Advent of Eternity - Chapter 128 (Patreon)

The ocean roared. Furious, towering waves slammed over the small rowboat, plunging it beneath the dark, churning depths. Maya clung to it with all the might in her legs and hand, gasping and sputtering for breath in the brief seconds that the boat shot back above the water.

It had only been a few seconds since Geda had sent her to this hellscape, but the screaming panic in her mind and lessening oxygen in her lungs made it feel like centuries. Saltwater stung her eyes and bit at her throat, making every desperate breath agony.

Freezing cold dragged its claws through every part of her body, plastering her soaked clothes to her skin like sheets of ice. Maya’s hair whipped, striking her face and neck like the lashes of a whip every single time the boat leapt from the water, only to get smashed back down by another wave.

Maya didn’t know where she was. She was starting to forget how she got here, but she refused to let go of the boat. To do so would be to accept death’s waiting embrace. Maya gritted her teeth, screaming out in defiance within the weakening sanctum of her mind.

Wave after wave bore down on her, each larger than the last. Her fingers trembled, losing their grip on the soaked wood. Wood cracked and splinters bit into her skin as she dug her fingertips deeper. Maya wedged her heels against the back of the bench, bracing herself as best as she could with only three limbs.

And still the waves came. Each one struck her back, knocking out what little air she had left in her lungs. Saltwater forced its way into her airway and she choked, coughing and gasping for air at the same time and succeeding in finding neither.

Every muscle in her body screamed, begging for air and relief. Her grip further weakened. She strained, but her muscles started to fail. There was only so much a mortal grip could achieve, and she’d long since gone past what she believed it to be.

Maya squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the next wave as the rowboat pushed out from beneath the water once more.

Seconds passed. No wave arrived.

Maya coughed water up onto the boat and drew in a ragged breath that only ended with even more coughing. After several minutes of sputtering, she finally unscrewed her eyes and raised her exhausted head.

The sun hung far in the sky above her, just barely peeking out behind a bank of soft grey clouds. Water lapped gently against the rowboat’s hull, rocking it like a cradle. Maya coughed again and wiped her mouth with the back of a soaked sleeve.

A tall man stood upon the water across from her. His features were sharp and angular, and his long hair hung over his shoulder in a ponytail. Beautiful blue robes rippled around him, held in place by emerald studded clasps. At his hip hung a long, thin blade. It was held in place only by a thick rope and had no sheath, leaving the rippling metal of its blade free to shimmer in the sunlight.

The man and Maya locked gazes, neither speaking for several seconds. Maya’s hand lowered to her side, to where her sword was. It was gone. Whether she’d lost it in the violent torrent of the sea or if it had never come with her in the first place, she wasn’t sure.

“Which one is real?” the man asked.

“Who are you?” Maya replied. “Where am I?”

The water around them fell completely still, as if the boat rested upon a perfectly clear lake rather than the sea. Colors bloomed within it, forming into images just beneath the watery surface.

A younger version of Maya appeared beneath the ocean, her captain’s hat perched upon her head and a cocky grin plastered across her face. She stood on the helm of a small ship, her sword raised toward the sky.

Behind her, a dozen men and women manned the ship, moving around with the excitement that only a well-loved team could have. Maya stared down at it, her breath feeling like ice in her lungs.

The image rippled. One by one, the crew members vanished. They faded beneath the waves, leaving the ship empty and destitute in their wake. Only Maya remained, one of her hands fading away.

Her captain’s tricorn slipped away and the boat vanished too, leaving only Maya’s reflection staring back at her from within the waves.

“Which one?” the man repeated. “Are you the captain of the Laughing Tide? Or are you an armless deckhand? Are you bold, or are you a coward?”

Maya peeled her eyes away from the water to look back up at the man standing upon the water. “I am both. I was the captain of the Laughing Tide, and my arrogance killed my men. I am an armless deckhand. I have been brave, and I have been worthless. Nobody can be defined by just a single image.”

“Arrogant words. It is the folly of mortals to believe that they can be more than what they truly are. I see before me a broken woman, battered by the storm and barely able to stand without the aid of her slaver.”

“Give me a sword and I’ll show you just how broken I am.” Maya spat over the edge of her tiny rowboat and rose to her feet, stepping up to the edge of the bow. “I’ve learned a lot since back then. If you think the version of me that failed to protect my crew was the strong one, then you’re delusional. I don’t know why Geda sent me here, but maybe its because he wants someone to kick your ass.”

A wry smile flickered across the man’s face. “You? You think you could defeat me? The sea nearly swallowed you whole. You live and die at my whim.”

“Eat shit. I could stick my head under the water and kill myself if I wanted to,” Maya replied. “You might not have killed me yet, but that doesn’t mean you control my life. You aren’t a god.”

“And if I was?”

Maya laughed in his face. “Then I’d feel sorry for you. You’ll be dead not too long after I am.”

“You truly believe the slaver that brought you here possesses the strength to defeat the gods? They have reigned for millennia.”

“If anyone can, it’s that crazy bastard,” Maya replied. “And he’s no slaver. He’s given me everything that he’s given the rest of his crew. The only reason we’re in this dungeon is for me to get whatever crap it is that the crab was supposed to give me, but instead I got stuck here looking at your ugly mug.”

“You cannot believe that he does this all merely for your purpose. He has ulterior motives.”

“So what? At least he’s open about it,” Maya said with a smirk. “But how do you know about his goals? Why do you even care? You aren’t a god.”

“How do you know?”

“Because one of those whiny little shits would have already killed me.”

The man stared at her, his face unchanging. Then he inclined his head slightly. “I am not a god.”

“Great. I already gathered that part. What do you want with me?”

“It is more accurate to ask what you want with me,” the man replied. “You have come to my domain, after all. What is it you seek? The power to return your crew to the land of the living? The strength to rise above the rest of the Shattered Sea? Or perhaps the ability to take revenge against all those who have wronged you? I could give any of it to you.”

“What is this, a buffet? Can you solve all of my problems and wipe my ass for me too?”

The man’s features tightened in anger. “You mock me? You, who were so meek before the might of the sea and the eyes of your captain, mock me?”

“Damn straight I mock you. You said it yourself – you’re in control, right? Why should I go out begging like a dog? You know what I want? I’ll tell you. Give me my damn sword back.”

“A sword you cannot even use.”

“I’ll make it work for long enough to stick through your heart. How about that?”

“I could give you the strength to wield it.”

“Are you deaf? I told you what I want,” Maya growled. “I want my sword. That’s it. I’ll have to apologize to the Cap. He came all this way, but I’m not going to beg for power from some pompous asshole. I’m sure it would come with enough strings attached to wrap me in a cocoon. Not interested.”

“You deny strength due to pride?”

“Wow, you’re dense. I don’t deny strength. I deny your crutch,” Maya said, leaning over the edge of the boat. “I am nobody’s slave. Even without the Geas, I would have followed Knell had he given me the choice. Ask me why.”

“Tell me, then.”

“Because I damn want to,” Maya replied, baring her teeth in a grin. “Now pay up. You asked me what I wanted, and I told you. Give me my sword.”

The water beneath them rippled. A thin geyser erupted beside the rowboat, and Maya’s thin blade flew out from it. She grabbed it from the air with her left hand, gritting her teeth as a powerful vibration instantly thrummed through her body.

Maya’s arm trembled as she tried to bring the weapon to bear. The man watched her with a bemused expression. He slowly reached down to his side and drew his own blade.

“I thought you were going to put that through my heart.”

“Working on it,” Maya replied through gritted teeth. The trembling bore into her bones and rattled her teeth. Waves of force slammed through her body from within, twisting her stomach. She doubled over, throwing salt water up onto the deck.

“You are unworthy of your blade.”

Maya gritted her teeth. She wanted to respond, but she was pretty sure that the vibrations rocking her body would shatter her teeth if she unclenched her jaw. The only way she’d be able to answer the man would be if she let go of the sword, and she had no plans of doing that.

Waves of energy thrummed through her. Blood trickled from Maya’s nostrils and pain flooded her nerves as her body screamed at her to drop the sword.

It was impossible to resist the sword. It was just too powerful. Even Cyll had been forced to overpower it rather than use the blade’s power properly. Bending the weapon to her will wasn’t something she could do, even if she had two hands. It couldn’t be controlled any more than the ocean around them.

Maya’s eyes widened. She paused, her grip loosening around the hilt but failing to completely release it as a thought freed itself from within the depths of her mind. A tiny grin passed over her face.

She turned her attention to the vibrations tearing through her body, threatening to pull her to pieces the moment she stopped resisting them. Maya drew in a breath and let it out, releasing the tension in her body in the process.

Instead of fighting against the blade, she let the tremors run through her freely. Her teeth chattered as the energy coursed into her muscles, unimpeded. Then, slowly, her grin grew wider. Maya rose to her feet and lifted her blade, pointing the point at the man’s neck.

“You have come to an understanding with your blade,” the man said.

“And you’re not even human. You’re the ocean, aren’t you?”

“In a manner of speaking. I am the Sage of the Deep.”

“Arrogant name, don’t you think?”

“One that I have earned,” the Sage replied with a wry smile. “I have returned your sword. What will you do with it?”

“Whatever I damn well please,” Maya replied. The sword vibrated in her hands – not in defiance, but in approval. “Why are you even doing this? How do you know about Knell or me?”

“I am simply a remnant of the true Sage of the Deep, recreated to peer into your heart. Nothing we have spoken of will ever leave this place, unless you speak of it.”

“For what purpose?” Maya asked. “Do you just enjoy annoying people?”

The Sage laughed. “Ah, I was once like you. You will find more balance in time. We must all flow like the river, moving from one form to the other until we reach the sea and discover who we truly are. You are worthy.”

“Worthy of what? I already told you, I don’t want any deals or binding agreements. I’ve got enough of those.”

“The sea does not bind. The sea gives, but only to those who know how to ask.” The sage raised his hands and the water around the rowboat churned. Massive pillars of churning sea rose up all around them, blocking out the sun. “Seek me out. My true body still walks the world, or I would not remain here. I believe I would find you very interesting.”

The water crashed down, shattering the rowboat and thrusting Maya beneath the waves. But, strangely, as Maya was pushed down into the dark depths of the ocean, she didn’t feel the slightest bit worried.