Aether : Calraem

Chapter 16: Burning Lunch

""The Captain's orders is absolute"." Hikari repeated the phrase to make sure he remembered it.

From the manner in which Edward had said it Hikari definitely knew that there was a double meaning under it no matter how he looked at it. The other members had expressions that were easy to read because it doesn't look like they are putting any effort in to hide what they are thinking in the first place.

'It's not like you can do anything about it...'

That was the impression they gave on to him. They were strong and they knew it, so even if Hikari would dare to fight back the result would be an immediate death. He just had to bare with it.

"He'll understand when you tell him so try not to hurt yer head around it too much, lad." Edward let another loud, booming laugh after seeing Hikari scrunch his face at his cryptic words.

"Let's eat, Captain!" Arkis complained as the fish that was being cooked on the open flame has reach the point where it almost looked burnt.

"Help yaselves!" He said and the grab two fishes and began eating. The fish itself was bigger than Pyro and Edward took two and was happily eating now. The look on his face made Hikari wonder if this was actually Kaizoku in a disguise or something.

Hikari was still contemplating if he should take one but his stomach spoke for him.

Grrrrl! And with that he and Pyro also had their own fish that they were munching on.

"That was amazing!" Hikari exclaimed after eating the fish.

"Of course it was, the one who prepared the fish before it was put on the flames was none other than the greatest chef in the world." Edward said as he picked his teeth with a fishbone. Next to him were the skeletons of eight fishes and another on his lap. He leaned back in satisfaction.

Salacia was still eating but she was already on her third fish.

Arkis had just finished his fourth.

"...!" A small gasp escaped Hikari's lips as he looked over at Lizbeth. Pyro also froze when he looked over at her.

The amount of bones next to her was twice her own body in size. She was still munching on two fishes in her hands.

'Was there even that many fishes?!'

After all the things his scene in his short time in this world, this by far, had been the hardest for him to comprehend. He shook his head immediately afterwards. Don't sweat the little things, he told himself.

"Why doesn't Damon show up in the Sun?" Hikari decided to ask since everyone had finished eating and began lazing around.

"That's because he's a vampire." Salacia answered. "It makes him biologically nocturnal."

Hikari had read about vampires before. They were an immortal race that couldn't survive in sunlight. They survive on blood from animals and other races because its the only manner in which they can receive the proper nutrients they need.

"There is a story that says the reason vampires cannot walk in the light is because they're god, Dracula the forefather of vampires, betrayed the goddess of the sun and devoted himself to the goddess of the moon. As punishment, he and all his children will burn I'm the presence of her." Salacia explained while readjusting her glasses.

Hikari found this story ridiculous but after hearing the humans lost that ability to wield magic because they betrayed their god's faith in them, he had to admit to himself that something definitely happened.

"So does that mean that Damon has to stay away from sunlight at all times?"

"Don't worry too much about it, lad. Vampires use enchantments now and special jewelry to protect the skin from sunshine. There are rumours that they wear other people's skin to hide theirs." Edward explained.

Hikari understood the gist of it but it still bothered a little. The thing about wearing skin made him all the more terrified of meeting Damon.

"Hey, Hikari." Arkis called out to him.

"Y-Yeah." The casual manner in which Arkis called him made him confused a little.

"Does The Black Pirates still have that Kraken Familiar?"

"You mean Eva?" It only occurred to him after saying that he had lost control of the conversation. Proof was that he accidentally gave Arkis her name.

"Eva, huh..." Arkis silently muttered to himself.

"Do you know her?" Hikari asked.

"I-It's hard explain because I-I -"

"Arkis." The manner in which Edward had said his name now was different from usual. It sounded serious.

"Yes, Captain." Arkis said and didn't continue. Instead he leaned back by using his arms to support his body Ashe looked up into the sky. The sun was past its peak and was beginning to set.

Arkis began going into deep thought as he went began thinking about what this human boy, named Hikari, had told him about Eva.

'So the rumours were true, huh? There's still one more...' He thought.

Hikari could see there were things they still didn't want him to know so he immediately got the message. He decide not to question it further and continued to stare at the flame. The finger he cut earlier was starting to itch but he didn't feel the need to find out about it.

"Hikari." He looked over to see it was Salacia that had called him.

"Mm?" He answered in reply.

"It's been bothering me for a while now, but, how are you able to gain a familiar?" She asked and readjusted her glasses again. A few strands of hair fell over her left eye.

"W-Well, you see..." Hikari started explaining about how he had met Pyro and how they became master and familiar. Salacia was paying attention and so was Edward but the other looked disinterested.

"And that's it." He summed up with those words and Salacia nodded after he finished.

"Interesting..."

"Why us that?"

"Because humans cannot use magic that pairing wouldn't even be considered possible so you are unique in that aspect."

"That's not all it is." Edward jumped into the conversation.

"What do you mean, Captain?" Salacia asked as she thought further on it.

"What do you mean?" Hikari asked.

"Yer eyes, lad." Edward replied. "There's a bright light in your eyes, lad. Make sure you keep it." He said that then slapped Hikari on his back.

Hikari didn't understand what he meant at all.