I had got accustomed to the scream. The next thing I saw was a bloodied crewman dashing into the canteen and immediately collapsing on a table. A few men sitting around me jolted up, threw a glare at me for bring them such misfortune and ran to help the poor guy. It started the day right after I went on board Arcadia, the legendary ghost ship which captain was said to be more than a century old. Each day a man would disappear and a few days later he would reappear in places that he shouldn't be, screaming for help with something missing and finally dying in pain with their eyes wide open with horror. The crew, although not religious, after a few months started to suspect that I did those. I neither acknowledge nor deny it; if I said yes, I would be killed for killing my fellow crewmates, but if I said no, they would think that I was hiding something.

This time, however, was a little bit different from before. Looking up from the table, blood flowed out from the man's eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth. A big, ugly wound went across his chest and abdomen directly, some of the organs shoved in some places that didn't belong to them. I swore I could see some intestine showing. One man who went to help threw up. I expected the poor guy to die right there, like the crewmen before him, but he didn't. His bloody eyes were fixed on mine.

'It's the captain!' he shouted to me, blood bubbling up his lips. 'Don't listen to him!' With a last breath, he collapsed on the table again, the body going limp. The men looked dazed, standing there frozen, so again it was my job to clean up. After dragging the body to the infirmary, I returned to the canteen to clean up and found Miss Masu already doing the job, cursing me under her breath. I decided to go to captain's quarters to report it to him. I told him all I knew except the man's last words.

'Have you seen the bodies?' the captain asked when I wanted to leave.

'Every single one of them.'

'Then...is there anything wrong about them?'

'It seems that they were tortured to death. All of them got some of their body parts cut off alive without being anaesthetised.'

An expression I recognised as terror flashed across the captain's face and was gone as fast as the red lightning produced by the cloud of dark matter, however his voice did not waver, 'What?'

'All of them have part of their bodies cut off when they can still feel it.'

Before captain could keep me in the room even longer, I left the room. I hated to admit it, but the man's words disturbed me a lot.

The following week was the same. The remaining seven crewmen disappeared and were brutally murdered.

Which means I was the only one left. Pressing the button, I watched the coffin being sent out and was left behind in the void. I turned and found the alien standing a metre or two behind me.

'What did the man say?' she asked calmly. Of course she was referring to him - only he said anything about the Murderer before his death.

'Well, as the captain's closest companion, I think you should know,' I said with a heavy amount of sarcasm. 'Like usual. You know everything that happens in this,' I tapped my foot on the hard metal floor, 'cursed piece of metal.'

'I need your help,' she pleaded. 'He doesn't know what he was doing.'

'Then why didn't you stop him?' I took a step forward, letting the anger boil. 'And what in this fucking universe is he fucking DOING?'

'That's why I need your help,' she said. 'Even I don't know what he's up to!'

'Then tell me what you know, you bitch!'

Tears flowed down her pale blue-green face. 'Even Tochiro doesn't know what Harlock's doing!'

That surprised me. The engineer and the captain were best friends, and captain told him about everything that happened. He was also the one who managed all cabins in Arcadia, including those secret ones, so he was supposed to know everything. And now even that genius didn't know...so...

Shit.

'Please, just help me. I don't know what to do this time. I tried to get into his mind but I couldn't. I - '

'Alright! Alright!' I facepalmed. I lowered my voice. 'I'll help. I don't want to get killed either.'

I woke up early the next day, so I went to the bridge just for normal checkings. That was when I heard a scream. Careful not to make any sound, I tiptoed quickly to the upper bridge and discovered a horrible sight.

Captain was trying to stuff the alien into the engine. I could not see his eye from my angle. But I was sure it was filled with something twisted. The screams stopped, and the only evidence of living of the alien was a few fireflies which were later absorbed by the engine.

Captain looked at my direction, and then I leapt, the lower-than-usual gravity letting me cling to one of the pipes on the ceiling. I crawled on the pipe, squeezing myself as thin as possible. An accident made me lost most of my memories, but I still remembered a teacher who taught me how to hide myself. I had thought he was worrying that the sky would fall down, but now I was grateful of the trainings. I jumped across several pipes, dived into a vent a second before captain could see me and finally arrived at the quarters of the man who said something before he died. He had to know something.

I rolled forward when I landed, making as little noise as possible. Hacking into his computer, I opened a few of the most oddly-named files and discovered some photos and recordings.

The most creepy one of them sounded like someone running breathlessly. Another person chased behind him. A door slid open and and made an attempt to shut, but it was jammed by the chaser. It was pushed open. The invader stepped in. The door slid shut and locked. A few gunshots. A blade was drawn from its sheath. There was a scream, but that wasn't the end.

'Phantom.'

It was my name. Well, at least part of it - my full name was Phantom F. O.-H. That's all I remembered about myself. You might ask me, 'Why don't you search for yourself?' I had, but everything about my past was destroyed, only the skills I had learnt and the not-so-complete name.

The one who spoke was the captain.

There was a snap, and that's the end of the recording. Now I had everything I needed to know, so I shut down the device as quick as possible. Having memorised the recording already, I didn't bother saving it to a USB. I dared not use the main hallway, so I climbed back into the dusty vent and wriggled my way to the central computer. I had to tell the engineer about it.

My plan failed. When I finally arrived and was sure my lung had been heavily damaged, I peeked through the hole and saw captain talking to his dearest friend. Normal crewmen couldn't understand the beeps let out from the computer, but for some reason I could. I had listened to him talking in the chapel for many times, but the content this time was different as well.

'I have finished it, my love,' captain's voice was laced with a kind of tenderness which was usually reserved for lovers. 'Then...we can finally reunite.'

What do you mean? Finished what? Haven't we reunited? The engineer asked.

'I...I get a present for you. And also for Phantom's sake.'

What present, Harlock? Never heard of it.

'...

'I want it to be...a...um...surprise.'

Silence.

Alright, Harlock, I'll search every room in Arcadia.

'You wish, Tochiro.'

Captain left, acting like nothing had happened. I waited for a moment.

You may come out now.

I pushed the barrier out and jumped down. 'He killed them.'

Silence.

'You know a person told me not to trust him before he died.'

Silence.

'File "Survival Game No.4". Go check it.'

Okay.

Long silence.

So it's real…

I couldn't think of anything to say.

Do you remember anything about your life before coming on board?

'The skills someone taught me. My odachi. That I'm Phantom F. O.-H. Nothing more.'

Silence. Then something clicked into my mind - Harlock had called the engineer 'my love', and the name of the engineer was...was…

...Tochiro Oyama. And people kept saying that I looked strangely like captain.

You realise that, don't you? What O.-H. stands for.

'Oyama-Harlock.'

Silence. I decided to think of that later.

'I think he's constructed a new body for you.'

What?

'Yes, using the body parts of the crewmen.'

If he's actually doing that, I should know!

'But you don't. That's the truth.'
Silence.

'You couldn't stop the tragedy from happening.'

I…

'So help me. Now Miime's dead, you become the only person I can rely on. Understand?'

I...I do.

'No matter what, I'm going to search Arcadia thoroughly. Now. Without question. Even if the captain is my own father, he has to pay for what he had done to my crewmates. And you are going to back me up.'

Silence.

I sighed. 'I don't know what you two are, but if you love captain, you need to tell him what is right. Allowing him to do whatever he wants is killing him.'

After a moment of silence, my possible-father opened the door for me. I unsheathed my odachi and went out holding it tight.

The computer (I still prefer calling them 'the engineer' and 'captain', since I just knew the truth about half an hour ago) instructed me to go inside a wall, the place where captain had disappeared. I walked straight through it and found myself in darkness. The odachi let out a faint greenish light which I was for once grateful of. I put the thought of my only weapon being a cursed blade aside. No use scaring myself in this condition.

'Now, where should I go?' I asked in my heart, knowing the computer could hear me. There was no reply, which was not in my expectation. The signal should cover more than that. I took off my intercom and realised that the signal was blocked.

I cursed under my breath in a language that I shouldn't know (which meant I did) and proceeded slowly in the darkness. It was so quiet that I swore captain could hear my heartbeat at the other end of the corridor. Although I held my blade high, I still couldn't see the ceiling. The texture of the walls were rough like unpolished rocks, reminding me of the Mayan temples I had seen in books. The air was damp like I was really in a jungle. The ground was made out of dirt, another substance which presence was against any sense, either common or not. There was even a few strand of grass at the edges of the wall. The light made me felt as if seeing through a pair of night vision goggles.

I ascended along the sloping floor, trying hard not to think about who or what was waiting for me at the end. This place should not exist, I was sure, it never should be. But that made sense - it looked perfect for secret rituals.

'What are you doing here, captain?' I asked under my breath.

A chill rolled up my spine, and a drop of cold sweat rolled down my face. Although the temperature was not low enough for me to consider as cold, I shivered. I felt I had done something wrong.

'Captain' may not be the closest title, Phantom F. Oyama-Harlock, captain's voice echoed around the corridor. You know who I am now, so why come with your weapon raised high?

'I come here not to see you, captain,' I shouted as I continued to walk, 'but for vengeance for my crewmates!'

Vengeance, huh? the captain's laugh was cold. Which is more important, friendship or family? I saw that you don't get along with my crew well anyway, so I don't let them interrupt our business. Ours, Phantom, not just mine.

'And get a body for Tochiro, right?' I yelled. That name just popped up in my head, and I immediately remembered that it was the first name of the engineer.

It's for us, my child. I hope you understand.

'Well, I don't get the point of that if it's based on the blood of so many people. They are innocent and know nothing of this. There are many ways to solve a problem, and you just choose the worst one. Show up, coward. I don't care if you are my father; you need to pay for your own sins.'

Silence. I proceeded, not waiting for the captain to answer. The air got cooler and cooler as I went in further and my fears increase. The walls were stained with dried blood, one thing I was sure of from the smell. Some places looked as if a fire had burnt there, darkened by the ash. I took each step slower and slower, careful not to make any noise.

I finally saw light at the far end but dared not run. I instead scraped the wall with my blade, making a rather unpleasant voice. I waited for a response.

It came in the form of a slam on my back which knocked me onto the floor. I twisted just enough for me not to crush my nose. Fortunately my blade remained in my grip. Smokeless torches high above us lit up automatically.
'Vengeance?' the captain came into my view with his sabre drawn. I jumped up, holding the blade between us. 'Do you know what else I have done, not only to my crew, but to humanity? You you know how long I - we - have waited for you? Do you know the pain of losing the only person you care in the entire universe?'

'No,' I answered honestly. I had to fight against the urge to stab him right away. 'However I also doubt your power against,' the odachi let out a green glow, forming the outline of a short person named Tochiro Oyama, 'this.'

The captain's face changed, but before I could see it clearly, he started to launch attacks at me furiously, forcing me backwards. Our blades clashed hard, sliding next to each other and the force nearly making us fall over. We turned at the same time, barely blocking each other's attack. His attack went for my hand, obviously wanting to get my - no, Oyama's - odachi. I found a small hole on the wall and leapt high up, holding on the wall like a spider. I indeed gained myself some time to relax before counter-attacking the captain from above. He was knocked down to his back, his sabre clattering onto the floor and sliding out from his reach. I pinned him onto the floor, Tochiro forming next to me. The brown eye was filled with anger and disappointment.

'You don't deserve the blade,' he said. 'You don't understand it. I can't see the spirit.'

I looked at Tochiro. He was there, looking back at me. So captain could not see him?

'The spirit chooses who can see him, Harlock, not the owner of the blade. It's you who do not understand.'

His eye widened just by one fraction. He asked weakly, 'Tochiro… He's...here?'

He did not wait for me to answer. He lunged himself at me and I kicked off, landing behind him. I broke off into a dash, heading towards the alter. Tochiro returned to the odachi, giving me a dim light. Then I saw it - his body placed on an alter. The archway was low, perhaps barely enough for captain to pass without bumping his head. The room was low-ceilinged, and my blade scraped the top. I turned, blocking his attack.

'You don't understand!' he yelled at me. Retracting his blade, he went for my foot, which I blocked with the odachi and brought it to chest-level. 'How long do you think I have waited for you? How long do you think I have waited for redemption? A whole century, Phantom. One. Hundred. Years. Longer than you ever live, right?'

I pushed his sabre away. The tip went for my neck, and I dodged just enough to let the cut not kill me. Blood flowed out from the wound, and he raised his sabre, ready for kill. Good. At least part of his plan would be ruined.

The engineer chose that time to come out and slammed the captain on his shoulder, knocking him over. My hand seemed to be bewitched by some magic, moving on its own and slicing deep on his body. I righted myself and found him lying on the floor, the sabre lost somewhere far out in the corridor. The cut ran from his left shoulder to his right waist, a dark, wet gash that would take his life in a few minutes. His hand fumbled for something hung on his belt, grasping it and pulled it out.

'Here, take this,' he held it towards me. It was the activator of the 100 dimensional oscillators. I knelt down next to him and took his hand in mine. It was cold. 'One day, if you realise you're making the same mistake, or when you realise that you can't change the world...don't hesitate to press this. I have waited long enough.'

I took the activator and stood up. His focus turned towards the door at the other side of the alter. His hand reached towards it. 'Tochiro…'

I thought I saw his finger touch a green mist, and then it turned limp dropped onto the floor. There was a smile on his pale face, and his eye was closed. I sheathed my odachi and opened the door, the activator still in my hand.

The light blinded me. I couldn't see a thing around me. I felt the activator slip from my hand, and I let it go.

Right, I also had waited long enough. I had been eager to search for my family, travelling around the universe just to find a clue of my origin. And when I finally did...you know what happened. I let the light consume me. It didn't hurt; instead, it was relaxing, just like being embraced. I closed my eyes and drifted off into deep slumber.

A.D. 2699, earth

I woke up under a bright light and found myself lying on a tree branch. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes and hopped down. The hilly landscape was decorated with several bungalows and farms, and the sky was stained orange from the setting sun behind the hills. It was Heiligenstadt, my hometown.

My eyes caught a door open, and I saw Father coming out.

He closed his hands around his mouth. 'Phantom! Essen ist fertig!' he shouted in German, a language I knew since I was born.

I mirrored his move. 'Kommen!' I yelled back. I ran down the hill, slamming into him as he wrapped his arms around me and turned a full circle. He put me down, a wide grin on his face. The ugly scar didn't bother him at all. We entered the house and found Dad already sitting before the table and had started eating. 'Finally back?'

Father righted his thick glasses and sat down. 'You have eyes to see.' Dad laughed, smacking Father's cheek.

After we had finished dinner, I helped wash the dishes, and then we went out for a walk. We held a small competition, the first to arrive at the top of the hill should be the winner. I won, Father came next and at last Dad, who was already covered with sweat and was panting when he arrived. We lay down on the grass and watched the Milky Way move across the sky, accompanied by thousands of tiny fireballs. Father started telling stories about the stars and constellations. Dad complained how unscientific those stories were, but the smile on his face and their holding hands betrayed him.

'The stars are beautiful tonight,' I muttered.

Dad looked at me. 'I thought you've been looking at the same sky for nearly twenty years?'

Father laughed. 'Like you're still the nerd I met in primary school.'

'Hey!'

I watched my parents roll down the hill with a smile on my face. I lay down and rolled as well.