Chapter 2
The Woman
Sua woke in a world of black. Everything around her was dyed a slick, oily black. Light streamed from somewhere, reflecting prismatic colors on her surroundings. When she looked up, there was no opening above or below her. Just endless void.
Eventually, she figured out that it was her that was glowing, casting soft golden light on the void. Everything glowed, every inch. Her clothes, her hair, even the inside of her eyes glowed.
She couldn’t move at all, at least, not forward. she could only watch the swirls of the void. After a while, she noticed a strange sound. It sounded like water, but not the kind she was used to. It crashed over and over again, but softly, and it soothed her somehow. Sua had never known this, but loved it.
Eventually, she began to see a small blue dot on the horizon. She felt happy, soothed by this strange crashing noise and drifting comfortably in the inky blackness. The glow of her eyelids stopped her from closing her eyes, otherwise she would have.
After a while longer, the dot took on more detail, she could see the figure of a woman. She had long flowing hair and something white and blue at her feet. She strolled causally, but Sun got the sense she was searching for something.
It occurred to her that this woman probably had answers to what was happening. She called out as loud as she could. Her words didn’t exactly sound like words; it was more like a long musical tone, but it got the woman’s attention.
Sua watched as the woman seemed to form a great blue wall of sorts below her. It began to move at a great pace, shrinking as it continued. Eventually they stood face to face, and the wave crashed over Sua’s head. Once she got the water out of her eyes, she took a good look at the strange woman.
The woman was clad in sky blue, with a scarf of white sea foam around her shoulders. Her hair was long and white, and tied up with a conch shell. Her skin was the color of sea sand, and ocean waves constantly crashed on her bare feet. Around her neck and wrists she wore elaborate gold jewelry. She looked at her with a sense of curiosity.
“who are you, human soul?” she asked with a voice as smooth as silk. Sua replied with a melody that only somewhat sounded like her name. Internally, she cursed this place’s weird effects.
“I see, your name is Sua, yes?” Sua smiled and nodded, giving the clearest answer she could.
“I am Kaiyo, daughter of the deep.” she smiled gracefully. “I am glad I found you before the others.”
Sua cocked her head, confused. What did she mean by ‘found’?
“I have one creature that I would like to become a legend…” she swirled water into a ball between her hands, and it formed the shape of a jellyfish.
“It is called the jellyfish, but it is weak and mocked by others.” her voice held a tone of sadness, and on closer inspection, Sua noticed that the jellyfish had a similar mark to the one on her necklace.
“I would like you to give them honor to their name.” The woman, Kaiyo, pulled water from her feet, and pinched a small chunk of her scarf. Slowly, it formed a different jellyfish, with a purple color and a spiked design on the top of its head. Two tiny, dark purple triangles marked one side of its head. It drifted, motionless, and to Sua, it seemed dead. Kaiyo pulled it aside with one hand and offered the other.
“are you ready, Sua?”
Sua felt conflicted. How would she give honor to an entire species? She had never even left her hometown. After debating it for a while, she asked the woman one thing. Surprisingly, her voice was very clear.
“Will I get my revenge?”’ her heart felt cold, and tears ran down her face. They were a stark black in comparison to her golden skin. On her chest a black heart formed, showing her hate.
The woman smiled, and tapped the jellyfish on one of its tentacles. tiny sparks erupted from them.
“Yes.” she also tapped Sua on the head, although it didn’t do anything apparent. “take my hand, and the power is yours.”
Sua took her offer. That man killed her family, if she had another chance she would make sure he knew pain. Along with his kingdom. That black-hearted country should not exist any longer. Luckily, she remembered the crest. The soldier had it blazed onto his chestplate.
Sua held the woman’s hand, and felt damp sea sand instead of skin. She was a little off-put by this, but kept going. Slowly, water swirled up around the woman, like a twirling ribbon. The water collected in a ball around their hands, then continued. Instead of swirling, for Sua it covered her skin like a thick syrup.
Although it made her uncomfortable, she braved the sensation and held on. The black mark on her chest pulsed strongly, a sign of her determination. The water continued to climb, covering her chest and pulsing. A current that almost held a heartbeat in it. It reached over her head, leaving only her eyes exposed.
She closed her eyes as water completely covered her, and opened them when the light started to blind her. Sua felt like she could breathe, but also felt lighter than a feather in the water bubble.
Their hands separated, but the water did not. The woman closed her eyes, and the jellyfish in her other hand dissolved into a collective bunch of small purple bubbles, which joined the stream of water. When they reached Sua, they began to shift her body, twisting it into a different, smaller shape.
She began to panic, her resolution giving out. She wasn’t in pain, but watching your body morph into another was sickening at best. She cringed as the bubbles reached her face, and she tried to push them away. Sua failed, since her hands weren’t really hands anymore.
The tapped her face, and she clenched her eyes shut. She did not want to know what was happening to her face.
After only a few minutes, she heard the woman’s voice again.
“ah, you look splendid.”
She opened her eyes, but found they weren’t exactly eyes anymore. It was more of a shift in consciousness from up front to… not. It was hard to explain. Sua found she couldn’t move most of her tentacles, only four remained under her control. She turned towards the woman with a new perspective. After becoming the jellyfish everything was much smaller, and darker. She no longer glowed.
“Well, it is time for you to go and make a name for yourself.” The woman teased open a round gateway, showing a picture of the ocean.
Sua felt incredibly happy.
The ocean! in person! she had only dreamed of this moment. Although she imagined she would be human, not… whatever these jellyfish things were. The woman drifted the bubble into the portal, and Sua blacked out again.
She couldn’t move at all, at least, not forward. she could only watch the swirls of the void. After a while, she noticed a strange sound. It sounded like water, but not the kind she was used to. It crashed over and over again, but softly, and it soothed her somehow. Sua had never known this, but loved it.
Eventually, she began to see a small blue dot on the horizon. She felt happy, soothed by this strange crashing noise and drifting comfortably in the inky blackness. The glow of her eyelids stopped her from closing her eyes, otherwise she would have.
After a while longer, the dot took on more detail, she could see the figure of a woman. She had long flowing hair and something white and blue at her feet. She strolled causally, but Sun got the sense she was searching for something.
It occurred to her that this woman probably had answers to what was happening. She called out as loud as she could. Her words didn’t exactly sound like words; it was more like a long musical tone, but it got the woman’s attention.
Sua watched as the woman seemed to form a great blue wall of sorts below her. It began to move at a great pace, shrinking as it continued. Eventually they stood face to face, and the wave crashed over Sua’s head. Once she got the water out of her eyes, she took a good look at the strange woman.
The woman was clad in sky blue, with a scarf of white sea foam around her shoulders. Her hair was long and white, and tied up with a conch shell. Her skin was the color of sea sand, and ocean waves constantly crashed on her bare feet. Around her neck and wrists she wore elaborate gold jewelry. She looked at her with a sense of curiosity.
“who are you, human soul?” she asked with a voice as smooth as silk. Sua replied with a melody that only somewhat sounded like her name. Internally, she cursed this place’s weird effects.
“I see, your name is Sua, yes?” Sua smiled and nodded, giving the clearest answer she could.
“I am Kaiyo, daughter of the deep.” she smiled gracefully. “I am glad I found you before the others.”
Sua cocked her head, confused. What did she mean by ‘found’?
“I have one creature that I would like to become a legend…” she swirled water into a ball between her hands, and it formed the shape of a jellyfish.
“It is called the jellyfish, but it is weak and mocked by others.” her voice held a tone of sadness, and on closer inspection, Sua noticed that the jellyfish had a similar mark to the one on her necklace.
“I would like you to give them honor to their name.” The woman, Kaiyo, pulled water from her feet, and pinched a small chunk of her scarf. Slowly, it formed a different jellyfish, with a purple color and a spiked design on the top of its head. Two tiny, dark purple triangles marked one side of its head. It drifted, motionless, and to Sua, it seemed dead. Kaiyo pulled it aside with one hand and offered the other.
“are you ready, Sua?”
Sua felt conflicted. How would she give honor to an entire species? She had never even left her hometown. After debating it for a while, she asked the woman one thing. Surprisingly, her voice was very clear.
“Will I get my revenge?”’ her heart felt cold, and tears ran down her face. They were a stark black in comparison to her golden skin. On her chest a black heart formed, showing her hate.
The woman smiled, and tapped the jellyfish on one of its tentacles. tiny sparks erupted from them.
“Yes.” she also tapped Sua on the head, although it didn’t do anything apparent. “take my hand, and the power is yours.”
Sua took her offer. That man killed her family, if she had another chance she would make sure he knew pain. Along with his kingdom. That black-hearted country should not exist any longer. Luckily, she remembered the crest. The soldier had it blazed onto his chestplate.
Sua held the woman’s hand, and felt damp sea sand instead of skin. She was a little off-put by this, but kept going. Slowly, water swirled up around the woman, like a twirling ribbon. The water collected in a ball around their hands, then continued. Instead of swirling, for Sua it covered her skin like a thick syrup.
Although it made her uncomfortable, she braved the sensation and held on. The black mark on her chest pulsed strongly, a sign of her determination. The water continued to climb, covering her chest and pulsing. A current that almost held a heartbeat in it. It reached over her head, leaving only her eyes exposed.
She closed her eyes as water completely covered her, and opened them when the light started to blind her. Sua felt like she could breathe, but also felt lighter than a feather in the water bubble.
Their hands separated, but the water did not. The woman closed her eyes, and the jellyfish in her other hand dissolved into a collective bunch of small purple bubbles, which joined the stream of water. When they reached Sua, they began to shift her body, twisting it into a different, smaller shape.
She began to panic, her resolution giving out. She wasn’t in pain, but watching your body morph into another was sickening at best. She cringed as the bubbles reached her face, and she tried to push them away. Sua failed, since her hands weren’t really hands anymore.
The tapped her face, and she clenched her eyes shut. She did not want to know what was happening to her face.
After only a few minutes, she heard the woman’s voice again.
“ah, you look splendid.”
She opened her eyes, but found they weren’t exactly eyes anymore. It was more of a shift in consciousness from up front to… not. It was hard to explain. Sua found she couldn’t move most of her tentacles, only four remained under her control. She turned towards the woman with a new perspective. After becoming the jellyfish everything was much smaller, and darker. She no longer glowed.
“Well, it is time for you to go and make a name for yourself.” The woman teased open a round gateway, showing a picture of the ocean.
Sua felt incredibly happy.
The ocean! in person! she had only dreamed of this moment. Although she imagined she would be human, not… whatever these jellyfish things were. The woman drifted the bubble into the portal, and Sua blacked out again.
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