It was a long and grueling walk from the Hunters' Guild office all the way back to the docks where he had once been pickpocketed by Ezra.
Aaron's head was a mess of thoughts and broken images that swayed and rocked back and forth between the material and immaterial space.
Each moment felt like a piece deep within him was cracking open and disappearing into the wind.
The exact feeling had appeared from the second he had ingested the deadly liquor and had been slowly seeping away his life force ever since.
His fingers rubbed against his glabella, trying to ease the pain; however, as the Ghostship came into view, a sudden pain exploded in his ankle.
Flinching forward and spinning around warily, he was on the verge of collapse from his frailness when he looked downward.
Instead of an enemy whom he would have to fight or at least dissuade, there was a familiar face staring up at him.
"M-Mr. Crab?"
The crustacean's body had grown to nearly double the size it was after Sea Fallen, with the form finally resembling a normal crab.
His two beady eye-stalks gazed emptily into Aaron's turquoise pupils, seemingly seeing straight through him and into his mind.
"C-Can I help you?"
The blond boy's words were useless as the blue creature snapped his claws angrily.
Its actions were odd to the boy, leading him to bend down and examine the animal for anything displeasing it.
He's been gone for a few days now and was probably worried about me… Or maybe he has a splinter or something—
His thoughts were cut off as the crab popped upwards into the air, mounting itself atop Aaron's head like a triumphant mountain climber who had completed their trek.
Mr. Crab snapped his claws twice in joy before burying himself in the ever-lengthening mess of hair resembling a mop.
The boy himself just stood there, confused, blinking profusely while thinking about where his life had taken such a dramatic turn.
Shrugging off the self-analysis that he had been deducting onto himself, he sighed, continuing his stroll towards the Ghostship that floated gently in the dock.
Cam had made sure to stock the reserves and to perform a last medical check on Eleanor, who rested inside her room.
With the ship still in its disguised form, there was no need for secrecy as he begrudgingly walked over towards the plank that connected it to the harbor.
As his body groaned and ached from the pain of all the backlash he had accumulated, he slowly began to think of the mission he had been given.
Retrieve a piece of a high-level terror… The core wouldn't work since I would just absorb it instantly, and it's not like I could even damage one significantly without Penelope…
His eyes glazed over as he walked robotically, slightly hunched over like an old man with terrible back problems.
We were specifically told that buying or selling any of the quest materials would result in immediate expulsion, so I can't just buy it… Not like I have the money…
The sound of his stomach grumbling angrily caused him to exit his thoughts and look ahead to where the Ghostship rocked.
If she really restocked everything, then that means the kitchen…
His thoughts were interrupted as a pink-haired figure stepped out from behind the boarding ramp to his vessel.
Akari's blue pupils moved back and forth in tiny spasms, a rare memory that the boy could pull from the mess of a brain he had come to accept.
The white and cherry colored dress she wore was elegant and refined, different from something a normal member of the merchantry would wear.
As she stepped forward, glancing at Aaron with a shy smile, he stopped, inwardly regretting not wasting more time with Ezra.
He didn't dislike the girl, not at all, and he felt a certain connection with her that no other person that he had met brought him.
However, in the end, she was another reminder, whether upbeat and cheery or a dark force that dwelled within, that he wasn't the same person he once was.
Everything he stood to represent at this very moment could be the opposite of what he was only a year ago.
It frightened him deeply that some knew more about himself than even he did, dragging his thoughts into a spiral of repressed agony, sealed away by something inhuman.
So as she walked towards him, arm over arm, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disassociation from her.
"H-Hey Aaron…"
Her voice was high and full of sadness as she watched him back up a step while she moved closer.
"Y-You really can't remember anything from before your birthday?"
There was a quiver in her lips as she trembled slightly, awaiting his response, which came in the form of a gentle nod.
Her eyes were connected to his own with tight eye contact; however, the emotions felt by either party differed dramatically.
Aaron finally opened his mouth to speak with the sunset fading beyond the horizon as the two faced each other.
"It's a mess of thoughts and ideas. It's like my memories are sealed within a vault and the key tossed away."
His words made the girl shift uneasily in her place, her hands swirling a strand of her hair nervously as she stared at him.
"Oh… that's… awful…"
The sound of waves crashing against the stone dock echoed through the soon-to-be dark pavilion, making both challengers uncomfortable.
They had once been friends who had come together by fate, yet now, even after being drawn back, they were more different than either could imagine.
"I-I have to go now… My mission has a longer duration than yours, but it's much farther away… Crescent Moon's End is a place I don't feel safe going to, but if it's to achieve my goal…"
Her sentence faltered as she realized she was spouting out things better kept silent.
Slowly, she collected herself, standing up straight and facing the boy silently while placing her hand out in a request to shake.
"This is goodbye for now…"
A gust of frigid wind chilled the blond boy's bones as he clasped her outstretched hand in his own, shaking it gently.
The unfamiliar image of the girl running past him on an old, worn path, wearing a black suit, flashed through his mind again, startling him.
It was something so different than what he had seen from Akari in the present that he simply outruled it as a trick of the being that toyed with his memories.
Yet the feeling lingered, deepening and growing the divide in his heart as if something was laughing at his discontent.
There was barely a sound made as the pink-haired girl walked away towards her medium-sized schooner ship, hopping aboard easily.
Aaron was yet again left alone, with one thought running through his mind at that moment, further confusing him.
She didn't notice Mr. Crab?
It was something random and barely important; however, he felt that she would've mentioned the large crustacean whose legs hung down over his forehead.
Could it be that he hid his presence like both Cam and Penelope can? But then why can I still see him…
Various thoughts swarmed him at once, but he pressed them aside, deciding that he would have plenty of time to dig through these theories after setting sail.
"Damn world…"
His silent curse was followed by a slow climb up the long rampway leading to the Ghostship that towered above him.
As he stepped onto the deck, he felt an immediate feeling of relaxation wash over his body, erasing pieces of his fatigue in seconds.
Even the hideous murmurs of the Apex of Life disappeared into nothingness as if the creature was afraid of whatever force was attached to the vessel.
For the first time in days, he could finally rest in his own bed, on his own ship, and protected by layers upon layers of barriers crafted with the mythical power of Mr. Crab.
It was a life he had missed more than he had thought, causing him to collapse where he stood, falling onto the ground with a laugh.
Responsibilities had been dragging him from place to place without a set purpose, but now, with a clear plan in mind, he finally felt happy.
Finishing the exam was only the beginning, with the true prize being granted to him after placing within the top five.
An artifact from the Vault of Nautilus.