The Beast of the Sea~Chapter 11

Green smoke started to fill the room as everyone looked back in surprise. Many of which I assumed had never seen the Oracle give a prophecy before, as it wasn’t something that happened every day. The Oracle began looking around the room at several people, as if trying to figure out her surroundings. Her eyes first looked away from me and focused on Joseph.

“You ignored my warning, which was a big mistake, Your only course now is to return to that lake. Your new found youth, you must reverse, Or your blessing may become your curse.”

She then stopped and I wondered if the prophecy was finished. However, Rachel’s eyes still were covered in green light and smoke continued to pour from her and circle around her body. The Oracle then turned and started walking around the room, signally she wasn’t finished just yet. Unfortunately, she stopped right in front of me and I was forced to looking into her bright green eyes.

“You are the one that ran away, So you will heed my words this day. Gather a team and start your sail, A being of water will show you the trail. Fear and pain can break your will, And in its place, darkness shall fill. Dangers await that you wish you could flee, And watch out for the beast of the sea.”

The Oracles words seemed to dig into me as I looked into her green eyes. However, it looked like she was looking into my very soul and her in those eyes I saw a green flame that hurt to look at. On reflex, I stood from my seat and took a step back, knocking my chair to the floor as I rose. The Oracle still maintained eye contact with me, but slowly the light began to fade and the smoke cleared. Rachel stumbled a bit before placing her hand on the table to regain her balance.

“I will never get used to that,” she said, coming back to her senses. “So what did I say this time?”

Everyone remained quiet for the longest time, not really sure where to start I guess as the Oracle apparently was giving a two for one on prophecies deal. I started replaying what she said to me back in my mind and in all honesty, her words scared me so much I wasn’t sure what to do.

“I need some air,” I said and walked right out of the room.

“Ash, wait…” I heard Joseph say, but I ignored him and closed the door behind me. I needed some time to myself so I could think. I wasn’t really sure where I was going, but I eventually found myself near the docks over by Long Island Sound. I replayed the prophecy over in my mind one more time and then I realized something.

“That is the same thing that voice had told me,” I said to myself. The Oracle had told me that fear and pain could break my will, while that voice in Capture the Flag told me something very similar; that fear would lead me to ruin or something. Somehow I knew it was connected, but how? I didn’t have much time to think about it however because a second later I was being splashed in the face by the water nymphs in the lake. “Hey, cut it out!”

They looked up at me from under the water’s surface and for a second it looked like they were laughing at me, which only added to my frustration. I picked up a small rock from the shore line and tossed it at them. I knew it wouldn’t hurt them even if it did hit them, as once the rock entered the water it would slow down quite a bit. The rock harmlessly sank to the bottom of the lake and picked up some sand at the bottom. The small cloud of sand went right into the face of one of the nymphs and it liked like she started coughing.

“Serves you right,” I said, more to myself than anyone else.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” I heard a voice say and I looked down. The nymph that was hit with the sand now had just her head above water and she had a very annoyed look on her face. She had long brown hair with a single braid on the right side of her face that was held together using a sea shell. Her eyes were a light shade of green that almost seemed unnatural and her skin had a small amount of blue to it, like the blue of the lake had somehow been absorbed into her body. “I didn’t toss sand in your face.”

“You splashed me with water,” I said back, which to me seemed like a good excuse.

“So? Water is rephrasing after all and can be very relaxing. Sand gets everywhere and is hard to get out of your hair,” she said, obviously not seeing why I was upset.

“For you water may be the best thing ever, but I don’t like being wet and now water is going to soak into my socks every time I take a step,” I told her, but it was obvious she wasn’t getting the point.

“You mortals are so confusing. This day has just been full of disappointment. First that Water thing leaves all that salt water around and now I meet someone that doesn’t like water. What a strange day,” she said and just huffed at me before sinking back into the water. However, something she said seemed to ignite a bit of memory from earlier. When Joseph was attacked, he told me that the Water Elemental had left a salty taste in his mouth.

“Wait, please come back,” I shouted into the water, but wasn’t sure if she heard me until she popped up a moment later.

“Oh what do you want now?” she asked, her arms crossed under the water and I wondered how she wasn’t sinking, forgetting she was a water nymph, a being of water.

“How would you like to go on a quest?” I asked her, and her face lit up with surprise.