The second I read that name, I'm transported to my last night in the village. The warmth of the deadly fires caresses my skin gently as I stare at my best friend, knelt before the monster about to change my life forever. "Take note, all of you," Abaddon's voice booms, sending shivers down my spine. "This is what happens when you attempt to defy us." As his sword begins to swing down on Luca's neck, my heart falls into the pit of my stomach, watching Luca's eyes search the area for me— I can see him clearly now. My breath hitches in my throat as his frightened expression softens into a gentle, brave smile as we lock gazes. I watch as he takes his last breath, and he mouths something.

I can finally make out what he was trying to tell me that day.

I love you.

After being trapped in that single moment, for what seemed like, forever, I jolt awake, clutching at my chest as I gasp for air. I must've passed out, as I find myself on the floor, the nails on my left hand digging into the floorboards for some kind of escape from the intense emotions overwhelming me. After a quick scan of the room, I realize that I am alone.

Abel must still be out.

I turn my attention back to the papers I had taken out of his bag, putting them back into the pocket, but not after a not-so-successful attempt to smooth out the, now incredibly wrinkled, letter from Luca. As I stand, my feet, weakly, step over to my bed, and I fall face first into the pillow. My heart is going a million miles per minute, but that is nothing compared to how fast my mind is racing.

Abel is Luca's brother? Neither of them ever mentioned having one— hell, Bella didn't say anything either. That doesn't even matter at this point! Abel knew about me this whole time, and he never breathed a word about any of these letters. Not only that, but the fact that he has been tracking the Siren long before we met is definitely suspicious.

I feel betrayed. Not only that, but if the whole point of helping me escape Carriedo was to save me from the wrath of the Avions, why did he bring me here?

Just then, I hear the door creak open, and after a quick moment of silence, soft footsteps enter the room.

I don't sense an imminent threat— it must be Abel.

I lay there, as still as I can be, my tears still sleeping into the pillow as the footsteps make their way over to me. Judging by the weight on the side of the bed, Abel has taken a seat next to me, and I get a shiver down my spine as a gentle hand brushes the hair out of my face. "You're going to catch a cold, falling asleep without a blanket," he mumbles, the tone of his voice, surprisingly, caring. I dig my face deeper into the pillow and let out a soft snore, to keep up the act, and he chuckled as he drapes a blanket over my body up to my shoulders. "I'll keep you safe, Princess. You needn't worry about a thing while I am by your side."

Again, with the Princess crap? What is with everyone treating me like royalty?

I wait and listen as his bed creak as he climbs in, and soon after, I hear soft snores from his side of the room. I peek an eye out and see he's turned away from me, and I roll over onto my back, staring at the ceiling as my thoughts continue circling in my head.

Why hide all of these things from me? Should I confront him, or just pretend I never read those letters?

"(Name), it's time to get up." I open my eyes to Abel's hand resting gently on my shoulder, his eyes squinted in a smile. "Did you sleep well?"

I sit up and turn my head to the window to avoid his gaze, sunlight peeking in through the curtains that have definitely seen better days. "Better than I have in months."

"That's good."

We sit there in awkward silence for a few moments before I clear my throat and ask, "Find anything in town last night?"

"Not much," he shrugs. "I did scout out the bars and Blacksmith shops though. They will definitely be paying them a visit when they arrive." After getting ready for the day, we pack up our belongings and head out into town. "Hopefully they get here today— I only had enough money to cover one night at the Inn," Abel sighs.

"I'm no stranger to sleeping under the stars," I respond bluntly, my guard still up after what I discovered last night. He bumps into me teasingly before grabbing my hand and pulling me into the town square. It was decorated with flowers and lanterns, the streets lined with food stalls and merchants, all shouting to advertise their products and businesses. Another feeling of nostalgia washes over me, as the bustling town reminds me a lot of Lapis.

"Let's try that place!" Abel points at a food stall, his eyes wide with curiosity. He guides us to the stall and the owner looks at us with a sweet smile.

"Welcome," she bows, her deep brown eyes peeking through her graying hair. "What can I get for you?"

"Want anything?" He turns to me. I shake my head, and he turns back to the shopkeeper, "What do you recommend?" I zone out of their conversation and look in the direction we came from the previous night, surprised by the clear view ocean I have from here. I almost kick myself as a wave of disappointment quickly replaces my initial surprise as I realize the Siren is not one of the numerous ships docked at the port. My mind rushes back to that one conversation Bella and I had as she stared at me through those prison bars.

"I'm the safest on the Siren. They need me alive, and they need me unharmed."

"It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself more than you are me."

"Maybe she was right," I whisper to myself, feeling defeated.

"What was that?" Abel asks, blissfully unaware of the internal turmoil I am enduring.

"Nothing." We begin walking through the town, Abel enjoying his food as I sit in silence, my guard and senses heightened. All of a sudden, the sound of a rowdy crowd catches my attention, and I turn my gaze over to the building it's coming from. "There," I point.

He follows my finger and nods. "Let's go." We walk into the bar and I scan the room for any familiar faces, and to my disappointment, not a single patron was a friend. I sigh, hanging my head as Abel's arm finds its way around my shoulders, giving me a comforting shake. "They will be here, I promise."

"Another round, please." I may not have seen a familiar face, but I would recognize that voice anywhere. My head shoots up and my eyes scan the room once more, coming to rest on a black cloaked figure sitting at the bar. Without hesitation, I break free from Abel and walk straight up to them. The second they are within my reach, my body freezes, making me unable to reach or call out to them.

Why can't I move...?

After a few moments of staring at their back, the person seems to sense my presence, and they slowly turn to me, a scowl on their face. The second their eyes meet mine, their gaze softens as they hesitantly whisper my name. "(Name)...?"

How had I never seen it before?

"Leon, I-" Before I can finish my sentence, he stands and wraps his arms around me, leaning down and burying his face into the crook of my neck, which is unlike him. I stand there, shocked and overwhelmed by the emotions I sense from him, the pain he's in. I feel his tears fall onto my shoulders, and I wrap my arms tightly around him, burying my face into his hair in an attempt to calm his trembling.

I see you in him, Mo.

We all end up outside the bar in the, now quiet, village square, the space lit by hanging lanterns, and Leon explains what happened on the Siren. "He didn't put up much of a fight," he leans forward on the bench to rest his elbows on his knees, resting his chin in his hand. "He gave me what I wanted and let me leave."

"I'm so sorry you had to find out that way, Leon," I rub his back in sympathy. "If I had known, I would've told you sooner."

"It's not your fault," he laughs, sarcastically, before his eyebrows crease once again. "I worked so hard to get to my station in hopes of finding her, but deep down, I always had this dreadful feeling that I never would."

"Mo- I mean, Qiangxiang would have been so proud of you."

"Mo, huh?" He repeats, fondly. We all sit in silence, hearing the crickets chirp and the wind softly blow through the trees. Abel twiddles his thumbs awkwardly, and Leon turns to me, a glint of hope in his eye as he hesitantly asks, "Did she... ever talk about me?"

My gaze moves from his left eye to his right, unsure of what to say. I scan through as many memories as I can, and one clicks. "Never by name, but she did say once that she was missing someone dearly— someone very close to her."

His eyes well with tears, a quiver in his voice as he responds, "She did?"

"Yes," I nod. He brushes his hair behind his ear and pulls something out of his pocket. "What's that?"

"I stole the handle from Alfred's cutlass," he sniffles, running his finger gently over the carved mark on the handle.

"I remember carving that," I smile. "She always made sure we branded our work."

"We drew this together when I was young," he wipes his eyes.

I look at him, "She probably had us brand our work with your symbol so you'd know where to find her if you ever came across her weapons." He looks at me, and then turns his gaze back to the handle with a smile, his eyes bright with love for his beloved cousin.

Another blanket of silence comes to rest over us, and Abel stands, clapping his hands to cut through the heavy atmosphere. "Well, I guess I'll go and find us a place to sleep tonight."

"You guys don't have a place?" Leon asks. "You can stay with me."

"That would be great, but just a warning, we're unsure how long we'll be in town," Abel responds.

"Why are you guys here, anyway?"

I stand, dusting my pants off. "The Siren will be docking here any day now. We're looking to reunite with them."

"I figured Avis would be the one damn place I could go and never have to see that bastard's face again," Leon hisses, and then sighs. "Regardless, my offer still stands."

"Thank you, Leon."

He leads us to his home, a small house on the corner, not even a five minute walk from the square. "Make yourself at home," he says, opening the door. "There's a room down the hall and to the left for you, Abel."

The green eyed man curtly nods in thanks. "I think I'm going to retire for the evening. Thank you for letting us stay, Leon."

"Of course," my friend responds brightly.

He seems a lot friendlier than usual.

I watch as Abel goes down the hall, and as I head the door creak open and shut, I run my hand along the intricately detailed curtains in the living room. "It's beautiful."

He takes off his cloak. "Thank you. I tried to decorate this place as my father would have."

"You haven't mentioned much about your other family members. What's your father like?"

"Hard headed," he blurts out without thinking, crossing his arms. "Strict and unforgiving." He shuffles to his couch, gently removing his cloak from his shoulders before draping it over the armrest. "That's what it felt like, at least." I sit down next to him, watching as his expression changes from a scold to a softened look of subtle confusion. He scratches his head, seemingly deep in thought as he plops down on the couch. "I honestly can't remember much of my childhood— all I can remember was feeling like I was scolded a lot."

"I was, too."

"But, now that I think about it," he pulls his knees to his chest. "He was way more than that." I place my hand on his shoulder. "He was hard on me, but he was so full of love. When those bastard men came to take him away, he was fully prepared to die for Qiangxiang and I. I can still remember the look on his face when he fell to his knees, watching them take her away. It was almost as if he knew he was, inadvertently, sending her to her death." He buries his face into his knees, his voice now muffled. "And he was right."

"I loved her," I lean to rest my head on his shoulder. "More than anything."

"I did, too."

We stay like that for a moment before I break the silence. "You know what's strange? Just as I walked up to you at the bar, I couldn't reach or call out to you— my body froze. It almost felt like Mo was the one underneath that hood."

He lifts his head enough to peek at me through his hair. "Like, you sensed that she was with me?"

"That's a good way to put it," I nod, my cheek still leaning on shoulder.

"I felt the same way."

"What?" I raise my head to get a better look at him.

He sits back onto the couch, his feet falling to the floor. "When I turned and saw you standing there, it was almost as though I was seeing her, one last time." He grabs my hand, raising it to cup his cheek. "You're all I have left of her." A lump forms in my throat as he nuzzles into my palm, like a small child seeking its mother's warmth and comfort. "I'm sorry about hugging you, earlier."

I shake my head. "No, I'm glad I found you when I did. I remembered suffering through her death alone, so I'm glad I can be here for you."

He closes his eyes, "It was exhausting, you know?"

"Hm?"

"Holding in my emotions— pretending that I was as cold hearted as the rest of them."

A breath escapes my nose as I sigh, "I can only imagine how one must feel as they are forced to pretend to be someone they're not."

Leon and I end up falling asleep together on the couch that night, but not before exchanging stories of Mo and sharing a few tears. I open my eyes to the sounds of bird calls and wind rushing through the leaves of the trees surrounding the house. Leon's head is resting gently on my shoulder, unmoving, although I could tell by his breathing that he was awake. Just as I go to stand, the front door bursts open and Abel rushes inside. "The Siren docked this morning!"

"Where is the crew?" I ask, ignoring Leon's obvious irritation at the mere sound of the name.

"I don't know. As soon as I saw the ship at the port, I rushed home to get you!" He runs passed me and down the hallway, entering his room before running back out the front door, his bag in his hand. "Come on, (Name)!"

A pep in my step, I begin to make my way after Abel before turning back to Leon. "You coming?"

"No," he shakes his head, crossing his arms. "I'll remain here."

I sigh, remembering Leon's predicament. I walk back up to him and hold out my hand. "Then, I suppose this is goodbye, my friend."

He looks at my hand and then back at me before grasping it and pulling me into a hug. "Goodbye for now," he corrects me. "I will not lose you as I did Qiangxiang." I wrap my arms around him, this time, burying my face in his shoulder. I am the first to pull away from the hug, and he reaches up to brush my hair behind my ear. "Just, please, be careful. The First Pirate King's crew were as witty as foxes, slippery as snakes, and far more organized than our crew, but they were still caught and slain by the Avions. I don't want the same fate to befall you."

"Nothing will happen to me, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," he breathes a breath of relief and places something into my hand. "And, if you could, please give this to Jack for me."

I open my hand to find a small piece of rolled up paper, and I place it into my pocket. "Consider it done." I turn to start heading out the door before he calls out to me again.

"(Name)?"

"Yes?"

His amber eyes reflect brightly in the sunlight, and his eyebrows crease into a sad smile. "Don't forget about me, ok?"

I shake my head, "How could I even dream of it?"