Pirate: Crew of Desire and Bonds

A few days had passed.

Jake slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing that entered his vision was a familiar wooden ceiling.

Soft morning light filtered in through a nearby window, casting gentle patterns across the room.

For a moment, he simply stared upward in silence.

A strange sense of déjà vu washed over him.

”...I feel like I’ve been passing out too often lately...” he murmured.

Then, with a sigh, Jake tried to sit up.

”...Ah!”

A sharp pain immediately ran through his entire body, forcing him to freeze in place as a low groan escaped his lips.

Only then did Jake realize he could barely move.

It was as if there was almost no strength left in his limbs.

His arms and legs felt completely drained, heavy and unresponsive.

With some effort, he managed to lower his gaze and look at his own body.

He was half-naked.

His upper body was tightly wrapped in clean white bandages that covered most of his torso and shoulders.

And right now his body felt unnaturally heavy.

Even the simple act of shifting his shoulders sent dull waves of pain through his muscles and bones.

It was clear that whatever had happened during that final battle had taken a severe toll on him.

”...Just how long was I out?” he muttered quietly.

As he slowly turned his head to the side, he finally took in more of the room.

It was a simple but clean cabin space, likely one of the private rooms aboard the ship.

And it seemed quite bigger than the one he used with Grace.

Jake let out a quiet breath and slowly relaxed his body against the bed once more.

Forcing himself to move any further right now clearly wasn’t an option.

As he lay there in silence, fragments of memory began to surface one after another.

The dark depths of the sea.

The endless swarm of Drowned Stalkers.

The overwhelming despair that had filled his body.

And then... nothing.

Jake’s brows furrowed slightly.

”...What exactly happened to me down there?”

Did Garrick manage to save him?

Before he could sink deeper into thought, the soft sound of footsteps approached from outside the cabin door.

A moment later, the door carefully opened.

Grace stepped inside, holding a wooden basin filled with clean water in both hands and a folded towel draped over one arm.

She was moving quietly, clearly trying not to make too much noise, as if she had been coming and going like this for some time already.

The moment her golden eyes landed on Jake, who was already awake and looking at her, she froze in place.

The basin nearly slipped from her hands.

”...Jake?”

Grace’s voice came out soft and slightly trembling.

For a brief moment, she simply stood there, as if she couldn’t quite believe what she was seeing.

Then her golden eyes quickly turned red around the edges.

The wooden basin and towel were carefully set down on the nearby table before she hurried over to the side of the bed.

”You’re awake...! You’re really awake...” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion as she leaned closer.

Jake managed a weak, wry smile despite the lingering pain.

”...Yeah. Looks like I am.”

Grace’s hands hovered uncertainly over him for a second, as if she wanted to touch him but was afraid of hurting him.

In the end, she gently placed one hand on the edge of the bed and stared at him with a mixture of relief and lingering worry.

”You’ve been unconscious for three whole days,” she said softly.

Jake’s eyes widened slightly when he heard this.

He hadn’t expected to be out for that long.

’Just what exactly had happened...?’

Just as he was about to ask, he finally noticed the expression on Grace’s face more clearly.

Her golden eyes were already growing misty, and the quiet worry she had been holding back was beginning to surface.

”...You’re too reckless,” Grace said in a soft, slightly shaky voice. ”You always push yourself too far... without thinking about what it does to the people who care about you.”

Suddenly, Grace quickly wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand.

After taking a short breath, her expression softened with quiet resolve.

”...But I already decided,” she continued gently. ”I chose to stay by your side and support you. No matter how hard or dangerous it becomes... I’ll keep walking with you.”

Then, Grace put on a brighter smile and looked at him with genuine warmth.

”Welcome back, Jake. And... thank you. Thank you for protecting everyone... and for coming back safely.”

”...”

Jake quietly looked at her.

Even through the lingering weakness in his body, he could sense that something about Grace had changed.

The way she wiped her tears, steadied herself, and still chose to smile at him... it wasn’t the same fragile reaction she might have had before.

’She seems to have grown stronger...’

The thought surfaced naturally in his mind as he continued watching her.

The heavy atmosphere between them gradually lightened.

Grace’s bright smile and calm presence helped ease the tension, and Jake found himself relaxing slightly despite the weakness still lingering in his body.

After a moment, Grace leaned down and carefully picked up the towel from the table.

She dipped it into the basin of clean water, wrung it out properly, and then turned back toward him with a gentle expression.

”I’ll help wipe your body,” she said softly. ”You’ve been lying here for days... so at least let me clean you up a little.”

Jake managed a small smile and gave a slight nod.

”Alright. Thanks.”

Grace carefully sat down on the edge of the bed.

She folded the damp towel properly and began wiping his face first, moving with gentle, attentive motions.

The cool sensation of the cloth against his skin felt surprisingly comforting after days of unconsciousness.

As she continued down toward his neck and shoulders, careful not to press too hard against the bandages, she spoke in a quiet voice.

”Everyone was really worried about you, you know. Madam Vivian kept checking on the situation, and Barbara almost started a fight with the others when they tried to force her to rest, since she’d been watching over your condition all these days. Even Garrick... he stayed near the water for a long time after bringing you back.”

Jake listened in silence for a moment before responding.

”...Sorry for making everyone worry.”

Grace shook her head lightly, a soft smile still on her lips as she continued wiping along his collarbone.

”It’s fine. You’re awake now. That’s all what matters.”