Cecilia and Chris stepped out from Deck Zero onto the gleaming expanse of the gold deck. Cecilia's head whipped around, her eyes wide and haunted as the very fabric of reality began to unravel before her. The world she knew was fraying, slipping into a terrifying stillness.
"Dad… what have you done?" Her voice cracked, raw with anguish. "The cycle of life… You destroyed it." She stumbled toward him, trembling, and gripped his arm with desperate strength, turning him to face the devastation reflected in her tear-filled eyes. "Can't you see? Life itself is bleeding out. We have to fix this—we have to restore what you broke before it's too late."
John clung to the railing, his gaze steady, unyielding. "Restore?" His voice was calm, almost tender, but carried an iron conviction. "Why would I want to return to a world chained by pain and loss, Cee? Look around you—can't you feel the peace in this stillness?" He stepped closer, wrapping her in a firm embrace, his words whispered but resolute. "I'm doing this for you, for all of us. No one else will have to endure the agony you lived through—the emptiness of losing a father, a mother, a grandfather… They will celebrate this new world. They will thank you for ending their suffering."
Cecilia wrenched herself free, her sobs breaking through the cold air as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Dad… this isn't life. This is a cage." Her voice trembled with heartbreak and fury. "No one will be happy in a world where nothing grows, nothing changes, and no one will ever find peace." She grasped his hand tightly, her desperation pouring into every word. "Please, Dad, listen to me. Life's meaning comes from its fragility because it ends. It's the moments we have, the love we give, the legacies we leave behind that make living worthwhile. What you've done… It's stolen all of that." Her eyes searched his, pleading for a flicker of doubt, a sign that he might see the truth before it was too late.
Chris's voice cut through the charged air, gentle but firm. "Your daughter is right—this isn't life. It's stagnation!" He chose his words carefully, softening the blow, unwilling to ignite more fire than necessary.
John whipped his head toward Chris, eyes blazing with fury. "You!" he spat, pointing a trembling finger. "What have you done to my daughter?" Without warning, he seized Chris by the collar, his grip like iron. "You turned her against me! You poisoned her mind—made her forget what family means!" Rage twisted his features as he stared down at the captain, blaming him for corrupting Cecilia's heart.
Cecilia's panic surged. She lunged forward, struggling to pry her father's hand from Chris's collar. "Dad, please! Let him go!" Her voice cracked with desperation. "He hasn't done anything to me. If anything, he's helped me to learn from what I've lost… and to cherish life." Gently, she turned John's face toward hers, searching his eyes. "This isn't life, Dad—not the life Mom treasured with all her heart."
For a fleeting moment, John's eyes softened, and a fragile hope flickered within Cecilia's chest. But then, like a storm breaking, his expression twisted into raw, trembling fury. "NO!" he bellowed, shoving Chris away with brutal force. "There was a time when you clung to our hands, when you wouldn't dream of letting go. But now… now you would gladly sever every bond? Is this what you learned from him? Arrogance?!"
John's breath came heavy and ragged as he loomed over her, disappointment and sorrow burning in his eyes. "Why are you like this, Cee? Why do you turn your back on me, your own father?"
Cecilia's voice trembled, filled with aching urgency. "Because what you're doing is wrong, Dad! If Mom were here, she'd tell you the same. She would beg you to see reason, to stop."
John's face contorted with pain and accusation. "But she's not here! And that's because of you!" His voice cracked, fury spilling forth. "You led her to the gates of the afterlife and willingly let her go. You're the reason we'll never be whole again!" His words slammed into Cecilia like thunder, pouring out years of frustration and heartbreak.
Silenced, Cecilia stood frozen, the weight of his accusations pressing down. Then, with a sudden motion, John lifted the broken hourglass high above his head before throwing it on the floor. The obsidian glass shattered, shards scattering like dark stars, releasing a surge of raw energy that spiraled upward. The power raced toward Deck Zero, weaving a lattice of shimmering energy that sealed the sacred chamber from all within.
"This is the only path to peace and happiness for our world," John declared, voice heavy with grim resolve. "I refuse to sacrifice this world for a daughter who abandoned her family!"
Before either could react, John vaulted over the railing. Cecilia's breath caught in her throat as she rushed to the edge, eyes wide with horror. "Dad, no!" she cried out. She then ran to look over the rails
The Twilight, once tethered to the waters of Kasanaan, now teetered above a dry, cracked riverbed. She turned to Chris, panic flooding her face. "The Kasanaan… It's gone."
"Without death, there is no longer a need for a veil to separate the mortal plane and the realm of the dead," Chris explained. He surveys the surrounding area, the dry riverbed, and the shattered sky. "Look," He points to the people starting to gather. "They can see the ship."
"I'm afraid that is the least of our worries, Captain," Bustamante said from behind the two. Murillo was also there, seeking cover behind the Chief Officer.
"Are the two of you alright?" Cecilia asked out of concern, and the two nodded as a sign that they were faring well. "What is it, Chief Murillo?" Cecilia deliberately asked the Chief Cook to force her to speak in front of Chris, rather than hiding away.
After being called out, Chief Murillo had no choice but to step out from behind Bustamante and report the problem they had discovered. "We could no longer contact Triple-A or any of the archangels; it's like we were cut off from them," she reported sheepishly.