Cecilia's eyes widened in shock as she watched the house crumble. Deep down, she feared the worst, but her heart urged her to help him. "Captain! Captain Chris!" she cried out, struggling to shift the heavy debris despite her small frame.
From beneath the wreckage, she heard ominous cracking sounds and instinctively stepped back, fearing another collapse. To her astonishment, there was Chris, straining to push aside the rubble to free himself. Out of breath, he beckoned Cecilia closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders for support. With a playful grin, he quipped, "Next time I say run, you better run!"
Cecilia noticed blood flowing from Chris's forehead. "You're bleeding; we need to get you to a hospital."
Pablo and his family came running. "You survived? How? We were all sure you were dead." They saw Chris get buried alive beneath the rubble, and yet there he was alive to tell the tale.
"He needs medical attention; we will contact you again later about what to do next," Cecilia assured the family as she helped the limping captain walk away from the debris.
Pablo and his family, distraught about his daughter and the state of his house, glanced at the two only to realize the pair had vanished into thin air. "Where did they go?" his mother wondered.
Back on the ship, Chris collapsed and lost consciousness. Cecilia, frantic and confused, not knowing what to do, cried for help. Her loud voice and cries for help rang through the deck. "Help! Somebody help! Chief Bustamante! Chief Murillo, the captain, is hurt."
Helmsman Martinez was the first to arrive on the scene. Upon seeing the captain bloody and slumped on the deck, he hurried to help him stand and take him to the nearest empty room. Chief Bustamante and Murillo arrive minutes later.
"What happened to the captain?" Martinez asked as he used towels and sheets to wipe away the blood and put pressure on his wounds.
"We were trying to capture this demon, but the thing destroyed the house. The walls were going to collapse on me, but the captain used himself as a shield to save me," Cecilia explained
"Chief Murillo, look if we have a doctor amongst the new passengers," Chief Bustamante instructed. The lady chief scampered away, trying to find a doctor. After what felt like an eternity, Chief Murillo came back with a physician.
As the doctor tended to the captain's wounds, Cecilia pulled Martinez a few meters away. "What is happening to the captain? Isn't he a ghost like the rest?"
Martinez shook his head. "The captain is a human being; time just stopped for him when he became captain of this vessel."
"What? I thought he was a spirit? An immortal?" She replied in shock
Chief Murillo steps into the conversation, "He is, or rather, he was, he lost the ability to heal decades ago." She glared at the human. "If something happens to him, it's all your fault!" Her warning resonated within Cecilia, amplifying her worries. She watched as Murillo walked back to the captain's side.
"The captain is going to be okay!" The physician said, much to the delight and relief of everyone, "He's injuries are already healing." They all watched as gaping lacerations and raw abrasions healed and vanished right in front of their eyes.
The three officers all looked in shock and relief. "He has his healing powers again!" Martinez said in glee.
"This is very peculiar. We all thought he lost his healing capabilities years ago, but here it is, it healed him in no time." Bustamante glanced at the resting captain.
"What do you mean he lost his healing capabilities?" The trio did not notice that Cecilia approached them.
"Decades ago, the captain lost half of his abilities, including healing, but now he has regained his healing powers he thought he lost decades ago." Chief Murillo blurted out, she faced Cecilia "But the fact remains that he got hurt trying to save you. I am holding you responsible for what happened to him." She then turned to tend to the captain.
"Please don't take it personally, the chief is only concerned with the captain." Chief Bustamante assured Cecilia.
"Sir? What did she mean by the captain has regained his powers?" Cecilia asked, her mind filled with confusion.
Martinez and Chief Bustamante exchanged glances. Martinez led Cecilia away from the room once they were at a sufficient distance. "Remember when I said the captain suddenly lost access to his powers? Healing, strength, speed, and hallucination-inducing, but now...he seemed to regain the most important one, the healing abilities, but how?"
"Isn't it a good thing? He is regaining his lost abilities," she said, trying to uplift everyone. "I mean, he used that hallucination thingy on that Eduardo guy, and now he has healing again."
Martinez was taken aback by the news: "He has his hallucinogenic powers back?" Martinez rubbed his chin before speaking again. "Maybe you're right," Martinez exclaimed, "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."
"If he lost his powers long ago, how come he was able to use them again?" Cecilia asked with her curiosity piqued. Wasn't her description of the captain right?
"That's what puzzles us, for years the captain tried to use these abilities but couldn't," Bustamante begins to explain, "But now all of a sudden he has full access?"
"We shouldn't be complaining, right?" She pointed out to the two officers, "The fact is, he is healing, and that is what we should concentrate on."
Then, from the room, they heard Chris call for Cecilia, "Where's Pink? Is she okay?" he groaned as he tried to get up.
Murillo gently pushed the captain back to rest. "You are not well, Captain, you shouldn't be thinking of anyone at the moment, you should rest," she advised him.
"I'm fine, as you can see my abilities have returned, I should be all better in a couple of seconds," Chris waved Murillo's concern as she stood up and headed to Cecilia.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" Chris asked Cecilia
Cecilia vigorously shook her head, "No, I'm fine, thanks to you." She glanced at Murillo, who was at the time glaring at her. "But Chief Murillo is right, you'd better rest first." Concern laced every word she spoke.
"No time for that, we must find a way to get that evil spirit before she does more damage. All of you, to the conference room." Chris then limped away, heading to the said area. Bustamante and Martinez trailed behind him; they watched Chris move, their hands ready in case he needed support.
Cecilia was about to follow, but Chief Murillo blocked her path. "You're lucky his healing abilities came back. If something happened to him, and I found out you were involved? I will toss you the Kasanaan myself!" Murillo warned Cecilia.
Murillo turned around, but a question from Cecilia halted her advance. "Are you jealous? The captain is concerned for me?" Cecilia waited for a response from Murillo, but she only stared at her. "Don't be...he's concerned with me, like how he is concerned with everyone in his crew." She then made her way to the conference room.