What lurks within the abyss?
Deep beneath Earth's expansive oceans, there exists a race of people unbeknownst to most humans, who live in an underwater realm all their own- the Seafolk. An ancient evolutionary offshoot of human beings, these mysteri...
After leaving the frigid Antarctic waters behind us, Chrystal and I ventured back out into the open sea. We had no destination in mind, we didn't even know where we were headed, but no matter what came our way, as long as we had each other, we knew we would be okay. We drifted aimlessly, letting the swaying motions of the waves carry us along like true jellyfish. We grasped each other's hands as we floated through the vast blue.
After fighting for our lives for so long and inadvertently toppling a monarchy, neither of us wanted to be tied down by the orders of authority any longer. We couldn't go back to the coral city, to Princess Tamayori, only to bow before her once more, and head out again on another perilous journey the very next day. It wasn't worth it. Not after everything we had lost, including our innocence. While the comfort and safety of the kingdom may have been preferable, to us, we valued our freedom more.
I squeezed Chrystal's hand a little tighter. "I've been thinking...I don't think Princess Tamayori ever intended us to come back to her, did she? Prince Stellaris told me that he had never even heard of Princess Tamayori, let alone any hint of a marriage proposal or a unity between the kingdoms. Maybe she was trying to get rid of us..."
Chrystal sighed. "I guess it's not that far-fetched. Her Majesty's always had problems with me, my temper has never really been the best. Let's just say...the first time we met wasn't the first I had lashed out in front of her.
But why you? You were so loyal to her, you'd give up your life if she ordered you to. Why would she have saved you when you were little if she was just gonna get rid of you later anyway?"
"I suppose I can't truly say for sure," I replied. "But still...I wasn't an ordinary servant to her. I practically worshiped Her Majesty. True, I would have done nearly anything in her service, but it wasn't just about mere loyalty. No, I think that deep down inside of me...I was in love with her. I wanted to give all my love to Her Majesty, and perhaps she found it troublesome...so maybe she assumed that ridding herself of such a burden would be easier. That's the only explanation I can think of, but even if it's wrong, it doesn't change anything now. We have no masters any longer. We are servants to no one. What we do with our lives now is up to us and nobody else."
Sprawled out on my back, I gazed up to the hazy azure, where dim rays of sunlight filtered through the water. I only got to see the beautiful blue sky in its full glory once. I wanted to see it again, with Chrystal. I dreamed of sharing that magical sight with her, in joy rather than fear. Glancing down the length of my body, I noticed my tentacles were much shorter than they had once been, about half their original length. A lot of them had been partway digested in my attempt to free myself from Prince Stellaris' innards, but they would grow back in due time.
But even with Chrystal and I together, something was missing. A hole in my heart that could never be filled. "I miss Kale," I sniffled. "It's so quiet without him...I wish he was still here with us..."
Chrystal pulled me in closer. "I miss him too. I never thought I'd say that, but...you're right. It really is so much quieter with him not here...I don't like it. I'm not a friendly person, I always push people away...but when all three of us were traveling together, even when I complained...I felt happy. For once in my life, I didn't feel so alone. Sometimes, there are people in your life that you just can't replace. You try the best you can, but it'll never be enough. You just have to keep on living, for their sake and your own."
I nodded. "That's true...if Gaghiel is truly the Angel of the Sea, our creator...I hope Kale went to be with him. I hope he's happy, wherever his spirit is now. Maybe his soul is still wandering along with us, and we just don't notice...at least it helps me feel better."
This world was a mysterious, unfathomable place. Creatures as small as us couldn't hope to understand even a fraction of it. Whether it was the endless black abyss of the deep sea, the diverse expanse of the realms on dry land, or even beyond, there was no way for us to fully comprehend it, even if we spent our whole lives exploring. But perhaps we weren't meant to understand everything. In the end, we were a part of nature, just like everything else, and we all had our own roles to play in the way of the world, in the cycle of life and death. We didn't know everything, and that was okay. It only meant we would keep traveling, keep learning, keep growing. Eventually, we too would return to the cycle.
The oceans were the cradle of life, the primordial void where everything came into being. In this way, Chrystal and I would live out our existence side by side, letting the sea take us along. After all, it knew best where we needed to go. And so we drifted off into the uncharted sea together, not knowing where it would take us, but knowing one thing for sure- this was the way that we were destined to live.
The End...
June 13th, 2021.
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Copyright (C) Alexandria Francetic 2021
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