Faceless, Moraine's doubts, and Elizabeth Swann

Kai rushed through the night, cutting air and darkness alike.

On his shoulders, Murtogg's dead body was swaying like a hideous pendulum, and both time and place were not in Kai's favor.

This was the backside of Fort Charles' barracks, where the marines were stationed.

After his fight with the Protector, Kai rushed here with his maximum speed and killed Murtogg. This was already a major deviation from his plans, but what else could he do?

Before, Kai had planned to kill Murtogg tomorrow night, but the odd and sudden actions of the Protector ruined those plans. Then there was the matter of Kai searching Murtogg's memories to gain a better understanding of the Character. However, now Kai wasn't sure if Moraine could find Murtogg if he were to remain alive, despite the distance between the Protector and the Character.

Item-M had told him about the Side and Hidden Missions that the Systems assigned to the Protectors, and this too that they differed from each other erratically. There was no format for these missions. For one, it could be to stay within 100 meters of the Character, and for others, it could be 1000 meters.

If the Protector didn't want others to know, there was no way to tell.

So before Moraine could come and see him kill Murtogg, Kai had rushed in the opposite direction.

Still, Contestants were crawling in the Fort like cockroaches as it was a major site for missions and odd milestones.

Kai dared not to be careless.

"Huff! Huff!" Kai panted and came to a stop after running madly for a while. He threw Murtogg's body on the ground, letting it fall like a log, and then sat down in a meditative posture.

Selene burst out of him with a hiss and disappeared into the surroundings.

10 minutes…

15 minutes…

30 minutes…

Only when an hour had gone by did Kai open his eyes, confirming that no one had seen or followed him.

Then came the ugly part; or beautiful, depending on the persons.

Kai swept his hand into the empty air and took a pristine metallic box out of his MRB. Using Telekinesis, he cleaned a few meters around him of dirt, insects, rotten leaves, and filth.

Selene's mist form then arrived, engulfing the entire scene into a white-silver fog.

The box opened… slowly.

Kai caressed the collection of brilliant surgical tools, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a demonic grin.

There was a major distinction between Kai and the Faceless Men from the Game of Thrones world. Kai hadn't learned these arts from a Priest of the House of White and Black. His Comprehension had been birthed because of his own struggles and serendipities, unlike the Priests of Byagoona who served the Many-faced God.

And no matter power or knowledge, Kai just couldn't resign himself to serving anyone.

If it wasn't because of this, then he wouldn't have needed years' worth of risky contemplation and Acting to become a Faceless Man. Sure, he wouldn't have been fast enough like the Character Arya Stark, but his speed still had been faster than the current timeline.

So when Kai had reincarnated into the Harry Potter World, he had arrived with ample preparations.

Everything had gone silent within the silver mist.

The distant gurgles of the sea and the hisses of the wind came and went, sighing at the actions they were about to see.

Dr. Kai donned the white gloves, cleaned Murtogg's face, and washed his hair. Then he took the surgical knife in his hands, his face indifferent and his eyes dead.

When the knife kissed the skin, it tore into it with no resistance.

From the back of the left ear, down to the underside of the chin, and then up to the right ear…

A circle, from right to left ear, covering the backside of the neck…

The scalp was particularly tricky, but Kai had practiced enough and on many…

The rest was a slow business, slowly and meticulously pulling the skin, flaying Murtogg's face without letting it tear.

When Kai was done with the procedure, only flesh remained, oozing stale and congealed blood. Once again, he cleaned the "mask" from outside and inside, clearing it of all plausible pathogens and moisture.

Then he let it rest, giving the skin ample time to regain its shape.

Kai looked at his creation, and Murtogg watched him with his hollow eyes and gaping mouth.

The body had to go too. After wearing Murtogg's uniform, Kai chopped him up in so many pieces that it started to look like mangled flesh. He would let the fishes take care of this mess, as Selene had already acquired a taste for Mana-rich food.

Kai then took a bundle of documents out of his MRB.

These documents were detailed info about the major and a few minor Characters from the Pirates of the Caribbean Random World. Kai had made Item-M trade this info at a hefty sum, for he not only needed to know about the Characters' personalities, but also how they perceived each other.

After an hour of going through the documents many times over, and nodding to himself, Kai threw them back into the MRB.

"Sigh!" A long and heavy sigh escaped his mouth, as Kai forced himself to forget all worries and plans for a moment.

He sat down in a meditative posture and within the white room in his consciousness, a projection of him appeared, his mind dividing into three parts, ready to control the body, mind, and countless nudges.

Murtogg's life, his conversations, his past, present, and future, everything flashed through Kai's mind.

Then the "face" lifted and came to rest in front of Kai, its hollow eyes judging its murderer.

Facelessness Second Contrast — the Quintessential Conversion of Inner Selves!

An earth-shaking shout echoed in Kai's consciousness and the "face" turned around, slowly overlapping Kai as if he was just putting up a mask. A distinct, stupid look appeared on his face, all the muscles on the "face" contorting in convulsions.

Something was missing.

Facelessness's First Conversion, the Primal Conversion of Yang to Yin, wasn't needed until Kai was to Act like a female. The Second Contrast took care of the Self, its mysteries profound.

But there was more to the people, to the Characters, than just the Self. It was personality, thoughts, goals, and desires.

Another row of words echoed within him, then.

Facelessness Third Contrast — the Ultimate Conversion of Existence!

These were Kai's understandings. These were his Comprehension. And these had resulted from his over half-a-year long Acting.

If Kai hadn't reincarnated into the body of opposite sex to comprehend the True Essence of Facelessness, following the principles of letting Black Act as White and White Act as Black, then he wouldn't have obtained such drastic and profound results so quickly. At least not without bending the knee to the Many-Faced God.

He still had a long way to go. But for now, and for such a short time, this was enough.

Murtogg had died, killed by Kai in cold blood. But then again…

All men must die, eventually.

*

*

Fort Charles' Barracks, [Image 1]

Port Royal

"Where were you, Oi?" Mullroy spat, tossing and turning on his hard bed in the barracks.

"Bad stomach, ugh!" Murtogg limped his way to the bed. "Ate too much."

"Ate too much?!" Mullroy scratched his fat chin. "But you didn't have dinner…"

Murtogg was stumped, his listless expression making him look profusely dimwitted. "I didn't?" he repeated, confused. "Must be breakfast, then. Right! Ate too much in the morning."

Mullroy's mouth opened, and he nodded in understanding.

From afar, Moraine, the Protector, eyed the two dimwit Characters oddly. The System had given her the ability to hide from all Characters within 500 meters of Mullroy and Murtogg, letting her monitor them. As long as both characters hadn't died, Chaos wouldn't interfere, and her mission would continue as before.

This wasn't the first time she was hearing this absurdly illogical conversation between the two Characters, either.

What truly stunned her was the return of Murtogg.

Didn't Blood Demon kidnap him? Why did he let him go? What did he do to him, anyway?

Questions kept arising in her mind and heart, but to no avail. She neared Murtogg, who was groaning in pain, holding his stomach, and looked at him up and down.

Nothing.

She didn't feel an iota of threat or anything strange. Murtogg was a foolish and naive Character, and this was how she must have felt upon nearing him, to begin with.

Yet, she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Blood Demon had let him go, just after kidnapping him a few hours ago.

'There must be some great mystery or hidden mission,' Moraine rationalized. What else could it be?

Not minding it further, and putting it into the back of her mind, she returned to a safe distance and kept monitoring the two. She had prepared herself for the disappearance of Murtogg altogether. Even if Mullroy alone remained in the plot line, things would still work as they were. Such things had already been confirmed by the Contestants.

In the barracks, Murtogg sat back up and groaned again. "I can't go to the sentry duty tomorrow morning, mate," he said, exasperated. "I am going to ask for a one-day leave from Lieutenant Gillette."

"At this hour?!" Mullroy asked, fear flashing across his face. "I heard Ghosts march the corridors of Fort Charles after midnight."

"Gh… Ghosts?!" Mullroy staggered, thoroughly scared. But then suddenly, his expression changed as if he had recalled something profound. "Wait a minute!" he spat, slapping Mullroy's bald head. "Gone insane, are you? Ghosts don't have legs. How will they march?"

Mullroy's face became blank. He made an O shape with his mouth and nodded to himself. [Image 2]

In the distance, Moraine shook her head as she heard this exchange, knowing well that she would have to go with Mullroy in the morning, leaving Murtogg behind. There was no way for her to be in two places at the same time. Not when the original storyline had already seemed to have diverged from the usual track.

Yet, as she saw Murtogg marching off like a scared squirrel toward the Lieutenant's quarters, Moraine couldn't help but think about Blood Demon, and what could he have possibly done to this minor Character.

Little by little, that white-haired swordsman kept becoming a bigger mystery in her heart.

*

*

Governor's Mansion,

St. Paul's District

"Lanny, is it you?" Elizabeth Swann sat up on her bed in the dark, eying the parting of the door of her bedroom. [Image 3]

An enchanting beauty in the dress of a maid entered the room, hopping her way to the mistress. "Pardon my intrusion, miss," Lanny said, giggling. "I knew you were awake, and my heart couldn't help but long for your company."

Elizabeth smiled in the dark. They lit the candle by the bed and sat down on the bed, crossing their legs. "I truly miss Estrella," Miss Swann told her sadly. "If it was anyone other than you who had come as her replacement, I didn't know what I would have done." [Image 4]

Lanny twirled a lock of her golden hair. "Estrella is indeed marvelous, miss," she nodded. "But she's old. We, on the other hand, know the lure of freedom and the open sea." [Image 5 - young Cersei's appearance]

Elizabeth's eyes shone in the light flicker of the candle's fire as she heard the word. Sea. Her desire, her curse, and her blessing. And, yes.

The Pirates.

"I couldn't sleep," Miss Swann said, putting her hand on Lanny's hand. "I kept recalling the stories you told me in the evening. Did you truly meet a white-haired pirate with a skull, serpent, and swords as the Jolly Roger?"

Lanny couldn't hold back the giggle. "I indeed met him, miss," she said, feigning pride. "He was the most handsome pirate I have ever seen in my life. His eyes were hazel, and his smile stole my heart at one glance."

Elizabeth's gaze sparkled. "And?" [Image 6]

Lanny looked as if going through a struggle. "Oh! The Gods must punish me, miss. They truly must."

"Why?" Elizabeth prodded, her thin, soft fingers tightening on Cersei's hand. "Tell me. I won't tell anyone."

Lanny leaned forward. "Well, I did something bad with him, miss," she whispered, blushing. "Something truly bad."

Color rose to Elizabeth's pale cheeks. "I want to hear it all."

Lanny smiled in shame and nodded, her mind conjuring a false tale of pleasure, pain, pride, and passion.

A tale she dearly wanted to come true.