Shrouded Seascape

Charles was quietly leaning on the leather sofa beneath the gentle light of the cozy living room. The crew of the Narwhale stood frozen at the doorway; time seemed to have come to a halt for them as they stared at their captain.

The crew was at a loss for words at the sight, but someone was clearly just a tad bit impatient than them.

"AHHH! Mr. Charles!" Lily exclaimed excitedly. She opened her arms and pounced on Charles, bouncing up and down on his lap.

Charles was forced to open his eyes, and a trace of confusion appeared in his eyes when he saw a young woman on his lap. He stared blankly at the young woman for a while before he opened his mouth slowly and muttered, "Lily... Lily?"

"It's me! It's me!" Lily pressed her head against Charles' chest. Then, she nuzzled up against Charles' neck. Clearly, Lily had yet to adjust to the fact that she was human once again, and it was all thanks to the many years she spent as a mouse.

Charles swept his gaze across his crew members, who had walked up to him in a daze.

"You guys… How did you find this place?" Charles asked.

"I sent them over here. They insisted on seeing you. They were afraid that you were in danger, and I felt like they won't stop looking for you unless they've confirmed that you're safe," Sparkle explained as she sat next to Charles.

Dipp's face was full of delight as he said, "Captain, you disappeared so suddenly without leaving any instructions behind. We were really worried that something had happened to you."

"Did I not leave any instructions? But I remember doing something like that," Charles said, scratching his head in confusion.

Dipp's heart sank at the sight. The captain in front of him was acting really strange, and he couldn't help but be reminded of Nico's words earlier.

Dipp surreptitiously raised his guard as he cautiously asked, "Captain, are you really okay?"

"I'm fine. What could be wrong with me? I feel great, actually," Charles said with a smile.

"As you can see, my dad is safe. There's nothing wrong with him, so all of you should go back home. You won't be able to help him, anyway, if he really is in trouble," Sparkle said.

She reached out to Lily and pried her off Charles. Then, she helped Charles up the sofa. Charles was an agile and healthy man the last time they saw him, but now, he was like a hundred-year-old man.

Even with Sparkle's support, his legs remained wobbly, and he no longer emanated that domineering and sharp air. Charles didn't look great at all.

The sight made the crew members feel heartbroken, and they had no idea what happened to him.

Sparkle assisted Charles, helping him sit at the head of the long table in the dining room. Charles then swept his gaze across his crew members and said, "Stay here for a bit. I'm sure all of you have been drifting at sea for a long time, so you must be tired of eating canned food by now.

"Sparkle, go get some food for everyone. Let's treat them to a good meal."

"Mr. Charles, w-what happened to you? How did you become like this?" Lily asked with a heartbroken expression as she tugged at Charles' sleeve.

"Nothing happened. I'm fine. I'm just having a little trouble adjusting. Don't worry about me. I'm really fine," Charles replied.

"Don't just stand around. Come sit here. We've known each other for so long. Are you really going to stand on ceremony with me?" Charles asked.

"Mr. Charles!" Lily grabbed Charles' arm, and she looked frantic as she said, "Since you're fine, can we go home now? Let's go back to Hope Island. Don't stay here by yourself. Didn't you say we were your family? We'll all be by your side."

The smile on Charles' lips stiffened. "I'm sorry, I can't go back. I'm dealing with some trouble right now."

"Captain, what exactly had happened on that day? Why did you disappear all of a sudden?" Dipp asked again.

"What happened..." Charles muttered to himself, and his eyes glimmered in a pensive light as he recalled what happened as soon as the red light engulfed him.

"She granted me the strength to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things that I can change; and the wisdom to differentiate between the two."

Charles' ambiguous words sounded like a bunch of nonsense to everyone present.

"This has nothing to do with you, and you only need to know that I'm fine. I'm sure you guys have struggled a lot just to get here, so let's not talk about the past. Come here and take a seat with me."

Everyone still had puzzled looks, but they all sat down before the long table.

In spite of everything, they were just crew members—they had no right to pry into the captain's private affairs.

Once everyone had settled into their seats, exquisite dishes appeared on the table, one after another. When all the food was laid out, Sparkle appeared next to Charles. She picked up a knife and fork and started serving Charles.

The atmosphere was a bit strange, but everyone proceeded with their dinner. Dipp looked down at the steak before him and was about to use his hands to tear it into bite-sized chunks when he recalled something and stopped. "Captain, do you still remember that cargo ship you manned before the Narwhale?"

"Hm? Ah, you mean S. S. Mouse? I still remember it. What about it?" Charles asked, sounding confused.

"Nothing. It's just that I found the ship and purchased it. It spent several years with us, after all," Dipp replied. He then asked a few more probing questions, but Charles answered them accurately.

Lily noticed Dipp's probing, and she felt a bit unhappy by Dipp's doubts. She ran up to Charles' side and hugged his arm.

"There's no mistaking it. He's Mr. Charles. He smells exactly the same as the Mr. Charles whom I'm familiar with. Besides, Sparkle is by his side, so what is there to worry about?" Lily asked.

"It's fine," Charles replied, "It is imperative to be cautious about everything at sea. He's doing a good job as a captain; he's just a bit too blunt. Next time you probe someone, you better be more discreet about it."

"I-It's not that I don't trust you, Captain. I just—"

"I understand, so say no more," Charles interrupted. It seemed like he didn't want to hear Dipp's explanation as he added, "Since you're done with your probing, let's enjoy this dinner."

Charles chatted with the crew about the bizarre encounters they had at sea over the years, and the strange atmosphere hanging above the dining room dissipated gradually. Charles' accurate recount had also proven his identity.

The crew no longer sat stiffly and were now moving according to their own ingrained habits. In the end, they had a very satisfying dinner meal. This was their first meal upon accomplishing their mission, after all.

Under the influence of alcohol, Dipp blurted out what he wanted to say all this while, "Captain, leave this godforsaken place, will you? Come back home with us. We've all been waiting for you to come home."

"That's right, Mr. Charles!" Lily nodded in agreement, and her face was slightly flushed as she asked, "Have you forgotten our promise?"

Charles' gaze swept over their faces one by one, and he sounded emotional as he said, "Guys, I'll say it again. I want to go back, too, but I can't go back for now. There are some things that must be done by someone."