8 | "What the hell?”

Ronin’s gaze was fixated on the distant horizon as he leaned on the cruise ship’s rail, soaking in the dazzling moon hanging from the black sky, so close to diving into the ocean, but not quite there yet. It was as if the moon was too terrified to take a chance at the last minute, as if realizing that if it let it go this once, it may never recover from what it would lose in that one moment of recklessness.

The thought felt too heavy for him to keep looking at the moon or the vast sky that seemed to stretch endlessly, so he lowered his gaze and looked at the sea instead. But even though the cruise was yet to set off, and the port was satisfactorily illuminated, all he could see at the end of his visions were streaks of red, yellow and pink, reflected by the water, with the occasional sound of water beating on the metal. The cruise ship stood enormously tall, decked up like a newlywed bride, ready to load the guests and set out on an adventure for days.

A ha