Thera 1.06

“Hey, Luna,” Marcus said as he took a seat across from the girl.

They sat in the open air cafeteria of the school, carved into the cavity of a giant Odin Tree and illuminated purely by natural sunlight. The boy carried a wooden tray full of roots and leaves with a single purple fruit on the side. Grinning, he leaned forward conspiratorially as Luna glanced up from her own meal.

“My Father told me that you’ve met a Mystic Turtle before. He said you saw it lay its eggs. Is this really true?”

Luna paused. She slowly lowered her fork as she gave him a small nod. “That’s true.”

“Seriously? That’s amazing!” he exclaimed, but she quickly shushed him.

“Don’t be so loud!” She pressed a finger over her lips, glancing about nervously.

“Oh, sorry.” He scratched the back of his head apologetically. Marcus continued in a quieter voice, “I heard that one of the Wardens visited the Mystic Turtle’s nest a month ago. They say that all the eggs had already hatched. That’s six months earlier than the Sages predicted!”

“They… did?” Luna’s eyes went round.

“Yeah! I just wish I could’ve been there for it. It must’ve been a wonderful sight.” Marcus sighed blissfully, unaware of the many horrors that baby Mystic Turtles went through.

Luna, however, knew about it. At least, from what she’d been told. “I don’t think it’s as wonderful as you’re imagining it, Marcus. It’s a lot… messier than that.”

He blinked, facing her. “Right.”

They both settled down, focusing on their individual meals. The buzzing and hubbub of the other students in the cafeteria didn’t die down, but the noise faded into the background as Marcus piped up again.

“I wish we could do something about it,” he said. “Save all those little baby turtles from dying.”

“We can’t!” Luna protested, standing up. A few heads turned her way, and she flushed. She sat back down as Marcus crossed his arms.

“Why not?”

“A single invasive species could entirely change the ecosystem of an environment, Marcus. They teach us that in class. And if we’d done something, we’d be doing exactly that.” She wagged a finger at her friend.

He blew his hair up. “I know that, I know that. It’s just… why can’t just one of the Wardens intervene? Just how much can a single person change?” he asked, not really expecting an answer.

“I…” the girl trailed off.

It was not like Luna could give him one. She sat there quietly, mulling it over. Because, as much as she believed her mother, deep within her heart, Luna agreed with Marcus. She wished she could’ve been there to watch the birth of the Mystic Turtles.

Just how much can a single person change? Luna wondered. It can’t be that much, right?

* * *

“Soul magic,” Mors’ explanation echoed in Thera’s head. “It is a magic that draws power from your core. Not from your surroundings like elemental magic, nor does it come from the heavens like divine magic. It comes from deep within you.”

The Fledgling Testudine slunk through the shadows of the flooded hallway. A pair of long dark figures swam silently past a doorway, unaware of what hid within the room. A beak-like jaw lashed out and dragged the first Pygmy Phlegling into the darkness.

It squirmed in Thera’s mouth as she bit again and again and again. [Power Bite] wore her out, but it was effective in tearing through the monster’s stone-like skin. The second Phlegling charged her as she continued ripping apart its partner. It struck the baby Mystic Turtle’s shell— only for a golden glow to stop its attack.

“At its very essence, soul magic is your power and your power alone. The Xanadians— those that had ruled the seas with these ships so long ago— understood this. They were masters of their own soul.”

The first Phlegling stopped moving in Thera’s clamped jaw. She released it and turned to the other monster. It was gnawing on her back— its teeth unable to tear past the golden aura shielding her. Her eyes shone as she looked up at it.

It backed up, but before it could escape, the light covering Thera wrapped around the Phlegling. [Manifestation of the Heart], her newest Skill. The Phlegling was caught by the thin tendrils, thrashing in the tangle of gold light as Thera loomed over it.

“If you can master your own soul— learn to temper the power within your core— then nothing will be beyond your power. Nothing.”

The Phlegling squealed, even in the water. Thera tore it apart slowly, shredding through its skin. She only stopped when the Voice of the World resounded in her mind.

You have leveled up!

[Fledgling Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 6] -> [Fledgling Testudine (Mystic Turtle) - Level 7]!

Skill gained: [Underwater Maneuverability]

Thera smiled at that. She grabbed one of the dead Phleglings by her jaw and swam away from the room. Another Skill! It excited her. It had been a while since she agreed to Mors’ offer, and this was her second time leveling up since then. Her first level up gave her no Skills, although even then, she still grew stronger from it.

But getting a new Skill was always good. This new one, [Underwater Maneuverability] seemed to work at all times too! The Fledgling Testudine smoothly swam down the empty corridors, moving far more adeptly than she had before. She could turn the corners swiftly, speed up and slow down with ease. It was a minor but substantial improvement.

Got to go back, she told herself. Show this to Mors.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, she came to a halt. A dozen figures waited up ahead for her. They’d been drawn by the sound of the previous struggle. Pygmy Phleglings. Enough of them that they filled the whole hallway. Thera stared at the swarm of monsters. They made a hissing sound in the water.

She dropped the dead Phlegling and fled. They chased after her as Thera escaped into a destroyed room. She slammed the door shut, but they broke in quickly after her. Squeezing through a hole in the wall, she made her way into another room. This one was full of debris and destroyed furniture. The Pygmy Phleglings flooded in one after another. She navigated around the floating debris as the monsters crashed into it, their movements stalled.

But just as she reached the doorway, a larger Phlegling smashed through the walls. It was about three times the size of the others, and it shoved past them without care, even crushing some of them against the wall.

Thera blinked once as it stared directly at her. And then it gave chase.

[Hunting Dive]. Thera fled down the hallway as fast as she could. But this larger Phlegling still gave chase. It saw the trail of bubbles she was leaving behind, and it was determined to get to her. The interiors of the ruined ship blurred around the baby Mystic Turtle. Corner after corner. Up the stairs. Into another room. Back into the corridors—

Yet, the larger Phlegling didn’t let up. It was quick, but messy with its movements. It crashed into nearly everything in its pursuit. Thera glanced back, her [Hunting Dive] boost having ended a while ago. The monster was catching up. It was right on her tail. She turned another corner as it wildly pushed itself off the back wall, snapping for her.

The baby Mystic Turtle squeaked—

And a golden beam shot past her. The attack struck the larger Phlegling, boring a hole through its side. Thera blinked as the monster recoiled in pain, before narrowing her eyes. Now!

She spun around and charged the long creature. It whipped its body at her, but it moved much slower now. Thera easily dodged the attack and clung onto its side, biting into the bloodied hole. The Phlegling reeled back as it tried to pry her off it, but she clung on, exhausting herself with consecutive [Power Bites].

A yellow sphere whizzed past Thera as she chewed into the large Phlegling’s skin, striking the monster’s head. The long creature jerked back once— and stopped moving. Sighing in relief, the Fledgling Testudine peeled herself back.

“A Juvenile Phlegling,” Mors said as he swam through the gilded double doorway. “Those normally don’t venture this high up in the ship. How peculiar.”

Thera looked at the Luminant Lophis as it waited before the Grand Library of Brunnholl’s Fleet. She’d just barely made it back, and Mors must’ve heard the fighting so he came to save her. It ushered her back into the expansive chamber as she excitedly nodded back— a gesture which she learned from it.

Look, look! she tried to tell the Luminant Lophis as she circled around it. See how fast I can swim!

Mors picked up on this and waved a fin dismissively. “Elemental magic.”

Thera paused as the double doors closed behind them. Her confusion was evident. And the Luminant Lophis shook its head, speaking in a lecturing tone.

“That’s elemental magic, Thera. Not soul magic. You’re attuned yourself to your environment. To these depths. Just like with that other Skill you have which lets you propel yourself forward— it is a subtle manipulation of the water around you.”

She brought her flippers to her head, still unsure of the distinction. But Mors didn’t explain any further. It came to a halt in the center of the room as Thera followed.

“Even still, I must admit that you have shown a vast improvement in such a short amount of time… in all aspects except for one.” It waggled its fin as a whirlpool sucked in a nearby tome towards him.

The leatherbound pages were enchanted so that it survived both the ocean and time itself, yet it was still damaged. Pages were missing, and some of the text had been smudged to the point of unreadability.

Not that Thera could read very well. She froze as Mors shoved the book in front of her. The Luminant Lophis flipped through the pages.

“It’s time for you to train your mind,” it said with a smile.

She stared at Mors with a pleading look. No, please, she begged in her head, but it couldn’t hear her.

“Don’t give me that look. You’ve been slacking on your reading. You’re barely even able to read even after all this time. How long has it been? Two… three months, now?”

The truth was, neither Luminant Lophis nor Mystic Turtle knew how long it had been since they met. Thera just knew that it felt like it had been a shorter period of time than she spent in the kelp forest, and Mors simply spouted random numbers. For the actual amount of time that passed— it had been over four months.

Four months had passed so quickly. But it wasn’t four months of constant, grueling death and battle. In fact, most of the time had been spent here, in this chamber. Whether it be learning how to read, or learning more about Brunnholl’s Fleet, or both like right now—

“Read it with me: this… shipment… of… magic… crystals…”

—Thera found it to be incredibly dull. She just wanted to leave this place already. There was so little to explore. She was always holed up in the same little room, swimming down the same flooded hallways, and fighting the same monsters. She needed a change of scenery. She wanted to find this supposed treasure that would get her out.

It was odd. Not long ago, Thera had been content living in an enclosed space, doing the same routine, hunting down Augusta Geofish and following around starfish. But perhaps that was because staying in this place was suffocating. Whereas in the kelp forest, Thera had the choice to leave at any point. Here she had no choice. She was trapped. And it frustrated her. The fact that she was now cognizant enough to be aware that she was frustrated also frustrated her. She just wanted to—

“Thera… Thera… Thera!” Mors’ voice forced her out of her thoughts. “Are you listening to me?”

She lowered her head slightly, the answer to that evident. The Luminant Lophis frowned at her.

“This is important for you to learn, Thera. The Xanadians ruled the ocean. They were land dwellers, unlike you and I, yet they thrived here simply because they had tempered their souls to achieve their full potential.”

Mors was fascinated by the people of this fleet, but Thera couldn’t care less. She simply listened, suppressing the uncomfortable feeling in her chest as the fish droned on.

“You have potential. I can sense it in you. But the mana within your core is wild and unruly. It cannot grow if you don’t foster it. Discipline it. Treat it like your own child, Thera, so that it may come to aid—”

And Thera began to choke.

“—you.”

A plume of effervescence rose from the baby Mystic Turtle. She flailed in the water as she struggled to breathe. Mors was quick to react. It dragged her up to the ceiling where there was a little gap between water and wood. She inhaled deeply in the air pocket for a moment, before submerging herself back in the water.

“It seems we have spent far too long on this session,” Mors said as she floated back down to it. “Even now, I forget that you are unlike me. One would think that it is quite unusual for a creature that cannot breathe underwater to live under the sea.”

For some reason, she felt hurt by that comment. But Mors didn’t notice. The fish gestured at the little home it had built from wooden scraps down below and spoke simply.

“Rest, then. Sleep well, child. You have had a long day, and the morrow shall be no kinder.”

Thera let out a squeaky yawn, listening to the Luminant Lophis. She descended into the hovel as her eyes fluttered shut. Mors continued.

“Dream of your greatest desire. Of the surface. Of clearer waters. Of safety. And, maybe, just maybe, it will come true.”

Its words echoed in her mind as she went to sleep. A blanket of darkness wrapped around her. And Thera only had a single thought.

I… just want to find the treasure already.

* * *

Thera didn’t normally dream much. Well, it was more like she didn’t remember her dreams when she woke up. Only the night terrors that scared her were memorable. Her other dreams didn’t stand out as much.

This was one such time Thera had a nightmare. She dreamt that she was alone again. Not because she had been swept up by a monster or by nature. It was because Mors had left her. The Luminant Lophis found the treasure on its own, leaving her alone in these ruins.

She could sense Mors leaving her. Its reassuring presence vanished from her side. The warmth it carried— gone. This scared her. It scared her so much that she jolted awake after only an hour of sleeping.

And when Thera woke up, she was alone. Her nightmare had come true.

Mors was gone.