Where Geno sneaks in the pirate ship but unbeknost to him, someone's watching him.

Geno's POV:
-

The ship is still far away. I was still hiding behind the nets. Do I know after all what am I doing? Should I trust the sudden messages that were revealed to me? I look again at the necklace. I clench it in my hand and look again at the horizon.

The ship is obviously getting closer. I keep waiting once it arrives. This is madness. I know. It all is so sudden. First my crazy moment of throwing the baker like he was weighting air. Then gaining the necklace. The voices telling me about a destiny I must not deny and to follow the ship. Something about mermaids.

That they must not win...

Win what, against who?

I've had enough staying in the dark, not understanding anything AND getting more questions by seeing things I don't get. One way or another I must learn. And if I die, at least I will get enlightened wherever I go.

It is said that the dead monsters' afterlife is an endless dark void. Good or bad, they end up in the same place. It might sound lonely, but it is also said the dead can access things they've forgotten and get answers to questions and whatever they've been oblivious about.

I don't really believe in it. If it's real however, it is whether the ship, whether the afterlife that will enlighten me and help me realise what memories are left in the dark of my past I can't breach. What I cannot remember for so many years. AND most of all, I might find my brothers there. Who knows...

No one's POV:

The day he found the answer a glimmer of hope shone in him. One step closer to the salvation of the world and rid himself off his curse. Remaining time, 2 months and 2 weeks. The first week he lost, passed with him drowning in despair from the fact he had to carry that curse. He couldn't accept it and almost went mad, pushing everyone away from him.

What did that curse do to him? Well, now his magic was out of control once summoning it. But the worst was that he couldn't stop killing anything he touched, even a little. Lastly, he had about 3 episodes of immense pain and seizures, what we would call epilepsy maybe.

And Alter, the pirate and priest at once, was the only one who knew how BAD the situation was with his Captain. All crewmembers of the Reapers had a faint idea of what was going on with their Captain. But not even close to what the tall skeleton priest knew and had witnessed.

He had been told many times that praying was pointless and worthless when being a pirate. That if he so badly wanted to be praying, he shouldn't have joined piracy. But that never stopped Alter from doing what he loved and felt was needed.

For Captain Reaper, the first week after leaving the Tearful Cave he spent many nights just praying silently for his sake. For him he would keep his eyesocket on him at all times, risking his life getting close to him and heal him when these 'episodes' and the pain and the seizures were hitting the smaller skeleton.

He even convinced a few pirates pray for their Captain. The whole second week, Reaper changed behavior and instead of just doing nothing started studying maps and following the purple star the scroll told so to follow. He was kind of isolated again, but taking action at least.

So he could find out as quickly as possible where was their destination. And when he finally showed up to the deck, announcing to his crew that they were going to Hondarribia, after 2 weeks of isolating himself away except from Alter, the pirates exhaled a sigh of relief.

He was in a right mindest and back on his feet again. But it wasn't over, as Alter understood that only with the curse lifted Reaper would truly be alright again. Fow now, he was acting a little better, but as if the curse had never caused him to go kind of crazy.

At least he had accepted the new situation and gained courage to continue and believe. Believe in the one way given to him to save the world and himself, by going to search for it. Where the purple star was guiding the crew to the chosen of the prophecy.

Alter watched from afar resting his arms on the ship's gunwale. He sighed seeing the first houses of the village that had started appearing in his field of view. He looked down on his right arm, where something golden was peeking from the sleeve. A tatoo of some short, a symbol.

He didn't always have it. He was given it. Rather trusted. An old exchange he had done with someone... He looked again ahead. He didn't know why, but he felt a strange emotion swirling inside his soul, growing the closer the ship was getting to the village.

It wasn't fear. It was a thrill? He had started feeling it yesterday night when he had gone to his private hermitage to keep praying. However he felt he had fallen asleep at some point. When he woke up he was surrounded by pitch black darkness.

But in front of him was a small apparition, almost completely white, of a small skeleton's. Except from its scarf that was waving by a nonexistent breeze. Except from a bright red slash across its chest. He didn't prevent to see much. But he heard a familiar voice telling him one thing.

Your duty will begin when you meet

That revealation of finally seeing the reason he was given the symbol. That was why he was thrilled. But at the same time his soul was grieving. What he prevented to see was the frame of a small frail child.

A child was going to save Captain Reaper? A child was chosen to get thrown in the danger everyone could guess there was? Alter crossed himself 3 times and quietly started praying again.

"Finally!" A pirate said excited, the tiger named Dave from yesterday night interrupting the tall skeleton from his praying. "We're going to do an onset after a long time! Hondarribia here we come!"

"Someone is a little too excited." Reaper commented nearby, looking at the tiger monster with a big bright grin.

"Of course! Nothing better than a good attack!"

"God please spare the humans there." Alter whispered.

"You are praying upon the human kind's safety?! They don't deserve it priest!" Dave said.

"Humans are absolutely greedy!"

"They suck!"

"They only know how to take but never give back!"

"They stink!"

"They have tortured us monsters for centuries!"

"To Hell all of them!"

Many of the pirates protested one by one.

"Except of course from Markus and Michael!" Dave hurried to speak again and suddenly hugged tightly Michael, almost lifting him in the air.

"D-David!!!" Michael yelped.

"This pure boy is ours and we like him." The tiger continued and the blond human had turned extremely red. From the lack of air or embarrassment? "And Markus because he's a good pal!"

All pirates seemed to agree.

"Maybe, but put down Michael or you will have one less human to like with the way you hold him." Alter commented and Dave hurried to put down the young human gently. The priest turned to look again at the village and his expression darkened again. With every second passing, the thrill he had, knowing better his purpose, was overthrown by the worry and grief. "Poor little fella. We need your help, but for what?" He sighed and clenched his fists. "Until the time for you comes, all I can do is keep you safe from whatever danger comes on our way and prepare you for why you have to tag along."

"Alter."

The skeleton looked to his right and down. Reaper was staring up to him.

"Yes Sir?"

"What's troubling ya? The attack? I said that we will avoid bloodshed for this time."

"Not so much for that. Just..." Did he really want to tell the Captain about what the 'chosen' looked like?

"Well? Go ahead." Reaper said calmly. Alter exhaled.

"What if... the one we're looking for so happens to be... a kid?" He asked, catching Reaper off guard.

"Where did that come from priest?" He asked.

"The prophecy talked about a chosen to save you from the curse and the world. But are we really sure... it couldn't be anyone, of any age who would have to do this?"

"I think you worry too much. You already feel pity for the unlucky one who will have to follow us, ain't ya?" Captain Reaper said, quietly laughing, but not so cheerfully. He jumped on the gunwale and stood while he looked at the village. "If it was really a kid that would save me, it would be a ridiculously strong one. That would be some kind of extreme coincidence or a horribly unlucky kid. Don't overthink."

"Well, I saw what I saw." Alter thought exhaling from his nose as he looked back at the village. "Worst case scenario would be that we really have to kidnap a kid and drag it together with us to sacrifice it for the world to be saved. Best case scenario it could be someone old enough who is just short like Captain, that could be a possibility-... What am I even thinking, none of these scenarios are good, we're still most likely sacrificing an innocent!" Alter thought and groaned quietly.

"I haven't been close to see him grow. But if he is the one who has to fullfil that destiny, I know that he will be ready. I believe in him. Believe in him too. When the time comes, guide him and protect him and he will find the will and strength in him. Enlighten him with whatever I've told you about me. The knowledge of the past will give him power."

The priest crossed himself 3 times.

"I shall trust the Lady. I will do my part and help the chosen to prepare in any way I can."

"Lads! We're very close! Have you raised the fake flag?!" Captain suddenly asked loud enough to get the excited crew's attention.

"AYE AYE CAPTAIN!" They screamed in sync.

"Go move your bodies and dress up already! The guards will smell we are pirates before we even drop anchor!"

"YES SIR!" The crew screamed again in sync. Panic and fast movement occured on the deck as the monsters (and the 2 humans) were going to further prepare.

"As for you priest..." Reaper called Alter, who looked at him. "... you guard. Anyone who enters, don't let them escape and understand the scam."

"Understood Sir." Alter said calmly.

"You have a good plan, I assume, of how to prevent the one who will enter from escaping."

"Already prepared. Though it is a plan that requires 2 and-."

"Ah ah!" Captain raised his hand interrupting Alter. "Tell me in the end once you succeed of what tricks you used and what you did."

"Of course." Alter nodded, smiling wider.

~

All villagers were waiting near the port for the 'majestic arrival' of the royalties of Galicia, thrilled and wondering. Except from Geno, who was still hiding behind the nets, waiting to find a perfect moment sneak in the ship and bid adieu Hondarribia.

The ship finally dropped anchor and the guards of the port appproached the ship to check on the visitors. Faintly Geno could hear a voice calling them to climb up the ship to tell them something. The guards obeyed.

Minutes passed and the crowd awaited with agony of the guards to come and announce them. Slowly one by one everyone started getting worried and murmurs of concern spread in the air. The moment the villagers' concern was ready to come out loud and clear, the guards appeared again.

Casually and slowly they announced everyone to... gather in the town's plaza. But Geno could feel there was something wrong. The guards seemed... more pale. Despite their calm demeanor, their eyes were betraying something negative. No human seemed to understand that however, as everyone turned around to go for the plaza.

"I obviously ain't following." He thought and tried to shrink himself even more between the nets. He observed as the sailors got off the ship and walked on the village's grounds. Their bodies and most of their faces were covered in cloaks.

They kind of looked religious. Some of them were tall and buffy though, damn! What kind of visitors were these?! But Geno waited patiently for all of them to go further in the village. A minute later, finally almost all the cloaked sailors got far away from the ship.

Except from one. This one was different. He was very short, half a head taller than Geno as he calculated. He wasn't wearing a brown cloak, but a black one. He turned to look one time behind the ship. A few seconds later he followed the other cloaked figures.

"Καλή τύχη Alter." Geno heard his voice.

It was a deep and somehow tender one speaking in this strange language the small skeleton couldn't recognise. He found himself for a moment getting... lost. Every letter that was said, every vowel and consonant that was spelled caused him to paralyse. Suddenly he slapped himself.

"What on earth am I thinking?!" He thought and sharply shook head left and right. After he made sure one more time that no one was near watching, slowly he emerged from the nets. Still looking around he walked sneakily towards the ship, which had raised the bridge it had to let the sailors come down. That wouldn't stop Geno. "For what reason nature gave us 2 arms and legs if not for climbing!" He thought and with an impressive leap that even a cat would be jealous of, he managed to get a hold from a few ropes that were hanging on the side of the ship. He started climbing and in less than 10 seconds his hands were grabbing the gunwale. With one more impressive leap he landed on the deck. "WOOO BABY-!" He yelled but hurried to shut his mouth and hide inside a nearby barrel. "You FOOL! Whatever guards there are on this ship are gonna hear ya if they haven't already!" He thought. He waited for a few seconds, he held his 'breath', he listened closely to hear for any footsteps, voices, any sign that there were guards on the ship.

That was the strange thing. There wasn't.

Geno was hearing nothing but the creaking sound of the masts as the wind moved them slightly, the gentle splashes of the waves hitting against the bottom of the large wooden vessel.

"What the heck?" Geno peeked from the barrel. Still nobody. "Did they really left no one to guard the ship?! These royal bastards are whether too confident no one will dare even touch the ships sended by them, whether..." Geno sniffed loudly 2 times. "Whether something smells fishy!" Slowly and on guard, the small skeleton got out of the barrel. He started walking around the deck on guard. He looked everywhere, he peeked on all corners, he even went as far as to climb the masts and look from there too. Still not a single soul.

???'s POV:

"Are you sure he's not going to search here too?" I asked.

"Positive." He simply replied smiling chilly. He wasn't looking at me. He was staring at the intruder with interest.

"Well? What do you make of him?" I asked.

The intruder appears to be a skeleton dressed in white slightly ripped clothes, a red scarf and a bloody red slash across his chest. His appearance is not so scary. It makes me pity him. He looks frail and sickly. How can he even walk around casually with that slash?!

"I am certain he's the one." He says calmly. I look at him shocked.

"I-... I don't want to doubt your judgment, but, are you sure he's the one who will save the Captain?"

"Don't judge a book by it's cover son." The priest tells me gently as he finally looks at me smiling sweetly. "I get why you have disbelief. But the eyes can easily deceive."

"Alright." I nod hesitant as I locate the small skeleton sliding off the tallest mast he was on a while ago.

"One long at his chest scar... Hmmm. No, you can't easily miss this. Yes, he is the one." Priest Alter says and crosses himself. He turns to look at me ready to tell me something.

No one's POV:

Fate is differently written for us all
Like books, they don't have same call
It had been written to stay enemies at first
But seeing you I felt fast beats inside my chest

The priest and the young human stopped talking the moment they heard the small skeleton dressed in white singing in an indescribably beautiful voice, filled with melancholy and tenderness on every word.

"Wow." Michael did mesmerised as his eyes perked up in admiration. He looked at the priest to see his reaction. Alter had his eyesockets closed as he seemed to not just listen to the song, but feel it at it's fullest.

That feeling has so weird plans sometimes
And it brought us closer despite the kind
Maybe the hate can be vanished between us
How I wish I will never loose you so fast

Please don't leave me alone my love

"Hear his song..." Alter whispered suddenly.

"Eh?" Michael did.

Because your the one who stole my heart

"... In the ship it'll sound." The tall skeleton completed as he opened his eyesockets.

Please don't leave me alone my love
I'm ressurected when you hold my hand

"Michael, before I get carried away enjoying this little one's song, we're done spying. It is time to put the plan in action. Are you ready?" Alter asked suddenly.

"Y-Yes." The young pirate said kind of caught off guard.

"Good. Cause we might have one and only chance of managing to get him."

"I will not screw things up."

Geno's POV:
-

No. Something is definitely wrong. No guards, this is WAY too suspicious. I don't know anymore... I don't know if I should follow the ship and wait for it to sail away from Hondarribia. I'm in such big dillema...

I walk closer to the gunwale. The cloaked figures haven't returned from the plaza. No one has. I decide to get off the ship and check out what is going on after all.

No one's POV:
-

But Geno wasn't going anywhere. The moment he was ready to jump off the ship, he heard a loud thud behind him. He sharply turned.

"H-Heeelp..." He heard a weak manly voice calling for help.

As if his legs got a mind of their own, Geno ran without a second thought to the direction of the voice. It didn't take long for him to spot a cloaked figured crawling towards him with lowered head. The figure started coughing aggresivelly.

"Sir!" Geno kneeled towards the figure and tried to see his face. What he saw caught him off guard. A skeleton with 2 clear white pupils inside his wide open eyesockets was staring back at him.

Suddenly the 2 of them seemed to get lost in each other's eyesockets. Not from the stereotypical phenomenon of 'falling in love', but... the small skeleton could have sworn that this skeleton... yes! He saw him in that faint vision he had before the ship arrived!

"Pleaaase heeelp..." The tall skeleton pleaded in a heartbreaking voice after moments of silence and intensive staring.

"Sir, what happened?!" Geno asked panicked.

"I fell off... it hurts. Please son, help me at least stand up..." The priest continued his amazing acting. Of course and he wasn't hurt anywhere, but Geno hadn't figured that out yet.

"Son?" Geno thought confused. But he hurried to start helping. "Okay. Okay!" He tried to find from which side to support the strange skeleton. After a few seconds, the skeleton was sitting on his knees and Geno could see more clearly his clothes. Long cassock black and dark blue with a grey winged symbol on the chest area. "This strange symbol... you calling me a son... do you happen to be a priest?" He asked.

"Ah... yes yes, I am a priest."

"How did you get here?" The smaller asked again.

"Me? I tagged along to this trip so everyone on this ship would be safe with my prayers."

"I've never heard of monster priests before." Geno said confused but interested with that skeleton, who chuckled 'in pain'.

"Ah, you don't know? Monsters have even their own churches. There are monasteries only for monsters and not only humans can praise the superior force we call God."

"That's interesting."

"Isn't it-?" The priest groaned and held his side faking perfectly a hurt expression. "But what are ya doing here little one? The others are on the plaza."

"Uuuh..." Geno avoided answering. "What are you and the others doing there? The other ones who came with this ship?" He asked raising 'brow'.

"They give a speech about the king's new laws." The taller said casually.

"Well, not like I care since I'll be gone. Maybe..." Still Geno wasn't sure if he would stay hidden in the ship and wait until it would lift anchor. But when he looked at the priest, he suddenly froze, as he was looking at him dead serious.

"Let's drop the act. I know why you're here." He said coldly and Geno almost stepped back.

"You do?"

"Yeah..." Alter closed his eyesockets. "... I've seen in you in my sleep. I've been told about you. And I know that we were meant to meet."

"Wh-What?" Geno asked, starting to get scared.

"I've seen you. And I'm certain you've seen me too. Somehow."

Geno was taken aback from how that priest's behavior had abruptly changed. But he was right. Hiding would be pointless.

"If I'm crazy, so are you, but... I've seen you too." He admitted. "Not like right now, but before, there was a crazy moment where I had a vision and-!" He stopped talking as he realised he was saying almost nonsense. He approached the priest suddenly with confidence and bravery and placed his hands on his shoulders. "You. I've been told that you could enlighten me about some... things. You have answers to some personal questions I have. Please tell me! I don't know when the others will come back, but-!"

He was cut off feeling the priest's hands holding his gently. Geno didn't pulll away and actually let the taller hold him. But he kept looking at him in agony, waiting for him to say anything.

"... Yes, I know for what you're talking about." Alter started.

"Great! Then answer me, what-?!"

"You seem tired son. You need some rest first, then we can talk." The taller suddenly said and his hands gripped Geno's tighter.

"What? No! I'm not tired, what do you-?"

Behind youuu~

And before Geno could react, he felt something wrapping around his neck, while at the same time something soft like a cloth covered his mouth and nose. It smelled funny. He struggled and managed to free his hands off the priest's grip.

But only that, as whatever he smelled had numbed him almost completely. Geno felt his whole body falling lethargic. His growls of struggle became soft muffled moans and his hands that were gripping the whatever was around his neck started loosing their hold.

"What... th e e e..." Even his mind was unable to work. Geno succumbed completely to darkness, unable to even bother to think if he was ever going to wake up again.

uh oooh, petite genito is in trouble

4007 words *pat pat pat*