Everyone looked at her in amazement. From their expressions it looked like Luz had just asked them the stupidest question in the world, like how many suns were in the sky. "Seriously? You really don't know who Belos is?" Vee asked her in a surprised voice.

"I was just born, okay!? I know it doesn't seem like it since I have the look and mind of a fourteen year old kid, but I've only been in this world for a few weeks! So sorry if I don't know certain things!" Luz exclaimed embarrassed.

"Wow... really? Well, actually now that I think about it, you're a wooden puppet. You can't be born and grow like real people" Viney said, and Luz felt even more embarrassed at those words, and in a way they also bothered her for reasons she couldn't explain.

"Anyway... I've heard a little about it" Luz murmured then trying to appear less ignorant than she was. "During a circus act I had heard some parts of the story. I know that two guys named Philip and Caleb Wittebane, and also a fairy named Evelyn, had something to do with it, and that Philip had been trying to... well... I didn't see the end of the show, but I saw a knife go up over his brother, so... I can imagine". She swallowed slightly as she thought back to the scene she had seen that had made her blood run cold. "Also in the prologue of that play they claimed he was the most terrible creature in the ocean, and they called him Cruel Emperor of the Sea... and you too, Vee, spoke of him as a sea creature, and you fear him even being pirates, so... I assume he's some kind of monster...?"

"Belos is not just some kind of monster... Belos is THE monster. The most terrible monster that has ever existed in this world. A monster among monsters" Masha said taking the word. For some reason they seemed quite excited... in fact, judging by their expression it was as if they had been waiting for nothing else. "It's time for a good horror story! Let's create the right atmosphere right away: Jerbo, take a hot coal and use it to light up my face!"

The pirate immediately did as they asked and using a pair of tongs raised a reddish ember directly under Masha's face; even though it was morning, the reddish light reflected on their face, still giving them a gloomy appearance. Furthermore, Masha's expression was quite disturbing: their eyebrows were slightly arched and their lips were raised in a smile that looked very much like a mocking and cruel grin, and they were rubbing their hands together as if they had just planned something evil. All these elements put together created a rather eerie atmosphere, and when Masha spoke, they did so in a very deep and threatening tone of voice. "Let's see... you said you got to the point where Philip Wittebane killed his brother, so let's start there. Well, the noise and the gush of blood that fell on his face woke the fairy Evelyn from her sleep, and so she saw what her beloved's cruel brother had done. In horror she grabbed Caleb's now cold body, trying in vain to revive him, using all her magical knowledge... but not even the magic of the fairies can bring the dead back to life, and Caleb Wittebane had already passed away. Evelyn wept over the dead body of her beloved, the man who had given her the greatest happiness she had ever had, only to lose it at the hands of his brother, the one who was supposed to be her trusted brother-in-law; she was furious, but she was even more furious when Philip, without showing the slightest remorse for what he had done, tried to stab her too, taking advantage of her desperation. Using her magic, she threw him into the sea and there Philip began to change. To punish him, Evelyn transformed him into a hideous and deformed monster, with skin and flesh so decadent that he could no longer walk on the land or even in shallow water without breaking his bones, thus confining him forever to the open sea, far from civilization. She told him that he would have remained in that horrible form until he would have accepted that he was not as infallible as he believed and he would have made amends for his action by saving at least a thousand other lives. After which the fairy took the body of her beloved and buried it on the beach, and near his grave she built her house, and she remained there until the end of her days. Evelyn thought that Philip would wander the ocean alone for a while, and then the loneliness and the remorse would lead him to redemption; even though she hated the man deeply, she was still a fairy and she hoped that he would earn forgiveness, and she also wanted Caleb to rest in peace knowing that his brother had changed and abandoned his thirst for power... but she had underestimated how much cruel and wicked was the soul of Philip Wittebane. Without meaning to, Evelyn had created something that would have terrorized the oceans of the entire world for centuries"

Masha's face became even darker and the smile on their face widened; they were clearly loving telling that story. And in fact they were really good at entertaining the audience, since even Vee, Jerbo, Barcus and Viney, who already knew the ending, were watching them in silence and with wide eyes, as if they were hearing all this for the first time. "Philip was not willing to give up and unfortunately thanks to his constant travels with his brother and Evelyn he already had enough knowledge of magic to transform that punishment into a tremendous force. Over the course of several decades he converted the light magic of the punishment of fairy in pure dark magic, and traveled from one side of the ocean to the other killing and absorbing the energy of any magical creature he found such as a parasite. His body grew, becoming larger than a shark, larger than a whale, and finally he reached such a size that he had no rivals, so much so that even the krakens and leviathans began to seem small in comparison to him. There was no limit to his eternal hunger for energy, and he devoured everything within his reach, even ships of the unfortunates who encountered him; he consumed their bodies, transforming them into new mass to add to his enormous body and absorbed their energy which increased his already immense power. All the sea creatures and all the sailors learned to fear him, and they gave him the name Belos, which in fact means 'Cruel Emperor of the Sea'. For centuries Belos terrorized all the oceans to the point that even mermaids and mermen fled towards the coast when they saw him approaching, not caring if they could be captured by unscrupulous hunters or slavers, and it is said that some of them even beached themselves and they let themselves suffocate to death; they preferred that death to the horrible destiny of being consumed and transformed into new organic mass for that horrible monster. Even the ports and coastal towns emptied, everyone abandoned the coasts fleeing inland, since at any moment Belos could arrive and submerge everything with a tsunami. Many people tried to stop him, but they all failed; knight after hero after warrior after entire armies... no one was ever able to defeat that embodiment of destruction and desperation. For so many years, fear was the only thing that existed in the ocean, and everyone who lived there or passed through it knew that it was only a matter of time before he found them and devoured them. Then, when he was sure he had reached the absolute pinnacle of the food chain, and when even continuing to consume sea creatures gave him no satisfaction, Belos... simply calmed down"

Luz was so engrossed in the story that she was almost holding herself back from breathing to make sure she didn't make a single noise and risk missing even the slightest piece. It was a terrifying story, but at the same time extraordinarily interesting. "Yes, that's exactly how it happened. Simply from one day to the next Belos finally began to calm down and entered a state of placid tranquility, swimming aimlessly across the oceans in search of something that no one knows. Anyone who dares to get close to him still meet a bad fate, but at least the sea is a safer place now. No one knows what Belos is looking for... some say an artifact, some said a magic, others said something completely different. Maybe we'll never know". Masha opened their eyes suddenly and brought the burning coal closer to their face, not caring that they risked burning themselves, and that gave them an even more frightening appearance. "And also... a frightening rumor has spread over the years. Word on the street is that Belos learned to take on human form for a very short time, and that with it he reaches the towns on the coast and even those further away from it, and he pretends to be a nice old man to attract the kids and said to them to take them to a wonderful place, and all attracted by his flattery and promises follow him, and they get on a beautiful vessel which seems to be made from the remains of dozens of sunken ships, and with that they head towards the sea all happy... but no one ever comes back"

Evidently that was the end of the story, because Vee, Jerbo, Viney, Barcus, and even Gus and Willow began to applaud, and Masha gave a short bow as if she were a dancer who had just performed in front of a theater. Luz was quite shocked; she had expected a gripping and scary story, as everyone spoke of Belos with fear, but she hadn't imagined it would be such a thing. "So, to recap... Belos is actually Philip Wittebane, punished by a fairy for his actions, and now he's a giant monster wandering around the ocean terrorizing everyone and occasionally taking human form to capture kids?"

"The last part is just a fairy tale" Barcus told her. "It's not confirmed by anyone that Belos can take human form. Simply the parents use his terrible reputation to keep their children at bay. You know... the classic 'go to school or Belos will come get you tomorrow'. Before he appeared they used the boogeyman, now they use him"

"Are you so sure? I believe that story" Jerbo opined. "After all, it's not even confirmed by anyone that Belos can't take human form. He might not be able to, but he might as well. It wouldn't surprise me if such a powerful creature was capable of it"

"Oh, come on, buddy, this is ridiculous! Do you seriously think a monster like that would waste his time kidnapping kids? What should he do with them?" Barcus asked him.

Jerbo shrugged. "And how should I know? He could use them for everything. Maybe he uses them for some cruel experiment of his own. Maybe they serve him as guinea pigs. Or maybe... he just wants some fun. I mean, if I were an almost immortal giant monster who has no rivals and has literally nothing to do, in the long run I would get bored and I would try to find a hobby". A menacing smile was painted on his face: "Maybe Belos brings the kids to him and then he transforms them into beasts and makes them incapable of speaking, and then he brings them back to land, condemning them to a horrible life, without the possibility of being reunited with their parents or being able to do all the things humans do, like walk on two legs, talk, or even just eat cooked food. From my point of view this would be something that would make such an evil being laugh out loud"

"Okay, Jerbo, that's enough. You're scaring Luz. And you, puppet, don't believe in such fairy tales" Viney muttered looking at Luz, who was visibly turning pale. "Personally I believe that even being afraid of him in the sea is foolish by now. No one has seen Belos around for decades. Most sailors think that he has retreated into the depths of the ocean or perhaps he has fallen asleep somewhere. Some people even think that he died because he collapsed on his own magic. Fearing meeting him is ridiculous, but Captain Salty wants us to continue to keep in mind the danger he represents, and so every time any of us say 'nothing can sink this ship' we must immediately add 'except Belos'. It's the rule here on the ship, even if it's a stupid rule"

Luz raised an eyebrow. Ok, judging by the story Belos was really dangerous, but that seemed exaggerated to her. "It seems a bit excessive to me to repeat that every time. Why did he imposed such a rule?"

"The captain says that he spotted Belos when he was young" Jerbo replied. "And he absolutely doesn't want to forget that experience, and he doesn't want us to delude ourselves that we have a chance against that monster"

"Wait, your captain spotted Belos!?" Masha exclaimed with their eyes shining. "Really?"

"Really"

Everyone turned towards where the voice had come from and saw Captain Salty approaching with a dark expression on his face. "I will never forget that day. Sometimes I still dream about it at night" he murmured, and a note of fear could clearly be heard in his voice. "I was just a young sailor at the time, and I was cleaning the deck of the ship, when I saw him in the distance. I would have mistaken him for an island if it wasn't that he was moving. He was more than a kilometer long, and his body was a hideous mass of legs, tentacles and fins; he looked like the hideous mixture of a scolopendra, an octopus and a deformed fish. He also had two enormous hand-like paws covered with claws with which he moved as if he were grasping the seabed and crawling up it. His entire body was green as slime, and there was no muscle or tendons beneath his skin, only hideous bones continually rattling against those rotten and decadent flesh. But nothing was as terrifying as his hideous head... it looked like the skull of a man, but with much more pronounced jaws and covered with sharp teeth larger than houses, and from the head protruded two enormous curved horns; his eyes were blue like giant crystals and shone with an evil light"

Luz felt a pang of fear. Hearing Captain Salty, who had braved a storm by laughing and even mocking the clouds, speak so fearfully about a sea monster made her realize that Belos must indeed be a terrifying creature. Even Masha and Vee were surprised to hear so much fear in the captain's voice, while Jerbo and Barcus looked like someone who had heard that story a thousand times and Viney seemed bored. The only ones left unmoved were Gus and Willow, who had spent the entire storm hiding in Luz's pocket and therefore hadn't realized how brave (or crazy, Luz had yet to decide) Salty was.

"That time I thought I was going to die" the captain continued. "As I looked at that monster I couldn't help but think 'so my time has come'. Never in my life I felt so fragile and helpless. I knew that if Belos would have attacked the ship he could swallow it whole simply by opening those enormous jaws. But that day the sea gods were kind to me, and Belos continued on his way without noticing the ship until he disappeared on the horizon. When I finally no longer saw him, my body lost all physical consistency and I collapsed on the deck as if I were made of jelly. The rest of the crew found me there curled up like a crying child, and they had to make a great effort to bring me back to myself. That day... I learned what the true meaning of the word terror was". Salty snapped his crab claws, making a hissing sound. "Always remember this, kids: if you ever spot Belos, the only thing to do is to kneel down and pray whatever deity you know that he passes by without noticing you. And if the sea gods ignore your request and he sees you... then be sure to close any matters in suspended, because you will not have the opportunity to do so later"

Luz stepped back slightly. She couldn't remember ever seeing such seriousness in someone's eyes. "Um… ok, noted!" she just slurred.

As if nothing had happened, Captain Salty instantly abandoned his menacing air and regained the jovial one he had always had. "Good. Now enough with the backstory! We don't load dead weight on this ship! From now on you are under Viney's jurisdiction! And now get busy!" he ordered, then he turned and headed towards the helm.

Viney shook her head. "I heard that story at least a million times... the captain tells it every chance he gets. Get ready, because he will repeat it ad nauseam"

"But he's not entirely wrong. If he really saw Belos then he's right to be scared of him" Masha tried to say in Salty's defense. "I mean... personally I couldn't say whether he was unlucky enough to see him or lucky enough to survive to tell about him"

"Yes, but I still think it's exaggerated" Viney grumbled. "I've been sailing since I was ten and I've never seen him. I told you, Belos hasn't been wild in the sea for generations"

"If I remember correctly, the last time was when he wiped out the basilisk species, fifty years ago... and you can't say they weren't asking for it" Barcus said, then his fur became ruffled as he realized he had said something inappropriate. "Oops... sorry, Vee, I didn't mean..."

"No, don't worry. I know the story" Vee replied, then she realized a detail that she hadn't noticed until then. Usually it would have caught her eye right away, but by now she was so used to being treated normally by Luz and Masha that she hadn't noticed it. "Um... but are you okay with me being a basilisk, by the way? I mean... aren't you afraid...?"

"Afraid? You saw our first officer throw herself onto a giant shark, and do you think we should be afraid of you?" Jerbo laughed. "We have a captain who literally has a lobster for a mother, and half the sailors on this crew are freaks. A basilisk is definitely not the strangest thing we've ever seen. Here at sea it's all about how good you are at maneuvering among the waves; whatever foolish beliefs exist inland don't exist here"

"Yeah. Plus, you're pretty cute. If you ever get tired of Masha and want to consider another partner, just know that I... UGH!" Barcus barked as Masha kicked him in the shin, sending him tumbling away.

Vee laughed at that. It didn't seem possible that she was meeting more and more people who didn't care that she was a basilisk. Perhaps the world was no longer as terrible and merciless as the greater basilisk she once called aunt had told her. She felt incredibly good about herself that maybe things had gotten better after fifty years.

"Ok, that's enough. Barcus, stop hitting on every female being that you find. And you too Jerbo, I know for sure that you must have made advances on some of them, if not all of them" Viney said bringing their attention back to her, then she grabbed a broom and put it in Luz's hands. "From now on you are an aspiring cabin boy... sorry, girl. Go clean the deck"

"What!? But I'm tired! I've been shoveling coal all night in the middle of a storm!" the puppet protested.

"You still have the strength to complain, so surely you also have the strength to work. Get busy" Viney ordered her.

"No way! I already said I'm not a member of your crew, why should I work!?" Luz snapped.

Viney shrugged. "Simply, everyone on this ship has a job. If you don't want to work, you're free not to, but you have to get off the ship"

"But we're in the middle of the ocean!"

"So what? You're made of wood, you can float"

"Hey! That's not a nice thing to say..." Vee tried to defend Luz, but then she stopped. "Wait, do you float?"

"Actually, we never checked it" Gus commented, rubbing his chin.

"Now I'm curious too" Willow added. "Throw yourself into the sea, let's see if you come back to the surface"

Luz turned red with anger. "I'm not jumping into the sea just because... HEY! LET ME GO!"

Viney had grabbed her by the waist and lifted her above her head as if she were a twig. "Sorry, shrimp, but now I have this doubt in my head and I want to check it!". And having said that she threw the puppet over the edge of the ship; Luz screamed and fell into the water with a splash. She disappeared from view for a couple of seconds, and then her body resurfaced and remained suspended above the waves. "Hey! You really float!" Viney exclaimed with some admiration.

"Stop smiling and pull me up!" Luz exclaimed. Even though she wasn't sink, she absolutely didn't want to stay in that freezing water since she felt like she was dying of hypothermia, and she was also terrified that some big fish would take advantage of the situation to swallow her.

Viney shook her head. "I told you, only those who work come on this ship. Since you don't intend to do so, you can stay there in the water. But don't worry, we're not so cruel as to abandon you here: you can travel peacefully clinging to the figurehead"

Luz's eyes flashed, but Vee's voice calmed her: "Luz, forget it. After all, we are guests, it's only right that we lend a hand on the ship"

The puppet closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You'll pay for this" she growled. "All right, I'll clean that damn deck for you! Now pull me up!"

"Well, since you've changed your mind, you're welcome" Viney responded by tugging on her rope. The puppet quickly got back on the ship and there she found the brown-haired girl who was already handing her the broom. "You're completely crazy!" she exclaimed, but nevertheless she took the tool and began to clean the deck, although muttering what sounded like threats.

We finally have Belos' full backstory, and apparently, I'll never stop saying this, he's a really nice guy. Right?

By the way, some of you may have found Viney a bit bullish in this chapter, but in her defense I would say that if someone after I saved them from certain death in the middle of the sea and even offered them a free ride would refused to lend a hand on the ship... I'd throw them in the sea too. Indeed, Viney was even lenient from my point of view. And don't worry, Luz is not ungrateful, she simply doesn't want to work (just like the original Pinocchio, given that even if people offered him jobs to earn money to feed himself he still refused because he didn't want to work hard), but as you had said, Viney is very persuasive.

We reach milestone 50 chapters! Thank you very much for all your support! Continue to comment and leave kudos! X-)