Today
Tears of Romirro ch.7
The pain in my shoulder wakes me. As I open my eyes, I find myself in a cage I know all too well. My hands and feet have been shackled.
Hawkern: ...
Sensing a putrid, fishy smell, I see a massive, grotesque shadow on the wall. It's accompanied by the sounds of something viscous being torn and peeled apart. I suddenly recall the spell he cast on me, the one he used to control me.
Rafayel: Indeed, it's an ancient curse... But it's far too weak to control my bride.
Rafayel: These magicks can't be wielded by humans. Tell me where you found it.
MC: ...You're no longer human.
Hawkern: So what?
Hawkern: ...To save Lemuria, this pain is nothing!
The shadow on the wall suddenly contracts. A moment passes, and it slowly returns to a humanoid form.
MC: With so many sea monsters parasitizing your body, aren't you afraid they'll eventually devour you? You'll be turned into a real monster.
Hawkern: The human body is too fragile. It's incapable of helping me in my quest to revive Lemuria.
Hawkern: I need a body powerful enough to let me live for thousands of years.
Hawkern: But that Sea God... He destroyed the body I had painstakingly crafted when He put me in that water prison!
Hawkern: He forced me to devour more. And I turned into what you see now! Noticing the countless festering cracks and deformed joints on his hands, I feel nothing but shock and pity.
Recalling his talk of Lemuria and the implications of his recent words, a theory forms in my mind.
MC: Are you a Lemurian?
MC: But you were born and raised in Romirro. Lemuria was destroyed tens of thousands of years—
Hawkern: Lemuria was never destroyed!
He yanks the chains, and I'm forced to look into his eyes that are filled with ominous darkness.
Hawkern: It's sleeping... It's waiting for me.
Hawkern: Once I kill that foolish, selfish Sea God, I will become Lemuria's new sovereign.
Hawkern: I shall resurrect Lemuria... The only civilization that's glorious enough to rule this world!
MC: ...
He seems to have lost his mind with his obsessive delusions and hatred for Rafayel. However, his words aren't complete nonsense.
MC: Do you want to return to Lemuria?
Hawkern: It's the most beautiful place in the world and the homeland of all Lemurians...
Hawkern: Don't you love your homeland? Wouldn't you want to save it?
MC: (I'm not passionately enamored with Romirro.)
Despite my feelings, I pretend to nod and agree with him.
MC: I understand, but this doesn't have anything to do with me. Why would you kidnap me to save Lemuria?
Hawkern: Don't you remember?
A tentacle tosses something at my feet. It's a small, fractured stone tablet. However, I recognize it instantly.
MC: The Tome of the Sea God?
It's very similar to the one in the temple. The patterns and text are almost identical. It's as if it was broken off from that larger stone tablet.
Hawkern: You are the only human who can communicate with the Tome of the Sea God. Go on, read.
The blood from my shoulder drips onto the stone tablet, and the blurred text emits a faint golden glow.
Find a... true... love.
When blessed with a true love's kiss... claim her heart by your own hand.
A heart, pure, flawless—and filled with love... best offering... can give to Lemurians...
MC: ...!
The prophecy from the Tome of the Sea God that I read... It was incomplete.
Hawkern: Do you understand now? If the Sea God wants to reclaim His power, He needs more than true love.
Hawkern: "True love" is just a stepping stone to Him.
Hawkern gives me a mocking gaze that's filled to the brim with contempt.
Hawkern: Akin to how a starving person seeks food, ripping out your heart is the Sea God's natural instinct.
MC: Why are you telling me this?
Hawkern: I'm trying to save your life out of the kindness of my heart.
MC: Hawkern, I've known you for at least a few hundred years. You can't lie to me.
MC: Or do you honestly think I would harm Rafayel if I knew He was going to kill me?
Hawkern: You wouldn't?
Hawkern: You believe that pitiful illusion you call love is enough to make the Sea God give up on your heart?
Hawkern: Should He recall what happened millions of years ago, do you think He would still show you mercy?
***MC: (*Is he referring to... what happened before Rafayel fell asleep?)
Hawkern pulls out a bottle covered in verdigris and unscrews the stopper. An eerie vapor drifts out.
Hawkern: Come. Witness the events from the annals of Lemurian history.
Hawkern: See how you and that Sea God destroyed Lemuria!
I hold my breath, but the eerie vapor seeps into my skin in an instant, invading every fiber of my being.
Within moments, dormant memories awaken like magma breaking through frozen earth. It burns every blood vessel and nerve in me.
MC: (...It hurts!)
Searing pain tears through my body. My mind is plunged into chaos, yet something gradually comes into focus.
???: Are you willing to be my follower?
MC: (Rafayel...)
The massive circular chamber is as dim as twilight. The ground trembles as fractured stones cascade down from the domed ceiling.
MC: (This is...)
My body is suddenly pinned down. A sharp dagger is pressed against my chest, its tip drawing drops of blood.
MC: (Rafayel? No, that's not right...)
The Rafayel before me is a brighter, more radiant young man. Yet the dark blue flames that burn in His eyes and His expression are unnaturally detached.
In His hand, He tightly grips the sharp dagger. It's poised, ready to pierce my heart.
I can't make a sound. I grab the handle of the dagger and use all of my strength to fight against death itself.
Rafayel: ...
The trembling tip of the dagger freezes.
Rafayel: Run...!
But the detached hostility returns to His eyes as blue and golden light radiates from His body.
Rafayel: ...As my follower, you must offer your heart to me.
Rafayel: A Lemurian bond holds great power... but it's also a chain.
Rafayel: The Sea God... should have no weaknesses or constraints.
My struggle is futile. The blade sinks deeper into my chest. Blood falls as the pain spreads.
There's a loud crash, and the restraint on my body loosens. Rafayel leans against a wall that's far away from me. Pain has contorted His face.
Inside the stone niche burns a gentle yet feeble flame. It's so weak that a breeze could extinguish it.
Rafayel: Stay away from me!
Those dark blue and golden lights still surround Him. However, the blue flames in His eyes have been extinguished, or rather, suppressed.
Rafayel: You cannot stay here... Lemuria's "flame" requires the hearts of our followers to sustain it. This... This is wrong.
Rafayel: Should it continue... 'Tis only a matter of time before I lose control and hurt you again.
Rafayel: You must find a method that will allow it to burn forever. That shall be Lemuria's true path.
The flame from the niche gently floats to Rafayel's fingertips. Then it transforms into countless delicate threads of light that flow toward my chest.
Shocked, I try to break free, yet I find myself bound by these threads. A strange, warm power flows into my heart.
Rafayel: There is a legend... It says the "wick" of a flame exists in the place where all oceans converge.
Rafayel: Find it, and Lemuria will be enveloped in light and endure forevermore.
Water currents embrace me and carry me out of the temple. From a distance, Rafayel gives me a gentle smile.
Rafayel: I shall ensure Whalefall City remains exactly as you remember it... Until the day you return with the wick.
Rafayel: This is my promise to you.
Rafayel: For 'tis Lemuria's vow, a bond everlasting.
Despair and blood pervade the seawater as thunderous ruination buries all cries and screams.
I desperately try to push away the darkness before my eyes, but it feels like my body is trapped in quicksand. The more I struggle, the more I suffocate.
???: That human deceived you! She deceived all of Lemuria!
???: A human stole our flame! Lemuria will perish!
???: Why did the Sea God deceive us?! Why didn't He protect Lemuria?
???: The Sea God... has changed before we even realized it...
The seawater drowns their despair. And yet I can't defend Rafayel.
It isn't Rafayel's fault. It's because I didn't fulfill my promise to Rafayel...
There was no wick that existed in the place where all oceans converge or at the end of the sea. Lemuria could never exist forever.
Lemuria was a civilization that should have never existed. Destruction was its predetermined fate.
The last God of the Sea perishes. Along with Lemuria, They dissolve into the ocean.
It's not a slumber. It's oblivion. He will disappear from this world.
I will never be able to find Him, see Him, hear the songs He plays for me on the flute, or see His smile. My heart silently cries out, and it awakens the unwavering determination of my former self. "I won't let Rafayel die."
"I will save him... And the price that must be paid... It doesn't matter."
In the violently trembling Deep Sea, the Summoneo Staff I wield ignites. The cold flames illuminate the gaze that's a breath away from mine.
Shock, sorrow, anger... I can't exactly make out the emotions in His eyes. I only see the mark of our bond on His collarbone.
It's like a stream of blindingly bright, burning blood.
Countless threads of light transform into runes. I raise the staff and let a phantom pierce His body.
I hear my own heart as I speak. Every single word is part of a merciless command.
MC: (With the power of Lemuria's vow, Rafayel, you shall be forever imprisoned here. Until—)
MC: (Until Lemuria welcomes the opportunity for rebirth...)
MC: (Until the world... reaches that moment when you can be awakened.)
His divine gaze, once clearer than seawater, transforms into a black tide. It freezes when He looks at me.
Rafayel: You... betrayed me.
Once the seal is complete, He's plunged into the depths of those abyssal waters.
I hear a deafening sound as if the entire ocean is being split apart. Boundless black waves surge in from all directions.
His dissipating figure becomes rain that falls upward.
I will cut out your heart with a dagger honed, my darling. And in Love's name,
your heart will become my faith.
Your body will be washed clean, shine like a pearl.
I will care for your heart...
MC: I will care for your heart...
MC: Till we meet again. And you reclaim it for yourself.
The last wisp of smoke dissipates, and the bottle clatters to the ground. The tide of memories recedes as my consciousness returns to the cold, gloomy tower.
Hawkern: Do you remember now? You stole the flame and sealed away the Sea God. And He trusted you so easily...
Hawkern: You... are the ones responsible for Lemuria's destruction.
My mind is still reeling from the impact of those memories as I lift my head. My gaze focuses on the former castellan...
Then it shifts to the silent figure standing in the shadows behind him.
MC: (Rafayel...)
I don't know when He arrived. However, His cold gaze has told me everything. He saw my memories as well.
Hawkern continues his endless monologue, but I can only hear chaotic noise. I stare blankly at the figure before me.
Our gazes lock, and we freeze under the moonlight. My thoughts also seem to be frozen in place.
Rafayel: ...We'll deal with him first.
A faint whisper that only I can hear reaches my ears. I give a slight nod in response.
Hawkern: ...He will kill you, cut out your heart, and leave your body out to rot. You will not receive a proper burial.
Hawkern: If you want to live, your only option is to kill Him before He can act.
Hawkern: Your bond with Him is your sharpest blade. You can order Him to take His own life. As you can see, anything is possible.
MC: ...Yes, I remember. I was the one who sealed Rafayel.
I try to speak as calmly as possible.
MC: But I'm also responsible for Lemuria's downfall. Why is Rafayel your only target for revenge? Don't you hate me too?
Hawkern: Of course, I do.
Hawkern: However, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones if you kill the Sea God.
MC: Remove my shackles, then. Can I do anything if I'm like this?
I lift my chin slightly.
MC: You better hurry. He's already here.
Hawkern: A tall, slender figure appears under the moonlight. Rafayel raises His hand and summons the Tidebreaker Trident.
Hawkern: Heh, how convenient. You've delivered yourself to me...
The chains that bind me snap. I rub my sore wrists before materializing a silver sword. I take two steps forward.
In the suffocating silence, Rafayel is the first to speak.
Rafayel: ...It was you.
MC: …
MC: You let Hawkern escape on purpose. He was used as bait so you could find out who sealed you away... And that person is me.
Rafayel: Correct.
Rafayel: The greatest weakness of Lemurians is that bond.
Rafayel: And a Sea God cannot have weaknesses. He must kill the person who forged the covenant with Him.
Rafayel: That way, there will be no one left in the world who could restrain or threaten Him. And only then shall He become an invincible god.
Rafayel: Regardless of whether it's for Lemuria or for myself... I must kill you.
He speaks these cold words. Although I know it's just an act, I can't help but think—
Perhaps these words also contain his true feelings.
MC: We don't need to say anything else to each other.
I raise my silver sword as lightning flashes at the tip of the Tidebreaker Trident.
Blue, fiery power surges around Rafayel's body.
Rafayel: Farewell, Bride of the Sea God.
When the tip of my sword clashes with the Tidebreaker Trident, our weapons are diverted to the side.
Hawkern: ...!
As the light fades, Hawkern's eyes are filled with terror, yet he cannot move.
His body shatters amidst flying sparks. A putrid stench fills the air as viscous fluid seeps between the bricks and spreads across the floor.
Rafayel: Don't taint Lemuria's glory with your disgusting ambitions.
Rafayel: A man who lost himself to madness has no right to save Whalefall City.
Hawkern's eyes bulge with fury as guttural sounds escape his throat. Then he crumbles and turns to ash.
Rafayel withdraws His trident and brushes away the dark embers from His body.
Rafayel: Your hand.
A small flame dances from his fingertips and travels up my forearm. The fluid and bloody marks left by the shackles disappear.
Rafayel: You're afraid of me.
Rafayel: What's wrong? Did you think I would actually kill you?
MC: I'm not afraid of you. I just...
MC: I'm the one who sealed you away, and I'm also the key that will allow you to reclaim your power. You have every reason to kill me.
Rafayel: If I asked you to, would you willingly offer me your heart?
Rafayel: I want you to answer honestly.
MC: This heart has always belonged to you, and I promised it to you before. So, yes. I'm willing to return it to you.
Rafayel: ...Then why are you crying?
I blink and realize tears are threatening to fall from my eyes.
MC: Being willing doesn't mean I'm not afraid of death. And...
MC: I owe you an apology... I understand it can't erase a fraction of your suffering.
His fingertip is cold as he presses it against the spot where my beating heart is.
Our noses almost touch. We're so close that one breath would close the distance between our lips.
Rafayel: What I want is a heart with pure and utter devotion. Its love for me should come from the very depths of one's soul.
Rafayel: Do you think... it is that?
MC: ...I don't have an answer for you.
Even if it was, this heart now bears an invisible fissure that can never be fully mended.
Rafayel: The answer is clear.
Rafayel: Your heart is of no use to me. For now, at least.
Rafayel: Go back.
Rafayel: Your injuries haven't fully healed yet. You should get some rest.
MC: ...All right.
I murmur in agreement, yet neither of us makes a move to leave.
The moonlight casts shadows on the window bars. It resembles a wall of thorns that gradually spreads between us.