piers' tutoring. Perhaps then she could differentiate the powers of Chi and Psynergy, use them both in tangent to speed their progress toward the Lighthouse and Isaac along.
She glanced around, there were no remnants of the beasts that had climbed aboard, their bodies had dissolved and some of it had melded to her. She still did not understand that, she had neglected asking each time. Why was it she would sometimes feel a surge of strength as she glowed with enemies' strength? Was this the life of an Adept? Sometimes she wondered if it had been wise to follow her vision.
She stood back up, stroking the golden ring she had intended to give to Isaac. She often thought of his trials as an Adept and future hero of the world, but was his quest as difficult as the group's she was currently part of. Somehow she doubted it. His group had been together, they had been happy and helpful regardless of anything they went through. She did not doubt that they may have had misunderstandings at times, but they seemed much more stable than what she was with.
Exhaling deeply, keeping a watchful eye around her, Feizhi began to train. It always helped her relieve stress or calm down. Of course, meditation achieved this, but she could not enter that state and keep watch. She began the drills, stretching beforehand, as she began to practice her forms. As she moved, striking invisible foes, evading imaginary blows, she began to think. She did not want to try to use her Chi this time. She was a seasoned practitioner of the art, but Psynergy was knew.
She breathed deep, A power of mind. She reminded herself, Chi is of body. Psynergy of mind. She began to focus, she did not need to physicalize a movement for Psynergy, she simply had to will it into being. Her element was Jupiter, of wind, storms, clouds, lightning, and thunder. That was her practice. She began to focus, A small breeze. She thought consistently, trying to conjure the wind.
She stood still, her eyes focusing ahead of her on Felix. Pretend Felix is the enemy. She told herself, giving herself incentive. She began to focus, then, with one fluid movement, she did her best to unleash the soft wind.
She was ecstatic to find the Psynergetic colour of silvery-blue surround and pass her while Felix's hair gently whipped to the side. She was so overjoyed that she lost her focus and the breeze began to pick up. Startled, she quickly did her best to end it, relieved when the energy faded from around her, but not before Felix's attention had been caught.
"What do you think you are doing?" He yelled loudly, turning his body just enough to face her.
She shook, stammering slightly as she responded, "A-apologies, Felix. I was trying to use Psynergy. I did not mean harm."
Felix grunted in casual disgust and amusement as he turned back to the Djinn lighting the way in front of him and continued to sail. Feizhi returned to her training, deciding that now was not the best time to practice Psynergy.
The hours passed and soon Jenna came out on deck to relieve Feizhi of her duty. She smiled happily to her Valean friend, before rushing downstairs to return to her bed.
Jenna watched as the girl rushed off, before approaching her brother warily. His masked eyes were fixed on her Djinn highlighting the seas below them. She gently tapped him on the shoulder, afraid he would just whirl around with a strike at the contact. She was glad when that was not the case, but she did not even get any greeting from the man save for the turn.
"I brought some food, Felix." Jenna gestured to a small piece of meat she had seared before coming onto the deck.
Her brother took a cursory glance at the meat and took it wordlessly from his sister. He lifted his mask enough to expose his mouth for the food and quickly finished it. Jenna frowned, watching as her brother continued to hide his face from even her. She hadn't seen his face in so many months, not since the accident. He had been hiding himself since then. All she wanted was her brother back.
She wanted to see his kind green eyes reassure her again, she wanted him to hug her when she was scared like he used to. She wanted him to stop being so cruel. When the time came to explain to Isaac why they were doing this, she found it difficult to believe that Felix would, they would end up fighting. Everything could be so easy if they just waited for him to find them. They had seen evidence that Isaac and his group had been around, and had heard from several towns that a group had come searching asking if anyone had seen Jenna.
She settled down on a bench against the cabin wall, watching her brother's form. She was surprised her brother had changed so drastically. After Mt. Aleph, his return, he had done all he could to become her brother again, to make up for the three years he had left her alone. He told stories of her parents being well in Prox, why they had not been allowed or capable of sending word to Vale. He reminded her of times from their childhood together when they played with Isaac and Garet. He had been so caring… until the accident…
Since then, she had not seen Felix at all. The man piloting the ship bore his likeness, and still hid much of that behind his mask, but it was not her brother. Still in blood, yes, but that was it. If ever he spoke to her, it was an order, or a warning. There were no kind words, nothing to express concern for her, nothing brotherly at all. Her brother had died after the accident, and this shell was all that remained of him. His will personified in his body to finish the quest.
The night was quiet, and Jenna found herself listening to the soothing sounds of the sea splashing against the ship. She found herself being lulled to sleep, something that was more than welcomed. She could not remember the last time she had slept.
Jenna was awoken suddenly by sickening cries of pain and the sounds of Psynergy. Jumping from the seat she found monsters already aboard and Felix dealing with them. Drawing her staff, the Mars Adept unleashed a Beam into the nearest monster before channelling a quick Aura into Felix. Within minutes the siblings had dispatched the monsters on board and Jenna relaxed, smiling to herself, before Felix rounded on her.
"What were you doing!?" He yelled loudly.
Jenna shuddered, seeking to find some distance between herself and this man, "S-sorry, Felix. I was tired."
"Then go get some sleep." Felix ordered, "You'll get killed otherwise." The words struck a chord deep within the young Valean girl.
"I can't sleep, Felix!" Jenna cried as her brother turned his back on her, "I haven't been able to sleep since what happened! You might be able to! You might be able to make it through each day by drinking and passing out, but I can't do that, Felix! I don't know what to do with myself! Every time I close my eyes I see her, and the guilt stops me from sleeping! I can count on one hand the amount of hours I've slept since then. That does not include being knocked out, poisoned, passing out, or having nightmares. If you think it was hard on you, how do you think I feel!? I lost you that day too!"
Jenna sank to her knees, allowing the tears flowing down her cheeks to patter against the wooden panels beneath her. She couldn't stop herself, the tears were running faster than she could beat them away, and the exhaustion had taken her legs from beneath her.
"Go get some sleep." Felix ordered, "Piers will take the shifts until morning."
Jenna forced herself back up, finding her brother's back still turned on her. She advanced on him at the wheel, grabbing his shoulder and forcefully turning him around before driving her tear-wet fist into his gut. The man coughed and doubled over from the force of the punch.
"Don't you give a fucking damn about me anymore, Felix?" She screamed in his ear, driving a fist down onto his back as the man continued to cough, "I pour my heart out to you and you just tell me to get some goddamned sleep? What the hell is wrong with you!?"
Her brother didn't respond, he just continued to cough under her assault, before she eventually tired and delivered on final kick into his stomach before running off, wiping the tears from her eyes. She hurried down through the ship, not bothering to wake Piers before she burst into her room, locked the door, and hid under her covers, crying.
I hate him. She cried, burying her face into the surrounding fabric allowing it to absorb even more of the salty moisture which she shed, I hate him so much.
Light slowly found its way into Piers' sleeping eyes, light that quickly woke him up. He was supposed to be up before dawn. He jumped from his bed quickly, grabbing his long coat and sword before hurrying out onto the deck. All was silent as he rushed out save for the sound of the sea, and as he reached the deck, Felix was standing still by the wheel. Piers would have believed all was well if not for the small streams of blood running over the wooden panels of his ship.
"Felix?" Piers called out as he advanced on the leader.
The man did not answer, instead just tightening his grip on the wheel, waiting for Piers to come to his side as he knew he would. Nothing he said would have stopped his advance, so he didn't bother trying.
"What happened? Why was I not woken by Jenna?" Piers asked as he came up to the man's side, examining his condition. His clothes had several tears throughout, tears that revealed faint cuts healed by Venus Psynergy.
Felix's gaze tilted only slightly toward Piers, "I sent her to bed hours ago. She has been having difficulty sleeping. She was not capable of keeping watch."
"And you felt it better to continue alone rather than have her wake me?" Piers stated as he grabbed Felix's arm, running some healing Psynergy over a few cuts he had seen were healed ineffectively, possibly infected or poisoned wounds beyond what Felix's Psynergy could handle.
Felix did not respond in any way, he did not even remove his arm from Piers' grip. He just continued to pilot the ship toward their destination in Osenia. Piers narrowed his eyes, his gaze moving from the cuts he was dealing with to the black screens of Felix's mask. He stared into the shades doing his best to fix his gaze on Felix's eyes. Apparently they were brown, according to Jenna.
Felix turned the emotionless screen on his face to Piers, returning the intense stare easily. Piers imagined his gaze was far steelier than he could ever achieve, a look of loss and hatred that he could never hope to understand, focused entirely into his own yellow eyes. Piers threw Felix's arm from his grip as he finished, but he did not falter in the penetrating glare they held to each other.
"Why did you not tell me of Jenna's sleeping troubles? Why have you not helped her?" Piers questioned, being sure to keep his face as solid as possible as he stared at the coloured screen of Felix's face.
"It is none of your business or any of mine. If Jenna does not wish to discuss what ails her that is her choice." Felix answered simply, keeping the black screens fixed right onto Piers' golden eyes.
Piers refused to break the challenge first, staring into the black which reflected nothing, "It seems that runs in the family." Piers responded harshly, "Though, unlike you, I imagine Jenna will be more receptive to the offer of help."
"Hmph." Felix grunted uncaringly, breaking the stare at last and returning his gaze to the seas stretching all around them.
Pier shook his head, taking steps away from the man, but remaining on deck until the others began to wake from their sleep. He stood, leaning against the cabin wall, his eyes fixed squarely on Felix's back. Of all the months together he could still not understand what had happened to the man to turn him into what he had been. Jenna had told him he had been like he was up until a few months ago. She had yet to detail a time or any details, but it was clear something had happened to scar him, her, and Kraden.
He fell back on the belief that someone had died, someone very close to them. He could understand sorrow, grief, and anger, for such a tragedy, but he could not understand how it would last like this. How important had this person been to him? Why did it hurt him so?
Piers found his thoughts turn to his mother. He wondered if she was okay. She was never the strongest person, not even Lemurian medicine or ancient secrets from the Golden Age could help her. King Hydros had done everything he could to improve her quality of life when he had taken Piers on as his vassal, yet to no avail. Piers hoped his sudden disappearance did not weigh too heavily on her. He would hate to cause her that pain… but, surely she knew he was alright. She knew he could handle himself.
Time passed, the sun reaching higher into the sky. Piers and Felix fought off several monster attacks in that time, but remained entirely silent. They said nothing to each other, not even during battle to warn the other, or afterwards when they were healing. They just stayed silent, occasionally locking the other in a glare. Eventually the time came when Kraden and Feizhi came on deck, which signalled Felix's time as pilot was up.
The man pushed past all of them, returning to his quarters. Piers shook his head, dropping the anchor, and went to help Kraden prepare breakfast.
That's chapter two.
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Your friend and writer,
Droory