Chapter Fifteen

Visions

In awe, Sage stared up at the Asterite, unsure if he was dreaming or not. The very creature of the legend of Ecco floated before him, something that Sage never in his life would have ever dreamed he would see, let alone sing to. It was so beautiful, yet so hideous compared to other life, another paradox of the Asterite's existence.

Sage wanted to say something grand; he wanted to show his honour towards the Asterite. Or perhaps sing a glorious song to express his gratitude to be within the audience of the mighty Asterite.

But, instead of all these things, Sage blurted out, "S-Sorai?" The name was familiar, as Sage had probably encountered such an orca during his travels.

Yes. We can see whom your true father is, over all the others whom sired with your mother Keeki prior to your birth. Sorai of the Crater Lake pod is your true father…

With the mention of Crater Lake, Sage remembered Sorai. The song-master of the Crater Lake pod was his father? Sage had been with him for days, and never the thought had occurred to him that Sorai was his father above all others. Why had Sage never suspected?

Because we are never to really know our fathers, as my calves are never to really know me, Sage told himself bitterly. The fact he knew his father meant little, for going up to Sorai and claiming, 'I'm your son,' would only make Sage look as an idiot.

Turning his focus back to the massive entity of the Asterite, Sage continued to notice the paradoxes that existed of it. It was one, it was many. It was open, it was silent. Paradoxes created this entity, an impossible creature that exists where it shouldn't. The shimmering of the globes seemed to echo laughter and sadness, yet logicality once more contradicted.

"You are the… Asterite?" Sage asked, his song quivering slightly in admiration.

Indeed Sage, the Asterite we are. And we have waited for you since the passing of the hero Ecco, the last of the line of the Seer. We have waited for you, the next Seer. The line that continues to you… the spheres vibrated as they continued their endless spiral within their dark grotto.

"Huh?" Sage back-finned away from the spheres whilst blinking in his uncertainty. The song of the Asterite made little sense. What did he mean he'd been waiting for Sage? And this line of Seer? And how was it possible that Sage was related to Ecco?

Believe us or not Sage, you are the creature of destiny. The future of the planet depends upon you, as did the Seer before you, of Ecco…

"But…" Sage protested, unbelieving of what he heard. How could he be a Seer like Ecco? It was impossible, for Ecco was a dolphin, and he was an orca. Unless one of his ancestors had sired with a dolphin, it was highly unlikely that Sage was a so-called 'Seer.'

Shaking his head, Sage sang softly, "You must be mistaken Asterite. I am Sage, an orca of the White River pod. I bear no connections to Ecco in any way. You seek a dolphin named Sage, not me. But, if you will I would like to…"

Sage, progeny of Keeki and Sorai. Keeki, progeny of Kiera and Somas. Somas, progeny of Gleam and Veelo. Gleam, progeny of… the Asterite spoke, a firm voice that commanded the attention of Sage, who listened intently to the names of his ancestors, until a certain name appeared. Kalina, progeny of Melody and Kitnee…

"K-Kitnee?" Sage stammered, his song faltering again. "I have heard this name before… Kitnee is my… ancestor? But whom is he?"

As if to answer, one of the purple globes of the Asterite gleamed brighter, and from it, a ghostly apparition of an orca appeared before Sage. The eye-patches were flecked with black dots, the identifying marks that made this orca different. "Ecco," the ghost sung, a powerful and forceful song, yet controlled. "The Big Blue lies northwards. You'll never make the journey alone. Allow me to accompany you…" Then the sphere dulled, and the phantom orca faded from view.

Kitnee aided the hero Ecco on his quest. He too was of the line of Seer, but to that day, the true hero could only be Ecco, the Asterite spoke gently. As his descendant, the blood of Seer continues to flow through you. And the sign of Delphinius lies upon you, the star markings upon your chin; the true sign of the hero. This threat is for the line of the orca Seer to confront.

Sage blinked in fear. He? A hero of the seas? It was impossible. He was but a calf, nearing adulthood. He was no true hunter, let alone a hero. "No… It can't be me Asterite. You've made some mistake. I'm a collector of songs, not a hero. I…"

The Asterite cut off Sage again, one of the blue spheres shining this time. The spectre of a hourglass dolphin appeared this time. Five star markings lay across the forehead. "Ecco…" Sage gasped as he fluked closer to the memory of the dolphin.

"Me?" the ghost gasped, shock and horror in his eyes. "No, no, no… I can't do that Asterite. I'm no hero, just a calf that loves to play. I just want to find my family. You've made a mistake…"

The ghost faded, and another appeared as a purple sphere shimmered in the darkness. This time another orca, star markings around her eyes. "Me? You can't be serious Asterite… I'm just Ring, a plain and simple orca calf. I'm no hero. You've made a mistake…"

A green sphere glimmered, and a minuscule blue whale appeared, bright stars shimmering across its pectoral fins, "Impossible it is. Hero I am not. Mistaken you are, mighty Asterite…"

Orange sphere brought forth a narwhal, with shimmering marks along its tusk. "You're joking right? There's no way I can be this hero that you claim I am… You've got to be mistaken…"

You see young one, we are never mistaken. Calves nearing adulthood are always the Seer, for their young minds have not yet been corrupted with the decay of age. Children hold the power to shape the future from their ancestors. There was a pause, as Sage glanced at the creature, before it continued its speech to convince the orca. We are the Asterite, the paradox of life. Born of the chaos of creation, to control the chaos of creation from recreating. Once we have failed due to our own interfering, ending all life and forced to recreate, and never shall we again, for as the chaos grows, so do we… the spheres of the entity of the Asterite glowed a passionate fiery hue as it bellowed its song. But, we do not interfere. We aid, we guide and we lead, but never can we interfere, for similar to yourself, we are collector of songs.

At once, all the hundreds of spheres shimmered and ghosts of all Seers long past appeared, chanting their songs of life, like zombies with no life or will of their own, obeying the command of the Asterite that swallowed their lives.

Ecco; "I was born upon a morning's light, the sun rising high as the stars slowly shimmered to their deaths in the light of the sun…"

Ring; "Calved I was, under the light of a moonless night, to a pod within the warm waters of…"

Singers of all races, some that were rare and others that lay within extinction, sung their life stories, overwhelming Sage with countless songs of knowledge. With wide eyes he watched as the vortex of ghosts and spirits were drawn once more into their resting place within the Asterite.

When a Seer completes an age of the sea, one of our grey spheres colours, containing the songs of their life, a verse to the songs of this world. We, the Asterite, guard over the songs of past, protecting them from decay and disfigurement, preserving the natural stream of the song. We look to the past, to guide those in the future to complete their chapter of the song and keep the natural chaos from being corrupted with the winds of change.

With every Seer, they protect the order and restore the chaos to its natural form from usage of our infinite wisdom and guidance. Their song is forever conserved within our entity; a timeless verse in the song of this world, which will aid in the shaping of its future…

To you, young Sage, Ecco is the hero that you seek to follow. In Ecco's time, the Big Blue was a hero beyond comprehension whom we never met, but guided nonetheless; as before the Big Blue, Ring reigned the legends, and before her… the Asterite paused its 'singing' to allow Sage to think for a moment, before, It is not a simple twist of fate that draws the line of Seer to we for guidance to the past, for shaping the future Sage. It is an eternal cycle that has existed since the dawn of time…

Sage was now unsure of how to react. Everything he knew was now so insignificant compared to what he'd just been told by the Asterite. Ecco was not a hero, but a hero within a long chain of heroes and legends that the songs of time had long since forgotten. Only the Asterite remembered these heroes, their songs preserved within its entity.

But he, a lowly calf, banished from his pod, a hero?

"No…" Sage backed away again, refusing to accept it. "I am no hero. You still have the wrong orca, for I am merely a collector of songs…" Sage's heart began to pump in fierce panic and fear at what the Asterite asked of him to accept. "I will have no part of this!"

Is that so? the Asterite shimmered, a low, deathly whisper. One can shape and mould their destiny Sage, but none can deny it. You cannot deny the glyphs obey your call, and answer to you, as only the song of a true Seer would command. You cannot deny that you are greater than any singer in the world with your powers of song and knowledge. You cannot deny that which is yours… Your true calling and destiny, as the next kin to the Seer line…

However, we cannot interfere and if it be your wish to leave, we will not hold you. We will even aid in your passing from us. With the words, a spear of light appeared between the Asterite and Sage, curving around in the shape of a circle, as if cutting a hole in the world itself. As the circle turned full turn, the inside of the circle showed a window of a reef, teaming with fishes and life, near the surface.

But be before forewarned young one… The enemy you face is near the same as your predecessor, and has aid this time round. Aid of one that should not be, an instance of chaos within order. Should you go now, fleeing your destiny, lives will be lost. But should you stay, accepting your fate, many more will be spared the fortune you create them…

"I'm sorry," Sage whispered quietly, his eyes wide in fear. "But I am not the hero that you seek. You are truly mistaken this time…"

This time, the spheres did not answer. They continued their eternal cycle of rotation, ignoring the orca that had forsaken them. Pushing forward, Sage fluked through the hole, finding that it erupted into a true reef upon the other side, as if Sage had swam through some kelp into a new clearing. Blinking at the light, Sage turned to thank the Asterite for what he'd taught Sage.

But the portal was gone, leaving Sage in the open alone.