A thin, pale line of lilac stretched across the faint horizon. The enshrouding clouds had receded, leaving the sky perfectly clear. The tranquil waters were still dark, yet to reflect any of the sun's golden light.
There in the sea, a small schooner glided across its dark expanse. Ivory sails fluttered lightly in the soft ocean breeze—the ropes straining slightly. Small waves swiped at the sides of the ship, rocking it up and down.
Two people were on the schooner. One was a cat-like woman, who stood at the stern of the ship. Her shoulder length jasper hair danced in the wind. Her amber eyes were dim and weak—bags started to form beneath them. In her hand, she held a small cup with a dark, brownish liquid inside.
Another was a young, lean man. Looking no older than 19, he laid down on the hard wooden deck of the schooner, rubbing his eyes as he stirred awake. His sable hair was scruffy and disheveled.
As he did, the woman remarked.
"Want some coffee?"
Upon hearing her offer, the lean man sat up. He didn't sleep too well.
"What's coffee?"
"You don't know what coffee is?"
"...no?"
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"You know, like the drink made from cowcow extract. Keeps you awake and stuff. I'm drinking some right now."
"Oh… that. I guess."
She stayed there for a moment, checking to make sure everything was in order, before she walked away from the stern and towards the storage compartment of the schooner. It was… rather small, but still a storage compartment nonetheless. She rummaged through an assortment of items. An odachi-like blade caught her attention for a moment before she tossed it to the side.
"Can't leave that here…" she mumbled to herself.
The young man watched as she rummaged through her belongings. Absent-mindedly, he placed his hands on his left leg. He expected it to hurt, but it didn't.
"Ah, that's where I put it."
Walking out of her storage compartment, she held in her hands something which looked like the base of a bedside lamp with a lever on the top of it. At least, that's the best thing the lean man could compare it to.
She walked over to one of the working areas on the schooner. It was a small, raised wooden surface, sort of like a table.
As she began preparing the drink, the lean man finally sat upright, his mind throbbing with pain.
"...thanks, Valerie."
"Sure."
"Ah, I mean, thanks for taking care of my leg… and carrying me back to the schooner…"
He felt a little guilty.
The woman was repeatedly pushing down on the lever of the mechanism, seemingly pumping water through the grounded up cowcow powder and extracting the flavor.
"It's the least I could do, Quies. By the way, like the last time I healed you, your injuries won't be fully healed. I'd say they're like… 80 or 90% done. Don't do anything crazy."
"Yep."
Quies lifted both of his arms up, observing them. He remembered the injuries he had sustained back when that sharko attacked him. After healing, there were still remnants of their presence. Now, however, he could barely notice them.
Valerie walked over to him. Despite the time that had passed, she looked… off. As if disturbed by whatever happened within her illusory realm.
Her eyes lacked that familiar pressure.
"Don't be an idiot and spill it all over yourself. It's hot."
"You think I'm an idiot?"
"Definitely."
Quies grabbed the small cup from her cold hands. He could smell the warm aroma of freshly roasted cowcow beans. It was rather pleasant. It was also pretty hot.
'My hands are gonna burn if I don't put this down.'
For now, he set it down by his side.
Valerie lingered nearby for a moment, and then took a seat some distance away from Quies, facing towards him. She hesitated before speaking.
"...I-I'm sorry."
Quies turned his head to look at Valerie. Noticing his attention, she elaborated.
"I shouldn't have brought you… really. I was selfish, and that was my fault. I bit off more than what I could chew."
He would be lying if he didn't hold some sort of resentment towards Valerie, but it's not something that could end a connection. In fact, he learned a lot—both from her, and what he experienced at Etris.
So what if she killed an Etrean guard? He did too.
However, if there's one thing Quies knew, it was that receiving an apology was harder than giving one.
"I-I guess… I don't know what to say."
Valerie paused for a moment before responding.
"That's fine."
"So, why apologize?"
"I've been through a lot, Quies. More people died by my hands than the number of years I've been alive—32 years, by the way."
'What?'
"There's no way you're 32."
"Do I look 32?"
"You look 24 at most."
Valerie took a moment to accept the unintentional compliment.
"Well, you can say I've aged gracefully. The first time I met you I thought you were some ancient hobo bandit that's been living since the cantaclysm."
"What's the… nevermind."
"...Anyway, I've learned it's better to apologize than to not. Who knows? They could be dead the next day."
A bitter silence hung quietly in the air, long and burning. Valerie sat there, observing as the sun rose. A light hazel reached across the tender morning sky.
"So, what did you see?"
Quies asked the question which had been burning in his mind for this whole time. What could have possibly shaken a black diver, one of the most elite fighters throughout lumen—and even the depths— to the point where their will and presence is completely extinguished.
"I…"
It was hard to get the words out of her mind.
"I saw too much… That man is not who you think he is. Not at all."
Quies wasn't there when the illusory realm erupted into chaos—the lord regent invading her domain.
"Who is he?"
'Wasn't that what we came here for?'
If Valerie was going to apologize for dragging him into this mess, she should at least share the results of the mission with him too.
She wiped her face with her hands before answering.