Chapter Text
“For me. For them. For you.”
The sound of the waves crashing on to the shore were sounds that never failed to put Hamako on guard. It was a warning, a warning that she was too close to a world she could never fully experience. The sound of land, and it’s dry earthen dirt that never failed to mesmerize and frighten the girl. The sounds of cruelty from creatures that could not co-exist with her. The boundary between the land and the sea. A boundary that reminds her of her washed away hopes for a better life, a life that isn't lived with fear.
Hamako felt her ears twitch slightly as the sound reverberated and echoes throughout the waters, something she had known all her life was impossible. The water by her fins swirled and curled, moving against her as she swam forward towards the light. She didn’t know what she was swimming to. Was it freedom? Was it hope? All she knew was that the light seemed much more welcoming than the predatorial gazes of the fishers above water. She threw all her common sense out of the window as survival became her priority.
She swam against the current, relentlessly battling against the fishes that foolishly swam towards the vast nets. Her songs would not be heeded by the fishes, for her ballads would not be understood. Those fishes were far gone, tempted by the bait laid out carefully by humans. It was too late for them. And if she were any slower, it would've been too late for her.
Hamako’s mind clouded as her heart raced. She was well aware that the mers and humans have reached an agreement that served as the bridge to co-existence, yet it seemed some humans were too airheaded, or rather, revenge-driven to remember what was written on the enchanted scrolls sealed with the power of the god of the sea, of Poseidon himself. Hamako didn’t want to know what power they held to outright defy these enchants, but rather was focused on her survival.
She let out a cry of pain as silver grazed the aquamarine scales of her tail, flaking and bleeding. Her fins faltered for a moment, going against her body’s want to continue swimming to the light. She let out an animalistic growl as she forced her fins to jolt forward. She had lost all common sense as her mind focused on the light––on freedom.
She knew why the humans were after her, easily being mistaken for her mother, whose hands were stained with blood, was a rather common occurrence. It seemed the rumours of her death never reached the surface, and now she has to simply live with their grudges aimed at her. This didn’t mean it was any less vexatious to deal with.
“We are all running out of time.”
She swam towards the light in such a desperate manner that it made her seem pathetic, with her nails clawing at the kelp and coral of the seafloor. She ignored the scratches and patches of blood on her hands as she rashly swam towards the light. It seemed welcoming, it felt like...home?
As she reached for the light, she felt water fill her lungs. Was she...drowning? Dying? She could feel her scales smoothen, the current desperately pulling her away, as if warning her. She latched onto the light with her hand, her nails digging into the milky glow.
“No matter what, do not let go of my hand.”
And those words she heeded.
Coffins. It was the thing they place the human remains in once they passed. So, with that logic, Hamako was assuming she was probably six feet underground, with her body in human form, laying on the velvety burgundy of this suffocating box. What’s more, she was wearing robes. Robes that she didn’t feel comfortable in at all, but at least something was covering her body. She wriggled her toes only to find some very uncomfortable, pointed leather shoes.
Best to ditch those later.
Hamako took in a deep breath and felt around. The air smelled burnt, but with a hint of orange. The air was stale, considerably more humid, but generally stale. Very confusing considering she was in the ocean a few moments ago, and it usually smelled rather sulphuric and more...hormonal.
Her hair was damp, which meant she probably just resurfaced from the ocean. Could it be possible that she transformed mid-swim? Was she kidnapped? Then again...no one would use a coffin for kidnapping, right? Did the fishers catch up with her…
The sounds of fire crackling snapped Hamako from her train of thought as she frowned at the sound. Hurried, scurrying footsteps, and the periodic swishing of something against the floor, if there even was a floor. She couldn’t genuinely believe she was on land until she heard the crackling. Then again she might have been in the air.
She bit her lip as she exhaled. Her lungs were getting used to the sudden increase of oxygen they were inhaling, which meant her movements would be sluggish for a few more minutes until they finally adjusted. Wherever she was, it’s probably best to not reveal her otherworldliness.
“Grrrrr! The lid is too heavy...Time for my secret move!” Hamako could hear the voice on the other side of the door very clearly. Its voice was rather scratchy? But it could be partially due to the door muffling his voice.
Hamako felt tempted to the bust the door open, her instincts telling her that it might be best to leave right then and there, yet she found herself glued onto the coffin floor, waiting for Poseidon knows what. Her mind and her instincts were conflicting.
“Guwaahuhh! There!” It yelled, and before Hamako could even comprehend what was happening, the coffin lid fell to the ground. A resounding thud echoed through the room as Hamako stared at the space in front of her. She could see fire on the door, and she would’ve run away if not for the fact that the rest of the coffin was unaffected.
“Gotta get a uni-AHHHHHH you’re awake-” It shrieked. Hamako redirected her eyes to meet with those small, blue orbs. It was...a talking cat. She was well aware humans weren’t intelligent or magically gifted enough to get other animals to talk, which led her to the conclusion that she was definitely on drugs.
Hamako sighed as she observed the cat, who looked rather surprised to see her. Flaming ears, a tattered bow, sharp teeth. It reminded her of a small piranha in a way, except piranhas weren’t furry, and last time she checked they didn’t talk either...
“Human! I-I am the Great Grim!” Hamako felt her eyebrows furrow as she squinted. This was one hell of a fever dream, she’ll give it that. The humans sure knew how to make drugs.
Hamako sharply inhaled as she stared at the creature––who introduced himself as Grim––even more. She noticed that his ears had flames, which was sort of adorable in a way, not that the way he was speaking matched it anyway. The cat seemed very… self-absorbed? Very bratty? Probably wanted everything to go his way. Some cat-like traits indeed.
The cat stared at her for a moment before continuing to speak. “Hurry up and give me you-”
Grim didn’t even get to finish before Hamako lunged at him.
Grim just wanted a uniform, he just wanted a uniform so he could enter Night Raven College. What did he get? Well, for starters, he didn’t get the uniform. He did however felt his soul jump out of his body as the girl ––who he now realised was probably not human with how fast she was–– in front of him tried to skin him alive. Things were totally going great for him.
Which is kind of ironic considering Great was in his name.
It sounded very pathetic, but he ended up running away. He was powerful, he was great, but he wasn’t dealing with this. He was not going to die to those very sharp nails, or those hands that could break his neck in half. He still had years to live and he wasn’t cutting it short because of some maniac.
He wasn’t running away because he was scared. Pshhhhhh! Of course not! He was just being smart, you know? He wasn’t scared. He could take her on, and he would win. Despite how tall and intimidating she looked, she was no match for the Great Grim!
And just when Grim thought he could escape from her, he ended up bumping into a someone he shouldn’t have. Another person, more specifically, an adult. A staff member with a very distinct mask, and a whip that didn’t look friendly in the slightest.
There go his plans for earning a spot in Night Raven.
“Ah! Found you at last- You’re a girl? Night Raven College hasn’t had a female student since...centuries ago actually. This, this is new!” They exclaimed as they pulled Grim towards them, completely restraining him.
Hamako retracted her claws as she curiously faced the new individual. Golden eyes peered back at her behind the mask that concealed the upper half of his face. His entire getup reminded Hamako of a famous occultist back in Elkhorn. This man certainly seemed flamboyant.
The man cleared his throat. “Now, you should know not to do such reckless things such as leaving the gate! Not only that but you brought a familiar on school-”
“He isn’t my familiar. I have never seen anything with flaming ears, ever.” She bluntly objected as she glowered at him, certainly not liking his tone.
“I see...oh well, we’ll just rid of him later. My goodness, this is rather unprecedented. A student leaving the gate, a female nonetheless. How impatient must you be to leave?” He paused, flicking his hand in the air to smooth out Hamako’s hair.
Hamako was rather impressed...magic. The man possessed magic. Looking back on it, even the cat had magic, summoning flames at will. This was very...trippy in a way. “I’m sorry, who and where-”
“We should head along, the entrance ceremony has already commenced. And I may have to condition the dorm leaders regarding the arrangements in case you get sorted into their dorms. Let’s hurry along now.” He said as he beckoned the already annoyed Hamako to follow him.
“Oh, and to answer your questions, I’m Dire Crowley, the Headmaster, and you, young miss, are in Night Raven College. Congratulations on being selected by the Ebony Carriage to attend our school.” He answered as he turned and walked away, glancing at Hamako once more. He had to ensure the safety of his students after all.
Hamako still figured she was drugged and probably lucid dreaming, but there’s no harm in following the man anyway. So that she did, and she decided not to question what the fuck an Ebony Carriage is.