z

Young Writers Society


LSS: Death From The Depths



User avatar
135 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 4200
Reviews: 135
Tue Jun 21, 2022 5:54 am
View Likes
SilverNight says...



Image


Callista didn't know what was happening in her mind underneath the waves.

Driftwood floated past her, getting tangled in the braids of seaweed on the ocean floor. She'd only heard of shipwrecks as legends for most of her life, the results of clashes between pirates and the Skirys navy or the tragedies of passenger and fishing ships going out in the wrong storm at the wrong time. It was an end she couldn't quite wrap her head around once, being so used to living on land. She would live on land, she would die on land, she would be buried on land.

And then she'd come to the pirate islands.

The blue of the sea, she'd been told by other knights, was like a tub of sapphires. You put your hand in and it was blue all the way down. They were all wrong, which led her to think they'd never seen the sea before either. The sea was green, and it was indigo, and sometimes it was black or deep red. Sometimes it was the color she'd heard a word existed for in another language, but not in either of hers. Sometimes the sea refused to be classified as any shade of any color at all.

Here, shipwrecks were real. You'd either survived one, or you knew someone who had or hadn't. Even Guild Rogue made their dead into shipwrecks. They would gather the floating pieces of the ship that had once carried them, set their pirates on them, and let them be on the water one last time. Perhaps she wouldn't be buried on land after all.

It was bold of her to even assume she'd get any kind of ceremony for her death, let alone a proper funeral.

Callista couldn't even tell their bodies apart from the debris. Was that a part of their mast floating by, or was it Meridian?

She saw bubbles floating up, far up to the surface, and realized they were coming from her. Running out of air didn't feel the same way it had a few days ago, when Aloysius had choked her and the rest of the crew. This time, it felt almost drowsy, like she'd numbed herself with something right before she'd hit the water. Hell, she didn't even remember the moment their boat had broken apart. For all she knew, she'd swallowed a painkiller right before impact.

One last clear thought came to her.

How am I supposed to die here?

Callista didn't want to place too much of her faith in fate, but there were a couple things she could believe in. The prophecy was one of them. And the promise she'd been told two years earlier was another.

If she died here, underwater in the depths, it meant Iliana had been wrong.

Iliana didn't make mistakes like that.

Callista wasn't sure if she had rolled over of her own will, but she was on her back now, facing the surface. Far above, she could see the sun glinting off the waves. Sun. It had been sunny, hadn't it?

The sky is clear.

It was no longer a comforting mantra.

She might've felt something touch her hand-- grainy and firm, but soft-- and she tried to grab it, but it went through her fingers.

It was sand.

Perhaps the ocean floor would bury her itself.

~~~


The air was warm, and she was cold. She felt something coarse stuck on her skin, on the palms of her hands. Callista stuck her tongue out and swiped her upper lip, tasting to find out if it was salt. It was not. She let out a little gagging sound when she realized it was more sand, which then led to her coughing her lungs out and water dripping from her mouth.

"Callista!"

She was confused how when her eyes opened, she could only see cracks of light against darkness, but realized it was just the sun shining through the hair that was in her face when someone pushed it away and tucked it behind her ear.

"Callista," Lisa repeated, a little more quietly. "Oh, gods, you're alive. I was so worried- I didn't think I'd gotten all of the water out of your lungs in time! I didn't- I'm sorry- I got most of it, I thought I'd gotten all of it- oh, gods, darling, you're alive!" Tears were willing up in Lisa's eyes, and she brushed a hand against her face to try and wipe them away, but only ended up smearing what was left of her makeup and rubbing more water into her eyes.

"I am?" Callista croaked, embarrassed by how raspy her voice was. "I wouldn't--" She broke off into more coughing. "I wouldn't know any better. I feel dead."

Lisa sniffed, a tiny amused smile pulling at one corner of her mouth. "I promise, you're alive, darling. Meridian and Rodrin are, too, they just haven't woken up yet." She studied Callista's face for a moment, then her smile dropped and more tears started welling up. "This is all my fault," she whispered, the words coming out choked and agonized. "I suggested- I wasn't strong enough, either- you could have died! You could have all died! This is my fault! I'm- I'm so sorry, darling..." She broke off, unable to continue through her tears.

"No. No, Lisa, you did everything you could. We made it and we have you to thank for that. I'm--" A delirious laugh escaped her, and she couldn't help it, when it really hit her that she was alive. There was nothing funny at all about the situation, and yet, it was entirely funny to her at the same time. "I'm not even supposed to die that way."

That didn't seem to be a comfort to Lisa. She rocked back on her heels, pressing one hand to her mouth to stifle a sob. "You could've all died," she mumbled tearily. "You could've all died and it would've been my fault and I would've been... I would've been alone..." She squeezed her eyes closed and buried her face in her hands, breaking down fully into sobs.

Callista wasn't sure what to do when people were crying, but she did her best. She pulled Lisa close to her, letting her tears fall on her already soaked shoulder.

"It's not meant to be that way," she said, confused as to where the conviction in her voice was coming from, but believing in it anyway. "Not for you. Not for me. Not for any of us."
"silv is obsessed with heists" ~Omni

"silv why didn't you tell me you were obsessed with heists I thought we were friends" ~Ace

"y’all we outnumber silver let’s overthrow her >:]" ~winter

silver (she/they)





User avatar
378 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Other
Points: 3775
Reviews: 378
Tue Jun 21, 2022 5:55 am
View Likes
Omni says...



Image


Aloysius gritted his teeth as the old man took his sweet old time walking down the ramp and onto the shoreline. "Oop, uneven ground you got there." The man said and chuckled as he hobbled even slower on the rocks. Aloysius' attention was more on the woman, who was bobbing back and forth on her heels, a look a pure, unadulterated joy on her face, like she had not just murdered dozens of his men. Her bronze skin did not even have a scratch on it. She flashed another annoying wink in his direction, and he ground his teeth together even more. He glanced over at the stone wall. He could vaguely make out his commanders still dishing out orders, although Command Lyoko was frozen still, staring down at the massacre that had splattered all over the wall in front of him.

"Oh, the sun really loves these rocks, huh?" The old man observed with a slight chuckle echoing on the end. "How can you stand this? It must hurt your eyes, right? I know I'm old, but this is not just a 'me thing.' Nilah, come here and give an old man a hand, will you?"

Nilah, the lady with obscene Afinity powers, danced over to the old man and offered him her arm, which he took with a shaky hand. He looked so unstable, like Aloysius could just push him over and he would not survive it. He knew the old man knew that, so this Nilah must be strong enough for the both of them. As the two of them walked over to Aloysius, it was obvious there was a weird, twisted dynamic between the two of them. Aloysius was not sure what it was, but it certainly set his instincts off. The old man was basically parading this woman around like his well fought and well won prize. He wore her on his sleeve like an obnoxious ring, but if that ring could kill someone with a bat of her pretty eyelashes.

The duo had got close enough to Aloysius that he could smell the old man's stench. It smelled like urine and old sweat that had been around for too long, with a hint of decay. How this man, or Nilah for that matter, could not smell it, Aloysius could not explain. This man truly looked, and now smelled, like he was on death's doorstep. So, why, oh why, was he on Aloysius' doorstep?

"Ahh, thank you dear Nilah. You can step back now, dearie." Nilah nodded her head in obediance and skipped backward a few steps. She was far enough away that there was no way for her to react if Aloysius sunk a knife into the old man's chest. But, he assumed that neither of them thought to worry about that. The man had enough power just with the threat of her presence that he knew nothing would be done to him. If Aloysius did do something to him, no doubt Nilah would level his entire island without a second thought or a single tear shed. Hell, she might even do it with a nasty smile on her face. "Now. We have had a lot of theatrics, Mr. Aloysius, which was all fun and games. But I think it is high time for us to get down to the knitty gritty and start the negotiations, shall we?"

For a long, long moment, Aloysius did not know how to respond to that comment. The man treated his fleet of ships and entire arsenal of defenses as mere theatrics? The thought about that baffled him, but also made him deeply angry. Countless men, his men, lost their lives to a seemingly simple party trick to this old man. Just how strong was Nilah? The thought that her, a simple cheery woman, could topple his entire force was something that Aloysius just could not, or perhaps would not, wrap his head around. No one could be that strong. Not even the highest members of Guild Arcane possessed that time of power, and they were infamous amongst pirates for their basically breeding and testing to make stronger Affinities. Even Aloysius did not know the true extent of Briqirith's powers, and that terrified him while also giving him a modicum of respect to her. But this Nilah, something told him that even Arcane would not be able to fight her and come out on top.

"All right. Well, take me to your office so we can have some good old fashioned negotiations." The old man said.

"Why, why don't we have negotiations here? As a bit of visual compromise for us. The middle ground and all." Aloysius was straight up bull shitting at this point, pulling words out of his ass to keep this man distracted. If Arcane's Mage Soldiers could get here, perhaps they could barely turn the tides of this battle, just barely.

"Ahh, now that sounds like an absolutely perfect idea to me. Less walking for me to do, you see?" He guffawed at that. "Nilah! Bring us two chairs and a table please."

She nodded wordlessly, and turned back to the ship. Just a moment later, she dropped off two wodden chairs and a small table. "Thank you, dear Nilah. You are too kind to us."

Aloysius just nodded absentmindedly. His attention was more focused on Commander Lyoko. He would know to give a signal to Aloysius if something had changed. Perhaps he was planning on sinking the ship. Even if they would feel Nilah's Wrath, it might have been worth it to leave them stranded on this island. Bleh, it was a poor plan, and the amount of flaws and holes in it became extremely apparent after just a few moments of thought. Ships come to and from Zenith Reach all the time. Even if Lyoko destroyed all of the ships docked at their multiple ports before they were all brutally killed, a ship would come to the island within the hour, as Berserk troops were on their way. And Aloysius knew they would want to investigate. Hell, he would too. Even the best of them would be too curious to turn away, nor would they know to turn away.

"Mr. Admiral Aloysius, you seem distracted! Am I boring you?" The old man piped up, dragging Aloysius out of his own thoughts. "I know, I know, I am boring, but Nilah usually makes up for it. If you ask me, she likes that I am so boring. It makes her shine, you know."

Aloysius opened his mouth to ask several questions about him, about Nilah, about this whole situation in general, but nothing came out.

"Ahh, what? Traitor cut your tongue? Please, you can ask me anything Mr. Admiral Aloysius. We are all friends here, right Nilah?" Nilah nodded like she wanted her head to fall off. Something was completely off about these two, but Aloysius suspected that if he said something, he would not be alive to regret it.

"Just... thinking, sir. I-- I do not know your name. Are you C?"

"Ahh, where are my manners?" The old man said, slapping his knee. "How could I forget? My mind fails me sometimes in my old age, but do not tell my wife that." He guffawed at that joke, but Aloysius was more surprised he still had a wife, or that anyone would actually want to be married to him. Another case of power talking, he supposed. Aloysius knew he was not the most attractive man or had the best personality, but even with just a simple glimpse and first impression, he knew he was ten thousand times better than this old man. He could not imagine anyone wanting to marry him. For some reason, Aloysius imagined it was a small girl he was married to. He seemed twisted enough, and he knew he could not put it past Skirys. Even though they were called the pirates, Skirys had the most backwards ways with a ton of things. "Anyway, yes, I am that C that sent you that letter. I am glad it arrived to you safely. I know we had to shoot down several messenger hawks personally on our way here. Pesky little things, they can get tangled up in our sails, don't you know?" He let out a loud sigh. "Ahh, well, you may call me Corrick," he said with a large smile. His teeth were discolored, the natural ones anyway. "Anyway! Onto the negotiations. Do you know why I came all the way here? I am sure you're asking that. Why could we not just meet at sea, as a compromise, like you said? Well, I wanted to talk to you on your land, to show you that I. Am. Committed! I am committed to the cause!"

What cause?

"What cause, you may ask? Well, the cause of the Pirate Code, my good sir." Aloysius furled his brows. "You know, I was about to ask if you knew the true nature of the Pirate Code, but that confusion clearly written on your face tells me all I need to know!" He struggled to turn around. "Nilah!" She jogged up next to him. "A demonstration, dear, if you would." She smiled and bowed deeply. She swept in a deep breath and stared at the stone wall ahead of them. She steadied herself and lowered her stance. In one fell motion, she shoved her hand out, and an extreme gust of wind blew out from in front of her, so powerful that it blasted a hole right through his stone wall. Soldiers sitting above that wall only had a moment or two to scramble and jump out of the way before they were splattered like the rocks. Aloysius did not jump, he just stared, wide eyed, at Nilah. Corrick had a deep, twisted smile plastered on his face. "Amazing, isn't she?" He leaned back. "Thank you Nilah for that wonderful presentation." He leaned in. "Do you want to know how she does that?" Aloysius just nodded. "She is a Carrier of the Sky."

"What does that mean?" Aloysius heard himself mutter.

"Well, I am extremely glad you asked! There are primal forces all around us. Affinities come from them. But by far the most powerful and ancient of the forces are those of the Land, the Sky, and the Sea. And there are sources to these powers. Just tapping into a fraction of those sources can allow one to control unimaginable power. Those are called Carriers. And..." Corrick leaned even further in, to the point where he was just whispering, "We found two of them. The Sky and the Earth." He supported himself on the back of the chair. "We just need to find the third. The Sea. And then, well, we can unite all our people, from the mountains to the desert to the inland people, to the mainland people, and, well, yes, even to these islands we're sitting on. You see, having all three of those primal sources allows one to create land, sea, and sky how they want! We're just missing one, and we think your dear leader, Furia knows where it is." He shrugged. "Now, I don't think she really wants to work with us. But I think you. You see, the Pirate Code, that's where the Sea Source is. And she knows where it is. With that, you could unite your people under one flag, and I could unite all our people, across the globe. This is up to you, but I can provide whatever you need to get the job done." Corrick held out a shaky hand. "What do you say? Allies?"

Aloysius looked at the hand. Without a further thought, he grasped it and shook it. He would find out the true potential of this Pirate Code, but he would do it his own way. He didn't think that Skirys realized they just revealed the one weapon that might turn the tides of this war against them for good.

Aloysius smiled. Nilah giggled.
This account proudly supports lgbtq* rights.

sass levels loading




[he/him]








"Beneath this mask, there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask, there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof."
— V for Vendetta