She was on a ship.
But this was a different ship.
No light.
Only the creaking of old wood and the distant sound of water.
Maria opened her eyes.
Darkness... surrounded her. But it wasn't peaceful.
Something was missing.
Or perhaps... something was too much.
Movement stirred to the side.
The crow dropped from a rope it had been hanging upside-down from.
It fluffed its feathers, then smiled.
> "Good morning, our little star fragment..."
"I must admit — the job you did was brilliant.
You're the reason we got out. No one even noticed."
Maria turned her head slightly.
Her lips moved, but no sound came.
Her eyes were tired. Or maybe silent.
The crow continued:
> "I know... it was a hard choice.
But only you could've pulled it off.
If not you — no one else."
Suddenly, the shadows rippled.
Nujah's voice came through.
Like an echo.
Sharp.
Fractured.
> "It should've taken more."
The crow jolted.
Maria bowed her head.
> "Two pieces are still missing," Nujah said.
"And more importantly... it was split in half.
I need to finish this by tomorrow night."
The voice faded.
But the shadows still trembled.
Then... Nujah spoke again.
This time deeper. Closer. Truer.
> "Just remember...
You can't force someone into a game they never asked to play.
No matter how much you call it 'saving'...
I was already on my own path."
> "I've already given what I had to give.
But this is wrong.
And you, of all people, should've known that, Maria."
A moment of silence.
The crow swallowed.
Maria held her chest and took a quiet breath.
> "You… you were Naraka's favorite," Nujah said.
"Not me.
Did it never occur to you there was a reason for that?
Did your mind never whisper something to you?"
In the dark, Maria's eyes glimmered.
One drop — either a tear or a flicker of light.
But she didn't speak.
The dark ship sank into silence.
This wasn't peace.
It was a moment of decision.
Nujah was silent — for now.
But the shadows were still boiling.
Then he spoke again —
This time, the words were colder.
Sharper.
And unshakable:
"You think I forced them into this?"
"Then watch closely...
I'll prove it to you."
"Not just prove it —
I'll make you believe it."
---
The shadows crawled up the walls,
as if breathing with him.
> "And when it's over..."
"It'll look so real,
so perfectly crafted..."
"Even you... will believe the lie."
Maria lifted her head slightly.
For the first time, there was doubt in her eyes.
But still no words.
Nujah continued:
> "All I need..."
"Are three locations."
The crow trembled.
> "And I'll handle them all...
myself."
With those words, the light on the ship dimmed.
The shadows crept between every board.
Darkness became sharper than silence.
Maria still didn't speak.
But now it was clear —
her silence said more than words ever could.