The Forgotten

The Shadowed Captain

((Notme's pov))

"Finally! we're out!" Nyla exclaimed as we made it out of that labyrinth. Amy was a big help in escaping (having someone who can phase through walls is extremely useful.) With Kira defeated, we were able to summon our weapons and magic again.

Our victory was short lived when we realized we were on an island, with no land in sight.

"Uh Nyla? Didn't you say Flora was just forest?"

"Well... it's mostly just forest. There's a big ocean here. And considering the planet is twice as big as earth..."

"Ok, so it's a really big ocean, is what you're saying." I stated. She nodded.

Wildfire was whimpering, clearly not a fan of the sea. Being a fire type in an ocean is not the best. I sighed, having no idea what to do.

"Ahoy! Ya need some help?" A random, British voice shouted. I turned to where it was coming from.

A gray pirate ship with blood red sails materialized from smoke. It was the size of a large yacht, but it looked very worn. The sails were torn and faded, the hull riddled with scratches.

A man with a black pirate hat was at the helm, golden dragon horns tearing through the top of the hat. His cloak was blue, and was torn at the edges.

But the thing that made me instantly recognize him was his eyes, or lack thereof. They were pitch black and leaky, like he had been crying, but I knew that he always looked like that. They looked like black holes. They were so dark.

"Who the heck are you?" Nyla spoke up.

"Hyleo..." I gaped. Nyla looked at me with a confused expression.

"You know this guy?"

A plank fell from the boat, allowing Hyleo to walk onto the shore. Without thinking, I ran up to him.

"Oh my gosh! I've heard all about you!" I exclaimed, Jumping around him. "I love your concept so much! A pirate with pitch black eyes and sea serpent powers, it's so cool!"

"Well, that's gratifying to hear... I've never heard my eyes be called 'cool' before." Hyleo replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Woah woah woah, back up." Nyla said. "Notme, who is this?"

"Remember that song Julie loved? 'Tale of the Shadow'?"

She shook her head. I smiled. "Y'know, that one that goes: lean left, hard right, hold tightly to her helm, she'll try to drown you just for spite! Heave ho, till first light, she'll give a fight to all who try to claim the shadow, none can tame the one the sailors call the shadow!" I sang.

"Uhh, I do not remember this!" Nyla exclaimed.

"That's the song that inspired Hyleo as a character!"

"I DO NOT REMEMBER THIS!" She repeated. I laughed.

Hyleo cleared his throat. "Anyway, you three need a ride?"

"Yes please!" Amy said.

The rocking of the boat felt weird on my stomach. I guessed this ship didn't have a stabilizer, unlike modern ships. I was sitting on a staircase that led up to the helm, having a casual conversation with the captain, trying to get to know him.

"Question, why is the Shadow here if it was destroyed in the story?"

"Well, when the creator was captured, the timelines of many of the stories got a bit... ah, blurred."

"Oof, that's not good." I replied. It made me worried.

"Also... do you know anything about Abyss?" I asked. Hyleo nodded.

"Aye, he tried to recruit me. I refused of course. Although, sometimes I wondered if the creator actually cared about me. I tried to remain as neutral as possible." He responded. "Though, now that I've met you, I think I've made up my mind." He continued. "You said that she talked all about me. That she drew me constantly. That she created a story about me. Now I know... she does care."

He was smiling, looking at the sea ahead. Even though his eyes were pitch black, they sparkled a little.

"Anyway, enough about me, tell me a bit about yourself!" He exclaimed.

My eyes lit up.

"Ok, try thinking about something random!"

He thought hard. I used my powers.

"Why does everyone think of jellyfish when I ask that?" I said sarcastically. He laughed.

"You got telepathy, huh? That's interesting."

"I know right?!"

Before I could say anything else, Nyla ran up to us. She seemed disturbed.

"Uh, I just used my astral projection to check on Abyss, and I found out something I wish I never heard." She stammered quickly. "The reason Kira didn't kill us immediately was because... because..." she was white as a sheet.

"Because what?" I asked. She took a deep breath.

"THEY WANTED TO KILL US IN FRONT OF JULIE!!"

I was speechless for a second.

"Shiver me timbers!" Hyleo exclaimed,"That's horrible!"

"That's so messed up!" I interjected. My eyes flashed white as my shock turned to anger.

"Guys! I see land!" Amy interjected. Sure enough, there were a bunch of trees in the distance.

"Wow, we got here that quickly?" Nyla inquired.

"The Shadow warps time. 200 years feels like a few months." I told her.

We sailed towards the land. We stepped off when we got there.

Suddenly the ground began to shake as the sky went dark.

"What's going on?!" I exclaimed.

"The shadow is angry! It only does this when someone takes something!" Hyleo answered.

Nyla's guilty face said it all. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a single gold coin.

"NYLA!" I scolded. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"It was one coin!" She retorted.

Suddenly a giant black figure appeared, one with red eyes and the shape of a mermaid.

The spirit of the shadow was here. And it was mad.