This particular article will involve a time skip because outside of those two *points to Artz and Killian making out nearby* shagging like a pair of Nubbins and some too sweet, makes your teeth hurt, family time for Killian, Artz and Silver...not much else happened. Hey! It can't all be action packed adventures and whirlwind romances. Sheesh. Go on, go on, shoo. Go read Part IX of Starsea.
The ocean eyed man was currently sitting with his legs crossed on the the floor. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow. He was practicing a meditation technique that Artz had apparently taught him as a child though he still has no recollection of any of their time together. The purpose of this exercise was to allow him to consciously access his personal mental landscape but in his case, it was a seascape.
Why did he want to enter this so called aquatic paradise? To communicate with the one known as The Scourge of the Sea, James Hook. He had been meaning to do this since he had learned the truth about his son, about Clare and Emma, and about the woman that tied them all together. He and Hook still had to clear out the alterations made to the dark captain's memories, but he was also very worried about what the future Poseidon had said to the Star Child.
To shatter a mirror that wasn't his own.
Yes, he definitely needed to speak to his counterpart sooner rather than later. That was the plan but then the entire ship lurched and practically threw him across the room. Artz, who had been sleeping at the time, snapped her fingers and both of them were fully clothed. Was there anything her powers couldn't do?
The two made it top side and were greeted by the sight of a very large tentacle covered in suckers. There was another near the front of the ship and one behind them on the back of the ship. The men went to attack the tentacles with their swords and something inside him screamed.
'Stop! Don't hurt him! *rebuttals from his crew and a name popped into his mind, along with the brief image of the creature he had met before when he couldn't find Kali* His name is Koschei and he's my friend! So please don't hurt him!'
'Holy shit, little Killi! You actually remember him?!'
'No. I met him in the seascape. Kali didn't come to me when I called so I asked him to find out what happened. I'm guessing he did. Otherwise he wouldn't have stopped us.'
Silver finally made it topside and the saw the tentacles. He immediately jumped overboard and disappeared into the darkness of the ocean. Artz's head snapped up and she raced to the nearest tentacle. She reached out and touched it, only to yank her hand while hissing in pain.
'Something's wrong, isn't there?'
'Koschei...he's hurt badly. Several of his tentacles are trapped under a giant pile of rocks, possibly from an underwater earthquake. The ones that are not trapped or wrapped around the ship are keeping Kali from being pushed into what I believe is a developing volcano.'
'There must be some way we can help him!'
'Not we, just me. Silver doesn't have the raw power and might required to even extract Koschei, let alone Kali. Not to mention that his control is learned, not instinctive. I need a true Child of the Sea.'
'What the bloody hell does that mean?!'
'It means that I need Poseidon and Hook! Poseidon is a natural elemental, meaning that he was born with his powers already active. Hook is considered the Heart of the Ocean, capable of withstanding the true force of the Sea and direct it towards Poseidon. When they work together, they can flood the entire planet and wipe out all life on said planet.
As for Silver, he is what's called an awakened elemental, meaning that his powers were activated later in his life and is therefore weaker than a natural elemental. He can't convert to his elemental form without killing himself but he can breathe underwater and communicate with most of the higher life forms of the sea like Koschei.
Now if you excuse me. I need to go and do what I do best...the impossible. Stay here where you won't get yourself killed. Better yet touch one of the tentacles and connect to Koschei. Who knows...he might be able to restore some of your lost memories.'
Before he could object, she jumped into the water and disappeared. Killian had never felt so powerless in his life. Smee pushed him over to the closest tentacle and gave him a look that said to do what he was told. He reached out and touched the suckered appendage. He lost all awareness of his physical surroundings but he still had the sense of touch, almost like he was in between the seascape and the physical world.
Bubbles floated around him, all of them depicting some kind of event. Some were from his childhood. Others were from a world unlike anything he had ever seen before and then there were the ones that vibrated violently, their surfaces constantly rippling. He couldn't actually tell what was going on within the bubbles themselves. All of it was distorted but color him surprised when his counterpart seemingly stepped out of him like before.
Something was wrong. The Scourge of the Sea barely looked conscious. His eyes were half closed and out of focus. He walked...staggered towards the violently rippling bubbles like he was drawn to them against his will. He tried to call out to him but he found himself locked into place, unable to move or speak. The bubbles started spinning around the Dark Captain and Killian watched as the man transitioned from looking like him to someone else entirely.
The man had short brown hair, amber brown eyes and was a few inches taller than Artz, but his face is what gave him pause. It was like he was seeing a masculine version of Clare. What did it mean? The clothes the man was wearing were similar in nature to the ones in the mysterious trunk that appeared from nowhere. The man smiled at him and it made the Captain's heart ache.
'Erin!'
The younger Jones watched as a woman with short dark blonde hair and forest green eyes ran up to the former captain with a smile on her face. Up until she smiled, she seemed a bit plain, ordinary even...he would even go so far as to say unimpressive but then she smiled and his heart sped up from intense attraction. The way her smile lit up her face, making her eyes sparkle with happiness...absolutely breathtaking...and then he received the shock of his life.
'My Artz.'
'My Silverfrost.'
She was Artz?! How could that be?! They looked nothing alike?! As if answering his question, one of the nearby bubbles burst and he thrust into a different environment. People were running and screaming and he didn't know why until he heard a woman shout Artz's name that he realized why. She was disintegrating, literally falling apart...like sand caught in the wind.
The one known as Silverfrost was dragging a nearly catatonic Artz who was having the mother of all emotional breakdowns. Whoever that woman was, she had been precious to her...someone irreplaceable. He pushed her up and over the fence and began climbing the fence, only to fall victim to whatever force was causing such destruction.
'Run, you clever girl, and remember. RUN!!'
And she did, tears streaming down her face...but how was he following her if he died? His soul...it was his soul. Even in death, he refused to abandon her...just like James had said.
'Wherever you go, I will always follow.'
Hook was Erin, Erin was Silverfrost, Silverfrost was the name Artz had given his son in honor of her fallen friend, but what if that friend had followed her somehow? What if his soul got trapped in another's body and rendered dormant until the original had been destroyed? His soul had shattered which caused Erin's soul to awaken but because he had been inside him so long, he had become warped or maybe molded by his past?
His attention returned when he heard the blonde screaming in agony. A man with electric blue eyes was attacking her with lightning bolts...what the hell? Standing within some kind of rift or a tear in the fabric of reality...was himself, but why would he be there?
'I hate to rush you, Light, but we've got company!'
He wasn't able to see much beyond the rift but there was definitely movement on the other side.
'If I go any faster, her heart will stop!'
'So get part of her through and I'll take control of the water in her body to keep her heart pumping!'
'You idiot! Both you and Jimmy would feel it too! You'll essentially be dying with her!'
'Just shut up and do it because we're running out of time on both sides!'
Suddenly he was seeing through his future self's eyes...no, it was more than that. He could feel it. Something was moving within him but it felt so natural. It made him want to cry from relief. Something inside of him had given way...physically. And then there was pain, every part of him in searing agony. His mouth was open in a silent scream. He couldn't think, he couldn't feel, he was splintering apart. Someone called his name.
He opened his eyes to see a mirror before him. The man known as Silverfrost was within its reflection, his hand pressed against it like it was a glass pane. What was he trying to tell him? The man removed his hand from the surface of the mirror then placed it on the surface again. Did he want him to touch it? Would it make the pain go away? There was something at the back of his mind telling him not to do it. Silverfrost kept repeating the action, his face becoming more and more desperate.
A small portion of the mirror darkened and began showing images that were underwater. Artz was sinking like a lead weight a trail of blood coming from the back of her head attracting quite a few sharks. His son was doing his best to keep them away from her but was clearly struggling. Koschei was too far away to actually reach her, not without abandoning Kali. What was he supposed to do?
'Break the mirror, you stupid brat, and save them.'
No! That would destroy Silverfrost! He couldn't do it!
'You have to, Killian! If you don't then James Hook never exists! Erin knows this and he is willing to make that sacrifice, to give up everything from that lifetime to be with the woman that is his soul...to be the Captain she loves so much. Please, Killian...she needs a true Child of the Sea. That's who you are but to save them all, you have to be more than that. You have to become the God of the Sea and to do that, you have to let him go. *tries to object*
Damn it, brat! Were you not paying attention to the wench earlier?! She said she needed Poseidon and Hook, a true Child of the Sea and the Heart of the Ocean. If you don't break that mirror, she'll die and I don't mean here. She'll die in the other world, alone in the dark. Is that what you want?!'
Artz: And....CUT!!!! *snaps a clap board together*
Hope: Ooh...suspenseful.
Ren: More like Typical Artz. Just couldn't resist a cliffy, could you?
Artz: *sniffs indignantly* I have no idea what you're talking about.
Hope/Ren: *deadpans* Uh huh. *gets shot into the sky by a stream of water* We're blasting off again! Whee! *ding*
Artz: Thanks, Tsukimi.
A well endowed woman with long blonde hair walks out of the shadows.
Artz: *shrugs* Depends on how I feel. Could by the Sekirei, the Sins, the Wizards, the Blades, the Librarians...
Tsukimi: Thou hast spoken enough, Your Ladyship. I shall not impede thy work any further. *turns to leave*
Artz: You drew straws and lost, didn't you? Otherwise you wouldn't have asked.
Tsukimi: *blushes in embarrassment* I shall bid thee good night, Lady Artz. *walks away*
Artz: Thought as much. *goes back to work*
Awesome cliffie! Fantastic post! I loved it! :D
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