Shrouded Seascape

Chapter 119. Imprint

"Did you figure out the issue?" Charles asked Laesto.

"Not too sure. At the moment, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with your body," Laesto answered.

"But my head hurts..."

"You’ve made that bed, so you better lay on it. A headache is the least of your worries. If anything happens again, let me know immediately. I don't see any anomalies at the moment, so I'm leaving. Nice tattoo, by the way," Laesto said as he rose to his feet and headed toward the door.

His last sentence sent a shiver down Charles' spine.

"I have a tattoo on me? Where?"

Laesto observed Charles closely as the latter inspected himself, trying to find the tattoo with genuine confusion. It didn't look like he was feigning it. Laesto lifted a finger and pointed at the intersection between his neck and collarbone.

"Are you saying you didn't get this recently?"

Charles hurriedly grabbed a mirror from a nearby drawer and stared into his reflection. He immediately spotted the new addition to his skin.

The imprint was black and resembled a curled-up dead spider. However, the spider's legs had a spiral pattern and looked slightly crooked. Rather than calling it a tattoo, it felt more like his skin had been corroded by something. Its texture was similar to uneven sandpaper.

"Are you sure you didn't get this tattoo?" Laesto asked. He took out a small scalpel and slightly scraped it against the black imprint. The black marking seemed to be part of the skin itself, as Laesto couldn’t scrape it off.

"Why would I get something like this for no reason? Could it be some sort of skin disease?"

"It doesn't seem like it. Is there any itching or pain?"

"Not really. My head is hurting, but there’s nothing else."

"The...Great One... has noticed you."

Charles and Laesto turned their attention to the door collectively. A figure wrapped in wet bandages stood at the doorway and stared into the room with an intense gaze.

"Do you recognize this thing? Why are you drenched?" Charles set up. He had recovered a portion of his strength.

Bandages silently nodded and slowly walked in.

"This is... the imprint... of the Great One. I saw His gaze... directed at us...earlier. I... thought He... was here for me. I went to find Him... but it wasn't me...He was looking for you..."

"The Fhtagn God? Why would Fhtagn's imprint be on me? Did someone place a curse on me?" Charles went beyond pallid as he stared at the reflection of the strange marking in the mirror.

"No... It's a... blessing. Captain... Do you also believe in the Great One?"

"No way." Charles never imagined that there would come a day when he would be associated with such an evil cult.

"Then why... Why did you... receive this blessing? In our faith... it's a great honor... to undergo this ritual. Only those anointed...will have the chance...to receive such a blessing."

"What's the use of this thing?" Charles asked as he touched the imprint. Since it was a blessing, there ought to be some benefits, right?

"Your soul... now belongs to God Fhtagn..."

"Is that supposed to be a good thing? Are there more materialistic benefits?"

Faced with Charles' question, Bandages remained quiet and stood motionless.

A sudden thought struck Charles. He reached out a hand to pull off the bandages around his first mate's neck, only to find that the latter didn't have such a mark.

"Such a blessing... is precious. I don't have one... but I've seen the ritual... the main officiator... has to sacrifice a part of their body... a large part, and also offer many other...sacrifices to please our Lord."

"Do you know anyone from that cult? Why would someone randomly place this imprint on you for no reason?" Laesto asked and took a swig from his tin flask.

Charles shook his head. "That's impossible. I don't know any of them. The last interaction I had with them was a long time ago when they commissioned me to go to this strange island to find them a—"

Charles' pupils suddenly contracted. He suddenly recalled the murals in the shrine that depicted the twisted tentacle monsters worshiping Fhtagn. A thought emerged in his mind.

"Can monsters without self-awareness have faith?" he asked.

"What's wrong? Did something come to mind?" Laesto asked.

"It's nothing. You both can leave now."

Charles's sudden change surprised both Laesto and Bandages.

However, they silently left the room.

The flame in the oil lamp next to him swayed with the motion of the Narwhale, casting a fluctuating shadow on Charles' face.

"Mr. Charles, what's wrong?" Lily asked as she jumped into his lap and looked up at him.

Charles remained silent. He caressed Lily's fur absentmindedly while retrieving Anna's picture from his diary with his other hand and staring blankly at it.

"Mr. Charles, are you thinking about this monster sister?"

"Yes."

"Then why don't you go find her? And be with her?"

"Because I can't..."

"Why not? That sister likes you, too. Why can't two people with mutual affection for each other be together? Is it because she's a monster? Mr. Charles, do you only want to be with humans?"

"Yeah...Why not?" Charles placed Lily on the table next to him. Lifting the blanket off him, he walked toward the deck.

Charles felt refreshed as the cool breeze swept past his face.

"Is it you? Do you still care for me?" Charles muttered. A mix of emotions painted his face as he stared at the inky dark expanse ahead. Of course, there was no one in his vicinity to answer his words. The only response he got was the sound of waves breaking against the ship's bow.

Touching the tattoo on his neck, a flurry of images played in his mind. As they came to an end, Charles' eyes shone with apparent resolve.

"Why not? Perhaps it's possible. Wait for me. I'll go and pick you up once I find the exit!" exclaimed Charles. A sense of relief immediately washed over him. The dilemma that had been troubling him for a long while had finally been resolved.

Lily was right. Since they harbored feelings for each other, there was no need to harp on anything else. His journey in the Subterranean Seascape was coming to an end, and he didn't want to leave with any regrets.

As for Anna's physical condition, Charles decided that they could find a solution together after they got out. Even if they couldn't find a cure, it wouldn't be a huge problem if she could change her diet.

As he imagined the bright future ahead, Charles felt his spirits lifting gradually. A faint smile appeared on his lips, and he even felt like humming a tune.

Splash!

An unusual sound rang out from below the ship's bow.

Charles swiftly drew his revolver in response.

"Mr. Charles, it's me, the captain of the Wave Razor sailing behind you."

A drenched figure crawled on board, and the figure was holding a dark object in his mouth. Upon closer inspection, Charles realized that it was a sea turtle.

The most striking feature of the man who had just climbed aboard was his seaweed-like dark green hair. His appearance was far from pleasant, however, due to his withered features.

"Hello, hello! My name's Feuerbach. I introduced myself earlier. I'm pleased to be part of this voyage. Are you our leader? You look really young."

Without waiting for Charles' response, Feuerbach took out a dagger and started getting rid the barnacles attached to the turtle's shell.