The water hummed with sudden weight. The darkness broke and the mist parted as a figure emerged from it. A tall lean figure with a completely shaven head aside from the tribal braid that sat at the top of the back of the head and stopped mid back with an ocean shell at the bottom. He stood with his sword in his grasp as its silver sheath. The great chief's one and only heirloom with a crest engraved to its hilt that was curved delicately to portray the head
of the lion encircled by a crescent moon. The water rippled as the raft he stood on moved slowly till it came to a stop a few feet from Tasuki. The two men both wore familia outfits. Both outfits for a fisher lose slacks that tighten at the top and bottom while the center bulges with every slight touch of the wind. Their chests lay bare but covered with black cape that covered their whole form and blew easily in the wind. It was customary for a hunter to keep a clean head and a tribal braid even after the profession changed from catching fish to killing monsters. Tasuki's white cape however lay in hash contrast with Wai's black cape perhaps a reminder on the side they both now served.
"Long time no see old friend?" Wai's shrill deep voice broke through the silence, a humourless smile curved on his chapped lips. A black pad covered one of his eyes and was tightly secured to the back of his head.
"Not long enough" Tasuki said, partly meaning it and partly hoping things could go back to how they were. Back to when they had been just boys. Back when they had stood on the same side and fought a common enemy. Back when they had trained under the same teacher. Back when his friend had both eyes and always had a smile marking his face. Back when they had the same dream.
"I'm chief Rafumo, and this is my son Wai, all of you are welcome to stay in my home." Tasuki remembered the chief word when they had arrived in Satu mainland. The chief had been filled in on the situation and the over a hundred orphans from the southern islands had been put under his care. The monsters that had appeared hadn't moved any further north after
annihilating the villages on the islands in the south and no one knew the reason but the chief had been grief stricken at the tragedy that had struck his lands.
The younger boys and girls had all been put into holding houses and the older ones
separated into different residents. Tasuki had been among the younger children. They all still had the same expressions on their faces and most sat quietly. The girl who held onto Tasuki's hand let go of him even after they had come off the boat and she clung to him even in the sleeping residents. Tasuki didn't care enough to peel her off of him and her presence was somewhat comforting. They didn't know each other's name nor speak for days but they held a familiar sense of understanding.
That had also been the first time Tasuki had met Wai. The ever smiling boy who stood beside his father wielding a small puppet sword and following in each of his fathers words. He had never seen so many sad children in the same room let alone in his fathers house as he was the first and only child of chief Rafumo.
"Father, why are they all sad?" he had asked his father regarding everyone with curiosity.
"They have lost their homes and from now on this is their home, you should treat them kindly as the future chief of Satu.
"Yes father, I will," he nodded his head in agreement. He had been happy in his heart that he had finally found not one but more than a hundred siblings and children his age to play with. In his excitement he had even requested to share in the sleeping chambers of the other
children. He had been quick to tell stories to the other children and even able to make some smile. He was the sunshine in their dull broken world then but Tasuki had hated him. He had spent days quietly isolating with the girl who couldn't let go of him, her name he later knew as Nau. They always sat away from the other children basking in their silence.
"Hey my name is Wai, i'm chief Rafumo's son, the future chief of Satu" one day the smiling boy had approached them and they had ignored him. The girl had even hidden behind Tasuki to avoid the energetic lad. Tasuki's hate had grown yet again for the boy. He hated his big smile the most, his vibrant loud talks were nauseating to him and he wished he could shut up for a minute. His always bright face screamed naivety and how he thought everything could be solved with laughter. What did he know anyway? He lived a luxurious life and had both parents and had never experienced any tragedy in his life. Tasuki hated his mockery of coming to stay with them in the orphaned residence and he despised him.
"Get away from us and go back to your palace" he snapped at the other boy, his voice full of wrath. Wai had never faced such hostility and his innocent face had shock written all over it.
"Why? Father said you are my siblings now" the other boy had insisted.
"Well, we are not and I hate you" Tasuki spat with venom that the boy was taken aback and tears filled his eyes. Tasuki didn't feel any remorse for the boy and some part of him had drawn satisfaction from his sadness and tears. He had watched with satisfaction as he ran back to the palace in tears. Wai didn't show up again at the orphans residence even as they stayed in the same compound and he always sat alone, his expression grim. Weeks went by
and Tasuki's previous satisfaction went down and a glaring form of regret was starting to sink into his heart. In his pain he had been too cruel. The orphan residence felt quite grim without his presence.
One night when Nau had passed out sleeping and the rest of the kids, Tasuki couldn't sleep just like every other night where he could stay awake all night. He slipped quietly out of the sleeping house and walked outside. A small figure was sitting right outside the door in the dark.
"What are you sitting doing here in the middle of the night?" Tasuki exclaimed when Wai's form had turned around when he heard footsteps behind him. His eyes were red with tears and Tasuki felt horrible. Had Wai been crying for weeks because of his mean words? He came to stand beside the boy who was wiping his tears roughly with the back of his hand.
"Are you still crying for days? Are you a weak crybaby?" he asked, his tone low even though all he wanted was to apologize.
"Today's my younger sister's birthday…" he started and Tasuki wondered why that made the boy sad. "She drowned in the water last year on her birthday" he finished and Tasuki felt a stab of pain for being mean to him. He had lost someone he loved too and still managed to smile and put a smile on others faces.
"I'm sorry I was mean to you, I was wrong," Tasuki said, shuffling on his feet.
"It's okay, my fathers told me hurt people hurt people sometimes and it's not their fault" the boy said, smiling mildly.
"The other kids miss you," Tasuki said.
"Really?" Wai stood up. "Then I'll sleep in your bed tonight."
"I sleep with Nau, she can't talk" Tasuki had found out a few days ago that Nau was mute and couldn't talk but use sign language and he had pitied the girl more and understood why she clung to him.
That is the night their friendship had begun. The trio friendship between Tasuki, Wai and Nau.
When the chief had announced to put together a special team and to train warrior fishermen to counter the new threat if they ever attacked again. Tasuki had signed up and so did Wai, Nau could not be left behind either and so they had gone to the recruitment camp with over a thousand other youths from across the land. They had all trained under the same master and they were at the top of the cream in combat and weaponry. Tasuki trained harder than anyone fueled by the drive to revenge for his parents, Wai trained hard as the next chief, he was driven by the need to protect the people and Nau she was the fastest among the females not allowing her friends to surpass her. Even so the chief had sent teams to research on what kills the monsters of the sea and why they hadn't moved north in years.
They speculated that they couldn't survive in the waters up north because they were warmer and the south islands had been situated in the cold waters. Even so the monsters had laid in the depths of the cold waters waiting, waiting for a chance to move north. Everyone feared the longer the years passed they could get adapted to the warmer water and move north and so a wall had been built around Satu and the chief didn't take any chances to find ways to eliminate the biggest threat to mankind before they attacked and eliminated humankind first.