A ship. I saw it on the horizon, just through the fog. It had been years since I saw the last tangible ship. Years since I had been abandoned here. Would they finally rescue me? I could go home… Home… No, here was my home. On this island. But I wanted to see the War Seas again, the familiar sights of the islands I knew all my life. I was going to be saved from this uncharted place. I could finally get back to my old life.
The ship got closer. The people on it must’ve seen the island, I was sure. I headed over to the stone platform nearest them, just to get a good vantage point, and I stared out at the ship. I would be free… But my heart was torn. This island… It was where I had stayed for so long. I didn’t want to leave it… But… No, I wasn’t going to spend my life here. I was going to go home, even if I never saw this island again.
I raised up an arm, trying to grab their attention. I looked again at the now-familiar trees and grass, ready to leave. I clutched my journal, my most important possession. I had to make sure someone read it, for I had been writing in it all these years. I saw a figure point towards me, presumably a sailor on the ship. They had spotted me, and I hoped they’d rescue me. I saw two people hop off the ship, presumably the captains, and I watched as they climbed up the side of the cliff on the mountain’s edge.
As they climbed up, I started towards them. I was about to speak as I ran, but then… I felt something strike me. Lightning magic? The other person pulled out a katana, flinging a slash at me. These weren’t friendly explorer, I realized. Iwasn’t going to be saved; I was going to be killed. Quickly, I stashed my journal in one of the chests near me to prevent it from getting damaged. And I raised a tentacled arm up, a magic circle appearing on my hand. I wasn’t going down easily.
I fired blasts of purple light, spraying them across the area, following up with a placed wood magic explosion. I felt like I lost my focus. My vision clouded, blurred and distorted. I just attacked on instinct, using spells as quickly as I could, hoping they’d land, hoping I’d repel these attackers. The monocle I had worn for so long shone from my magic, and I watched as one of the people walked closer, while the other fired magic from a distance. There was no winning a two-on-one.
After a few minutes, I finally felt myself fall over onto my back. I was worn out, and there was no way I could beat either of them. And so, if I were to die here… I was going to make my final request.
“Please… Take the journal… And read it. Take it back to the War Seas. Let people know my story. Please…” My voice came out raspy and croaky. I weakly raised a limb to point at the nearest chest that I had stashed my journal where I had logged my life on this island. I watched as one of them opened it, pulling out the worn out book. I watched them stash it, and so I finally put my head down on the cool stone of the platform.
The rain continued to pour, relentlessly, endlessly. I heard the sound of chests being opened or picked up. My long black hair, loosened from its messy bun from the battle, splayed out like the seaweed I had put in one of these chests, and my monocle had fallen off to the side. I clutched my warrior coat around my body, and shut my eyes, listening to the relentless downpour continue around me, and the faint sound of dialogue.
Bonus
I opened my eyes, somehow, even though I knew I had been dead. My sights were unfamiliar… I was on some kind of ship, manned by people I had never met. The deck was full of those dark sealed chests, the kind that you could find on most islands out in the Dark Sea. How had I ended up here? I then looked down at my hands. They were no longer tentacles, but they were also transparent. I realized now… I was a ghost.
I walked around the deck of the ship, and nobody seemed to notice me. Maybe my manifestation wasn’t visible to them. I still had my various equipment on - my monocle, warrior coat, and warrior boots. I just sat on the deck for a while, staring at the endlessly raining skies and purple fog. All of a sudden, I was reminded of my trip to the Dark Sea… the reason I had gotten stranded on an island. It felt so familiar, even though it was so long ago… It made me feel weary. I shut my eyes, praying I’d at least have a good rest.
I don’t know how much later it was when I woke up, but I felt… blinded? I squinted heard, trying to figure out what was going on. My eyes took quite a bit to adjust, but then I saw it. Blue? Was this… Had I really finally left that horrible place? I stood up immediately. There it was, the blue of the skies, not tainted by purple fog. The bright sun shining down on me. The seas, calm and unmoving. It was really it. The ship sailed through open ocean a bit longer, before I finally saw it. Sailor’s Lodge.
The ship docked, and I quickly got off. Could I swim? I didn’t want to risk it, so I just took the safe route of the wooden plank set up against the ship’s edge. I was just so glad I could be back. Nobody could see, hear, or touch me, of course, but… As I walked along the wooden planks of the familiar place, I felt a sense of… satisfaction. I headed up the ramp, taking in the forgotten yet familiar sights and sitting down in an empty seat. I was free from the Dark Sea. Finally… I was at peace.
Note: The Atlantean’s journal will be a story itself at a later day. Stay turned to read it, if you wish.
