Chapter Fourteen

Monster

Resuming his journey, Sage found himself travelling many moons more, seeking more knowledge and wisdom from the eldest and prudent whales of the world. The places Sage continued to visit, ranged from small chains of islands, frozen waters like back home, but with land underneath, tropical atolls and inlets that centred deep within the dry landmasses. The places he saw, the prey he fed upon and the songs he listened to, sang and collected. It was an experience beyond any other.

His songs continued to grow, getting larger and more majestic with each and every tide. Every time he sung a song over again, he improved it, making it stronger, powerful and compelling to hear and listen upon. Even simple rhymes from being a calf grew to be regal pieces of tune, which even masters of the ancient songs, the mighty Blue whales marvelled upon. Songs of Sage and his songs began to spread and pods began to seek him out instead of he seeking them.

Ten months had passed since that time long past where Uton murdered Aris, and Sage took the fall for the ultimate sin. Over this long time, the love in his heart for his mother, for Elli, for the frozen waters of home grew ever more passionate, with Sage longing the return home, which was not far off now.

Age had taken its toll upon Sage, his body growing severely larger and full of wounds and marks of his adventures. Unsure of how large he actually was, Sage began to wonder if he was the size of old Gol or Okura back home. Maybe he was pushing his luck, but his curved dorsal had began to sprout into the tall dorsal that made the male orca proud to be.

Hunting was becoming easier, and easier. Seals were barely much of a challenge anymore, and Sage filled his belly with the warm flesh often these days. Fish began to lose their appeal to Sage, as seals and turtles and sharks and the occasional porpoise captured his attention more. Wondering to himself, Sage began to think Okura may make him a hunt-master, whilst Gol turns him into song-master.

And Ecco was often on Sage's mind. He wondered how his friend, his little brother, grew. He composed a song for Ecco, singing it to other pods and hoping that one day, it would reach Ecco, and the dolphin would know of whom the song originated from.

He did ask himself on occasion, the blurting out he called to Stone. Would Sage have really joined the dolphin pod to aid in the raising of Ecco, had Stone allowed it? Would he have postponed his return home for the dolphin that considered him a brother? He didn't know…

So much more had Sage learnt of the history of the hero Ecco that his little brother was named from as well from his continued travelling. Pods had songs of Ecco meeting with their ancestors and songs of fighting alongside the hero and songs of figures that had meant something to Ecco, as with his friends Blackfin and Tara. Sage had even met with a pod, the Storm Bay pod, which claimed to be the very pod that Ecco had grown up in.

So much had been learnt, but so very much more lay lost.

The Vortex, the Asterite, the Tides of Time… None understood some of these things that the glyphs had sung of, but that Sage knew…

As the birth of the eleventh moon began, Sage decided it was time to start returning to his waters home, his heart aching to meet with his mother again, and see the face of his new sibling. To feel the song of Elli and tell her everything he'd learnt. To return and impress Gol with his wide selection of gathered songs and to Okura with his ability to hunt as one of the best.

And to see the look upon the face of Uton whence the brutish bull realized Sage had succeeded in his quest and grown stronger than even he.

The thoughts of home finally drove Sage from the mating waters of the blue whales, where had remained the past three days. He had been waiting for the blues to arrive, with the chance of meeting with the pod-master, Talokaini the Blue, the descendant of the legendary Big Blue himself.

But Sage could wait no more. Home called his heart, and his heart obeyed.

Allowing the chance to meet Talokaini slip, Sage was travelling towards deeper waters, when a loud voice rumbled behind, a voice of gentle wisdom, and sheer power that lay untapped. "The way of the open sea is dangerous. Songs sing of a monster that consumes without satisfaction." Turning his body around, Sage noticed an enormous figure materializing from the waters. It was a blue whale, aged greatly, with the gentle tones of similar songs sung of his name.

This was Talokaini the Blue.

Dipping his head and splaying his fins, Sage answered, "Great Talokaini, I am Sage of the White River pod, and I…"

"Yes little one," the blue rumbled gently, a passive and jolly tone in his song, yet an intimation of grave importance. "I received word of song that you lingered for me here, thus I broke from my pod to reach you closer, not to sing for time is no more, but to caution… I presage of you, that singers, sharks and many other creatures have astrayed traversing the open waters. Survivors sing of a medusa like beast whom consumes without fulfilment."

Turning his eye back to open waters, Sage blinked. If he did not travel the open seas, it could take him over four moons to reach home. His heart ached, but the thoughts of home urged him on.

Giving a massive blow, that shook the surrounding waters, Talokaini grumbled in his passive tone, low and wise, "I see there is no stopping your heart young Sage. Feared I did, that this would indeed be the very case. Then, little one, I wish the best of tidings and that Delphinius shall continue to shine on you, as he does have before. An honour it is, to meet the greatest master of song in the seas."

"Thank you sir Talokaini," Sage bowed once more, surprised that the massive blue had considered him the master of all songs. He couldn't control his excitement, and wanted to breach in glee, but managed to hold on, promising to breach later. Turning back to the open seas, he began to float away, singing, "Thank you, and farewell…"

Once Sage was far from hearing distance, the waters below opening into a huge abyss, he exploded into a childish scream of joy. The legendary descendant of the Big Blue, Talokaini, considered him to be the greatest singer in the sea! In sheer excitement, Sage threw his body from the water, breaching over and over again whilst screaming, "I'm the greatest! I'm the greatest!"

Splashing about, Sage could not believe it. So much had happened over the past ten moons. So much to learn and gain and see, and he'd done it all. Gol had been right in his claims that this would be the ultimate in allowing Sage to grow and strengthen. It had all been worth it, completely a blessing that Sage had received from Gol's manipulative ways.

We sense you are near…

Sage froze. That voice. Why had it come from? It was a song, yet not a song. It was sung by many, yet only by one. Sage had heard it, yet there was no sound.

Do not fear us… We are waiting for you…

Spinning in fear, Sage searched for the origin of the song. It was faint and weak, but there was still no answer to his searching song. Other than the odd fish school and a far off marlin, Sage was completely and totally alone.

Breathing in short, panicked breaths, Sage called in as brave tone as he could in his worry, "Where are you who sings without a song? Show yourself!"

No! You have alerted the beast!

Sage spun around, seeking for the voice's origin, and spotted a monster approaching in a slow gait. It looked just like a giant medusa, clear and translucent. Two large eyes considered Sage, a hungry, unblinking gaze that chilled the waters. Two thick tendrils erupted from the face, near the gaping, ravenous mouth, covered with spiny pinnacles. It looked somewhat like a crab almost…

But, to Sage, he knew this beast. The monster of his nightmare several moons ago. He could not remove his eyes from the eyes of the creatures. To the mouth. To the eyes again.

You must know the song! Know the song, and you can find sanctuary with we, the eerie voice spoke to Sage again. Follow our song, and only will you survive…

The monster gave a blood chilling shriek and surged forward towards Sage. The orca, panicked, had no other option but to follow the voice. But what had it meant by knowing the song? The voice wasn't that much help in this time of grave peril…

"Hear the voice in peril," Foxin's song resurfaced. Perhaps that's what it meant? No time to ponder, Sage had little choice, as he replayed the song and its directions in his head, diving down into the darkness of the abyss.

"Among the deep it glows,

In the shadows untold,

Destinies' tools,

Guard the line of seer.

Hear the voice in peril,

Down, left, down, right, left,

Up to the pocket for life.

Down for once more,

And thrice left,

The guardian awaits.

Bright rainbow light,

Among the shadows untold…"

As he dived deeper, the monster chasing him into the darkness, Sage swung his song about, seeking a passage to the left, as the song commanded. The pressure began to crush his ribcage, as if the white shark had grabbed him again. Giving a startled whimper, Sage continued down, ignoring the pain.

There! He spotted an alcove and swam in, continuing down the passage it dropped into. Sharp stones littered the sides of the walls, but Sage remained in the centre and avoided them, best to his abilities. There was a shudder and several smaller stone crumbled about, and the shrieking began again, as the monster burst into the tunnel, giving chase down the rocky tomb.

Good, follow the song… the voice again.

An entrance to the right. Tilting his pectorals and rolling his body, Sage swung into the opening, as he felt the water pressure of the monster behind swing with its tendrils and miss. Heart racing, Sage pressed up, ignoring the burning desires for air, and the compressing of his body from the pressure.

Traversing the near horizontal corridor, Sage heard the scream of the monster again, as it pursued him down this corridor. "Delphinius!" Sage panted to himself. "Doesn't this thing give up?"

The song commanded another left, and the moment that the tunnel split, Sage rocketed down the left side, as the monster continued on chasing its quarry of Sage, screaming its death cry.

Rocks, eels, anglerfish, plants and all sorts of manner that existed down these lost tunnels, the very things that Sage would usually stop to observe, soared by, mere blurs of motion to Sage in his frenzied race for survival. Even now, that creature relentlessly chased Sage, screaming for its prey.

But now, there was a problem. Sage's lungs burned for air and he was a long way underneath the surface now. He'd near held his breath as long as his could, the chase exhausting his supply as the blood pumped through his veins, chased by the same demon that plagued Sage.

As if his guardian angel were to hear his cries, the room opened up and there was a surface! A pocket of air that Sage swiftly rose to, sat above. Exhaling the foulness and inhaling the stale, but fresh air that the pocket contained within for him swiftly, Sage turned hearing the screaming still approaching.

Don't stop now… You are so close to us…

Rerunning the song quickly, Sage dived down the large corridor underneath the pocket of air, hearing the tremor as the monster entered the chamber and the scream as it sensed him and resumed its hunt. These tunnels seemed to go on forever and Sage knew that sooner or later, he'd encounter a dead end, trapping him between a wall and the monster. Or if not the monster, trapped without air.

Left the song commanded again, and Sage twisted into the first alcove that was left, as soon as he entered, it split left again, and he shot left, and seconds after, another split and Sage took the left again. As the labyrinth returned to a linear pathway, Sage heard the scream of the monster again, this time a confused scream, the abomination unsure of where Sage was.

His beating heart slowly returning to normal pace as he risked a momentary rest, ignoring his aching muscles and crushed sides, Sage turned in the tunnel, hoping he had enough air to return to the pocket and that the creature wasn't anywhere near enough by.

You are so very close now… Don't turn back…

The voice indeed sounded very close now. Sage twisted his body in the cave to see where he was. The cavern continued down a few more lengths, before it twisted rightwards. A faint shimmer of rainbow colours sparkled upon the walls around the corner.

Interested, Sage slowly fluked forward, wishing to observe what caused this phenomenon. Yes, that's right… Come to us… Fear not the air you need… We will provide…

As Sage turned the corner, the chamber opened up into a colossal cave, stretching several hundred lengths high. Instantly, the need for air evaporated, as Sage's lungs filled with an inexhaustible supply of oxygen, but it was what Sage saw that captured his attention. In awe Sage was, at the occurrence floating before him. A helix of two jewelled strands of hundreds of spheres floated, rotating and humming. Each sphere glittered with the colours of the rainbow, though the sphere alone was one singular colour of orange, blue, green, purple or a dulled grey.

A grand feeling of peacefulness and unadulterated power radiated from this… thing. Sage blinked in curiosity at this… thing he'd found. It sung, yet it did not sing. It saw, yet it did not see. It seemed alive, yet dead. It seemed serene, yet violent. It was welcoming, yet inhospitable. It was warm, yet cold. It was quiet, yet loud. It was organic, yet artificial. It was of this world, yet it was not.

It shouldn't have existed, but it existed.

It was a paradox of everything that should be.

"What are you?" Sage asked the rhetorical question, just as he asked the glyph in Atlantis, his song deep in wonder, awe and surprise. In his heart, he felt he knew the answer, but he would never believe it, unless it told him itself.

We, young Sage, progeny of Keeki and Sorai, heir of the Seer legacy, are the Asterite…