The next day, morning
~Cassius’ Perspective~
I wake up and push myself off the bed in the captain’s quarters. I put on a shirt and jacket, put my glove, containing a spirit weapon, on my left hand, put on my belt and place my sheathed cutlass and flintlock on it.
I push the doors of the captain’s quarters open and breathe in the fresh air. All around, my friends who stayed up all night to stand guard are getting ready to go back below deck to get some much needed sleep.
I look out to the rising sun and admire the colors of the sky for a few moments.
Early morning’s one of the only times I feel like myself. The rest of the day is spent raiding and attacking ships as the feared captain of the Rebel 25, although we try to kill as few as possible. At night, I’m too exhausted and go right to sleep. Dunk and dawn were always my favorite moments, even when I was a kid.
When I was a child living from the mid-sized island town of Lageros in the Eastern 2nd Sea, I was constantly bullied by my peers and my mother loathed my lack of magic talent. I only ever had one friend during those times, but that friendship ended on bad terms.
The colors of the sky when the sun and horizon were connected gave me a sense of peace, a sense of belonging, that no other time of the day gave me during those dark days of my life. I signed up to join the AG military when I was eligible at the age of 14, where I met Julian and the rest of my friends at the Academy. Those were some of the best, and worst, days of my life, but anything was better than the hell back home.
I miss the beautiful countryside of Mainland, the vibrant flower fields of Valeria.
It’s been 4 years since I last saw the place where I truly felt at home. Even when we began to see the corruption within the AG, home was where I could rest and relax, until the damn Bellona came and took away the couple that were the parents I never had.
I’ve lost a lot. My friends are all I have left. I can’t go back to Lageros, not after what happened there. I still feel guilt for what I did there, what I did to the one person who was my friend.
I remember the last time we met, on a rainy day, on the beach of an abandoned island.
“You fucking monster.”
“I’m sorry for what happened.”
“That doesn’t change anything Cassius! You killed her, and for what? To escape the AG!? The whole town was punished for what happened there!”
“We never wanted that and you know it.”
“SHUT UP! It happened and you have to pay the consequences!”
“You know I can’t do that.”
I shake the memory. Just because I moved on doesn’t mean I’m comfortable remembering bad memories.
I wonder how she’s doing. Despite the fact we’re no longer friends, I hope she’s doing well. Pandora too. She was always a sick kid.
I sigh. I had another reason to show up at Lageros, but everything went to shit before I could even do anything. Maybe it was for the better. I don’t think Pandora could’ve willingly left her family. And it wasn’t a guarantee. More of a chance that my mother’s teacher could try to cure her.
Oh well. There’s no point in dwelling on what-ifs. The plan begins today and we have to go.
You want to dance, Sage? Let’s dance.
End of Chapter IX