Another Life, Another World, Another Ending

The ink on the page was dry, but Daniel traced his fingers over the words one last time.

REMEMBER THIS. FIND KAIA.

It had to work.

The silver coin had made it through before. If he could leave something in the dream this time, if his dream-self could find it, then he would have more assurance of control.

The weight of exhaustion finally pulled at him. His limbs grew heavy, his mind slipping past the edge of consciousness.

As the real world faded, Daniel clung to one last thought:

Don't forget.

And then, he was gone.

*****

The crash of waves jolted him awake.

The wind howled, whipping against his face, as salt spray stung his skin.

Daniel's eyes snapped open. He was no longer in his bed.

He was on a ship.

His footing adjusted instantly as the deck swayed beneath him, his hands gripping the wooden railing with a practiced ease that belonged to someone else. Above him, massive black sails strained against the force of the wind. The smell of the sea was thick, the sky an ominous shade of deep gray.

Shouts rang through the air as crew members hurried across the deck, securing ropes and bracing for the oncoming storm. The ship rocked violently, but none of them looked afraid.

Because this was their life.

And he was their captain.

A name rose in his mind, as clear as if it had always been there.

Captain Daniel Crowe.

The most feared smuggler in the Northern Seas. A man whispered about in taverns, hunted by the royal navy, known for slipping through the tightest noose like a phantom.

This was his world.

Except it wasn't.

Daniel inhaled sharply, gripping the railing harder. His mind swam with memories that weren't his—yet they felt like they were. They came rushing in like the tide, overwhelming and unstoppable. The years he had spent at sea. The battles. The impossible escapes. The betrayals.

But he wasn't just Daniel Crowe.

He was himself.

And he was here for a reason.

The message.

Somewhere on this ship, his past self had left him something. A sign. A clue.

And he had to find it before this world collapsed.

A man appeared at his side, as familiar as his own reflection.

"Captain!"

Daniel turned to face First Mate Calloway, his most trusted second-in-command. Calloway was older, hardened by years at sea, with a thick beard and a long scar running from his temple down to his jaw. His sharp gray eyes scanned the approaching storm with wary precision.

"Storm's rolling in fast," Calloway said, voice gruff. "We can't outrun it. Do we brace or cut south?"

Daniel hesitated.

His instincts, the dream's instincts told him to navigate, to command, to sail this ship through treacherous waters like he had done a thousand times before.

But his real self?

His real self knew none of this mattered.

Not the ship. Not the storm. Not even the men who called him Captain.

Because when the time limit ends, this world would end.

And they would all be gone.

Daniel forced himself to focus.

"I need to check something first," he said. "Hold course."

Calloway frowned. "Captain?"

Daniel ignored him, striding across the deck. His eyes scanned every surface, the masts, the ropes, the barrels, searching for something that didn't belong.

Then, just as he passed the main mast—

He saw it.

A scrap of parchment, nailed hastily into the wood, fluttering wildly in the wind.

Daniel's heart pounded.

He ran for it, yanking it free, fingers shaking as his eyes scanned the words.

The ink was smudged from sea spray, but it was still readable.

REMEMBER THIS.

FIND KAIA.

The world blurred.

For a single moment, everything stopped.

The storm. The ship. The waves. The voices.

Daniel stared at the note, his breath coming fast.

It worked.

The dream had tried to erase him, but he had fought back.

He had left himself a sign.

He had won.

But as soon as the realization hit, a chill crawled down his spine.

Because the air had changed.

The sky had darkened further.

And someone was watching him.

Lightning cracked across the sky.

A whisper drifted through the storm, barely audible over the crashing waves.

"You're breaking the rules again, Daniel."

His breath caught.

He turned slowly.

A figure stood at the bow of the ship.

Tall. Wrapped in a long, tattered coat, its hood drawn low over its face.

Daniel knew exactly what it was.

It was the same being that had spoken to him when he stole the coin.

The same thing that lurked between dreams.

The same thing that had warned him before.

Daniel gritted his teeth. His fingers clenched around the note.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

The figure didn't move.

"You were supposed to forget," it said. Its voice was low, distorted—like the wind carried more than one voice at once.

Daniel stepped forward. "Not this time."

He held up the note. "I remembered."

A long silence.

Then—

The figure tilted its head.

"Interesting."

And just as Daniel took another step toward it—

The world shifted.

For a brief, flickering moment, the ship was gone.

And Daniel was somewhere else.

A city of glass and metal, crumbling under fire.

A desert stretching endlessly beneath a sky with two suns.

A small home, warm, filled with laughter, where a girl's voice called his name—

Then—SNAP.

He was back.

The ship. The storm. The howling wind.

The figure was gone.

But its words still echoed in Daniel's mind.

"You never learn."

Daniel's pulse pounded.

The storm was getting worse.

The ship lurched, sending barrels tumbling across the deck.

Daniel barely noticed.

Because his mission was clear now.

He had left a message. He had remembered.

And now?

Now, he needed answers.

The first mate called out again, but Daniel was already moving toward his cabin, toward whatever other clues this world had to offer.

The storm raged. The ship trembled.

And Daniel knew, deep in his bones—

This world wouldn't last much longer.

But before it collapsed?

He was going to learn everything he could.