Don't know why, but I'm particularly proud of the name I came up with for this chapter. I mean, has anyone else noticed that the Verse is a lot like the Force?

Also, I'm unfortunately going to have to recycle some of the narration from the game in this. Like I said, I want to change some things, but the overall plot is still the same.

Naija

Slowly, I awoke. For a moment I had no idea where I was, let alone how much time had passed. As I lifted myself up from the floor, I saw a man wearing a strange blue suit.

Li.

I began to remember the most recent events: I had found another like me, and he was not hostile. It was odd to think that I was the only person left alive.

Suddenly, I became aware of every flaw in my appearance; I felt exposed. Color rose to my cheeks and I struggled to hide my shame. As I reached to cover my face with my hand, Li must have interpreted my action as fear, as he spoke: "Don't worry, I'm not going to harm you."

I lowered my hand to look at him, and he held out his hand. "I'm Li."

I gently took his hand in mine. "I know," I spoke softly. "I'm Naija."

He smiled. "I know."

For the next few moments we simply stared into each other's eyes, and said nothing...until Li blushed as he broke eye contact and held out a fish. "Do you...want something to eat?"

I looked at the fish he was offering me, not knowing whether or not to accept. I had plenty of my own food, and I had no way of knowing if Li needed it more than I did.

"It's fine, I have more," he assured me.

I took the fish from his hand and smiled. "Thank you," I said before I began to eat.

Li produced his own fish, and we both lowered ourselves and began to relax on the plant beds on the floor of the cave. As we ate, I began to notice that Li appeared to be troubled about something. "Excuse me for asking, but...are you alright?" I asked him.

"Huh?" he replied. "Oh, I don't know, it's just...ever since you kissed me a while ago, I've been able to breathe water, which humans normally can't do, and suddenly I like to eat raw fish...I've never liked raw fish before..."

I most certainly did not enjoy seeing Li so unhappy, so distressed, and thus my mind raced to think of something to say that would please him. At the same time, however, I realized that I did not wish to lie to him either, so I settled on telling him what I knew.

"Truthfully, I do not know why you have been affected in such ways," I stated, "but it may have been caused by our connection through the Verse."

"What's the Verse?" Li inquired. "Is it that song I've been hearing lately?"

I smiled; I could tell that Li was not a creature of the water. "The Verse is a mysterious force that flows throughout Aquaria and binds every living thing as one," I explained. "Though it seems to have connected us more intensely than usual."

"Oh, really?" Li replied. "Have you kissed a lot of guys but never gotten such a strong reaction?"

I laughed. "No...in fact, never in my memory have I met someone as similar to myself, and yet...so different."

Li smiled warmly. "I've never met anyone quite like you either, Naija." He paused to eat a little; I decided to do the same. "So is there anything more you can tell me about the Verse?"

"It can be manipulated through song, and certain creatures react strongly to it," I elaborated. "Observe this jellyfish as I sing."

I gestured toward a small, yellow-green jellyfish drifting above us and sang the o note, and as I did so, the jellyfish began to glow in a blue hue. When I sang ;, it turned red, and it became yellow in response to the v note. "Would you like try it yourself?" I offered Li.

"I don't know," he answered. "I've never really been much of a singer."

"If you would prefer, humming the notes would be just as effective," I suggested.

"Alright, if you say so."

Li began to hum the () note, and though it was quiet, I could feel it in the water surrounding me just as well as when I sang. And just as if I were singing the note, the jellyfish began to glow a darker shade of green.

"Wow," Li expressed. "How long has the Verse existed?"

"For as long as I can remember," I answered, "and most likely much longer."

As Li continued to experiment with the jellyfish, I began to wonder something even more interesting. If Li could live in the water and manipulate the Verse through his connection to me...would he also be able to use the powers that the Verse had granted me?

"Li," I called out, diverting his attention from the jellyfish, "repeat after me: u o u o"

As the Shield formed around me, I watched Li as he hummed the song back.

"u o u o"

Li dropped his fish and quickly rose from the floor, surprised to find that the Shield now existed around him as well. "Whoa, what just happened?"

"That was the Shield Song," I elaborated happily. "Whenever it is sung, the Verse creates a barrier around the singer that protects against energy projectiles..." I approached him and touched his shoulder, "...but not from close contact with other creatures."

Li appeared awestruck with what he had been able to bring forth. "Wow...what else can the Verse do?"

I pointed to a square object made of a hard, brown material, with a strange symbol marked on the front. "Try focusing on that object and singing this song: () ^ o"

Li repeated the song while staring at the box. "() ^ o"

The box suddenly began to rise from the floor of the cave and float near Li.

"Using the Binding Song, you can bind the Verse around physical objects and move them with ease," I explained. "To release the object, simply sing the song again."

Li hummed the Binding Song a second time, and the box sank to the floor. I will admit that at this moment, I was beginning to enjoy educating Li in the wonders of the Verse; enough that I did not tread cautiously in teaching him the Energy Form Song. "Now, try this song: v u *"

As I transformed into my Energy Form, I could not help but to notice Li grow severely frightened of me. I could not understand what had scared him so greatly, that is of course until I remembered that I had just transformed into a terrifyingly destructive being of pure energy. I hastily returned to normal and tried to apologize.

"It's fine," Li attempted to assure me. "It's just that...earlier I saw you kill a shark, and I was afraid you would do the same to me. Also, whatever you just did is pretty scary."

"Oh, do not worry, Li, I would never dream of hurting you," I promised. "Perhaps it will be less frightening if you were to try yourself. Repeat after me: v u *"

Even as I sang, I actively willed myself not to transform. Instead, I allowed Li that pleasure.

"v u *"

There was a flash of light, and the kind man I had come to know no longer existed. In his place was an energy being not unlike myself when I transformed, save for the fact that he glowed blue instead of orange. Li glanced at his hands and smiled darkly before launching several energy sparks toward the ceiling of the cave. When without warning he began to generate a larger energy field, I quickly sang the Shield song for protection in the event that I would be struck by one of his energy tendrils. Thankfully, this was not the case; as Li released the energy field, the sparks flew toward the floor and ceiling of the cave and made no effort to seek me out.

"Oh, sorry about that," Li apologized upon noticing me behind the Shield. "Uh...how do I change back?"

"Focus your energy inward and relax," I instructed. Li closed his glowing eyes and began to do so, and thus it was not long before I was able to see his handsome face yet again.

"As you may have already noticed, the Energy Form is invaluable for combat and self-defense purposes," I lectured. "However, the Verse will not accept your song in any form aside from your natural state."

"I felt so powerful," Li expressed. "That shark never stood a chance, did it?"

I laughed softly. "No, I suppose it was doomed the moment it chose to make me its next meal. But I digress; there is one more song I have left to teach you."

"Alright, what is this last song?" Li asked eagerly.

"The Beast Form Song: ; * u"

Upon seeing me transform into an animalistic beast, Li repeated the song and morphed into a beast himself, differing in that while my scales were colored pink and dark purple, his were green and dark blue; we had matching yellow eyes, however. Even as such an aggressive-looking creature, I still found Li to be quite attractive...though that may have been due to the fact that I currently existed as a creature of the same sort. Again without warning, he suddenly dove straight down to the floor of the cave and savagely devoured the fish he had recently forgotten about, not even sparing the bones.

Satisfied with his meal, Li kicked against the floor to return to me, but now he was closer than he was before. He even smelled attractive in this form. I began to feel instinct taking control...which is why I Li and I both chose that moment to revert back to normal.

"Sorry," he spoke quietly. "If I had stayed like that any longer, I might have done something...uncivilized. More so than eating an entire fish in one bite, I mean."

"I understand," I replied, blushing and averting my eyes. Eager to change the subject, I began another explanation. "A-as you have just experienced, the Beast Form grants increased physical strength and enhanced predatory instincts. I have found it useful for defeating large amounts of smaller creatures, or navigating strong currents."

"This...this is amazing," Li expressed. "I've been coming to this island for nearly a decade, and I never would have thought that these waters were basically enchanted..."

"I'm glad you feel this way," I replied. "I'm happy just to be sharing my experiences with another."

"Is there...anything you would like me to do for you?" Li offered.

I took a short moment to imagine what I wanted most. "Throughout my memory, I have always been alone. I cannot remember where I came from, let alone any details from my past. I've discovered the ruins of past civilizations, but never another living person...until now. I would love nothing more if you were to accompany me on my journey to discover who I really am."

Li seemed to be somewhat surprised at my request, but as he took my hand and spoke, I could not doubt the sincerity of his response. "Naija, I'd love to explore these waters and help you find yourself. For a while I've had many questions about this place, but no way to find answers. If we adventure together...it could greatly benefit us both."

"It will not be easy," I warned. "Aquaria is filled with dangerous creatures. I have fought gods in search of the truth."

"It'll be worth it," Li insisted. "This was never known to be a safe place, but that's never stopped me before...though I may need a little more practice with the Verse before we start. In the meantime, it sounds like you've had a difficult time getting here; if you'd like to rest here for the night, you're more than welcome to do so."

"Thank you...very much," I expressed quietly. "I am indeed quite exhausted, but please feel free to ask me for help should you need it."

At that moment, I left Li to experiment with his new abilities, and swam toward the cave exit to record today's events within the memory crystal. Once I felt satisfied that the memories of my first encounter with another person would be fully preserved, I allowed myself to rest on a bed of plants while Li continued to hum the songs I had taught him and explore the powers that they granted him. After several minutes had passed, I observed as he became perplexed and swam over to me.

"Naija," he addressed me, "do you happen to recognize this song? ; () ^"

As Li hummed the song, I felt the Verse draw us close together. "That must be Our Song," I reasoned. "We can use it to summon each other should we become separated."

"That's good to know," Li smiled. "Well, I think I'm ready to call it a day. Good night, Naija."

"...Good night, Li."

Li swam up toward the Veil and climbed out of the water to access his living quarters. As the cave continued to grow dark, I began to reflect on what had just transpired. We had both set out to find answers, and together, we would be able to explore further than either of us could on our own. For the first time in all my memory...

I was not alone.

I wanted to use the "at" symbol for the blue note, but this website won't accept that, so I'll be using a lowercase o for the blue note and an uppercase O for the purple note.

Actually, here's a key for how I will portray all of the notes:

() = green ellipse (low C)

^ = two teal leaves pointing downward (D)

o = blue spiral (E)

O = purple circle (F)

; = red drop (G)

* = scarlet sun (A)

u = orange bowl (B-flat/B)

v= two yellow leaves pointing upward (high C)

Thanks for reading, and please don't forget to review.