“We cannot let this happen. We must save our captain.” The middle-aged man whispered to a few of his crewmates while on the deck, despite the attacks that their ship is continuously receiving.

“But how can we do it, especially when he sees us as his family? He would rather go down with us than let us save him.” One of them replied to the middle-aged man, “What are you planning?”

“I have a plan! I will knock him out, even when it sounds terrible, then I will pretend to be the captain and will surrender. I will plead that the men should not be executed or marked as a slave, but instead, be sent to the Shadowcoast.” The middle-aged man seriously said as he watched the other ship preparing for their next attack.

“To the Shadowcoast?! That is even more horrible than a death sentence!” One of them suddenly gasped, baffled. 

“What kind of place is a Shadowcoast?” One of the new crewmembers asked while loading up the cannon.

“It’s a frontier that doesn’t have any magic available. They only use steam and old-world technology there. It is a godforsaken place that is used as a prison. “ He continued to explain, “Once you go there, you will not be able to go out. It is closed off from other worlds. Mountains and a vast sea that only a magical airship can fly there surround that place.”

“It seems dreadful.” The crew stated as the story sent shivers down their spine.

Taflen sighed and continued, “If you try to cross it with a steam airship, you won’t have enough power or protection available against storm winds that are surrounding it. And if you try to enter through the sea, the sea monsters and the swirling storms will destroy your ship. It is a closed-off continent that is marked as a dangerous region in all of the maps. Mostly as I said, it is used as a prison, but some bold people decided to travel across and live there.” He looked at their captain, apologetically, “You have to survive and live. You have to, you hear me?”

“There’s still a place that relies on steam?” The newbie asked, feeling curious and worried at the same time.

“Yes. Even when we are now advanced from the steam age and our magic research is way advance and better than the thing that they call science, in Shadowcoast, they don’t want to send mages.”

Another senior crewmate said, “The higher-ups suddenly prohibited the mages from creating magical devices in that place. Despite that, there is a fact that if you use magic there, you may end up blowing yourself up. There is also the fact that you will not be able to use magic there as the continent forbids it; those who tried to violate this rule, has brought death into themselves as they blew themselves up. And some even said that they could not use magic at all.”

The senior crewmate patted Taflen’s shoulder and gently said, “Don’t worry too much. Cap’n saved us all; I’m sure he can survive and rebuild Night Rose.”

Taflen, the middle-aged man, said while he lighted up the cannon, “You’re right. Captain will definitely survive.”

“So, are you with me or not?” He asked and everyone one last time

Silence around them lingered for a while until everyone around him nodded to agree with his plan; they said, “For Night Rose, we offer our humble sacrifice.”

“For Night Rose,” Taflen says

Meanwhile, Arwin looked at the situation around her and realized that her airship would not last that long anymore. She was welcoming death with open arms; she lived long enough, she thoughts, and she already created a legacy even if it wasn’t entirely true.

She smiled and was relieved that she could die on her airship surrounded by her family and started to recall all her precious memories since she got the ship.

But suddenly, someone interrupted her thoughts.

“Captain, do you hear me?” The middle-aged man asked.

“Yes, Talfen. How could I not hear you?” Arwin answered him and flashed a rare smile that did not match their current situation, “I will always recognize your voice as you were the first man who joined my crew, and I am glad that I can die with you on my side.”

Arwin takes a glance at the black ceiling with all the skulls of their enemies hanging from it now collapsing. She remarks, “It was a great journey indeed.”

“I’m sorry for doing this, Captain. We are truly sorry for doing this, Captain.” Talfen answered and quickly hit the captain’s head with a wooden club. It was powerful enough to knock the captain out. He whispers even when the captain can no longer hear him properly, “We are deeply humbled and grateful for taking custody of a crew like us.”

He wanted to be careful, but he knew that it wouldn’t make the captain faint if he did that.

Talfen looked sorrowful when he saw the captain fall while there was blood gushing out from her head with the last look that she gave him.

Her eyes showed surprise and asked him, “Why?” Talfen felt more pitiful and said, “Captain, I hope you’ll understand. This is best for all of us, and we just wanted to save your life. This is our way of paying you back for giving us the chance to live again fully.”

Talfen continued, “See you in hell, cap’n.”

Talfen took the captain’s hat from her head and started to undress the long coat off her body carefully, and only leaving her undershirt, pants, and boots.

He didn’t even realize that Adam’s apple was missing from his captain’s throat and petite body. He only focused on making her look like an average robber amongst the others, while he is busy dressing himself as a captain.

“Everyone! I hope you understand my situation and that this is the best for you all. I will try to save as many of you as possible and send you to the Shadowcoast. In return, I ask each of you to keep the real captain’s identity as a secret.” Talfen announced to the crew, and everyone just silently agreed, as they feel indebted to Arwin, “Live and rebuild Night Rose. We will not fall here.”

They all said their farewells to each other. Some confidently said, ‘let’s meet in the next life’ or ‘see you at the Shadowcoast’ while hugging and giving their last prayers to anything or anyone they believed in. They hid the fears of the unknown and treacherous journey ahead of them with smiles and all.

Taflen says, “Damn, I really wanted to drink tonight at the pub, but I guess it’ll have to wait.”

Another crewmate puts his bloody arms around Taflen and mocks, “What? You think there’s alcohol in hell?”

“Depends.” Taflen continued, “I think I’m a VIP down there, so there better be some damn alcohol.”

Soon after, Talfen announced with the help of magic, “This is the captain of the Night Rose. We will only surrender if you accept one condition from us. Otherwise, we will fight to the bitter end and will take as many of you as possible with our downfall to the unknown!”

The leader of Crego’s army looked around him and saw how almost the third of his wyvern army was destroyed, and from the original fifty airships he had brought, only thirty-five was still in the air. The Night Rose, on the other side, was still upright and shooting at them. 

He didn’t want to get any more casualties amongst his men, so he answered, “We will hear your condition, but I cannot promise that we will fulfill all of it as you’re not exactly in the place of negotiations.”

He signaled to everyone that they should stop their attacks and regroup; Talfen continued, “Either you agree, or you die with us, we guarantee you.”

Some of the army were protesting against the leader’s order, for they were certain that if they continue to attack the Night Rose, they can destroy them soon enough.

“We only have one condition, and it is that some of our men would be taken to the Shadowcoast. We still have newbies here who haven’t lived long enough, and I don’t want them to suffer in slavery nor receive a death sentence for the little time that they served in my ship.” Talfen firmly responded, “Spare them.”

The leader of Crego’s army gave this idea a few minutes to sink in; he wonders what they’re playing at; even Lars seemed uneasy; he seems to be confused by this sudden surrender. Night Rose isn’t one to surrender, but Lars didn’t say anything.

The army had doubts, but they weren’t exactly at a disadvantage by sending them to that godless place.

“I swear in the name of Crego, that I will personally send your young men into the Shadowcoast in exchange that you and most of the seniors surrender yourselves. We will personally select amongst you who we will send there.” The leader of the royal army finally answered back.

“We got a deal! We will now stop shooting, and we will only allow you and twenty of your trusted men to board us while the rest can get close to confirm that we would do anything fishy to break our deal.” Talfen said, and this simple deal made in the air marked the ending of the Night Rose era.

The royal armies were silently celebrating their victory, narcissistically praising themselves for finally making Night Rose surrender. They imagined themselves going back home with the highest accomplishment.

The brave leader of Crego finally captured the pirate ship that was terrorizing the air. Night Rose was no more.

The Night Rose crew took one final glance at their collapsing airship and reminisced everything that they had been through with that airship. 

Lars noticed Taflen as he walks out; he instantly recognizes that it wasn’t their captain; Lars announced, “Wait, they’re lying that’s not the cap-“

But before he could finish what he was going to say, a senior crewmember of the Night Rose shot Lars using a pistol making the royal guard shoot him. Taflen felt a sting in his heart as he glances at the senior crewmember mouthing before gasping for his final breath, “For Night Rose.”

Taflen closes his eyes and continued forward; he says, “You have to understand. Lars betrayed us.”

“I know, so instead, I shot him and not all of you, now hurry your asses up to the ship.” The royal guard mocks, “You’re even less than animals right now. So high and mighty, I knew you’d surrender in the end, captain.”

Taflen wanted to burst the guard’s heads open, he couldn’t just sit still while they’re mocking the captain, but he fought the urge and instead said, “The Night Rose will avenge us.”

“Yeah, whatever, captain.”

The “captain” of the Night Rose and most of its men were sentenced to death by hanging or beheading while the Crego’s army leader was hailed as a hero throughout the nation.

Some of the lucky crewmembers were sent to the Shadowcoast. Among them was still an unconscious Arwin who is completely clueless about what happened around her.