Beyond the Deep Water

Punishment

Camille's senses wake up to the violent sound of giant waves slamming against the walls of her room. A blast of salty wind makes its way through the curtains, together with blinding sunlight. Camille snaps her eyes open as she feels the whole place rocking back and forth, making her stomach revolt with the sudden roughness.

"Oh, crap!" She jumps out of bed and makes a run for the bathroom but stops in midway as she finds herself standing in the middle of a strange room. The floor keeps moving, but she's too confused to worry about stomach sickness.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Kaiden appears behind her, making her jump back. "My apologies, it is not my intention to startle you." The always patient and sophisticated angel bows his head to her.

"What's happening, Kaiden? Where am I?" She tries to keep her balance. Kaiden reaches his hand out to keep her steady.

"Do not worry, his majesty decided to take you on a journey," Kaiden says. At the same time, another blast of heavy wind jerks the curtains off the window to expose the incredible view of the open ocean, and Camille realizes that if she opens her eyes in this world, thanks to Axl, she will only see a sparkling horizon.

"No way!" She breathes out as she notices the army of mermaids and dolphins guarding the giant ship. Beautiful mermaids surf the water at full speed. The splashing water creates the brightest rainbow Camille has ever seen. "Where is he?" Camille stops for a moment to get her thoughts together. Although she's not surprised to find out that Axl has managed to sneak her out of her room while sleeping. Camille has learned in the time she's spent in the Gods' World that the gods have no sense of privacy.

"His majesty will be meeting you later. For now, you can enjoy your time here." Kaiden tries to keep the details from her. Camille has spent enough time with her assigned guardian enough to notice that even his poker face can give out a hint sometimes. She walks outside to the blinding sunlight. She stands still and closes her eyes to breathe in the fresh air, feel the wind on her face.

"Hey, Kaiden, would you tell me about Onyx?" Camille opens her eyes to catch a dolphin jumping in front of her. Although she's scared to know more about Lady Eirene's terrible actions, deep down, Camille wants to understand Axl. She wants to get to know the thoughtful man that spends the night with her, guarding her dreams. Kaiden meditates for a moment if his master would be upset to find out Camille is interested in his past. He looks ahead into the distant sky.

"Of course, my lady." Kaiden decides to give Camille some insight into his master's life.

Meanwhile, Camille spends some time away from the water sanctuary. Axl decides to pay a visit to someone that can shine some light into Camille's darkness. With the help of one of his secret portals, Axl sets foot on a decaying star. A place that's abandoned by light and life, where the wind blasts every wall of its only standing castle. Zelon stands next to him as they look ahead. They can't see anything but darkness. The only sound they can hear is their steps on the shattered crystals on the ground. Axl stops in front of a fountain, analyzing the statue in the center of the pound.

"It is an honor to have you back here, your majesty." An elderly angel of wisdom appears behind Zelon. The white lion bows its head to greet the unsteady angel as she reaches a hand to touch him. Axl waits patiently as she rejuvenates once her hand makes contact with Zelon. He watches how her white hair slowly recovers its light brown color. Every wrinkle of her face smooths out, and her decayed wings grow with a majestic glow as she uses Zelon's energy to reverse a few years. "My apologies for making you wait," the angel says as her eyes brighten with life.

"I am glad to see that Zelon's ability to sustain energy is being put into good use," Axl says with a hint of gratitude for the lion.

"It is a big help, indeed." The angel lights its glowing wings into the air spreading golden dust that lights up the dark castle. She takes one step forward to lead the god inside. "Thanks to your portal, Zelon manages to travel frequently, which is keeping us alive. Although I am not as important as he is..." the angel murmurs mostly to herself.

"You are as important as he is, Gala. After all, you are the light that guides him in this misery." Axl says. With Gala lightening the way, Axl follows quietly. After analyzing every reason, his mother has to personally torture Camille. Watching the dark mass lurking from a distance terrifying her, Axl has begun to understand that if she came into his world, it might have nothing to do with the offerings but something more meaningful. The mysterious light in her soul can only be a gift of a god. For that, Axl has decided to question the only god capable of giving him the answers he needs to keep Camille with him without having to face off either the Great Goddess of Evil and Death or the Great God of Destiny and Life.

"For now," Gala says with a sad smile. "But if something were to happen to me, there is someone else that could give his majesty the life he needs." Gala gives Axl a surprising reply. He decides to get his answers from the god himself.

The sunset spreads behind the blue ocean. The tied has calmed down, although it's still cold. Camille sits on the deck while falling deep in her desperation of not knowing what to expect anymore. Knowing that the longer she stays in his world, the more aware of him she will become. Camille can see the possibility of quickly falling deep for his kindness, and that scares her. Disrespecting Adam's memory and the pure love he had for her by thinking of Axl is something she'll fight against. Adam is the only good and pure thing she has from her miserable life in Primavera Town, but she also wants to see the light in Axl's eyes.

"An angel of death," Kaiden interrupts her thoughts. Camille turns to find the angel standing behind her. "The one his majesty gave his heart to was an angel of death..." he adds with a slightly cold tone. "I am certain that the Goddess of the Moon has spoken about his majesty relationship with his parents," Kaiden says. Unable to say anything back, Camille only nods to agree with him.

"His mother is the Great Goddess of Evil and Death, and his father, the Great God of Destiny and Life, two opposite sides with supreme force. A force that will break, the day the God of Water chooses one side." He explains, trying to make sense of why things seem so difficult for Axl. "The great gods create and destroy to their convenience. Their punishments are absolute. Unfortunately, his majesty is caught in between of their path to absolute power over everything." Kaiden says while Camille watches a mermaid sunbathing at the edge of the deck.

"But why, Onyx?" Camille whispers the question.

"Lady Eirene found in Onyx a way to break him, by taking her life away, his majesty would lose control of his reason, and if he settles for revenge, he would be giving her what Lady Eirene wants. The darkness that he has locked inside." Kaiden explains. Camille has spent a great deal of time surrounded by the perfect world Axl lives in. Even when he's not around, Axl's essence follows her everywhere she goes. For a human with a meek mind and a lost soul, to fall in love with someone so reliable is not difficult at all. Knowing how difficult it is to be separated from the one she loves, Camille can understand why Axl's look sometimes looks into the distance with a hint of sadness in his eyes. She can't blame him because, just like him, Camille also wishes to see Adam one more time. At least to let him go.