Dhaga looked up at the night sky admiring the stars. Unable to sleep, he swam out of the lake onto the shore where he was all alone on the beach. A barrier was placed around the lake that discouraged wildlife from entering and alerted the nagas if any intruders entered the perimeter. The lake was one of the many lakes that served as resting spots for the nagas because the naga capital, despite being massive, simply wasn't large enough for all the inhabitants. The young naga had yet to report his discoveries to the naga elders because he wanted time to absorb what happened earlier that day. A part of him still wondered if it was all a dream or hallucination he had in the cavern until he successfully summoned the four remaining orbs in his possession.
“Still worried about your sister?”
Dhaga shook his head as his mate, Soce, slithered up beside him. He was always amazed how easily she could sneak up on him but her presence always calmed him, regardless what situation they were in.
“Something did happen in the cavern,” said Dhaga upon seeing the puzzled look on his mate’s face. “I can’t really explain it but I heard a voice that told me Seiluxr is dead. I believe that voice despite not knowing who the voice belonged to.”
Soce went on to question Dhaga who shared all that had happened after he was caught in the mysterious strands. He mentioned the being, the other realm and the five orbs that were gifted to him. When asked about the orbs, he produced four of the five. Soce tried touching them but her fingers simply passed through the objects like they were illusions.
“Where’s the fifth one? I thought you said there were five.”
“I think I absorbed it when I was in the other realm.”
Soce proceeded to check Dhaga’s body to see if she could find signs of an orb merging with the naga or any noticeable changes. When her search yielded nothing, she asked Dhaga if he felt different in any way. If the orbs granted powers, then he must have gotten new abilities or powers.
“I don’t feel different. I haven’t felt any magical powers within me grow in any way or form. I did have a weird vision, if you can call it that.”
Dhaga described the weird sea creatures hunting a prey as a group and admitted he had no clue what the vision meant. Soce, who was generally better with puzzles, said that she couldn’t see how the vision would be tied to new powers. She asked if the vision could have been a premonition of what was to come. Regarding that theory, Dhaga shook his head.
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“Seeing how my fingers passed through the orbs, I take it that they will only accept certain nagas. How will you find those worthy of their powers?”
“I will report to the elders first thing tomorrow to see their take on the matter.” Dhaga did a small stretch. “It’s possible they may know of the creatures I’ve seen in that vision.”
“Possibly.” Soce paused for a moment. “Did you hear about the recent shark attacks near the Tolmer Isle?”
“Shark attacks? When have the Kraken’s followers become so bold?”
Dhaga had only heard of Kraken followers swimming in the deep sea. They tended to avoid shallow water where the nagas had more advantages. The idea of the naga’s enemies growing so bold as to swim near an isle was ludicrous, especially when the said isle was one of the naga fortresses that had remained under naga control since its completion.
“I fear we received word of the Kraken making its move. It seems like our enemies are aware of the Leviathan's disappearance.”
“If that’s the case, then we will expect their entire forces to bear on us very soon. I hope our preparations are sufficient.”
“Where are you going?” asked Soce when Dhaga started slithering towards the ocean.
“We don’t have much time left.” The young naga had the four orbs orbiting above his hand. “I need to find the owners of these orbs so we may have a fighting chance.”
Dhaga wasn’t confident the nagas were ready for a full assault from the Kraken and its followers. Not only were they outnumbered but, since the disappearance of the Leviathan, the Kraken followers repeatedly attacked the nagas resulting in steady losses to their side. These losses, surpassing the reproduction rate of the nagas, caused the steady decline of their population. With losses of many powerful nagas like his sister, the odds only shifted more in favor of the Kraken. If the orbs were helpful in their fight against the Kraken, then he intended on making full use of it. Yet, he would still need the authorization of the elders. He had already absorbed one of the orbs and, if the orbs were harmful towards them, he would rather be the only victim. For whatever reason, he trusted the being behind the voice to have the naga’s best interest in mind.
Could the voice belong to the Leviathan?
The idea wasn’t so absurd given that the Leviathan once resided in that same cavern. Dhaga wondered if his sister discovered how to bring the Leviathan back which would explain the urgency of her task. With her dead and the voice suggesting that it couldn’t come back, the four orbs in Dhaga’s hand might be the last hope for his race. The young naga was uncertain how to find the owners of the orbs but he was confident the orbs could find the owners instead of him, similarly to how the black one shone brightly to get his attention.
“Let me come with you then.”
Dhaga was glad his mate chose to stay by his side. He had kept the secrets from his podmates so the chance to get the load off him by speaking to someone he trusted meant a lot. Now, they would see the elders together where he would either be punished for his actions or be given a chance to do something that might save the naga race. Due to the distance they had to travel to reach the naga capital, Dhaga could have long conversations with Soce.