Chapter 30: Unveiling the Mysteries of the Past (Part 2)
Previously on CJANLP…
"So, did you guys figure out their origins? What happened to Captain Jake and his crew that changed them so drastically? It was really a gigantic and confusing 'headache' for us!" Everyone else exclaimed in a curious tone.
"Well…we did." Peter said after taking a glance at the crew. Everyone else gasped in shock at the sentence. They never imagined that two of the closest people to them would figure things out. "But we can't tell you guys directly what happened. You guys will have to figure out the identities yourselves." Peter continued.
[Insert riddles]
"Hey Captain Chen," called the Ghost Pirate. "I think that you and I should work together. I read that in Chinese mythology there's a way for 'superpowered deities' to view other peoples' relationships and how it affects their destinies. I think that it might help us understand what the riddles mean."
"OMG! You're right!" the Ghost Pirate exclaimed. "I haven't noticed the outfit similarities until now! Jake's new and regular outfit bears resemblance to Captain Colossus! Izzy's new outfit bears resemblance to Queen Isabella! But I'm still not sure if it's the correct answer to the riddles AKA the crew's origins."
"Interesting…" Captain Chen said. "Each crew member has two lines that connect to legendary pirates. One has been known because it was mentioned in the riddles. But the other line is completely unknown and it's unviewable for some reason. It's also at an equal brightness level which makes both lines equally important. This means that the unviewable line can only be viewed by the people that already know what happened. So, I guess that we're gonna have to show the crew what happened."
A couple of days later, Jake and his crew were contacted by Captain Chen and the Ghost Pirate. They met up at the crew's hideout to tell the crew what they had discovered. The two captains are nervous and excited to see the crew's reactions to what they discovered. When they got to the crew's hideout, they were greeted by Jake and his crew.
"Hey there guys," the captains started. "We sent a letter to you guys a couple of days ago. It's because we had found something interesting about your origins. Here's what we know: in Chinese mythology, there are lines that show people' relationships and how it affects their destinies. We call these lines 'causal lines.'"
After discussing, the crew turned back to the captains, and told them that they were partially correct about their origins. They then pulled out another parchment that had the lines on it in their perspective. When the captains saw the crew's versions of the lines, their minds began to recover the forgotten memories as well as temporarily becoming another self that knew what truly happened. [Insert montage of the captains recovering their memories] It also made the captains temporarily pass out in their minds to make them see what happened. When the captains woke up and explained everything that they saw to the crew, the crew then quickly explained their side of the story.
"I see now." Captain Chen said. "You guys were worried that we would freak out and be too shocked about your pasts. To the point that we won't work with you guys anymore. Now that I think about it, if the villains come back with stronger powers, we'll definitely have to work together to defeat them."
"Hmm," Jake said. "I think that we should first tell everyone that you two (pointing to the two captains) that you guys figured out our origins. Then, you guys can explain how you guys found it out. After that, we'll show them the parchments to show them what the relationships were and how they affected us. I feel that this is the best way to make everyone understand how everything came to be."
The crew nodded in agreement, and then discussed when to make everyone that knew meet. Then, the two captains left to do their own things. For the rest of the day, the crew checked on their surveillance system, prepared for the reveal, and practiced for future battles. They also sent letters to Peter and Captain Colossus to let them know who found out their past.
And now…
Three days later…
Everyone that knows the truth about the crew's origins met at the crew's hideout. Peter and Captain Colossus got there first, followed by Captain Chen and the Ghost Pirate. When they got there, the crew was waiting for them.
"Hey there, guys." the crew said. "We sent a letter to you guys a couple of days ago. In the letter, we stated that Captain Chen and the Ghost Pirate figured out our origins. The way they figured it out is from Chinese mythology. However, they had to ask us a couple of things in order to finally reawaken their true memories of us. As you guys know, everyone that knows about origins is here to discuss how to reveal everything about our origins."
The captains and Peter nodded in agreement. They got the letter from the crew two days before the meeting. So, they all knew what the meeting was for. Everyone then went inside and started discussing how to reveal Captain Jake and his crew's origins.
"Huh, I originally thought that Chinese mythology would help us understand why you guys were chosen for the prophecy, not as a part of the evidence. But I guess it's just too important, to the point that the lines were just concrete evidence. Also, all the similarities between the outfits told us that you guys were related, but we disregarded it in exchange for a more solid reasoning. But now that we know what caused the prophecy to happen, we needed to help make everyone else understand what you guys became due to the prophecy." Captain Chen said.
"Yeah." Jake said. "It's interesting how everyone that didn't know about our 'special relationships' with legendary pirates didn't realize that the similarities between the outfits were a hint of our relationships with our parents. It's only when we tell them the similarities, then they start to take notice of the connection. When we sent Peter the letter about the truth, we decided to use those details as a clue. Therefore, I think that when we explain our relationships, we should mention that everything that comes with our new powers happens for a reason. Maybe then they will notice that everything is connected."
"Yeah." Izzy said. "Everyone else is probably still confused about the prophecy due to the fact that we changed so much over the last few months. To the point that they probably couldn't recognize that our new powers are based on our 'obscure' family relationships. I think that the sudden change in our mindset and personality caused all the confusion and why it took so long for everyone to get used to everything that happened. I also think that we should explain how our family relationships impacted our minds. I also noticed that everyone else was overreacting because of how we defeated the legion single-handedly."
Everyone else nodded in agreement. The crew and their changes happened in such a short time period, to the point that everyone else was having a difficult time catching up to them. They needed to help the others adjust to the crew's new identities.
"Well," Peter said. "I think that we should start with who won the challenge, and start from there. It'll make everyone more ready and calm for the reveal. Then, we'll go into detail on how it was figured out, including thoughts on the prophecy and what you guys (points to Captain Chen and the Ghost Pirate) were originally thinking. Finally, we'll explain the truth to everyone else, including all the details that they didn't notice and what you guys were afraid of. This way, we'll minimize the shock and the startling realization related to the prophecy. I believe that they will accept everything that happened after we explain everything."
Everyone else nodded in agreement. Everyone knows when the truth is revealed, the others have a lot of questions about it. They all know that the truth about the crew's origins is way too astonishing and shocking for anyone to comprehend. But the crew also know that they can't keep hiding their origins forever.
"Yes." Captain Colossus stated. "I think that's the best way to reveal the origins to everyone else. I also think that we'll have a lot of questions due to the new identities that the crew members have become."
"Yeah." Skully said. "Everyone else must have a lot of questions about us after the prophecy. Things like this are bound to pop up at some point. For example, how did you guys manage to keep it a secret for this entire time, why did you guys choose to hide it from us in the first place, and many others. We'll have to answer all of these questions."
"Yep." Jake said. "We'll have to answer all those questions for those who don't realize who we are. This is the only way to get everyone else to understand what we had become due to the prophecy. I can tell that we're ready for the mind-altering reveal. It's time to make everyone understand who we are and what we have become. And that we are chosen because everything was meant to be."
After that, the captains and Peter left to prepare for the reveal. Everyone also decided that the reveal will take place after 4 more days. For the rest of the day, the crew checked on their surveillance system, got ready for the reveal, and practiced for future battles.
4 days later…
Everyone gathered on a beach on the mainland. Two weeks had passed since the challenge began. Besides Captain Chen and the Ghost Pirate, no one else was able to figure out the crew's origins. Everyone else is feeling very nervous to hear which team has figured out the crew's origins. When the crew came, everyone turned towards them to hear the final results of the challenge.
"Hi there, everyone." Jake said. "We have determined the winners of the challenge. You all had great guesses, but most of those guesses were incorrect. However, there's a guess that was partially correct. But after me and my crew further explained things, they finally realized what our origins were. Captain Chen and the Ghost Pirate, would you guys mind further explaining things about it?"
Captain Chen and the Ghost Pirate quickly joined the crew, bringing the parchment with them. Then they went into detail about how the lines worked and what they noticed. They also showed everyone the parchment.
"We found out using a concept from Chinese mythology. In Chinese mythology, there are these lines that connect two people when they meet. This can happen to anyone who has met another person, whether it's friends, family members, or strangers. These lines can also show the history of the relationships that any of the two people have. These lines are called 'causal lines' in Chinese mythology, it's similar to a cause and effect timeline. These lines come in different brightnesses, the brighter the line is, the more important it is." Captain Chen started.
"We found out that each of the crew members had 2 lines that were corrected to legendary pirates. One line was viewable and was mentioned in the riddles. However, the other line wasn't viewable, but it told us that the relationships are really important to them. Both lines were equally as bright, which told us that the crew's relationships with the legendary pirates are fundamental to the prophecy. Later, when the crew themselves showed us their point of view of the lines, we realized that both lines were actually connected together in one single line. This made us realize hearing about the legendary pirates at different times, instead of in the beginning has separated the lines. It also made us finally realize that the crew now has brand new identities." the Ghost Pirate continued.
Everyone else gasped in shock at the words. They never thought that Jake and his crew would have new identities because of the prophecy. They are also starting to understand how the prophecy works a lot more.
"But what does this have to do with the prophecy? It's just a line that depicts the causes and effects of the crew's relationships with everyone. How does this connect to the crew's origins?" Captain Flynn asked.
"But yet it does. The riddles depicted how the crew members were connected to the legendary pirates. While the lines showed the effects it had on the crew due to the prophecy coming true." Captain Chen replied.
"Wait a minute. If the crew members are connected to the legendary pirates and that the prophecy came true only because they were the chosen ones. Then this means that the crew's new identities must be- I suddenly understand now! No wonder why you guys didn't tell us directly! This is way too crazy for anyone to understand!" Beatrice Le Beak suddenly thought aloud.
The crew nodded. Beatrice has finally figured out the crew's origins. She realized that the crew wasn't chosen because of their abilities, but because of their past as legendary pirates' descendants.
"Yep." the crew said. "This is why we were chosen. We were not chosen because of our abilities, but because of our destinies and the relationships that we have. For those who still didn't understand, our secondary mode outfits also had clues about our origins. Think you guys can figure it out now?"
Everyone that still didn't figure out the origins gasped in shock at the fourth sentence. They suddenly began to realize the crew's origins were right in front of them this entire time. As they begin to notice the similarities between the outfits and the legendary pirates' outfits, everyone else finally realizes the crew's 'unique' relationships with the legendary pirates.
"So, wait. The outfits had clues about your pasts also? The outfits were super similar to legendary captains and what they wore. Does this mean that the crew is really- OMG! How come we didn't notice it earlier! Everything makes sense now! No wonder why you guys were hiding the relationships from us! It's because it's too much for anyone to understand! This is too mind-numbing and shocking to hear! To be honest, we weren't expecting the prophecy to cause such a big change to you guys. Guess we were clearly wrong." everyone else (Beatrice joined in at eleventh sentence) said.
"That's essentially what happened." the crew stated. "At first, we thought that the prophecy wouldn't change us that much either. But when we woke up from the transfer, we knew that things were about to change in a big way. We were originally nervous to explain the situation to you guys at the time because if the villains come back with stronger powers, we'll definitely have to work together to defeat them. We had to practice batting solo, which changed us into solo fighters. And then Jake's dad (Jake said "my dad" instead) found out about the relationships, which caused us to keep in contact with each other. Then, when he sent us a letter along with a picture of him and his friends being together, our minds were transformed into a more confident mindset by the vision of the past that we had. Over the past several months, we went through a lot of changes in basically everything. We went from knowing nothing to becoming a prominent team."
"Oh, okay." everyone else said. "To be honest, we weren't expecting that many changes occurred to you guys. Yet, you guys managed to adapt to it super fast. For you guys, things have been changed due to the fact that you guys were the prophecy bearers. For us, it's the change in perspective on the prophecy that made us feel shocked. But now that you guys explained to us that the past caused you guys to fulfill the prophecy that led to the truth, we feel even more astonishing due to the fact that you guys' pasts wasn't something that we experienced before. Most of the time, Peter brings in new people to the land. In your case, you guys were born here, which makes you guys natives. Which is interesting to understand."
"Now that the truth is finally out," Captain Colossus said. "Everyone can finally 'breathe.' The crew and I can also 'take a breath' now due to being less stressed. Uhhh, guys? The parchment that contains the lines is glowing? I have a feeling that it's about to combine with something!"
The parchment that contains the lines magically flew into the air. Then, the prophecy book (crew's version only) appeared out of nowhere. Following that, all the letters that contained the crew's past and the picture of the past appeared as well. Everyone watches in disbelief as each item goes into the book. Then out of a portal, 4 bracelets and two flags mysteriously appeared. Afterwards, the bracelets attached themselves to the crew members, one of the flags merged with the flag on top of Bucky, and the other flag merged into the flag on the crew's mansion headquarters. The book then shoots out a beam of light at Jake's hand. When the light died down, a letter appeared in Jake's hand…
TBC…