The Main Realm was a crossroads of existence—a place where souls simply appeared, untethered from their pasts.

Among its jagged landscapes stood an unlikely alliance: the gaunt, cadaverous Captain Hook and the cold, calculating Blackbeard. Rivals by nature, they were now bound by a singular purpose: to stop two children from wading into waters far deeper than they could survive.

Karinne and Kylo hurried toward the mountain that loomed on the frozen edge of Winterland. They were seeking a legend—an eponymous pirate king, the undisputed sovereign of the Seven Seas.

Tales spoke of an ancient saber and a monstrous, giant creature with a single, terrifying tooth. These were the hallmarks of the most fearsome being in the realms, known only as…

“I can’t remember his name,” Kylo admitted, his voice shivering in the mountain air.

“His name isn’t important,” Karinne reassured him, her eyes darting around. “In fact, I’m glad you forgot. We must not speak it.”

“Because he’ll come for us? Before we can reach him?”

“Exactly. And if he finds us first…” She trailed off, shaking her head.

“Toothycat! Toothycat!” a voice chirped from ahead. Dora was skipping along the path, seemingly oblivious to the tension. “Toothycat, where are you?”

“Toothycat?” the other two repeated in a shocked unison. “Who on earth is that?”

“My talking buddy from Wonderland,” Dora replied casually. “My sister used to live there.”

“And who is your sister?” Karinne asked, her suspicion growing.

Dora turned, her expression one of mild surprise. “Why, it’s Alice, of course. I thought you knew.”

“No… you never mentioned that. But then again, nothing here is what it seems.”

“Stop right there!”

A dark, gravelly voice boomed from the shadows of the road ahead. The children froze. Emerging from the mist were two pirate captains, their silhouettes tall and menacing, blocking the path like twin towers of iron.

In the blink of an eye, Dora vanished. One moment she was there; the next, she had evaporated into the thin mountain air as the pirates approached.

“You will go no further!” Captain Hook declared, his hook glinting in the pale light. “This path leads only to heartbreak and misery.”

“Who are you to stop us?” Karinne snapped, her jaw set. “We’re looking for the only one who knows how to bring people back from the Other Dimension.”

“And my father!” Kylo added defiantly. “I haven’t seen him since the Great Storm.”

“Then this is your lucky day,” Hook said, his gaze softening as he looked down at the boy.

Hook was a man of many masks. At the Academy, he had been Captain Youthful; to those who truly loved him, he was Killian Jones. He was Kylo’s father, and he had never been taken by the rift. But standing there in his grim disguise, he couldn’t let his son see the truth—not yet.

“Your lucky day,” he repeated.

Kylo narrowed his eyes, confused. “What do you mean?”

“Follow the trail to the mountain’s peak. The legends and the gold may be there, but beware of what lurks in the—”

“Thank you!” Karinne interrupted, grabbing Kylo’s arm. “We have to move. Now.”

“Wait!” Kylo called back, glancing over his shoulder. “Your voice… it sounds so familiar. What is your name?”

Hook remained silent, a pained shadow crossing his face. “I promise you, son: you will find your father. In due time. Farewell.”

The children pressed on. After they had covered a quarter-mile, Dora flickered back into existence beside them.

“What was that all about?” she asked. “The pirates, I mean?”

“How should we know?” Karinne muttered.

“A distraction,” Kylo stated firmly. “They wanted to lead us astray, but we won’t be fooled.”

Dora nodded slowly. “Right!”

Karinne looked at the boy, a seed of doubt planting itself in her mind. “Are you a hundred percent sure about that?”

“Trust me, Princess,” Kylo said. “I know these things.”

They reached the base of the mountain, where the jagged mouth of a cave yawned open, waiting for them. As the children stepped into the darkness, they didn’t see the change in their companion.

Dora lingered at the entrance, a slow, creepy smile spreading across her face. She stayed in the light as the others were swallowed by the gloom.

“It’s the end of the path,” she thought, her eyes glinting with a sudden, sharp malice. “This is where the real fun begins.”