The Elderkin Prophet

Chapter 15

Ophinia is seated upon the stairs on the deck of Kalina along with Moogi. They had just embarked on their journey as the large ship cut through the calm ocean. Moogi was afraid of the vast ocean and its endless deeps but something about the wind was keeping him calm and happy; he is sitting upon Ophinia’s lap peacefully. A warm breeze was brewing and as the salty wind was brushing through Ophinia’s hair, she looked upon the fading dockyard in the distance. She could still see Mulnac and a few other gulls watching as Kalina swiftly disappeared in the horizon. The sun was shining bright but it was not hot. The entire crew of the ship who were busy working their posts were singing a sea shanty. It was jolly and energetic; it made Ophinia feel very comfortable as well. She noticed that Uul was incredibly happy as he was singing along while commandeering the ship.

She knew that he had a special place in his heart for the wide open seas. Before he became a soldier, he was a sailor and he would often tell tales of how he and his parents would catch some of the biggest fish and oysters across the land. She looked outward into the green expanse of water known as the Ilianis. It was the second largest ocean all across phaera as it connected both halves of the split continent. It harboured several lush islands big and small. Many of which were now inhabited by both Gull and some indigenous human tribes. It had a reputation for chaotic storms during nightfall but it was long ever since any ship had fallen prey to these gentle waters. Some massive creatures lurked in the deeper water pools and were often hunted for their rare hides as well as the bounties put on their heads. Several flatbeds in the ocean floor were home to beautiful coral reefs harbouring exotic fish and other creatures still unknown to the world.

Although the seas calming nature and the crews singing were delightful, something else was bothering her. Ophinia felt incredibly uneasy about something which she herself did not know what it was. She kept trying to focus her mind to get to what was bothering her; but nothing clicked. She began to wonder whether it was the grand magister of Ravenhold she saw a glimpse of earlier. She kept wondering whether it was seeing that familiar face that triggered painful memories or just the sheer thought of what would happen if he caught her. She remembered about how cruel the man was with his teachings and diplomacy. Still, thinking about all these things was not the reason she was feeling upset. Even recalling the worst of her memories wasn’t upsetting her. She has been through extreme trauma during her training but still, none of those memories were the cause of her sadness.

The feeling came from deep within her. It almost felt as if something was missing; like a puzzle piece to a puzzle. Something was clearly off about her. She felt hollow, almost as if a void had spread its roots in her mind and heart. The feeling was consuming her, weakening her. She began to feel pathetic about many things and started to trigger several negative thoughts about things which she usally would love.

Her mind shifted to the drink that Uul was preparing her. He had fed her the tonic twice so far. It succeeded in stopping her nightmares. She thought that since they were gone, she would be happier, but instead she just felt even more uneasy about things. She was always a curious one. Ever since she was little, she had this hunger for knowledge, an unquenchable thirst to know more. Even though the nightmares were scary and amalgative towards her; she desired to know more. She knew that they weren’t any normal nightmares; she wanted to know the root of what they meant and why they were happening.

Time passes by quickly while Ophinia was lost in thought. The sun finally started to become hot enough that it made her sweat. Ophinia decided to return to the quarters where she kept an alchemical brew to cook. As she waded through the freshly made interiors of the ship, she decided not to think about why she felt sad. She returned to her brew and stirred it slightly. It was nearly finished. She was preparing some Huttlenut jelly which was needed to prepare Balum, a liquid that when sprayed in the eyes would allow for amplified vision in the dark. Ophinia places Moogi down on a fat round pillow. As soon as she plopped him down, he struck an adorable pose which brought a faint smile to her face. Moogi slept on his back while his tail swayed playfully towards Ophinia.

The salty ocean winds had made her hair rough and messy. She decided to braid her hair. Once she was done, she looked around to see only a mess of things thrown everywhere. Uul was in such a hurry that he blatantly threw almost all of his belongings in a large pile near the beds. This annoyed Ophinia a lot. She sat down near the mess and began to sort out things and put them in an orderly fashion. Some contents of a few bags had mangaged to fall out. She started from there and slowly began to tidy things up.

Eventually, she came across a satchel. It was the same pouch that Kin’uel had handed over to Uul. Ophinia slowly opened the satchel and looked inside. She saw the map which they were following as well as a few other smaller items. Ophinia wondered why the map was still here and knew that Uul would eventually require the map in order to navigate once they were closer to Baylon Isle’s.

As soon as Ophinia touched the paper, a deafening sound rang through her ears. It stunned her as she fell to the floor of the ship. The last thing she could hear was the creaking of the wood above her as the crew was busy with their chores. Her body started to twist in pain and agony. She tried to scream for help but nothing came out of her mouth, not even the slightest of sound. She struggled to breathe once more while she lay helplessly on the floor. Moogi rushed to her in panic and tried to help but unfortunately there was little that he could possibly do. A few minutes passed and the pain began to settle. She still was paralysed with an uncontrollable force restricting her movement. Something was trying to commune with her. Something deep inside her mind began to ring. She was drowned in a haze of voices. She could not understand anything. The talking became so much that it just all started to sound like static to her.

Suddenly, a voice called out to her. Its energy and power attracted all of her focus. It was unlike anything she had heard before. The voice was commanding and cold. Ophinia was scared but desired to know what it was. Her mind was almost like an active tornado of thoughts and emotions which all just suddenly disappeared when she heard the voice.

“Mortal… little… soul.”

“The light… long… had forsaken me…”

“You…Shall be my vessel… You will free me from this prison.”

Chills ran through Ophinia’s body. Each word rumbled and echoed in her mind in an endless loop. Her vision started to blur. The darkness was being replaced with flickering fragmented memories, conversations and scenes. She could not understand anything.

“Find the keys… Bring… Them to me…Free me from this cold void…”

“You… shall be my vengeance… My unforgiving…. Wrrraaatthh..”

The fragments of memories began to flutter more and more. None of which she could make any sense of. Suddenly a sequence of memories followed. The began to play in an unorganised manner.

It was someone else’s memories she was watching. As if she was a ghost looking through someone’s consciousness. She could see footsteps. Someone was running desperately through snow. He wore a decorated robe along with some king of spell book clinging onto his belt. He wore a single glove revealing a pale white hand. He was shivering and was being chased. The memory cut off and a new segment played. He was burying something this time. The soil looked soft and fertile. He wore two rings on his hands, one was made of silver and the other was black which bore the insignia of the Onxy legion. The scene then cut to a burning inferno. A forest was set on fire. Dark figures enclosed onto him. He was running once again. Suddenly, a thousand eyes were staring straight at him. It cut to another scene… The figure was staring at his own body. Scars lined his hands all the way down to his feet. He was covered with the marks of the Fold. His skin cracked with deep creases where the Fold manifested underneath. A final scene played where the figure was staring off of a high cliff, overlooking a deep abyss. Darkness surrounded him. Finally, Ophinia could see the figures face. It was unrecognizable, pale and twisted. The Fade had infected his entire body as deep veins of green were seen underneath his torn skin. His eyes were red with some of the Fade roaring inside them. He was crying, he looked pathetic and in depair. After this, the sequence of events ended and everything became dark. Ophinia was blind once more.

“He… Failed… me.”

“You… Shall free me… Or suffer his fate.”

The voice wavered and slowly faded away. Ophinia was left unconscious as she lay on the floor. Moogi managed to climb out of a small window and alerted Uul.