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Mei-Feng sighed as she dried herself in what was apparently her cabin. She struggled to wrap her head around the events leading up to her current moment of solitude. Her mind flashed through faces and voices that were unrecognizable, yet familiar in a way.

“Somebody get her up!”

“Give the Captain some room, everyone!”

“Is she gonna be alright? What happened?”

“Get the Captain a towel!”

“Captain…” The pink-haired mage whispered the word in disbelief, before her jaw dropped from the very same circumstance. “W-what…” the young woman caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked like herself, but something about her was different—felt different. She put her hand to her face, running it along a badly healed scar near her chin, and noticed an alarming (and flattering,) tan complexion having overtaken her formerly pale skin. “What the Hell is all this,” she asked, in a defeated tone, flopping back down on what was (apparently,) her bed.

“That’s what being at sea for long periods will do to you.”

Gale turned to see Knight sitting by her bed, a knowing grin on his face.

“At sea!?” The tanned Captain repeated, in shock. “I was just with you! At your base! I’ve not been at sea…” she said, almost beginning to doubt herself, though knowing she was correct. “Knight…what is all this?” She noticed that even Knights’ appearance was different. While he physically didn’t look any different, his dress was truly that of corsair, from the dark, baroque coat he wore, to the swords at his sides, and the shield that likely served as his ships’ jolly roger located on his belt buckle. She even noticed the beginnings of what would grow into a devilish, little mustache appearing on his upper lip. “What did you do to me?”

Knight looked out the port-window nonchalantly. “That’s not really important,” he began. “But rest assured, everything is going to be just fine. All this is…is your story. Potentially.” Knight added, turning back to Gale. “This is all really just a vision. Though life at sea isn’t for everyone, for some people the possibility of the life of a buccaneer can have great promise. I have a sort of sense for these kinds of things…which is why I was interested in learning what it is you fought for.”

“And so you think I want to be a pirate!?” A gush of wind in the room began pushing and blowing around various odds and ends, as the mind mages’ anger was roused.

Knight laughed a bit. “I understand you’re a bit…off-put, by all that’s happened so far. However, you’re actually lucky. You actually get to experience what most people only get to see—and even then, only a little bit,” the Circle Assassin said. “Because of your mana, combined with the Mana Spring in my base,” it allowed me to use that in conjunction with the Piranomicon to show you your potential future.”

“Pira…nomicon?” The young mage remembered hearing something about such a book, but the specifics escaped her. “And what exactly is that?”

“The Changing Tome of the Seas is another name for it,” Knight explained. “With the people around it, places it’s located, it’s ever-changing. It can stay the same for days, or change in minutes. And according to this…you have quite the story.”

“I have…my story?” All of this was really beginning to wear on her head, though this revelation of a potentially adventure-filled future of greatness had her intrigued, to say the least.

“Captain?” A knock at the door, made Gale jump.

“Captain!” Tyler opened the door, and saw that his Captain was standing by her bed, in a room that looked as if a small tornado had whipped its’ way through. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Ty. I was just talking to my friend,” she said, sitting down on her bed, eying Knight.

“…Who?” Tyler looked around, but saw nobody but his Captain.

“My friend, Knight,” Gale said, motioning to the Ice Elf, who snickered before speaking.

“Sorry, Gale. But this is your story, and I’m not really part of it,” Knight said. “Nobody but you can hear or see me, unless I feel like allowing that. As of now…I don’t.”

The revelation made Gale groan inwardly. “Son of a…” she thought, before turning back to Tyler. “The wind. I talk to it sometimes, ya know? It’s like my best friend,” she lied, laughing to lighten the mood and dispel the awkwardness.

“If you say so, Cap. Just happy to see you’re well. I don’t know how you got in the water out there,” he said, rubbing his head. “But you should get some rest. We should make port tomorrow, Navigator says.”

“Yeah…yeah, I will. Thanks, Ty,” Gale said, as she watched him leave, before turning back to Knight. “So, what you’re saying is…all of this…these feelings…it’s all--,”

“Pirate Magic,” Knight nodded. “I have to say though…I’m not totally trying to convince you to let me move on…but I think I could well convince you. The stories of you in the Piranomicon…,” he trailed off, grinning. “Well…let’s just say I should be calling you by your epitaph. The Mistress of Maelstroms!”

Hearing that title announced, along with the genuine emotion behind it struck a strange cord within Mei-Feng. Suddenly, her career as a Pirate flooded into her mind along with her place in the world.

Mei-Feng; The Mistress of Maelstroms was known far and wide for many a things. Her vast wealth, her magical abilities, and her undeniable beauty. Her unique abilities and proficiency in using them and commanding her crew to act according to her magic made her one of the most feared and respected women to ever hoist the Jolly Roger!

Though her great fame came at the cost of world-wide infamy, and though many would crack under the pressure, Mei-Feng again proved herself time and time again, from enemies both of nature and of man. Naval opponents, sea monsters, and even a run-in with the undead mer-people all failed to stop The Mistress, and before long, the Northern Seas was considered her territory, as one of the Brave Winds of The World.

Mei-Feng reached up to feel the scar on her face, and remembered. “Navy…!” Her mind raced back to the day she fought a young, upstart naval commander. To her memory, he was actually quite skilled and quite fast. His sword work was impeccable—especially given his obviously young age. In fact, he reminded her of another young pirate who, sadly, lost his life before his time. Even commenting on that fact during their fight. “Ya know…if you took your blinders off for a moment…I think you’d actually make a good pirate,” she quipped, though was, unsurprisingly, met with a less than complimentary retort.

Their duel had taken them across her boat and back again, as the young officer dodged gusts and blades of wind, while Gale dodged thrusts and blades of steel. It would be one slip-up that caused Mei-Feng to develop both a rivalry, a begrudging respect, and of course the only real battle scar she had, when she misjudged her position on the ship by the smallest iota, and though she dodged the full attack, her young opponent did manage to graze her with one of his attacks, before she and her crew were ultimately able to repel the attack, though the entire ordeal was, at the very least, an enjoyable experience for one reason. After many seasons of nary a challenge, she’d finally been confronted with one and it felt good.

She remembered teaming with Knight after years of not seeing him, to face an unknown threat to Piracy from beneath the sea. What appeared an offshoot of what many called Sepeia; The Undersea Kingdom. Worshipers of long-forgotten deities attacked her, Knight, and the other Brave Winds after transforming into demonic, undead creatures, causing Knight to destroy the entire kingdom with an ancient relic of untold power; The Orm Bolt!

For the first time in what felt like ages, Mei-Feng felt a feeling of security in knowing what was going on. She turned to speak to Knight but before she could say anything, the oddest feeling began growing in her throat and quickly spread through the rest of her body. The pink-haired pirate reached out to Knight who merely smiled, and waved as she collapsed onto the ground, feeling as if she were drowning. “Wh-what’s happening to me…!?” She grasped at her throat and as she lie on the ground, turning to the ceiling and gasping for air that seemed to not exist. Her vision grew dim and though she fought, she soon lost consciousness.

Suddenly, the young woman shot up, gasping for breath. As she struggled to take in oxygen, she looked around and saw the dark room that made up Knights’ Base. She looked down to see she’d been lying face down in the pool, and looked forward to see Knight sitting there, the Piranomicon in his hands.

“So? Did you enjoy your little journey, Mistress?” Knight asked, offering his hand to pull her from the water.

Mei-Feng held her head with one hand, reaching out and taking Knights’ with her other one. “Uh…uh…yeah…yeah, I think I did.”

“Fantastic,” Knight said, as he handed her a towel. “So…did I win,” he asked, almost laughing.

“Yeah…yeah, I-I forfeit. You certainly…showed me an adventure…” Mei’s head reeled as she struggled to remember all she could from her last adventure as Knight led her into the light, outside en route to the tournament officials to formally announce her forfeit.