The Kingdom To Kill For

Chapter 7 - Unmarked Waters

"Hey, what are you three doing here instead of being with the group?" A boy in black, short hair wondered as he watched his classmates climbing up the floating deck, which is a place on the other side of the lake where no one could ever see them. They were sneaking away from the ongoing class and searching for some fun.

"This morning lesson is boring, Seid, and you know that," the one with brown-thick hair gave a half-suppressed scornful laugh. "I would have to take a swim here and have fun with our own, after all, we are selkies," as he proudly announced. He dived into the clear water of the lake as the other guy followed him behind.

"Are you coming?" asked the third guy, his white face slowly changed into a brown, thick skin, almost shiny like the wetsuit he was wearing. He slowly moved forward at the edge of the dock, waiting for Seid to agree to come with them.

Seid glanced at his back, then back his gaze to his friend, "where you headed?" he asked.

"Well, I'm not sure what Orcho was looking for, but we are going to find that out, come on," and he dove smoothly, leaving no splash as he hit the surface of the water and submerged.

They'd seemed maybe twenty feet down, but after diving a minute, he could see the huge rocks as clearly as a picture on the plasma TV at their court. 

As selkies, he didn't change into a full one, just like any other of his companions, but able to change only his humanoid hands and feet into flippers. Holding his breath underwater is way too easy and nothing even spending it for hours. They could swim forever, dive here forever, be here in this underwater world forever. And he misses his home.

The water's commonly crystal clear, so much that it was possible to gauge the depth, schools of bright-hued fish, and strange lake flowers decorate the sand floor. As the hot sun is overhead, Seid swims and examines to guess from his temperature, his logic being this deeper water would be warm, but it's getting colder and colder.

"Feno, where are we exactly headed to?" As Selkies underwater, they communicate through their minds. He caught up with Feno.

"There," Feno looked and dived down deeper into the water.

Below their feet, he could see the remnants of lively bushes that grow so thickly in brown branches and green leaves, lining the horizon like the foot soldiers ready for battle.

He wends his way through the skinny trunks that grow so tall until he can see a path of white sand. 

The forest hums with life all around them, and he twirls about, gazing up the canopy. The sunlight breaks through the cracks, lighting up the white sand path ahead of them, the shade of trees creates a calming kaleidoscope upon the sand, the roots protruding from the soil in great loops and ridges, wildflowers, and fallen leaves that touch beneath his flippers. 

How does this forest spread and live underwater like typical trees on the surface? He wondered and felt so magical around this place. He never imagined that this kind of place existed.

They were wandering the forest for some time now, a smell of timidness hovers in the water and air- he has no clue of what is ahead! Swimming behind them, they keep moving forward. 

Orcho stops. 

The four of them stood side by side. 

They've reached a wooden bridge. It arched over the long, narrow depressions on the lake floor. These chasms are dark and sure were deep. No light from the sun could penetrate. They couldn't even see anything that's down there.

At first glance, the water seemed serene and peaceful, but around them, there was nothing lively, no fishes or any sea-animals swimming around the area. And on the other side of the bridge was a thick white vapor, swallowed the whole area, leaching out any color behind, turning everything the same stony white as the sand as if the Sea God had taken an eraser and begun to remove the landscape.

The stillness of the water seemed to suck out, even the sound of their flippers can be still into the nothingness of the place. Seid could describe it as creepy, but eerie was closer to it.

"Are we going back now?" Seid asked Orcho.

Orcho snorted, "hell, no, we just came here," he said without opening his mouth, turning his head to Seid, speaking with his mind, then stared back at the mist. "I was curious what's behind that mist," he looked doubtful, but at the same time, curious to know something behind the place.

"What do you think?" Feno, at Seid's side, asked them.

Egu gives a light shrug, "I have no idea, but I bet something more beautiful, out there," he ventured, "you think it will be gold?"

"What? Gold? Why did you think that? It looks creepy to me, might be a graveyard or something horrible," Feno expresses his disapproval of what Egu's said.

"So, you're not going to find out?" It sounds like a challenge to Feno from Egu.

"Oh, yeah, I am going to find out which one of us is right to think about what's out there," he crowed, stretching his arm and pointing the other side of the side with his flipper.

"Sure, then let's go,"

Before they could move, a hand grabbed Orcho’s flipper, “Ah, guys, I don’t think we need to go there, it’s kinda creepy,” he muttered, not looking directly at them, but at the mist.

Orcho shoved away his flipper from Seid’s hold, and gave a bitter laugh, “Argh, why does this always happen whenever we explore something, someone will be here to kill the joy?” he said, expressing his annoyance with Seid.

Seid lifted his chin with darting eyes on him, “This is not the joy we are looking for, can’t you see, we are not sure what’s out there, okay?” lifting his hand towards the bridge.

Egu sighed, putting his hands on his hips, and said, “What if there is something amazing behind the mist? Maybe it is just a camouflage to scare us away.” 

Seid thinks there’s nothing he could do or what to say to stop them from going, but he has to. It doesn’t feel right from the beginning, and he doesn’t want to know about before something bad happens. “I don’t think -- What if it is the opposite of what you think? What if it will hurt you?” His concern grows.

Egu snorted, “Oh, just shut up, we’re going, and you stay here,”

Orcho headed first, followed by Egu. Before Feno climbed over the bridge, he turned to glance behind, saw Seid wasn't going with them, and he was there floating still.

Instead of forcing to go with them, he said, "Just watch our back, Seid," 

Seid lifted his chin to meet Feno, "yeah, sure," he nodded, anxiously, agreeing to Feno. 

And Feno crossed the bridge with the other two selkies.

Everything and everyone shows Seid that it was okay to be here, but he felt anxious. He could see and felt the silvery mist was like licking at every surface, crowding down the edge like white streamers of the morn. So thick that he couldn't see what's behind it, even though he tried to stare at it for a long time. He wondered, too, what could be there. Why was something like that existing in this lake? Tension builds inside him.

Upon reaching the other side of the bridge, Orcho slowly moves towards the mist. Reaching out his flipper as it turns back into a humanoid white hand, he touches the wall of white vapor. 

A bone-chilling mist clung to his touch. He suddenly stepped back, holding his other hand that has now his fingers covered in an icy mist.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Feno touched Orcho's shoulder.

"It's cold as ice," he said blankly, staring at the wall of mist.

Egu tried to touch the white wall and bolted away the moment he attempted to touch it, too. This time, it was freezing cold. His hand almost turned into ice!

"I can barely move my hand, Orcho," Egu said, almost whimpering while holding his hand, and he was shaking from the cold.

"Maybe we should go back," Feno suggested with a concerning look to his friends, "we can't get through with that mist after all,"

"Feno..." 

They exchanged a look, both heard the whispering voice, and it was coming behind the mist.

"It knows my name?" He stared closely at the mist. He couldn't see anything, no matter how unconsciously he moved towards the wall.

"Feno..." 

Feno touched the mist. 

It was warm.

It was welcoming.

A webbed hand came and slowly appeared from the mist. Its long spider-legs webbed fingers meet Feno's.

Both of them freeze, feeling rooted to the spot.

Seid could barely see anything or know what's happening back there, but he was feeling uncomfortable to watch from afar, seeing that they are not moving.

He clutched his hand tightly as he moved slowly and swam across the bridge.

They could hear the humming of a song with sorrow and a heavy heart. The humming was low but irresistibly sweet. The melody purred to the soul, piercing through and engulfing their entire being. One by one, they were pulled by an invisible string of symphony that drifted from the lips of an unknown creature behind the mist.

They soon lost themselves and floated towards the mist. Feno falls limp into the white vapor as he can't help himself but smile, ready to drift into his permanent rest.

The hand appeared out of nowhere and tightened on Feno's wrist. Seid was grabbing him away from the creature's grasp, pulling him out from the mist.

"Wake up, guys!" Seid was screaming out loud, not losing his grip on Feno until he broke him free.

They fall back from the mist.

They broke free from the invisible string and woke up as if they were sleeping for a moment.

"What happened?" Feno was shaking his head.

Suddenly a horrible creature came out from the mist. It was grotesque with matted-long hair and huge blue-rotten webbed ears. Its skin was greyish pale white with dark spots. Half of its body appeared, gnashing and snarling with fangs, and reaching its long ashen arms with curved claws. Its green scales shimmered with hot anger, along with its dark, huge cold eyes. 

All of them were shaking uncontrollably, stared blankly at the monster with wide, horrific eyes. Frightened by the sudden appearance, they trembled in fear. 

Every move it took rattled its bones. It was staggering to move out from the mist but managed to reach them with its long sharp claws. Seid tried to dodge a swing from its massive pounce, but it struck his side, and he stumbled into the wooden bridge. He could hear nothing was all silenced, the screaming and yells of his companions, the roaring and hisses of the creature, all inaudible. All he could do is feel. Feel the cold wood pressed against his form, the searing pain of his wound, and the rhythm of his drum-beating heart.

Orcho grabbed his arm. 

With their powerful flippers, they swim in speed. 

Seid did watch the mist from afar the white vapor wall curled away coldly into the trench, the bridge shattered into pieces and fell along with the white vapor as it snaked away. His skin shuddered. They swim up to the trees, where they could reach the surface any minute now.