Abyss

CHAPTER 30

The ship emerged from the abyss, battered but intact. The waves had finally subsided but Darius' rage still lingered — his emotions threatening to consume him whole.

Darius stepped out of the ship in haste, his eyes unfocused as his grip tightened on the railing before rushing down to get a good distance. Aloysius noticed this, his worried gaze following the captain as he ordered the others to stay and check on the damages.

The crew could only stare as they saw Darius walking away. They knew how devastated he had looked so they opted to stay and be the ones to manage to look over the ship's damage. All of them silently hoping that Aloysius could help him calm down.

As Aloysius stepped down the rocky land of the Malum Trench, he quickly saw Darius falling down to his knees, his hands unconsciously going to his locket. Darius' gaze focused on opening it and staring at his right where Calista's picture laid.

"She's still out there. Why her?"

"Darius..." Aloysius trailed off when he heard Darius' voice thundering, his fists clenched in frustration as he stared back at the abyss they had escaped. He then saw him grabbing some rocks and throwing it in rage.

"I held her hand so tight. Why her?!" Aloysius quickly grabbed Darius's arm to stop him from going to the water as it seems like he almost wanted to join his lover. He gripped Aloysius hands to pull his friend away but neither budged as he was stuck in place.

Aloysius frowned, forcing himself to pull the captain away from the water, his expression with a mix of sadness and despair as he pats his back. "Darius, I know how you feel, but we must keep moving forward. Calista wouldn't want to see you like this."

Darius turned to him, his eyes filled with desperation. "I won't abandon her, Aloysius. I can't lose her, not like this."

"Darius, please. She wouldn't want you to do this to yourself." That was the only thing Aloysius said before looking down. What else was he supposed to say?

Darius, his emotions raw and unbridled, questioned with a hint of anguish. Even if he had mumbled the question, Aloysius still heard it crystal clear.

"Why are you comforting me as if she's already dead?"

"I wasn't..." Aloysius trailed off as Darius shook his head in denial. He stood up, dusting his pants before letting out a sigh. The young sailor could almost hear him being displeased by this.

"Don't. Whatever you're about to say, don't go on any further. I do not want to hear it."

He then heard Darius whispering to himself. "She's still alive."

Aloysius remains silent after this, letting his friend mourn over the death of his lover. It took a while before he had let Darius go and his friend only sat down, his eyes casted over the stones before taking one of them and examining it close — probably a way to distract himself from the storm inside of him.

"Do you know how much it pains me to see her falling out of the damn ship? My ship. I'm the captain and I have failed her."

Aloysius closed his eyes and answered. "Your wife would never think that you've failed her. You saved her the first time and tried to save her the second. The waves pulled you both apart. It was no one's fault."

After that, he never said another word. He lets him lash out, knowing that the only important thing right now is for the captain to let his emotions out. So, instead of commenting on this, he just sat down beside him as Darius stared at the waters with guilt.

Darius looked at his left, where he saw Aloysius just looking at the dark cloudy skies, before asking, "I know this may sound insane but do you doubt me when I say she's not fully gone?"

"I've never doubted your skills as a captain and your claims as a friend before, so no, I don't." Aloysius, with no hesitation, responded with sincerity.

Arsen and Elysaria, who had stepped out of their ships, had been listening attentively. They remained silent as their gazes were lowered in sympathy after such tragedy.

Darius knew about his responsibilities as a captain. Despite the weight of the world going down on him, the guilt and blame heaped upon himself like a heavy shroud, he forced himself to go back to his crew.

As the ship's anchor is lowered, Darius retreated to a quiet corner, his thoughts consumed by the events that had unfolded. He blamed himself, replaying every decision he had made in his mind, torturing himself with the what-ifs until he eventually heard footsteps coming towards him.

Arsen's figure stopped in front of Darius, her usually stern expression softened with concern. "Captain Thorren, we heard what happened. I'm sorry for your loss."

But Darius's composure crumbled, his walls falling apart as grief and guilt overwhelmed him. He sank to his knees, his body shaking with sobs that he had kept at bay for too long. The weight of his emotions crushed him, his anguish echoing across the ship. Aloysius noticed how Darius had tried to hold his emotions while talking to him earlier but as soon as the second time hits, he couldn't help but break down.

Darius's shoulders trembled as he struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to spill. "I should have protected her. She's gone because of me. I should've never let her come."

Elysaria's hand rested on his back, her voice soothing. "Calista wouldn't want to see you like this. She believed in you, in us."

Arsen and Elysaria both exchanged glances before Arsen knelt beside him, her hand on his back in a comforting gesture. "Let it out. It is alright to grieve, Captain Thorren."

Elysaria's eyes held compassion as she added, "You're not alone in this, Darius."

His grief poured out, a torrent of pain and sorrow that he had kept hidden for too long. The mere facade crumbled right in front of the ruler of Arkenheilm and the Valka's captain. Darius's grief-stricken gaze met theirs before taking a shuddering breath, his grip on his emotions slowly fading.

Though the scars of their encounter with the Duke of Stormy Seas would remain, they pressed onward. Darius knew the longer that they stay here, the sooner they would awaken the duke once more or what creature lay ahead in the trench. And who was to say they wouldn't meet the same fate as his lover?

Darius stood up, wiping the tears away before nodding to his crew. Even though there weren't any words exchanged, the crew understand as they quickly gathered their stuff to set off a camp.

The crew's faces were etched with exhaustion and anxiety, but Darius's gaze was fixed on the ghastly ships ahead of the trench. He knew he had to move forward eventually. It was what Calista would've wanted. With the locket on his hand, he immediately joined the crew to help. Arsen knew that look on Darius' face before she turned to Elysaria.

The same reaction that Krieger had when he had lost a few men during his expedition. Well, that was what she heard and read from the survivor's accords.

"Do you think he'll end up like him?" Elysaria couldn't help but frown as she questioned Arsen. The general only hummed.

"This was his lover. I can't tell what's going on in his mind right now. One could only hope that he doesn't," Arsen commented before sighing. "Let's go. We should not linger here too long."