In an emerald-green field of grass that stretched as far as the eye can see, the wind softly hummed and flowed through spiral motion.
It was soft, comforting, and warm. But at the same time, it was ravage, fearful, and cold.
Sometimes it had been the former, but sometimes it was the latter.
The field was in a constant state of comfort and ferocity. Any human would see this landscape as a danger to their Souls. For one, they would be treated kindly by the gentle winds. Then, their Soul would be damaged by its furious nature, damaging their spirit inside.
As such, only one person had been immune to this.
In the middle of the fluttering grass, a figure wearing a white nightgown laid rest. Her hands were in the middle of her chest, their fingers carefully clasped to one another. Her face is tender, soft, and fair, as it showed her rosy lips and clear marble-like skin. Resting along with her body, a long golden-blonde hair was spread all over the emerald-green grass.
It looked as if she were a fairy blessed by the lands.
Seconds passed and the winds gradually shifted from its terrific demeanour towards its graceful presence.
Soon, the figure slowly opened their eyes, revealing an ocean-like blue hue.
She unclasped her fingers and used her hands as support to get up off the emerald-green field.
Upon sitting up, her golden-blonde hair was swayed aback, slowly flowing along with the graceful winds.
She stood up and gazed upon the horizon in every direction, realizing that she had been in a familiar place once more.
Upon standing up, she stretched her fingers and tried to bring forth the Zeal within her. Aligning with her thoughts, she felt the familiar sensation of the soothing winds be manifested within her palms.
"This..", her rosy lips parted, letting out a soft yet fierce voice, "This is my Soul.."
This landscape had already been familiar to her.
When she had first become a Spark back when she was but a mere child, she immediately found herself in the midst of this emerald field of grass.
At first, she felt fear.
But that gradually changed upon noticing that she could do anything she wanted here.
She could run, sleep, play, and do other things that she couldn't do back at her home.
She wasn't bound by the rules of her father any longer. She wasn't imprisoned by the so-called "fate" that he kept spewing about. She no longer had to become an inheritor of their family.
In here, she was free!
As free as a butterfly!
As free as a bird!
As free as the winds!
From then on, that scene from her childhood was the only time that she entered her Soul.
But now.. she was here once again - trapped in the eternal serendipity of the winds.
Thus, she looked around once more, finding herself at bliss due to the sight of freedom.
Yet, in the far distance, a brewing dark-blue wave of clouds rushed towards her.
It had to have been several kilometers wide, and stretched for more kilometers beyond the horizon.
This was one of the downsides of her Soul, a looming threat brewing in the far distance. No matter where she was, or no matter where she had run to, this threat would always find her.
That is how she got out of this landscape in the first place..
The storm found her and consumed her, waking her up from the tranquility of her Soul.
Her body trembled in fear.
However, she formed an inner resolve that struck down her hopelessness and despair.
She could've removed her fear too but she chose not to.
Fear is good.
It made your body tremble, it made your muscles shake, and it made your mind complicated.
That is how she knew that she was still as weak as a pebble.
For whenever she remained fearful of the situation, it would become a profound motivation that gave her a determination to continue.
She used fear not as a weakness but as a driving force to continue.
So, she paced forward - dragging her feet across the emerald-green grass, and taking a step one at a time.
She headed towards the storm rather than run from it.
With each step, the winds seemed to get fiercer. Even if she was inside her Soul it felt like her physical body was getting damaged.
The winds propelled themselves towards her, numerous miniature cuts appearing on his soft and delicate skin.
Wounds opened, blood spilled out and were flown away by the raging winds.
Her golden-blonde hair were pushed back, her steps were beginning to fail, her body succumbing to fear, and her Soul becoming damaged.
And yet.. her mind remained resolute.
Each step seemed like little progress had been made, however, if she took 10 steps then decent progress would have been made, and if she took 100 steps then significant progress would be made!
So, even when her body trembled and hurt, she continued to pace through and aimed to see the end of the storm.
She wanted freedom.
To attain freedom I must fight not only my enemies but also myself!
Upon a long hour of enduring and suffering, she saw the peaceful clouds once more..
The darkness of the storm dissipated and the calmness of the breeze greeted her. It soothed her entire body, healing the wounds that have been made - repairing her Soul to become whole.
She laid down and gazed above the warm sun. It felt alleviating, it felt soothing, it felt comfortable..
It was as if she was truly free..
With a deep breath, she basked in the relieving peace of the winds.
*
Time passed and night fell upon the tranquil landscape. Supposedly, the warm grace of the sun would be replaced by the serenity of the moon.
However, a crimson shade emanated from within its image. Red-crimson light cast down, making the emerald-green grass clash against its tyrannical color.
Red-crimson light reflected from the fairy-like figure's eyes as she gazed upon the crimson moon.
She felt an ominous aura looming beneath the earth, as if something or someone had existed beyond the stretches of her Soul.
She stretched her fingers, hoping to summon a familiar gun with a cannon-sized barrel.
Yet it was to no avail.
Instead, she casted upon herself and summoned the winds that surrounded her - forming into a durable veil that could suppress even a gunshot.
Then, she shifted her head to the right, staring beyond the horizon.
Parting her lips, she addressed an illusory figure that only her eyes could've seen.
"You.."
She formed her fingers akin to a gun, and shot at the illusory figure. The grass below parted with the sheer amount of pressure that the bullet had.
However, the bullet phased through the illusory figure and headed towards the horizon without any signs of stopping.
The fairy-like figure spoke once more, "Show yourself.."
Suddenly!
The leaves of the grass formed dewdrops on top of them, crimson blood formed and with its weight, fell down from the grass.
Multiple miniscule droplets fell down from all around the fairy-like figure and gathered in one spot - the place where the illusory figure was.
It then coagulated and formed into several tissues and muscles, until it had finally assumed a form of a man.
A crimson-cloak rested on his head, his right eye was covered with a black eye-patch and blood seemed to seep out of his pores.
The man's face looked ominous as he had an eerie grin on his face. Then, he let out a shrill voice that struck a deep fear within the girl's heart, "Captain of the Aegir Pirates... The Zephyr... Pirate Hunter... One of the most fearsome pirates in this generation..."
He took a breath with his teeth, and declared her name in a terrifying tone.
"Captain Skadi.."
Skadi opened her mouth, and glared at the man in front of her.
"Falkone..", she said in a furious tone.
The man glanced at her eyes and let out a silent laugh.
"It is our first time meeting, yes?"
"The next will be the last."
Falkone opened his arms and acted afraid as if to mock her, "Oooh! How fearful! Just the mere gaze of your beautiful blue eyes alone is enough to make my blood shud-"
Before letting him finish, Skadi shot a wind bullet at the man's head. However, it phased through once more as if Falkone was quite literally an illusion himself.
Falkone seemed surprised, touching his head to see if it was still there, "Careful now! You almost gave me a heart attack! Luckily, I'm just a projection casted inside your Soul. Fret not, your physical body is safe.. I think? Even I do not know where it is.."
"Oh! Hey, let me ask you a question! Are you somehow associated with that, hmm.. how do you explain his appearance again? He seemed too normal, too casual, too mundane.. He seemed like a lost sailor and a citizen of Seyil at the same time but he also seemed acquainted with your folks. Do you perhaps know who he was?"
Skadi's gaze only became more fiercer, she shot a flurry of bullets towards Falkone but it had no effect on him. Then, she abruptly stopped and her furious gaze turned into that of curiosity.
Her mind raced and her eyes widened due to the conclusion that she formed.
"You.. You are not Falkone.."
The man in front of Skadi smirked, "Reealllly? Then who am I?"
There could only be one that could manipulate his appearance to his will, someone that served a pivotal role in Falkone's crew. Skadi seemed to doubt that Falkone was more aloof and jested a lot. An abomination such as that would have no time for fun games.
There could only be one person that seemed related to Falkone and could manipulate their appearance.
"Your name is Soyuz."
The man posed as Falkone suddenly clapped and his face was bewildered - his mouth was agape and his eyes were wide open!
"Brilliant! Really Brilliant!"
The clapping went on for 5 seconds until he finally stopped and stood perfectly still. He gazed at Skadi with bloodshot eyes, and as if his entire personality changed, his aloof nature turned into that of a serious and threatening one.
"You're wrong. I am not Soyuz."
His pupils dilated and his gaze struck Skadi with Dread.
"Soyuz has already died. In fact, the entirety of my crew is already dead."
After 2 seconds of silence, he spoke once more. This time his voice was much eerier than before.
"I.. no.. we.. are Falkone."