The Ascension

22: Aster saves the world

 As soon as Eii left, the ocean held no regard for Aster- a great wave came and instantly knocked her and her friends off their feet. She winced, still, as the waves crashed around her, circling and collapsing into each other. She curled up, holding her eyes closed so tightly that they seemed to shake, and she felt water fill her mouth and ears.

As she was being thrown about, the thought came to her that she was fine. And she was. She couldn't bring herself to open her eyes for a very long time, but finally she did, and she could see the waves and ocean in perfect clarity. She was fine.

Wren and Senya were less lucky, of course, one having drowned and the other having his head smashed in by a debris. But then came back, right back again, and again suffered a similar fate on repeat until they felt something lifting them up.

Aster carried her friends up to the surface, and they gasped for breath hoarsely as she surveyed the sea. It wasn't very deep, just a wake following the god of the sea, but it thrashed with white waves and the remains of City Twenty-Three. Aster took a moment to try and breath, and then realized how little point there was to worrying- the waves were beginning to ignore her, circling her like a whirlpool. She was fine. She climbed, just easily stood up and climbed, until she was standing, carefully, on the crest of the sea. She reached down and pulled the boys up beside her, holding their hands so they wouldn't fall.

Wren was still coughing seawater, but his lungs eventually recovered. "What?" He managed to spurt out.

Aster led them forward, not quite on the waves anymore but simply hovering near the air- not quite hovering though. Walking, like the air was solid, sturdy, and perfectly even.

"I'm only going to get more powerful, I think." Aster said. "And Eii still wants me to... save the world before she does anything."

"I really doubt this is a bargain she's planning to fulfill." Senya said.

"Don't have much else I can do." Aster frowned. "I'll turn to begging if I have to. Or maybe this will get to the point where I'm simply capable of removing my own powers."

They moved forward slowly, still somewhat hesitant in step. "Where are we going?" Wren asked.

"To kill Aelen."

He didn't bother to look nervous about this idea. "Sure. Seems possible."

"Too possible." Aster lamented. "And far too simple. I miss the concept of a challenge."

"Or the idea of danger." Senya helpfully added. "The presence of adrenaline. The fear of blood."

"The idea of death." Wren joined in with. "The feeling that life is precious."

"Shivering at the mere thought of gore." Aster said.

"Catching a fever!" Senya added with near joyfulness.

"Caution with fire!"

"Mourning your loved ones!"

"Throwing up!"

"Properly drowning!"

Eventually, they got to laughing over these ridiculous things and concepts, things which they knew they would never experience again. It was a good time for them, walking on air and thinking of death- and if it wasn't actually a fun time, it was a very good fake.

The god of the sea wasn't a very fast moving beast, but then again, it's not like there was a real scale of comparison to be had on the matter. Aster caught up in a short time, walking nearly on the waves until she was walking parallel to Aelen's neck.