Later, the sky submerged in blue.
Four men sit at the long silk-white table they use for dinner. All eat an ungodly amount of eggs as they chat amongst each other.
"Wait, Malik, so how did you know you could pull something off like that?" Zayne said, pouring copious amounts of syrup on his eggs.
"I didn't," he responded, looking at his plate with a look of disgust.
Zayne persisted. "Yo, what? So you're saying you just did that out of the blue? No training or nothing—"
"Zayne!" Lias barked. "Leave the poor guy alone. It doesn't matter how he did it. What matters is that we're all here in one piece."
Kamil leans in, his frog charm dangling. "I agree, Lias, but still, we can't just gloss past everything that happened. I mean, we haven't had an incident like that in years, much less two back-to-back."
"I get it, but in both instances, Malik really pushed past anything we could do," Zayne responded.
Malik muttered, "Well, I'd say that it was sheer luck."
"So . . . you're saying luck could have me facing down enemies like that?" Zayne asked.
". . . They're not enemies, man," Malik said, monotonal.
Noticing, Kamil blurted, "But yeah, we've had quite some misfortune. Let's just all be glad that we're here, like Lias just said."
Silence emanated. They ate quietly for a moment until—
Clink.
Malik lays a sharp object on the table. He gently drops it, as if it would break the table if he threw it.
He utters, "I don't blame myself for our fortune. I blame this . . ."
Lias peers closer, swaying his side-part. "Did you get another blade? That one looks like it cuts you if you stare too hard."
"I cleaned it. I wasn't really expecting it to be that color, though," Malik said.
"And you say that's the reason we're here today?" Kamil added.
Malik shrugged. "I can't say for sure, but I know that it's one of the reasons."
Continuing, "And I'd say another reason I was able to do all that was because of you guys."
Zayne softly spoke, "You really mean it?"
"Dude, stop. I'm not mad at you." Malik punched his shoulder lightly. "I'd never be mad at any of you guys."
Cracking a smile, Zayne pointed at the blade. "So, who's the deciding factor? Me, your best friend in the whole wide world, or this blade?"
Malik snickered. "Uhm . . . neither. The blade's just a tool, and, well—you're just, you know, you."
Suddenly, laughter echoed across the table. The men teared up as they couldn't contain it any longer.
Zayne, still laughing, tried to pick up the blade to make a joke, but when he tried . . .
Nothing.
It wouldn't budge, as if it were stuck to the table. Moving his arm back, he continued laughing, quieter than the rest.
Then Malik, with his eyes closed, grabbed it. He put it back in his pocket like a feather.
Zayne locked his eyes on Malik, and the noise slightly died down.
"Hah! Zayne, you really got me crying out here," Malik said, wiping off tears.
Lias added, smirking, "That's why he's our brother, you know."
"Ahh, you really can't forget a man like him. He's irreplaceable. Like when he got scared scraping the barnacles off the ship's walls," Kamil gleamed.
Zayne laughed lightly, looking down, pondering. "Ha. Yeah, yeah . . ."
Lias noticed quickly. "Something wrong, Zayne?"
. . .
"No, no. Everything's just cool . . . . . is what I would say if I was lying to you all. I've had a lot of things on my mind."
The rest listened closer. Malik especially kept a worried look.
Zayne gulped. "You know, I'm scared. I'm scared of everything now. I know this isn't how I'm like, but I wanted to get that off my chest."
"Scared of what exactly?" Lias asked.
"I've said too much. I spoiled the mood, didn't I? Way to go, Zayne," Zayne said, pathetically.
Kamil laid his hands on the table. "Zayne. We're family. You don't gotta tell us if you don't wanna, but we'd appreciate it."
Zayne felt their eyes. "I'm scared of losing everything. Everything I love."
He paused. "I don't want to lose you guys. And I feel like even if we were in a situation like that again, I'd be powerless to do anything. I'm just a janitor, aren't I?"
Malik placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're not powerless, man. You never were."
"You're not getting it, Malik. I'm useless. I mean, I got a poor mother back at home whom I haven't seen in years. What's she gonna think when I don't come home one day? What if I'm too weak to do anything at all? Then what?"
Lias sighed. "Zayne, you've made us laugh. You've given heart to the crew."
"Yeah, and what more have I done? Heart can only go so far. What if our luck runs out, huh? What if my heart just isn't enough anymore?"
. . .
Clenching his fists, "It was enough for me, you idiot! You saved my life . . . don't you remember?" Lias barked.
Zayne looked away. "I didn't mean it like that."
"So that heart—that gave you the guts to save me when I had given up, it's not enough? That's the lowest blow you could say to my face, dude. And around Kamil too?" Lias insisted, his pale face turning bright red.
". . . Only you were in danger, Lias. You shouldn't try to guilt-trip him," Kamil added in a low voice.
"But that hurts, Zayne. How can you just look me in the eye and say something like that? After all we've been through?" Lias said, upset.
"I-I'm sorry, man. I've just been feeling pathetic. I didn't know you still remembered. You aren't mad at me, right?" Zayne said.
"I saw the light as I was going out, and then I saw you. You carried me out of that place when you didn't have to. Nobody else had the strength to carry me out—but you did."
He paused. ". . . How could I ever be mad at you, bro?" Lias said, laughing lightly.
Simultaneously, they both got up. They hugged each other tightly—like men, like brothers. Brothers that couldn't let go.
"I'm sorry, Lias. I never knew you looked at it that way," Zayne said, sniffling.
"You never look, you fool," Lias smiled warmly. "Now let go. This is getting awkward."
They patted each other on the back, then both sat back down. They continued to chow down on their breakfast. Zayne poured more syrup.
Kamil swallowed. "You know, the more I remember how we made it here today, the more I appreciate the little things that happened. I wonder where we'd be if we weren't on this ship."
Zayne scoffed. "I'd be stacking up cash to get my mom out of the huts of Mala. You know—find better places to be. Realistically, I'd be slaving it out somewhere."
Kamil added, "I'd be a journalist for both Mala and Zi Jin Cheng. Of course, I'd also raise a frog."
Lias scratched his fork on the plate. "Well, I'd probably be welding on the outskirts of who knows where. It really is a luxury to be here—ironically."
Malik continued eating silently, then Kamil interrupted him.
"Well, what about you, Malik? Where would you be if you weren't on this ship?" he said.
Malik's eyes widened. "W-Well, uhm . . . I haven't really thought about that question."
"Oh, c'mon. Hours staring out there and you haven't thought about it? Not even once?" Lias commented.
"Honestly, I think there wouldn't have been much for me out there. But if we're being real, I'd walk the lands and be as far away from this place as possible."
"Well, even on land, I know you'd make a hell of an athlete, my man. A hell of a living, wouldn't you say?" Zayne said, shaking Malik playfully.
"You don't like the ocean, Malik? I'd figure you liked it the most out of us all," Kamil asked lightly.
"It's not that I don't like it. It's just that I've had enough of it in my life. And I know there's more for me on land. More people, more places, more . . . opportunities," Malik muttered low.
"Well, let's be real. We're stuck with each other here for now. So why not try to enjoy it? It's not like things are gonna stay the same forever, you know," Zayne said, lightening the mood.
Malik laughed. "Yeah . . . yeah."
Kamil cleared his throat. "Well, boys—no. Men. Let's not discuss what would've happened. That's a fantasy. Instead, let's discuss what will happen."
He continued, raising his fork. "So, let's make a toast. For our futures. And for our prosperity!"
At the same time, they all raised their forks and made the toast.
Clink.
Most of them finished breakfast, but they kept talking, kept joking, and kept on laughing.
"Oh, you guys are done with breakfast? For now—more syrup!" Zayne yelled, pouring more.
In unison, the rest shouted, "Damn it, Zayne!" Beneath their shouts, they still smiled warmly.
Zayne kept a sly grin. "What? Don't tell me you guys are scared, it's just a little syrup."