[Scene: Early Morning – Whisper's Light Ship, Open Sea]
The waters stretched still and dark, a mirror for the cloudless sky above. Faint silver rolled across the waves, kissed by the coming dawn.
Whisper's Light drifted steady — sails half-full, hull silent except for the occasional creak of old wood and the hush of sea breeze.
Everyone was asleep.
Except for one.
At the bow, Master Madhav stood with his arms folded, binoculars pressed to his eyes. His coat fluttered gently in the breeze, his breath fogging in the morning chill.
His expression was calm. Alert.
Because someone always had to keep watch — especially in the open sea.
Sea monsters. Pirate syndicates. Rogue summon storms.
The early hours were the worst for attacks.
He squinted through the binoculars again.
Nothing yet.
Until—
TRRR— TRRR— TRRR— TRRR.
The caller shell by the mast buzzed — a steady ring pulsing with faint light.
A communication call.
Madhav lowered the binoculars slowly.
Madhav (blinking):
"This early?"
He didn't rush. Just turned, took his time walking toward the caller shell.
Picked it up.
Madhav (calmly):
"Whisper's Light here."
A burst of static.
Then — a voice. Female. Young. Cracking through panic.
Voice (desperate):
"Please… help— help us! The island of Quinster… they're going to destroy it from the inside —!"
A hitch.
Madhav straightened.
Voice (frantic, breaking):
" Please help my family—!"
Then—
A man's voice in the background. Shouting.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
A sharp smack echoed across the shell.
Madhav's fingers tightened around the call horn.
SLAP.
A gasp. Then static.
Then silence.
Madhav (quietly):
"…What in the world is happening out there?"
He lowered the receiver, but didn't move.
He stood there a long time.
Staring out at the horizon.
Like the ocean had just whispered a secret it didn't want him to forget.
[Scene: Unknown Vessel]
Dark wood. Rusted chains. The smell of brine and blood.
A girl — no older than twenty — hung cuffed against the inner wall of the ship's hold. Her clothes torn. Body bruised. Cheek swelling.
She bled from the lip, but didn't sob. Her eyes — wide and broken — stared at the ground.
Man (grabbing her face, sneering):
"You really thought we wouldn't find out?"
He squeezed her cheeks. Her breathing was shallow. Silent.
Another man (laughing from behind):
"She called the nearest ship she could ping. Probably didn't even check who it was."
Third man:
"What if someone actually shows up, huh? What if they heard her?"
Laughing man:
"Who gives a damn? No one cares about a random distress call in the middle of nowhere."
Third man (mocking):
"Unless she lucked out and connected to the Marines."
Laughing man (snorting):
"Please. Marines are neck-deep in Veilstream. They're not lifting a finger for some girl."
The girl didn't speak.
She didn't plead.
But a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Girl (internal, broken):
"Please, God… please. Anyone…"
[Scene: Whisper's Light – Few Hours Later]
The sea outside was calm — a lull before questions demanded action.
Below deck, in a quiet chamber lined with maps and a flickering lantern, Master Madhav sat with Katrina and Solis.
The table between them held a pot of untouched tea. No one had poured a cup.
Madhav leaned forward slightly, elbows on knees, voice low but firm.
Madhav:
"Around dawn, we got a call. Young girl. Sounded barely twenty."
"Mentioned an island. Quinster. Said it was being destroyed from the inside."
"She cried for help. Then…"
(A pause.)
"…then I heard a man's voice. Shouting. A slap. The call cut."
The words settled like fog.
Solis leaned back against the bulkhead wall, arms crossed, eyes narrowing in thought.
Solis:
"Quinster, you say?"
Katrina (shaking her head):
"Never heard of it."
Solis (calmly):
"There are hundreds of islands scattered across the sea. Places people forget exist… until something bad happens."
Katrina shifted, resting her chin on her hand. Her brows drew in.
Katrina (thinking aloud):
"Could be bait. Some pirate crew using a fake distress signal to lure us in. That trick's been spreading."
Solis (nodding slightly):
"Lately, yeah. A few cargo ships have gone missing like that. The Syndicates fake a call, wait for someone noble enough to bite, and then—ambush."
Madhav didn't flinch.
Madhav (quiet but resolute):
"I've lived long enough to tell a trap from a cry for help."
He looked up, eyes sharper now.
Madhav:
"That call wasn't performance. It was panic. Guttural. Real."
A silence passed.
Katrina tapped her fingers on the map table.
Katrina:
"You want to check it out?"
Madhav:
"If we ignore it… and something does happen… that guilt's not something I plan to live with."
Solis (sighing through his nose):
"Well, if it is pirates, they picked the wrong ship to toy with."
Katrina (soft smile):
"You're too soft for an old man, master."
Madhav cracked a grin.
Madhav:
"I'd rather be soft than blind."
Solis (grinning faintly):
"Let's give it a look then. We're ahead of schedule anyway. A detour won't kill us."
Katrina (scanning the map):
"If her signal reached us, it has to be not that far."
Madhav stood up slowly, stretching his shoulders.
Madhav:
"Inform everyone."
He turned to the two of them, more serious now.
Madhav:
"We may be walking into a trap… or we may be walking into a cry no one else heard."
Solis (rising):
"Either way…"
Solis & Katrina (in unison):
"We walk in together."