I do not deserve this.
The words echoed emptily through Aaron's mind as he stared at the badge in his hand, its emerald sheen reflecting the sunlight above.
It was only a few hours prior to the arrival of Azaroth Pane on Blackport Ridge, the very same day he was to meet Sea King Cauron Thorn at the docks for the journey to Nautilus.
After the ceremony, he had rushed away from the crowds, returning to his chambers to ponder what had happened the previous day.
I-I almost killed…
His thoughts were a wreck after nearly ending the life of Akari Ayaka, a child who had been so gravely wounded that she was directly treated by the Pontiff herself after the match.
It was the second time that Aaron felt responsible for her injuries, a person who cared for him more than he knew, now brutalized by his own hand.
He did not know what had happened after absorbing the core of the chimera, unable to detect any lasting effects within his body.
Could it have been a dud?
The boy pursed his lips before quickly shaking his head.
No… If it had been useless, then that mana wouldn't have been enough to save me from the edge of death.
Groaning, he pulled the pitch-black hood he wore over his face further, the crowds around him vast as they headed for the vessels in the harbor.
Local time on Blackport Ridge was eight in the morning, the rising sun in the distance glaring on any object it could.
Making his way through crowds of people without so much as a second thought, he felt the cool coastal winds blow against his form.
『Aaron.』
The blond-haired boy's eyes widened instinctively, the serene yet soft voice of Penelope echoing through his head for the first time in half a week.
"You're back?"
He wasn't entirely sure of the sentence she had been given by the controller of his mind; however, whatever it was, it mustn't have been good.
『Please don't listen to the ramblings of mad gods again…』
A sigh resounded through his ears, a slight smile coming across his face as he walked under the port entrance.
"No promises."
Hearing the woman groan, he chuckled under his breath while looking forward, a massive crowd separated by a wall of glass now before him.
That's where I'm supposed to be, I guess…
Tightening the metallic joints on his leg, he felt an odd release of tension from the joint, his brow furrowing downward.
Krk. Krk. Krk.
Aaron watched as the so carefully forged metal imbued with the tooth of the Oblivacis caught on a serrated spring that was out of place.
Can it actually take damage?
Blinking profusely, he slowly bent over and pushed against the broken spring with all the force in his right hand.
Without much effort, it moved, allowing the mechanism to spin without delay, the circuit completing itself and firing off before the boy could even catch his breath.
Uh oh—
His body flung up faster than he could react, the air around him whistling as he flew past the crowd of people in a flash.
Now in a barrel roll and falling fast, he worked quickly to adjust his angle, his hip repositioning itself so he could just barely land on his feet.
THUD!
Ankle met pavement, sending searing pain throughout his body; however, he remained standing, the crowd behind him cheering loudly as his hood fell off.
Panting quietly to hide his internal suffering, he shook his head to fix his hair, the sight before him finally appearing in full.
Cauron Thorn, Akari Ayaka, Raphael von Steinfeste, Ezra Flock, and Alaric von Steinfeste stood in a circle, staring blankly at the boy.
Out of the five, only the black-haired friend of the boy came forward, a smile on his face as he approached.
"Finally! What took you so long?"
The blond-haired boy greeted his friend, yet his mind was elsewhere, his eyes focused on the pink-haired girl as far away from him as she could be.
Her blue eyes stared into his own, her usual happiness drained away, leaving her like a ghost in the daylight.
Looking towards the ground, he heard Penelope's voice chide him from the ethereal world she resided within.
『I do not know what caused you to act the way you did in the arena, nor do I know why your mindscape was completely sealed as it was happening; however, if you do not speak with her, then she will never forgive you, much less you forgive yourself.』
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath at the words, he felt bile rise in his throat only to settle soon after, a grin working at the edges of his mouth.
"Ezra! Was my revenge good enough for you? Or should I go beat Raphael up right now?"
Laughing loudly, he watched as the subject of their conversation scoffed from behind Ezra, his head shaking in irritation.
The black-haired boy chuckled as they walked side by side towards the group of former challengers, a whisper of sadness threading through the words inside Aaron's mind.
『The core of the Iktomi provides the masks you hide behind, yet you've always had that power… Haven't you?』
She was left ignored by the seemingly jolly boy who patted Raphael on the back hard while talking to Ezra at the same time.
Only after Cauron impatiently clicked his stopwatch several times did they break apart, focusing on the man obediently.
"Now that you are all here, we may begin our voyage towards the island of Nautilus, and by proxy, the Vault of Nautilus."
The crowd cheered as he continued on, this time, his tone quiet enough for only the five teenagers to hear.
"Except for Ezra Flock, when you step aboard the Ghostship, you'll feel it attempt to rip at your lifeforce. Do not panic, for I have disabled the defense system and therefore there should be no reaction unless you show hostility."
He paused, taking a deep breath.
"To go alongside that, there shall be no fighting aboard the vessel, and any failure to uphold that rule will result in punishment by the discretion of the Ghostship itself."
Four of the five furrowed their brows, the words of the Sea King confusing them severely, regardless of their simplicity.
"How would a Ghostship determine our punishment?"
Akari's voice was quiet, like a lonely outcast, voicing the question most of the group had wanted answered
Aaron, of course, knew how such a thing could be possible, his ship's incarnation standing behind him, eyeing up the orange-sailed floating fortress.
Mr. Crab can control basically anything aboard the Ghostship, so he could probably even kill somebody if they stepped aboard…
The boy pursed his lips, another thought coming to mind that he hadn't quite thought deeply into before.
Why didn't he stop Cam from boarding?
As he delved deeper into the thought, he was interrupted by Lord Thorn, who answered Akari's question quickly.
"Ghostships have a life of their own, and they do not take kindly to unwelcomed guests onto their decks."
He glanced over the crowd in the distance and then over towards the narrow boarding bridge that connected the dock to the vessel.
"Well then, if there are no other questions, then perhaps we should get going."
All five nodded their heads together, the orange-haired King unfolding a second pair of glasses that were attached to his collar.
Aaron tilted his head slightly as he watched the man place them over his eyes, a tinge of pain shooting through his head as he did.
It was gone before he could activate his specialized vision, the man already walking up the long ladder towards the top of the boat.
Odd…
Shrugging off the strange feeling gripping at his heart, he watched as the others in front of him climbed the ladder with ease, their figures vanishing as they appeared on the Ghostship.
Turning around one last time, he waved towards the herds of people crowding the dock, their crazed faces sticking within his mind as he walked ahead.
Those are the people whom I need to protect.
Closing his eyes, he took a step onto the ladder, his form slowly ascending up towards the top, where the hatch to the vessel opened up.
It was a short climb compared to his previous mountain ascent, his figure reaching the top after less than thirty seconds.
Sighing as he raised his foot to step onto the deck, he looked upward at the sails with a reminiscent gaze, his own ship vastly smaller than the King of Mysteries' boat.
"If only I—"
Placing his weight on the wooden deck, he felt his soul leave his body, a raging inferno of ancient language screaming through his mind.
Before he could react, he was falling, the floor beneath him glowing with tangerine-colored runes that prepared to eliminate the boy from existence.
From a distance, Cauron Thorn slammed his heel into the deck, the sound barrier cracking and echoing throughout the air.
All the others on the ship jumped with surprise as the entire vessel burned a sickly orange, their minds instantly overrun with mindless information.
Only a moment later, the torrent of information subsided, their memories clear and their legs wobbly.
Aaron Grimstall panted heavily as he stood dazed, his pupils dilated and his ears ringing as he heard Penelope's voice enter his mind.
『Congratulations, Aaron. You're now acknowledged by the Goddess of Life and Fertility, and unlike the God of Illusions or Death…』
She paused, her words broken and delayed as the boy looked upward towards the sky where now, unlike before, an orange star burned with an endless ferocity.
『She won't keep your secret.』