The Black Pearl cut through the Caribbean swells, her black sails drinking in the moonlight. But on deck, the atmosphere was thick with a tension that had nothing to do with the wind. James Norrington felt the rough wood of the deck against his knees. His hands were bound tightly behind his back, the hemp … Read more
Chapter 1: The Edge of Shadows The night was cold, but not in the way winter wind bites—it was the kind of cold that seeps into your bones, whispering of death and inevitability. Abyssinian stood in the abandoned cathedral, the cracked stone floors echoing faintly with each deliberate step. His hand gripped the hilt of … Read more
Aya’s blade caught the moonlight as it rose, a clean, merciless arc suspended above Crawford’s bowed head. The night was breathless around them, heavy with the metallic bite of imminent violence. Gravel shifted under Crawford’s knees. He did not move. Did not resist. He only knelt before Aya as if offering himself to the sword. … Read more
Chapter 1 – The Ultimatum The room was quiet in the way only power can be quiet—sound absorbed by polished surfaces, light diluted through glass until even the air seemed restrained. Crawford stood three paces from Takatori’s desk, posture straight, hands folded behind his back. The precision of the stance was habit, not thought. Takatori … Read more
The night was wind and ruin. The city had closed its eyes, but the shadows still remembered what they owed. Crawford stood in the open square beneath the fractured remains of a tower. His coat was gone, his gloves folded neatly on the ground beside him. Every symbol of command — stripped. He had come … Read more
Part One: A Year of Progress Crawford stood by the kitchen window, watching the city lights flicker in the distance. The coffee maker hummed softly behind him, a mundane sound that still felt almost surreal after everything they’d been through. Fourteen months. That’s how long they’d been working for Kritiker now. The first few missions … Read more
Chapter 1: The Trap The warehouse district lay silent under a moonless sky, shadows pooling between rusted containers and abandoned loading docks. Crawford moved through the darkness with practiced precision, his team following in perfect synchronization. Schuldig’s mental presence brushed against his consciousness, a familiar whisper of awareness. Nagi’s telekinetic field hummed at the edges … Read more
The Vision Bradley Crawford stood at the window of Schwarz’s safehouse, watching Tokyo’s neon lights blur in the rain. Behind him, Schuldig lounged on the couch, tossing playing cards into an empty wine bottle with lazy precision. Farfarello sharpened his knives in the corner with ritualistic care, the rhythmic scrape of steel on whetstone a … Read more
Crawford was trapped—one arm tangled in thick ropes dangling from the fallen beams above him. He strained with all his strength, trying to pull free, but the cords held fast. His legs dug into the rubble, searching for leverage, but he could not escape. Every instinct screamed at him to move, to break free—but he … Read more
Chapter One: The Breaking Sky The sky was deep grey, hanging low over a churning, merciless sea. The HMS Dauntless groaned. Shattered, dying, her masts broken. James Norrington stood on the deck of the Black Pearl, and for the first time in his life, the ground beneath his feet felt utterly alien. He was surrounded. … Read more