Reiji woke up once again, this time his cage was in a room made out of wood. The whole room was shifting from side to side slightly.
Am I on a ship?
He thought to himself, closing his eyes and not daring to move. He didn't want to get knocked out again. He was really hungry but not thirsty, was someone giving him water? He also noticed that the headache was gone.
He began to map out his surroundings.
Of course, two guards and one asshole sitting in the corner fully focused on me.What can I do?
Reiji focused his life force into his skin before he quickly stood up.
The man in the corner blew a dart at him but it didn't pierce Reiji's skin. Then, Reiji got hit square in the face and flew back, hitting the back of the cage.
Reiji felt blood running down his face as he sat there, his back against the cage's wall. Since he was looking down at his body, he noticed how much slimmer he had gotten.
"What just happened?"
He muttered, looking up and seeing that the door to his cage was open and one of the guards, a middle aged man, was standing before him.
When did he get inside?
Then he noticed the other guard was missing. The guard that seemingly punched his lights out calmly walked back and closed the door.
It shrieked as it slammed close and was once again locked.
He had to unlock it and open it in an instant, am I going insane?
Reiji thought to himself, slowly standing up as footsteps were heard coming down the stairs.
A guard and someone who was once again wearing a uniform that made them seem important walked down.
The man had shoulder-length sandy hair under a dark blue tricorn hat trimmed in gold. His coat is a long navy-and-gold coat, open over a loose white shirt.
"Remarkable."
Said the man before he waved for everyone to leave and when they did he started talking again.
"You truly have no supernatural energy of any kind."
Reiji looked at the man in a confused manner.
Every being has supernatural energy, which is life force. Does this guy not know about it? And there are types of supernatural energy?
"What does that even mean?"
Reiji asked in an irritated tone.
"It means everything we thought we knew about what powers life has been wrong."
Reiji let out a quiet sigh, briefly looking to the side before looking back at the man.
"...Who are you?"
"I'm the captain of this beautiful ship and you are my prisoner."
A silence stretched between them.
"...For now."
Reiji said only for the captain to react with immense joy. He walked over to the chair the man with the dart sat on and moved it to be in front of Reiji's cage before sitting on it.
"Everything in this world is so boring. I've killed so many pirates, all begging for their lives before my men shot them dead with their muskets."
"What's a musket?"
The man paused, slightly confused by Reiji's question.
"Ah, yes. That doesn't matter but all you need to know is that you don't want one aimed at you. Anyway, the only pirate that has stood firm as I killed him was the soulless emperor, Cassuis Drake. The look he gave me was one of no anger, but pity. Can you believe it?!"
The captain stood up, looking at Reiji with a mix of emotions.
"Someone pitying me? Me?! I rule the waters of this world and he dared to look at me like I was some snot nossed kid! It gave me a thrill of emotions that made everything feel…stale, meaningless."
Reiji just stared at the energetic captain.
"I don't understand why you are telling me this."
The captain slammed his hands against Reiji's cage.
"Because you're the only other mildly interesting person I've met in my lifetime. Everyone is so weak, scared and boring! EVERYTHING IS SO BORING!"
The man screamed and then sighed, stepping back. Reiji just stood there, unbothered by the man's erratic behavior.
"Let's talk like equals. Leadership always has a stick up their ass. You asked me who I was, now you tell me who you are."
"I'd love to, it's just that you didn't even tell me your name but thanks for sharing your issues, not that ever asked."
Reiji responded in a sarcastic manner, not actually caring about the man's name or anything about him really.
"...Silas Thorne."
All of these names are foreign, am I in a different country?
"Reiji Kurozuma. Where are we going? Since we're on a ship."
Silas grinned and shook his head. He had pearly white teeth.
"Oh, no, no, no. I can't tell you that."
Silas walked closer to Reiji's cage again.
"I want you to find me when you are free, so we can battle to the death. You and I, smoke and fire, standing on a sinking ship with our blades drawn."
Reiji's face then showed realization. He looked away from Silas, deep in thought.
"What? Don't tell me that just the image of our battle has got you scared."
After a moment their eyes met again, staring at each other through the bars of the metal cage.
"I'll fight you, under the condition you tell me where my knife, sword and the pouch I had are."
The captain took a moment before grinning.
"Hah! Fine."
The captain then grabbed Reiji's slim arm through the bars and drew his blade, a cutlass, making a cut deep enough so that his blood was on the blade.
"Agh! What the hell?!"
Silas let go of Reiji's arm only to slice his own through his coat with the same blade, now their blood was on that sword.
Silas put the blade into a vertical position in front of him so that the bloody tip was right in front of his mouth. He closed his eyes and began speaking, no longer wearing that grin of his.
"Oh, great fate, may your power bind the owners of the blood on this blade. May you twist their threads so they intersect. Oh, great fate, may this intersection be their death."
After a short calm the whole ship suddenly thrashed violently, causing Reiji to hold onto his cage for dear life.
Thunder and the screaming of the crew could be heard. Then came the rain. This was happening all whilst Silas was just standing there in the same pose, still holding the blade in the same position.
Reiji noticed the blood on his sword turned into dust and then Silas sheathed it and opened his eyes with a grin that stretched ear to ear.
"What the hell did you do?"
Reiji muttered under his breath.