"How do I leave this place?"
Shade asked, holding the photograph between his fingers.
"You can't escape! Once you board our ship, no one can escape! Servants of the Spiral, followers of the Crimson Moon, the Fishbone Pirate Ship that rides the eye of the storm, salute the great Lord of the Scarlet Spiral! Praise You! Sing Your glory!"
The hoarse voice shrieked hysterically. The photograph suddenly strained to break free from Shade's hand, but this time, he held it firmly.
"I'll only ask once. How do I leave this place?"
"It's impossible to leave! No one can ever leave! Oh!"
The sword blade stabbed forward again. This time, it seemed intent on cutting the entire photograph in two. The voice within immediately changed its tune.
"Find the captain! Find the captain! Only it knows how to leave! Over these thousands of years, everyone who left this place went to find the captain!"
It struggled again, trying to fly out of Shade's hand, but Shade refused to let go. The glimmer from the greatsword in his hand lit his face as he narrowed his eyes at the increasingly bedraggled man in the photograph.
"You're a crewman on this ship? What happened to this ship?"
"Everyone went mad! Everyone went mad! The captain sought power from a great being, hoping to become the strongest Pirate King. Then that power devoured us, granting us immortal forms and making us unable to escape. This ship exists for one purpose only: to hunt for My Lord. No one can escape! Not even the captain can escape!"
It laughed madly within the photograph. The woman's voice by his ear gave a quiet warning, and Shade immediately released the photograph. This time, however, it did not fly away. It hovered in the air amid its laughter