This was not a cold of temperature. This was a cold of emptiness, being devoid of life. This cold did not chill the bones, but rather, froze the soul down to the core. It was the ice of the abyss. It paralysed, crystallized the very essence of life. And it was this cold that Davy now felt, creeping into his being.

He couldn't think, not enough of him was left for that. He just knew that he was existing, a cursed existence which was coming to an end. And yet…did he fear death? That question, the fated inquiry that he had posed to so many, and resulted in the changing of so many fates. The death or enslavement of countless souls. Now, he himself, the bringer of death, was faced with this prospect, the ultimate choice. Did he even have a choice? And if he did, should he choose to give himself up to the abyss? To release the suffering, the life that he held. Davy could feel himself slipping away. The darkness and shadows, which even he could not peer through, they were consuming his spirit. Pulling him away.

Calypso…why, oh why did she have to come to mind at a time like this? …His heart, it still existed, wherever it may be…so sometimes, he couldn't help but feel once more. Even at what may be the last few moments of his life.

Zambia…what had she done…? Davy couldn't remember. But he knew she had done something awful to him. It was her fault he was in this pathetic state. He would have felt angry if he weren't drowning in this black mess. He just knew that needed to get his revenge…

She had defied him. She had tried to kill him. Davy struggled against the emptiness enveloping him. No one…should ever stand in his way…he was Davy Jones…ruler of the sea…he could not be defeated…he would not stand to be defeated…but it was over now…

Davy clung onto the last bit of light. Somewhere, he felt something gnawing at him. Heard someone call his name…he could not respond…the voice was faint, he could barely hear it…then it whispered something to do with the Kraken…summon it…he had to summon it…Davy tried to reach for his pet, but found that he couldn't. He was too absorbed by the void. He couldn't even say goodbye to his only companion. His Kraken had been by his side for many years now…it was very in tune to his mind…it probably already knew he was dying.

He felt like he was on the edge of a cliff, and something was banging away at his hold on it. Surprisingly enough, he found that he didn't want to die. His survival instinct was too strong. It screamed at him to struggle, to fight the darkness…he was too weak to try, to do anything but hang on with the limited amount of strength he had left.

Time seemed to stand still. The shadows sucked him in. And so his grip on life was broken.

At the last instant, a thread of life-filled energy reached out to him. He grabbed it, recognizing it. His Kraken was not abandoning him. It was calling to him, drawing upon the vast energy reserve that it had. All he had to do was tap into it. Yet something was blocking him. A black film had formed between him and his pet. Death was hungry to claim another victim. But at a flash, the film was broken. And he just managed to glimpse Calypso's familiar aura before it hoisted him up and out of the darkness, thrusting him towards his Kraken. Then it was gone.

Even though he knew she could not hear him…No matter how much to try to make it up to me…you never will-uh.

The Kraken welcomed him with joy, replenishing his depleted strength with glee. He found himself grateful, and told it so. At this, the Kraken let forth a wave of happiness. And Davy had to chuckle inwardly.

Mai lay on the Kraken's tentacle, listening to the waves crashing on the beach. She had felt the curse weaken and waver, knowing that there was nothing she could do except hope that she would survive. She refrained from glancing over at Davy. She wished that the Kraken would let her go, but decided that as soon as the curse broke it would either release her or eat her. Mai had found that, since her fate would be decided for her, there was no need to be worried about it. She could just enjoy this time of leisure, of relaxing on the sand. She used to enjoy going to beaches with her family, way before the fateful cruise that brought her to the Dutchman. The memories filled her head, and she played them out, feeling surprisingly calm.

That's funny…I'm probably going to die in the next five minutes but I'm not worried about it…I mean, there's nothing I can do to change things, so I might as well enjoy myself while I can. She thought. I guess I've learned something from that woman who didn't fear death.

The Kraken had gone rather quiet recently; it had withdrawn from contact with her. Mai guessed that it was probably sad that Davy was going to die. At least, despite whatever death brought, she would never have to endure the terror and the agony that he inflicted. Mai then continued to remember the pleasant times she had experienced with her family and friends.

She ignored the blackness creeping in at the edges of her vision, ignored the darkness that hungered for her spirit, and just concentrated on her memories, and the waves. They kept on going. All throughout time. They carved the landscape, even the rock, and lay out the sand in intricate patterns. The blackness was consuming her. She whispered goodbye to what was left of her family, then thought that at least she would see her mother again soon. She felt that she was about to pass out. She settled herself more comfortably on the Kraken, and then reached out towards the land. It would be nice to touch it, just once, before she died…with that thought, she lost consciousness.

Mai woke with a start. Great, it's the second time I've woken up and have no idea whether I'm dead or free or whatnot, she thought. Was this the afterlife? She opened her eyes. Same Kraken. Same beach. Same waves. She was alive. She moved her hand. It moved. Ok, got that figured out. I'm alive. I'm in my own control. Now…am I still cursed? Mai looked over at Davy. He wasn't moving. She carefully tried to extract herself from the Kraken's tentacles. They remained still. She still felt weak, but not as much as before. Her heels touched the sand. She took a step. Then another. Then broke into a flat-out run. The grains were warm, and silky soft to the worn bottoms of her feet. But dizziness overcame her and she toppled into the sand. It cushioned her landing. How nice it was to be back on land. She sat up, her head still spinning. Her gaze landed on Davy.

He opened his eyes and stared back, looking disoriented. His crystal blue orbs shone clearly in the sun. His tentacles were alive with motion once more, hesitantly writhing back and forth. His gaze moved, first to the Kraken, then to the sand, then back to Mai. The Kraken, meanwhile, was emitting waves of euphoria that both of them could plainly feel. A large sigh rocked his shoulders up and down, and he blinked, looking up at the sky. Mai was too shocked to move, though something told her that she better run and run now. She took a step back. The Kraken's tentacle shot out, and before she had moved more than a few feet it caught her, wrapping around her waist and dragging her back to the sea. Davy, meanwhile, also seemed too shocked to move. He could hardly believe that he was alive.

Davy tried to gather his thoughts. He was back, and now he had to get to the Dutchman so he could start to assemble his counterattack against Zambia. Back to the Dutchman-uh. He ordered the Kraken. It gave an emotional equivalent of 'Aye-aye, captain! I'd be glad to!' and pulled the tentacles back into the water. Mai also heard Davy's order echo in her mind. She blinked. It had obviously not been addressed to her. So why had she heard it? She also could easily tell the Kraken's response, though it had been just a flash of emotion, rather than words. Davy had summoned the Kraken before in her presence, and she had always heard nothing but silence when they communicated.

Davy noticed something was different. And it had to do with the girl. She had heard both his order and the response. Now that he thought about it, it was she that had entered his mind and called him, then told him to call the Kraken. It was almost as if her mind had suddenly gotten a lot more sensitive. Perhaps the mental torture had backfired, and opened up her own ability with this. Which was a discomforting notion. It meant that he would have to shield his mind with effort, and each mental order could possibly be intercepted if he wasn't careful. He concentrated, putting up thick walls around his thoughts. He would be sure to break that ability properly when he had time. For he knew that it could be done. When he tortured her before, he had a different goal. But the next time would be specific: to rid her mind of this unusual sensitivity. It would be more difficult than just inflicting mental agony, but it was more than possible. This sensitivity probably meant that it would be easier than usual to enter and break her, he'd just have to dig in deeper. But then again…perhaps he could use this against Zambia somehow? Yes, it could come in handy…he'd wait a little before breaking it.

Mai felt Davy putting up impenetrable defences around his mind. Not that she was trying to listen in anyway. It was just happening.

They were nearing the Dutchman. As the Kraken lifted them up and placed them carefully on deck, the crew burst out into exclamations.

"Captain! What happened?"

"We sensed the curse weakening! What was going on?"

At first Davy was silent, then, seeing that the flow of remarks was not stopping, he barked "Silence-uh!" and the crew quickly fell silent. "Ah ran into some complications, which were overcome-uh. We have a new course to make, that should be what concerns ye!" He stalked over to his cabin. "I'll set it then inform you. Prepare to make full speed." He turned to Mai. "You, to mah cabin."

Mai followed him, wondering what he was going to do. Yet she did not feel the usual sense of horror for some reason. He opened the door and thrust her in, then snapped it shut. He turned to some bookcases, getting out some charts. He put those on his desk, along with a compass and navigational instruments.

Mai, meanwhile, was thinking about the urgency with which he did this. It must have something to do with that woman…Zambia. Mai thought. Then immediately wished that she hadn't. For Davy had looked up, a nasty glint in his eye.

Ah forbid ye from mentioning that name-uh! Growled Davy. His voice was so clear that it took Mai a moment to realize that his lips weren't moving. Davy realized how easily she heard him, and for a split second Mai felt him grow worried. Before Davy realized that she had detected this too and slammed the walls around his mind tighter. Then, as Mai stood there, he lashed out with his mind and struck her. As he had predicted, she was even easier to hit and put up no resistance.

Mai cried out at this, so loudly that the crew outside heard it, grinning. She sensed that it now took him less effort to achieve this degree of pain. She groaned and fell to her knees. This time, Davy let her detect his sadistic pleasure and satisfaction at causing her suffering.

He reconsidered his decision to not break her ability. He couldn't let her poke around the minds of his crew, or worse yet…the imprisoned souls of the Dutchman, though it was unlikely she'd be able to do so. So this was necessary. If needed, she could still be a surprise for Zambia then.

Not moving from where he stood, he gave another mental blow. Mai noticed that he was targeting a specific area, though she couldn't tell any more than that. Again and again he struck. It was like chipping away at ice. Mai could see that each strike was so deliberate despite being so powerful. She cried time after time, her knuckles white as she clenched her fists. It didn't take much. Soon her senses were overwhelmed with pain, she couldn't feel anything else. And yet Davy kept on going. His ears were deaf to her screams. His heart was indifferent to her agony. Her eyes rolled around madly as he carved away at her soul. Soon, she collapsed in front of him, and Davy was left standing alone in his cabin, panting but satisfied. He drove further, in her unconsciousness, then gave one final blow. Her body underwent a spasm, and lay still. He grabbed her with his claw, dragging her out onto the deck, then threw her into the hold and walked back into his cabin.

Davy sat down, carefully pinpointing the Dutchman's exact location on the charts, and plotting out the best course to take. He had to move fast if he wanted any chances of stopping and killing Zambia.