Forgotten Sea: Chapter 4
Go find a person who is willing to kiss you without asking for the world
Go love a soul that
Love and death are the two most important things in life
—If death cannot be halted, then go love.
<<Lemuria - Tome of the Sea God - Chapter 3>>
I thought about how I’d die, and fantasized about myself escaping the temple and shaking off the fate of being a sacrificial offering.
… but I never thought the Sea God really existed, or that I would form a bond with the Sea God.
Rafayel promises me as long as I can become a devout follower before the Sea God’s Ceremony, then after that he would give me back my freedom.
To me, this of course is not a losing transaction.
Teacher: … you must be careful, humans on the shore will eat anything, and especially like eating fish.
Lemurian children: We do too, what kind of fish do they like to eat?
Teacher: They also like using hot water to take baths.
Lemurian children: …!!!
On this day, I am free with nothing to do, so Algie takes me to see the sights in the city.
Algie: Do you still remember the Sacred Flame you saw? We call it the “.”
Algie: The light of the Sacred Flame will gradually grow weaker over time, until the Sea God personally lights it during the coming-of-age ceremony.
I look towards Rafayel over on one side, where children joyfully hook fingers with him, inviting him to play with them.
He casually rolls a few little fireballs to give to them, and every face is brightly illuminated.
Algie: You know, a place like the deep sea, the sun can’t reach it, and the moon definitely can’t reach it either.
Algie: If there were no Sacred Flame, then it would be a patch of darkness more frightening than death. , if you can’t see me and I can’t see you, we’d all just grow as we wished. Wouldn’t we then all turn into hideous creatures?
MC: Your worries are …
Compared to the human world I know, Lemuria seems just like an ideal kingdom that only appears in legends.
Besides being able to freely move about at the bottom of the sea, their outer appearance doesn’t look that different from humans, and as the legends say, they dislike fighting, and yearn for love and freedom.
They will stuff poetry, stories, legends, and strange and wonderful shells and pearls into floating bottles, and take advantage of high tide to send them onto shore.
MC: There are even shells that can store sound… unchanging no matter how many years have passed…
MC: … Sea God, I've spoken so much, are you listening?
Rafayel doesn’t even lift his head, and tosses me a blue conch from somewhere.
MC: … there really is such a magical conch? What is it called?
Rafayel: There’s no name, it’s just called a magical conch.
MC: …
Rafayel: Take it and play with it. Those ignorant complaints and exclamations of yours, you can tell them to it.
MC: …
While Rafayel is engrossed in his reading, I aim at the conch and angrily lower my voice.
MC: What Sea God, I hope in your next life you become a sea monster, sea cucumber, oyster…
When we walk out of the temple, it is already close to Lemuria’s dusk.
I lift my head to look towards the highest spire of the temple, where the Sacred Flame glows, spreading its light.
It follows the principle of rising in the east and setting in the west, bringing light and warmth to Lemuria, witnessing the changes and constants of time.
Rafayel: Wanna go up for a look?
MC: But at this time, the temple doors should be closed, right?
Rafayel: Follow me.
Rafayel skirts past the temple guards, secretly bringing me up to the highest level of the tower.
As I climb to the highest level, I miss a step and nearly crash into his arms. Rafayel furrows his brow.
MC: … You don’t like other people touching you?
Rafayel: I don’t like it.
MC: Sorry…
Rafayel: But you can hold my hand.
He extends his hand out before me.
MC: … Okay.
Rafayel: Don’t hold so tightly.
MC: … Okay!
I lightly grasp the tips of his fingertips. The Sea God’s heart really is unpredictable…
Rafayel lightly exerts himself and pulls me up to the tip of the Temple’s tallest spire. Turning back, all of Whalefall City is spread before my eyes.
The light of the Sacred Flame, like a cloud of golden mist, floats hazily above Whalefall City.
MC: How beautiful! This is my first time watching the sunset at the bottom of the ocean.
Rafayel: Is it a good view?
MC: Mmhmm.
Rafayel stares at the slowly dissipating rays and seems to be deep in thought.
Rafayel: Describe what the world outside is like to me.
MC: The world outside? What do you want to know…?
I , but can’t think of a single interesting story. After all, as a sacrificial offering intended for the Sea God, I spent most of my time in that silent temple.
MC: To me, Lemuria is the widest world I have ever been to.
Rafayel: …
MC: Would you like to see the outside world with me?
MC: Look at flowers and grasses that aren’t in the ocean, .
MC: Oh, right, have you ever seen a puppy? You can’t have never touched a puppy’s tail before in your life, right?
Rafayel: … all these things are chronicled in the Academy’s library. Don’t look at me with that sympathetic gaze, it’s very rude all right?
Rafayel: Besides, can you name every single fish in the deep sea?
Rafayel casually pulls over a fluorescent jellyfish that is slowly drifting by the spire, and motions for me to continue.
MC: What a killjoy, what I mean is—
MC: Since you’ve already escaped once, ?
Rafayel: …
With an expression that says he can’t be bothered with me, Rafayel finds a spot with no light and just closes his eyes.
I suddenly remember Elder Amund’s words. Lemurians have a fatal flaw, that is—
Once a bond is formed with a human, the other party has the power to command you and control you.
MC: (Is it true if I say to do something, you’ll do something…)
MC: Make fire!
MC: It failed…
Rafayel: Don’t waste your effort.
Rafayel: When watching the sunset, one should stay quiet.
MC: Rafayel, would you like to see the real sun?
Rafayel: No.
MC: But the first day we met, weren’t you thinking of secretly going ashore.
Rafayel: The first day we met, you certainly didn’t have as much to say as you do now. That time, you…
Rafayel: … compared to biting people you’ve just met, you’re better this way.
MC: But on land there’s a lively Sea God Festival, lyres that play very lovely songs, and…
Rafayel: If the land were as good as you say it is, how did you come to be here.
MC: … true. If bad guys knew you were Lemurian, perhaps they’d force you to cry lots of little pearls too.
Rafayel: You wish to persuade me to bring you back on land so you can find a good opportunity to escape.
Rafayel: Is the sunset on land so very different from that at the bottom of the ocean.
MC: … I don’t remember clearly any more either.
MC: Why don’t you take me to see the sun outside, and I take you to see the Sea God Festival, how’s that?
The entirety of Whalefall City gradually darkens. I think Rafayel is truly asleep.
I lean on his shoulder, blinking my slightly sleepy eyes.
Rafayel: … okay.
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