The sound of waves pelting the hull of the ship drowned out the rumblings of the passengers inside. Only the flicker of candles and torches provided any lighting for the interior. The dim glow made the assortment of jewels, gold and other illustrious metals sparkle despite the darkness. The flames swayed from side to side in rhythm with the rocking of the ship, making the treasure glisten with each pass.

A howling wind pierced through the open window of the cargo room, extinguishing the main source of light. The entire room went dark. The lone man inside the hull stopped in his tracks. In his hand was a necklace with a golden chain that spilled from the palm of his hand. He lifted it closer to his face, examining the purple crystal attached to the end of it in the limited light of the moon.

“Nothing special,” he grunted in frustration before hurling the jewelry into the heap with the rest of the treasure.

A pair of large and bulky men entered the room. Both were dressed in pelts of furred animals. The makeshift robes and garments were barely long enough to cover their chest and stomach. With a synchronized heave, they tossed the large and ornate wooden chest in the corner of the room, alongside the vast array of crates, chests and loose treasures.

"Go and get another torch!" a deep and guttural voice called out. "And make it quick!" The men that carried the chest inside remained silent. They obeyed the orders, making the sound of soggy footsteps as their boots scurried across the wood flooring of the ship. In a few moments they both returned with one of the men hurriedly swapping the extinguished torch for the new one. Light returned to the room, making the heap of treasures glow again.

"Excellent," the leader said. He rubbed his hands together as his dark blue eyes scanned the hefty collection before him. "One of you," he said as he turned around to face his subordinates, "Go get something to board up that broken window! I don't want the light going out again while I'm tallying up our earnings."

"Aye!" both said before moving out of the room. Alone once more, he turned to face the treasure. He slowly took off the cape of gray fur that slung over his shoulders and placed it on the deck beside him. His upper body was bare; across his skin were intricate and curved tattoos that looked like waves that were broken up by deep scars across his sand-colored skin. With his grimy fingers, he stroked his thick and tangled dark red beard. A wicked smile formed on his face as his head slowly panned his collection from side to side.

"What a wonderful haul," he said in a low voice. Despite all the gold, ceremonial armor and unopened chests, the man's eyes drifted back towards the necklace with the purple crystal attached to it. He carefully lifted it up once more, bringing the jewel closer to his eyes. The lavender stone had a cloudy mist within it. The man took his other hand and began to adjust the stone in the light, watching the small gas trapped inside slowly move.

"Captain Eijnar!" a voice called out. The man turned around, still holding onto the necklace. His two men were behind him, neither one holding wood in their hands.

"What's the matter?" Eijnar barked. "Did you ignore my last order?"

"No, sir!" one replied. He stood up straight, looking at the captain in his eye. "We've suffered a break up on the deck! Our supply of lumber is low ever since the last battle at Taipen. We came down here for your advice."

Eijnar grunted. He wadded up the entirety of the necklace into his fist before placing it on top of the crate that his men had brought in. "Let me inspect the damage," the captain moaned. He picked up his cape from off the floor and placed it over his shoulders again. Eijnar then pushed past his men and led them through the corridor and up the steps.

With the three men gone, no sound came from the hull save for the occasional crackling of the torch that was left behind. The boat went over a steep wave, shaking and rocking the entire ship to the side. The necklace slid off the crate and onto the floor. A long crack formed within the crystal and the ominous mist seeped out through the crevice.

The mist rapidly expanded, forming a small cloud. The gas began to condense and within it, limbs began to form. A pair of small, white limbs grew out from the plump and round body. Two long, antenna-like appendages extended from the top of the entity and folded backwards. Two big black eyes formed on his front, accompanied by a comparatively small mouth. The small floating creature shook its entire body and rubbed its hands across its face. It then slowly floated towards the entryway, bobbing up and down along its path as it poked its little head just enough past the doorway to check the area.

After a short scan revealed no one else was nearby, the creature floated back to the crate that the necklace it had escaped from had fallen from. It hovered by one of the corners, staring at it.

"You can come out now!" the floating entity said with a squeaky whisper. It waited, but there was no response.

"There isn't much time!" the creature said again, only to be met with silence once more. Tired of waiting, the floating apparition rolled both of his eyes before flying directly into the side of the wooden crate. He went straight through the wooden panel as if it wasn't there. A loud and feminine shout rang out from inside the crate, followed by the lid popping off and landing on the floor.

A young woman stood straight up from her former confines. She leaned over the edge of the crate, staring back at the small, white entity that hovered in front of her face with a set of narrow, deep brown eyes. Her skin was like a golden pearl, the light of the torch making her almost glow. Her hair was a dark black and came across her shoulders and was accompanied by a bun in the back that was fastened together by a pin.

Her top was made of white lace, accompanied with a blue fabric that formed a trim. A tall blue band fastened the robe-like ensemble together. She took one hand and swatted at the floating creature, her long and flowing sleeves passing straight through the being as she swung.

"Calm down!" the ghost said quietly. He moved in closer to the young woman once she realized that swinging at it was futile. "If you make too much noise, those men might come back down here!" Even though the apparition had few facial features, it was clear by the way he frowned and his eyes opened wide that he was concerned.

"W-what are you?" the woman stammered. She took in a deep breath and began to climb out of the crate.

"My name is Yalch," the floating entity replied.

"Yalch? Are you... a ghost?" the woman said. Her voice was quiet and brittle.

"If that helps you to understand what I am, then yes, I am a ghost." Yalch tilted its face up then down, imitating a nod.

"And what do you want from me?" the woman asked. She climbed out of the box and shook off the water from the rain that had crept into her hiding place. Once her sleeves were shaken as dry as they could be, she reached down and grabbed the edges of the skirt that ended just below the knees and began to shake them dry.

"I'm going to get you out of here!" Yalch said. "I know what happened to your village. I wanted to help..." Yalch looked down at the now shattered necklace that lay across the ground. "But I was resting inside the crystal until broke. Besides, I don't think I would have been of much assistance anyway."

The young woman wrapped her arms around herself. She hunched forward and began shivering. "So what are you going to do with me? You said you were going to get me out of here, yet you claim you could have done nothing during the battle at my village!" The woman's tone became curt. "Do you know what I lost today?" Her eyes were now a deep red. Her tears mixed in with the water on her face. "I...I..." The woman pressed her face into her hands and began to sob.

"It's been a horrible day for you," Yalch said as it flew towards the crying girl. She kept her face in her hands and continued to cry. "But I can explain everything you'd like to know later. You'll... just have to trust me on this."

The woman lifted her head from her soaked sleeves to look at Yalch in the eyes. "Why should I trust you?" she muttered.

"Would you rather be left to deal with those plunderers on your own?"

The woman's sobbing stopped. "No."

"And just a reminder..." Yalch flew through the side of the crate again before reemerging from the floor next to the woman, only sticking half of its body through the wooden flooring. "I can get out of here by myself, no problem. You need me."

"This is all too much to take in," she said as she lowered herself to the ground.

Yalch darted from out of the floor and floated next to her head. "Everything will make sense once we get off this boat. I'll explain everything to you then. But for now, we have to work together." The creature extended one open palm, requesting a handshake. It eyed the woman with a big smile and even bigger eyes. "Agreed?"

The woman stared at Yalch's hand for a moment before reluctantly extending her hand out in return. Her hand slipped right through Yalch's like he was made of air.

"It's the thought that matters," the ghost said somewhat nervously. "What should I call you?"

"Miwah," the woman answered.

Art Spotlight: Miwah Lu-Hwung