Chapter 26

“I can’t see! I can’t see anything!”

“What the hell did you just do?!”

“Dammit, my hands are completely paralyzed! I can’t move!”

The object was a specialized glass orb enchanted with high-tier magic designed to rapidly disperse the concentrated essence of a highly potent, paralyzing toxic herb upon impact with water. Because Aiden had personally harassed and relentlessly badgered the military mages to develop it, he was the absolute only person in the world who possessed the corresponding antidote orbs. Of course, befitting an Admiral who publicly championed “peaceful resolutions,” he had strictly regulated the toxicity levels to ensure the paralyzing poison wasn’t actually lethal.

Aiden stared down at the water with a cold, entirely apathetic gaze. Lurking directly below was a small, stealthy rowboat. The pirates had clearly assumed that due to the massive height of the passenger ship, they wouldn’t be spotted approaching from directly below.

“I fully expected this, but you bastards really only utilize the most pathetic, cowardly tactics imaginable.”

Aiden clicked his tongue in profound disgust. This specific infiltration method was exactly what pirates used when launching stealth ambushes on civilian merchant vessels in the dead of night. In other words, the massive pirate ship actively engaging the Navy was merely a noisy decoy; this small infiltration team was their actual primary strike force.

“Let them soak in the ocean for a bit, then fish them out.”

“Yes, Admiral.”

Having visually confirmed his subordinates expertly casting heavy nets down to haul the paralyzed pirates up, Aiden scanned his immediate surroundings. Not a single pirate had successfully managed to board the passenger ship. The deck remained completely quiet and utterly spotless, exactly as he had ordered.

Wearing a highly satisfied, proud smile, Aiden turned around.

And in that exact fraction of a second.

A pirate, who had miraculously managed to slip past the Navy’s surveillance net and board the ship completely undetected, was stealthily creeping up behind a subordinate currently focused on binding a captured enemy. With a vicious, rusted blade drawn and raised high, the pirate prepared to strike. Because the subordinate was entirely focused on the intricate knot work, he hadn’t noticed the lethal threat rapidly closing in.

…Just like that time.

Thump, thump. His heart violently exploded against his ribs, beating so aggressively it felt like it would tear through his eardrums.

“Aiden. Please live a happy life… for the both of us…”

“It’s a tragedy, yes, but they were soldiers caught in a war…”

“Today is the absolute last day we are allowed to mourn them. Humans are beings meant to move forward. If we remain chained to the past…”

“Dying in the heat of battle is a profoundly glorious honor…”

“…I’m so incredibly sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

The violently shattered fragments of a deeply buried, traumatizing memory all erupted to the surface simultaneously, completely short-circuiting his brain and rendering all logical, rational thought impossible. He could have simply shouted a desperate warning for the subordinate to dodge. He could have instantly raised his rifle and shot the pirate dead. Yet, his legs moved entirely of their own accord, launching him frantically toward the threat. Aiden simply moved exactly as his traumatized, primal instincts dictated.

As the distance rapidly closed, all ambient noise on the battlefield was violently muted. The only things he could hear were the deafening, roaring thunder of his own heartbeat and the agonizing voices of his past screaming in his head.

“I should have been the one to…”

As all external sound was completely erased, a chillingly familiar voice echoed in his mind, and Aiden threw his entire body directly toward his subordinate.

***

“Captain Rosley, sir.”

…Captain Rosley? 

Hearing the outdated, incredibly nostalgic title for the first time in years, Aiden’s eyes snapped open. Resting directly in front of him on a worn wooden table was a serving of roasted potatoes and a thick slab of meat—a standard military dinner.

It was an agonizingly, heartbreakingly familiar meal. Just as a terrifying realization began to dawn on him, the voice calling his name echoed once more.

“Captain, sir, what is the absolute first thing you want to do once this war is finally over?”

His head turned entirely of its own volition. Sitting around the table were people he could never, ever forget, looking at him with bright, sparkling eyes full of hope. Every single one of them was a comrade who had permanently left his side. As Aiden looked at each of their faces, committing them to memory, the corners of his eyes burned with searing heat.

Are you all okay now…? He had an absolute mountain of things he desperately wanted to say to them, but the words that actually slipped past his lips were entirely beyond his control.

“Me? The absolute first thing I’m going to do is go find my first love. I have a very important promise I need to keep.”

“The very first thing you do after a brutal war ends is go searching for your first love…? Wow, Captain, despite your cold exterior, you have a surprisingly romantic side to you!”

Hearing the incredibly familiar, teasing response, Aiden felt as if the air had been violently sucked from his lungs. No. Absolutely not. He fought with every ounce of his willpower, thrashing against the memory, but his cruel, traitorous mouth and body moved entirely contrary to his desperate will.

“Why? Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, sir! Absolutely not! I merely possess a deep, burning desire to accompany you on your grand romantic journey!”

“Is that right? It’s a promise, then. If you break it, I won’t let you off easy.”

A chorus of bright, ringing laughter filled the cramped mess hall. Entirely oblivious to the devastating reality that this specific promise could never, ever be kept.

“And what about you, Ensign Brown? What is the absolute first thing you want to do when the war ends?”

“Me? The very first thing I’m doing is getting as far away from this damn ocean as possible. Ugh, I’ve seen so much water it makes me sick.”

“Is that so? Then, for tonight’s perimeter guard duty, Ensign Brown, you will be stationed directly beside me.”

No, no. Just exclude Ensign Brown from the roster, please. Please don’t do something you’ll regret for the rest of your life. He begged and pleaded internally with everything he had, but Captain Aiden Rosley simply snickered wickedly and strode out of the mess hall. ‘Captaaaain!’ A whining, highly exaggerated complaint that he would never be able to hear again immediately chased after him.

“Ah, Captain! How is that fair?!”

“Shut up. If you have a problem with it, get yourself a special promotion.”

“That’s so petty, Captain! Tonight isn’t even my shift! Ensign Roberts is the one scheduled to stand guard beside you tonight!”

“I am the Captain. I do what I want.”

Please, Aiden. This is your absolute last chance. Please. 

He screamed internally until his throat felt torn to shreds, but the warning never reached the past. Overwhelmed by the crushing, agonizing pain, Aiden bit down violently on his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. However, as if actively mocking him and declaring there was no escape, every single horrific event of the past burned itself vividly into his retinas.

The aggressive, decisive gunshot fired directly into the pitch-black ocean. The chaotic, panicked gazes immediately snapping toward the sudden noise. The moment he mouthed the word ‘Ambush,’ and the Navy instantly, flawlessly transitioned into combat formations. Countless heavy iron grappling hooks rocketing over the ship’s railing. The flawless, coordinated counter-attack initiated entirely on his command.

It was a battle that resulted in a brilliant, overwhelming victory—a stark, agonizing contrast to the horrifying, devastating tragedy that was about to unfold.

Three. Two. One. 

Exactly as it had happened back then, alongside his mental countdown, a blinding, metallic flash caught the corner of Aiden’s vision. It was aimed directly at the back of Brown’s neck.

Captain Rosley desperately, frantically pulled the trigger of his rifle, but absolutely nothing fired. 

Brown…! 

Before he could even scream his comrade’s name, a brutally sharp, rusted blade violently sank deep into Ensign Brown’s neck. A completely unnatural, horrifying fountain of crimson blood erupted into the air, thoroughly drenching Aiden’s entire body.

***