Half-Face Franky had stood before me, trapped in his cell. I had been shouting at him, wondering where Captain Kruger had gone, asking how he had escaped. I should have known that Franky was up to something but I was too angry about the attack by the Pirates. I hadn’t noticed him pulling the piece of wire out from under his skin…. until it was too late!

The bomb had exploded inside Franky’s arm and I had been thrown backwards by it. I had crashed into the far wall and the ceiling had crumbled down on top of me. I remember lying there, conscious and in a lot of pain, as Max Decker, Mister Johns and Hazel Caress had attempted to rescue me. It had been too late. I remember feeling my life draining away from me… I was no more.

“GASP!”
Air filled my lungs, but the air was not that of oxygen. It was thick and warm. Slowly my chest began to rise and fall and a warmth hit my body. Through my closed eyelids I could sense light. Carefully I had opened my eyes and was forced to close them. I was surrounded by white light. Whiter then any light I had ever seen before. Purer then anything I could have possibly have imagined. I opened my eyes again and used my arms to try and shield me from the light. It took me a long time to become accustomed to the brightness. Eventually I managed to and tried to stand. My legs were like jelly but I forced myself to my feet.

“Hello?” I called, “Is there anyone here?”
I looked about me. All there was, was light. I began to walk in the hope of finding an end to this light and discover where I was. It felt like I walked for days… weeks even, but I came across no wall and no signs of life. I quickened my pace and began to run but still I achieved nothing. It seemed to me as though I were running in circles.

After wheat seemed like months of walking and running I gave up and fell to the floor, tears streaming down my face. I curled into a ball and slept.

My sleep was not peaceful. In my dreams I had visions of the end of the world. The sea had turned black and huge black flames roared across its surface. England was on fire. All of earth’s lands were aflame. Everywhere bodies lay, torched and burnt on the ground. Their charred faces trapped in an eternal scream of pain. I looked to the Kingston and my crew. But the ship was now a ghost ship and my friends onboard were the horrific spectral sailors!

I woke suddenly with a start. I was still lying in the bright light. Yet something was different… I could hear music. Very softly and coming from far away. This gave me an extra boost of life and I began to rush towards the sound of the music.

Once again it seemed like days but finally I reached the sound. And as I did… it stopped.
“Who played that music?” I cried out, “Who is here? Answer me!”

In the distance and walking slowly towards me I could see a figure. Silhouetted against the bright light. It walked closer towards me until whoever it was standing next to me, yet I could still not see their face.

“Hello?” I asked.

Slowly the figure held out a hand and it spoke to me…

“Hello my friend,” the figure said to me. It was the voice of a woman and one of the most beautiful voices that had ever graced my ears. When she spoke she sounded like a thousand angels were signing. “You have lost your way and have found yourself amongst us. Do not be afraid for we mean you no harm.”

The figure took a step forward revealing her face to me. I gasped. It was the face of a woman with long flowing white hair and sparkling green eyes. She was a marvel to look upon and I was forced to drop to my knees. Tears flowed from my eyes for I had never witnessed such beauty and I never knew that such beauty could exist.

“Who are you?” I managed to say.

“My name is Shynira,” she said softly. She moved her hand forward and touched my cheek, beckoning me to stand once again. “You’re life was wasted Adrian Warner,” she continued, “cut short in its prime. There was still so much for you to do in the mortal world.”

“Then I am dead,” I said slowly, “and this is… heaven?”

Shynira smiled and it warmed my heart. “No this is not heaven,” she said. “You were meant to go there but I brought you here instead. This is Lunea, also known as the White Halls. It is my realm.”

“It is a glorious place,” I admitted, “but tell me… why did you bring me here?”

“Your journey, Adrian Warner, is not yet complete,” she said, “even as we speak your crew mates are attempting to bring you back to life with the contents of a canister they found on Salt Station. It will fail for you have been dead for too long.”

I nodded my head. I knew that my crew would do everything in their power to bring me back to life. I also realised now that their efforts would be in vein. Emotions welled up inside me. This place, Lunea, seemed to bring them out in me.
I was overcome with emotions and once again I dropped to my knees. Shynira put her hands on my head and I calmed.

“Rest now,” she said, “I shall speak with you again soon. Sleep… and dream. But do not fret… for there is still hope…”

With that my eyelids dropped and, as if brought on by some spell, I fell into a long and deep sleep…

The world burned...

Flames the size of houses and blacker then the nights sky spread across the land like a plague of locust, stopping for nothing and causing devestation and terror wherever it went.
There was nothing anyone could do. No matter how hard they tried very soon the flame wound reach them and cover their bodies like it had all the bodies before them until all that remained was their charred corpses.

But their corpses did not remain silent for long. Soon they rose from the dead and follwed the fire, killing all that managed to escape the flames.

The world burned...

And the Kingston was amonst those burning horrors. I stood on the deck looking out at the dying world. There was nothing I could do. I knew that this was a dream and that I was sleeping yet something seemed a lot more real then a dream... almost as if it were real... like a vision.
I tried to extunguish the flames on the deck but it was in vein. I could do nothing but stare out at the apocalypse with fear in my eyes.
The a hand gripped my shoulder. I turned and met the dead, burning eyes of my friend Pirate Pete. Behind him stood the rest of my crew, all dead. All burning.
I turned away screaming.

The world burned...

I woke to find peace once again. I was lying on a bed, still with the white light that wa known now to me as Lunea. Shynira was here at my bedsid. She had brought me food and drink, which I ate and drank happily.

"The dream I have been having," I said, "what does it all mean?"

Shynira looked at me with sad eyes. "It is no dream," she said slowly, "all of what you have seen will come to pass. It is the future you see."

"No!" I cried and almost choked on the food, "this cannot be! Everyone was dead! There must be something that can be done?"

"The only hope the world as now lies in you Adrian Warner," came Shynira's answer. I looked at her with confusion. What could I do?
"You and your crew on the Kingston," she continued, "Devil Island is the key."

"Devil Island?" I asked. But even as I spoke I heard voices calling to me... telling me to return. I looked about but could see no one.

"It is your friends," said Shynira, "they are trying to bring you back to life! It will not work without my help. This is the only chance for you... I must grant you back you life now! But it does not come without a cost."

"A cost?" I began to get worried.

"Yes," she said, "you must stop the apolcalypse from happening, that is your mission. That is your destiny. After your work on earth is completed you will return to us where you will remain for the rest of time in peace. Is it clear to you?"

As I answered, saying that I understood, I could feel my body getting pulled away from Lunea and returning to the mortal world. I has so many questions to ask yet no time. How could we stop the apocalypse?

As Lunea became blurred as i was leaving I managed to shout out. "You mentioned Devil Island! What about Devil Island?"

Shynira turned to me. "You must..." That was all I managed to hear as I was pulled away. If I had stayed for one second longer I would have heard the end to that sentance which - "stay away from Devil Island!"

I gasped as air filled my lungs. Real air! My eyes adjusted and I saw that Iwas back in the medical bay on the Kingston. Yet my mind had changed, as if part of me had been left behind in Lunea.
I knew now what I had to do. I had to stop the apocalypse. But how? I also knew that if and when I managed it I would leave this earth and return to Lunea. My mortal life would be ended. I would never see my friends or my family again. I thougnt of my daughter Alice and wished I had more time.

Saving the world would have a high price...