The very next day Sarah was walking alongside Katama who held several papers stacked in hand. In her own hands she held a cake made by the chefs who worked at the outpost. She wanted to get closer with the child they'd found. It wasn't everyday you'd find someone still alive inside of a leviathan. As Sarah took a small glance at the papers Katama was holding onto she could presume it was work related. "Are those reports?" Sarah had asked with an raised eyebrow curious to know.
"They are, I'm planning on sending them to Soldat". Katama answered, wondering if Sarah always had thought of him as a lazy and wouldn't do work. Being an admiral in the first place put huge responsibilities on the person, after all it was the highest title you could achieve within the marine structural ranks.
After a more useless blabbering with the man they'd eventually separate their ways, walking through different hallways that led to different sections of the outpost. After walking for another while she'd arrive back to the medical room Solan was staying at. Seeing the boy still staring into the nothingness she sighed to herself, not sure if she could make any progress today either. Placing the cake on a desk by his bed she was about to leave until he suddenly decided to speak.
"Where am I?" Solan asked, his eyes still staring into the wall.
Sarah was startled at first but felt a happiness growing within her hearing his voice for the first time instead of his screams of agony. Settling into a nearby chair within the room she looked at the boy who still didn't seem to bat an eye at her but was willingly speaking.
"...Your at the marine outpost... Number three to be exact". With a soft smile playing on her face she was waiting for him to speak more. Wanting to make the boy come to an understanding and that he wouldn't have the need to be afraid anymore knowing he must have had it traumatic.
"What's your name if you don't mind me ask?"
Solan had finally turned to the strange woman. Meeting her purple eyes that shone brightly as the faraway galaxies he'd once witnessed back in his home.
"...It's Solan". He said stoically.
Solan? Sarah was a bit surprised by the name. It wasn't a name she'd heard before and even if she could make a connection it sounded like something that would've come from the eastern sea — where she was from. Not giving it too much thought of it's origin she spoke with a following question wanting to know more.
"...Where are you from?" she asked.
"....".
There was an awkward silence between them. "...I don't remember...". It wasn't like he had forgotten. He just didn't want to say it to someone who he'd just have met and was trying to bombard him with questions unsure where it would lead him. Solan never liked people to begin with, experiencing what he did back in the old village the kids always used to bully him for more slightly tanned skin or his father's profession which they thought as a joke.
"...Ah Yes... The nurse did mention the severe memory loss...". Sarah thought to herself. Taking a look at the cake she had brought she pushed it closer towards Solan before gesturing him to eat. Solan didn't mind it to begin with, he was a bit hungry and the unusual cubic form seemed to be edible.
Taking the silver fork by the plate he started to dig in, cautions about the first bite but started indulging into it once he realized the sweetness of it. It was sugary and was something he had never experienced before, the way the sugar melted into his taste buds caused a new wave of emotions coursing through him. "...Its delicious? what is it?" Solan asked, curiously.
Sarah smiled softly at his question. Happy to see that he was willingly letting himself speak after a few days. "It's called a cake, they're made with high quality flour and sugar". She explained before another question wandered into her mind. "I have a question Solan".
Solan lifted his gaze away from the cake before looking at her, confused.
"...By any chance... Do you have any parents?" She asked with a slight tinge of hesitant. Unsure if his memory loss was that bad or that the theories she had mind were true. With a quick realization of what she said Solan became a bit silent again, his hand lowering a bit re-calling his dead father.
"...My mother died after giving birth to me... and my father died by the same leviathan that swallowed me". He said, his tone dropping to a sadder one hit with the reality of his own situation. Solan wasn't sure what to do now, the hopelessness he had felt from before returning to him again.
He had actually thought about his father's death the last days. He died hunting a leviathan which had left Solan all alone, turning to his own plans to avenge him. In some way the realization of the 'anax order' had hit him. Aren't they selfish? Like Solan some might actually have parents, siblings or children who are hunters. At first glance it's an amazing profession that pay's well if you do well, but on the other hand if they die... they die a gruesome(some may say honorary) death.
"...What are the anax?" Solan said, his voice low and emotionless. His body felt cold now.
The woman across him was a bit stunned by the sudden question out of the blue. why was he mentioning the anax? She looked at him in silence for a bit before deciding to answer him.
"...Do you want the long or short answer?".
"...The short one please" Solan said.
Clearing her throat Sarah spoke again.
"The anax is a organization with several groups of hunting ships that sails across the sea to hunt down Leviathans, a profession meant to protect passing ships and people like you and me". She answered simply, short and not too vague hoping he'd understand.
"Are they insane?" he asked. Solan couldn't help but re-calling the old man from his old village who called his father insane. The more he thought about it the more he was having a hard time understanding his own dream-profession. Were they really insane people? It's suicide basically Solan thought. He couldn't imagine Anax fleets facing against the Leviathan who had swallowed him earlier, there was no way it was possible right? they were gigantic and fierce from he'd experience.
"Insane? well...". Sarah didn't take much time to think about it before revealing her own statement.
"Me personally yes. I think them of savages... don't get me wrong, I think them as people too but their way of hunting is traditional outdated, their weapons are also outdated too". Just thinking about the anax made Sarah angry, she had met many times in the past and they all found a way to get on her nerves just by existing. "There exist more secure and safer way's to handle a leviathan... like us marines, we constantly develop technology to fight against them". It was the first time Solan had ever heard about the name 'marines'.
"...Now that I think of it... have you told me your name yet?"
Sarah was a bit stunned. She hadn't actually told Solan her name yet which embarrassed her slightly at the rude gesture. Bombarding a young boy with questions that he might've not felt comfortable with yet with a woman he didn't know the name of? how embarrassing.
"I-I forgot..." she fumbled her word's for a bit before regaining her composure. "My name is Sarah Kesak... You can just call me Sarah sweetheart" She smiled softly again at young boy.
"Sarah, what is your profession? I remember seeing you carrying around a sword on your waist". Sarah seemed intrigued by his sudden interest and didn't let the chance go of introducing her work.
"...I work for the marines, or in other words the country Soldat. We do similar work as the Anax and a few different things too, though I don't think that's within your reach to understand yet". She smiled huffingly at him. She didn't want him to know they also killed humans too.
"You hunt Leviathans too?" Solan's eyes gleamed a bit. for the first time Sarah was witnessing something she saw as a true interest from the young boy.
"Yes we do, though it's not our main focus of work but I do daddle in hunting leviathans very often unlike the other ones. Because unlike anax we are the real guardians of the sea, we help the anax if there's an emergency where they can't handle a Leviathans". Sarah was speaking proudly of her work before continuing. "We also keep things in check such as crimes, events happening and best of all taxes!"
Solan didn't know what to make of the last words. It was a foreign word he'd never heard before and for some reason he didn't settle right with him.
"...Taxes?"
Sarah realized her mistake. "..Whoops, I guess your too young to understand".
Turning to the window Solan watched the galleon's that were docked by the port. He did take notice of it's gleaming hull and huge cannons attached onto the deck and the many more people who wore the same uniforms.
"...You said the marines were safer right? and that your the real guardian? can I join you?" Solan has asked. The statement shocked Sarah a bit, it was amusing and cute coming from a child and once she gathered her thoughts she suddenly placed her hand through his hair ruffling it.
"...Your too young at your age, I'll write a report to my higher up... You can send in a recruitment application eventually when you get older". She chuckled a bit at Solan's remark.
Solan didn't find it very amusing at all. He wanted to kill the leviathans, he felt uncomfortable just by knowing they co-existed with him. "No... I want them dead, each one of them". His voice left no space for joke, he was being serious. Once Sarah noticed his hand clenching and his eyes filled with rage she stopped. For moment Sarah wasn't sure what she was feeling... She could see a flame within his eyes, A flame that she once too had.
"Hah...". Sarah chuckled a bit before taking her hand off his hear. "Really? If your that dedicated... I might as well take you under my wing". Sarah spoke, the amusement on her face still remaining yet her voice had a sense of solemn. Solan was a bit shook as she suddenly accepted him but he didn't complain. His change from wanting to be a anax to a marine had made him feel hope again... hope that he had a chance to face a leviathan again.