Captain – Chapter 398 – A Father’s Love

Darkness was all that remained in her sight.

Roy could no longer feel her body, only sensing herself transformed into a raindrop in the stormy night, falling downward, endlessly falling.

Plunging into that boundless whirlpool, that bottomless black abyss.

After an unknown time, that raindrop seemed to finally traverse the lightless sea, and like life newly born, the young woman regained awareness once more.

First came sound—the soft singing of gentle waves lapping against snow-white sand, the faint sound of wings cutting through the sky, the cries of seabirds.

Then came smell and physical sensation—the slightly damp, slightly salty sea breeze brushing her face, the warm sun’s caress on her body, the rocking of sea waves like a cradle.

Finally came sight.

The darkness rapidly receded, and at its end, countless lights and shadows surged forth. Time and space rapidly transformed before the young woman’s eyes.

The sun rose and set, the tides ebbed and flowed.

In those retreating scenes, the first to pass were all familiar sights to the young woman—small towns in western Auran, a corner of the sinful city, glimpses of the Eastern Seas, and finally the entirety of the Southern Islands.

Then, as the light and shadows changed, the scenery gradually became unfamiliar.

The azure sea retreated, the clear sky moved backward, gradually dark clouds gathered, turbulent currents rose, countless black, thorn-like reefs appeared haphazardly, everything twisted.

It was like a ferocious giant mouth, about to devour all living beings—a delta.

The Death Silence Triangle.

Although that mysterious, terrifying triangle was a prominent feature in pirate legends, the scene only lingered for a moment.

The next moment, the triangle vanished, the dark sea surface retreated again and again, the scenery became completely unfamiliar, no longer resembling anything on known sea charts.

They had entered unknown waters.

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At this point, as if not wanting the young woman to see too clearly, the speed of the changing lights and shadows increased.

Seas surrounded by countless thunderbolts, jet-black cliffs towering into the clouds, islands bathed in brilliant sunlight, ships of unusual design—countless novel and magnificent sights flashed by in an instant.

After that came a vast fog.

And a broad sea shrouded by the fog, perpetually dim and oppressive. What was visible, however, was that the fog was dissipating.

Though the speed wasn’t particularly fast, there would surely come a day when the fog cleared and the sky brightened.

Is this… the Cursed Sea?

Somehow, from the moment her “form” entered this fog, Roy escaped from that confused state and could think again.

As if approaching the final destination, the devil was showing his last mercy.

Then this fog must be what her ancestor had described—the outward manifestation of the curse and seal.

Like a tourist, or perhaps a wandering spirit, the young woman drifted in the dense fog, thinking, aimless, not knowing what she was seeking.

By now, her emotions had become very faint. Neither the scenes she had experienced in the past nor these novel sights never before seen could cause even the slightest ripple in her heart.

Because her life seemed to have ended, and this journey with unknown purpose, serving as the devil’s farewell, held no meaning anymore.

But what was the devil’s purpose? What was the destination of this journey? Was it… that person he had promised earlier?

This was the young woman’s final question.

And as if hearing her thoughts, the scene before her changed in an instant, seemingly crossing countless spans of time and space in the blink of an eye.

So Roy arrived at the destination, and all her senses returned with it.

She stood alone, bewildered, looking around but seeing nothing, for she was in profound darkness.

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Unable to see her own hands before her, she could only feel.

The air here was somewhat damp, the surrounding environment very quiet. She could only faintly hear the sound of wind, tides, and a low “creaking” sound, like stepping on old, decayed wooden boards.

Where exactly is this? What kind of place are you trapped in?

Roy wondered silently. At this moment, she was like the siren trapped in the lighthouse, her voice taken by the devil, able only to think.

Suddenly, clear, continuous bell sounds rang out, as if answering her question, but this did nothing to improve her mood.

For although the bell sounds were clear, they subtly conveyed hoarseness and solemnity. This was not the routine evening bell of a church, but rather…

A death knell.

As if sensing the sudden arrival of a visitor, the surrounding silence disappeared, replaced by frenzied, sharp howls, increasingly dense and grating friction sounds, and the deepest horror.

So here you are.

Roy wasn’t particularly afraid, because she was gradually leaving this world and had already lost everything. She only slightly lowered her head, letting her hair fall to cover her face, immeasurably sad and helpless.

She suddenly wanted to cry.

Not for her own fate, but because she could do nothing, change nothing, causing everyone around her to fall into hell.

No, a world even more terrifying than hell.

Perhaps… I am what the holy book speaks of, an ill omen that brings misfortune.

Then, perhaps leaving is not such a bad thing.

If only I disappear…

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Her thoughts paused, and Roy lifted her eyes slightly dazed, staring at the darkness ahead, as if someone there was awakening.

And as if in fear of that person, the death knell stopped, the howls ceased, and even that incessant, chilling friction disappeared.

Everything quieted down.

Then, the silence was broken.

“Elizabeth?”

The voice coming from ahead was extremely dry and hoarse, as if it hadn’t spoken for over a decade, as if it hadn’t tasted water for countless days and nights.

“How can you be here? Could it be… No, it shouldn’t be like this…”

The person’s speech gradually became more fluent, their voice increasingly magnetic and vital, but between those words was nothing but sorrow and pain.

And countless self-reproach.

Feeling that closeness of true blood ties within reach, feeling the emotions in the words of the person before her without the slightest pretense, Roy’s mouth opened slightly, but she found she could say nothing.

She wanted to tell him how much she despised him, how much she wanted to find him and beat him black and blue, how much she…

Missed him.

Missed the him she had never met, missed the towering, infinitely radiant him from her mother’s stories, missed the him who had left for her sake.

But she couldn’t make a sound.

Couldn’t say anything.

Not even a simple call, she couldn’t manage it.

She could only grieve, silently grieve.

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“No, that’s not right.”

After saying those words, the person fell into a long silence, until sensing something, then spoke somewhat urgently.

But now, in the “no” he uttered, there was no longer sorrow, only the most genuine delight of awakening from despair.

“It’s not like that, it’s really not like that. I knew it—how could my child be inferior to me? How could she repeat my mistakes?”

“Go back, Elizabeth, wake up from this nightmare…”

“Forget… me…”

The voice gradually became broken and distant, until it was barely audible. Roy reached out her hand, wanting to hold onto something, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t touch anything.

Only darkness, emptiness.

No, there was also fire.

Like a scroll being set ablaze, a faint, candle-like flame flashed from the center of darkness, then no longer dimmed.

It gradually spread, beginning to burn away all the darkness surrounding the young woman, but no matter how the fire expanded, it remained so gentle.

In the fire, the scroll began to curl and twist, gradually becoming unreal.

And just before the darkness, the scroll, everything was about to be consumed by flames, the young woman finally saw those eyes in the firelight.

Those dark golden eyes, unwaveringly, infinitely gently gazing at her.

Filled with love.

A father’s love.