Spamton kept having the same dream over and over,this huge dark shape rising up from the deep sea It was a vision of the Howling Knight and the Titans but he didn't tell a soul Instead he went and found some shady dealer and asked for a crystal

The crystal gave him some answers alright,But it started messing with his body too First his right eye got all puffy and itchy wouldn't open right Then he started leaking seawater from his skin like he was sweating salt water When the crew asked if he was okay he just said he hadn't been sleeping well washed his hands took baths,but you can't hide that kind of wetness It just seeps right through

Tenna noticed way before anyone else.He saw his first mate rubbing his eye shivering staring blankly at the water He caught all of it But he didn't push He waited for Spamton to come to him on his own

Until that day Spamton walked out of his cabin soaking wet from head to toe leaving a trail of water on the deck Everyone stopped and stared

That evening Tenna called him into the captain's quarters and shut the door

"What's going on with you"

Spamton finally told him about the crystal Told him something was rising from the ocean floor But he left out the part where he went looking for the crystal himself

"Why didn't you tell the crew?.."

"I wanted to figure out what it was first"

Tenna was quiet for a long time Then he said "If it starts taking over you need to tell me,Okay?.."

Spamton said yes But he never handed over the crystal

Things got worse after that Spamton was basically wet all the time his right eye swollen shut to a slit Crew members went to Tenna asking if the first mate was sick Tenna didn't really answer

He was stuck On one hand he wanted to trust Spamton But as captain he couldn't drag the whole crew into something only his first mate could see

Then the outpost wreckage showed up on the water Had Howling Knight markings all over it That stretch of sea was definitely not right

Tenna finally pushed as far as he could "I believe you now But I need a day to go around"

Spamton looked at him "I can't wait a day That thing is closer than I thought.."

"Can you prove that"

"No"

Tenna took a long breath Spamton read that silence loud and clear The captain was at his limit One more step and Tenna wouldn't deserve to be captain anymore

What the captain couldn't do — that was on me

Late that night Spamton stood alone on the deck His right eye was almost shut Water pooled around his feet He touched his eyelid His fingers came back salty

He went back to his cabin After a while he swallowed the crystal

He remembered something the dealer had said At the time he thought it was a threat Now he realized it was just a heads-up

"You'll remember why you did it But you won't remember what you did"

After the fight the ship was wrecked Railing snapped deck cracked water flooded the hold Crew were patching things up Nobody looked at Spamton Not because they didn't want to — they just couldn't bring themselves to

Spamton got carried to his cabin and laid up for three days

When he finally woke up the first thing he asked was "Did I hurt anyone….?"

"Some serious injuries" Tenna said "But nobody died"

Spamton closed his eyes "...I did that"

"The you that wasn't in control did that"

Spamton didn't ask anything else That answer was already enough

"...I'm sorry"

Tenna didn't take those three words He just looked at Spamton's half-shut eye stayed quiet for a while and finally said "Get your strength back first We'll talk about the rest later"

Tenna got up and left Spamton alone in that room

The door closed Spamton sat there still dripping He touched his right eye again Still swollen Still wouldn't open well

He didn't know if that eye would ever go back to how it was

He didn't know if he would either

A puddle on the floor Small & Salty