Dark waters

On the run from his fate of misery, Cole finds a job on a ship. The job helps him to escape the plans of his father, but it puts him into a series of events that takes him far from the sheltered life he had been living.
His one true wish is to find some place or someone that could make him feel both safe and free. He's unsure if such a thing even exists, but the ship and its captain soon starts to feel like it could come close to what he seeks.
However, it turns out Cole is not the only one on the ship with a secret - and some things can't be outrun.

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ONC 2024. Prompt 24.
After writing in Swedish for 20+ years, this is my first attempt to write a story in English.
All drawings are my own.
The world map is created in Inkarnate.