Air Pensieve

Cruise quickly sorted out his thoughts.

The young man in front of him spoke of wiping out a powerful Black Magic family. Even without understanding all the intricacies of the Wizarding world, Cruise could grasp the significance. Destroying an entire pirate fleet, for instance, required unimaginable resources and strength—and this boy had casually claimed to have done something even greater.

And he was clearly… still a child.

"How old are you… exactly?" Cruise asked cautiously.

Kai Adler propped his chin on one hand, smiling faintly.

"Twelve. Oh wait, the new year passed… so yes, twelve."

Twelve?

When Cruise had been twelve, he was still playing at swords in the alleys of Hamburg.

Suppressing a headache, Cruise forced himself to focus.

"Then, may I ask why someone like you has… graced the Pearl Pirates with your presence?"

Kai gave him a look of surprise.

"You captured me, didn't you?"

Cruise nearly choked on his tea for the second time that day.

Well, technically true… but who could've known a monster was hidden under that childish face?

Grumbling inwardly, Cruise managed a strained smile.

"Mr. Adler, I may not be the sharpest man alive, but I'm not a fool either."

"You're being modest," Kai said with an easy smile. "The way you handled things after we boarded proves you're quite intelligent."

"Survival instincts, really."

Cruise swirled the tea in his hand, his gaze distant as he exhaled heavily, the sigh carrying years of memory. He began,

"I used to be a merchant… competing with the big families was impossible, so I—"

"Stop."

Kai interrupted him without hesitation, voice flat.

"Old men rambling about their past is one thing. You want to do it too?"

Cruise's mouth hung open, a breath caught in his throat, eyes filled with mild resentment. For once, he'd felt the urge to confide his hardships, and this brat shut him down.

Suppressing the urge to sulk, Cruise coughed awkwardly.

"Alright then… ask what you want to ask."

"How long will it take to get to Egypt if you sail at full speed?"

Cruise blinked, caught off guard by the mundane question.

"About two and a half days."

Kai smiled.

"Perfect. I'll be counting on you."

Cruise's eyes narrowed, slapping his thigh in realization.

"You… you came aboard just to hitch a ride?"

"I told you, you're smart." Kai's smirk deepened.

"You could've just said so from the start!" Cruise practically exploded. "If I'd known, I'd have sailed you there personally! No need for this whole… terrifying ordeal."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Kai's expression held the mischievous arrogance of a true twelve-year-old, despite the deadly aura beneath his words. Cruise finally accepted the bitter truth—this monster truly was just a brat with a horrendous personality.

Looking at the groaning crew still bleeding on the floor, Cruise exhaled again, feeling as though he'd used up all the sighs in his life today.

"They'll… survive?"

Kai waved it off.

"Small punishment. Pointing guns at me is one thing, but pointing them at a young lady?" He tsked.

"Unacceptable."

You know you're not exactly a good person, right?

But the memory of that deadly green flash lurking in his foggy memories made Cruise feel these men got off lucky.

After a moment, Cruise straightened.

"There's something I need your expertise on, Master Wizard…"

He briefly explained his situation. As Kai had already suspected, Cruise's partial amnesia wasn't an accident—it was Obliviate, the Black Magic memory-erasing spell. Someone, likely Wizards connected to the Ivor Family, had tampered with his memories, leaving only fragments behind for controlled use.

Kai drew his wand.

"Come here."

Cruise recoiled instinctively at the sight of the slender wooden stick—the same type he'd seen casually used to murder someone.

Kai rolled his eyes.

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need this. You wanted answers, didn't you?"

Cruise's jaw tightened, but his curiosity overruled his fear. He cautiously approached, shoulders tense.

Kai gestured for him to sit. Resting the tip of the wand on Cruise's forehead, he carefully extracted a thin, silvery strand of memory. It hovered, gleaming softly in the air.

Holding the wand steady with his right hand, Kai traced a precise circle in front of him with his left. The air shimmered, warping visibly under concentrated Black Magic. A swirling, blue-black vortex formed in the space between them.

Cruise's eyes widened at the impossible sight.

"Are all Wizards… this magical?"

"Hardly," Kai muttered. "Forming a Pensieve like this? Most Wizards wouldn't even dream of it."

With a slight smirk, he patted Cruise's shoulder.

"Stick your head in."

It felt like diving into a storm. Cruise clenched his jaw, then shoved his head forward, eyes squeezed shut.

Instant weightlessness overtook him, then solid ground returned.

Opening his eyes, Cruise found himself seated at a long table—around him, the infamous pirate captains of the Indian Ocean. Behind them, subordinates stood watch.

And at the head of the table, seated in black robes, were three ominous figures.

It was the memory—exactly as he vaguely recalled it.

Across from him sat Shalu, a towering pirate with a braided beard, very much alive—despite Cruise remembering him being struck down.

"Shalu?!" Cruise tried to shout, but found himself locked in place, observing like a ghostly bystander.

One of the seated pirate lords stood, bowing to the black-robed figures.

"For today's Pirate Assembly, we're honored to have the head of the Ivor Family… Mr. Jarek Ivor."

Cruise's eyes narrowed.

Jarek Ivor…

"Never heard of this damned Ivor Family!" Shalu slammed the table, rattling the glassware. His voice boomed with defiance.

"Where's Pirate King Henry? Why is this rat sitting at his place?"

A cold, bone-chilling snort echoed from beneath the black robes.

The lead figure pulled back his hood—Jarek Ivor, scarred and smirking. His presence radiated cruelty and power.

"You won't remember this meeting anyway," Jarek sneered.

"And your Pirate King? Perhaps you'll join him soon enough."

Shalu leapt to his feet, fists clenched.

"What's that supposed to—"

Jarek flicked his wand.

"Avada Kedavra."

A jet of sickly green light shot across the table, striking Shalu square in the chest.

The bearded captain collapsed instantly, lifeless, as the room fell into stunned silence.

Cruise, watching as a helpless bystander in the memory, shivered involuntarily.

The familiar dread of that green light burned into his mind—the same dread he felt upon meeting Kai Adler.