Chapter Twenty One
Destiny
The travel was made at breakneck speed, for Sage was fearful of what else may come of the monster and master if he wasted time. There was little time to dream, eat or sing as the three orca raced through the waters of the world, seeking the open waters where the Asterite had summoned Sage. Exhaustion plagued them, but they ignored their bodies pleads to haste in seeking the wisdom of the elder.
To Sage, the speed was easy to maintain, for his flukes were used to such speeds from his journey that had transpired not so long ago. Gol surprised Sage greatly with his speed, though he swam on borrowed time, his aged flukes traversed at a speed that surprised. But Elli was the one to fell behind, her muscles having not yet expanded enough for her to charge the distances that either Sage or Gol charged upon. Often, both Gol and Sage would have to turn back and find Elli who'd dropped behind.
Several times as they passed serene inlets, brights and bays, Sage suggested Elli remain and wait for their return, but the female was stubborn in her vow not to leave her mate alone. In his heart, this devotion to him made Sage soar, as he knew how much she truly cared for he. Pausing for only moments at these bays, the orcas would swiftly snap up any life giving fish and move on.
The seas began to swim in fear the last of White River noticed as they trekked the waters, with few singers venturing out to welcome or converse with them. Indeed, even the pod of Okarena had been found nowhere, their songs of ego silent and absent. But as they travelled further, dolphins and whales greatly avoided separation, as songs of fear of a giant medusa and dark singer began to spread, the pods pulling tighter and tighter together.
As Sage finally drew near the mating grounds of the ancient Blue whales, the darkness of the night deep within its cycle, he knew he was nearing his goal of the grotto. But the only fear was that Sage had been led more or less with the song of the Asterite into the cavern deep below, and without the guidance he was unsure if he'd find the lair again, from where to dive into the vast abyss below to find the channel to the ancient one.
Fear not Seer, for we will aid and guide as long as that is your goal… You are above your purpose and should dive from here…
"Who said that?" barked Elli as they miniature pod drew to a stop, her voice fearful at the paradox song that did not sing. Her song was shattered, as with the rest of her body. All three orca had sunken bellies, strained muscles and panting songs, but determination drove them onwards.
"The Asterite," murmured Sage, his voice low and hissing. The Asterite would guide him and help him, but it didn't mean Sage had to like it. He turned to face Elli and Gol, "The passage runs long and deep, and there is little air down these breathless passages. I would…"
"If it is your goal to be rid of me," Elli snapped back, her song firm, forgetting her fatigue. "You may stop singing now. As I stated long before, I will not and cannot leave you. I will join you in your audience with this Asterite so as I can hear it my-self, that you are indeed a Seer…"
Turning to Gol, the elder male's body looked more exhausted, and Sage knew he was nearing his time to pass on to the end… the beginning, anytime soon. The hastened journey had claimed more age from his already decayed body. "I too will accompany you."
Blowing, Sage frowned slightly, but in his heart again it beamed. "Fill your lungs full and then some," Sage ordered as he drew in air, expanding his lungs to their maximum capacity. "And be prepared to move fast, for the chance for more air is few and far between."
As soon as Sage clamped down his blowhole shut, he pushed his flukes and dived into the abyss below, knowing that this was the way to the cave of the mythical beast that had ruined his life. As he dived, he swept his sonar over, seeking anything that he recognised from before to the entrance to the maze of tunnels that guarded the prophet below.
The jutted rocks, the strange plants and then below, a larger hole which was the entrance, widened with aid from the monster prior. Tilting his body, Sage moved towards the hole, sensing Elli and Gol mimic his motions as he did so, into the vertical passage that led down.
Replaying Foxin's song within his head, Sage moved down each passage as it commanded. Down into the abyss, left into the tunnels, down the shaft and right into the passage… "Sage!" whined Elli, her voice growing fearful. "I'm afraid so closed in. And I need air…"
"Just a little further…" Sage ordered Elli and Gol as he moved into the room with the air-pocket at last. Rising to refill his lungs, he heard Elli and Gol do the same, drawing in the musty air that nonetheless filled their lungs. The darkness meant that Sage only saw a little of his friends, but he knew they were there. "This way…" Sage continued as he dove down the perpendicular shaft below.
Traversing the three lefts and then down the longer corridor, life of all sorts scattering from the three intruders to their eternal rock tomb domain, Sage witnessed the rainbow effect on the wall and his heart both leapt and sunk. He was back to the chamber of the Asterite…
Erupting into the cavern, the desire for air evaporated and new surprises as his belly felt full and his exhaustion vanished, Sage glanced up at the creature of spherical origins, continuing its rotation of colours. A gasp of amazement escaped Elli, as Gol sung a long note of awe and disbelief, exclaiming, "The Asterite…"
Welcome, Elli, mate of Sage and Gol, song-master of White River. Indeed, we are the Asterite, and your companion Sage is as he has claimed to be, a Seer. We have eagerly awaited your return Sage, knowing that return you shall…
"So you knew that the Crimson Tide was to occur and I was to be a survivor, yet you never told me?" Sage spat, his song rich in scorn and hatred. "I don't know if I should thank you for sparing me, or hate you forever for the pain you've caused…"
The genocide of the pod of White River was most unfortunate, the Asterite whispered, its voice devoid of all emotion. But had you accepted and not returned to your home waters without heeding your own calling, the beast would not have followed you to your waters and sought its vengeance against you upon your family…
"So it is my fault," Sage snarled, turning to Elli and Gol who stared back at him, their faces neutral. He had saved their lives, but killed all the others. He closed his eyes as they began to wet with sorrow again. "I never should've returned home…"
"No. It was not your fault Sage," whispered Elli, her voice low for her mate to comfort him. Then, her gaze shifted to the Asterite and her song hardened, "You are to blame! You knew that this was to happen, yet you never warned Sage? My mother is dead, my family is dead… All we know is dead, because you refused to warn Sage of the results of his actions! And some sing of you as the great guardian of the children of the Earth! You could have spared our families lives at least!"
We do not interfere! the globes shined a passion flame of colours, defending themselves from the attacking female. Sage was warned of the outcome, and though we knew others would die from his actions, we had only suspicions that White River would be…
"Then you still should have told me!" roared Sage, his song bellowing at the Asterite, causing the colours to slightly dim in shock. "You sit here, spinning around with your lofty ideals of not interfering or warning of your qualms and it causes death! You claim you protect life, yet you allow it to die!" The younger orca paused, his eyes darting over the creation of chaos. "You are indeed the biggest paradox of creation… You don't even know what it is you want…"
The globes remained silent, the shining dimming to nothing. Never before had a singer answered back to the Asterite and for the first time, the thought of being shouted down startled the creature. And Sage's words hit hard and true to the Asterite. As it continued its rotation of eternity, Sage and Elli glowered at the Asterite as it rotated silently their minds brewing with loathing and hatred.
Suddenly, a sphere exploded in an explosion of light, and Sage found himself seeing another world. He was flying within the realm of the sky, looking down upon a different world, the dry side. But the creatures upon the dry side weren't the creatures Sage had heard of before. They resembled large reptiles, as the stalked around the land, flew in the skies and swam in the seas…
We cannot interfere, for the last time we interfered, all life almost ended. Great creatures of land and sea, reptiles of sizes existed in land, sea and air. But whence we tried to save a dying species, it broke the balance. The creatures we saved started to cause mass extinction of many others, for it had no predator to prey upon it and thus, we created a predator. But this too grew too powerful and soon, there was little to do, for the balance was thrown too far to gather again from our intrusion.
Heartbroken we were as we were forced to exterminate all upon the world. But some survived; small creatures that was given the gift and grew into the many creatures that exist today. That was a gift, a miracle, unknown by us, for one of our globes of power were missing, sparing one species to grow and dominate. The mammal kind…
In fear of repeating mistakes, we look to the past and learn. If we interfere, we may cause such a mistake again, and we do not wish to cause planetary extinction once more…
The vision ended as the light dimmed into the darkness of the cave.
Mistakes have we made, and we turn to the past to avoid repeating, but it seems that even now, we still continue to mistake… We will aid you with the help that we can, but this task is mostly for you Sage. All we can do, is guide and aid, providing the information that you need to help…
Watching Sage turned to Elli and Gol, to see what they thought. Elli blinked, her mind deep in thought, as Gol stared on, unable to remove his eyes from the Asterite.
The creature you face is the larvae of a Vortex Queen. It seems that during the final battle against the Vortex; a singular egg was missed, which has recently hatched. The larvae must be stopped before it grows to a fully mature Queen, or else all may still be lost… We give to you Sage, all the knowledge we know of the Vortex kind…
With shimmer of blue, the sphere that held Ecco's song within emitted a beam of light, striking Sage, and filling him with another new song. The song that Ecco sung of the Vortex kind, revealing everything that had been learnt about them. Their forms, weaknesses and strengths all recorded to Sage's memory to aid him in his combat. "And…" Sage began, seconds after the beam evaporated and he'd had time to recover. "What is it that I can do that no other can't?"
The song… The song Sage injures the Queen. The song of all singers mixed into one melody can alone defeat the Queen, the reason Ecco and we summoned all singers to the final battle in his age. We know that the Queen is being fed by another… He is one who should never have been… The instance of chaos among order… The dark singer you will have to find an alternate means of conflict.
Sage glowered, knowing the monster that the Asterite spoke of.
Even now, the dark singer and the infant Queen travel, on the hunt of one who opposed them at a time and escaped. The dark singer thinks the Vortex obeys his command, but it does so only to feed from his beliefs of its obedience in its time of weakness. Once the metamorphosis is complete, she will bring untold destruction upon our world, starting with the hand that feeds it. The spheres shined as one as the Asterite paused, seeking answers for itself. They approach the pods of two allies… You must save them, for within the pods we sense a great power yet to befall the world… The spear of light appeared again and the teleportation ring appeared, expressing a window to a reef outside, bright with the orange light of approaching morn. We mourn for the loss of the White River, we thank you for expressing our errors and we wish you the best of luck and pray that you will forever end the Vortex menace Sage… But be forewarned Seer, that you do not corrupt yourself with emotion for the Seer is a target of a foe much greater than we can handle… Your emotions… Do not abuse the use of your knowledge and powers in the heat of battle for anger, sorrow or upset or you will become a monster far worse than the dark singer…
"I would never become a monster like that." Nodding, Sage turned to Elli and Gol. "Let's go…" Elli moved towards the ring, vanishing to the other side, but Gol remained still, staring at the Asterite with cold eyes. "No…" Sage whispered as he realized the age had at last caught up with Gol, the song-master's final resting place discovered.
The song-master's heart was weak, and his body weaker. He passed soon after arriving. Fear not Sage, within this chamber, his song and his memory shall always remain a part of us… With these words, one of the dulled grey spheres shimmered and lit up green, Gol's memory forever part of the entity of the Asterite. Now go! The fate of our world depends upon your actions…
His destiny now written, Sage nodded, understanding the truth of the Asterite and what he had to do to prevent more Crimson Tides. Returning his eyes to Gol one last time, his mentor and friend, finally gone after so long…
"Sui wayhi delta vho Gol ceesee hera," Sage prayed as he swam through the portal, honouring the memory of his long teacher, who was at last at peace…