Abyss

CHAPTER 31

Cold. Lifeless. Two words that perfectly described the eyes of Darius Thorren as he ordered his men to sail the waters of Malum Trench.

The crew had exchanged uneasy glances to one another, keenly aware of how the captain didn't seem to mind the heavily eerie atmosphere of the place. Sunken ships all around them, most of the wooden ships covered in moss and seaweed. They couldn't blame him though. His loss was something that probably kept his mind preoccupied over the other things. 

The Mediterranean knew of the lives lost to the unforgiving sea. The past ships became the evidence for that. The crew tried to shrug off the feeling of eyes following them wherever they go. The wood of each ships were destroyed, sails tattered, and rigging creaking in the wind. It was a haunting sight, a graveyard of ships, long forgotten and its sailors' bodies never retrieved back.

Darius and Arsen led the exploration, their eyes scanning the abandoned ships for any signs of any new ones. The crew followed closely, their footsteps echoing the wooden floor as they finally approached another massive ship.

"This place gives me the chills," one crew member whispered to another, casting a nervous glance at the vessel.

"It's like they're still haunted by the souls of those who perished here," came another somber reply.

Darius threw a glance at Arsen, who seems to be studying the intricate details of the ship. As they investigated further, they began to notice something unusual about the ships.

Despite the signs of wear and tear, there was a lack of damage that would suggest the ship hadn't handled any sort of battle. In that case, was these ships only swept away by a huge storm? He couldn't tell yet.

Darius approached one of the ships, his brow furrowed in thought. "These ships don't show the usual signs of damage like the others we've seen at sea. It's almost as if the crews abandoned them intentionally after being swept by a storm."

Elysaria nodded, her gaze piercing the ships. "I can see the vision you're trying to aim for but it doesn't make sense for now. Why would they leave their ships behind?"

As they moved from ship to ship, the pieces of the puzzle slowly began to fall into place.

Notes and logs were discovered, revealing that the crews had indeed left their vessels willingly. In the records, most of the sailors wrote about strange occurrences, eerie whispers in the night and the feeling of being watched.

I write this letter with trembling hands and a heart heavy with dread, hoping that in time someone may find this as a record of our voyage aboard the ship Obsidian. The very waters of the Regimere itself has already turned malevolent. We are long abandoned in this place, the Malum Trench.

October 10, 1682

It had been three days since we had left Everfrost. There were no means of communicating back. We are all alone now. We'll be back in another three days or so if we try to reroute and return. But I do not fear the ocean. I fear the ships that were long stranded in this place. 

I fear this place is luring my crew. I could hear whispers at night. The others had claimed seeing their loved ones and acquaintances in the ships. Some called them Errantes, spiritual beings that roams around the haunting ground. The sailors would even hear their names being muttered out in the mist. I believed them, considering that I had an encounter with one of them copying my wife. 

Some of the crew never listened and followed despite being tempted to. Unfortunately not too many. I came with my crew, in a total of 25. Now I was left with 12 sailors, including myself, as the rest have vanished without a trace.

Everfrost would never let us go back if we come back empty-handed. But I still fear we may never even return at all if that was the case. I could only hope and pray for our souls and our safe return. The Obsidian sails on. Whether we will emerge from the clutches of the Malum Trench as victors or as victims, only time will tell our fate.

Apheros Cearo

The ghosts of their acquaintances and loved ones luring them further in the place? Superstitions and fear seemed to have driven them to flee their ships, seeking safety on other islands.

"They fled," Aloysius mumbled, his eyes scanning the notes. "These sailors were overwhelmed by fear. They believed something  malevolent in this place are lurking and spying on them."

Arsen's expression grew solemn. "And now we find ourselves in the same waters, facing the same thing."

As they continued their exploration, the crew uncovered more unsettling details. There were bones scattered all around the ships, rotting smell all over. They didn't know if there were any more survivors as some ships seems like they were abandoned just recently.

"We need to be more cautious," Arsen warned her crew, her voice low. "Those errantes, whatever drove those sailors away, might still be lurking here."

Darius nodded, his jaw tightened as he saw how the blood on the ships looked like it lasted only a week. "Don't let your guards down."

As they delved deeper into Malum Trench, more records began to show up. Unsent letters with the bottles shattered or either abandoned in the ships' deck.  Dried blood and tattered clothing were scattered all throughout the wooden floor. 

Darius' voice broke the silence, still in disbelief as they climbed on one of the ships. Even Arsen and Elysaria narrowed their eyes as they scanned the vessel. "Let's split into teams and search for any clues, any signs of what happened here."

The crew nodded, each member taking a deep breath and preparing themselves for what they might uncover. They formed groups and began to explore the abandoned ships, their eyes scanning for any traces of any evidence that was still left to gather.

As Darius' group ventured deeper into the heart of the graveyard, they came across a ship that seemed different from the others. The wood was not as weathered, and the sails were not as torn. It was as if this ship had been abandoned recently.

Aloysius' keen eyes caught a glint of something on the deck, and he moved closer to investigate. He picked up a locket, its chain tarnished but the photo inside it was still visible – a family smiling together. He figured it was probably the captain's or one of the sailors. 

But to which nation would the ship belong to? He wasn't sure. 

Darius' voice was quiet as he spoke, his fingers tracing the locket's surface. "This ship isn't like the others. No blood. Just broken bottles and letters scattered."

Arsen nodded, her expression pensive. "Something may have forced them to leave everything behind then. Maybe they survived?"

A loud thud caught the group's attention. Arsen quickly pulled out her shotgun as Elysaria draws out her sword. 

"What was that?" Aloysius raised an eyebrow as he tried turning around, only to catch a glimpse of a tall figure in the darkness. His lips formed a frown before he walked back with the others. "Something is looking at us." 

Arsen quickly felt the sudden presence that she almost wanted to ignore. Facing the others, she narrowed her eyes and slightly backed away, pointing her gun forward. She pointed it at the direction where Aloysius was earlier to protect them if ever the figure had other intentions. "Maybe it's not something. But someone."

"Keep your guards up. We have company." Darius' words echoed as another man's footsteps was heard in one of the ghastly ships around them.