Hook goes quiet, his jaw tightening, his hook clenching so hard the metal screeches. Then, suddenly, he bursts into laughter—dark, guttural, and cruel.
Hook: "A sailor doesn't curse the tide; he learns to ride it. So what? The pale goddess has deceived me. Never mind. Now she will compensate me handsomely… and she will surrender that beast-summoning shell to me."
Tinker Bell: "What makes you think she will do so? As far as I know her, she will destroy you, torture you, and make you her little puppet. But never… never will she fulfill your demands or wishes."
Hook's smile freezes, a flash of fury in his eyes. He steps closer, his voice low and venomous.
Hook: "Then I'll cut the strings myself, fairy. I've slain kings, demons, and seas that swallowed better men than me. A goddess?" He spits on the deck. She'll beg me to fulfill her wish. I will be the Lord of Seas—the man who made a goddess beg."
Tinker Bell: "What is it that you, a mere mortal, possess that a goddess desires?"
Hook's grin turns sharp.
Hook: "She is in search of Noctis's heart, a relic of uncontrollable, immense power. She had me tail the Nocti tribe for it, but before I could combat the Nocti men, something pulled us here—whatever this cursed place is."
Tinker Bell: "How can you be sure this is not Everland?"
Hook: "I've been sailing since I was in wrappers, fairy.
Smee: "Aye, and I was there! I was the one scrubbin' them dirty rags and wrappers of the captain when he was but a screamin' sea-brat! Ohh, that stinker was worse than crackin' open a can of Surströmming!"
Hook (shouting): "NOT the time, Smee!"
Hook: I know every tide and whisper of the seas like the back of my hand, and this… this place is different. Even the pale goddess cannot come here as she once did. She only haunts my dreams now—like a phantom too weak to cross."
Tinker Bell's mind churned.
This place was shaped by Selene herself… So why can't she breach her own barrier? Could it be… Noctis's power? Is it his energy that hums here? Did he forge this barrier? from within Neverland, and Selene must rely on you—this mortal—to fulfill her intentions?"
Hook smirks, rolling his shoulders back as he pulls out a coil of glowing, Aethereal Bind.
Hook: "You're sharp, fairy… but not sharp enough."
With a snap of his wrist, the Aethereal Bind unfurls, releasing Aenor from his binds. With a snap of his wrist, the Aethereal Bind unfurls, releasing Aenor from his binds. Aenor lunges forward, but Selene's shield halts him mid-strike, sparks dancing where his claws scrape the barrier.
Hook sneers: "I don't have time to entertain you, Wolfie. Once the pale goddess hands me that beast-summoning shell, I promise you—you'll have plenty of bones to devour."
Aenor snarls, his fangs bared, and slams his paws to the ground, conjuring a shimmering barrier of his own to trap Hook inside. The air ripples, glowing like molten moonlight, cutting off every escape.
Hook chuckles darkly, stepping forward as his hook pierces through the glowing veil without resistance.
"Haah! As if the thing that didn't keep me from coming in will stop me from going out."
Hook tips his hat mockingly.
Hook: "My debt to the pale goddess ends when I find the Nocti tribe. Smee! Pull the anchor! We set sail now! We'll gut every last Nocti until we find the heart she's desperate for—and when we do…" His voice darkens into a promise. "There will be a deal to make. A deal that will change our lives forever."
Tinker Bell's heart raced as she watched Hook's ship set sail, heading straight for a path of destruction. She wanted to stop him—but then she saw Peter. He was lying still, unnervingly still. When she and Aenor reached him, her breath caught—his skin had turned to liquid silver, shimmering under the moonlight, and on his forehead burned a black crescent moon. It pulsed, alive, as if Noctis himself was trying to claw his way into Peter's body.
"Moon Fairy…" the voice echoed, layered, "the chains… the chains burn. The wolf howls, but it is the sea that will devour him first. The tides will turn against you… unless you awaken the heart."
The words slipped into silence, leaving Tinker Bell shaken—half unsure if she had just heard a warning, a prophecy, or a curse.