“And now she sneaks around this very barbaric ogre without a single peep. Hehe.” A girl with sunset-colored hair tiptoed around a sleeping monster. Even with her hulking backpack, her steps were still as light as a feather.

It had no clothes to its name. Its green-tinted skin was tougher than any normal rock. Sleeping without any worries, it opened its toothed mouth as it slumbered. Though that wasn’t the most terrifying point about this creature. Its size, which was approximately 9 Saches tall, towered everything around it, even as it laid on its back.

Grunts came from right behind her.

Sache slowly turned her little head. Seeing that the ogre only had mumbled something in its sleep. She breathed out a relieved sigh before continuing on.

This dangerous area made her heart race a few times but it was all good. It wasn’t that bad considering that this was the greatest danger zone before she reached the first checkpoint.

“A sea of flowers that spell out your name. I can’t wait to see if this Folklore is real! Imagine, my name, being drawn by Mother Nature herself. Ah, I’m blushing.” Sache skipped along to her goal.

Humming to herself, she journeyed this long distance as if it were nothing. Even as she saw other adventurers like her, she only said a few greetings before going on her merry way. It was a conscious decision that the Symphony Lute was kept within her bag.

Coming before another stream of water, she dropped her backpack and stood before it. Reaching both her arms out, she fell flat on her face, directly into the stream.

“Worth it.” She opened her mouth and started drinking away. Her wet clothes no longer mattered to her since they had massively improved since the last time. Getting out, her clothes magically dried itself.

“This is even better than the Symphony Lute. It’s so convenient.”

Walking back to her bag, she noticed that it was leaking. Quickly remedying the situation, she poured out all the contents of her mysterious bag. Finally, for the first time in a very long time, she cleared everything out.

In short, it consisted of ropes, mountain claws, shovels, pryers, waterskins, some ready-flint, a decent amount of money, and a few other basic traveling items. The only other items that stood out were that half her bag had been filled with bottles of liquor and her Symphony Lute.

That leak that stained her bag was from one of these bottles.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had some. And it’s already broken so it shouldn’t matter.” Sache cleared all the glass fragments out and was left with a perfectly good drink.

She was about to drink her fill when she stopped herself. “It’s still pretty early in the morning. Maybe later.” Saying so, she poured out the broken bottle and left.

With everything back in place, she could finally be on the cusp of such majestic scenery.

“I can’t wait to see… rot?” Sache stopped skipping as she took this view in. “Why is… where’s the beautiful flowers? They said it would be a dazzling sight.”

“What happened?” Sache ran over to see such a devastating loss. Black moldy roses instead of vibrant red roses. Decaying stalks of fauna instead of the white tulips mesmerizing her. Everything was gone.

“Calling Of The Sea Of Beauty.”

Title {Calling of the Sea of Beauty}

Name {Sea of Thorns}

Reputation {5 Empires}

Honor {Evil}

Gravitas {100%}

Affiliation {None}

Blessings

Inscribement {Words Meant to be Seen}

[Writes the name of the person using flowers. Each name written will be drawn into the sights.]

Engravement {Seductive Allure}

[The longer another creature stays around, the less their will to escape will be. The vitality of said creature will be siphoned to create more flowers.]

[Each creature fully consumed will create pollen that will spread to other regions. Propagating more and more.]

“But it’s all rotten and decayed now.”

“Beauty that’s worth dying for.” Sache sat down, watching as everything slowly whittled away. There was nothing she could do but watch as everything disappeared before her very eyes.

“But is it beauty worth saving? It can make people lose themselves until they don’t understand themselves anymore. That’s tragic.”

A spirit manifested itself before Sache. It was a fairy-like deity. Her flowing dress waved according to the wind, brushing against the very foundation of the world. Half her face was covered in a layer of thorns. Yet the other half had a face that even made Sache accept how unfair the world was.

Her face wouldn’t last long. Her body was already in a half-rotten state and the countless thorns covering her body could only last for so long.

“You have a few hours left before you rot away. Do you want to talk to me in those last moments?” She was already sitting down, she might as well converse with such a spirit.

“Why else would I manifest myself?” The spirit giggled to herself. She had worn a very delicate dress that had no equal. Even still, she opted to look much more humble. Turning herself and mimicking Sache’s appearance, she sat down before her.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Instead of Sache’s sunset hair and orange eyes, the spirit opted for a more plainer look. Her black hair and red eyes seemed simpler yet there was an allure that Sache couldn’t describe.

“You have a long name, mind if I shorten your name to Sea? Oh, Spirit of the Sea of Beauty.”

“I don’t mind, as long as I get to call you Beauty.” Sea leaned in closer and caressed Sache’s face. “You deserve it after all.” Sache’s look-alike reached her hand out and closed Sache’s eyes. By the time she removed them, Sea had turned older, with her body and mind even more developed, she had matured.

“See? Beautiful.” Sea lay on her side, resting on her hand. Sache’s fully developed frame was by far the most alluring thing Sea had ever stolen.

“It’s not like I can help it. I can’t just grow like…” Sache snapped her fingers. “That.”

“Beauty, if it helps, I would’ve made sure to keep you behind. I would’ve loved to see you every day until you wither along with me.” Such a heinous sentence could only be said by such a devious entity. “I’m already smitten by you even at your worst. Such lovely eyes don’t deserve to look so down.”

“Even as many waves of people stumble across your Tale, am I really the most beautiful one?”

“Do you want me to be honest or not? Haha.” Playfully, Sea rested on Sache’s lap. Sache grumbled yet still allowed it. “I’ll have my deathbed be so soft. I’m lucky.” Sea closed her eyes and hummed to herself.

Sache wasn’t going to let Sea take advantage of her like that. She pinched her nose. Sea pinched Sache back.

“You aren’t the most beautiful, that title is still reserved for the future.” Sea didn’t hesitate in her answer. “But you are definitely the most dazzling. Like when the sun sets, I see you for but a brief moment before staring into your starry eyes. Ah, how I love fleeting things.”

“Beauty, do you think the idea of it is beautiful?” Sea enjoyed her time staring into Sache’s tired eyes. “A plucked flower will only last for a few moments before withering away. The sanctity of life is what makes things beautiful.”

“That’s not beautiful. I’d rather have a flower that I can see forever. What’s the point of losing it? Sea, if you look further out beyond this small well you’ll find that things are rarer than you would expect. So rare that it only happens once in your lifetime.”

“Well, Beauty, haha, beauty is subjective, I suppose. I wonder what such a beautiful lady thinks is beautiful?”

“Simple, stories, tales, songs, and journey. Those are beautiful things. I have the most fun when I do that.”

“Creatures tend to be attracted to things that are their direct opposite. Have you lived a complicated life, Beauty?”

“No.” Sache broke eye contact for the first time. She felt her hands empty. A rush of missing sensations filled her. She quickly opened her bag and took out a bottle. She gulped down before saying anything else.

“Care to share?” Sea didn’t even wait for Sache’s confirmation before taking one. She took a small sip before her throat burned. She violently coughed, “How can you even drink this?”

“Bottoms up.” Sache ignored her counterpart’s words before finishing one entire bottle on her own. Sea felt compelled to do the same.

It numbed the Spirit of the Sea and Beauty.

“What’s something you like that you don’t find fun? Not everything is fun, out there, right?” Sea had only managed to clear a tenth of the bottle before Sache drank another full bottle.

“Something that lasts forever.” A brief pause. “Do you believe something like that exists?”

“Beauty, don’t turn down the mood like that. You’re expecting rejection from me, aren’t you? I’m clearly an advocate of meaningful things. But what if I said that I did? What if I said, there are countless things in this world that last forever.”

Sache’s ears perked up. A detail Sea didn’t fail to notice.

“What is it? Tell me. I need to know.”

Sea laughed out loud. It was questionable whether it was because of the alcohol or not but she giggled endlessly. “You already said it yourself. Even your little journey to finding something like that, that’s going to last an eternity.”

“The impact you leave behind will affect the future. Your actions will shape other’s fate. You will change people. That’s, in a sense, immortality, no? You positively impacted so many people that you will be remembered for countless years to come.” Sea looked up, seeing Sache’s eyes sparkle even harder. “Even short things leave a long-lasting impact, Beauty. And I’m not just talking about your height, haha.”

Sache slightly blushed. Even at such a tense moment like this, Sea was still being playful. “You’re being childish.”

“And you aren’t? It’s fine to accept that things end. But are you willing?” Sea took in a deep breath. Sache noticed this and looked to the side where Sea’s legs had already turned into a murky black substance. She was being consumed by the darkness.

“Don’t mind me. I deserve it. The amount of creatures I killed surpassed the number of people tyrants kill. Just stay with me until the end.” The shimmering star Sea was looking at shook.

“I think I can fix this. Hold up, I have my-” Sache turned her waist and was about to reach out for her Symphony Lute. At the very least, she would be able to delay Sea’s demise.

“You don’t even know me. I’m even a mass murderer. What’s compelling you to save me?” Sea held Sache’s hand, stopping her from attempting any further. “An Epic forced me into this state. Even if you use your instrument, it’s only delaying the inevitable. I can tell it’s a Fabled item, you are nowhere even close to being able to fix it. So why bother?”

“Why… bother?” Sache gritted her teeth. “Because I care!” Sache carelessly shoved Sea’s hand away. She stood up, leaving Sea to lay on her back, unsupported by the world. Sache took out her Symphony Lute and started playing.

“A lass with eyes that make me afraid.” Sache was starting to panic. Her voice was trembling but her hands were steady.

“Even as you tear up, you’re still dazzling. Haha.” Sea was nearing her end. “You can’t stop the inevitable.”

“A person like me but not me.” Tears flowed down her face. Even as her shining eyes were drowned out in water, they still sparkled brighter than ever before.

The Symphony Lute finally resonated with Sache’s desire. A force of influence so drastic that it even caused the injuries that an Epic inflicted to be delayed. This was quite a revolutionary scene.

“Miracles. I guess they do exist but not for me. Beauty, you can play however long you want, you’ll get tired eventually. You can’t stop it. There are just things you can never change.” Sea’s soft voice pierced through Sache’s heartfelt symphony.

“I’ll find one way or another. With a world that’s filled with so many stories, there has to be one that can fix this. Some kind of story that will give me my happy ever after.” Sache furiously played her symphony. She poured her heart and soul into this futile play.

“Live however long you want but you can’t do everything by yourself.” Sea looked to the side where the sun had started to set. “If you’re going to keep playing, can you at least tell me my poem one last time? I’d love to hear it from such a talented girl.”

Sache gripped her instrument tightly. So tight that if it was a normal instrument, it would’ve been broken apart. “Fine.”

“Cold.” Sea looked above, no longer watching Sache’s eyes. She started into the real sky, into the real world. Even then, she found it lackluster. She then turned her head with great difficulty to watch Sache instead. “You might be sad, but compared to the sky above or even compared to your eyes from before. The brightest star I’ve seen comes from you, right now.”

Sea closed her eyes, awaiting her burial song.

Sache’s playing turned frantic and forceful into something slow and intricate. She stopped forcing it and merely let everything be, accepting how everything should be. Her song was dark but it only served to properly accept the theme of Sea’s poem.

“I don’t even know if you can hear me right now.” Sache continued on. “But you’re right. You look beautiful right now.” Sea had reverted form back to Sache’s original appearance.

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Calling of the Sea of Beauty

Cement in your tiny mind that I will last forevermore

Tempting sad tormented souls, words spoken refer all back to me

Do as I ask, do as I say, filled with disgraced innocence

Believing only I, fully in control, surpass you all

-o-

Though I wonder, if this is what I want, until the sole end

No, I desire to be free, to set myself free, to be me

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“Why can’t anything ever be easy?” Beauty, was at the end of the day, something that was subjective.