The corners of the ceiling were lightly covered in abandoned spider webs. The room had no windows and smelt slightly of sweat and wood. The table we sat at was made of stone, the chairs a thick, dark oak. The air was verging on stuffy, and the room was dimly lit. Yet in the hazy lighting of the ceiling candle that hung above the table, I could make out each of the eleven people that sat around the table, seven I'd seen before, and four I hadn't.

I had the pleasure of meeting the man who sat at Captain Talaedra's right, only a moment after I found my seat.

"What do you mean by 'eight dimensions'?" I asked in response to Captain Talaedra's statement. A mixture of expressions arose on the faces around me, some discomfort, some amusement, and others I couldn't read.

"I apologise that you had to wait this long to get this information, Kota," the man sitting on Captain Talaedra's right started. "You see, my name is Axe, the advisor and ex Captain of this ship. I asked Captain Talaedra to not burden you with information until the time we could properly answer all your questions. That time is now." The man spoke with a calm authority, his voice gruff and his posture straight yet relaxed.

He appeared to be the oldest person in the room, I estimated in his forties. He was somewhat short, yet lean and muscular, which somehow made his height less noticeable. He appeared to be shorter than myself, perhaps 160cm (5'4ft) or so. His only visible skin was his face, which was a light creamy colour. His hair was long and silver, tied messily into a high bun. He had a light black beard on the middle of his chin and thick dark eyebrows. His eyes were blue, and his features were thin, reminding me somewhat of a Japanese man's features, yet not quite the same. In fact, I couldn't put my finger on any of their ethnicities.
He wore all black military-like clothes, including a high neck top, full-finger gloves, and a jacket with a large, sharp collar and gold buttons and buckles.

"Well then?" I started, attempting to sound confident, but his words and composure lit a spark of anxiety and confusion in the pit of my stomach. "What do you mean by 'eight dimensions'?" I repeated. I almost laughed as I spoke the words, such a ridiculous statement I almost expected them to laugh as well. Tell me this was all a joke, and I was so dumb for falling for it. But they didn't. Everyone at the table took my questions seriously, and I still sat in a dark room on a flying pirate ship.

"There are eight dimensions that exist in our world. You come from the eighth dimension, the one the other seven dimensions call Eastilas. This would be your Earth, planets, and essentially, your entire universe." Axe said. I stared at him blankly, blinking in silence as everyone at the table silently listened. Still, no one laughed, and still, we continued to fly over the ocean in a ship. How could I argue that when I saw it with my own eyes, and how could I not hear this man out about these... eight dimensions while believing in flying pirate ships.

"And... the other seven?" I asked. Yet again, I waited, hoping no one would answer me seriously, but Captain Talaedra did.

"The eight dimensions in order are Viashidell, Ishinon, Kinagarth, Laestrithan, Repilar, Anarath, Ecethis, and Eastilas." She listed. Most of these names sounded completely foreign to me, yet the names 'Viashidell' and 'Kinagarth' I remembered from earlier. Ibryn and Talaos had been introducing themselves by their dimensions, not their countries. "The only way to travel to other dimensions is through Interdimensional portals, like the one you travelled through." She continued, lifting her right hand to show the purplish diamond ring on his middle finger.

"Wait, does that mean...?" I paused, not wanting to word the rest of my sentence into existence.

"That you are no longer on Eastilas- Earth - yes." Axe clarified. My head felt like it was spinning in a pool of cloudy water. I pinched my hand underneath the table to stop my mind from disassociating from reality. But how could it? This room I sat in, that looked and felt more or less like Earth, was not. Not a different country, or even planet, but an entirely different dimension. What did that even mean? I felt both silly to consider believing this was true yet simultaneously feeling silly that I had previously assumed we were above the Atlantic Ocean or something.

Pinching my hand even harder, I forced myself to stay composed. If this was all a big joke, I would just play along until they got bored. If this was real, I needed all the information I could get.
"Where are we?" I asked.

"We're in Ecethis, the seventh dimension. Ecethis's primary planet is mostly water - even more so than Eastilas - so it is a good location for ships to fly undetected." Captain Talaedra stated.

I scratched my head, somehow becoming more confused the longer I thought over the information I was given. "If this is really true - flying ships, other dimensions and these...portals. Then why have I never once heard of it." I asked. The skin of my left hand stung as I continued to pinch it to keep myself grounded and in the moment.

"Most Eastilans don't. It is actually against Interdimensional law to tell one about the other seven dimensions or their business. But you are a special case, blood of the Sea Dragon." Captain Talaedra said. "I admit I wasn't very careful while in Eastilas, but I hadn't expected you to be able to follow us, let alone enter the portal with us."

I rubbed between brows. Were they just expecting me not to follow them and get taken to either jail or a mental hospital after trying to convince everyone I saw the real thieves disappear into a magical portal. I sighed, realising Kael's men that I escaped from likely got fired for the same reason.

Before I could ask my next question, Captain Talaedra spoke again. "Now that Kota is caught up, it's time to catch up with the rest of you." She said, clapping her hands together. Was I all 'caught up'? It sure didn't feel like it.

"The reason I've asked you all to gather tonight is to discuss with you all the progress we've made toward finding the Leviathans Hoard." Captain Talaedra said. All the people who had been sitting slouched in their chairs, fidgeted with something or looked elsewhere, suddenly became more focused, sitting up straighter and looking at their Captain with a newfound interest.

"So it was the real locket then?" A girl asked, leaning forward and wiggly slightly in her chair. She was clearly the youngest in the room. I guessed she was around fourteen or fifteen. She was thin and short, but not short for a fourteen-year-old girl. She had curly red hair that ended mid-way through her neck at the back and gradually became shorter at the front until her fringe reached just under her nose. "Lennon and I discussed it while you were gone, I was sure it would be another replica!"

Her eyes were a light brown, her skin light beside her rosy cheeks. She wore a white top; her sleeves pulled messily above her elbows. Her boots were brown leather, just like her excessively large fingerless gloves, which reached halfway up her forearms. On top of her clothes were matching overalls, layered with buckles and belts. Her accessories included large gold earrings, two somewhat bulky necklaces, and a thick leather brown choker.

"Yes, Reneta, Leitus was confident about it this time." Captain Talaedra said. "After retrieving it, we were followed by its owner and the unknowing heir of the Sea Dragon herself." Murmers erupted around the table, each whispering something to the person next to them.

"How is that possible?" Lennon's raspy, gentle voice asked as she placed her elbow on the table and leaned in closer to the captain.

"So, do we know what happened to her?" Ibryn asked.

"So, it's true then?" A sharp voice cut through. The hostility in his voice seemed to get the attention of Captain Talaedra and her advisor, Axe. The man seemed to be not much older than me yet looked completely different. "How do we know we can trust him?" He asked. Captain Talaedra, who sat at the head of the table, turned to the man and spoke, causing all other voices to pause.

"We can't be sure of anything, Noe." She spoke. 'Noe', glared sharply between me and the captain, his purple eyes full of suspicion. His hair was a matching purple colour. It was a straight and similar length to Reneta's. However, strands of his hung messily over his eyes. His skin was brown, and his eyebrows were thick and sharp. He wore a high-necked black top, above which was a top that's sleeves and collar was white, while the rest was green leather adorned with gold buttons. His pants, fingerless gloves, and boots were all black, and he wore belts across his black top and around his waist. Matching with the gold buttons and buckles of his belts were two thin gold chain necklaces and an assortment of gold and green earrings, two on each ear.

"Of course you can't be sure of it, Captain" Noe growled, his voice controlled, even, as if he were trying to hold back his frustration to speak with respect, while also wanting to be taken seriously. "He's a complete outsider, an Eastilian no less. Yet we are supposed to believe he is their heir of the Sea Dragon?" Captain Talaedra put up a hand to quiet and lean back in his chair.

"That is what we are here to discuss. Kota remaining on our ship is non-negotiable." This caused a stir from the gathered people. Lysandros, Lysandra, Leitus, and Talaos knew why Captain Talaedra and I had come to this agreement, but the others present had clearly been left in the dark until now. Ibryn leaned back in his chair, his grows silently furrowed in curiosity. He now wore a large yellow jacket or his more casual layers of black and white, as if he were still cold without this fourth layer.

"As I was saying," Captain Talaedra continued, "Kota claims to be the heir of the Sea Dragon, who he knew as his grandmother Shelly." Reneta's finger tapping with a mixture of frustration and enthusiasm against the table was a constant dull sound in the background. "He claims to have been given information, likely about the Leviathans Hoard, which the Sea Dragon disguised as fictional stories. Likely, she did not want to reveal information outright to keep her cover but hid clues in his mind." She pointed at me, and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, Rafa's pants and hoodie rubbing against the stone seat.

"So why don't we just extract the information out of him and be done with this? Hiding an Eastilian on our ship is more than risky." Noe stated, still leaning back in his seat, but his tone was no less annoyed.

"This is where it gets complicated. He doesn't remember any real information. Lennon, you are tasked with... helping him remember." The way the captain phrased the sentence made my discomfort grow, but I tried not to let it show. I glanced over at Lennon, who nodded in my direction, eyes focusing on the empty table. What had I gotten myself into?

"And then?" Lysandros prompted, already knowing the answer, but clearly trying to ensure the captain didn't leave it unsaid. Captain Talaedra shot him a glare, then cleared her throat.

"Then he will remain with us so he can collect an equal part of the treasure." This sentence wasn't taken well, with Lysandros and Lysandra shaking their heads in disapproval, Reneta exclaiming "what?!"and Noe pushing his chair out and standing. Captain Talaedra scowled in response, opening her mouth to say something. But they were all brought to silence as a voice called out, booming above them all, "enough!". Axe stood, and everyone else sat quickly in response. "You will all do as you are told. Do you understand?" He glared around the table, all the other members averting his gaze and mumbling in acknowledgement, "yes sir. "

"Good," he said, a satisfied expression on his face. "Lennon, go prepare. Leitus, continue your examination of the crystal key. Lysandros, Lysandra, and Ibryn finish dividing the booty from Eastilas. Reneta, Ester, get back to work. Talaos, Dune, Noe, Kota, you are free to go." As Axe gave orders, voice voice was now calm but firm, leaving no room for question. Each member acknowledged their order and made their way out of the congested room. The one member who I hadn't known her name, I now knew, was Ester. Her features also vaguely resembled a Japanese womans', but I couldn't quite place why. It could have been her narrow face or her thin facial features such as her brows or nose, the way her pink ears and cheeks contrasted with her light creamy skin, or the way her round blue eyes were framed by mascara and dark lashes.

Her hair was white and long, with impressive volume as it was tied messily in a large high half-bun with black cloth yet still continued past her waist. A single bread on each side of her head was caught in the bun. Her face was framed by her loose fringe, passing her large ornate rust-coloured earrings in length. Her clothes were all black, from her pants to her high boots, to her full-fingered leather gloves, to the leather-like top that bunched wide around her shoulders. Brown belts with rusted gold buckles wrapped around her waist and arms, matching the buttons that held her top closed, barely revealing a white under shirt that reached her collar. She walked with a certain grace that made me feel like she was unbothered by this whole ordeal.

I exited the crowded and stuffy room with the rest of them, leaving behind only Captain Talaedra and Axe, who spoke in hushed voices. Each person walked their separate ways while I climbed up to the deck and leaned against the railing as I had been before. Everyone else stayed below deck, except Ester, who climbed up the main mast and settled herself in the crow's nest. I looked out over the dark ocean, a mixture of fear and awe gripping me as the waves rippled below me, creating a sinister hum in the otherwise silent night. Some time passed before I allowed myself to fish the picture out of my jumper pocket. More than any other reason was to quiet the storm brewing in my mind. Confusion, doubt, fear, grief, and a glimmer of peace, yet guilty for feeling it. The young face of Gran Shelly stared back at me, confident, knowing, yet I couldn't help but see the kind, delicate, and caring in those familiar eyes.

"Did you know Gran Shelly?" I whispered to her. "Did you want me to stay away from this life?" I frowned. "Or did you try to raise me for it?".

-Interdimensional Pirates
-April Bluebird/@BlueWhiskers1
-21/Oct/2025
-Chapter 11: Discomfort
-2593 words
-565 👁‍🗨, 63 🌟, 51 💭.