May Azoria
Dear readers,
Once again, it is my utmost pleasure to present to you my latest work, *The Crimson Waves Canvas*. I sincerely hope it finds a place in your hearts, much like my previous tales, *Shall I Fight My Husband?* and *The Black Tumor*, which were enriched by your love and appreciation.
Without further ado, let us embark on this journey, trusting in God's guidance and grace.
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Chapter One: The Golden-Haired Mermaid
In the early 17th century...
That morning, the sea was deceitful; calm like an endless blue mirror, hiding beneath its delicate surface beasts that waited for the chance to tear apart the silence.
"Noah" stood on the deck of the wooden ship, leaning his back against the main mast, holding a faded paintbrush and a wooden canvas marked with signs of struggle. The sun touched his scattered black locks, some streaked prematurely with gray, making him appear as if time itself had sculpted him.
"Beautiful..." he whispered to himself, striking his brushes one last random stroke across the canvas, then tilted his head, gazing at the horizon with rare violet eyes that carried deep boredom.
He sighed, then suddenly threw the brush aside with suppressed irritation.
"Who am I deceiving? I paint because I'm bored..."
Then he picked up a pen.
Looking at the painting that resembled a five-year-old's scribbles, he added in a slightly louder voice:
"If my art teacher saw this, he'd rise from his grave to kill me..."
Contemplating his work.
"And the bigger problem is that I've been painting this damned sea for five weeks!" Then with a loud, irritated voice.
He screamed inwardly as he broke the wooden brush over his knee: "Oh God, have mercy... I think I'm going mad!" His eyes tearing up in a comically sarcastic way.
A deep breath, then he looked at his hands smeared with colors: "I might as well throw this painting into the sea... I don't even like painting, and I'm not good at it. If I painted a bird, people would think it's two crossed lines of a rusty knife..."
He raised his eyes to the sky: "I need something to reignite my passion... If I go back to painting, at least (with annoyance) a human face to bring it to life. Or maybe a corpse? True, corpses don't move..."
Sarcastically and grumpily, as if mocking the art of painting while clasping his hands like a killer searching for prey among people.
Before he finished his sarcastic sentence, sharp whispers reached him like razor blades. A group of female passengers gathered a few steps away, exchanging quick glances and feverish whispers.
"Oh my God, is that the captain of the ship?"
"He's so handsome! Those violet eyes... and those gray strands give him a mysterious dignity!"
Another said arrogantly, "He's in front of a painting? It seems he's a famous painter!"
Noah ignored them initially, covering his head with his cap, but their words seeped into his ears like smoke. He laughed a sarcastic laugh inside, rolling his eyes mockingly.
"What are they saying? I think they're just fantasizing about my family... I'm too hideous, more than they imagine... to the point of disgust...." very seriously with signs of despair showing on him.
Then he suddenly said with enthusiasm, "They called me a famous painter... does that mean they liked my painting... does that mean I'm talented...."
"But honestly, my painting improved; I used to put dots for birds... Next time, I'll bring a skilled painter to teach me...." very proudly.
🌹🥲🥲
And suddenly...
The ship shook violently, almost knocking Noah off his feet. His painting nearly fell, but he grabbed it instinctively—not out of concern for his belongings, but out of fear for the painting that people admired so he could boast about it.
"What is this?! Wasn't the weather calm just a moment ago..." he shouted, looking around with curiosity replacing his boredom.
The place turned into thick fog....
The sea was no longer calm. It had transformed into a raging monster, but strangely, the waves weren't natural; they glowed with a purplish-black hue. Then the fog parted, revealing a massive ship... no, an entire fleet, just a few meters away. Their sails were as black as night, bearing strange emblems Noah had never seen before—a skull fused with a blooming flower.
He thought to himself, "There's another fleet approaching; perhaps war will begin in this area..... (he smiled) Let's enjoy...." and sat calmly despite the waves.
"Wait... Isn't that a pirate ship in 'Sejna Territory'?" one of the passengers muttered next to him in astonishment, before being consumed by terror.
Noah scratched his head and muttered, "Sejna... I feel like I've heard of it before..."
"Zad," Noah's only brother on this ship, ran towards him, his face pale as death, swaying between horror and urgency.
"We need to leave, Noah! This ship has become a tomb!"
Noah looked at him coldly: "Isn't this a ship from Sejna Territory? I think their emblem is beautiful (with deliberate innocence), we can stay until we see the end of the conflict... This will be fun (smiling)..." He placed his hand on his cheek and leaned against the ship's railing.
Zad shouted, grabbing Noah's shirt collar: "What does it have to do with us? Let's escape! They use tools extracted from the mythical 'Ka Creatures'... That's why the atmosphere is so charged!" Fearfully and anxiously (he looked toward the sea at the two fleets, focusing on the one with the black masts).
He continued, "By the way, those creatures are extremely powerful, and their tools are violent... Let's go!" He tried to pull him by the hand, but Noah didn't budge. Zad looked at him and said, "You don't want to perish...." angrily.
Noah's features froze, and his violet eyes widened with a strange gleam.
"Ka Creatures, you say...?" Noah muttered, a faint smile forming at the corner of his mouth as he stood up happily, leaving Zad stunned. "It means there will be a massacre... Lots of colors, blood, chaos—this is wonderful..."
Then with a shout and intense anxiety, "Noah! You fool, I told you let's leave! We need to think of an escape plan!"
"Impossible..." Noah said very seriously, as if talking about a painting rather than imminent death. "Impossible to leave before I see the final outcome...."
Suddenly, a large ship belonging to Sejna appeared before them through the fog.
Noah didn't blink. He didn't breathe. It was as if time had stopped around him, while Zaid trembled like a leaf in a storm.
"Answer me! What are you looking at? I'm talking to you..." Zad shouted, but his voice was lost in the noise.
So Zad looked up.
Suddenly, the wailing began. And the fog disappeared from in front of them.
Explosions erupted everywhere. These were no ordinary explosions, but green and blue fireballs that tore through wood and melted flesh. Ships were destroyed, and bodies flew through the air like torn rag dolls. The sea, which had been pure blue, slowly began to change color frighteningly until it became pink, then thick crimson from the blood staining the waves.
And the fleet with the black masts obliterated Sejna's enemy fleet completely.
Zad screamed above the sound of terror: "Noah! You idiot, I told you let's go, we almost died... We need to—" but he was interrupted by silence.
But Noah didn't hear him.
On the deck of the attacking ship, which approached like a hungry beast, stood a woman.
No... not an ordinary woman. She stood atop the highest part of the ship near the front command area, as if born to dominate the sea. Her long golden hair fluttered in the wind like threads of sunlight, and her emerald green eyes sparkled under the sun's rays. She wore tight leather clothing befitting a lady of the sea.
She raised her chin arrogantly, smiled confidently, then raised her enchanting voice to fill the surroundings with power, surpassing the sound of the explosions:
"Only this ship remains..."
In a whisper.
Then loudly, "Either surrender or I'll crush you all to become fish food!" boldly and with a wide smile.
A terrifying moment of silence followed, then came the screams of death.
But Noah... Noah didn't scream.
His violet eyes glowed, and a lover's smile spread across his face as if he'd found his treasure amidst the hellfire. He murmured with overwhelming joy, as if discovering a treasure:
"She's really lovely... Really, really lovely..."
Zad looked at him, trying to drag him toward the lifeboat, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets in disbelief at his strange behavior:
"What are you babbling about? The world is ending, you fool!"
Realizing he wasn't joking, he screamed,
"Nooooh..." Zad shouted, but his voice was lost again among the waves.
"End of chapter"😢
🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸🇸🇩🇺🇦🤲
"Don't forget your support, my pirates, to complete this series ❤️"
With all my love, Azoria😘 💫