I awoke, my body jostled by the light thumping around me. I was laying on a seat, across from two others. I didn’t recognize them at first but after the events of the last few days became clear in my mind they became familiar.
“Hello, Kieran. You sure do sleep a lot for such a young boy.”
The woman, Emily I recall, spoke to me. I recognized her voice. This was my first time getting a chance to really see her. She was a really pretty woman. Her stunning silvery hair falling past her shoulders, and striking blue eyes that looked like fresh polar ice. She had the air of someone regal, shown in her posture and the way her voice seemed to elevate her presence. Her daughter sat next to her. She looked to be about my age and was a spitting image of her mother, one key difference being the stubborn defiance in her eyes.
I had no idea how I ended up here. The last thing I remembered was… fire. I should’ve died. Did this woman save me? How? A God himself stood before us. My mind is foggy.
“You look confused. Don’t worry about the past. We have your future to think about now.”
I was worried about the past and just what I had gotten myself into but I wasn’t going to voice those feelings. I had no idea what this woman wanted from me and I wasn’t in any position to get on her bad side. And what did she mean about my future?
“My future? Where are we going?”
“We’re taking you home.”
“…home? I don’t….”
“You will be living with us in Atlantea. I will be taking responsibility for you now.”
Atlantea? I had vague knowledge about the place. It was a nation that worshipped the Sea God. I couldn’t concentrate. My body still felt weird. It wasn’t the one I was used to. This must be what it felt like to be Blessed.
Outside of the carriage, I could hear the faint lapping of waves. The air grew salty. We were near the ocean. The carriage came to a stop and we exited onto a pier. This was my first time seeing the ocean. It was almost breathtaking, the sheer vastness of it. It was odd, but the fact that it seemed never-ending brought me a weird sense of comfort. I wanted to jump in and just float away. Let myself get lost in its infinite.
I was brought back to reality by a hand that rested on my shoulder.
“It’s beautiful isn’t it? The one thing on this Earth that will never change. No matter how much we destroy the land, the ocean will always be there. Ready to eventually swallow the world.”
Emily looked out upon the blue-green waves with a similar look of awe.
“Swallow the world?”
“Maybe one day. But don’t worry about that now. Everything must come to an end one day but that’s out of our control. So we live to fulfill our potential to the fullest, so we can go with no regrets, right?”
Fulfill my potential? I wasn’t quite sure what that meant for me but I had the feeling that I would soon find out.
“Are we crossing the ocean? On a boat?”
“…Not exactly.”
Before I had the chance to ponder any other sort of ocean transportation, the water at the end of the pier began to surge. The water bubbled and slowly parted, revealing a staircase leading into its depths.
“Follow me.”
Emily began to descend, Lara closely behind. She was keeping her distance from me, I’d noticed.
I couldn’t help but gaze into the ocean walls flanking me. The water was perfectly clear, giving us a view of all the sea life as we descended further into the depths of the ocean. I grew a little nervous the farther we went, if the waters were to collapse back in on us at this depth it would be a watery grave. Emily could sense my nervousness and grabbed my hand.
“You have nothing to worry about. This path was parted for us by the Sea God himself. He wouldn’t be as foul as to drown his only emissary.”
My cheeks flushed a little as we walked on, but I didn’t hate the attention. Someone did though, from Emily’s other arm I felt a pair of eyes attempting to burn a hole in my head.
We continued walking like this until the water began to grow darker and it became harder to see. Right before it became pitch-black the water cleared and we were standing in an open field. A completely new world opened up before us.
The city of Atlantea was built completely underwater. Looking above, there was no sky just water. The city resided in a large bubble created by the Sea God. I recall it being one of the oldest cities in the world currently. It was built as a base of operations during the war with Chaos. It still gave off a city of war feeling. The large golden walls towered before us, making me feel smaller than I already am. Much of the spires and weapons used to protect it lay derelict, a representation of the peace we currently found ourselves in. Only two guards stood before the massive entrance. They obviously weren’t expecting visitors because when the water parted before them one stood quickly and had to shake the other awake. A city under the sea doesn’t really have to worry too much about invaders it seems.
“My Queen, we are honored by your presence and welcome your return.” The two bowed and pushed open the large gate before us. A mechanical vehicle waited as we stepped inside the city. It appeared that the city was also one of the most advanced in the world. They had managed to repurpose ancient technology to operate using divine magic.
The car ride was silent, I was rather awestruck by the size and beauty of the city we traveled through. There were many mechanical vehicles traveling like the one we were in. This city was far ahead of Rapol in terms of size and technology. A good example of what different Gods valued, I thought.
We finally arrived at the gates of a palace-like building. This must be the home of the royal family. A large man flanked by many guards waited inside the gates and our vehicle came to a stop before him. Emily and Lara exited the vehicle first. Lara made a beeline straight for the man and jumped into his arms.
“Hello my little starfish. How was your trip?”
The mans voice was deep and powerful. He was a tanned man, muscular and tall. His arms were covered with tribal tattoos. On his head was a blue crown. He was obviously a king.
“It was scary. I don’t want to go back to that place.”
“You won’t my love. Emily, my dear, what happened? It was reported that the divine powers of the Sun God have been nearly destroyed? I was nearly ready to go myself to find you. Has it returned…?”
I saw Emily make a quick gesture at the man which made him grow silent.
“Everything is fine now. Kailo, my King, we will have a guest in our home for awhile. Kieran, come here.”
I stepped out from behind her shadow. The guards around recoiled, apparently they hadn’t seen me hiding behind Emily. I caught the king, Kailo, also hiding a look of surprise. He studied me, likely assessing if I was a danger or not.
“Everything’s fine, Kailo. He has no other place to go, no family he can remember. Until he does, he will be staying here with us. Geoffrey! Could you please show Kieran to the empty room next to Lara’s?”
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Lara, still in her fathers arms, looked ready to protest but a quick look from her mother shut that down immediately. A tall man dressed in a suit walked out from behind the soldiers and stopped in front of me. He was rather gaunt looking but had a friendly aura about him. He took my hand and guided me away from everyone else. I looked back and Emily smiled and waved me on.
The wiry man led me on without a word. The palace was grand, an almost gothic structure highlighted in blue and gold, the colors most often associated with the Sea God I assume. The halls were long and winding. We walked for a long while before stopping. I was ushered into a decent sized room, furnished with a desk at one end and a large bed at the other.
“For now, you may rest. You will be brought up to speed on schedules and responsibilities tomorrow. I will bring you something to eat in a minute, stay here.”
Geoffrey left the room and I was alone. The setting sun gave the room an orange glow. There must’ve been some kind of magic that allowed the sunlight to reach all the way down here but I tried not to think too hard about all of the little nuances of an underwater city. I’d just give myself a headache. Geoffrey returned quickly, carrying a plate of food and a cup.
“You can leave the tray next to the door when you are finished. I will return later to retrieve it. Eat now, then rest. You will be rather busy starting tomorrow.”
I quickly wolfed down the food given. It was easily the best thing I’d ever eaten as far as I could remember, which wasn’t much of course. There was a mirror on the wall opposite the window by the door. I walked up to it and took a good look at myself. I had been given a change of clothes before coming to this room. It was regal clothes, a blue undershirt highlighted with gold and breeches that stopped just below my knees. I hated every bit of it. Outside of the clothes I still looked much healthier, minus my pale skin. My body actually had muscle unlike before. I needed a haircut, my black hair fell over my forehead almost covering my eyes. I looked into my own eyes, remembering the violet eyes of the woman from before. Her voice played over and over in my head, an intoxicating melody. I wanted to see her again and ask what her plans were for me. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to be here, in this underwater city? What kind of Blessing had I received? Outside of my physical condition improving, I didn’t feel like I had any other abilities. I concentrated on the main elements, trying to see if I had any control over them. Water, earth, fire, wind, I held out my hand and waited for something to happen. Nothing did. What had she said before? I was the son of Darkness? Darkness wasn’t an element that any other faction of God had control of, that I could think of. It was typically thought of as an instrument of Chaos. I remember learning that Chaos’s forces had traveled through darkness.
I wasn’t sure if it would work, or what it would mean for me if it did, but I held out my hand once more. I thought of darkness and waited. And waited. And still nothing. I gave up on trying to figure out what my Blessing was and decided to explore a bit. The sun was set now and the room was dark. I slowly pushed open the door to my room and looked out into the hall. It was dimly lit by some phosphorescent plants that were mounted in glass cases along the walls. I stepped out and quietly closed the door behind me. The room next to me had no light under the door, Lara had likely already been put to sleep. I wandered down the ornate halls. There were many rooms, likely quarters for the servants I had seen when Geoffrey was showing me to my room. I enjoyed looking around like this freely. Over the past week I had nearly starved, been executed, burned to death and that was all I could remember of the last ten years of my life. I was surprised I was still sane.
I heard footsteps and quiet voices ahead of me and quickly attempted to hide myself. Geoffrey seemed like the scolding type so I figured I’d best not be caught wandering around at night. Unfortunately the best hiding place ended up being the shadow of a small chest that rested against the wall. Two guards turned the corner, speaking in hushed voices, but just audible enough I was able to hear them.
“Did you hear we have a new resident? It appears the Queen adopted a small boy while traveling.”
“Interesting, our Queen may be too generous. Has the boy been vetted? How do we know he isn’t some spy of another Blessed clan?”
The two walked closer and I knew I was going to be seen. I barely fit behind this chest. I watched as they slowly grew closer. As they almost passed one of them stopped.
“Do you hear something?”
“I don’t. You’re always so paranoid at night. We are in the most secure city in the world. Loosen up a bit.”
I braced as I met the eyes of the guard closest to me.
“I guess you’re right. I imagine the Queen is intelligent enough not to bring anyone here that we couldn’t trust.”
He didn’t see me. I was sure I had met his eyes but he gave no indication that he had seen me. I looked down at myself and was surprised. I could barely see myself as well. It looked like I blended in perfectly within the shadow of the chest. Was this part of my Blessing? So it must’ve been related to darkness somehow.
I decided to test my abilities throughout my exploration. Every time I heard someone I would quickly hide in the nearest shadow I could see. It worked perfectly. No matter how I hid, as long as I was in shadow I was invisible to those around me. I played this game for awhile until I came across the largest set of doors I’d seen so far. I heard Emily’s voice and pressed my ear to the door. The door opened a crack and I quickly hid in its shadow. Emily poked her head through the door and, not seeing me, retreated back into the room. I pressed my ear to the door to listen.
“The kingdom of the Sun God has been almost completely crippled. They’re magicians have lost almost all control over fire and they’re emissaries have also lost almost all connection to their God. The sea trembled when you returned with that boy. I may not be an emissary like you but I am the Blessed King of the Sea and I’ve never seen anything the sea fears, until that boy. What exactly have you brought here?”
That voice I recognized as Kailo. They were speaking about me.
“He’s just a boy, my love. But the thing that Blessed him, I don’t think was a God. I haven’t yet connected with our God, Nepside, to ask about the nature of what I saw, but I can make an accurate assumption. Whatever I spoke to down in that dungeon nearly broke me. If I hadn’t already had the experience of speaking with a God, and if it had wanted, it could have torn me apart with its very presence. I believe it was Primordial.”
“Primordial? But that should be impossible. The Primordials were slain or locked away with Chaos during the Divine War. As its first creations, they were all loyal to it. Why would one Bless a human child?”
“You forget, Kailo. Something only we as rulers and the closest to our Gods know. The reason the war was able to swing in favor of the Blessed and their Gods. The eldest Primordial.”
There was a slight pause.
“The eldest Primordial should be gone. Their very body became the prison in which Chaos is held.”
“Which doesn’t necessarily mean she perished did she? It’s been hundreds of years since the war ended. If the eldest Primordial has placed a Blessing on this boy, the cage holding Chaos is likely loosening.”
“We need to convene the Dietic Alliance at once. If what the being you met told you is true, we will need to protect this boy at all costs, and prepare for war.”
My eyes grew wide. What did all of this mean? Primordial? Protect me? What was going to happen now? I was shaken from my thoughts by a hand that grabbed onto my shoulder. I quickly spun around, coming face to face with Geoffrey.
“How was your little exploration? You are a good hider, but I happen to be a very good seeker. Let us return to your room, yes?”
I was stunned by his calm demeanor and meekly let him lead me on. We returned to the room in silence.
“I will return in the morning and bring you to breakfast.”
He left and I was alone. I decided to crawl into bed and try to sleep away my thoughts. It worked poorly. The bed was much more comfortable than the dusty ground I’d been sleeping on as of late, but the conversation I overheard was making my stomach churn. It felt like I’d been thrust into a very important role in the world and I wasn’t sure if it was something I could handle. But if it meant that I’d eventually remember who I was and where I came from, then I would have to become whatever was expected of me.
My thoughts were interrupted by the creaking of my door. I almost panicked, having been through multiple near death experiences this week I thought maybe someone was finally coming to finish the job. My panic was quickly eased as I caught sight of the familiar silver hair. Emily sat down next to where I lay on the bed.
“Having trouble sleeping, Kieran?”
I nodded.
“I had trouble sleeping here too, when I first moved into the palace. I didn’t come from much, neither of my parents were Blessed. I grew up in a one room farm house with my parents. When I first received my Blessing, as the primary emissary of the Sea God, I was brought here to the palace to be educated. The beds were too comfy to me at first, and I missed my home a lot. But I knew that me being here meant my parents could live a more comfortable life, so I grew used to it.”
I remained silent for a moment, thinking about what she’d said.
“Was it overwhelming? When all of these expectations were put on you?”
“It was. I didn’t know if I could live up to them. I had never lived in a palace or been important to so many people. And fulfilling those expectations are important, but you shouldn’t let them become all you are. Your own expectations are the most important, you must always strive to become the person that you want to be.”
Her words took some of the weight off my chest. I just wanted to know who I was, where I’m from, why I was here. If I focused on those things, I could figure out the rest along the way.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You aren’t alone here. You have me, Kailo, Geoffrey, Lara and everyone else you’ll soon meet. Now you should get some rest. I’ll stay with you until you’ve fallen asleep.”
I closed my eyes while she held my hand. This time, sleep came quickly.