Night time.
Aira moved through the corridors of the ship. Every corner seemed alive with whispers. She hated the place, hated the air, hated the people and most of all hated herself for the fear that never left her.
Her mother - the woman who asked the pope questions - was waiting, as usual, at the small chamber near the mess hall. The moment Aira entered, her mother's eyes snapped to her, sharp and cutting.
"You're late again," her mother said. "Do you think I care about your moods?"
Aira's chest tightened. "I-I had work to do."
"Work? You always have excuses. Always something to justify your laziness." Her mother's lips curled into a sneer. "Do you think you're clever? Do you think you can hide the fact that you're meeting that rebel nonconformist blind boy from me?"
Aira felt her stomach knot. She swallowed hard. "
I'm not lazy! and Cid-"
"Not lazy?" Her mother's voice rose, filling the small chamber. "You're a disappointment. Every day, I see the man I never wanted reflected in you!"
Aira flinched. "What do you mean?"
Her mother's eyes narrowed, burning with old anger. "The last Voyager... your father."
Aira froze. "Father? What are you talking about?"
"You!" Her mother's hand shot out, slapping Aira across the face. Pain exploded across her cheeks, but the words that followed hurt more.
"Do you know why this ship is cursed? Do you understand why the ancestor's are punishing us?" Her mother's voice trembled with rage. "I told him not to go! I begged him! But he left and now... now the seas are empty. The nets come up bare. And you... you walk around here looking exactly like him!"
Aira pressed her hand to her face, tears welling in her eyes. "I... I didn't choose-"
"You inherited his face. His stubbornness. His foolishness!" Her mother's scream split the air while her face full of tears. "That's why I hate you! Every time I look at you, I see him! I see all the pain he has caused! I hate you for existing!"
Aira's knees shook. Her mother's words sank into her bones like ice. She backed toward the door, her chest heaving, tears spilling freely. She didn't know what to say, what she did wrong, how to stop it, how to survive this storm of anger.
"I... I can't-" she whispered.
"You can't do anything!" her mother's voice cracked, rising again. "You're nothing but a reminder of him. Nothing!"
Aira's vision blurred. She didn't want to hear another word. Not another scream, another accusation, another hateful truth. She bolted from the chamber.
She ran without looking back, past the twisting corridors, until she burst onto the outer deck. The vast ocean stretched below, endless and merciless. She collapsed onto the edge of the ship, legs dangling over, and let herself cry. Her shoulders shook, wracking sobs she couldn't contain.
"Why... why did he have to go?" she whispered into the darkness. "I-I hate him."
A soft sound came from behind her, footsteps light on the metal deck.
"Aira?"
She quickly wiped her tears. "C-Cid? What… what are you doing here?"
He sat next to her, legs dangling over the edge. "I couldn't sleep. Something felt wrong. Then I heard someone crying." He tilted his head toward her. "Didn't expect it to be you."
Aira tried to laugh, but it came out broken. "I… I'm fine."
Cid hesitated before reaching out, placing a hand carefully over hers. "Aira… talk to me."
She shook her head, tears spilling. "My mother… she—she told me... she... she hates me. my own mother... she hates me because of my father!" sobbing.
"She said the last Voyager… was my father." Her voice cracked. "And she hates me because I look like him. Because he left her... because he left the ship. Because the ancestors are punishing everyone because of him."
Cid didn't flinch. His hands remained on her shoulder, grounding her.
"That's not your fault," he said firmly.
"She said he cursed us," Aira whispered. "That I'm a reminder of everything she lost."
Cid let out a slow breath. "Aira… you are not a curse. And your father wasn't, either."
"You don't know that."
"I don't have to," he replied. "I know you."
She stared at him, eyes wet.
And that was when he finally said the thing he'd been hiding behind jokes and smirks.
"Aira... there's something I never told you."
She blinked.
"I've thought about the islands for years," he admitted quietly. "Long before the fish disappeared... long before the fear got this bad. And i still want to leave."
Aira's breath caught. "You... seriously want to leave?"
"Yes," he said. "I want to know what is beyond the ship and if the ancestors are real or just stories. I want answers."
He turned his face towards her.
"If I leave and the ancestors are real, something will happen to you," he said.
Aira stared.
Cid continued.
"The prophecy... nine have gone and the tenth will doom us all," voice low, trembling. "I want to leave even more now. Because I think it's all lies. All of it."
"But I don't want you to die because i'm curious."
Aira slowly leaned her head against his shoulder. "Cid... i'm not afraid of dying."
He stiffened. "Don't say that."
"I'm afraid of living like this forever," she whispered. "Afraid of this ship. Of my mother. Of the Pope. Of the ancestors. Of starving. Of being hated."
Cid turned his head slightly toward her. "If we go... it'll be dangerous."
"I know."
"The Pope says the Tenth will bring destruction."
"I don't care." Aira closed her eyes. "I'll go where you go."
Cid exhaled shakily.