Zachary Flint stood at the front of his ship, the Serpent's Revenge, looking out over the expanse of vast blue ocean before him. It had been over a month since his younger brother had left in search of his daughter, yet he could not bring himself to smile at the idea of seeing his daughter again after seven years.
Something wasn't quite right, and he wasn't sure what it was yet. He thought that after conducting a plan to find Azalea, the uneasiness in his gut would have disappeared. However, it was the opposite. It was worse than ever before; he was sick to his stomach and felt the need to throw up.
He hadn't felt like this, not in a long time, since over ten years ago when he first met Mad Man Levon. It was also the same day his family legacy had awoken. He looked down at his palms, the power getting the better of him, and his fists started to glow with a red aura. There was no doubt about it: it was the same horrible feeling that something tragic was going to happen in the days to come. He just hoped the people he loved the most would be safe.
He swallowed back the bile forming in the back of his throat and thought of anything other than the sick feeling in his stomach, and slowly, his red aura disappeared. The Flint family legacy was a power hidden from within the heart and was not to be mistaken as a cursed soul.
Some Flints, like his mother, never awoke it. It usually took a feeling of great desperation to awaken it. All he knew was that the Flint family legacy went back many generations, and the family had always been an enemy of King Mordred, who wanted nothing more than to see the Flint family dead.
Zach had an idea of where this power had come from, but he would have to ask Levi the next time he saw him. The Mad Man always seemed to have the answers. If it wasn't for that stupid kid, he would never have been able to control his power.
Zach's bronze eyes locked onto a black dot that hovered over the horizon, distracting him from his never-ending thoughts. They were close to Hive Island. Already he could see the odd Navy ship in the distance, which soon turned into ten than twenty, then fifty, all of them dotted around the island as they sailed closer.
It was time to start.
Zach, turned on his heel and marched across the deck. His worn out leather boots clomped against the wooden floor as he made his way to the helm. He took control of the wheel, knowing full well they were about to hit a strong current that could pull them under.
"Cain," he ordered.
"Aye, captain." His brother's first mate was by his side in an instant, and Zach could not help but smirk.
He liked Cain Reed. He was strong, loyal, and a powerful foe in hand-to-hand combat. If his younger brother hadn't have nabbed him first, Zach would have hands down recruited him for his own ship.
"Take the sea-crystal bracelet off. It's time to get to work."
Zach had been teaching his new recruit how to become immune to sea-crystals. So far, Cain could tolerate wearing the bracelet for about two days before it consumed all of his energy and he found himself losing consciousness. The blonde pirate nodded towards his new captain and discarded the crystal from his wrist. A wave of relief washed over his features and he grinned.
Cain slammed the palm of his hands against the wooden deck of the ship and unleashed his powers. A second later, the ship could no longer be seen by the eyes of the Navy. But to Cain and the rest of the crew he had turned invisible, they could still see each other as clear as day.
With Zach navigating the ship around the unassuming navy ships and taking the safest route across the treacherous waters that surrounded the island, they finally made it to Honey Pot Port.
But all was not well.
A horrified expression fell upon Zach's face at what he saw. The people he came to adore and loved, who had taken him in as one of his family, were reduced to nothing more than mere animals. Caged, shackled, beaten, and bruised by the navy, they were treated inhumanely as they were forced to carry their precious honey gold onto ships with the King's insignia stamped across the whitewashed sails.
No wonder it wasn't in the papers that Hive Island had joined the United Islands, because they hadn't. The entire island had been overthrown by the King and had been turned into his own personal slavery island in his search for honey gold.
Zach's hand curled tightly around the hilt of his red bladed cutlass. His red aura shrouded around him, and his bronze eyes clouded over until they could no longer be seen, except the hot, angry tears that washed down his face.
"This is not good. The Captain's angry! He's unleashing his power! Take cover!" Hawkins swallowed and stepped back away from Zach and started waving his arms around in warning to the other crew members, who immediately ducked for cover.
In doing so, Hawkins accidentally bumped into Cain, forcing him to lose his concentration, and the ship once again turned visible. Everyone from the islanders to the navy to Zach's crew froze as the ship slowly started to appear as though it were emerging from the mist.
Nobody dared to move, not knowing what to do other than stare towards the Captain, whose dark wrath continued to grow. Zach's breathing heightened, and his body started to shake uncontrollably. He could no longer keep his rage hidden from within him; he was about to explode.
He had promised the people of Hive Island that he would always protect them. It was his duty as King Regent to the Honey Tribe Kingdom to look after his people. He had broken his promise.
Why wasn't he aware of what was going on here? This was all his fault!
"ARGH!" He screamed and swung out his red cutlass, and a lash of red energy sliced its way across the ten naval ships docked at the port. Each and every one of them tore in half from his single attack and exploded into red flames.
Cain covered his head as he ducked down, away from the raw power which could have easily burned the flesh from his skin. So this is what it meant to be a Pirate Lord. The navy never had a chance, and that was just the captain's starting attack!
"Was that a sword attack?" Cain's jaw flew wide open. He'd never seen anything like it before.
"It was a combination of his underlying power and a sword attack." Hawkins pulled him back. "And from the looks of it, he's going to call upon his sword."
Cain frowned, confused. "Call upon his sword? What does that mean?"
"You'll see." Hawkins locked and loaded his flintlock pistols and started shooting at the enemy that was retaliating.
Wood started to splinter across the deck as shots from the navy were aimed at them.
Zach looked down at his shaking hand, which was still grasping the hilt of his cutlass. The sharp blade reflected the light of the sun into his blazing eyes. No, it wasn't his hand that was shaking, it was his sword. She was incredibly angry, more so than him, and she wanted to come out and play.
He swooshed the sword in front of him until the tip of the red blade was pointed in the direction of the quivering islanders, their shackles rattling to the rhythm of their shaking bodies.
"Set free the prisoners and kill all who stand against me, Jess..."
He was about to call forth Jessica Red, the name of his red-bladed cutlass, which Azalea had named for him, but he knew that would no longer work.
"Jessica Red is no longer your name, that name now belongs to my daughter. You now have a new name." A sinister smirk spread across his lips. "I call upon you, the spirit of my sword, the Devil's Wife, Lilith!"
The wind raged with anger, and the sky erupted as a bolt of red lightning shot down from the heavens and hit Zach, and he sparked alive with red energy. He was not phased or hurt by the shock, but rather empowered by its ferocity. The sword in his hand swirled into a red mist, which shot forth towards the prisoners, its energy snaking its way through the chains, shattering them into pieces before attacking the navy and the government officials who were keeping them as slaves. They had no time to fight against the pursuing storm, nor did they have a chance to blink. The last things they saw were the glowing red eyes of a deadly spirit.
The docks exploded, fires raged, and Zachary Flint's enemies screamed. And yet, he still had not moved a foot throughout the attack. It made Cain wonder how strong Zachary Flint was when he was yet to move a muscle. Instead, the captain watched on with a deep fury in his blazing eyes.
Finally, Lilith's attack came to an end, and the red energy manifested into a young woman stood next to Zach. She was tall with sharp scarlet hair which bobbed against her jawline, blood red eyes with a piercing glare, and she wore a black leather dress, leather jacket, and knee high stiletto boots which could kill with a vengeance.
"I like the rebellious look." Zach flashed his bronze eyes over his red sword in her spirit form.
"New name, new look." Lilith smirked and placed her hands on her hips. "And I love the new name!"
"Have you found Kurome yet?" Zachary spun the wheel of the helm and directed the ship towards the port.
Lilith's happy demeanour came to a sudden halt as her scarlet eyes stared daggers towards the King's insignia, which floated away in the sea, the white sail covered in the blood from her massacre.
"My husband is still missing. He has not set foot in the spirit realm for over three centuries. I believe he is stuck in limbo and cannot return home. I want to help him," Lilith pouted sadly. "I just can't find him."
Limbo was a realm where spirits who had been mutilated or had their links severed from their master while in the human world and could no longer return to the Spirit Realm went. A link between sword and master was an invisible energy line, like a piece of thread attached to their hearts, and when severed the swordsman, was no longer the master of the sword.
If the link was broken while the spirit was in the human realm, it could no longer return to the spirit realm, giving the spirit up to forty-eight hours to find a new swordmaster or finding themselves trapped within limbo. However, there are many different ways a spirit can end up in limbo.
"I have sensed him a couple of times." Lilith sadly looked down. "But Kurome disappears almost instantly. It's like he's trying to escape, but something is holding him back."
Zach gave Lilith a reassuring smile. "I'm sure one day you will be reunited with Kurome."
The entire time Zach held a stone-cold look in his eyes, still mad at what had become of Hive Island.
"Would you like me to return to my sword form?" Lilith asked, feeling the tension of his wrath. The aura surrounding his body was still glowing red.
"Not just yet. I need you to keep a watchful eye on the island. I can still feel an evil presence. Also, could you raise my flag somewhere high on the island? I want King Mordred to know that Hive Island is under my protection."
Lilith nodded and disappeared in a cloud of red mist, taking the captain's pirate flag with her.
As Zach prepared his men to dock the ship, he came across a very disconcerted Cain, whose mouth was still gaped open from the entire encounter.
"This is your first time seeing a sword in its spirit form?" Flint asked.
Cain nodded.
"Then let me explain. It's a very rare and powerful technique, and only a few handful of swordsmen can call upon the spirits of their swords when their mind is in the right place. A spirit still linked to their master can only be in the human world for at most a week, before they have to revert to their sword form so their spirit can recuperate. Lilith will not harm you; she is under my control and can only do as I tell her to. If she disobeys a direct order while in her spirit form, our links will be severed. I will physically feel a sharp stabbing sensation in my heart as she betrays me. Even worse for her, Lilith has no way of returning to the spirit realm unless commanded by a master, which she would no longer have, and would consequently only have two days left to live before being trapped within limbo."
"There's a lot about Aqua I didn't know about," Cain mumbled. "Seeing everything just now, it's made me realise that the world is filled with incredibly strong people, and I am nothing but an ant in comparison."
"If you think I'm powerful, you are mistaken. There are much stronger people out there than me." Zach breathed in deeply, and his red aura disappeared. He put a foot onto the gangplank. "And what you just saw was nothing in comparison to my overall strength and power. I barely moved a muscle just then. Imagine what I'm capable of when I do make my move. Now imagine how powerful my enemies are, and picture that one hundred times worse."
Cain shivered from the thought. He could only imagine how powerful Zach's enemies were when he had yet to see the captain's full strength. Even with his cursed soul, Cain was a speck of dust amongst monsters.
Zach walked along the dock, a stoic look across his face. "Welcome to the real world of piracy. It isn't all fun and games."
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