A/N - Hey... so uh... it's been a while... sorry about that. I've been rediculiously busy this past couple of weeks. I had projects, midterms, and clubs to manage and steal me away from my writing. Any way, I tried making this chapter longer to compensate for that. Also, keep in mind that I'm probably going to wrap up this story in one more chapter. After that, I'm going to have to take a break to focus on school. In the meantime, enjoy this installment and, hopefully, I'll see you guys next week. Ciaus Falkreath out!

As the three of them went into the ruin, Edward couldn't help but think of the situation at hand. He stared at Thatch, the man he thought to be dead for years. Then then turned his attention to Hellen, the one who brought the two pirates together. Despite everything, he felt there was yet more about Hellen then she was letting on. Catching his gaze, Hellen looked at Kenway.

"What is it?" she asked.

"You tell me," he answered vaguely while turning his attention back to the path in front of him.

"Yer right not to trust her Kenway… she done her fair share of backstabbing," Thatch commented.

"That's rich coming from you," she snapped.

"Why, thank you," he replied as they came across another intricately-detailed stone door. To their left, a stone pedestal stood at attention with a large spherical indent at the top. It appeared to be the same size as the apple. Thatch pulled out the device and placed it into the slot. He held his hand on top of it and a white mist emanated from it. The room shook slightly and the stone door slowly sunk below the floor. Beyond that door, the trio was met with a large circular room. Various runes and paintings inhabited the walls. None of which made sense to Kenway.

"Can you read this?" he asked Hellen. Without so much as a word, she shook her head and placed her hand on the wall, transfixed.

"I can," Thatch said as he approached a pedestal on the opposite side of the room.

"How?" Kenway asked. There was a slight pause before he answered.

"It's showing me," he answered while holding up the apple.

"What is it saying? What is this place?" Hellen asked.

"It's a place of ascension," he said as he gazed upon the walls, "where men become gods." When he came to the wall at the opposite end, he came across another stone indent. Just like before, he placed the Apple inside the gap and kept his hand on it. The white light that escaped it created a heat that forced Thatch's hand away from it. Kenway and Hellen turned to investigate while also keeping their distance. All three of them watched as the orb seemed to melt into the light it was creating. Thatch then drew his sword.

"What are you doing?" Hellen demanded.

"It wants out, and I'm going to be the one to let it out." He held the sword up so that it was level with the apple, and Hellen immediately rushed towards him in response. Thatch shoved the sword into the apple and a large shockwave emanated from the indent, sending Hellen flying backwards. Meanwhile, Thatch was screaming, as if in great pain. Kenway ran towards him to help. However, as he put his hands around his friend's shoulders, he was shocked by the faintest hint of red static leaving his body.

"Thatch! Let go!"

"Not until the power is mine!" he shouted.

"This is madness, Edward!" Kenway shouted back. After a few more seconds, a second shockwave erupted, this one sending Kenway and Thatch backwards.

It took little time for Kenway to recompose himself. When he stood back up, he looked at the apple on the ground. It had returned to normal as if nothing had happened. However, the slot it rested in just moments ago was now burnt black and cracked. He then turned to face his friend who was shaking off the effects of the shockwave. Kenway helped Thatch to his feet and noticed something very different about him. His expression had changed to a dead stare.

"Where is my sword?" he asked while looking at the ground around him. Once he spotted it, he shook off Kenway's grip and waddled towards it. He picked it up and held it firmly in his hand. A faint humming could be heard from the blade as he waved it through the air. He pointed it at Kenway, a cold stare inhabiting his eyes.

"Edward?" Kenway asked.

"Kneel," he spoke quietly.

"What?"

"It's corrupted him!" Hellen butted in.

"I said kneel. Both of you," he repeated.

"If you think you can take both of us, you're sorely mistaken," she challenged.

An infinitesimal chuckle escaped his lips as he slowly moved towards Hellen. A few steps in, Kenway drew his pistole and pointed it at Thatch. He stopped walking.

"Are you drawing your weapon on me?" Thatch asked calmly.

"This isn't you Edward," he reasoned.

"What happened to you, Kenway?" he asked while turning around to face him, "You would yearn for this. I know have the power to control the seas… right at my fingertips. It's these assassins you've tangled with. They're the ones who corrupted you."

"How did you know?" Kenway asked.

"It told me… everything," Thatch began while walking towards him, "… it told me how you posed as an assassin… how you found the observatory…"

He was interrupted by Hellen who attempted to stab Thatch in the back with her sword. He stepped to the side and pulled her to him. In that swift action, she was impaled on Thatch's sword. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the sword that went into her chest. She dropped her sword and he withdrew his sword, allowing her to slump to the ground. Immediately, Kenway shot Thatch four times in the chest, one from each pistole. Each shot caused him to stumble back.

However, Thatch didn't fall to the ground. Instead he rebalanced himself and stared at Kenway with a cold gaze. Kenway holstered his pistoles and drew his swords. Unlike Hellen, he stood his ground and waited for Thatch to make the first move. However, Thatch was waiting for Kenway to do the same. Realizing that his plan wasn't working, he switched tactics by throwing a smoke bomb onto the ground.

When the cloud was at it's thickest, Kenway went in for a lunge. Thatch deflected it perfectly and pushed Kenway out of the cloud. Thatch followed suit and began forcing Kenway against the wall. He then swung both of his swords at Thatch, attempting to score a hit. However, every swung of his blade was met by Thatch's. As Kenway began to tire, Thatch began applying pressure by swinging his heavy blade at Kenway. He was forced to deflect each hit and with the power coming from his swings, Kenway was losing stamina fast. The swings grew faster and stronger until one swing, when attempting to deflect, shattered both of Kenway's swords. He fell onto his back.

Holding the pistole portions of his sword grips, he threw one to the air in an attempt to shoot Thatch. However, he smacked it out of his hand and firmly planted his foot onto Kenway's other hand, effectively crushing his hand. Kenway cried out. Thatch then pointed his sword at Kenway's face.

"It's a shame really. I really wanted you to be a part of my crew."

"It's one thing to join a crew… it's another to be a slave."

"So, you'd rather die than join me?"

"No… I'd rather be my own captain," he said while wrigging the wrist of his free hand. The stimulation caused the hidden blade the eject and force itself into Thatch's foot. He immediately retracted the blade and Thatch freed his hand. Kenway then kicked Thatch and fell to the ground. In those brief seconds, he threw another smoke bomb at his feet and made a dash for the exit. As he stood in the doorway, he was reminded of the apple. He looked back at the ground where it resided before rushing back too grab it. He then dashed out of the ruin and right into the crowd of men that Thatch left on guard.

They noticed him and drew their weapons when they noticed what he was holding. One man charged at him with his sword just before being shot in the back. When the man fell to the ground, he saw Barbosa wielding a pistole with smoke trailing from it.

"Thought it be high time we joined ya'," Barbosa stated eagerly just before drawing his sword with his spare hand, causing other crew members that followed him to join the fray. Meanwhile, Kenway was charged by another hunter. However, he saw him in time and was able to deflect his sword using his hidden blade. He made several attempts to hit Kenway but he managed to block each strike until he gained leverage and pried the hunter's sword out of his hand. Kenway then firmly grasped the hilt and jabbed it into his chest.

"Where's Jack?" Kenway asked.

"Dead, most likely!" he shouted while violently impaling a hunter, "We got separated on our way to find you." Looking around them, the battle was easily in their favor.

"I'll go find him, get the ship ready!" he commanded.

"I don't take orders from you!" he shouted back while jabbing a man in the chest.

"Now is not the time Hector! We have to get out of here!"

"Fine! Be quick about it!"

And Kenway was, quickly disappearing into the forested region that lied between their location and the Pearl. While on the main trail, he heard the clashing of metal which he knew to be a swordfight and followed the sound. It was generated by Sparrow in a skirmish with a large man wielding an axe. Several times, Jack tried striking the hunter. However, the power of his swings kept the captain at bay. A few moments later, the hunter swung his axe so that it flung his sword out of his hand. The hunter immediately held his weapon high in the air to prepare for a swing, only to be interrupted by a blade erupting from his chest.

Behind the hunter, Jack was greeted by Kenway who had injected his sword into the man and twisted it, the immense pain causing him to drop his weapon. He himself then dropped to the ground.

"I thought you were dead," Jack commented before picking up his sword.

"Likewise," Kenway added.

Suddenly, several hunters leapt from the shrubbery and into their field of view, encircling the duo. The huddled back to back.

"What happened to your little friend?" Jack asked, referring to Hellen.

"She won't be joining us any time soon," Kenway answered.

"Well that's a real shame," Jack said while deflecting a strike from one of the hunters, "I liked her."

"We need to get off this island," Kenway stated while parrying a hunter before slashing his throat.

"Do you have my treasure?"

"Aye," he said while patting his pocket then.

"Well I see no reason to hang around here, then."

It didn't take long for the two of them to escape the forest and return to the rowboats, where they promptly met with Hector. They boarded the ship and set sail away from the island. The remainder of Thatch's crew watched as the ship slowly sailed out of sight.

"Captain! If we hurry, we can catch them," one man reasoned.

"Leave them, they're not the reason we are here," Thatch ordered.

"Sir?" the man questioned.

"This," he started while raising up his sword, "This is why we're here."

Thatch and the rest of the crew returned to his ship, The Queen Anne. It had been repaired and refurbished since it's last battle. However, it still remained a shadow of it's former self, and Thatch meant to change that. While on the deck, just behind the wheel, he jammed his sword into the wood several inches. There was a considerable thud that resulted, causing a slight ripple in the water around them. There was no sign of wind, but ropes were flailing about as if there were. The sails, currently not in use, appeared to be escaping their confines. Thatch removed the sword from the deck and held it into the sky. As he did so, the sails unfurled themselves until they were fully deployed.

"Now then, I'm going to need a new crew."