Chapter Eighty-one: The sea

We arrive at the shoreline just an hour or so after seeing it on the hill. Luckily the path down wasn’t rough or uneasy, most of it being downhill only helped us get there quicker.

We set up camp a few meters away from the sand. I drop my bag on the ground and take a quick drink before turning to my companions.

“Do you guys mind if I go towards the water for a few minutes?”

“Of course not. We’ve got this, don’t we Elijah?” Nuria says.

Elijah looks over to me with a smirk. “Yeah, you go have fun paddling.”

I roll my eyes at him but I take the chance to walk towards the sea.

A few steps away from the water, I take my socks and shoes off and bury my feet in the sand, feeling each grain in-between my toes. I feel the warmth that had been hidden within the sand embrace my feet.

I pluck my feet out of the sand and give each foot a small shake, spraying the sand grains around me. I look over at the glistening waves as they hit the sand over and over, mesmerised by how beautiful it looks.

I try and remember the last time I had seen the sea. It was before I had reached the Druida community, probably this area was the last time I was near it. I remember feeling lonely back then, only being comforted by the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore. I think back to when I was on my own, and I felt less like a walking drone when I was besides the sea. I smile thinking that it was a part of me the whole time, I just didn’t know it yet.

I dip my toe into the water and pull it back out, gasping as I feel the coldness, although it doesn’t feel as cold as I remembered last. I smile and shake my head, remembering that I don’t care and that the water is part of me. I place my left, then right foot into the water, embracing the coolness. I stood there, as the waves gently washed against my legs. I take a deep breath, feeling better standing here, the sea soothing my soul, even though it yearns for Lukas’ touch.

I close my eyes and raise my hands, wanting to feel the water react to my power. I open my eyes and bring some of the water up, as if I force it to perform a dance. The two streams of water I bring up dance with each other, as I swirl and twist my wrists. I decide to push on the training I was doing with Nuria, and instead of using my hands to guide the water, I use my mind, much like how I do when I’m in my wolf form. I drop my hands gently, and instead I watch the water, and think about what I want it to do. At first, it’s always tricky, but I manage to get the hang of it and the water once again glides in the air, my will creating a passionate dance between the two water ribbons.

I gracefully drop the water back into the sea, it continuing to bring in waves as if nothing had happened.

I turn to look at Nuria and Elijah who are preparing a camp fire and debate on whether I should let them know what I’m thinking of doing. I know that they’ll see no matter what so I look back at the sea and decide to see if I can control something bigger.

I take a deep breath and exhale for just as long. I try to concentrate on the sea, not just a section of it but rather all of it, and as I do, I feel the tingle of power span for hundreds of miles. I focus on trying to bring up a wave, and in the distance I feel a surge come forward. I look forward and see a huge wave, just lifted a few miles out. I smile to myself, feeling like I’ve accomplished something. I look on the horizon and see the wave spans a few miles in each direction, as far as I can see. I hold it there for a few seconds, then I try and pull it forward, towards me. I stare at it, seeing that it’s coming towards me and I smile, feeling like I’ve managed to create something bigger than what I had done at the lake in the pack lands.

I see the wave continue to come towards me and I can tell it’s moving fast.

“Aliana, what are you doing?!” I hear behind me. I turn round and see Nuria and Elijah running towards me, their eyes looking at the wave I’ve created in the distance. Nuria instantly opens a portal, I assume for precautions sake.

“It’s quite neat, isn’t it?” I say, happy I’ve managed to create a wave that’s larger than anything I’ve done before. Plus, I managed to do it without the use of my hands, meaning I’m using my power well.

Nuria arrives first. “You realise it’s still moving this way, right?” She says, a bit panicky, looking to and from the wave and the portal.

I look back at the wave and see it’s not too far out now, still hurtling towards us.

I feel the powerful wave racing in our direction. I decide the best way to stop it is to push back at it with force. When it’s less than a mile away, I try with all my might to force it back, as if I’ve closed a window. I feel the ground shake as I attempt it. After a few moments, the wave stops abruptly, water spraying in all directions creating a beautiful shimmer effect.

I turn back to Nuria with a smug look on my face as her and Elijah watch the water rain down in the distance. She closes the portal with a quick swipe of her hand.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.” I say. Just as the words exit my mouth, a larger than normal wave rolls into the back of me, up to my knees and pushes me forward unknowingly.

Elijah and Nuria laugh at me as they saw it coming, whereas I probably look like a scared child who’s just done something wrong. I look behind them and see it didn’t quite reach our bags, so I release a sigh of relief.

“No more large waves when we’re not looking.” Nuria says with a small smile and I nod in agreement, a smile appearing on my lips as it’s a small victory on knowing I can control an abnormally large body of water.

We walk back over to the site they’ve created and I look back to the water. I wonder how much further I could push my powers and what else I could do. I feel at one with water but I know I have other abilities. I just wish I could figure them all out right now.

We sit down and eat some of the boar that Nuria brought back from one of her travels. I had never tried it before she went and got it, but it is just like pork. She described boar as being a type of pig, so that’s why they’re near enough the same thing, very similar at the least.

We spend the rest of the evening just chatting about our futures. We star gaze when the stars appear and Nuria names a few of the constellations, and planets that are close by that she has been to.

I listen in amazement to this woman’s memory and adventures she’s had. I wish we could have the same experiences as her. She’s still secretive about places she’s lived or visited, like she’s keeping some of her treasured memories to herself. I understand as there’s things about my past life I’ve kept to myself, but I know she’s hurting inside, I can feel it when she speaks about it. But I respect her privacy.

Elijah eventually falls asleep first, Nuria and I having to check on him when we hear him lightly snoring. We snicker when we see his mouth wide open, catching flies.
I look at Nuria. “Do you think we’ll be able to take your Father out?”

She sighs, looking back at the sky. “My Father is the epitome of darkness, and where there is light, there will always be a shadow. There’s no way to destroy him completely. Just like any God or Goddess, you can’t just obliterate them. However, you can subdue them.

His plan is to subdue all the deities by removing everything that is precious to them, so their power can’t be fed. He can then consume them, which essentially means he can take their powers and leave their souls bare.”

I look at her, unsure what she means.

“I mean, that he’s already consumed some power from a few Gods. Their bodies are like empty husks right now, up in the Kingdom of Eos. They are alive, but inanimate. Their bodies can never be destroyed, but they will never rise unless my Father is forced to remove them.”

She looks at me sternly. “That’s what you’re here for. That’s why you’ve been created. You should have the gifts to destroy them.”

I’ve still no idea what she means by this, which she catches, so she puts it out plainly for me, with a smile. “Your true Mother and Father, Selene and Solaris….they’ve never had a child together. Their love has always been strong, magnificent to behold, even more so then the decider God. You are a product of two Deities that should never have been. Fire and Water. The abilities you have gained from them far outweigh any abilities that would have been granted to other children of Eos, even if they are the children of two originals.“

I look at her stunned. I find myself thinking a hundred miles an hour, unsure I can process this information.

I don’t feel like something magnificent, or special……I just feel like me. And now I have the weight of the world…..or well everything that existed on my shoulders.