Kapitel 4: Bloody Knife
HIS sleep was filled with nightmares; dreadful demons invaded his dreams, clawing at his face with their talons as he desperately fought them off. He screamed in his sleep, his body jerking violently as Mr. Ages' bloodshot eyes stared into his, and it felt as if he saw into his soul.
"Why did you leave me to die?" Mr. Ages demanded, his voice echoing in the darkness. Ash recoiled, tears streaming down his face.
"You asked me to leave!" Ash shouted back, but even as he spoke, blood began to drip from his own eyes. He was about to scream when he suddenly jolted awake. One moment he was lying in bed, the next he was airborne, crashing to the floor with a resounding thud.
He flung his eyes open to see Mute and Kay staring down at him, their faces filled with concern.
"Are you okay, boy?" Kay asked, his voice laced with worry. Mute's eyes showed the same emotion. Ash took a few moments to catch his breath, then nodded and slowly got to his feet.
"It was just a nightmare," he said, starting to fold the blankets on his bed. Dawn had already broken, and he figured it was time to get to work. He glanced at the pocket watch on the nightstand and his eyes widened. He was already an hour late.
"Why didn't you wake me?" he demanded, turning to Mute and Kay, who were still staring at him with concern. "What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Kay averted his gaze before speaking. "You didn't know what you were yelling before you woke up, right?"
Ash shook his head, confused. "No, what was I yelling?" The nightmare had been scary and he could still feel his heart beating from the fear. He wasn't a stranger to nightmares and he had decided they were a normal thing to him. If he wasn't plagued by ghosts of his parents or siblings, it was the pain of drowning, struggling with the deep blue sea. His past was scary and they lingered in his dreams.
"Death! Death! Death!" Kay repeated. "You were shouting it over and over." The boy looked at him and patted him on the shoulders. "You will be alright," he reassured.
Silence filled the room, that was one of the reasons he got well with all the kids in this cabin, deep down they were all kind. Although Ash had no idea why he would scream such a thing, he knew he had to get to work. He turned to address Kay and Mute, but then realized someone was missing.
"Where's Glit?"
He turned back and glanced at her bed. "Where is Glit?" he demanded.
Kay looked at him. "I don't think she came back yesterday," he replied. "Though I wouldn't have known, I slept like a log," he chuckled.
Ash furrowed his brow, worrying creeping in. He hoped Felis hadn't reassigned another room for Glit just because she found the Asterisk. Although he knew she would be treated like royalty now, he would miss her if she was given a room upgrade.
"I'm heading out," he said, patting Kay and Mute on the back before rushing out. A sense of unease crept into him as he climbed the cabin steps to the main deck. The events with Mr. Ages yesterday still haunted him.
He took a deep breath before stepping onto the higher deck. Immediately, he sensed something was wrong. Only a few sailors were manning the ship; everyone else was huddled in a corner, murmuring in hushed tones.
Ash wriggled his way through the crowd, his small frame allowing him to slip through the throng. When he finally broke free, he found himself face-to-face with a familiar robe lying on the floor. Even if he lost all sense of self, he would recognize that robe; it belonged to the old man.
His eyes darted around until they landed on Romero, a tall, lanky boy with a perpetually dull expression. Despite this, Romero got along well with Ash due to his hardworking nature. Ash pushed his way toward him and asked, "What happened?"
"The old man came out at night," Romero said, shaking his head. "The only thing left of him was his robe. The Night Wraiths got him, and they didn't even leave bones to burn." The boy's eyes were a little red and it looked as if he was pushing back tears. Everyone on the ship knew Mr. Ages and all loved him, he was the finest old man one can ask for.
Ash stared at the empty robe, a chill running down his spine. He needed a place to think. He slipped away from the crowd and descended to the lower deck. It was clear that work wouldn't resume as usual today. As he reached the lower deck, a sudden realization hit him: he hadn't seen Glit or Felis at all.
Lost in thought, he was jolted back to reality by a loud thud from the direction of the sailors' cabins. He was about to ignore it when a crash and a feminine yelp followed. He recognized the voice; it was Glit.
Ash's heart pounded as he beelined towards the sound of her scream. He rushed past several rooms, noticing they were empty. Most of the sailors were on deck; where was Felis? The more he thought about it, the more his anxiety grew.
Glit's scream was agonizing, and Ash didn't care about the rules forbidding them from entering the sailors' lodgings. He sprinted past the empty rooms and headed straight for Felis' quarters. Upon reaching the door, he shoved it open and stood in the entrance, breathless and wide-eyed.
He felt a chill run down his spine as he glanced over to see Felis; a fair man with brown beards and a meticulously groomed haircut, holding a bloody knife. Felis stood over the bleeding body of a girl. Ash recognized her immediately and, without a second thought he rushed forward, shoving Felis away from the girl before screaming a single name.
"Glit
Geschenke
-- Geschenk
erhalten Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein