Shrouded Seascape

A bitter chuckle escaped Julio\'s lips. "Wonderful. Now I have one more thing to worry about."

"This is not something you need to worry about. Rather, it\'s a worry for other existences. Beings like my father are no longer tethered to this world. He no longer interacts with the human world."

"Then what about you?" Julio turned his gaze onto Sparkle. "Why do you still interact with humans?"

Sparkle was slightly taken aback. A complex combination of emotions marred her face as she replied, "It\'s the same for me, actually. I don\'t have much time left to interact with you humans. That\'s why I want to make the most of it while I can. Leave more memories like this. After all, there won\'t be another chance for conversations like this in the near future."

Julio let out a dry laugh and took another large gulp from his cup.

"You have yet to answer me." Sparkle\'s gaze drifted toward the giant stone statue wrapped in black bandages. "Why do you believe in 005? I remember that she only answers the prayers of those she takes an interest in. Ordinary prayers are not going to get any response."

A faint tinge of nostalgia surfaced on Julio\'s countenance. "I know… But I wanted to try. What if it actually worked?

"Looking back, it felt all like a dream. I have no idea why she wanted to help me—a poor boy who digs worms out of the dirt for a living. Just like that, I became the strongest human in the Subterranean Sea.

"Though… Thinking about it now, perhaps what was valuable and precious to me probably meant nothing in her eyes. To her, I am probably just a toy."

As the night deepened, the two people who seemed unlikely to share a conversation continued talking and even enjoyed each other\'s company deep into the night.

By the time the last bottle of wine was emptied, Julio was noticeably tipsy.

Placing the empty bottle on the table with a thud, he stood up, swaying slightly. "It\'s been a long while since I was able to say what I wanted. Even when my own son talks to me, there is always a hidden agenda. If you ever have time in the future, we can talk more. You said your time is running short, and so is mine."

Sparkle looked at Julio for a brief moment before nodding. "Sure. I find it more interesting talking with you than chatting with Nene. At least you can keep up with my thoughts."

With that, a bright flash of light illuminated the room and Sparkle vanished from her spot.

The tipsy smile gradually faded from Julio\'s visage. He turned toward the towering statue of 005. A sharp, focused gaze returned to his eyes as he took a step closer and inhaled a deep breath.

The next moment, the statue shattered into a rain of rubble.

***

Sparkle\'s next stop was Hope Island. Standing on the bustling, vibrant streets, she quietly observed a family of three from a distance.

Nene was one of the members of the family of three. Dressed in a red maxi dress, the young girl skipped along the street, holding her father\'s hand in one and her mother\'s in the other. She looked happy, judging by her joyous laughter.

Thanks to Sparkle\'s intervention, Nene now had everything she didn\'t have before. Compared to her past self back on the World\'s Crown, Nene\'s current life was undoubtedly immeasurably brighter and infinitely more fulfilling.

Sparkle made no move to approach the family of three because she didn\'t want to disturb this tranquil, perfect scene. Letting things remain as they were felt right.

"Daddy! Can I buy a piece of shrimp cracker?" Nene\'s chirpy voice sounded.

"Of course. You can have as many as you want."

"I\'ll get three! One for each of us!"

Watching the scene in the distance, a hint of emotion flickered across Sparkle\'s eyes—envy.

When Sparkle was still a child, she had always dreamed that some day, her parents would act like a normal couple, and they would take her out to play like a normal family would. ℞

But back then, Charles was always at sea, so it was impossible for her dreams to turn into reality.

After waiting for a long time for her father to finally cease going out to sea, she had already outgrown those innocent, yearning days.

Just as Sparkle prepared to leave, a sharp scream from a woman echoed from a distant corner. The cacophony of crashing crates and tumbling goods followed the scream, each instance louder than the previous as the chaos seemed to be approaching.

Chaos rippled through the street like a shockwave.

Nene\'s parents immediately sensed the danger. Tightening their grip on their daughter\'s hand, they swiftly darted into a nearby alley.

But before they could reach the alley safely, a massive, green, humanoid centipede burst through the panicking crowd and charged straight at them.

Behind the green creature were the officers from District 3 in pursuit. A massive net shot from above, but the monster evaded it with ease.

As it made a beeline for Nene and her family, Sparkle instinctively raised her right hand. But before the monster could make contact or Sparkle could subdue it, a swirling blue mist erupted from a nearby window and engulfed the creature.

A semi-translucent wax began to condense from the mist and swiftly wrapped around the green centipede.

The green centipede struggled relentlessly, but all its effort proved futile. When all the wax had completely hardened, the monster was turned into a wax statue and immobilized.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

A hazy head quickly materialized from within the blue mist. It was Dipp. He shouted at the creature, "Norton! What in the world are you doing!"

Yet, Norton merely parted his maws and responded with a guttural, enraged snarl. It then lunged forward, attempting to tear apart the mist in a single bite.

Soon enough, the officers from District 3 arrived and encircled the immobilized monster. From one of the vehicles, the ship\'s doctor, Linda, alighted with a grim expression.

She approached the restrained green centipede and began to run a full examination on it.

The old crew of the Narwhale—Dipp, Audric, Bandages, Planck, and a couple of others—gathered around. Their faces were tinged with worry and concern as they watched Linda carry out the examination.

After what felt like an eternity, Linda stepped back and shook her head slightly. "There\'s no turning back. He\'s completely gone. His mind has been completely enslaved by his monstrous form.

"I can attempt an intervention, but the chances of success are slim—very slim," Linda concluded.

A collective sigh rippled through the group. Although Norton had long displayed signs of descent into bestial madness, when the tragic transformation actually unfolded before them, it was still no easier to bear.

A sedative was injected into Norton. Slowly, his violent thrashing and roars ceased as he slipped into unconsciousness. Several cars moved in to haul his massive, monstrous form toward the treatment center.

Having reverted to his human form, Dipp seethed with frustration. His webbed hand balled into a fist, and he delivered a hard punch to Noden\'s green, wax-coated neck.

"Fuck this shit!" Dipp growled. "This is ridiculous! We haven\'t been out to sea to explore for ages, and yet we are even losing one of us on our own damn island!"

Can Dad help him? He\'s a crewmate, after all. Sparkle pondered on the question for a brief moment. Then with a thought, her surroundings rapidly warped and she found herself back home.

Throwing herself into the arms of Charles\' human shell, Sparkle leaned in close and whispered everything she had witnessed into his ear.

A few seconds later, a pair of eyes emerged within the pitch-black void of Charles\' eye sockets. Charles had returned.

"Is that so? Norton still became a monster?"

He lifted his metallic prosthetic hand and gently caressed Sparkle\'s smooth hair. His tone carried a hint of hollow, unsettling resonance, saying, "But tell me… Why should I save him?"

Sparkle felt her heart sink. "Dad… He\'s your crewmate. Don\'t you care deeply about them?"

Charles\' gaze settled on the wall mural across the room. However, his attention seemed fixated on something further away, both in time and space.

"Sparkle," Charles began. "Don\'t you see that it\'s meaningless? There\'s no difference between me saving him or not. In the near future, he\'s still going to die.

"I\'ve suddenly come to the realization that my old ways of thinking are laughable. Why do I need to save the humans on the surface or in the Subterranean Sea? Whether they live or die… what has that got to do with me?"