Night was beginning to fall on the quiet coastal city, as the Silver Aura gently docked in the harbor. A tall man with blond hair and sea-blue eyes stepped out of the ship. His features were stern and handsome, and a small scar over his left eyebrow, an old mark from a past battle. He wore a long black coat that fluttered in the wind, and a sword dangled from his waist, glinting in the moonlight. He was Captain Takayama Kai.

  Kai walked quietly along the dock, watching the city lights and the roar of the sea, the wind playing with his hair. He turned to his crew standing on the ship and said in a calm but firm voice:

  Kai: "I'm going for a short tour. I don't want anyone to accompany me. Wait here until I return."

  A young sailor with chestnut hair and wide eyes, wearing a short coat and carrying a small notebook in his pocket, responded:

  William: "Strange thing..."

  A heavyset man with short gray hair and gray eyes, his face always grim, turned to him and stood beside William like a shadow.

  Rieger: "What's on your mind, William?"

  William (in a low voice): "I wonder why the captain always asks about the Skull Gang? And why doesn't he let us accompany him?"

  Rieger (after a pause): "I honestly don't know... but it worries me too."

  Leaving them behind, Kai walked through the narrow alleys, scanning the faces of passersby, stopping at some of the market vendors:

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Kai (cautiously): "Have you heard anything about a gang called the Skull?"

  First vendor (looking around anxiously): "Shh! Don't talk about them here... They're devils, they have no mercy."

  Old Saleswoman: "They were here days ago, terrorized the neighborhood, and then left. We don't know where..."

  Kai (with serious eyes): "Do you know when? And how many there were?"

  Old Man: "No one dares to count them, but it's said their leader doesn't look like them... He looks like a prince, but his eyes are like ice."

  Kai remained silent for a moment, then whispered to himself, "Damn it! That's not an answer!"

  He returned to the port, stood in front of his crew, and said:

  Kai: "We'll stay here for a week. Rest, but be ready to move at any moment."

  He then entered his cabin on the ship and closed the door behind him. He sat silently and took out an old photograph from a small box. It was a picture of him as a child, next to a boy who looked very similar to him, except for the color of his hair.

  Flashes from the Past

  More than ten years ago...

  The young Kai was on a ship with his father, mother, and older brother (Ren). One night, while Kai was sleeping on the edge of the deck, he almost fell into the sea. But Ren rushed over and caught him, and he lost his balance and fell instead.

  His mother screamed, but the captain held her tightly, while the crew rushed to rescue Ren... but found no trace of him. When Kai woke up later, he tried to ask about his brother, but the adults avoided answering, hiding the truth. His mother wept silently, and his father, a brave former officer who had died months after his son's birth, never spoke of Ren again, as if they had buried him alive.

  But Kai never forgot... He never forgot his brother's smiling eyes, nor the guilt that had dogged him since that day. The memories of them together were always present in his heart. How Ren had protected him from bullies, how they had fought and then made up on the same day.

  They looked so much alike that strangers mistook them for twins, even though Ren was eight years older.

  Back to the Present

  Kai closed the memory box and stood up quietly. He looked at a map hanging on the wall. There was a red circle over the location of the next city.

  He whispered to himself, "I will find you, Ren... whoever you are, whoever you become."