The celebration lasted for several hours, with villagers wildly celebrating the success of the hunt. During that time, several boats also flew back to their villages, carrying word of the end of the threat to our homes and families, as well as news of who had lived and who had died.

After a few hours of celebratory foods and congratulations, the village chief called me to a private meeting with the other village chiefs. When I arrived, I was more than slightly amused to realize that I was the youngest person here, by far. Everyone else here was at least twenty , and most of them were over thirty. Meanwhile, I was still thirteen right now.

“Little Miria,” said the Village chief, giving me his best attempt at a reassuring smile. “The reason we called you here was because you performed exceptionally well during the fight. We have a few thoughts on what we wanted to say here, but first of all… well done. I was hesitant to include you in this fight, since you aren’t even an adult yet, but… you have performed above and beyond my expectations. I’m glad to see a member of our village perform so well during this fight and working to keep other islanders safe.” The village chief paused for a moment, as if stumbling over his words, and shuffled in place for a moment.

One of the other village chiefs, seeing my village chief stumble over his words, gave my village chief a good-natured grin before she started speaking.

“Your village chief probably doesn’t want to look like he’s favoring his own village, but this isn’t a matter of favor. You put your life on the line for the sake of the islands, and saved dozens of lives during the fight. Your contributions in this fight are probably the highest after the village chiefs. Much of it was simply due to your rune ability being unique, and the Glowing Fish not being intelligent enough to compensate for your illusions. But the fact remains that you placed your life at risk to help other islanders, and you did exceptionally well. Is there a reward you want?”

I felt a small grin tugging at my lips. I had been thinking about how to get a proper look at the strange fish core left by the glowing fish earlier, and now I had a direct line of access to it.

“I want the eighth fish core of the fish. The strange discolored fish core that glows a bit.”

I saw my own village chief frowning, and a few of the other village chiefs looked confused.

“Why do you want it?” Asked the female village chief.

“A few reasons,” I said. “First of all, I know the Glowing Fish is dead now, but when you looked at the body of the Glowing Fish while it was still alive, did it remind you of anything?”

The female village chief frowned as she thought, before she slowly nodded. “I suppose it did look kind of similar to the strange lights we see during storm season. Why do you mention - ah, I think I see where you’re going with this. Are you thinking…?”

I nodded.

“I think those strange lights we see during storm season are some sort of resource unique to the ocean. I think the Glowing Fish absorbed one, and then perhaps gained its odd Abilities as a result of devouring one of these strange storm lights. I can’t be the only one that thought the fact that the fish used four rune abilities to be incredibly unusual, and I think the storm orb is the reason why it could do so. I’m a few months away from forming my fifth rune, so I want to see if I can get an extra ability by forming my fifth rune while absorbing the fish core influenced by the storm light.” I said. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what to do if the outsiders return, or how to deal with other crises the islands could face in the future, and I don’t think we can survive if we remain significantly weaker than the rest of the world. However, as all of you know, we don’t have any metal deposits on our islands, which means we can’t make bronze armor or weapons. The bones of the great fish can nearly match them, but there is a noticeable difference in equipment islanders have, compared to the rest of the world. And we also have a much lower population. So I was thinking that if the storm orbs can make people stronger somehow, perhaps the islands can develop in a new direction. If all of our warriors are stronger, it will make the Megailians less threatening if they ever return. But that requires a bit of experimentation. I want to be the first to try using the storm orb.”

The female village chief frowned, as did my own village chief.

“Are you sure, little Miria? The glowing fish does look a lot like the Great Fish, but unlike regular great fish, it was also extremely violent. Regular Great Fish are relatively peaceful, while the Glowing Fish seemed to enjoy fighting and killing. If the same thing happens to you after absorbing the eighth core of the Glowing Fish…” said my village chief.

“The Great Fish aren’t very intelligent, so they wouldn’t have the Willpower to resist any bad influence the storm orb had on its thoughts. However, I’m someone with a very strong will. I may not be the one with the strongest Willpower in our village, but I’m near the top. And I am about to form a rune, as well. This makes me the ideal candidate to test the effects of the storm orb and see if we can gain anything from it. If we can, perhaps there’s a way we can fish storm orbs out of the ocean during storm season, or something. But that would be a huge risk, so before doing that we should at least figure out if there’s any merit to doing so in the first place.”

I saw my own village chief frowning more deeply, instead of nodding in agreement, and a few of the other village chiefs seemed to have mixed opinions on my thoughts.

“Even if someone is to take such a risk, it should be an adult, not a child,” said one of the other village chiefs. “You’re still three years away from your final adulthood ceremony, right? It doesn’t seem right for a child to take such a risk.”

“But most adults are at or near their maximum rune count already,” I said. “By sixteen, most people are already either done forming runes, or close to their limit. If the storm orb has some sort of strange effect, I think it’s better if the one absorbing the storm orb has extra absorption essence available, to deal with any emergencies, and I am willing to form my rune under the supervision of other people, in case I also gain violent tendencies and lose my mind. I think this is an important step for the villages as a whole, and I’m willing to take this risk.”

I could see a few village chiefs still frowning, as if they were thinking about objecting, but many of the village chiefs seemed swayed by my argument. My own village chief, however, looked the most concerned.

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“Are you sure you want to do this, little Miria? I’ve watched you grow up, and I don’t want you to die. You aren’t responsible for taking this kind of risk…” said the village chief, frowning.

“I’m sure. I have an exceptionally strong Willpower, and I’m willing to take this risk,” I said firmly.

The village chief frowned, but didn’t object again. He gave my words serious thought. I could see that he still wanted to reject me, perhaps because he was afraid of me getting hurt.

“Let her do it if she wants to, Fritz. She may be young, but she’s not that far away from being an adult. She has the right to decide how to live her life,” said one of the other village chiefs, as my village chief hesitated. “Her arguments do hold a good amount of merit in them. And we also can’t afford to dawdle around in hopes of finding another way. If she’s about to form a rune already, has a strong Willpower, and is willing to take the risk, it would be silly to turn her down. So long as she is still willing to try when she starts forming her rune, I vote that she should be allowed to take the risk.”

My village chief looked at me for a few more moments, before he sighed and nodded. “Fine. But you’re going to form your fifth rune while I personally watch over you, and with multiple healers nearby in case something goes wrong. And if anything starts going wrong during the process, you’re to stop immediately and tell us what you’re feeling. Providing information about possible mistakes and missteps to the villages is also a way to make us stronger, and if you can confirm that it’s impossible to absorb a storm orb you can stop other people from making the same mistake. This can also help the villages grow stronger, so you don’t need to feel obligated to push forward. And if you change your mind at any time, let me know. I’ll find another volunteer; there’s surely someone else in the islands willing to take the risk.”

I tried my best to suppress a grin. I had not only gained access to the strange fish core, but I had permission to use it and experiment with it. I just needed to wait a few months for my fourth rune to finish stabilizing, and then I could get started on my fifth rune. And, at long last, I could start investigating the oddities of the Ocean.

* * *

The following day, we flew back to our own islands. With us, we carried the bodies of those who had fallen in battle; at least, those whose bodies could be recovered. As we glided through the air, I couldn’t help but reflect on the total losses of the battle.

In total, two of our boats had been completely destroyed by the Glowing Fish. one of them had been crushed by the tail of the fish, and one had been directly eaten. Apart from that, one boat had been blasted by lightning from the fish and had failed to respond properly, causing a few deaths on one of the ships, and a few other ships had suffered injuries from the violent winds, breakneck speeds, heat from the lightning, shrapnel from objects being tossed around at high speeds during the fight, and other miscellaneous injuries. Finally, two fishermen had also been injured by friendly fire during the chaos. Our village’s losses were a fraction of the total losses from the fight, but we had still lost several people during the fight, and a few more had been permanently injured. Right after a day of wild celebration came a day of mourning.

After the chieftain got back to land, he only waited long enough to notify the families of the deceased and gather the village together before we began the ritual to mourn the dead.

People watched in silence with a solemn and depressed atmosphere. Many people of the village felt joy at the knowledge that the fish had been slain, and the threat of famine had been removed. However, many villagers were acquainted with one of the permanently injured or deceased, and so that happiness was mixed with sorrow.

After a few minutes of silence, the chieftain slowly walked to the front of the crowd and began to speak.

“Let it be known that… that those who gave their lives for the village did not do so in vain,” said the village chief, haltingly, and I could sense traces of grief in his voice today as he looked over the fallen.

“Those who died did so because they wanted their family and friends to live on. They wanted this village to continue to prosper, and they didn’t want those they cherished to suffer and die of hunger. As village chieftain, I will do my best to follow their wishes through to the end, even after their deaths.

“To those who had a family member die during the fight, I will triple your fish core allocation for three years, to help you or your children form runes. I know… that it’s not enough to compensate for the loss of those who died during the fight. But I hope that at the very least, your lives can improve in the times to come, and I can promise you that the village will never forget the dead and gone,” said the village chief. “Regardless of what the future holds, we will never forget that our survival today is, in part, due to those who were lost. Let them now return to the embrace of the ocean mother.”

At the village chief’s words, several people walked up to the bodies of the people who had died and began to tie strings of pearls and flowers to the wrists of the deceased. Then, a few fishing boats flew the bodies a ways away from the island, before dropping them into the ocean. At the sight of the bodies slowly being carried away by the waves, I heard some villagers choke back sobs as they watched their loved ones disappear for the last time.

Finally, the village chief sighed.

“For those that were permanently injured, the village also will not forget your sacrifice. We will increase the fish and land beast cores allocated to you and your family based on need, and will also increase your food rations if you aren’t able to work anymore. You braved danger and paid a huge price to protect this village, and we will never, ever forget that. Come to see me later and I will work out more specific arrangements with you.”

I looked to the crowd, and saw a few men and women nod solemnly at the village chief after those words. Two of the men had no legs anymore, and their family members were helping to prop them up. A woman had the left side of her body mangled beyond recognition, and it was only due to her control of wind that she was able to maneuver her body around without assistance.

“Now, a few other things. The other village chieftains and I have decided that, by right, since our village was one of the bigger contributors to the fight, we will be allowed to take the unusual fish core from the glowing fish. This core has already been allocated to one of the members of this village, who contributed a great deal to the fight.” I saw several of the people who had participated in the fight, as well as their family members, glance at me before turning their attention back to the village chief. “We are not sure what kind of effect this will have on rune formation, or if the fish core will have any strange effects on people nearby, so I will personally safeguard the strange fish core until then. Please keep an eye out for any abnormalities you notice, either in me, or the surroundings of my hut, and let me know immediately if you spot something. I will also do my best to ensure nothing harmful occurs, but having more eyes on a potential problem never hurts.” Finally, the Village Chief’s voice dropped away, leaving the stillness of the scene as others looked at the calm waters of the ocean.

The village chief sighed. “May the ocean mother bless those who died, and take the souls of those who departed back into her embrace. And may our islands remain bountiful and prosperous for years to come, so that the sacrifices of the dead will not be in vain.”

With his final words spoken, the village chief departed. Soon after, other members of the mass funeral began to depart, until finally, the beach was emptied out. The Island had survived its biggest crisis in memory, and we had achieved a victory that guaranteed our survival. However, we had also paid a heavy price. When most of the others had departed from the beach, I gave the ocean a final nod, and I wished the fallen good luck on their return to the river souls and their next lives. Then, I went to find my mother and father, and we left the beach without looking back.