All seemed hopeless at first, but Victor managed to unlock the door; a gush of water puked out Jin and the other slaves along with him back to the middle deck. Small debris of woods rained over them like a cloud of despair, they covered their heads and dropped to the floor was their only option against the thread of fate. However, one woman stood with a hopeful smile despite the hopeless ending. Victor was surprised to find that smile on her face. That woman never gave up, not on hope, nor the goodness of man.

“Jin, what should we do?” Victor raised himself from the floor.

“Yosha! Let’s plug the hole first before we sink while the rest of you help the other.”

“You mean the slavers too?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Why should we? They took us from our home and treated us like cattle. They don’t care about us!”

Most of the slaves started to nod in agreement at that truthful statement. Victor took the spot in front of Jin, despite being short and young, this particular Victor showed an aura of authority. He glared at each of the slaves and pointed dramatically at one of them.

“Do you know how to sail a ship?” Victor asked.

“N-Noo…”

“Then we need them as they need us. Without them, we will be stuck in the middle of the sea, do you people understand?” Victor asked again.

“We do...but.”

Jin made herself seen in front of Victor with her fist up, “Don’t stand at their level, learn from the past and look forward! Now, who wants to still live, get a move one.”

With an arousal speech from Jin, the other began collecting broken woods and started working on plugging the hole. The ship still shook from the volley of cannonballs hitting the side of the ship, but their newfound resolve still stood stronger than before. Victor quickly left Jin behind and headed back to the gunport and stumbled a bit as he avoided the rolling barrels.

“The last cannon. Fire it!”

Victor looked at the man unconscious on the floor, he had a long stick with a burning top. After grabbing the igniter, he rushed to the cannon, vaulting over broken woods and crates. Until he managed to light the fuse; it all happened in an instant, the fuse ignited the gunpowder and pushed the metal ball out with tremendous force while leaving a trail of smoke behind. Luckily, Victor’s effort wasn’t in vain as the cannonball hit the side of the enemy ship and it exploded into a flaming ball of fire. The damage seems to be different than normal, then out of nowhere, a cheer echoed throughout the ship.

“Good job, kid! You hit the damn ammo depot” The men around him shouted in high spirits.

“Continue the attack!” The captain’s order traveled across the ship.

“You heard the Captain! Don’t let down, keep firing!”

“Kid, help me with the reloading!” One of the men called out to Victor.

With widened eyes and parted lips, Victor was surprised to see them treating him as equal and looked at him more than a cattle to be sold or a nuisance. His heart began to ache as he remembered Jin’s words. A thought of doubt surfaced above his head; maybe things could change with a little show of kindness.

“What are you waiting for?!”

“I’m coming, sir!” Victor rushed closer and began reloading the cannons with the help of the men who once treated him like garbage.

A rain of metal balls hailed down on the flaming wreckage and when it stopped; the Captain ordered his crew to take a dinghy toward it and salvage what’s left of the defeated vessel. As they hauled back what they found, the other slaves along with their captors helped each other unload the material onto the ship. It goes on as the men made multiple trips to haul the goods.

“Men!” The slavers pulled their attention to the Captain.

“Not just my men, all of you! As an act of gratitude for today, I want to invite all of you to tonight’s feast.”

The slaves murmured amongst themselves; they could not believe it, the Captain had suddenly invited all of them to dine with him. Victor glanced back at Jin, she had this hidden arrogant smirk hidden under her fake smile as their gaze met with each other. The Exiled Prince nodded his head, admitting defeat that she was right.

“I want to help!” Victor shouted.

As the people around him focused on the short young man, he accidentally blushed in front of them and lowered his head down, “As an act of gratitude from me...”

“Me too!”

“Me too!” Given time, it seems everyone had pulled up their hands in their own way; trying to help out as much as they could.

The sun started to set in the far horizon; most of the preparation for tonight’s feast was almost done. It seems that Victor wasn’t needed anymore, so he had time for himself. Since the slavers became more friendly by the minute, they ignored the Prince as he went up to the helm, alone and observed the dim-lit stars.

“Look who it is?” The Captain made his presence noticeable, Victor turned around and bowed apologetically.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be here.”

“There’s no need to apologize.”

Victor raised his head and was surprised to see a smile on the Captain’s face. He leaned against the railing beside Victor and sighed.

“You must have hated us.”

Despite the Captain allowing him to stay, Victor still felt awkward and was about to leave when he was stopped in his tracks by that statement. His fingers dug into his palms., “To be frank, I hated you the most.”

“I thought so. A man who stole people from their homes. A profession that I truly regret.”

“You people don’t only steal them from their homes. You chain them down and enslave them. A profession you truly regret, Captain? Don’t make me laugh.”

“I guess you have misunderstood us, we are not slavers.”

“Huh?”

“We are Slave Hunters.”

“Slave Hunters?”

“Have you noticed that there aren't any of your people or to be precise, our fellow countrymen here, except for you and me?”

“All the people who I captured, legally or illegally, are runaway slaves.”

“Runaway slave, even Jin?”

“Even she. Didn’t you ever think that someone from Yakawa would be allowed to leave their country without the permission of the government, or even, that someone from Yakawa is allowed to marry other than their fellow countrymen? That woman married a Frozehaven. As clear as it can be, it isn’t forbidden for ‘us’ to marry someone who does not originate from our land, but it is the opposite for them. It’s forbidden, heck, it’s somehow worst than murder.”

“I don't believe you.”

“An unshakable trust. Good. A rabbit doesn’t survive alone in a land infested with wolves without a pack of their own.”

“Even that I couldn’t believe it. Someone like you, trusts someone else? I doubt that.”

“I trust my crew, I trust them to keep me alive and they trust me to steer them away from any danger, but as of lately, I am beginning to doubt my own abilities.”

For the first time Victor ever set foot here, he never saw the captain without his hat. So don't blame him when he thought that this moment was some surreal dream because the Captain just took off his hat and let it rest on the railing. Victor couldn’t control his laughter as he saw the oddly existed bald spot on his head. He glared at the boy, and Victor quickly glanced away with a hand against his lips. Out of nowhere, the Captain laughed aloud, and Victor joined him.

“I’m getting old… but I can still remember the old days, I once served under the Royal Family as a Captain. Coincidence as it may seem, but it was the truth.”

“I don’t know if I should ask you what happened.”

“Usually, I don’t share my life story nonchalantly with people. It could be the drink I just had but here I am somehow feeling a bit talkative all of sudden. Anyhows, I remember there was a war back in the days.”

“You mean the Lawson War?”

“Your father, against his father. I once served under your grandfather. I can still see it when I close my eyes; your grandfather’s cold eyes as I report the causality; so many of my comrades died in that war. I couldn’t stand it. Because I could see it…”

The Captain gripped the railing tightly. “I could see it in his eyes that we were a mere pawn to him, the man who I swore allegiance to, threw our life away in a pathetic effort to protect his precious meaningless title. After that realization, there was only one thing to do, play the waiting game. I waited for the right moment to disappear, and so I did during the fall of his crown.”

“I left and if you are willing to piece it together, that's one of the reasons I hated the Royal.”

“But my father is different, he stops!”

“Is he any different?”

Victor was tongue twisted by that question, he didn’t even see his father’s face once during all that commotion. However, he did know that his father didn’t even try to defend him, he just threw him away as a solution to his problem, and that showed him: that Victor; his own son was expendable.

“The expression on your face, I’m guessing that I was not entirely wrong. That’s why I hated them, as kind as they can be, but what lies behind that mountain of benevolence is a cold twisted personality.”

“No, not all of them.”

“Hmm?”

“My mom! She helped people without a second doubt, she cared for her people deeply, and she would let herself be destroyed first before letting her own people perish,” Victor looked at the Captain with furrowed eyebrows while his arms straightened by his side.

“The Queen… I heard what happened to her.”

The thought of his mom bedridden without his son’s presence to comfort her, heavied Victor's heart and mind. Victor gritted his teeth and felt the tears forming under his eyes, but all of that despair dissipated when the Captain opened his mouth.

“It was fortunate that she survived her illness and started to show signs of recovering.”

“My mom...is well?”

“Oh, you didn't know? I couldn’t blame you. I only heard about it from the Captain we traded with a couple of days ago.”

“I’m glad. I’m glad that she’s fine,” Victor loosened his shoulders and smiled.

The Captain took out a small flask and drank from it, “Do you know what happened to the runaway slave when we brought them back?”

“Prison?”

“No… Death…”

“What! Just for leaving their kingdom?”

“There is no mercy for those who betrayed their country.”

“Do they know that?”

“I would be lying if I said no.”

“Turn around this ship! I can't allow you to send Jin to her death.”

The Captain laughed, and then he patted the concerned boy on his head, “I won't.”

“W-What?”

“Today was perfect in more than you know. Listen, boy, if it wasn't for Jin, and you, I would not have changed my mind.”

Victor was confused by the captain’s statement, “I don’t understand what you are saying.”

“A lot of factors came to this decision, even my men have been given their thoughts about it. So don't give it much thought, when I said that it has been on my mind even before we ever met. I am retiring, effectively today… I want to go home, and see my daughter again.”

“Retiring? You think I will forgive you people after how you behaved toward me.”

“I am not asking for forgiveness. My men understood the sin we committed. We did our job, and we didn't regret anything we did to you. Your family and you deserved every bit of it, but the runaway slaves don't deserve it.”

“Victor! Can you help me with something?” Jin called out to the young men from the main deck.

“Now I see, that’s why it was me that got treated differently. The hated bloodline ran through me forever and indefinitely. But. Don’t get me wrong, I am no longer a Lawson! I’m Victor. Just Victor!” He turned his back on the Captain and walked away.

“Ufufufu. Just Victor? So kiwi,” Jin teased him when he took the last step of stairs.

“I thought it was...cool,” Victor’s cheeks were bright red.

“It was cool” Jin embraced him in her bosom, he tried to struggle away but that joyful woman somehow managed to attain immense strength.

“Let me go!”

“Nope. Soo cute and fluffy.”

“No, I'm not!”

“If only you were older, I would have totally married you and left my past husband.”

“You shouldn't have said that. Jin’s past husband, please don't be mad. She doesn't mean that one bit.”

“Don't worry about him, he was quite an understandable man.”

“No, no, no, there is a limit to being understandable. Besides. why would I marry an old woman like you.”

“Old?” A nerve popped on Jin’s forehead.

“How dare you say that to a delicate flower like me!” She dug her knuckle against Victor’s head.

“Ouch, Ouch! I’m sorry!”

From far away, the Captain smirked after taking a sip from his flask, “That kid…”

“Oh, I forgot. Let’s eat shall we?” Jin spread her arm to the banquet of food behind her, from the delectable barbecue meats to the thick mouth-watering soups. Victor looked on with a giant smile on his face and glimmering gaze; just this for a moment, he wanted to forget everything that had happened. The excited woman pulled him toward the feast, and they laughed and ate together, along with old enemies and new friends.

“It seems that you were right all along, a little bit of kindness does go a long way.”

“See? I told you.”

“Jin… I was wondering.”

“Hmm?”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“Achaa...I guess you found out. I’m in trouble right now, aren't I?”

“If the captain didn’t change his mind, you would have died when we arrived there.”

“Oh, did the captain change his mind? I’m glad he did.”

“But still, you were going to let it happen without fighting back?”

“You know, Victor. The moment I left my country to be with my darling, I knew my time would be numbered, but it was worth it. The days I spent with him was the happiest I had ever felt in my entire life, even though it was brief. I still cherish those memories and live it every time I dreamt... Listen up, Victor. I’m not giving up nor fighting back, but I am living my life to the fullest and you should too.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you. You think I haven't noticed that you never make an effort to get to know the people around you.”

“No effort? I did try but they shunned me away.”

“Of Course they shunned you because you were half baked about it, you didn't really care about those people, you only cared about me and I appreciate it and cherish your feelings. Also, there’s the whole royalty thing, so I don't blame them. But you need to let others inside that stone fortress; you called a heart,” Jin gently tapped her finger against Victor’s chest.

“Easier said than done. There was a girl, I let her in. I always thought she was more to me, more than a friend, I thought she understood me and we shared a deep passion together, but it was part of her twisted plan. The moment I stepped outside of her plan, she betrayed me. So as I said before, easier said than done.”

“Also after your father exiled you that only makes it worst for your situation. I will admit you have a pretty tough life. But! How about you start with a smile?”

Victor let out a smile, and Jin retorted away, “Not like that. More sincere. Less cynical and depressing.”

“Like this?” Victor smiled again.

“You need to work on that. The path to change is always and definitely the hardest thing to do. Despite that, somehow I know that you are going to accomplish it.”

Victor's eyes widened and his cheeks blushed as he felt Jin’s gentle lips against his cheek, “W-What?”

“That was a reward. Thank you for saving me.”

Victor shrunk his head while biting his bottom lip, he then averted all his gaze away from Jin. The woman smiled and pulled him so he would lean against her side. She then gently stroked his head and felt a warm liquid soaking her side. Victor’s body was trembling as tears flowed out from his eyes, he doesn't understand why that sentence alone meant so much to him. Heartfelt gratitude, a sense of recognition, he has been longing for it, he couldn’t stand up for Gabriella or save Muffin, but he did save Jin.

“Forward is the only answer, my sweet boy.”

“What if I can’t?”

“Then take as many backs, right, left paths you want as long as you move forward. No matter how many directions you take, I know you will always end up on a good path because you have a kind heart, Victor.”

Everything was uncertain, the future seemed more blurry than it did back when Victor lived in the castle. The uncertainty was the scariest part of it, he once had it all, but why he felt freer right now than he ever did. The future will always be uncertain, but it’s not something he should be afraid of, instead, it’s something that should be counted as a challenge. Every choice he took now, makes a difference to the thread of destiny despite him having nothing to his name.

Thar is he could not have expected to be in this terrible situation right now.

One of the enemies had swum his way to this ship and been hiding out of sight. Everyone has fallen asleep after the feat, but Victor did not, he felt excited for tomorrow so he had remained near the railing to look up at the beautiful starry sky. However, his short-lived peaceful moment was ruined, when he discovered the enemy, Victor had held him in his place by hugging the man and pushing him against the railing.

However, if the man ever passed Victor, he could have done serious damage or worse, hurt Jin. This is stupid, Victor can always shout for help, but it also a risk of attracting more innocent bystanders. He doesn't have much time, he felt his slowly losing his grip. Judging by the water below, if Victor pushed him off, he could not make it back to the ship due to its speed now, and any noise he made would be overwhelmed by the noise of crashing waves.

No one could hear the enemy…or himself.

Victor had seemingly found strength out of nowhere as he raised his gaze at the enemy, He smiled as wide as he could., and with a sufficient push of his legs, the two of them toppled over the railing and fell into the water below. Despite being in the water, Victor hugged the man dragging him down with him.

After the man stopped struggling, Victor let go of him and under the dark depth, an infinite pillar of lights began to shine through the watery surface. His body felt lighter than air while he was being embraced by the sea.

Peace, quiet and desolate.

“…..”