The night was cold, the sea restless beneath a thin veil of mist. Darius's ship cut through the waves, sails taut under a moonless sky. Yet, even amid the ocean's endless expanse, danger was never far.
"Captain, we're nearing the Red Line's western edge," his lookout whispered, eyes scanning the horizon.
Darius's crimson eye narrowed. The Red Line was more than a natural barrier—it was a cage. And beyond it lay the world's deepest secrets.
Suddenly, a piercing flare lit the sky—an unnatural burst of silver-blue flame. Darius's ship veered sharply toward the light.
---
Far below, in a hidden World Government outpost, experiments ran wild. Prisoners, half-lunarians like Selene Noire, were subjects of cruel torment, forced to unlock the secrets of their fire heritage.
Selene stood on the edge of the lab's cliff, her silver hair whipping in the wind, eyes burning with defiance. She had escaped the cold chains but was hunted relentlessly.
A squad of Marines closed in, weapons drawn.
---
Back on his ship, Darius's eyes glinted. "Prepare the rift."
Before the soldiers could reach her, a shimmering tear in space appeared. Darius stepped through, landing between Selene and the soldiers in a flash of rift energy.
With a flick of his wrist, the soldiers were thrown back as if caught in an invisible storm.
"Run," Darius said, voice calm but fierce.
Selene hesitated, eyes locking with his.
"You don't have to run anymore," he said.
---
Together, they fled through the twisting jungle, shadows dancing beneath the red-tinted moon. Selene's fire crackled softly in her palms, warmth in the cold night.
"Why save me?" she asked, cautious.
Darius looked ahead. "Because the world needs someone like you. Someone who can see the currents others can't."
At the edge of the forest, Darius stopped, offering his hand.
"Join me. Be my navigator."
Selene studied him, weighing the weight of her past against the promise of a future.
Finally, she took his hand.
---
That night, as the ship sailed back into open waters, Selene stood at the helm, her silver flames softly illuminating the night.
She was no longer a prisoner of the World Government.
She was the Icefire Navigator of the Abyss Pirates.