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With her arms still crossed, she watched him and his expression closely. Not because she didn't trust him, but because she wasn't sure anymore just what to make of him. He was still reassuring her, and she could tell that he meant it all--

What was she supposed to make of that?

"I don't sense any danger, or even any humans coming into my forest right now. But even if they do come in here, it's not as if I can't defend myself or drive them out," she told him, brows furrowing slightly. It felt strange knowing that he was this concerned for her, or dare she even think... Protective?

But his honesty and openness with her was hard to keep disliking. Perhaps she even liked it.

"... Nevermind that. Stop talking like I'm about to banish you from here, you've already come all this way and went through all this trouble to make up for your past mistakes."

She huffed out a deep sigh. His words kept making her head feel as though it were being filled with cotton, and kept prodding at her heart uncomfortably. While her own nature kept things from playing out exactly as they did for Caspian and Eolchaire, the more she saw of Rafayel, the more she realized that he wasn't all too different him his predecessor--at least, according to Eolchaire's writing.

And the gloriosa in her hair seemed like a testament to that she wasn't prepared for, either. Her expression softened to a degree it hadn't before as she reached up and touched the flower. When did he find it?

With it's flame-like appearance, she couldn't help but wonder if he was making some sort of statement.

"I..."

Her mouth opened to speak on the flower more, but she shook her head at herself. She couldn't meet his gaze.

It's too much, too quickly. After this, I... I need time alone.

And the sooner he was gone, the better.

"Like I said, you already came all this way and tried to make up for your mistakes. You don't have to leave yet unless you need to and I'm sure the wolves would appreciate it more if you offered them your gift yourself."

She turned to the sea and squinted at the sun above. By now, she'd come to realize that like Caspian, Rafayel was only able to come here because he'd been sneaking out under the noses of his handlers.

"You don't have a lot of time to work with. I know I said I wouldn't help you find where Caspian and Eolchaire met, but..."

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

Content with hearing him acknowledge that she wasn't defenseless, she left that topic rest—the much more pressing conversation that had her staring at an all too knowing curiosity made her a little flustered, but she responded as though she wasn't bothered at all.

Ordinarily, she'd never go back on her word; but ordinarily, she wouldn't be dealing with something that could talk and smile at her.

Ugh.

She wondered if he was aware of how clearly the hope lit up his face, and how it seemed to make the colors of his eyes more vibrant. Or was he completely clueless about how lovely he could look?

"But... As a show of gratitude for actually rectifying your mistakes and for helping me calm down... I'll show you the exact location you're looking for."

Was it normal to want to care about being the reason that sparkle twinkled in his eye?

It was only right that she help him. After all, could she really stand the idea of him wasting the little time he had to seek answers on the surface by getting hopelessly lost in her forest? As much as he said he'd understand if she refused him, she could still recall the look on his face and the sheer sincerity with which he told her how he wanted to find pieces of predecessor through retracing his steps.

She understood that ever little piece, each little fragment added more to his understanding of both his predecessor and himself than anything his handlers had ever taught him.

Such efforts weren't even guaranteed promising results, though—truthfully, she could't recall if any of the tomes she read ever mentioned Caspian leaving anything behind in the forest, or if Eolchaire ever helped him stash anything awah. But Dolasach hadn't read every tome yet, nor was it a guarantee that Eolchaire would know if he'd hidden anything around.

Especially if it were underwater.

She figured that if Rafayel's near future would only contain disappointment, the most merciful way to go about it was to help him find out faster. So she offered as much.

After gesturing for him to pick up the meat, she gestured for him to follow her as she turned to venture deeper into the forest.

"Come on."

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

There was something so deeply satisfying about being able to leave Rafayel speechless.

That wasn’t her intention when she made her offer to help him, but it was certainly a very appreciated perk—as was the smile that slowly crept up his features, bringing back that soft smile that she was slowly getting used to.

She couldn’t help but smile, too.

“Of course.”

Keeping her pace intentionally slower until he caught up with her, she lead the way through the woods at a comfortable but brisk pace. The thought of using her typical method of traversing the woods crossed her mind, but she wasn’t sure how exactly bringing another entire god with her would work or feel. She knew it was possible—Eolchaire had indicated as much since she was able to take Caspian to her home without issue. But the idea of turning to pure energy alongside Rafayel in order to travel through the foliage felt far too personal and intimate for her comfort.

The walk wasn’t unpleasant, though. With moderate weather, the forest was lively and peaceful. The rustling of leaves from trees swaying in the wind, the calls of hidden birds, the crunch of each footstep they took—Dolasach found it all so healing.

“Oh, the wolves?” she echoed curiously. “They’re sleeping. After I granted you permission to come as you please, they knew not to come after you anymore. We’ll pass by their den on the way, and you can leave the meat by the entrance.”

And sure enough, after some time walking, they do indeed reach the entrance of the wolf den. A few sleeping wolves could be seen from the entrance while one remained lazily awake, but most were deeper into the den.

If he could peer inside, he’d be able to see that it was rather lavishly decorated—by wolf standards, of course. An assortment of furs and fabrics made up their little ‘beds’, and near the den was what seemed to be a stone trough full of water that was cleverly blended in with the surroundings. Several bones of various sizes were strewn about, and a few little things that looked like handmade toys that imitated small prey animals.

They weren't just wolves to Dolasach.

The wolf on watch saw the two approach and quickly stood to attention, tail wagging as Dolasach came near. She spoke to it in language known only to the forest and happily pet it before turning to Rafayel.

“You can leave the meat anywhere nearby,” she instructed him. “But not too close to the den entrance. They like to keep a little distance between their sleeping quarters and their food.”

The wolf watched Rafayel curiously, head tilting. She eventually left her post to sniff at him and the gifts he had, having caught the scent of meat and blood in the air.

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

Since meeting Rafayel, Dolasach has been feeling quite a lot of new emotions. Right now, as she watches him try to bond with one of her wolves, a new type of warmth envelops her heart.

Cute.

She wasn’t too worried when he began trying to feed the wolf a bit of meat—her commands were final for these creatures, and if she said to not attack him, then they wouldn’t… Save of course if he provokes them in any way.

Another smile takes over her features as she sees the wolf take the offered meat. It was hard not to—impossible, even, for how sweet the sight is.

The wolf sniffs a little more at Rafayel, visibly curious. Her tail wags slowly, as if tentative on whether to fully consider him a friend or not.

She gives it about a few more visits before they’re fully on him.

"See? I told you they’d appreciate it more if you gave them the meat yourself,” she says, her smile creeping into how she spoke.

A few of the sleeping wolves begin to stir, having sensed that both Dolasach and a meal were in their presence. Dolasach turns to see a few poking their heads out to investigate, one of them yawning away his drowse. One comes out, ignores both gods, and makes a beeline for the meat that had been laid out.

She chuckles, amused and not really that surprised.

“And now it seems you’ve managed to get the attention of the others.” The smile hasn’t faded from her features, and there’s a certain peacefulness to her expression.

“Let a few more greet you, but then we’ll need to continue onward—daylight is burning.”

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

It was hard to describe what exactly she was feeling as she watched Rafayel continue playing with the wolves. It was light, warm, and made her wonder how things would’ve gone if she’d met him like this instead of being startled by the sea. Would she be less reluctant to about liking him, or would she be even more wary of such a charming stranger who managed to befriend her wolves?

A few wolves who already had their share of meat came up to Rafayel to get a good sniff, a few pensive while at already had his tail wagging, having most likely decided that this guy must be fine if he’s bringing good meat to the function. How kind of him.

The leader of the pack approached Dolasach and she bent down to scratch under her chin while Rafayel had his fun with the others. It crossed her mind that he like never encountered any wolves before until venturing here, and that he was handling himself quite well if he was even able to tell one off for being greedy.

Though once more were coming out of the den and the little heads of curious wolf pups could be seen peeking from the entrance, she beckoned Rafayel to follow her deeper into the forest after bidding the wolves goodbye.

Once on their way, she started giving his question some thought. It was sudden, without context; a glance at his eyes reminded her of how specific their coloring was, so she gave a more neutral answer to not give him any ideas.

“I think they’re both quite lovely in their own right,” she said, brows furrowing slightly as she looked at him. “Why do you ask?”

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

"Hmm..."

She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought over his answer. A life without seeing the sunset and sunrise each day was unimaginable to her, especially when out here in the forest, the sun made itself abundantly know day in and day out.

A few small animals run into a nearby bush, and some birds sing their song somewhere in the branches above. She tried to imagine what it would be like to not hear the liveliness of the earth--or maybe Lemurians can hear marine life in a way that she never could?

She glanced at him.

"Did... You want to see it? The sunrise, I mean."

Turning her gaze up to the sky, she could see the sun through the leaves of the seemingly endless trees. Did the 'sun' in Lemuria light up the entire bottom of the sea, or just their city? Was it dark until you found that light?

"There really wouldn't be any sunlight all the way down in Lemuria, huh?" She turned to him with a frown. "I remember reading that Eolchaire saw the false sun during one of her few visits there, but she never mentioned anything about how it 'sets' or 'rises.'"

Nor did she mention a lot of more pleasant, smaller details of her trip. Just... A some more sour, bitter lamentations, but Dolasach didn't want to linger on that while Rafayel was here, and the both of them were in a good mood.

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

Dolasach pondered the logistics of helping Rafayel see his first sunrise on the surface. He'd already see the sunset—would it be difficult to have him witness its counterpart at the start of the day?

For some reason, it upset her that he had to enduring such longing for something that was so integral to her life. There was a bitter irony to it—dawn and dusk looked breathtaking over tbe sea, yet the God of the Tides himself would never have seen either if he didn't sneak out of Lemuria.

"If you'll be continuing to come up here to learn about Caspian," she said, unaware of how memories that weren't his were flashing through his mind, "then eventually you'll get to see it. When that happens, I know the perfect spot to watch it from."

Seeing him blurt out something that immediately rendered him bashful and embarrassed made Dolasach grin—she covered her mouth with her hand to spare his dignity as she tried not to laugh.

How cute. How terribly cute.

"It really shouldn't be," she agreed. Despite her efforts, her amusement was obvious in her voice. "Eolcha—erm, nevermind. They really were quite deeply in love."

No need to get into unnecessary detail that began to fluster her the moment she started thinking about them.

Her eyes were drawn to the flame he conjured, his words creating an image of him that reminded her just how integral the Sea God is to Lemuria. How long had it been between Caspian's death and Rafayel's creation? How did Lemuria survive however many years of darkness like that?

It was something that made her understand the reason why his handlers seemed to strict about what he did or where he went. If he were gone, then so would the light and warmth that made Lemuria thrive.

Yet there wasn't a single thing thay could justify to her how the elders treated Eolchaire and Caspian. And now, she wondered just what Caspian's fate meant for Rafayel, especially since it seemed that he wasn't all too different from the Sea God before him.

If he had to sneak out to come to the surface and return so quickly, then perhaps they treated him terribly.

She didn't like that.

“Then your mood must create the weather down there, doesn’t it?” she asked. “Perhaps you don’t control the dawn and dusk down there directly… But the Sea does listen to you.”

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

“You’re saying that with quite some confidence.”

Dolasach pointed out how easily he said it with a somewhat teasing lilt to her words. “But then again… For better or for worse, I am your most reliable source for anything regarding Caspian right now.”

Which both did and didn’t bother her. Now that he’d been mostly pleasant as of late, it didn’t seem so bad that he’d be coming to see her often.

She eyed him from the side as he leaned in, her gaze still mostly trained on the small flame. Her cheeks turned a tinge pink as she thought about Eolchaire’s more… intimately detailed writings about her relationship with Caspian, and suddenly she could’ve meet Rafayel’s gaze.

“Like I said, she and Caspian loved each other deeply. And she—ehem—made that abundantly clear in some of her tomes.”

The seahorse took her attention off of the embarrassing topic, though she still couldn’t help but be wary of it as it drew closer to her and played within her space. She felt its warmth, finding it comforting despite her inability to trust that it really was perfectly harmless.

She took his words into consideration, unsure what to think. Caspian’s flames were the same, and while Eolchaire believed it was because he deeply loved her to the point that his flames could never hurt her… The thought didn’t settle right with Dolasach.

Not when they’ve only known each other for three days. Surely, even if it were true, there was another reason.

Love, at this point, and so soon? Unbelievable.

“Still, I’d prefer it if you were still careful with your flames,” she said, watching as the seahorse went to settle over his shoulder. For a man so well decorated in blue, she wondered why his fire was the color that it was. “I haven’t had very many good experiences with fire outside of cooking.”

Absentmindedly, she made a flower slowly grow in her palm, soft green tendrils emerging from nowhere and a bud forming and quickly beginning to bloom. A flame lily of her own, the closest mimicry she could make of his flame.

“Must be difficult and irksome,” she said in sympathy. “And convenient for those elders. Perhaps they know that they benefit greatly from you not being able to freely express your anger.”

She offered him the flame lily before turning her gaze ahead. She looks at him then gestures in front.

“We’re almost to the river.”

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

“It certainly helps to know what your goals are,” Dolasach agreed, watching him curiously as they walked.

She wondered if he had any sort of underlying meaning behind his words that she couldn’t quite grasp, but she let it be for now. Some part of her felt that if there was, she wouldn’t be ready for it.

His teasing went purposefully ignored as she could tell he understood what her reluctance and flushed face meant—she didn’t even realize that she was pouting with her arms crossed.

How dare he.

The seahorse returning to her did get her attention, as did his reassurance. She stared at the flame-born seahorse, brows furrowed. The urge to reach out and touch it was strong, but she decided against it.

“I know your flames are different,” she said, glancing at him.

But it still looks like a fire.

As it disappeared and his attention turns to the flower she made him, the delicate and tender way he held and admired the small gift, something falls into place for her in her mind.

That she liked seeing him happy.

“Of course. You have me a flower of your own, after all.”

As they continued walking and finally reached the river’s edge, she beckoned him to follow further downstream. The river’s water was crystal clear, running smoothly down towards the sea in the far, far distance. The trees here seemed to be uniquely flowering, their purple blossoms trailing down from their branches in chains. Some lost petals and leaves drifted downstream, and some fish could be seen curiously poking at them.

“See that rock jutting out of the water?” she asked him, pointing at it in the distance. “That’s the spot. That’s where Eolchaire saw Caspian for the first time. It’s been eroded some over the years, but it’s managed to hold strong enough to still be a landmark.”

She pointed to somewhere in the foliage near the rock. “And somewhere in there, Caspian saw Eolchaire for the first time.”

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

Dolasach considered the blue flame but eventually shook her head.

"It's... prettier like that, but I think I just need to get used to seeing your flame and reminding myself it'll be fine. You don't need to change it's color for me."

And while she didn't say it specifically, she preferred that she kept its original color out of both her own preference and Eolchaire's--she loved the color of the Sea God's flame.

As they neared the landmark stone, a strange lightheadedness began to affect Dolasach, but she did her best to hide it, the only evidence of anything bothering her being the furrow to her brows. It somehow felt different from all the others times she'd gotten lightheaded, with her surrounding glowing subtly brighter and blurrier. It lasted until they were right at the spot they needed to be then it was gone as quickly as it came.

She blinked the remnants of it away and focused on Rafayel, who by then seemed to have asked her something she'd completely missed. It wasn't too hard to guess what he might've asked with the way he help his hand out to her as he still in the water.

(Admittedly, she might've guessed slightly wrong, thinking only that he wanted to wade in the water with her.)

So she hesitantly took his hand. At first her grip was weak, but she steeled herself and held it firmer.

"Let's--let's go."

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

Dolasach had seen Eolchaire's regaling of the times Caspian would indulge her with walking on water. Such a feat was not completely foreign to her, and she'd always thought about how surreal it would be to tread across the surface of something that some part of her had always feared.

She held Rafayel's hand tightly as she let him guide her onto the water's surface. In the strangeness of actually being able to walk on something so unsolid, she kept her gaze down to watch herself. Each step she took made the water beneath her feel ripple, and she could still see the river bottom clearly below.

Beautiful... And surreal. Just like she imagined.

Once they reached the stone, she observed Rafayel curiously. Was he really expecting something to be here when not once had she ever sensed anything off or different about this place in all her times visiting it?

"Rafayel, I don't think--"

But then she took was hit with the briefest flash of memory. As she looked down at him, suddenly, he looked... Off. He was still in elaborate godly attire, but it was... Different. His hair was different too, then when he looked back at her, for a moment it was someone else's face. Sharper features, a different kind of mirth--

"Caspian?"

She blinked and was immediately brought back to reality in time to witness the scroll materialize behind him. Instinctively, she knew right away what it was and grabbed it before it could have even the barest chance of falling into the water. Once it was in her hands, all she could do... Was stare at it.

"... This... I didn't... I never..."

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

Between the realization that they’d both been given flashbacks to memories that weren’t theirs and the revelation that all this time, Caspian and Eolchaire had left something for them in her forest… Dolasach was stunned.

She stared at the seal, then back to Rafayel and the scroll. The parchment was familiar, extremely so—it was the same kind that Eolchaire had written all her times with. A growing suspicion—or perhaps, more aptly described, hope—made her move closer to Rafayel’s side to try and read what the parchment’s contents were. She doesn’t let go of his hand.

“Eolchaire… Left a message?”

Now that the seal Caspian made has been made visible, the text on the scroll itself became visible too. On the upper half was a language Dolasach couldn’t read that she quickly deduced was Lemurian; below that was a much more familiar language—that of the forest that Eolchaire wrote everything in. She noticed that there were Lemurian annotations and comments on Eolchaire’s half, and at another glance, she saw that she’d written some of her own on Caspian’s.

“They both left messages… And it looks like they wrote these together, too.”

Her voice trailed off, a certain ache letting itself be known in her chest. Even with just a quick skim through, she could tell that at least Eolchaire wrote her message expecting a certain outcome—that whatever happenedk to her would make the next Forest Goddess wary of the next Sea God.

One line immediately stood out to Dolasach: Give him a chance.

She looked up at Rafayel and tugged on his hand.

“Maybe… Maybe we should read this when we’re on solid ground,” she suggested, turning towards the riverbank. “Come on. I doubt the words will disappear if we walk away from the rock.”

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

She followed him to the rock and took a seat where he'd urged her to, still somewhat observing Rafayel as he placed the rocks to keep the scroll open. Now that they were back on solid land, she finally let go of his hand and placed hers in fists on her lap as she tried to get a better look at the scroll in its entirety.

The Lemurian script was impossible for her to understand, but she could read Eolchaire's small additions to whatever Caspian wrote. They were... Curious comments, seemingly small notes of support and agreement with whatever he'd written. Dolasach couldn't help but furrow her brows at them--Eolchaire, intentionally or not, kept her annotations vague enough that Dolasach couldn't figure out what the message was about.

Though now that she thought about it, the fact that they could both annotate each others' writing meant that they must've somehow taken the time to teach each other their respective tongues. She couldn't recall if Eolchaire had mentioned anything about it, or if it was a detail Dolasach had forgotten about because she never thought it to be particularly important to her.

She turned her attention to the main body of what Eolchaire had written. Without the fear of possibly falling into the water distracting her, she could read through the message with ease--though it didn't escape her notice that it was a long one.

To my cute little successor--I hope the name the forest gives you is as lovely as the sunrise. I know that the day that you're able to finally really this message, the successor to the Sea God would have finally found you, and you would've finally given him a moment of your time. Perhaps he asked about us? I deeply hope that Caspian's efforts to lead him to you through talking about us were not in vain. Do you hate him? Whatever your answer, I hope that they fact that the two of you were able to unseal this scroll means that the feelings between you aren't entirely negative. However... Despite that, I understand that you may have your own reservations about him. It would be impossible for you not to--I can't go back to change all the records I've kept of my thoughts and feelings to prevent that, nor do I truly want to. Your opinion of him needs to truly be your own, made with the most informed mind that I could bestow upon you even long after my passing. But as your predecessor, I must ask of you to give him a chance. Even if you may hate him, or think you do, please give the God of the Tides a chance. If he fails you, then you may turn him away and banish him from your domain--but don't make any rash decisions. Despite how things weren't easy with Caspian, I've been the happiest I've ever been with him. And that happiness... I want you to experience it too. It won't be easy. I'm sure you'll know that much from all the writing I've left behind. There is a cycle of tragedy that befalls each pair of gods, always beginning with the sea meeting the forest, and ending with one or both having conceded to catastrophe. I know you'll want to avoid it--I know you want to live. But trust me, and trust the remnants of us that Caspian and I will leave behind. We want the two of you to live, too.

Dolasach stared at the message for a long time with her mouth agape and brows deeply knit together, only snapping out of her daze when Rafayel cleared his throat. She turned to him and saw, to her surprise, that his ears had turned the brightest red and a pink tinge colored his cheeks.

What in the world did Caspian's message contain? Because there certainly wasn't anything in Eolchaire's message that got that kind of reaction from her. She looked between him and the text he was pointing at.

"Are you alright?" she asked, more concerned (and confused) about him than curious about the text. Without any hesitation or hint of shyness, she reached over and pressed the cool back of her hand to his cheek.

"Why do you look like you're about to come down with a fever?"

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

The way he put his cool hand over hers both surprised and confused her, and the way he responded made her all the more curious as to what exactly Caspian wrote to him.

Warm and fuzzy? Did being up here on the surface for too long really start bringing him down with an illness?

Her brow furrowed some more as she gave the scroll one more glance. She pressed her hand to his forehead, then to his neck while using her other hand to compare her temperature to his. To her mild surprise, he was cooler than she expected him to be, even if he didn't have a fever.

This 'investigation' didn't teach her anything. And since she'd been so engrosses in reading Eolchaire's message, she'd missed every silent sign of Rafayel's growing affection and fondness for her, as well as his minor crisis regarding how he felt about her.

"Well... What did Caspian tell you?" She hestitantly responded to his question with another. Her eyes drifted back over to the scroll as she withdrew her hand.

"I can tell you what Eolchaire wrote for you," she offered, pointing to her annotations on Caspian's half. "They're all little messages encouraging you and her voicing her support."

Which still confused her. Though now that she'd read Eolchaire's half, it began to dawn on her that Caspian's message for Rafayel must be primarily him telling Rafayel to give her a chance as well.

And the thought began to make her cheeks flush pink, too.

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

“Hmph.”

Though she could tell he’s only teasing, she responded to him with a slight pout and a look away.

But that was likely the more fortunate option for him, because it kept her from seeing how he seemed soothed by her touch, and let him lean ever so slightly into her hand without her seeing whatever tenderness seeped into his features.

For better or for worse, she saw a little less of how much of an effect she had on the God of the Tides.

She turned to him again when he cleared his throat and listened closely to his answer. On one hand, she could tell that he was still giving a less revealing answer to preserve a bit of his own dignity, but in the other… Considering how Caspian was encouraging him to be patient, while Eolchaire encouraged her to give him a chance, it wasn’t too hard to figure out what the old Sea God told his predecessor.

But she still felt a little frustrated when Rafayel cut himself off. The nerve, right as he was about to say something juicy! Still, she kept herself calm and composed, focusing on the bigger picture.

“It’s a relief to have it confirmed that they did this purely out of their own volition,” she quietly commented. Though she didn’t like the the fact that Caspian had to go through this much effort to leave him something that the elders would never have the chance to mess with…

She perked up once Rafayel began explaining what Caspian had written down on Eolchaire’s half, but very quickly grew shy and a little embarrassed at how Caspian basically outed what Eolchaire wrote for her. Dolasach quietly cursed the old Sea God, because at least Eolchaire made the effort of making her comments more vague.

Rafayel’s teasing and gentle touch did absolutely nothing to help calm her down, and her face grew even redder right under his fingers. She huffed out her fluster and frustration and grabbed his wrist; she couldn’t maintain eye contact with him either, those sunset eyes proving far too overwhelming to stare into.

“I’m fine,” she managed to force out. She began to fan her face with her hand.

“Anyway, yes, Eolchaire did write to encourage me to try and give you a chance. A chance to—ah, nevermind. It’ll be revealed in due time.”

She narrowed her eyes at him before sighing.

"... To elaborate a little more, she rightfully anticipated that I’d be wary of you once we had the chance to meet, and that despite that, I shouldn’t immediately shut you out. That’s the chance she meant.”

“Of course,” she continued, her walls building up again now that she felt a little too exposed. “The chance I’m currently giving you hinges upon you remaining honest and sincere with me. If I sense I’m being made into a fool, you’re never setting foot in this forest again even if you still haven’t found everything Caspian left you.”

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

His soft laughter tickled the Forest Goddess’s heart; still, she tried to maintain her indignation, keeping her gaze on the river and its gentle current until she noticed how distant he sounded in his agreement with her.

She wanted to say something, something comforting. But this felt far too out of her depth, and even if she had comforted anyone before, she wouldn’t know where to begin with him and this subject specifically.

It made her deeply unhappy, but she didn’t want him to know that so she hid that feeling. It wasn’t like she could stay in that state for long—banter with Rafayel did a lot to keep her from dwelling too long on one thing, even more so when it crossed his mind to be an utter menace to her with little hesitation.

Of course, that also meant that she could retaliate any way she wanted, even in the midst of trying to get her furious blush to calm down. She stuck her tongue out at Rafayel when she saw that giving him a taste of his own medicine worked, satisfaction briefly twinkling in her eyes.

But as much as she’d like to maintain her suddenly rebuilt walls and to remind him that she doesn’t completely trust him yet, his words has the uncanny ability to persuade her otherwise. Should it still be a surprise to her that she was so easily swayed, when even her predecessor insisted that she keep her heart at least a little open to this Sea God? Or when Caspian actively cheered for him, and urged him to be patient with her?

It shouldn’t be.

And as she listened to him speak, she couldn’t deny or disagree with anything he said.

(For a brief moment, she did wonder how things would’ve unfolding if his handlers had the opposite approach to tell him of the Forest Goddess than they actually did—she realized that things might’ve still unfolded the same way, only that it would’ve happened sooner than now.)

“…You have a point. Even if either of us were able to unseal this scroll by ourselves, we wouldn’t have been able to read its contents in its entirety without the other.”

She realized that she’d crossed her arms at some point and tried to relax herself. “You… Can trust that I’ll continue to work with you on this new endeavor. Eolchaire was smart to include her writings in the scroll.”

Because now she too wanted to know if more scrolls had been written, and if Rafayel thought that any clues regarding that possibility were hidden in both their predecessors’ writing. She was just about to ask him about the clue he suspected when he asked about Eolchaire’s artistic side.

“Huh?” her brows briefly furrowed before she fully processed his question. “Well… She knew how to do a lot of things,” she answered.

“Eolchaire bound her own tomes, furnished our dwelling herself, made the clothes and jewelry you’ve seen me wear… She knew I wouldn’t have anyone to take care of me once I emerged, so she prepared as much as she could for me.”

It was a fact of her existence that never truly struck her as impossibly lonely until she said it in front of someone who had handlers and an entire city that was both under his care, and cared for him. The feeling pulled her lips further down, but she fought against it.

“Why do you ask?”

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

“Me? I—“

Whatever internal monologues and turmoil Dolasach was going through right in front of Rafayel, and whatever answer she had on the tip of her tongue dissipated into nothing the moment she heard his stomach rumble. It was the very last thing she’d expected to hear, and it made her eyes widen with surprise as she glanced down at his stomach then back at his face.

The Sea God? Hungry?

“Um…?”

She followed his gaze up to the sun and quickly saw that it wasn’t too far off from supper time—she figured that perhaps they’d worked up an appetite thanks to everything that happened through the day. That made sense to her. They really had been walking all day, and dealing with quite a lot emotionally as well.

Suddenly her own stomach let out a growl of his own, making her flush slightly and put a hand over it. She couldn’t help but let out a brief, airy laugh at the silliness of it all. It was almost as if she’d never been upset at all.

“Perhaps we should talk more over some food, yes?” she suggested, smiling. “Though… I don’t think I can offer you anything that you normally eat in Lemuria.”

The thought of sharing a meal with someone for the first time oddly excited her, even if it was with him—or rather, was it because it was him?

But another glance at the sun and his mention of the time reminded her that he didn’t exactly have a lot of freedom to remain on the surface.

“Oh… Unless this is your cue to return home?”

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

His question yet again took her by surprise—she’d expected either a yes, or a no, not for him to almost outright say that he didn’t want to return despite likely needing to by now. She furrowed her brows at him.

Did he really enjoy her company that much?

Though she supposed that if his handlers were all he were coming back to, what reason would he have to be eager to see them again?

Still, she had to try and be a little more responsible. Now that he’d mentioned wanting to try the forests’s food offerings, and even offered to find food from that sea that they could share, the idea of being able to eat with him grew more concrete in her mind.

And all the more it was tempting to simple say yes. The way he looked at her did nothing to help her resolve.

Why so soft? Why so tender and gentle?

“You may stay, so long as you’re sure you’ll be able to return him without your handlers suspecting anything,” she said. “We don’t need them working harder to keep you from coming here, after all. I can’t help you from all the way here.”

Mentioning the fact stung more than it should have.

“Although… I think you might have to adjust your expectations,” she added, glancing away briefly. “I know I mentioned knowing how to cook, but keep in mind… I’ve only ever cooked for myself.”

So if he was expecting anything lavish or elaborate, he was going to be disappointed. The realization dampened her spirits, but she tried to not let it bother her. Perhaps she could make up for it with surprise? She was more than sure that he’d never eaten a single fruit in his life, at the very least.

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

She noticed how the river’s flow briefly began to grow troubled and rough, only to calm down before it could grow to an alarming intensity. Her eyes reflected her concern—was he upset that he might really have to go already?

Of course he was. But she remembered that he couldn’t really let himself be upset, or else the water resonated too strong with his emotions. The river water growing as troubled as he was until he calmed himself down was clear evidence of that.

What a burden. Perhaps that was part of why he was so playful and nonchalant—if he were as emotional as she was, if his temper were as short… Then the seas would be constantly wild and unruly.

She sighed but gave him a small smile and a nod. “Alright. I’ll trust that you’ll be able to handle everything once you return home.”

Truthfully, she was still worried. He was a god like her, but he seemed more constrained by his handlers and people than she was able to really comprehend. And the elders… She knew what they were capable of.

“Maybe I do have a lot to learn about you,” she agreed, trying to keep the atmosphere a little more light despite the heaviness and depth neither of them wanted to discuss. “This is only your… Third time here? Perhaps over time, over each meal… I’ll get there.”

She hummed and tapped her cheek as thought over what he could do to help prepare their food. Did… Did she trust him with any cooking?

“Could you… Get a small fire started? I’ll go get a few things. Then could you maybe get a few fish from the river?”

A small part of her was still quite worried that the food she made was decent onto to her, but now that he was staying… Well, there was no choice but to commit.

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."

You... What...?

Was it his smile, or the way he spoke to her that made her feel as though her heart was trying to fly out of her chest. Or was it his exact words--I never allowed anyone in until now.

Denial was an impossibility. The way her heart beat, and the sudden returning warmth in her cheeks... He was making her feel... Special. Not in the way that a mortal worships a god, or how the forest listened to only one being, but in the way that made her understand Eolchaire just a little bit more.

Caught up in a whirlwind of her own thoughts, she could barely process the way Rafayel came closer and tucked her hair behind her ear. Up close, she could almost pick out every shade in his sunset eyes, and she could see each mole on his handsome face.

Wait, handsome? Um--

"Perhaps somewhere a little closer to the river, but still in the shade?" she suggested, turning to face and point at a promising spot to at least give herself a little breathing room. The honest excitement she saw sparkling in his eyes distracted her even more, and once again she found facing him to be overwhelming.

"I'm going to fetch a few supplies and ingredients for us now," she said, absently trying to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear that Rafayel had already fixed for her. "Is... There are specific fruit or food you'd like to try?"

Then she thought about it.

"Do you know... any fruit from the forest?"

₊❏❜ ⋮ i'll chase you to the ends of the earth. ⚬𓂂

@dolasach

He is used to it; however, that didn't mean he accepted it.

Rafayel sighed as he let his head rest against his palm, the same thing being drilled into his mind by the endless sea of words spewing the history of Lemuria and the world on the surface repeated like a broken record from the elders. He seemed to be falling asleep and was immediately scolded for not paying attention.

Evidently, something came up that had the elders leave the vicinity for the time being and this served as an opportunity for Rafayel to escape. He had attempted in doing so a few times, but he was sure that this time he would be able to be successful. 

A blue fish swam around him and held his hand out, allowing the fish to swim over his palm. 

"Shall we head to the surface? It's a little boring right now and I'm tired of hearing the elders saying the same thing over and over again." 

The fish continued swimming over his palm before seemingly directing him toward an opening to which he was able to squeeze through. It was then he realized that he was out of the city walls of Whalefall City and was able to swim to the surface.

He thanked the fish before it disappeared back through the city walls and Rafayel didn't have to think twice as he turned away from Whalefall City to swim up to the surface; however, before he allowed himself to fully come out, he swam slowly as the damn words from the elders rang in his head. 

"The world on the surface is dangerous, even if those people worship our Sea God, there is a chance that someone will try to capture him."

"As the previous Lemurians have..." 

"Rafayel, you must never venture out to the surface world. Your people are here, that is all that should concern you." 

And the annoying part of all. "The Sea God will one day meet the Goddess of the Forest, and when that day comes, should he fall in love with her, it will be the beginning of the downfall of Lemuria."

Rafayel always thought it to be those stories to be something a parent would tell to their child to make them listen. And besides, Rafayel had always been, not only a rebellious soul, but one of sheer curiosity. 

Once he peeked out from the water, he spotted a woman by the shore. And he had seen a few other humans before, but something about her was different and he couldn't help but to swim towards the shore, closer to her. Who could she be? For some reason... he needed to know and while he doesn't know why he needs to, he simply just has to try; in a way, it felt as though there were residual feelings, feelings that weren't from him and that in itself baffled him.

So without thinking, his mouth opened to speak.

"Who might you be? You don't seem... human to me, although you do appear to be." He tilted his head briefly before letting out a laugh. "Ah, apologies. This is bold of me, I will admit."