Captain – Chapter 488 – The Flaw

The “click” sound faded away until it could no longer be heard, only then did the young man standing in the twilight come to his senses.

He understood that the Captain had left, making this the unknown number of times they had missed each other. What Caine didn’t know was that his current position beside the door was exactly where the young lady had been staring in astonishment earlier.

She already knew that a “ghost” was right here.

Logically, this heartening truth would still be mercilessly obscured by the fog, turning into numbing disappointment and frustration. Fortunately, the young man had a cat in his arms.

The cat, which had been burying its head in the young man’s embrace, seemingly too exhausted to even look up, finally turned its head weakly and gazed into the room with dim blue eyes.

“Meow.”

Then, it called softly, saying she was looking at you.

After a brief moment of surprise, a sudden light bloomed in Caine’s eyes, which had become somewhat dull from long pursuit and repeated unconsciousness. It was like seeing a lighthouse in a dark, lightless sea.

“So… the Captain already knows I’ve entered the dream?”

Recalling the young lady’s reaction during the previous conversation with the Governor, the Siamese cat affirmed with a call, saying from her purpose in coming here and her recent behavior, that should be the case.

Gently wriggling free from Caine’s gradually relaxing arms, the cat jumped down and walked a few steps with slightly stiff movements, then turned around to sit upright, looking up at the young man, calling out encouragingly.

Well done, kid. Next, it depends on her.

To see which side fate stands on.

The cat didn’t voice this last thought. Besides not wanting to discourage him and knowing it would be meaningless, as a symbol of fate, no one understood better than it how absurd and groundless fate could be.

Those invisible threads, moved by unseen hands, jumping in disorder, really seemed like a game.

Until the end, no one knows the outcome.

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“Meow.”

The cat, as usual, licked its paw, grooming its terribly messy fur that looked like it had just weathered a storm. It then called out lazily, bidding farewell to the First Mate and urging him to follow her.

“What about you?”

Hearing the farewell that was no different from previous times, Caine didn’t immediately set off as before, but remained standing, his eyes filled with irrepressible concern.

Although the cat concealed it well, from subtle clues, he could still sense that after each separation and reunion, it became increasingly exhausted, whether physically, mentally, or…

Spiritually.

Initially, Caine didn’t have this feeling, thinking the cat was mysteriously unfathomable, naturally capable of creating various “miracles.” But as the journey progressed, he discovered this wasn’t the case.

Bringing him into the dream, repeatedly catching up to him, showing him the way forward—all required a price.

But mortals could hardly see it.

“Meow.”

Pausing its movement, the cat slowly lowered its paw and looked up again. From the young man’s perspective, it seemed to be smiling, reassuring him, but the meaning in its voice was completely opposite.

The road ahead, you must walk alone.

It sounded like encouragement, yet also like a farewell.

After this cat’s call, the footsteps of the Governor and soldiers leaving the ship behind him gradually grew fainter until they completely disappeared. The scene before the First Mate’s eyes began to blur, distort, and turn to darkness.

He knew this was another call of fate; he had no time to wait any longer.

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“Wait, what do you…”

In that brief moment, Caine seemed to see again the various scenes of traveling with the cat, realizing that after each separation, it took longer and longer to catch up with him.

And this time, it seemed to be forever.

“Mean” was never spoken. The First Mate’s figure vanished from the captain’s quarters, and simultaneously, just like every page of the book they had walked through, this time, this world began to collapse, gradually sinking into endless darkness.

The cat didn’t leave, either because it was too tired, or perhaps…

It could no longer leave.

After sending the young man away, the “smile” on the Siamese cat’s disheveled face faded. It yawned, slowly curling up into a ball, not seeking a quiet, secluded corner as it had in the past, because in this darkness, it made no difference where one was.

The cat was just a bit tired and needed to sleep.

Or so the cat thought.

The sea wind howled, the tide’s sound was faint, and the night in the far northern waters was forever so cold and desolate.

Slowly walking down the gangway, following some kind of mysterious guidance, Roy wandered through the ship’s cabin for a while, finally stopping before that tightly closed wooden door, the residence of the scholar.

Oh, he should be called First Mate Isaac.

Thinking of that magnificent night when they fought for the magic box, recalling everything the “old pirate” had done for her, a hint of warmth appeared in the Captain’s eyes, which had gradually been overtaken by indifference.

Without knocking, she pushed open the door and walked straight in.

Wearing a scholar’s robe, having changed his appearance to conceal his identity, the seemingly frail “old pirate” was earnestly reading a modern history book, learning about the world’s changes.

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The thirst for knowledge in his eyes was not a disguise. Had fate not played tricks on him, he would have truly been suited to be a scholar.

Pulling over a wooden chair, the Captain sat opposite the “old pirate,” quietly watching this face that she once hated intensely, now somewhat missed, but could never see again.

After a long time, until the scholar rubbed his temples, planning to extinguish the candle and rest, the young lady finally rose to leave. From beginning to end, she had not disturbed this elder’s rare peace of a thousand years.

But even without asking, she had obtained the answer she wanted.

Since her previous realization that a “ghost” had been following her all along, many originally unsolvable problems had become full of flaws in the Captain’s eyes, leaving traces everywhere.

So without much effort, she found this “suspicious” page that seemed not entirely independent, and through the scholar who served as a bridge, saw another dream.

That dream… belonging to him.

Although in the images flashing before her eyes, that person’s figure still didn’t appear, nor did his voice remain, at least Roy could hear everything the scholar said.

Thus she learned about the “ship and anchor point” metaphor, and that the pocket watch was the medium.

Returning to the captain’s quarters, looking at the raven and young dragon that greeted her but seemed to be surrounding someone by the bed, the young lady’s eyes softened, and she even smiled slightly as she closed the door.

She knew without guessing that the “ghost” was there.

Walking around the desk, sitting by the bed, Roy played with the raven that jumped onto her lap while, through the unstable gap created by the intertwining dreams of this page, she took in everything that had happened here and what her other self had done.

“So at that time, it was I who took the pocket watch.”

Reaching into her bosom, taking out the pocket watch, the Captain opened the cover, gently caressing the face of the person in the photograph, murmuring to herself. Seeing this, the raven also approached, curiously looking at the old photograph.

“First Mate, First Mate.”

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Hearing the raven’s call, Roy smiled lightly, about to say, yes, he is my First Mate, but before she could speak, she suddenly heard some strange movement, and the smile at the corner of her mouth abruptly disappeared.

“Tap, tap…”

After the slight footsteps, that persistent devil appeared before the young lady once again.

Standing by the porthole on the side wall, the devil pulled open the curtain, looking over the ship’s railing toward the sea, saying with quite some emotion: “It seems you already know much about the truth of this dream. As you thought, child, that pocket watch is the medium, but unfortunately…”

“It’s now in your hands.”

Leaning against the windowsill and turning around, the devil rhythmically tapped on the wooden wall, as if playing music. He looked at the cold-faced young lady, gleefully and gloatingly saying: “That makes it no different from scrap metal.”

“The intertwining of dreams? Well, I admit this is unprecedented. When I discovered this matter, even I was shocked. But in the end, isn’t it still all in vain?”

“And the losses outweigh the gains.”

Roy didn’t hear his final murmur, because these words weren’t meant for her, but were spoken by the devil to his old friend who had sunk into darkness, not knowing if he could awaken again.

“You don’t have much time left, Elizabeth. Before the end, how will you…”

“You’re really annoying, Ancestor.”

Interrupting the devil’s psychological attack, Roy closed the watch cover and put the pocket watch away again. She leaned lazily against the bedpost, looking at the “ghost” sitting beside her that she couldn’t see or touch, saying quite relaxedly: “In the past, you were never this eager.”

This eager to strike her down.

Hearing this, the smile on the devil’s face immediately froze, and after hearing the young lady’s declaration of war that followed, it gradually faded away, replaced by undisguised indifference and killing intent.

“Be patient, Ancestor. Until the end, how do you know which side fate will stand on?”