Where Geno goes to confront a specific human, but after this ending in an unexpected blackmail, he will soon come to face once again the dead.

No one's POV:
-

What are you doing~

Why are you getting further away from your destiny~

Are you forgetting-

"§hut. Uþ." Geno hissed to himself. Suddenly a white shark swam towards him. He raised brow.

"Prince Geno! I don't know if you remember me, but we met before!" The shark said excited and cutely, as cute as a shark can be. It took a few seconds for Geno to realise that he had in front of him the white shark who had tried to help him escape the Reapers the first time with his friends. He pet the animal's forehead.

"I remember ya. Randall. Hi." He said.

"Oh sweet mother or Oceans, the prince remembers me!" Randall said wagging his tail a little faster. Geno couldn't help but smile a tiny bit, secretly. But he looked again at the shark serious.

"There is a caravel up ahead. I'll be going for it. I wanna ask ya a favor, but if you deny to do it I won't force you." He said.

"What is it prince?" The shark asked. Geno swam up and peeked from the surface seeing the caravel getting further away.

"There is someone there with whom I have a bone to pick. A specific human. Listen closely, when I find him and I drop him in the water, eat him." He said coldly. Randall's little eyes perked up.

"May I know which human?" He asked.

"A man named Raymond Aristo." The shark flinched.

"Now I get why you told me it will be ok if I deny to do it. Eating such trash would stir way too badly even my stomach."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxVsh4eN8hE

Geno chuckled lowly.

"Even sharks know about Raymond and refuse to eat him for what they fear he will do to their organism."

"However I can still kill him. If I understand, you just want me to wait near the ship and when I see him falling I attack him."

"Exactly. Good boy." Geno said but bit his magic tongue. Was it ok to call the animals like that when he could understand them and speak normally with? However Randall's tail started wagging faster and the siren held back his laughter. "Quite literally sea puppies when they're not out for your blood." He thought. "Take me there now." He commanded a little sharply. Randall turned 180°.

"Hold onto my top flap prince!" He said excited and Geno did so. Soon the 2 had taken off ahead.

Meanwhile the pirates hadn't stopped talking about Geno and the crazy things he had done. Command the birds and the fishes?! Go ahead and break down 5 portuguese caravels by himself before they stepped up?!

These were mad feats of absolute respect and admiration. Not many had ever dared to pick a fight with the Portuguese, especially with their navy! And Geno had done it! He had stepped foot against Portugal's Government!

The Portuguese were going to pull their hair out of shame and anger once they learned that a tiny skeleton had destroyed them like that! They wouldn't know where to hide if humans from other lands were learning about this humiliation!

Maybe even the monsters were going to start defying the humans even more, not just in Portugal. Absolute chaos for the humans! Most of the pirates who didn't like Geno from the first day, were now admitting their respect towards him and praising him. Even Dave!

And after a while, with them talking so much about Geno, Reaper realised the small pale skeleton was nowhere near. His eyesockets went empty. He started scanning all souls around him trying to find and sense the small skeleton's.

He couldn't sense him on any of the caravels. Nor to his ship where it could make sense for him to go there to see Alter. Reaper focused even more and started seeing further away if there were souls.

At last he caught a glimpse of a monster soul somewhere far away. He sharply turned to look there. He saw a shark carrying Geno towards the caravel that had escaped. He clenched his teeth.

"What does he think he's doing?!"

Geno climbed the caravel with just his hands since he didn't have the support of his legs. He crawled in the ship and plopped on the deck. He looked around with a grim expression and started moving around carefully.

"Where the f*ck is that human?" He thought and hissed lowly.

Behind youuu~

Geno jumped in the air the moment a gunshot was heard and a bullet struck the floor near him. He turned around and hissed louder.

"R æ y m œ œ œ n đ." He said with poison in his voice. The Aristo was aiming at Geno with a gun, staring down to him kinda calmly, but almost glaring.

"Why is it always a skeleton that has to appear in my way?" He commented and if not his voice, his eyes were dripping poison.

To the left~

Geno did so the moment Raymond was shooting another bullet at him.

"I'm sick and tired of skeletons, every 2 seconds in my way." The human commented again. "Aster, my bastard brother, his annoying advisor Noko, the Infernal's advisor..." His eyes daggered. "That tall pyromaniac, now the Renrink and you."

"Don't say that Ray. After all, all humans have a skeleton in them." Geno replied and laughed.

To the right~

Geno dodged another of Raymond's bullets.

"You have come to kill me, haven't you?"

"You will pay for what you did to my friend." The siren hissed angrily. Raymond rolled his eyesockets.

"Which one exactly? Cause your nobody friend isn't the only skeleton I've ever hunt down." He said. This time Geno went for an attack first. He forgot his first plans because of anger. He had think he was fast enough to catch Raymond off guard. But he had underestimated the other's reflexes.

Instead of dodging, the human grabbed the skeleton from his neck and started choking. Geno tried to claw him but felt underneath the human's sleeves something tough like metal. He tried to summon magic, bone attacks, blue magic anything. But he felt his magic blocked.

"What the-?"

"Having trouble remembering how to use magic?" Raymond asked sarcastically and gripped his hand tighter around Geno. "You've caused humiliation upon Portugal's Government for the last time you damn fish." He completed. Geno heard the clicking sound of the gun loading and saw it being pressed on the temple area of his skull. He looked at Raymond panicked. But he didn't prevent for long.

*BAM*

The human let the siren fall on the deck and looked at him with disgust as he spasmed and his blood was staining the deck. He turned his back slowly ready to walk away. But when he turned he saw Tefra staring at the little skeleton with an emotionless expression. He kept walking and stood next to her.

"... Even for what happened back there, he wasn't the one who killed these soldiers."

"He was still partner with the tall skeleton. And from the Reapers! It is no fault of mine that he came by himself thinking he could kill me." Raymond continued coldly and was ready to keep walking.

But he stopped dead on his tracks hearing a low deep chuckle from behind. He slowly turned and as he looked at Tefra, her expression was almost horrified. When he turned around completely, it was his turn to get horrified. Geno was now standing on legs while holding the spot he was shot on.

Blood was still dripping from the bullet hole. But the fact he was laughing was creepy. He slowly took his hand off the wound and stared at Raymond with a mad expression. His left pupil wasn't blue and red, but just red. A small thin bloody red pupil that was nailed at the human murderously.

"₩ œ œ œ w Ræy. Thæt rəæłły h u r t, y'knœw?" He said in a vibrating voice. The goat and the human saw the bullet hole closing and healing, soon bringing the small skeleton's skull back to its previous appearance.

"What are you?" Raymond asked slowly and agitated, fighting to keep his voice stable. Geno started walking towards him.

"I æm ª skəłətœn ænđ sırən æt thə sæmə tımə, đœn't yœu səə?" He asked sarcastically and laughed crazily again. "Ænđ I æm æ n g r y. ¥œu shœułđ hævə knœwn bəttər thæn məssıng wıth thə łıkəs œf us." Raymond shot him again and Geno avoided the bullet sharply to the left. He kept approaching, a little faster.

"Infernal, are you just going to stand there?!" Raymond asked and he had clearly started shaking.

For a moment Tefra seemed to prefer stay motionless and Geno payed no heed to her. But the moment the small skeleton was ready to leap at Raymond and rip him apart, a large goat skull blocked his way. Geno stopped and hissed at her.

"Ærə yœu sərıœusły đəfənđıng hım? H I M ?!"

"Go back from where you came from. Do your own thing, complete your destiny and don't waste time with him." She said emotionlessly. Geno tried to go around the goat skull but it would always keep him away from Raymond.

"Təłł mə œnə gœœđ rəæsœn ₩ H ¥. Đœn't ¥ Œ U hætə hım?! Đıđn't hə tækə æwæy frœm yœu?! Đıđn't hə ruın thə łıvəs œf sœ mæny mœnstə-?!"

"H Ə Đ I Đ!" Tefra said sharply with eyes like Hell. She nailed her look for a moment at Raymond, who at that moment gulped loudly. "Ænđ bəłıəvə mə Gənø, ıt wøułđ bə sø əæsy rıght nøw tø just łət yøu gø æhəæđ ænđ rıp hım tø pıəcəs. It wøułđ bə. Ænđ əvəryønə cøułđ əæsıły bəłıəvə thæt hə đıəđ 'brævəły' upœn bættłə ıf mə ør ænyønə əłsə whø rəturns høme wæs tø sərvə thæt quıck ænđ əæsy støry. Nøt łıkə mæny wøułđ mıss hım." There she closed her eyes and when she opened them again they were back to normal. She slowly turned to look at Raymond with daggered eyes. "Just in case you haven't realised, for the one and only reason I'm not allowing your blood to stain this deck and the sea, is for the sake of your brother. You hate him maybe even more than any monster, you despice him, you feel disgusted to even hear the slightest thing about him and yet in this world we live on, he's the only being alive that has proved he loves you unconditionally and without hesitation. He loves you so much that if you died, while everyone else would dance in joy upon your cold limb body, he would embrace you and shed tears upon you. Even after what you did to his closest friends, even after you took away from him too almost everything, he would still be able to receive a knife on his heart if it meant saving your life. For his sake only I'm protecting you because I respect him and his wishes to keep a family member of his safe. And you know that he loves you. You may keep exploiting his kindness Raymond, but just so you know, Vincent is a mortal too. No matter how dedicated he is to the God, there will come a day where he will just stop supporting you. He will have enough. And when that happens, nœ fırə ın Həłł wıłł bə hœt ənœugh tœ punısh æłł yœu'və đœnə tœ əvəryœnə œn Œłıssıpo." She completed.

Geno could have had literally attacked while Tefra was distracted talking. But her speech had brought him shivers and kept him motionless. Raymond was listening with an agitated expression, even if behind his eyes there was still apathy and cruelty.

"There is no way, NO WAY there is truly being to love such man!" The small siren thought. He shook head left and right and hissed. He still wanted to f*ck up Raymond. The human and the goat turned to face him on guard.

"My decision has to remain. You will not kill him Geno." She said firmly.

"He's not the one to do that anyways!" Decans suddenly was seen flying up surrounded by blue aura, standing on the gunwale and then hopping on the deck. He quickly approached and stood next to Tefra. His pupils were thin like a snake's. "Genocide son of CQ, time is running low and you can't waste it on hunting Raymond. Go back from where you came from." He commanded. Geno laughed.

"Œr w h æ t ? ¥œu łœœk nœthıng łıkə my mœm." He said.

"I'm not, but I know for a fact it is against your mother's wishes to kill that man. You have far bigger responsibilities than Ray." Decans insisted and stood his ground firmly. Geno chuckled.

"Try mə thən." And he attacked the mermaid skeleton. Decans jumped back and started avoiding Geno. For someone as frail and seemingly weak as him, he seemed to dodge with immense grace the siren. But he wasn't attacking.

"Go back Geno! It is not you who will kill him!"

"£ætə wıłł nœt cœntrœł mə œvər whœ I gət tœ kıłł ænđ whœ I łət æłıvə!" Geno hissed as he was running after Decans, who ran towards one of the masts of the caravel.

"You are both enraged and arrogant if you think you are above Fate." The mermaid said as he surrounded his body in blue aura and ran up the mast. Geno stopped and looked at him surprised of how he did that. But he started climbing not giving up on getting Decans.

"Ræymœnđ ısn't æn ımpœrtænt łınk. Hə's nœt tıəđ tœ thə Prœphəcy! Hə's nœt ımpœrtænt ɓut thıs məæns thæt ıf I kıłł hım ıt wıłł nœt hævə cœnsəquəncəs ægæınst my £ætə ænđ đəstıny. Just bəcæusə I wænnæ hævə æn əxtræ kıłł đœəsn't məæn I strıvə æwæy frœm whæt I gœttæ đœ!" He said as him and Decans were now walking on the mast. The mermaid was walking backwards, closer and closer to the edge of the mast but he didn't slow down.

"I insist Genocide. Raymond is not part of your Fate! Someone else will have to finish him!"

"WHO?!" Geno and Raymond asked at the same time. Decans bit his magic tongue.

"Grəαt." He said and rolled his eyesockets. "Someone you will least expect Ray!" He continued.

Geno hissed and ran towards Decans, who however walked towards the edge of the mast and fell. Geno ran for there to see where had he gone to. But to his surprise he heard footsteps as if someone was walking on the mast but upside down!

He peeked and saw Decans indeed walking on the mast but from the bottom side. He hissed again and ran back. Decans fell down gently and kept avoiding Geno. While ignoring Raymond's panicked expression.

"§ıncə yœu səəm tœ 'knœw' sœ much, whœ's thə œnə tœ kıłł thə pəst ıf nœt mə rıght nœw?!" Geno asked.

"I'm already saying way too much prince Genocide. For the last time, don't insist and leave."

"Ŋœt. ₩ıthœut. Æ ŊÆMƏ!" The siren ran out of patience and jumped at Decans, at last pinning him on the floor.

"DECANS!" Tefra yelled ready to attack.

"It's alright Senhora Infernal." Decans said chilly and faced Geno. "Harm me and see where this goes prince." He challenged the siren.

"Œh I wıłł ıf yœu đœ nœt ænswər mə." He threatened. "Decans chuckled.

"You're free to try."

Geno hissed and bit aggressively Decans' right arm. Tefra covered her mouth with widened eyes. It was clear that Decans was in pain. But a few seconds later Geno started screaming. He got off Decans holding his right arm, the same one he had bit the mermaid. Blood was gushing nonstopping. Decans stood up slowly and watched the bite in his arm dissapearing indifferently.

"How on earth-..." Raymond asked confused.

"I appreciate the siren magic given upon me." He turned to look at Geno who was still spasming and holding his arm. "I thought your mother would show you which ones to trust and not to bite. Guess your arrogance made you forget." He said rolling his eyesockets.

"¥œu... little-!" Geno tried to stand up and attack again. But he saw a large goat skull opening mouth and holding him firmly in its teeth. Now Tefra was angrier.

"Thæt's ənœugh! £œr Gœđ's sækə, ŁƏÆVƏ!" She shouted. But suddenly a cyan wave of aura attacked the goat skull and cut it in 2. Geno fell on the floor groaning.

"Oh great, THERE'S 3 OF THEM NOW!" Raymond complained seeing Captain Reaper standing with a mad expression facing Tefra and holding his scythe. Tefra took battle stance and summoned flames in her hands. She stared at Reaper intensively. Magenta and cyan eyes nailed at each other.

"Təfræ Infərnæł."

"Rəæpər Chærœn Rənrınk."

"You... know each other?!" Geno asked slowly, still in pain.

"Usəđ tœ."

"Whən hə wæsn't ª pırætə."

"Χρόνια και ζαμάνια Lady. You haven't changed one bit." Reaper said and smiled.

"... Same as you." Tefra replied slowly. "Take the siren and leave. You've stayed around for too long Renrink."

"Well, I came to take him back anyways." Reaper said. But then his eyesockets fell on Raymond. "Though I see a soul that was supposed to be dead long time now and has escaped death. Even now." He pointed with the scythe at the human. "Aristo you coward! You emptied this caravel, sended all soldiers jump to the other ones so you could buy time and tried to leave while we were busy! Classic Raymond, amirite?" He asked and shrugged his shoulders, chuckling. Raymond unconsciously took 2 steps back while sweating bullets.

"Hə's mınə!" Geno hissed and stood up glaring at Reaper. "I cæmə fırst tœ kıłł hım, I-!" He groaned quietly and held his injured arm. A spec of worry appeared on Reaper's expression.

"You need rest angelfish. But if you so badly want to, we will both have 'a word' with him." He said and faced Tefra and Decans, who was standing next to her, gripping his scythe tighter. The siren and the Captain stood next to each other and faced the goat and the mermaid skeleton.

They were ready to fight against each other, maybe even kill, even though it was obvious what they had to really do: turn against Raymond and metaphorically jump him. They stood in silence, waiting for one of the 2 sides to make the first move.

"You will STØP!"

The moment the monsters were ready to really collide, the caravel started getting filled with vines and dark purple flowers. It wrapped around the gunwale, the masts and any space that was mainly vertical. It wrapped around the monsters and Raymond's feet.

"Master Vincent!" Decans yelped surprised as he saw a vine lifting up Bernard, who was hanging from it casually as it was wrapped around his arm.

He walked amongst the monsters and stared at everyone silently. He sighed and waved his hand circularly. Slowly the vines unwrapped from Decans and Tefra's feet. Geno started struggling harder to get them off his.

"₩hæt ærə yœu ĐŒING?!" He hissed aggressively as he tried to untangle himself. But when he moved, thorns started appearing on the vines and the siren started hissing louder from pain.

"Relax and the vines will relax too." Bernard said calmly and turned to look at Tefra. He kneeled on her level and smiling gently he caught her hand, kissing the back of it. "Hello meu amada." He said tenderly. Tefra looked down with hands in her pockets.

"Hello... husband." She said. Both of them however were giving secret looks at Raymond, as if they were hiding something. Geno saw Reaper's expression changing from a strange sadness. He didn't know what to make out of it.

"What kind of magic is this Bernard?!" Raymond decided to change subject and looked at the vines surrounding him surprised. "Since when could you do that?!" The half-skeleton turned to look at him as he waved his hand to allow the vines unwrap from Raymond's feet.

"For quite many years now. It is something that does not belong to me but I was trusted with it." He said enigmatically and took off his gloves allowing his skeletal hands to be seen. Plus the familiar golden symbol on his left wrist. He waved his hand circularly and the vines dissapeared from Reaper's feet.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Geno thought who was still trapped.

"Bernard Aristo, what are you doing here?" The pirate Captain asked still holding the scythe but with no intentions of attacking. Bernard turned to slowly look at Geno's direction.

"I had a feeling that I would meet him. The firstborn. The determined dreamer." He bowed down slowly. "Greetings prince Genocide of CQ." He said and stood up slowly. He looked at Reaper. "I've come to stop him from doing something that is not his responsibility. I kindly ask you young Renrink, leave my brother alone. Spare him for my sake. We don't need to fight now. We don't need to spill any more blood than now. You have a far more important matter in your hands. My brother's life is not one of them. Please, you and the prince, leave." He begged calmly. Reaper looked at him thoughtful. Many seconds later he exhaled from his nose quietly. The scythe dissapeared from his hands.

"I spare him only because you and only you asked me to. Fine." He said. Him and Bernard bowed down looking at each other in understanding and agreement. But more over respect. And then, Geno laughed. He suddenly summoned a pointy bone in his hands and cut the vines freeing himself.

"Thə pırætə ægrəəđ, ɓut nœt mə! ¥œu wıłł nœt stœp mə!" He said. Bernard send at Geno more vines. Even to his surprise, the siren grabbed them and snapped them. "¥œur stupıđ łıttłə vınəs wıłł đœ nœthıng tœ mə ænymœre. Ŋœt əvən..." He pointed at Raymond, who got pale. "... stœp mə frœm whæt I wæs æbœut tœ stært!"

"You are impulsive and out of control. You leave me no choice." Bernard sighed as Raymond slid a little more behind his half-brother.

"Whæt ærə yœu, œr yœur mərmæıđ łæckəy gœnnæ đœ tœ mə huh?!" Geno laughed sarcastically as he started walking towards Raymond. He would prevent to take only 3 steps.

"Get him Flowey."

"₩ ı t h þ ł ə æ s u r ə !"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rN24Foc3xM0

The vines moved even faster and grew fatter. They attacked Geno and wrapped around not just his feet but his arms and his neck even, making him kneel from the weight. All his arrogance flew out of the window as he stared around shocked.

"Whæt ıs thıs?!"

"Həłłøøø, łıttłə fıshy~" A high pitched but vicious voice was heard coming out of a black bloom with 6 petals and a white pale face. A face! Its eyes were darkness, with only 2 white orbs of light in them, one in each. The flower stared at Geno and smiled wickedly.

"Thə wəəđ..." Tefra said glaring at the flower, which turned to look at the goat.

"So not pleased to see your face, floofy dirtbag." It said sarcastically.

"Flowey..." Bernard called out loud and Geno couldn't help but chuckle.

"Pfff! What the heck name is this?" He murmured and Flowey turned to death-stare at him.

"Flowey!" Bernard called again a little more strictly.

"Coooming!" Flowey said rolling his eyes. With so many vines, Geno couldn't tell where the black flower was attached to. But he watched it approaching towards Bernard. It wrapped around his shoulder ignoring Tefra's glare.

"Thank you, Flowey." Bernard said.

"Eugh." Flowey did. "This is boring. I caught the princess. But now what-? You know what could be more fun though! Crush æłł œf thə bœnəs ın hıs bœđy by strængłıng hım tœ đəæth!" He suggested. Immediately Reaper and Tefra death-stared at him, their hands filled with their weapons. "Jeez, not a fun of my ideas, eh?"

"None of us would find it fun Flowey." Bernard said. But slowly he smiled in a strange way. "Though, I know something fun we can do."

"Let me guess, you will try to suggest me something that doesn't include deaths, anybody getting hurt, or blood?"

"What is WRONG with this flower?!" Geno thought concerned.

"Let me tell you." Bernard signed the flower to come closer to him. Rolling eyes, Flowey leaned closer to Bernard's mouth and seemed to listen at something the half-human was whispering. Slowly his expression changed. It seemed... impressed.

"You Satan's spawn!" He commented at the end and laughed wickedly. "Fine. I will accept this idea."

"What idea?!" Geno yelped. Bernard didn't reply to him. He turned to look at Raymond and smiled in simplicity.

"Dear brother. How much older are you from me?" He asked. Raymond looked at him confused but already not in the mood exchange any words with Bernard.

"Just 2 months."

"That still does make you the older and more experienced brother. Am I right?"

"Obviously."

"And I am meant to take into account your advices?"

"You hardly ever did that." Raymond spat. Bernard hummed cheerfully.

"Do you remember Raymond? When I became part of the family, what was one of the main things you would often advice me to do, even more often than Father?" He asked.

"Act more human and forget all you knew from the monst-?"

"That! Correct! Pardon me for interrupting you, but yes. As I was amongst humans, I had to act more like one. You had even told me with all your brotherly love to cover my arms. That they were ugly." At that point suddenly, only then Geno started understanding that something was going off with Bernard's speech.

Terribly wrong. All other monsters seemed to start understanding too that things were taking an unexpected path. Raymond still didn't seem to understand and kept looking at Bernard with the same confusion.

"Where do you want to end up?" He asked.

"Well, you shall be happy today Raymond, because I am going to take your brotherly advice into account and act exactly as you want me to." He said sweetly and turned to face Geno and Reaper. He raised his hand in the air and the vines started moving.

Geno started struggling even harder to take off the vines that were wrapped around him. Tefra, Decans and Reaper stared at Bernard shocked and confused. But then the half-human turned sharply to face Raymond. The vines wrapped around the human's arms and ankles lifting him in the air.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Raymond yelled. All monsters looked at Bernard with wide open mouths. Except from Flowey who was smiling evilly.

"Pardon me for cheating a little bit by including magic, but I promise brother, you will get the satisfaction of seeing me acting like a human." Bernard said and behind his calm demeanor, the sarcasm had started rising. He approached Raymond and stood in front of him with hands behind his back.

"This is NOT funny one bit, PUT ME DOWN NOW!" Raymond demanded.

"Are you kidding me?! This is hilarious!" Flowey commented.

"Of course brother, of course and I will put you down. In a bit. But first, I want to ask from you a favor." Bernard put his hand inside his left pocket and pulled out a paper. He opened it in front of Raymond. "Read it please." The human read silent, but not even 5 seconds later he snapped his head at Bernard.

"There is NO way I'm signing this!" He yelled, with wide eyes burning in anger.

"Of course of course! But I cannot force you to do anything my dear brother. I will not harm you. I will not make you suffer." At that moment the vines left Geno, who stared surprised at Bernard. "He will though."

And there the small siren immediately understood. He smiled evilly and ran at Raymond laughing. Tefra was ready to interfere, but Bernard stopped her gently and signed with his head at her. Whatever he meant by that, Tefra stood chill and cool, not attempting to stop Geno.

Decans hadn't moved, but was staring at his Master confused and surprised. As for Raymond he was screaming terrified seeing the small skeleton approaching him. Geno jumped at him ready to rip his face apart.

But at the very last second Flowey grabbed Geno with vines and pulled him back. Raymond watched as the siren was trying to bite him aggressively and it was impossible to keep his calm demeanor after having his face almost ripped apart.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" He yelled and he could barely keep his voice away from shaking.

"You see my brother, every step had its secret meaning indicating to the human nature you so badly wanted me to follow all this time. Me wrapping you in my vines is bringing you in a difficult position, almost impossible to get out from. Then, I bring you to get "Caught between a rock and a hard place" situation. Or as Gregos call it if I am not wrong, hmmm... Μπρος γκρεμός και πίσω... ρεύμα." Bernard said looking at the pirate Captain.

"You got that right." Reaper said nodding. The half-skeleton looked again at Raymond.

"The rock and the hard place are 2 situations which you don't want to be in at all. But you must choose one. The rock one being something that will not benefit you but will benefit me. This contract, this 10 year agreement saying that all humans are forbidden from even entering the monsters' side of town except if it's to bring or buy supplies, allowing the monster guards of the islands of Azores come to patrol Lisbon only one week per 3 months and again bring only half the army of monster guards each time, all of them be called immediately only in situations of extreme danger, would really break you Raymond. You quite literally have built your power by stepping over the monsters for years and humiliating them. Me taking it away from you with one single sign of yours would cause you rabbies from anger. But I am done doing the same mistake I have been doing for years: forgiving your every single action towards the monsters and the ones I loved. I forgave you when you dısplαcəd Barbara, I forgave you for tørturıng sənsələss and kıllıng Alvino, but I will stop turning a blind eye from now on to whatever you do to any other of my friends. And by friends I mean the whole monster kind, because they first raised me as their own without many distinctions and never took away from me. You could do anything, a n y t h i n g to me Raymond and I would still love you. But I will not let that love harm the monsters anymore, when I am in position to do something. As a mortal I have done that mistake but I am done doing it. Even the King got sick and tired of your behavior and he told me that he would approve this contract if I got you to sign it." Bernard turned to look at Geno who was still staring at Raymond madly. "Which brings us to the hard place. If you refuse the first, me knowing you well, you would never let such thing that happened to you slip. You would move the whole earth if it meant my downfall, you could start turning the stones to weapons of massive destruction. You would snitch on me. That is why, well, I cannot let that happen."

"YOU SAID YOU WOULD NOT KILL ME!" Raymond yelled, ready to start foaming.

"And I will not brother! Goodness, I will not! I will follow your human tactics of putting somebody else do that for me though! Well, except I will not bribe the prince, but allow him kill you for his own pleasure, cause he is the one who holds a bigger grudge against you. Yes, my consciousness might get stained for 'allowing' such thing to happen, my soul would feel burdened, but hey, you know, my hands would still stay clean. I would not have to take the blame for anything." Tefra was staring at Bernard and couldn't believe her ears.

"What happened to the man I'm married to 4 years now?" She whispered. Bernard looked at her cheerfully.

"Wait for him dear, he has got business to do <3" He said and looked again at Raymond. "Oh? But what is that face brother? Are you not happy that I am acting just the way you wanted me to?" He asked 'innocently'.

"NOT ON ME, ON THE MONSTERS YOU-!"

"See? Now you make exceptions." Bernard cut him and his brown eyes daggered. "Now you understand how Barbara most likely felt when she had to choose between marrying you or getting displaced. Now you realise how I felt deep down when you threatened to take away all my power and rights and decapitate me if I was not handing Casimiro and Matias under your custody since you were deemed more 'worthy' after the Unity of Aces 'failed the Government'. Thank God my boys always had the ability to shed their skin and chose to remain skeletons to avoid being taken away from me, because 'they did not look human anymore'."

"Do WHAT?!" Geno asked shocked and felt a shiver running down his spine.

"Such a shame though. They had such beautiful red hair..." Bernard commented quietly with melancholy staining his expression for a few seconds. He sighed. "You can stay all mad and angry you want at me Raymond. After what happened today, you may. But maybe, if you allow it, let this be a lesson. Now you feel similar feelings my friends and me had when we were brought to make choices we did not want or else we would not live to see another day. Technically these choices being almost directed. And let this be a reminder that you are very lucky all this time I chose to act like a monster instead of human. You do not want to see me acting like that ever again, believe me." Bernard said calmly but the threat had intoxicated the air. He slowly took the contract and put it in front of Raymond. He turned to look at Decans. "The feather, Decans."

"Of course." The small mermaid said and took out of his bag a feather and a small bottle of ink. Bernard controlled the vines and freed Raymond's right arm. He immersed the feather's tip in the ink and gave it to his brother, who could easily kill the half-monster with his look, if human looks could kill.

"If you value your life so much more than others, do whatever will save you."

"And what happens if my hand 'slips' and I don't make the signature right?" The human asked sarcastically.

"Ah, well, you know, in the same way my hand could 'slip' too and release the wrath of the prince upon you." Bernard said casually and Flowey hissed-laughed. "Besides, I could copy your signature if I wanted to. I have practiced." Clearly Raymond had no choice but to sign the paper, a contract that would prove to be savior for the monsters of Lisbon for many years.

With a quite shaky hand, slowly and torturingly for Raymond, he pressed the tip of the feather on the contract while still being kept motionless. To Decans and Tefra's shock, they saw him signing the paper.

"I never thought I'd see the day he signs such paper." The smol mermaid said impressed crossing his arms. "Let alone ever under such circumstances."

Finally Raymond let the feather fall on the deck defeated. Benrard read the signature and hummed with a smile.

"Thank you my dear brother for 'agreeing' to show such mercy to the monsters." His expression darkened a little. "That is only about the monsters that live in Lisbon and Azores though. Even though the King could not tolerate such things constantly happening, he still has the need of the assistance of the monsters. Slaves, servants and/or maids. This is only one little improvement." He said and slowly he allowed the vines to release Raymond, who really looked like he wanted to strangle Bernard but was holding back.

"You will pay for this Bernard." He threatened darkly. There Bernard flinched. "You might think you have freed just a little bit more the monsters, but I will still find ways to make you miserable. You will suffer. You will-."

"That reminds me." Bernard cut him and looked at Decans. "Decans, name me the date we have today." He said.

"It's 31st of August, Master." Decans said confused.

"Year?"

"1533?" The mermaid answered again rasing brow. Bernard looked somwhere in the horizon thoughtful for many seconds. He looked at everyone around him next. His look stopped at Geno.

"Prince Genocide, it is of most importance you save the world we live on. In 66 days from now, it will be over if you are not prepared by then." He said and all monsters looked at him concerned. "I believe you can. I believe this world will keep living on even after all these days, with all its beauty and nastiness, with all reality and magic. And once you succeed..." He slowly turned to look at Raymond. "... Then it will be certain that my most darkest hidden premonition will come true."

"What premonition Master?!" Decans asked surprised. The time seemed to freeze on the caravel as everyone waited to hear Bernard in agony. Eventually the half-human exhaled from his nose quietly and still staring at Raymond revealed this:

"Count from now: on 14 years, 10 months and 7 days, on the 7th day of June 1547, The Lord announced me that I will be killed."

"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled, even Flowey, who was just silently vibing and enjoying Raymond's torture all this time.

"A knife will be plunged into my heart, meant to be for someone else. I know who will do it, but, I will keep this to myself."

"Master you can't be serious!" Decans objected terrified.

"I deliver what I heard. I prepare your souls for when it happens. Because I know for a fact you will forget in the future I said what I said today." Bernard raised head and looked up in the sky. "But I saw the day of my death, being on one where the monsters of the whole Portugal will be freed forever from slavery and manage to live amongst the humans, not as inferiors, but as equals." He paused for a moment. "I know you're surprised Raymond. And most likely already celebrating hearing about me dying." He said staring at his brother emotionlessly. "Until that day comes, you will not be able to ever destroy me. Make me fall on my knees. Die. Though eventually I will. But just so you know, when I get killed, death will not be too far away from you too." He said darkly and Raymond's malevolent smile dropped, he had turned pale.

"What. The. F*ck." Geno thought, now completely forgetting all he had come for. Bernard turned to look at Reaper.

"Renrink, the prince is not ready yet. Take him back with you now. On the time you have left, train him. The boy has potential but only now he has learned discovering his powers. And he has no control over them." He said calmly and approached Geno, who didn't struggle to get the vines off him. He looked at him silent and then he sighed. "Let him go now please." Flowey rolled his eyes.

Fiiine." At last Geno was freed.

He looked at Raymond's direction and glared at him viciously. But he didn't attack. Instead he looked up to Bernard, who kneeled on his level. He placed hands on the smol skeleton's shoulders and leaned his head close to his ear hole.

"Go back to Alter. Just like how you needed him, he needs you more than ever now too. I heard and I know what happened to him. I hope for the best." He whispered so no one else could hear him except Geno. He stood again normally and nodded.

As much as Geno wanted to keep trying reach Raymond, he slowly turned his back and lowered his head. He ignored Reaper who had summoned a blaster to take them back to the pirate ship flying and just hopped off the gunwale in the water. Randall was waiting nearby.

"Prince? Is everything ok? Was Raymond here?" He asked. Geno sighed and held the shark's flap.

"No. Not really." He just said.

"Are you alright prince?" Randall asked. Geno could feel numbness taking over his body, which was most likely visible to the outside too and Randall observed it. But he shook head left and right.

"I'm tired. Just tired. Please take me back to the ship."

~

Bernard was staring to the horizon thoughtful and lost as the lugger was ripping the waters in 2 to return back to Azores, following closely the caravel. With the important contract in hand. They couldn't go see the King today, until they would reach Lisbon it would be dark! So he had to keep it safe for now.

Obviously, with Raymond on the bigger ship, birds commanded by Decans were staring deep into Raymond's soul. Prepared and instructed to rip his eyeballs off if he did as much as to even jokingly turn the helm of the caravel to collide with the lugger.

"Vincent."

Bernard looked down and next to him. Tefra was staring up to him. He smiled.

"Yes my friend. What is it?" He asked. Tefra placed hands in her pockets. She seemed to struggle find the words.

"That contract... you giving all monster guards more free days and less forced responsibilities... does that mean..." Whatever she wanted to say, Bernard understood it in her expression. He nodded smiling calmly. Tefra faced forward to the horizon and her eyes had started shining from tears that were threatening to come out. "Thank you..." She said slowly barely holding back the sob that almost came out.

"The boy needs you my dear friend. More than me. You have a lot more time to spend it with him. Rest by letting him meet you more. You have worked hard enough and endangered yourself a lot these past years." He exhaled from his nose and looked ahead again. "I couldn't get any more time. 10 years is the most the king allowed me to. Wish I could spare you more years-." He was cut off feeling Tefra hugging him.

"Don't say it as if you did nothing all this time Vincent. You've done a lot and sacrificed yourself for the monster kind for many years. I appreciate what you've tried. 10 years... until then my boy will grow up enough to understand the circumstances under which we live on." Bernard placed his hand on the back of the goat's head.

"When I seeked to get this contract, I thought of you. I thought of the boy... Yes, he will grow old enough to understand, when the contract is over. But the more he understands, the more he will start realising that we are keeping secrets from him. When do you think you are going to tell him the truth Tefra? That I am not his... you know." He said calmly and let his hand fall the moment Tefra broke free from the hug. She wrapped her arms around herself.

"I don't know... I can't find any age right for which he will be ready and old enough to learn. How am I going to even bring this up?"

"It will be hard. But it is much more preferable if he hears the truth from his mother. If he learns from anyone else, he might resent us."

"I know..." Tefra whispered and rested her arms on the gunwale sighing deeply.

"When you go back to Azores, when you enter your house, go find your son and hug him. Hug him and tell him that you love him. Each passing day you and him are together, do not forget to tell him that. Once a day is enough. You can't always be together, but when you are, do it."

She raised head abruptly remembering these words. Ironic how the same skeleton who had told her to go strengthen her bond with her son was the same one who lost control of himself minutes later and almost had become her demise.

She touched her burned neck. She shivered and realised. If she was dying today, who would her son have left as a real parent? But she didn't stay on that for long. She slowly turned to look at Bernard and her eyes daggered.

"What?" The half-monster asked even though he wasn't even looking at her.

"The skeleton who came with that prince. Guido Siracussa. He had proof that he knows you and you are friends. But is that his real name after all?" She asked crossing her arms. Bernard turned to face her again and smiled chilly.

"Guido Siracussa is really an old friend of mine." He started. "He was one of the monsters I met on my trip when I went with Alvino and Barbara and many other Asteras. He is one of the monsters who spreaded our influence and ideas about what we wanted as the 3 Aces. More over, he was impressed with Aster's ideas of how to train the monsters to fight, defend themselves and get stronger openly without raising the suspicions of the humans. We took him back to Portugal with us and got trained with the way Asteras did, to learn and use these ideas for his friends back home. He stayed amongst us for 2 years and for his cooperation and good will we made him an official Astera too. That is why he knows well the Portuguese traditions too. What Alvino started for the monsters monks of Portugal originally, Guido wanted to follow it too for the Italian ones. That is how we became friends."

"And how did he become a pirate?"

"Once the 3 Aces fell, it did not take long for the humans of Italy to start hunting down all monsters who they knew or suspected they followed our influence. Guido too. He told me through old letters quickly that he would understand if I was getting dissapointed in him for becoming a pirate and following the Reapers. But he had felt he had nowhere else to hide. I still keep contact with him to this day."

"You always knew he had that strange symbol? The same one you have on your wrist?"

"It surprised me when he told me he got blessed by the very same siren that blessed me."

"If that little skeleton... Geno, is your responsibility to protect, would you follow him?"

"No. Prince Geno has found his own guardians already."

"Then what are you having the symbol for?" Bernard turned to slowly look at Tefra. He didn't say anything, but there was something in his look by itself that made Tefra widen her eyes. What was that she had understood? Who knows.

"No more questions my friend. We all had a rough day. Let us enjoy this one calm moment given to us by nature." Bernard said calmly.

Tefra didn't ask anything else. She looked ahead trying to comprehend Bernard's words. The other fought to keep a straight face even if the goat wasn't looking at him. He had managed to talk to her without sounding a liar.

When talking about Alter. And to be fair, actually he hadn't completely lie, that's why he had managed to pass all these answers to Tefra as truth. Yes there was a Guido he had made friends with once. Though,

"Poor Guido, I hope the afterlife has brought you peace. Pardon Alter for using your name." He thought and closed his eyes, letting the cool, salty breeze of the sea hit his face and feel it to the fullest.

~

"Look who's back!"

The pirates greeted Geno excited, waiting for him from before as Reaper told them. When they saw him crawling in the deck they started praising and cheering him.

But Geno was way too angry to pay any attention to any of them. And dizzy. That numbness he had from before in his whole body, instead of going away had caused him to be dizzy.

And for that he had stayed with his head lowered, hoping he could hide he wasn't feeling well. But the noise the pirates were making didn't help his situation. And it didn't take long for him to snap his head to look at everyone around him murderously.

"§HUT. UÞ."

The pirates stopped talking at once, confused and surprised. Geno pointed at them, starting to the left, moving his arm slowly to the right to point at everyone while talking.

"Yøu thınk..." He started, as he was laughing lowly and sarcastically. "... Yøu thınk I wənt tø fıght thəsə føøls bəcæusə I fəlt lıkə ıt? Ør bəcæusə I wæntəd tø sævə yøu?!" He laughed louder, before nailing his look around glaring. "Nø. It just sø hæppənəd yøu wərə øn thə sæmə shıp wıth thə ønə ænd ønly mønstər I cærə æbøut ənøugh tø sævə. Thə ønə whø ıs hurt bəcæusə øf mə..." He lowered his head, momentarily the guilt taking over him. But then as he was still layed down prone because of the tail, he slammed the floor with his fists. "Æs ª mættər øf fæct, yøu æll məæn tø mə nøth-."

He suddenly started coughing and gasping for 'air'. He let his face hit the wooden floor abruptly as he held his chest. Red blood was running from his mouth, his melted eyesocket and slash. The pirates stepped back a little terrified.

"Call Ramirez!" Reaper commanded sharply.

"Don't you DARE..." Geno tried to speak up and raised head to look at Reaper viciously. "Call the f*cking dogface on m-!"

"GENO!"

As things suddenly turned black, that was the last thing Geno had prevented to hear before falling into nothingness and loose all contact with reality.

8570 words. darn bro, what is WRONG with me and i do not stop feeding ya all with chapters?! 😂

i need to chill out, but i am on an inspirational spree! i guess i am excited that finally this part of the story is close to end. if you want to know in a few words what happens on the next chapters, i will explain it on the last one of this part of the story.

to understand, this 2nd part began about when geno and alter started preparing for the mission to lisbon until now, where they are finally leaving.

about what happens next, you can already assume i think. you'll know more details after the last chapter of the 2nd part of this story. better pray and cross your fingers for alter to actually survive.

don't forget to vote. byeee *pat pat*

*pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat*