Location: Red Blade – Open Sea, Dawn
The sky was clear for once.
The Red Blade sailed gently through golden waters, mist retreating into the distance. The crew had been quiet since the bridge battle. The silence wasn't fear—it was respect.
Ankit sat alone at the bow.
He'd cleaned his blades.
Sharpened them.
Wrapped the hilts tighter.
But the trembling in his right hand hadn't faded completely. The psyker's words still echoed faintly—truths twisted into weapons.
Makino approached with a cup of steaming ginger broth.
"You're thinking again."
Ankit glanced at her. "Always."
She offered the drink. "You win by fighting. Not by spiraling."
He took it, sipping slowly.
"Still feel like something's coming."
Makino nodded.
"You're right."
Scene – Cipher Pol's Black Thread Plan
Location: Cipher Pol Omega Division – Sub-Level 7
Director R.O.N. stood before a massive chessboard, each piece carved from seastone. Most pawns bore the insignia of world factions. One piece—a black knight with twin swords—rested near the king's side.
"Phase C is delicate," he said.
Agent KNEEL, a masked strategist, replied: "Deploying memory triggers without verification is dangerous."
"We don't need verification," R.O.N. said. "Just doubt."
He pointed at a sealed dossier.
"Release The Empty Lineage. Give them the story."
Scene – Mysterious Pirate Ship Appears
Location: Southern Corridor of Paradise – Midday
Makino was first to spot the sails.
A small galleon. Black and bronze. Jolly Roger: two interlocked swords under an eclipse.
No known bounty.
No record.
And yet—every part of its design seemed… familiar.
Benn Beckman raised a brow. "Never seen that symbol before, but it's using New World rigging."
Shanks narrowed his eyes. "No cannon ports. No visible weapons. That's either stupidity—or confidence."
Makino's communicator crackled.
"They're requesting parley. Captain-to-captain."
Shanks chuckled.
"I don't do parleys."
But then—
A voice echoed across the sea, from the approaching ship.
"Ankit, child of flame… your family has waited long enough."
Shock – Ankit's Reaction
He froze.
"…What?"
Makino stepped back.
Benn blinked. "You recognize them?"
"No," Ankit muttered.
But something twisted in his chest. A pang. Like déjà vu, dipped in regret.
System Alert: External Soul Trigger Detected
Memory Fragment #3 – Locked
Estimated Integrity: 18%
Origin: "The Abyssal Home"
Condition to Unlock: Accept the Invitation
Makino glanced at him. "Is this… another relic gate?"
"No. This isn't from the Stormmark."
He turned toward Shanks.
"This is from before."
Decision – The Choice to Board
They met on neutral waters—an abandoned marine supply island.
Shanks insisted on backup: Makino, Benn, and two unnamed crewmen hidden in the trees.
Ankit walked into the open.
The opposing crew waited—five of them. All wore dark bronze coats. Eyes masked with steel-stitched veils. Except for one.
The captain.
He was tall, gray-eyed, and bore a scar across his jaw.
His name was Dareth.
He smiled like a man meeting an old friend.
"Ankit. You've grown well."
"I don't know you."
"No. You wouldn't. Not yet."
Dareth tossed a sealed scroll forward. It landed at Ankit's feet.
"This is your inheritance. Not gold. Not legacy. Truth."
Ankit didn't touch it.
"What do you want?"
"To awaken what the world silenced."
He pointed behind him—toward the setting sun.
"There's an island. The Abyssal Archive. Only those with your flame signature can enter."
Makino whispered through the comms: "It's a trap. Guaranteed."
Ankit responded aloud. "Why me?"
Dareth grinned.
"Because you're not from this world. And neither were we."
System Interruption – Hidden Protocol Activation
Unknown Protocol Detected – "Echo Lineage Fragment Alpha"
Unlocking suppressed root data...
Suppressed Origin Node Located
Identity Conflict Rising: Warning – Accessing this path may alter future soul evolutions
Accept or Deny?
Ankit stared at the message only he could see.
Makino's voice was urgent.
"You don't have to go."
Shanks added from a distance, voice calm but sharp, "I won't stop you. But know this—truth can be a cage too."
Ankit's grip on his blades tightened.
Flashback – The Boy on the Cliff
Long ago—before the crew, before Shanks—he stood alone.
System interface burning his retinas.
You are a fragment cast into another world.
You will grow by fire or fade by fear.
He had chosen fire.
Now—
He faced the echo of his beginning.
Ankit looked up at Dareth.
"I'll come."
Makino's breath hitched. "Ankit—"
"—but alone."
He turned to Shanks.
"Trust me. If it's a trap, I'll light it up from the inside."
Shanks looked into his eyes.
Then nodded.
"I'll be at the edge of hell waiting."
Final Scene – Voyage into the Abyss
Ankit boarded the bronze-sailed ship.
As it departed, the sea darkened unnaturally fast.
Stars blinked out above them.
The last thing Makino saw before the ship vanished into fog—
Was Ankit, staring at a burning scroll now opened in his hands.
Its title:
"Legacy of the Flameborn – The Ones Who Fell Before the World Was Named"