After seeing Mars attack Ambrose, silence fell on the deck with a tense atmosphere.
“I don’t know what you are talking about!” Ambrose screamed, his voice echoing through the stillness.
“Fate doesn’t lie.” Mars said and reached out to the ball of aura, but like before, his hand went straight through. “You are hiding something from me!”
“I am not!” Ambrose screamed through the difficult breathing.
“Captain, he has been here with us for the entire time.” Apollo said as defense.
“Shut up, Apollo!” Mars shouted and turned with blood-red eyes at his first mate, and then turned back to Ambrose. “Did you steal something from me?”
“No!” Ambrose shouted, but then Mars squeezed tighter, stopping all air from entering Ambrose’s lungs.
“If I find out that something is missing from my cabin or even from the treasure trove, I’ll feed you to the sharks myself!” Mars shouted and then let go of Ambrose.
Ambrose fell back to the deck, gasping greedily for air.
“Captain, there are more hearts of the Nymn Trees out there.” Apollo said, trying to defuse the situation by speaking some rational words. “This is just a small setback.”
“Small setback?” Mars laughed. “This is not a small setback. The fate opportunity has been cut off!”
“What?” Apollo frowned, but his heart started beating rapidly, as this could be very good news for them.
“Eye of Shimon is not a goddamn compass for whatever I desire!” Mars screamed. “There are thousands of fate threads spread across the world. The Eye of Shimon leads me to the opportunities I have stolen.
“The fate opportunity of Necro Island’s heart of the Nymn Tree belonged to one of the stolen opportunities. Now that it was taken away from me, it cannot be recovered!”
‘This fate opportunity was for that magical spell that could increase the talent.’ Apollo thought. ‘It most likely belonged to Loki, who would’ve gotten Necro Island’s heart of the Nymn Tree.
‘So, now that the fate opportunity is cut off, Mars cannot complete the magical spell. The heart of the Nymn Tree is also very valuable, and it cannot be found in any random black market!’
“Fuuck!” Mars screamed and leaned on the railing, looking at the calm fog-shrouded waters, and screamed. “Let’s set sail. We have a lead on who might’ve stolen the heart. We’ll be going to the Sea King’s territory!”
‘Sea King’s?’ Apollo frowned and glanced at Zero, who glanced back at him with a nod.
‘I see now.’ Apollo smiled. ‘This will work just fine. Sea King’s territory is vast, and we can’t just waltz in there and command Sea King to give us anything.’
After the command was given, the black-sailed ship began sailing. It circled around the island and began its voyage to the Sea King’s territory!
Mars left his cabin to vent his anger. This was a huge loss for him, as he knew about his lack of talent in the field of magic. It left him very angry because, all his life, he had been very talentless.
Inside the cabin, he sat down and looked at the items on the desk. One of them was the faded photograph.
He took the photograph and looked at his brother with a mix of nostalgia and sadness.
“Brother, why aren’t you capable of letting me forget you?”
…
25 years ago, in the New North’s darkest night.
On top of one of the hills, near the abandoned house that had a cemetery in the backyard.
“Brother!” A silver-haired man shouted at his brother, who was standing beside a large oak tree.
“Mercury, you shouldn’t have come.” Mars said coldly, his long black hair going over both of his blue, ocean-like eyes.
“I had to!” Mercury screamed and pointed towards a small, cubical-shaped object that was beside Mars’ feet. “This thing is corrupting you!”
Mars looked at the boxed object, which was calling him like a siren’s song.
“You are here to steal it from me?” Mars asked angrily, his eyes looking unfamiliar in the eyes of his brother.
“Of course not!” Mercury screamed and approached Mars slowly with a sad-looking expression. “Mother is missing you. Please, come with me.”
After hearing his brother’s pleading, Mars turned even angrier. “It is saying that you are tricking me! Brother, why are you trying to steal something so valuable from me?”
“That thing is lying and taking advantage of your weak heart!” Mercury extended his hand and pleaded. “Please, brother, take my heart, and we’ll destroy that Eye together. We’ll get rid of the evil once and for all.”
Mars silently looked at the hand, and one of his fingers flinched as if his body wanted to grab it, but then he heard echoing whispers.
His expression turned cold, and he slapped the hand away.
“No!” Mars screamed and picked up the cubicle-shaped box before hugging it against his chest. “Just leave; I’ll visit home, I promise, but before that, I’ll have to do something!”
“Don’t!” Mercury’s expression paled. “I have seen what that thing can do. It will ruin you!”
“I am strong enough to survive it!” Mars shouted and scoffed. “I am not as weak as our father, who succumbed to its power and died. I am strong!”
“No!” Mercury pounced forward and tried to punch the box out of Mars’ grasp.
“I knew it!” Mars dodged the punch and screamed angrily. “You are here to steal it!”
“I won’t let you use it!” Mercury shouted defiantly and flexed his fist as he threw powerful punches at Mars. “Brother, I love you and I will protect you as your big brother!”
“Liar!” Mars hugged the box tightly and tanked all the powerful punches with his sturdy body.
As Mercury’s punches continued to land like a storm, Mars gritted his teeth and refused to let go of the box.
“Nrgh!” Mars dodged the last punch and tackled Mercury down to the ground.
As he mounted his big brother, he reeled in his fist and shouted angrily. “You’ll die!”
“Brother, don’t!” Mercury shouted, but then Mars’ punch landed on his nose.
“Saturn Punch!” Mars screamed and reeled in his fist before throwing another punch. “Jupiter Meteor!”
“Earth’s Might!”
Smack!
“Venus Retaliation!”
Smack!”
“Neptune’s Wrath!”
Smack!
“Uranus Strike!”
Smack!
“Mercury Death!”
Smack!
“Haah… haaah…” Mars breathed heavily as he looked at his brother’s crushed skull and bloodied body with tattered clothes.
“B-brother…” Mars whimpered with tears appearing in the corner of his eyes, but then the echoing whispers returned.
“That’s right…” He whispered and turned his focus back on the box. He opened it, showing a star-pupiled eye staring back at him.
Mars gulped and took a knife from his wide belt.
His hands shook as if his body were fighting back, but then he stabbed the knife into his own eye and pulled it out, releasing a blood-curdling scream.
After that, he tossed the blood-stained knife away and grabbed the eye in the box before stuffing it inside his eye socket.
With a miraculous glow, the eye perfectly connected with his empty socket, as if it had always belonged there.
The echoing whispers filled his mind, and he was unable to hear his own thoughts.
“Brother…” Mars whispered one last time before his expression turned cold.
As he looked back at the lifeless corpse in front of him, he coldly whispered. “I did love you, brother. That’s why I’ll give you a proper burial place. That’s more than you deserve, thief.”
…
Back in the present, Mars flinched as a headache consumed his thoughts.
“Ugh, I know…” Mars muttered, rubbing his temples. “He was the talented person in our family, yet I was the one to survive. I’ll surpass all the talented individuals and be the one to reach the top!”