Fate's End
Ghk... W-wiped out?! By these rookies?!
Surrender is advised. You can't beat all of us alone.
Eek...! S-stop them! Stop them!!
Eeeengh...!
You idiot! You're way too big to hide in that seashell again!
The last pirate clung to the shark's tail as it tried to squeeze into a seashell far too small for it.
Well, well...
How about you give Ayla's map back?
Eeek...!
*Crash!*
Once the unconscious pirates were tied up tight, we reclaimed the missing half and restored the map at last.
Ayla, think you can find it now?
Yes, it's here... It looks like this door is supposed to open...
Oh! It opens into a tiny hidden room!
A nearly invisible groove ran along the wall, hidden unless you knew where to look.
I hooked my fingers into it and pulled, revealing a tiny makeshift compartment no bigger than a closet.
Small for a ship this size... Structural analysis suggests this was the wheelhouse.
Hmm... So where exactly is the Pirate King's treasure?
Wait, there's a small box over here.
On the old helm sat a small box bearing a carved pirate crest.
Inside lay a golden compass, gleaming with an almost blinding light.
Could this be...
The Pirate King's treasure...?
An old, worn compass. Visual inspection alone is insufficient to determine its significance...
The needle won't move from north... Is it telling us to go deeper in that direction?
With a puzzled look, Ayla reached into the box and picked up the compass.
And the moment she did...
*Krrrk... Krrrk...*
T-the needle... It's shaking like crazy...!
*Fwoosh!*
Ahh...!
A blinding light exploded from the compass, swallowing Ayla whole.
Ngh... Ah...!
The light slowly receded. Ayla's body went slack, and she crumpled to the floor.
Ayla, are you okay...?
Is something wrong?
...
We rushed to steady her, but Ayla didn't respond. She simply stared ahead, wide-eyed and frozen in shock.
No... It's not that...
It's just...
...
Somehow... It's like I haven't felt this in forever...
Still in disbelief, Ayla raised her hands and slowly turned them over, as if confirming something for herself.
My whole body... It feels so light...
I haven't felt like this since... since I was little...
...!
As she kept checking herself, tears began streaming down her face.
Ayla... why are you crying...? Does something hurt?
I'm sorry... It's just... my body hasn't felt this light in so long...
...Heh... Hehehe...
With a bright, relieved smile, Ayla bowed deeply.
Thank you... Thank you, everyone...
All the while Ayla held the compass, its needle had seemed permanently fixed on north...
And now, it pointed straight at Ayla.
Hmm? Wait, there's something under the compass.
A single sheet of paper lay hidden inside the supposedly empty box, its color faded until it was almost indistinguishable from the wood beneath it.
This looks like... a note.
Ayla took the paper from Luna and slowly read through it.
In defiance of fate, I created Flora and dreamed that it might remain an eternal paradise...
To preserve that paradise, I bound every trace of cold and darkness within a single sheet of parchment.
My selfish dream may have burdened you with illness, yet you endured and came this far. As recompense, I leave you this compass and the blessing held within it.
Until the day I cast anchor upon this shore, defied fate at last, and ended my ceaseless wandering...
This compass was my guide throughout my entire life.
This compass responds when one refuses to yield to fate.
Hold fast to that conviction, and wherever this needle points, there your fate shall await you.
May my blessing be with you on the path ahead.
Once Luna finished reading the message aloud, she folded the faded paper and returned it to Ayla.
...Guess he was every bit as tired of being pushed around by fate.
Don't you think so, Ayla?
...
Ayla gave no reply. She simply stared at the compass in her hand.
It said, wherever the tip of this needle points, there your fate will be... right?
Yeah. And the needle is...
...Still pointing at Ayla.
It really is. No matter where Ayla moves, the needle follows her.
Looks like the Pirate King was saying the same thing we were.
Your fate is yours to shape.
...!
Only then did Ayla finally look away from the compass and raise her eyes to the sky.
So much had happened that none of us had noticed, but...
The night... It's almost over...
The sun was rising beyond the horizon.
That's the last of them, right?
Brushing off my hands, I looked over the pirates tied up across the deck of their own ship.
By the time we had loaded even the unconscious pirates aboard, the sun was already high in the sky.
Yes...! That's every last one of them!
And yet there she stood, finally free to keep moving forward.
Ugh... You're telling me the Pirate King's treasure wasn't even gold or jewels? It's not worth a single coin?!
You're telling me it was really nothing but... that lousy golden compass...?
Eeeengh...
...Needless to say, the pirates looked pretty crushed when they learned what the Pirate King's treasure really was.
Then we should begin preparations for departure.
All right! Everyone together now!
Luna took a deep breath and climbed to a higher spot.
All hands! Anchors aweigh!
Anchors aweigh...!
Anchors aweigh!
Our answer came without the slightest hesitation, loud enough to shake the entire deck.
Of course, Captain. Why would I hesitate?
The biggest gamble of my life starts now, and I'm putting every year I have left on the line.
Hehe... With that much riding on you, you couldn't possibly lose, could you?
Right, Captain?
As the sea breeze swept over the bow, we couldn't help but share a warm laugh.