Governor Swann crossed over with the help of a sailor and stepped onto the Interceptor's deck. The moment his boots touched the planks, his eyes found Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth."
He didn't wait for anything else. He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, as if letting go might make her disappear again.
"I was so worried," he said quietly. "I thought I'd lost you."
"I'm fine, Father," Elizabeth replied, returning the hug. "I really am."
He leaned back just enough to look at her face, searching for injuries, for fear—finding neither. Relief washed over him, his shoulders finally lowering.
Only then did his gaze shift past her.
To Daniel.
The man Norrington had called a warlock.
The man who was supposed to have kidnapped his daughter.
Governor Swann's confusion deepened into concern. He looked from Daniel back to his daughter, trying to make sense of it.
"Elizabeth," he said carefully, "can you explain who this man is? And what you meant by what you said earlier."
"Yes," Elizabeth replied at once. "But not here. We should talk inside."
Governor Swann hesitated, then nodded. "Very well."
They moved below deck, into the captain's cabin of the Interceptor. The space was cramped but orderly, sunlight filtering in through the stern windows. Once inside, the door was shut.
The four of them took their places—Elizabeth and her father on one side, Daniel opposite them.
Norrington remained standing.
"I will stay," he said flatly. "And I will not take my eyes off him. Until proven otherwise, he is still a criminal."
Daniel leaned back in his chair, unbothered. "Comfort yourself however you like."
Elizabeth shot him a warning look, then turned to her father.
"Father," Elizabeth said, taking a breath to steady herself, "like I said—I wasn't kidnapped. I went with him of my own will."
Governor Swann's mouth opened at once, the question already forming on his lips—why would you do such a thing with a complete stranger—
"Father," Elizabeth interrupted gently but firmly, "please. Let me finish before you ask anything."
He paused. Then, with visible effort, he closed his mouth and nodded, folding his hands together to listen.
Elizabeth turned slightly, glancing at Daniel before facing her father again. "His name is Daniel," she said. "And he isn't… an ordinary man. Not in the way you're thinking."
Governor Swann frowned. "Elizabeth—"
"He's not human at all," she continued.
The words landed heavily in the small cabin.
Norrington scoffed immediately. "That is exactly what I've been saying," he snapped. "He is a filthy warlock who should be burned at the stake—not sitting comfortably and spinning tales in front of us."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "You're really committed to that image, aren't you?"
Elizabeth shot Norrington a sharp look. "Commodore, if he were what you think he is, none of us would be sitting here having this conversation."
She took a breath, then said it plainly.
"He's a demi-god."
The words hung in the air.
Governor Swann stiffened, his expression shifting from confusion to alarm. Norrington's reaction was sharper—his eyes narrowed, jaw tightening as if he'd just been handed proof of his worst suspicions.
"A demi-god," Norrington repeated flatly. "Governor, with respect, this is exactly what I feared."
Governor Swann turned to his daughter, worry cutting through his relief at having her back. "Elizabeth… are you certain of what you're saying?"
"I am," she replied without hesitation.
To both men, it sounded less like conviction—and more like certainty born of influence. They didn't even consider the words as truth. A demi-god, to them, would be a thing of myth and terror, not someone who looked so… ordinary.
Governor Swann's face hardened with decision.
"Norrington," he said quietly, "take him away."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Father—"
"It seems," the Governor continued, not looking at Daniel, "that my daughter has been through more than we realized. I will have a doctor examine her at once."
Norrington straightened, satisfied. "At once, Governor."
Norrington turned fully toward Daniel, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"You heard him."
Elizabeth let out a quiet sigh. Words clearly weren't going to be enough.
"Daniel," she said, glancing at him, "can you… do that thing you did on the deck? With the sword."
"I figured it would come to this," Daniel said calmly. "Sometimes, seeing really is believing."
The change was immediate.
Black tendrils spilled outward from beneath his feet, creeping across the wooden floor like living shadows. The air grew cold, heavy enough to press against the chest.
Governor Swann pushed himself back from the table at once, chair scraping loudly as he stood. Norrington stepped back on instinct, his hand tightening around his sword hilt.
From the darkness at Daniel's feet, something began to rise.
Slowly.
A sword emerged, its surface pitch black, swallowing the light around it. Daniel's fingers closed around the hilt with practiced ease.
Then the shadows climbed higher.
They wrapped around his body, coating him in darkness until his human outline blurred. Where his eyes had been, two steady blue flames burned through the black, calm and unmistakably aware.
"My God…" Governor Swann whispered, reflexively making the sign of the cross, his voice shaking. "Lord preserve us."
Norrington drew his sword fully now—but his hand trembled. This was no warlock. No trick of smoke or mirrors.
Whatever was before them was not human.
Daniel remained seated.
"I'm not here to harm anyone," he said, his voice unchanged, steady even through the shadows. "But this is what Elizabeth tried to tell you."
The cabin was silent except for the creak of the ship.
Seeing, at last, had done what words could not.
*****
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