Torsk stood upon the deck of the Argenwaith, a smile touching the corners of his lips as the adrenaline faded. The smell of ozone and charred wood hung in the air as his crew assessed the haul of Hygatium ore, while the defeated crew of the Nerry du Wit sat shackled, staring down upon the deck. All but one of the two brothers at the front. Lord Elrey's sons; a fine ransom would be had for their return. Between that and the ore, his instincts had been spot on. All the recent calm between the five nations suggested the conflict had finally ended. Now opportunists like Lord Elrey were looking to make grabs for whatever wartime spoils could be had at the last minute.

  Torsk suddenly found himself watching this younger version of himself at a distance. No beard then, just a styled mustache as was the fashion for military officers at the time. He looked so proud, so carefree despite the horrors of war that had defined his early career. He had not seen how far the machinations of men would go in their thirst for self-destruction. Torsk shook his head and spied a figure watching him on the deck of this ship of his distant memories. The figure was humanoid but made of the viscous brown-green resin.

  “You invade my dreams now? My memories?” Torsk asked his passenger.

  “I do not invade, I am brought.” It pauses turning its featureless head toward the sun “ Why have you brought us aboard this ship when rest is what you need?” Suddenly, the being was next to him. “What about this memory is special to a friend? Why does he cower from it?”

  At this, a cold sweat gathered at Torsk's brow. “Wait…no…this day.” He looked around as if seeing the battle scarred vessel for the first time. His fists clenched and he ground his teeth together.” I don't wish to relive this day!” He slapped his face hoping he might awake.”wake me up! Now!”

  The being looked like a humanoid form of floating black, brown, and green liquid. It reflected light at some points and smothered it in others. “It is not I who brought us here; like you keep saying, I am just a passenger.”

  Torsk looked at a younger him standing resoloutly upon the deck of his ship, giving orders. He had felt pretty good about this one, like he was tying up loose ends on a war that was finally in sight of an end. Little did that young fool know today was the start of a war he would be fighting until he was old and grey.

  He saw his first officer, Calahan Casavant, speaking boisterously with Azry, the ship's cook at the time. He recalled it was about how he had overtaken the ship with no losses by riding a loose bit of Hegatium ore along a gravity wave and surprising the helmsman. It really had been a brilliant operation.

  Calahan was now being held for war crimes; they had suspended a death sentence as part of the accords. Torsk used to visit the man, but at a certain point, Calahan had stopped speaking. They may have spared him the noose, but he had died all the same.

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  “Alright, hobble their ship, spare the crew but set 'em adrift. They'll make it back to land just fine. Tie these two to the mainmast until we return to port.” He heard his voice across the tides of time, and it struck a painful chord deep within him. It was the voice of a man who ceased to exist this very day. A man who felt conflicted and burdened, but whole.

  “Stop, please help me wake up.” He looked at his passenger, a lump forming in his throat.

  “I am not in charge here. If you wish to wake, then wake. I am just a passenger.” The thing was closely inspecting the mainmast.

  Torsk closed his eyes, willing himself to wake, but when he opened them, the ship had returned to his home port. He looked out on his home as the ship rode the unseen flow over a massive gravity wave. It was lush, beautiful. One of the smallest skylands, but very verdant and covered in lakes and mountains. He had spent the years of his youth riding along its length and breadth. He had climbed its highest peak and swam in its largest lake. He had taken the throne from his father upon his passing a few years back, and made a family even in the shadow of a horrific war. But that life felt distant now. Today… he saw the ships approaching in the distance; the ship's alarm bell began clanging.

  Torsk awoke thrashing and screaming, bathed in sweat. He sat huddled in the corner of his cot, unable to catch his breath.

  “Shh, it is alright, friend, would you like to be calmed? I can help.”

  Torsk stuttered out a, “please...make it...I can't.” He was frozen, stuck between points in time. His soul still stretched between the trauma and his present. Eyes wildly searching as he backed into the corner, he hadn't even realized his pistol was already in his hand. Suddenly, a cold sensation washed over him, and he felt his tension melt away. His breathing calmed, and he cried quietly for a moment before holstering his pistol and standing to dress. He felt tranquil, and his breathing evened.

  “Thank you, please stop whatever it is. I should be okay now.” Torsk felt his cheeks flush as he composed himself.

  “Friend is alright now? You reacted as if you were being attacked.”

  “I just…forgot myself for a minute. Sometimes humans get lost in…the past, I suppose. Those dreams lie behind a door I do not like to open; it is an endless sky that haunts my mind. It is the memory of a man consumed by loss and rage. That man is not my father's son; he is just another product of war.” Torsk clenched and unclenched his now-gloved hand. The creak of the leather soothed him. He liked feeling enclosed. He pulled up the hood of his traveling cloak. Even indoors, it made him feel…safer, he supposed.

  “This next war will involve my people as well. I do not want them to become a product of war. I do not want to be haunted like this. I am sorry this was done to you. I fear the news we have heard from the other lords may have a significant bearing on our goals. These Yhaevlanders…we should find out more about why they have the humans so scared.”

  Torsk dreaded any meeting among nobles; his arrival, while allowed, would bring him to the center of attention rather quickly. He would probably end up having to answer for what he had done. It could be dangerous.

  “Our bond is nearly complete; most humans will be little to no danger for you. The fluxmancers, however, could be problematic.” His passenger sounded calculating.

  “First, let's check the docks, see if our quarry has left town or not. Then I'll decide if it's wise to attend this meeting. Even if these gifts our bond bestows on me could allow me to survive an altercation, I don't want that blood on my hands. We could trigger a whole new war all on our own.”

  Torsk went to leave the room, and when he touched the handle of the door, his passenger seemed to vibrate; he could physically feel it in his veins.

  “Hmm, this city presents us with problem after problem. I sense something within the unseen, something like me.”

  Torsk sighed; it was going to be a long day.