"What was so close, Aaron Grimstall?"
She tilted her head as she spoke, leaving the blond boy ahead of her frozen in his tracks as he panicked internally.
W-What the hell? How does she know my name? How did she sneak up on me?
Penelope's whispers echoed through his head in a flurry of alerts and warnings that frightened him even more.
『Aaron, what are you seeing? Why are you reacting so fearfully? I can't sense any living being in front of you, nor in the general vicinity. What the hell is happening to you?』
As he listened to her words, he stumbled backwards slightly, questioning if he should pull his blade, but quickly shook off the idea.
P-Penelope can't sense her, so either it's a ghost or something even beyond her ability… There's nothing I could do against something like that…
Clenching his one intact hand together, he stared at the woman who simply smiled at the boy.
"Let's see… You wield a Ghostship, correct? And it's an unknown model beyond that of common principles."
Her words echoed across the empty deck, sending a chilling sensation down Aaron's spine.
S-She knows about the Ghostship, too? How much does she know, and what did she mean by an unknown model?
Questions whirred through his head, leaving him even more confused and worried about the mysterious young woman ahead of him.
She slowly stood up, examining him closer before sighing and diving into another session of revealing his secrets.
"You were a victim of abuse and neglect, and disappeared from your homeland seven months ago without a single trace left behind. Very naughty…"
As she finished her sentence, only the sound of waves crashing against the shore could be heard, while Aaron stood in silence with a puzzled expression on his face.
A victim of abuse? Neglect? What the hell is this lady talking about? Unless…
One idea inched its way into his mind, leaving him a thread to cling to throughout the darkness as he finally spoke after a long pause.
"W-Who are you and how do you know about me?"
He had decided to risk the admission of her statements, figuring that if she had already investigated his past and present, then there was nothing he couldn't hide from her.
The brown-haired woman seemed amused for a moment before diving deep into thought, pondering his question thoroughly.
Aaron continued to back up more and more until he was pushed up against the door that led into the captain's cabin.
If he opened it, then he would reveal the interior of the Ghostship to the woman, but it would also act as a shield if she tried to attack him.
His indecision only lasted a moment before the woman uttered a single sentence.
"You may call me Cam."
The curiosity in her voice had faded slightly with hints of amusement and excitement slipping through the cracks in her facade.
Her name is Cam? Is it short for Cameron or something else? Though… Why would she tell me her name if she was going to hurt me? Wait, maybe I got the wrong idea! If she knows who I am and that I have a Ghostship, then maybe she knows more about my past than I know!
In an instant, his expression brightened with the fear gradually fading from within as he let out a wry smile and spoke calmly.
"Alright, Cam. Can you tell me why you followed me and what you are doing here?"
He stopped himself from spilling the remainder of his questions, fearing that the overdose of requests would endanger his own life.
"Hmm, I followed you because you seemed interesting, that is all."
She paused for a moment before speaking again with slight hesitation.
"Now, what am I doing here, you asked. I simply wish to see if you are a threat that needs to be exterminated or a blossoming flower that will grow into a magnificent bouquet."
Her smile shone brighter than before, like she was happy she could finally explain; however, the extremely clear threat didn't graze right by Aaron, who shrank back into his terror once again.
S-She thinks I'm a threat? A-And exterminated? That would mean she would…
Interrupting him, she quietly stepped forward, releasing a presence unlike anything he had ever felt in this world before.
Compared to the Old Man's he had felt in that strange black void, this one was different; it could not equal that elder's force, quite the opposite, in fact.
It was something befitting of a deity that radiated pure magnificence, that bent the world to its will, threatening to obliterate him with even a thought.
However, this woman's presence was cold, ancient even, leaving him shivering as images of his lifeless body left alone on the deck flashed through his mind, nearly sending him into a full anxiety attack.
『W-What the hell? Aaron? Your life itself is wavering like you are on the verge of death! You need to stop whatever the hell you are doing, or you will seriously die!』
The thoughts circulated inside his mind as the formerly dull pain in his left arm exploded again into a flurry of painful needles.
Not a single physical injury had occurred on his figure, but the feeling of imminent and crushing death encircled him like a shark that had smelt blood.
I-I need to run!
Attempting to turn away, he felt his skin run cold as a hand brushed up against his neck slowly.
"Escape isn't the solution, little Grimstall, the Association won't like that…"
Running her fingers through his hair, she continued her spiel.
"You are innocent in my eyes, but they might not see it as such. For you were there, weren't you? The Mausoleum of Dreams, where the terrorists themselves triggered a cataclysm that affected the world itself."
At that very moment, all pressure vanished instantly, leaving the boy gasping for air as he collapsed to the woman's feet.
The thin veil of ice that felt like it was covering his heart melted away in seconds as the aura of the Ghostship seeped through his bones, fueling his body with energy.
From above him, the woman watched curiously with a grin plastered across her face.
"Indeed, you are more special than the other wielders, yet all you fools are the same in one way that is supposed to set you apart."
She reached down with her hand, grabbing Aaron's injured arm and pulling him up into a stool that had appeared beneath him.
"Whether it be a teenage boy with family issues or one of the Kings, no matter the age or build, you all rely on these tools forged by unknown entities. Rather foolish, wouldn't you agree?"
Her gaze was focused on the boy who watched her silently while gripping his broken arm with his right hand.
Not a single gust of wind blew past the deck as the silence of the night finally overcame the horizon, shrinking the sun into nothingness behind the planet.
"W-What… d-do… y-you… w-want…"
His words were concise and straight to the point; however, the woman looked disappointed with his answer, instead backing up with a frown across her face.
"I only wish to observe you. You seem different than what the information I dug up on you said, so I must admit you have intrigued me, but if you cannot prove that you are an asset to this world and not a threat, well then…"
Instead of speaking what was implied, she removed a dagger from beneath her cloak, revealing it in all its splendor.
The fine edge glistened like the night sky itself with engravings that mirrored stars adorning the curved blade.
Slowly, she pointed the tip at her own neck, mimicking the gesture of slitting her throat in another obvious threat to the boy.
Aaron nodded quietly and quickly as he watched her demonstration without missing a second of it.
S-She'll kill me if I'm a threat, but what if I'm an asset…?
The question bugged him slightly as he noticed her slip the weapon back into its sheath beneath her cloak.
For a split second, he saw what rested behind the outfit, leaving him starstruck by what he saw.
Attached to her waist was a diamond-plated badge that had words written across it that Aaron could barely read.
S-She's a member of the Hunters' Guild? Not only that, but she's a Marshal!?
Every detail of their interaction became abundantly clear at that moment, sending a chilling sensation down his spine.
With just one word, she could leak every detail about me to the Association.
In more ways than one, Aaron's life was in the hands of this mysterious woman who was someone leagues higher than him in power, yet the thing that left him the most confused was what she said next.
"It's alright if I tag along on your adventure, right?"