As the King of Mysteries opened his eyes aboard his own vessel, he felt his body beginning to recover, the regenerative effects of the Ghostship treating his wounds.
It would still take weeks for his limb to heal entirely, so he couldn't expect to be fully healed before sometime far past the new year.
How unfortunate…
Looking around the familiar space, he realized he was alone within his cabin, the silence thick and unrelenting.
That was, however, until a hard knock sounded from his door.
Having mixed feelings about the likely visitor, he furrowed his brow and yelled aloud.
"Enter."
Without another moment of pause, the figure outside the door turned the handle, making their way into the bedroom nimbly.
As the Sea King had expected, it was Aaron Grimstall, the boy whose mere touch dissolved the barrier that had been sealing his mind for decades.
"Who are you really, boy?"
There was a seriousness behind his words that he couldn't help; his nerves prickled by an eerie gaze he could feel from somewhere behind the child, looming like a beast baring its fangs.
Ever since that day in the auditorium when that thing that warned him against prying into the mysteries of a deity, he had known that the newly appointed Commodore wasn't quite normal.
It reminded him of all the precautionary speeches his patron had given him a century ago, on the topic of the divine.
Aaron didn't seem shocked by the man's question, yet for a different reason than the King suspected—rather, he simply believed that the powerhouse had heard his conversation with the Devil.
The blond boy believed that the Sea King knew of the God Slayer's existence, and therefore, suspected that powerful figure to be a part of the organization behind Aaron.
Of course, the truth was practically the same; however, when dealing with the gods themselves, the details matter.
After contemplating his choices for the days that the Sea King had slumbered, he came to a single conclusion, one backed by the full approval of Penelope and the tacit agreement of the deity within his skull.
And, as a ray of liquid gold light from outside the Ghostship's window shone onto the man's bed, the young boy opened his mouth.
"Six months ago, I awoke aboard a Ghostship."
Silence followed, a baffled look instantly taking over Cauron Thorn's face as he heard the news.
He turned his head downward, looking at his ruined hands for a moment while several expressions passing his face.
Whether it be bewilderment or confusion, he couldn't contain his thoughts for long.
"The reason my Ghostship reacted to you… The powers you gained in such a short period of time… Your supposed mid-year contract with a deity that I had never heard of… Your closeness with the Pontiff… and even that gaze behind you… I should've known that such coincidences couldn't possibly be excused."
Biting his lip, he continued deep in thought, leaving Aaron to contemplate the decision he had just made.
The Goddess of Life already knows of my existence and connection due to my negligence, so telling him isn't a problem… Plus, I saved his life in the cavern, so it's not like he's going to try to kill me… Probably…
After the orange-haired man finished mulling over the facts, he turned back to Aaron and began asking specific questions.
"Who is the god that you are contracted with?"
The boy answered shortly after, already expecting this.
"I don't know…"
Cauron frowned, another query coming soon after.
"Was there a previous wielder of the vessel?"
There was a pause before Aaron spoke.
"I don't know…"
The orange-haired man sighed, trying to find anything that the boy might actually know.
"What is your sacred artifact?"
An even longer silence ensued, drawing an audible groan from the Sea King as he realized, with great irritation, that the answer was yet again, "I don't know."
Collecting his thoughts, he decided to change his approach.
"Is there anything you know about that you're willing to tell me?"
An unspoken rule between the wielders of Ghostships was their confidentiality—a majority of the information about one's own vessel was kept secret in case one of them lost their ability to reason, just like what happened to Cedar Belvedere.
"Well…"
He pursed his lips, seemingly debating whether he should reveal another one of his secrets to the King.
"I have an ability. An ability to absorb the cores of creatures to gain their abilities."
Cauron's eyes shot open, his body language visibly shaken as he contemplated the ridiculous potential of such a power.
"Cores are a dangerous thing, lad…"
He trailed off, taking a breath before continuing.
"What cores have you absorbed to date, and what are their abilities? If you wish to hide some, please at least let me know how many you have. If it makes you feel better, I can assure you that the only reason I am asking is for your own safety and my own research."
Aaron froze as if to reassess once again the specifics of revealing even more of the things he had kept hidden.
Deciding that it felt relieving to finally speak about his powers to someone proficient in matters of everything alive, he started explaining.
"I've absorbed two cores of seemingly no effect other than providing me with a small deposit of mana. One was a terror ward from the bridge on the Bay of You, and the second was the Chimera from the arena last week."
The orange-eyed man was a bit surprised to learn that he had been asleep long enough for a new week to come around, given that in his memory, the fight against the Chimera was barely a day ago.
Nevertheless, he decided to gloss over that fact and focus on the more interesting information.
"That explains your miraculous survival… How clever that you used my own trap against your opponent in such a way."
Shaking his head, he waited for the boy to continue with the rest of the cores he had obtained if he so wished.
"I have also obtained a core from a pirate ship, one that gave me Poison Resistence; a core of a Ningyo, which granted me the power of seeing the future weather; the core of an Iktomi, which allows me to transform my appearance into anyone I've touched, to the extent I have memorized their features; and finally the core of a Tarasque, which gave me the ability to see mana itself."
Taking a hard breath, he continued onward.
"Finally, other than a few random cores that have given me mana or boosted my other abilities, the highest level core I've absorbed is from a Deep-Sea Reaper, which gave me the power to conceal my presence completely."
Cauron nodded as he categorized all the powers into segments, noting everything in a fresh research notebook, and comparing the abilities with the creatures Aaron had gained them from.
His mind worked overtime as he contemplated the possibilities, his lips threatening to curl up with a swirl of hope.
It was impossible, a truly insane thought that he couldn't dare ask of another, but when else would he get a chance like this?
Even after the blond boy had declined him once, he felt that he had to ask again, even if only because of the new information he had learned and the changing nature of their relationship.
If there was something, anything that he could offer, he would do it.
"I won't ask for any other specifics; however, do you believe it is possible that if you were to absorb the core of one blighted with a curse, that you would be able to adapt to such effects and cure them?"
The final hope for the woman who was once his wife rode on the boy's response.
His words would determine if the King would remain alone, locked up within his lab to work towards an impossible cure, or live the remainder of his life with bliss until the day he would meet his end.
Zombification was specific; it targeted the core of the infected, slowly devouring their mana and siphoning it off to feed the plague.
He had attempted to remove the source of the poison that had infected his wife, yet even after extracting her core, the plague still progressed, killing her even without the sustenance that the core provided.
Therefore, he placed it back within her chest, his research circling endlessly as he tried to figure out how to reverse the virus.
Now, though, if Aaron Grimstall could absorb a human core and obtain the power of a zombie while remaining sane, he could, in theory, control the virus that operated through a hivemind.
Decades of his life and his entire future rested on a single decision of that child, and he could feel his heart racing faster than it had since he was young.
"I believe it might be possible."
The orange-haired man's eyes widened in joy, a tinge of long-forgotten hope swelling within his chest.
Yet Aaron hadn't finished speaking.
"If you are suggesting what I assume you are suggesting, then this will place me at a risk of becoming a zombie myself, am I correct?"
Cauron stopped the bubbling excitement that threatened to overtake him, nodding slowly as he realized once again how crazy a favor he was requesting of the boy.
He's already denied me once, even when he knew about his own ability… Why should he help me now?
Bracing for another rejection, Cauron closed his eyes, speaking carefully.
"You're correct…"
There was a brief moment of suspension before the blond-haired child spoke up once again.
"Then there is only one condition that I ask of you after I try this."
The Sea King's eyes shot open, another burst of surprise and anticipation coursing its way through his body.
"I'll do anything to save her. Name your price."
Aaron could tell that when the King said anything, he truly meant that he would give up his life, soul, Ghostship, wealth, and even the world to save his wife.
Such raw vulnerability behind his words encouraged the boy to confess his only wish.
"Heal my friend from the wrath of a god."