The Fall Of The Sea

Eleanor awoke in her bed and rubbed her eyes, groaning quietly.

"Today's the day I start the training…"

She swung her legs out from under the heavy sheets and carefully placed her feet on the floor.

Stretching out her arms above her, her eyes landed on the small black key that Mr. Crab had left her the day prior.

Why would he leave something like that to me? I get it was mine to begin with, but in actuality, I just found it on the ground…

She shook her head slowly before standing up and picking up the clothes she would change into after bathing, and she sluggishly walked towards the bathroom.

…

After her bath, Eleanor placed a coat over her priestess attire and walked into the prayer hall with grace.

Searching the room, her eyes settled on the bench just to the right of the altar, where her former mentor would always read her history books.

Eleanor frowned and began her stroll towards the tall doors that marked the entrance of the cathedral. 

As she walked, the scars from the short battle with Godrick were covered with uneven layers of concrete and paint that the nuns had brought from the basement.

Thank the Sea God that they were able to fix the damage… We don't have enough funding to hire a construction team to repair it.

She sighed and approached the large doors.

Placing her palms on the hardwood, Eleanor pressed gently as the warm sunlight burst through the cracks, illuminating the dim chamber.

Eleanor's eyes adjusted to the bright light as a figure appeared in her vision, leaning against the wall adjacent to the church entrance. 

"You've finally decided to come outside, eh?"

The person spoke in a teasing voice as the sunlight gradually brightened their appearance.

In front of Eleanor stood a woman with fiery red hair and eyes the color of molten orange, glowing like embers in the dusk.

She was twirling a chipped, rusty axe in her left hand as she checked for dust on her dress.

The outfit was a priestess dress, which, instead of the usual blue and white, featured a mix of purple and black that reflected her beliefs.

"Why are you here, Olivia?"

Eleanor looked at the woman who was spinning the axe in a manner that would strike fear into even the fiercest pirates.

Olivia seemed to gain some semblance of a realization as she suddenly stopped her dangerous actions and spoke calmly to Eleanor.

"Those of us at the Church of Dreams would love it if you could assist us with the Sea Fallen festival next week. Care to help out?"

Eleanor furrowed her brow in confusion before asking the woman.

"Don't you know I was just kidnapped? Why would I come help at a different church when I'm supposed to be heading to the headquarters of the Church of the Depths for a training session?"

Olivia frowned, then grumbled under her breath.

"It won't take that long… You just have to help us move some of the equipment from the basement."

After speaking, Olivia walked closer towards Eleanor, whispering in a voice that only she could hear.

"The seal in the mausoleum is failing. We need people skilled in holy magic, and the angels from the church are too far to help…"

Eleanor's eyes widened in surprise before her face constricted in seriousness.

"If it was that dire, you must've contacted the Church of the Depths and the Cult of True Earth for assistance; yet, you come to me? Why not do it officially?"

Olivia turned her head to the ground before murmuring.

"If they found out we were incapable of maintaining the seal, then we would surely lose control over our ancestral temple and be forced to give it to another religion."

Her eyes pierced Eleanor's gaze, pleading for assistance with the cute expression that she had always lost to when they were children.

Finally, Eleanor sighed and spoke, her voice low with defeat.

"Fine… I'll help you reseal the mausoleum; however, this is only because you're an old friend from before the war."

Olivia's expression brightened significantly as the overwhelming joy made her jump up and down, squealing.

Eleanor watched the scene with a faint smile before realizing that her friend was still carrying the axe and was swinging it wildly again.

"Uh oh…"

The moment the words left her mouth, Olivia's grip on the wooden handle slipped away, sending the axe flying towards the Church entrance above Eleanor.

The sharp object embedded itself within the hard door, sending flakes of wood into Eleanor's hair.

Olivia covered her mouth, suppressing her urge to laugh as Eleanor's face paled in fear at what the nuns would do to her when they found out what happened.

"W-We should probably go now…"

Olivia spoke, letting out a light chuckle before grabbing Eleanor's wrist and pulling her down the twisting alleys of Sea Fallen.

… 

The night before Eleanor's encounter with her friend, Aaron sat at the bow of his disguised Ghostship watching Mr. Crab throw out his fishing line.

"Are you going to fish while we are hunting for a sea terror?"

Aaron asked the crab the question, not out of curiosity, but out of concern for its safety.

If that monster bites that line, Mr. Crab will go flying with it…

The fishing crab shifted to face Aaron before snapping its claw at the deck beside him.

Aaron watched the scene before noticing a small purple glow emanating from the area, steadily growing brighter and brighter.

The light transformed into a large obsidian-colored cannon that overlooked the water where Mr. Crab was fishing.

I-Is he serious…?

Aaron furrowed his brows, speaking carefully.

"Are you saying that you're luring the terror here purposefully?"

Mr. Crab, unbothered by Aaron's question, merely stared off into the distance, watching the teal waves crash against the reefs surrounding the coast of Sea Fallen.

Observing the creature's silence, Aaron noted that the line he was using was different from the previous incarnations he had seen before.

It's made of some type of blue metal coil this time… Is this one of the abilities he got after the ship was strengthened?

"Well, if you get pulled into the depths, then it's not my problem… You'll probably just regenerate, right? You're a part of the ship, so you'll come back with maybe an extra peg leg or two. It'll make you ten times as cute!"

Aaron looked at Mr. Crab and discovered something that concerned him about his vision once again.

D-Did Mr. Crab just twitch his non-existent brow?

The small crustacean dropped his fishing rod, turning to face the confused, fearful Aaron.

"I-It was just a joke! I-I'm sorry!"

Aaron pleaded with all his heart; however, to the small crab, no words could heal the damage.

Pouncing atop the blonde-haired boy, Mr. Crab dug his claws into Aaron's nose, pinching with his remaining force.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

Aaron's screams resonated across the waves, with some residents of the coastal region of Sea Fallen even leaving their homes to investigate the strange noise they had heard.

… 

"What the hell was that?"

In a small raft floating along the coast of Sea Fallen were two figures wearing colored suits that matched the colors of their hair.

"Maybe you should go investigate if you're so curious, Adam."

Arianna teased the hot-headed fool who was steering the boat; however, what she wouldn't tell Adam was that she recognized the voice in the distance.

Isn't that the strange boy who took that mission yesterday… He must've gotten mauled by the sea terror. I was wrong to suspect him of being one of 'them'. 

Adam sighed before turning his attention back to the glowing city ahead of them.

"We are almost there, do you remember phase one?"

Arianna scoffed before responding curtly.

"Of course, I remember it. It's what we've been planning for all these years since the war ended."

Adam didn't respond; however, he continued to paddle the raft at a steady pace towards the ever-approaching island on the horizon.

The awkward silence was broken when Adam coughed under his breath, mumbling quietly.

"So… uh… if someone were to forget the plan, what would happen to them?"

The silver-haired woman looked at the man in front of her before sighing.

"You forgot the plan, didn't you…"

Adam scratched the back of his head before responding defensively.

"W-What? No way... I just was curious what someone who did forget the plan would do."

Arianna simply blinked before laughing under her breath.

"You truly are an idiot, but at least your strength makes up for it… Well, if someone forgot the plan, they would have to remember that we are heading for the Mausoleum of Dreams first to gain control over it."

The winged man's head shot up as he let out a small sigh of relief.

"Ah, yes! I mean, of course… Wait… do you have any information on whether my sister still lives here?"

Arianna hit the man on the back of his head before responding.

"Idiot, you know you shouldn't care about that foolish girl after she abandoned you."

Adam frowned, turning away, continuing to row before whispering under his breath.

"I know…"