Chapter 2: Onee-san, what's your name?
Ryouga looked up. The shadow, whoever he was, was dangerous.
"Hmph, it must be my warrior's blood getting the better or me again. I apologize, but still you have lost this duel. Should you not keep your promise, you would know what happens…"
Edge was confused. Wasn't that a bit too harsh a comment? Ryouga had already stood up, dusted him white sleeves onto Edge in a defiant manner, and walked off to the exit back to the village. Angry that he lost his battle even though he brought out his finest weapon, he slammed the sun-baked ground with his fist. Then he remembered. The person who stopped the duel. Turning his head around, he saw nothing but the falling leaves of the oak tree…
Air Timeheart burst out into the clearing crying. The tears just wouldn't stop, and the memory kept repeating itself in her mind again, and again, and again… she just couldn't make it go away, yet she also want it to stay…
The sea spray splashed onto Air's face, bringing a refreshing shudder through her. The galley was due to arrive at their destination, the Southern Port of Convochi. They were traveling ahead of time, and would arrive in the morning instead of the estimated evening. Their stroke of luck came by when a south-western wind blew especially strong throughout the night, and the sentry at night immediately unfurled the majestic white sails (with a bit of summoned help). Then they were going ahead at 140 knots per hour…
"Finally I get to see the outside world" .Air smiled to herself." After staying in Wystern 14 years and finally being able to get into the Silver Guild, of course I need a break. AND a proper summoned beast too!" Her mother had agreed that this trip was to be as a celebration for her getting into Silver Guild after countless trials and fights, and also to get her a summoned beast, unlike what her mum called " worthless summoning tags " , which were basically a portable summoning circle, but less powerful and not able to summon a good beast. Moreover, since Craftsknight had to have a summoned creature by them at all times, it would be worthwhile to get one of which high quality.
Then suddenly, the alarm bells on the galley rang out loud and clear. Shocked, Air ran back below deck, only to find everyone rushing out from their cabins and taking their children and valuables with them. Then she saw her mother frantically looking around, and when she finally saw Air, she rushed towards her and hugged her tight.
"Our ship is being attacked by a sea monster, and everyone is evacuating now to the lifeboats." Her mother whispered into her ear apprehensively. "Quick, go to the cabin and grab your things!" Air nodded, and rushed into her cabin. It was mess. Clothes were strewn all over, and their chest of clothes toppled over. Only her chest of belongings was still intact with the clasp still closed. As she knelt down and fumbled with the clasp, she heard a loud cry. The cry was of a deep tone, rumbling, and shook ship, Air flipped open her chest, and was just about to dig her bow and quiver, the only thing that her father had left for her. Actually the only thing that had a trace of her father's soul in it.
An ear-splitting crash pummeled into Air's ears as she screamed out loud in fear. Her ears registered the creaking of wood as she turned and saw that door and corridor was gone, only the blue sea met her eyes. The room had spilt into two. She fell down on fours and crawled to the edge as close as she dared. There she saw the horror of her life.
A gargantuan lobster with bright red shell and barnacles growing all over was crushing the half of the ship with it's claws. On closer inspection, she saw that the claws had eyes on them. And there were two claws. That thing had two heads. Air's mind whirled. How can this thing exist in this world? Or how can this monster exist?
The two heads were simultaneously crushing the ship up, and the screaming of the people reached Air's ears as helpless cries of terror. If that thing had a species, a lobster would be closest to it. However, that did not matter at all. What mattered was that the lobster was eating up people. The claws had finished tearing apart the ship, and was flinging the remnants into the air, with the poor passengers crying out in fear , clinging onto the wooden debris as tightly as possible, before reaching the top of their flight, and hanging there for a second. Then gravity did its evil work and pulled the chuck of wood downwards… Straight into the opened mouth of the lobster. The twin claws was flinging up the floatsam with humans hanging on it up into the air, and snapping them up rhythmically as if it was a game to it.
Air's eyes widened in horror. Sooner or later all the people would be goners. Now with all the remains of the ship gone, the two heads were sweeping across the open seas with it's mouth wide open , sieving out the humans and gobbling them up. But Air had her own problems. The remaining half of the ship, which was cut into two along its length, was down slowly, but surely falling face-down into the sea. If Air didn't get out in time, the ship would cover over her and trap her beneath the chunk of wood. She had to think fast.
She slung her bow and quivers behind her and broke the cabin window. Squirmed through it, she tore her dress in the process. She didn't if the sea was icy cold or not. All she wants is to get out of this hell. Taking a deep breath, she plunged into the deep blue sea.
Suffocated by the water in her lungs, Air coughed and sputtered. She began to swim away from the scene of destruction, as fast as her arms and legs would allow. Then she heard a loud "BOOM" as the ship fell flat on the sea, throwing up gallons of salty water into the air. Air was no longer blocked form view after the ship has fallen, and the water could only mask her for so long. She doubled her efforts to continue her front crawl, but realized all the feared had drained her energy.
A loud roar tore through the morning air, as the Lobster sighted Air with one of its twin heads. Air whipped her head back, to see that the Lobster was making its way to her. All hope was lost.
Then she heard shouting and the faint popping of a summoning. There seems to be humans nearby.
Six beams of ice flew over Air's head and cut through the air with a loud crack. Still staring at the Lobster, she saw the beams of ice striking the Lobster squarely on its chest. It roared, irate at the pesky attacks thrown at him. In it's fury it slammed its claw onto the ship, and debris flew everywhere, and chunks of wood rained down. One landed before Air, and she grabbed on it for support as her vision began blurring. She was starting to faint from exhaustion.
"I must not faint; I have to get out of here…" Her head began dropping on the wood. The last thing she heard was a loud battle cry and the air around suddenly turning icy cold.
When she awoke, she found herself abroad a fishermen's boat, by the smell of it. She was saved by some villagers out fishing, and now they were bringing her back to their village.
"Which village?" She asked the man with a bushy red hair who was the only one wasn't wearing the waterproof suit that the other was wearing.
"Cliff Village." The answer came hard and fast. Cliff…Village? Isn't that the village somewhere around Convochi and had some historical ruin around it? She couldn't remember, and fell asleep once again. She awoke once again when they headed for shore, and found her clothes dry, salt-water free. She didn't bother, but followed the band of laughing jovial fishermen up the dirt road.
Her mind was still field with the previous scenes of death. Her eyes became emotionless, and didn't even realize it when the previous red-haired man had led her through the village gates and told her to take a look around the village whilst he discussed some "important issues" with the village chief. Air nodded, and made her way to the part of the village that seems to be the most deserted. She reached a fountain with several stone benches surrounding it in a perfect circle. She sat down and stared in the fountain, it's water flowing off it's top rim, then the next, and the next, before it reached the base and being sucked up to the top and blow outwards again. If life was that repetitively, no suddenly variations or changes, like the water going through the same thing again, and again, and again… How nice would it be…
"Onee-san, what are you doing here?" Air didn't even realize that a little boy had sat next to her on the long bench, with her legs dangling over the edge. He must have spent quite some time trying to climb up, and yet Air didn't notice him. Moreover, this child was different from the others. For one, his tunic was made of black leather, not of the usual soft cloth that most people wear. And he had some sort of a wand stuck in his equally black leather belt, and he had cloth hat with a rainbow-colored feather stuck in it.
"Err… I am new here, so you wouldn't know me obviously…My name is Air…Air Timeheart." The girl replied shakily. She still has not recovered form her ordeal yet, and refused to talk much. The boy continued shaking his tiny legs over the edge, nodding his head back and forth as if thinking hard, but without precision.
"You do know that everything happens for a reason right?" The boy suddenly spoke out of the blue. The question itself seemed like a statement to Air. She looked at the boy questioningly, and he was staring at the water from the fountain, and all of a sudden the water started overflowing from its largest base. Air frowned. Fountains aren't supposed to overflow, but with this boy looking at it, it started to. Air knew that there was something wrong with this boy, and turned her head to look at him. Then he changed right in front of her eyes. The tunic and hat was gone, and so was the wand. The hair was spiked upwards in a trendy fashion, and his top was bare. His hands had no fingernails but claws resided in the area. There seemed to be a reddish aura around him that speaks for itself as fear, anger, hatred, and also a tinge of yearning. The boy stared back straight into Air's eyes, and Air suddenly found herself staring at…herself?