It took me all night, but I did it! Moana will find a way to save Ariel, probably in the next chapter, but this one mainly focuses on crushing Moana's soul. . .

Because, like, who isn't a fan of emotional whump?

Moana's eyes snapped open. She was back here. The place where the gods had first contacted her. Her grandma had been right. They were trying to help. It wasn't just a dream. It really was a vision. She couldn't stop herself from grinning, knowing that they would help her save the mermaid. The girl would live.

A shining brilliance surrounded her from all directions. There was no ceiling, or floor, or walls. No shadows. No darkness. Only light bursting forth from and filling every crack and recess. The first time she was here, the space had felt empty. Lifeless. But now, renewed with the hope of helping their guest, it felt cheery and pleasant. It held no heat, no pain, no sharp, searing touch to impart upon her eyes. Instead it was a cool, gentle luminescence she felt delighted to behold.

Suddenly recalling the reason why she was here, she cleared her throat.

"I know who you are," she said bravely, "I know what you're doing. You want to help me save the mermaid."

No answer. Not so much as a breath to assure her of another presence.

"How do I help the mermaid?" She inquired, forcing herself to speak louder than before, though she doubted that they couldn't hear her. There had to be another reason for their reticence. Another reason why they weren't answering her.

"A-are you there?" she stammered, confused by the lack of a response.

Everything was quiet. Calm. Eerie.

It was disconcerting. Moana found herself becoming more and more uneasy as the silence lingered on. Why weren't they responding? They were the ones who had called to her in the first place, so why weren't they here? Where was the voice of the gods she had heard not two days prior? There had to be a reason. There had to!

So. . .what was it?

"Hello?" She asked timidly.

Still no reply.

Moana crossed her arms and nibbled on the corner of her lower lip. The longer she waited, the more anxious she was getting. There was no way they'd leave the mermaid to die. It was they who had reached out to her. They who had sent the naiad to Motunui's shores. They who had made every citizen of the island responsible for her fate. Would they be so merciless as to abandon them now?

"Please, say something!" She exclaimed. "You have to help her!"

She was frantic. Had she done something wrong? Had she offended them in some way? Was she being too informal? Did she need to bow or curtsy? Pray to each and every god before they sent their voice to speak with her? Make some sort of offering? Where was she supposed to find a sacrificial lamb in this goddamn dreamworld!? There was nothing here! Nothing!

She was so caught up in her skittish thoughts she missed the sounds of inhales and exhales emerging from the hush.

"Moana of Motunui, you seek the counsel of the mighty gods. What is it that you wish to know?"

Moana lurched about to face the speaker - startled, yet relieved. She frowned, unable to find their form, "Where are you?"

"I'm here, with you. But I believe you have more pressing matters at hand than my whereabouts. Do you not?"

Clearing her throat, Moana spoke up, "I-I do, s-sir. Ma'am! I don't-I mean, I-I'm sorry-"

"Ask your question, child. Do not waste my time."

"Of course," Moana muttered, organizing her thoughts. "I-I want to know-"

"Yes?"

Moana straightened up, taking a deep breath. She felt the knot between her shoulders unravel, her body relaxed, and soon she was filled with the determination she'd felt when she'd opened her eyes.

"How do I save the mermaid who came to Motunui?"

"Hmm," the voice pondered, once again allowing Moana to soak up the silent brightness of the place. Only now, it was making her feel sick. She wanted to get her answers and leave there as soon as possible.

"You have to help me, or else she's going to die!" Moana pressed urgently.

"I don't have to do anything," the voice snapped.

Before she could identify where it came from, the cloud that had smothered Moana in her last dream came forth. It encompassed her within seconds.

"Wait, please-"

"You must submit, Moana. You cannot find the truth until you put aside your defiance. Only then will you uncover what you seek."

"But I wasn't-"

"SILENCE!" The voice boomed furiously.

Thick tendrils of fog stretched out from the heavy wall of vapor encircling her. Just like the last time, Moana couldn't step away, or push it back. All she could do was stand there in apprehension as they approached her, wrapping around her thighs and middle, seeping into her skin. She squeezed her eyes shut as the fumes found their way past her lips and into her nostrils. She gagged as they asphyxiated her. Her throat felt like it had been clogged up. Her lungs burned for oxygen, begging her to breathe.

But she couldn't. . .

Her eyes snapped open. She inhaled sharply, unable to get enough air in. Breathing had never made her feel so grateful. Her entire body felt ragged and sore, especially her respiratory system. She still sounded like she was choking as she rasped for air, clutching her chest and digging her fingernails so deep into the space below her neck that when she'd finally begun to calm down, she'd broken skin, drawing blood.

Her grandma wasn't there to comfort her like last time. She was probably with their patient, changing her bandages or reapplying the healing herbs and ointments. She was depending on Moana. She tried to focus on her vision; she tried concentrating on what that divine, celestial voice had said to her. . .

She couldn't remember. She couldn't-

Moana covered her mouth with her palm, eyes bulging as the gravity of the situation hit her. I don't remember. As hard as she tried, every sight, every sound - they were all vanishing as soon as she reached for them.

What had that voice told her? What had they said?

Moana rubbed her temples, tears prickling in frustration. She groaned loudly, wanting to throw something. After waking up feeling like she'd nearly drowned, she felt cheated not even being able to picture any details. It had been like this the last time she'd had her vision, she'd woken up without much of an idea as to what had exchange had been had. Having it happen again, without her grandma to smooth her hair back and reassure her, was eliciting a less-than-mature reaction.

She knew she was supposed to be better than this. She had to be better than this.

But no matter how hard she tried, how much she wished for those memories. . .

Nothing came up.


Moana hated waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night. She hated the hopelessness in her grandma's face when they sat treating their dying patient. She hated the concerned looks her parents traded over breakfast. She hated having to stand by and watch the mermaid slowly fade away. But most of all, she hated not being able to recall a single detail from her dreams. What was the point of the gods sending her visions if she didn't remember anything?

The stress was taking its toll on her. Dark bags hung beneath her eyes. Half-moon-shaped scabs sat above her collarbones. Purple bruises were showing up around her waist and legs wherever the misty tentacles from her nightmares forced itself too harshly into her skin. The smell of food cooking had begun making her nauseous. Her stomach had lost its ability to hold down whatever she swallowed.

She was a mess.

But until she found a way to help, she couldn't rest. Sleep wasn't even an escape for her anymore, just another tool she tried to use. Not that it worked. It didn't. Yet she still found herself grasping for memories that never surfaced.

"Moana," the priestess said softly, pity in her voice. She had fallen asleep beside the mermaid's tub again. "Go home, I'll look after her."

Moana clutched the priestess's hands for balance. She turned towards their guest, heart sinking. She looked lifeless, her veins contrasting sharply with her pale skin. "I'm sorry," Moana choked out, letting the priestess lead her back towards her hut. She couldn't do anything, no matter how much she wanted to. The sky was full of bright, sparkling stars. But that peaceful, contented feeling they so often gave her had left her weeks ago.

"We're doomed, aren't we?" She asked quietly as the priestess dragged her through the doorway of her bedroom. The priestess sighed heavily, gently laying her on her mat.

She smoothed the girl's hair back. The priestess looked deep into Moana's eyes, masking her own unspoken pain with a forced smile. She'd been unsure of whether or not she should share this next piece of information. But the heaviness in Moana's eyes convinced her that she had to speak. To take away that burden the poor girl had been carrying on her shoulders.

"I've communed with the gods."

Moana jerked forward, as if those words themselves had magically pulled up her tired body. "What do they say?" Her eyes were wide and frantic, alarming the woman standing above her.

"I-I must make the proper sacrifices, b-but. . ." She hesitated, her tongue unable to form the words in her head. Moana's reaction had been so sudden, it startled her. She tried to regain her composure, but Moana wasn't making things any easier with that wildness in her eyes.

Moana shook her shoulders, unable to wait patiently for the priestess to find her voice, "What? What?!"

The priestess dropped her gaze, two tears spilling onto her cheeks.

"Please! Tell me," Moana pleaded.

The quiet pause that followed was overwhelming. The priestess took Moana's hands from her shoulders, holding them tight in her own.

"They. . .they will not strike at the island. Motunui shall not feel their wrath. But, the mermaid. . ."

The priestess couldn't hold Moana's gaze. She didn't need to say the words for the girl to understand. The silence was becoming deafening. Moana dropped her hands to her lap as the words finally started registering.

"She's going to die?" She asked, eyes watering. Everything she'd gone through, everything they'd done to try to save her. . .all for nothing.

"I'm so sorry, child. But I'm afraid that you're right. Motunui will be safe. . .but the mermaid will perish."

Moana bit her lip, shaking her head and sniffing, "No," she said, voice breaking. That couldn't be the end of it. It couldn't come to an end just like this. Tears carved wet trails down her sunken cheeks. "No, it's not fair! It's not fair," she cried, barely keeping it together. The priestess turned away from her, walking towards the exit. She couldn't let herself stay any longer. She knew that if she did, eventually she'd end up making a promise she wouldn't be able to keep. It was better to leave her like this, with the truth, than to give her false hope that would only end up hurting her in the future. She didn't look back as she bid her goodbyes.

"I'm sorry, Moana."

Moana held back defeated sobs, listening to the priestess's footsteps become quieter and quieter, until the only sound she heard was her own wavering breath.

"Me too," she murmured, trying to dry her cheeks with her shirt. That was it. That was the end. . .

She lied down on her mat, clutching herself for some level of stability.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not sure who the apology was intended for, before allowing her eyelids to lower and sleep to claim her.