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His home was the ocean, as was the home to his eternally dreadful thoughts. They drag him down under, time and time again, the grip tight. His home was surely down in the depths of the ocean, a forgotten corner, with streaks of nostalgia. An ancient civilization the surface didn’t care to delve into, I had thought. Inside that body of lonely water and memories far gone, a certain creature resided, a certain one surfaced on the shore. That’s where I found him.
Glancing below towards my lap, I saw the face of a slumbering man. His features that of an emperor tired of the world he existed in. He wanted out, he wanted to wake up someplace else. Streaks of red sometimes invaded my vision as the winds of the quiet forest blew them across my face. Resting over my lap, he had difficulty breathing for some seconds, that’s when I noticed he had gills, as fishes did. To tell the truth, I was wary of my own assumptions, for I had found that man at the edge of the shore, dressed up in clothing fitting for nobility. Long ago, I had heard stories of fishmen, a whole civilization in the depths of the ocean, away from the turmoil of the surface. Those were faerie tales, though and no one ever did know how to describe them or even what had sparked such imagination.
And yet, here I was. The second I saw the man, sleeping at the edge of the shore, groaning, dressed in otherworldly clothing, the first thing to come to my head was the fact that he reminded me of that faerie tale… And that maybe he really was a being from the depths of the sea. By impulse, something my father often tried keeping in check, I dragged his body out and into the nearby forest. The gills only confirmed my delirious assumptions and I quickly panicked. If he was a fishman, I should throw him back into the sea, right?
Soon enough, though, his mouth opened slightly, and he started taking oxygen in, breathing as we did. Now, having his head resting on my lap felt heavy, felt like a responsibility I could not take. Adventures and wonders always allured me but facing one demanded certain aspects to be taken into account, and I could not leave my tribe unattended to attend a fishman. Come to think of it, Father surely was worrying about my well-being right now. Yet, it was so beautiful to watch, how he slowly adapted to the surface while slumbering and letting out small groans here and there. Was it possible that he was dreaming? I glanced over into the sea before me, a vast ocean of possibilities. What could possibly be down there? As if to answer my own questions, I found myself humming songs from faraway of winds of eternity.
“What is it you hum about?” Almost a screech came out from below me. As I glanced over, it was indeed the fishman- or rather… just that strange man, eyes open. “Oh… Oh no.” he continued, raising himself up from my lap, staring over one side to the next.
“I- Is there something wrong, mister? I happened to find you at the edge of the shore. I do not know where you were headed, but I can take you to wherever it is.” I answered, unable to contain my ears from twitching in embarrassment. What was I even thinking? To this, the man glanced over all too quickly, placing fingers upon his forehead.
“You… You have not noticed yet.” He seemed to sigh in relief, but soon enough he was just as tired and alarmed as he initially seemed. “I come from the depths of the sea. Surely, you have heard of the stories, no? I know, I do not have tails, fins or whatever you call those. But that is not the point. Usually, when a being from beneath the surface comes to the surface… it is usually to bring ill tidings, or…” the unnecessary pause brought forth tension, as his eyes shone a bit too bright, fangs protruding, a slightly melodical but strenuous shriek escaping him. “to deliver them.”
At the end of those words, mismatched eyes widened and soon enough I was backing away from the being before me. Truly, he wasn’t from around the surface and maybe I shouldn’t have even given him a chance to rest. Why had they not informed of how scary they could turn? And yet, even as I backed away, staring at him and his murderous presence, I felt something calling. Was this enchantment? I wondered, maybe that was why I couldn’t truly step away.
“But- I come to do… neither of those, actually.” He finished, chuckling in delight while his features turned back to that emperor-like demeanor, eyes in a dim glow, tiredness returning. Anger seeped through me, reflected in a pout that I wished I wouldn’t have done, as he only giggled further. I glanced over him towards the water, pointing at the road back to it.
“If you came here to make fun of a ‘surface-dweller’, then your task has been completed and you can return back. Here I was, thinking I had somehow saved you and you were just pulling a prank on anyone, huh?”
“Actually, no. To tell the truth, I was trying to reach the surface for another purpose. I was trying to escape from the depths of the water. I didn’t think I’d actually make it. Instead, I thought I would die on my way or once I reached the surface. Yet I preferred this than the death I was to be handed at the depths.”
So nonchalantly, yet the pain in his eyes was clear. I wanted to ask, but how much of that pain would I pull out if I went through that tangent? “So, what you mean to tell me is that you were looking for shelter on the surface or death by exhaustion or lack of… whatever you need from the water to live?” I asked, glancing in worry towards the ocean and back to the sun setting. Somehow, the wind felt a bit eerie. His own face contorted a little, a flash of fear presenting itself. We both could hear the rush of the tide increasing, turning unstable. He wasn’t lying.
“Yes, swimming to this place was tiresome… but waking up to a soft song almost made me forget I was even being chased. For a second, I thought you were a dear friend trying to wake me up with song.” Another chuckle, this time nervous, dim eyes went from mine to the floor. “They’ll catch up to me soon enough. I just do not wish to return underwater. I am not a saint, I have my own sins to bear, but I… I am not ready to die yet, not by their hands, not by the hands of the people I love.” A gasp came over in realization and, quickly, he held my hands with his own, clasping them together.
“Won’t you kill me? I’ve heard people from the surface can do so easily. They hunt for fun, no? I promise it will be worth your while. Once I am killed you can hand me over to the highest bidder, surely they will find this ‘discovery’ of yours is worth a fortune.” So, it seemed he knew that, even when the ones below the surface seemed to visit – albeit scarcely – we barely had any information, all based in conjecture. But, oh, that was not what hurt me. It was the determination and softness in between it. The raw emotions dwelling inside, in the warmth of his hands asking to be put down. How could I ever? How could he make my heart skip a beat, if I didn’t even know what he was or who? I shook my head. Right, it was almost time to return to the tribe, anyway.
“I have a better offer for you. Why don’t I take you to my village and keep you there until everything settles? Once it’s done, we could take you to another side of the ocean? Or maybe even a lake?”
“A lake? Have you lost your mind, adventuring boy?” he asked, noticeably insulted. Right, it’s a different type of water. I chuckled back, as if I had been making fun of him. It seemed he didn’t like it as he raised an eyebrow and just stared at me for seconds that went on end until I broke the silence.
“Shouldn’t we… be on our way, though? If we don’t move, who knows if they find you? I do not get anything that’s going on, but… If I can save you, somehow, I do not think I will regret it.” I saw his movements hesitate, he couldn’t agree or deny it, so he chose to remain quiet, shrinking slightly and glancing over the ocean, his home, longingly but scared. There was no way I would leave him. Finally standing up, I offered my hand to him, the one he quickly accepted, clumsily grabbing onto it.
His dress didn’t allow me to see much of his legs, but his feet were bare and just a little bit longer than my own, causing them to look a bit out of place if stared at normally. Come to think of it, the nails gripping onto me were more akin to those of a wolf than those of a humanoid. No hostility came over him, it was as if that other state he had shown didn’t exist at all. He seemed to trust me quickly, often times staring at me for seconds longer than he should. Even while leading him to my tribe, he could not stop staring. Not that I minded.
“I do not think home will be like the underwater… but I will try my best to make it comfortable. I’m G’raha Tia, son of the… chief of my tribe.”
“Emet-Selch… should be the name I go by. But please call me Hades once we are alone. Like right now.” He leaned over, glancing so close to my eyes that I almost felt my being shake. “It is an honor to meet you, G’raha Tia.”
“The… pleasure is mine, Em- Hades.” I replied in a whisper. The winds blew colder, eventually making Emet-Selch shake away from me, complaining under his breath as he looked over from one side to the next. “It’s just a hard wind blowing over.” I replied, taking the chance to pat over his shoulder with my free hand, squeezing the hand holding his in reassurance. An innocent nod caused him to stop searching over, returning to the stare back at me.
“I quite like you, G’raha Tia… You somehow remind me of someone I once knew.” Again, a bout of melancholy in his voice, as if it came naturally. I would not ask. Not now.
Those were the last words uttered on our way home, the ones that left me pondering of such a slow and sudden happening as this one. His home was the ocean, as was the home to his eternally dreadful thoughts. He ran away from it, but he could never escape the misery and sadness inside. They drag him down under, time and time again, the grip tight. He would eventually return to the water, wouldn’t he? And there, he would eventually die the death he was meant to. I was just a means of escape for some seconds. Though, of course, I hoped to be his ticket to a better life, whether under or over the vast ocean. For once, I wanted to be the hero to save someone, anyone.
Glancing below towards my lap, I saw the face of that slumbering fishman. He had been the one to request such arrangement, along with the hum he had only heard once. His features were that of an emperor tired of the world he existed in, hopeful of the world he had ended up on. He had wanted out, so he woke up someplace else, my home. Gently caressing the strange being, I closed my eyes and, while my voice still rang, he truly began to dream. And at the sight, at the unreal feeling of the calm before the storm, I uttered one final question: “This time, will we win?”