Part I: The Beginning
Chapter IV: The Underwater Quarrel"Hey!" A familiar voice called through the light, "Hey!"
"My . . . old man?" I said dazed. I was suspended high above Zanarkand. I looked around; the city, the stadium, and everything else, was still there. I twisted around and saw a great symbol on fire . . . I had no clue what it meant . . .
I looked down . . . and I saw me . . .
It was me from when I was a kid.
I floated down towards the figure and gazed at him for a while . . .
I thought about a lot of things . . . like where I was, what I'd got myself into. I started to feel light-headed, and then, sleepy. I think I had a dream. A dream of being alone. I wanted someone--anyone, beside me so I didn't have to feel alone anymore.
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I awoke out in the middle of sea, on some ruins. The water was a murky brown and the sky was gloomy and black. Some seagulls flew high in the sky; they seemed to be attacking a tower nearby. "Anybody there? . . . Auron!" I shouted through the gloom, "Hey!"
My voice echoed far off into the ruins, but somehow I knew that no one would answer me back . . .
I climbed off the rock and jumped into the brown water. It was bitter cold and after ten minutes of being in the water, I couldn't feel my fingers anymore.
I swam around in the water for at least an hour. Columns and reminisces of staircases floated on top of the dirty water. Or maybe this place was built on top of the water?
I climbed out of the cold water and onto the staircase. There seemed to be some kind of bridge running from the broken staircase to the damaged structure. After thawing out for a minute or so, I got up and begun walking along the makeshift path.
Halfway to the tower, I found an old chest. It was corroded shut, but with some effort, I managed to pull it open. It had four vials of the chalk-flavored remedy. "These potions will be of some use," I said out loud to myself. I smiled, and stuck them into my pocket.
I walked on, looking at the water as I went. There was a moldy statue down in the water, and several submerged doorways.
I saw suds come to the surface of the water and disappear. I felt a tremor under my feet. The bridge suddenly buckled from under me. I fell into the water with such force that I went several feet under the water before I was able to re-emerge for a breath.
I skimmed the surface for a while, looking for another way back on the bridge. I saw more bubbles materialize from under the water. Something was lurking down there.
Like a dolphin, a jade green fish surfaced from the water and went back under again. I took a deep breath; pulled out the sword my old man left me, and followed the monster under the water. It had disappeared from my view, but I had a bad feeling that it would show up again. And my bad feelings are always right.
I looked quickly around the ruins. The water was extremely grimy and hard to see through, but I could sense that the monster was nearby.
Out of the blue—or the brown—the green fish-like monster returned . . . with two more of his buddies.
Sword fighting underwater is much different than fighting on dry land. Keeping myself balanced is one problem; with the weight of the sword you definitely don't float.
The green monsters rushed through the cold water like bullets, all three slicing me with their razor-like fins. I had several gashes from the attack, but nothing too serious. I kicked my legs hard and took my revenge out on them. I struck one of them, killing it instantly. The strange orbs of light emitted from the dying monster. The other two unleashed their anger on me by forcefully hitting me again with their fins. The cuts were much deeper this time.
I quickly unzipped one of my pockets and pulled out a vial of potion. I undid the cork on the top of the vial and shot the potion hastily into my mouth trying to keep it from dissolving in the water. Instantly, I felt all my wounds mend again.
I swam through the grimy water, and with unseen power, sliced the fish and killed it with one hit. The balls of light emitted from it. The last fish cut me again with its sharp fin. Only a scratch! I told myself.
Yeah, it was only a scratch compared to what happened next.
Without warning, a huge underwater monster swam out from behind one of the underwater columns. It had an enormous rib cage protruding out of its body and a mouth that could suck up one thousand fish in a split second . . . It speed through the water—like it was air—and chomped into the monster that I was going to finish off with my sword. Blood spewed through the water turning it from brown . . . to red. It saw me and gave chase.
"Whoa!" I shouted, my voice muffled by the water. I took off, like a rabbit, and swam as fast as I could to the surface. I hastily looked around above the water for somewhere to run. I saw an underwater opening into the bottom of the temple structure. I took a deep breath and dove back underwater, with the monster not far behind.
I swam as fast as my tired legs could kick, attempting to get into the dark tunnel. Like a vacuum, the aquatic creature begun to suck me into its disgusting body.
I swam harder, trying to get away from its mouth.
The current had a hold on me. I was struggling just to keep from barreling into the vortex between its lips. My legs were aching from fatigue and pain, but somehow, I was ahead of its mouth. Suddenly, a huge gust came from the monster's mouth; I was thrown against a wall inside the cavern. The ceiling collapsed, walling out the gigantic fish, and walling me in for good.