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the island was riddle’s home. ever since childhood, he had only ever known about this island and the very water surrounding it. his ruby, beaded eyes glances at the waves lapping at each other. the familiar scent of the tangy ocean came rushing into his nostrils as a sigh escapes from his mouth. his fingers wraps around his fishing rod-a metal rod encrusted with golden engravings, one that he had received when he was just a little boy.
every thing in this island consists of everything that riddle knew. in his position if you turn to the right and walk for about fifteen minutes, there will be the small village where everyone resides in. riddle could recall all the names of the people and their occupations, having to talk with them for several years. he could count the amount of leaves the village has (until the very last one hanging onto the branches) or summarize every book stored in the library. this was the life riddle was used to. it was a predictable routine-quiet, safe, and ordinary.
from here to the endless seas, it was stretch out into mysteries. it was unlike the village-dangerous, unpredictable, and unruly. none of the villagers have been brave enough to trench forward. they were often stuck in this island-rotting away until their death. riddle was one to never question the lifestyle-for he too was content with his life-but some moments his eyes would linger onto the glistening waters, wondering what else lies beyond the comforts of this island. however that comes after he finishes his task-his mother had requested him to catch dinner.
with the feeling of the rod in his hand, riddle decides to cast it. using his bare strength, he made sure to throw the rod as far as he can with his arm strength, watching as the hook plops down in the water. riddle waits patiently, thinking about dinner his mother would cook. what a fine, disciplined woman she was. with a tongue that could hush any waves no matter how crazy they are, she was able to maintain this place in an orderly fashion. his mother was one of importance, she was one of the leaders-the one that people look for in important decision making. that being said… the thought of just failing her made his stomach curl. “i best not to fail her,” he reluctantly thought as he continued staring at the sea.
suddenly he felt a tug, riddle stood on his ground. he started to pull back the rod-it was sharper than a fish, too quick to be the reef, and definite too strong to be a seaweed-then he heard a splash. the hook came back up but there was nothing. confusion spread to riddle like a virus. what had happened to his bait?!
he looks into the ocean and soon notices a murky gray figure emerging from the water.
“AH!” some noise spilled out of riddle’s mouth as he fell down onto the sand. from his view, he noticed a human… no…humans don’t have eight legs… it was a creature… yes, a creature with eight legs resembling like an octopus! shivers fell down like needles on his back. “w-what are you,” riddle stammers, his eyes trying to recall any certain attributes that the villagers would gossip about or the books he read throughly, but none of it clicked.
“…” the creature groaned, its voice laced with hunger. riddle further examines this thing; blue abyssal eyes, a charming defined face, and his lilac-like skin. “d-do you want food?” riddle offers, grabbing his bucket of bait as he tosses them onto the ground. “go on… get it..” fascination filled riddle, seeing the creature slither toward the sand. the tentacles moving so slickly yet with elegance. the entity took the bucket, digging through the bait until it spotted one that could satisfy its tastebuds.
riddle watched intently, clutching onto his chest. curiosity bloomed inside him. who was this? what was his? his eyes traced onto it following until he filled his stomach. there they stared at riddle. “more…” he beg.
“i don’t have anymore,” riddle confessed. “this was to catch dinner but you ate it…”
“please…” apparently the creature hadn’t understand anything of what riddle said as he was now whimpering like a stray dog.
a sigh escapes from riddle’s lips. “i can’t give you anything right now but how about tomorrow?” riddle gestured some movements, hoping at least body moments was an universal language across the world. thankfully he understood, glancing at the red-haired one more before sinking into the sea again.
riddle’s heart pounded thunder in his chest. he didn’t even knew his heart was beating fast until he regained his consciousness. “for a second i thought that thing was going to kill me,” he breathes out, sighing in relief. shakily reaching for his stuff, he decides to finally catch his dinner before going away.
as the sun drifts away from the horizon, riddle was met with the sharp prescence of his mother. coming into the home with two fresh carps in his hands, he entered the kitchen. mother, with her hair slicked back into a bun, gives no glances to her son. she only opens up her hand as if she knew what she was expecting.
“here mother… i got your favorite,” he whispered, placing the fish onto her hand.
“what took you so long?” she disregarded his offering. her eyes-full of worry and disappointment-shoots at him.
“i was fishing for dinner just like you asked,” riddle puts his head down, hands clasping on top of each other. he could never tell her about that living thing he found.
“you usually don’t take that very long… did something happened?” her words were quick like a snapping of a crab’s claws.
“no, none of the fish fell for the bait so it was harder to get them.”
“ah i see… but if this happens again, i expect you to fish on the other side of the island… the sky is already darkening… you were late by a hour and fifteen minutes..”
“as you wish mother…”
the next day, riddle made sure to bring lots of food for it. the bucket, two times its prior weight, swayed across his arms. before the sun ever touched the horizon, riddle was already there, scouring over the gray-haired boy again. “what if this was an imagination?…” riddle sighs, fiddling with his fishing rod. he had delivered what he had promise (after making sure to use all of the needed bait for his next meals) but there was no movement in the ocean.
however he then spotted that same cloudy look from yesterday. standing up, riddle walks over, gently holding the bucket. a black tentacle covered with purple suckers reaches over for it, swirling around the bucket before digging into the bait. slowly but surely, not only do the tentacles come out but that same person riddle remembers. rosing up from the waters came that merman, he gives a small bow to riddle before eating its meal.
after the initial shock, riddle had became more accustomed to the sight as days went by. soon not before long, riddle would often seeing him as his new companion. riddle had found himself returning to that same beach, always bringing extra bait as usual to satisfy its need. despite their language barriers, riddle was eased with his presence like he could vomit everything like a current washing trash on shore. mother had always good intentions but why was she so overbearing… he was tired! the creature would just stare, nod his head like he could comprehend everything he’s saying. sometimes he would slur some words, trying to mimic what riddle had said. octopus-mermans were just as intelligent as regular octopuses because he can already properly introduce himself.
“my name is azul… azul ashengrotto,” his broken pronunciation left like off-tune notes but it touched riddle’s hearts. “how… w-wae.. it?”
“you’re doing good,” riddle felt his smile open wide. “just a little more work and you can speak good as me…”
when azul had perfected his ability to perfect a basic conversation, they spoke about everything—azul’s life in the coral reef, riddle’s favorite books, the foods they want to eat, or the way moonlight turned the water silver. he also explained why he had came to riddle. “i have really sensitive taste buds… so none of the food was fit for my palette… and the fact you folks always take all the food from us… so your bait seemed to satisfy my hungry well enough.” in some days, azul had also showed him glowing fish, shells that sang when held to the ear, and secret paths that were in the caves. riddle in exchange showed him toys that villagers would often give him, picture books, or even food that were strange in the ocean world.
in the quiet moments between words, where they would look at each other and stare, they learned to read each other’s smiles.
riddle realized he felt something he’d never had the space to feel before—freedom, but also something gentler and more frightening. something like love. the rift between them became closer like how the sea and the sands connect. the way they would tease each other yet gently hold each other in their arms was like love that was too fleeting, too serene, and too enchanting.
before long, riddle had forgotten about his mother’s watchful eyes. love had blinded him from his awareness. he didn’t notice the suspicion creeping onto him whenever he excused himself from dinner or left his home a second too early… or when his mother would stop him and ask what he was doing at night until it was too late.
as sunset approaches, riddle let his hair flow in the wind-it was exactly how he felt in such a long time. how fortunate it was to meet someone like azul. they sat on the beach together, hand in hand, watching the rosy sky together. neither of them spoke at first. the night was doing all the talking for them-the pulse of the sea, the hush of the wind, the distant glitter of stars.
“you know… i haven’t had this much fun in such a long time,” riddle says.
“mm is that so? may i ask why?” azul raises his brow, a smile on his face almost passing as a smirk.
“i never was able to connect to someone this easily in such a short time.. most people are afraid of me because of my mother…” riddle laughs awkwardly.
“well at least i didn’t meet your mother,” azul remarked. their laughs fade into the background.
“i have to go soon… mother is going to worry if i’m a second later again,” riddle replied, recalling his mother’s words.
“you really want to leave me?” azul sniffles, holding his hand on top of his chest. “so cruel of you riddle~”
“that’s not what i meant!” riddle’s face sharpened before softening. “i would love to stay with you,” riddle meets azul’s eyes, his fingers slowly itching to azul’s face as if he was asking for permission without words. their foreheads touched, gentle and warm. riddle could feel azul’s breath brushing against his lips-soft, quick, nervous. “but i’m bounded by my mother’s rules.”
slowly as if time blended with itself, riddle slowly leans in for a kiss and azul stepped in to complete it. his lip left a salty taste on riddle’s lips yet it felt home—the kind of kiss that wasn’t rushed or hungry, but careful, almost fragile like both of them were learning it for the first time. “i-im not supposed to do this,” riddle gulps, pulling away. his face flashing with fear. this was something different… entirely different… he didn’t know anything about this at all… talking with him was one thing but fully engaging in romantic acts?… yet looking at azul’s mesmerized face and feeling his own beating heart, riddle came to terms that it wasn’t anything bad at all. the kiss deepened only slightly, enough to make riddle’s heart thrum, enough to make azul’s voice tremble when they finally parted.
azul rested his forehead against riddle’s again, breath unsteady.
“i’ve wanted to do that since the first day you smiled at me,” he whispered.
riddle laughed softly, brushing his thumb across azul’s cheek. “i didn’t think you noticed.”
“i noticed everything,” azul murmured.
riddle’s lips lifted and before he could even open his mouth, he hears a screeching voice.
“THAT MONSTER IS ATTACKING MY CHILD!!!”
his mother stood on the rocks, her lantern blazing like fire. her eyes raged with fury and behind her, villagers gathered, murmuring in panic. their eyes felt like hot knives against riddle’s throat.
“what are you doing riddle?! get away!!” she shrieked, coming over to riddle and grabbing him away from azul.
“w-wait mother no!” riddle’s hands reached for azul. “please! he’s not hurting me! he’s not hurting anyone!” his voice cracks.
uncertainty flashes azul’s eyes, not knowing what to do. “i would never in my benevolent hearts would ever think of harming you,” azul tries to say yet he had been silenced from the angry cries.
“LIAR!! YOU CORRUPTED MY CHILD!! YOU WOULD HAVE DROWNED HIM IF YOU COULD,” mother’s word was the tide itself, pulling or pushing as she pleased.
“no i would never do that… i love your child-“
as if an anchor weighs down his heart, he watched as mother grabbed a spear and slam it against azul’s chest-the final confession being the last straw. the blood spills out of his body. he didn’t even have time to react… to see goodbye… riddle writhed, pain rippling through his chest. child-like cries escaped from riddle’s mouth, breaking free of his mother’s grasp and holding azul’s waist. the villagers tried dragged him back, shouting questions, accusations-but their voices sounded like dull echoes. nothing mattered when azul was bleeding in his hands.
“please don’t go…” riddle sobbed, holding azul close to his face. hearing azul’s hearts slowly stop beating, every second his breath got shorter and shorter.. azul didn’t have the strength to do anything… time was slipping away like sand. before anything could be done, azul finally rests. his body stays limp and riddle looks into the sea only to see his disoriented reflection on the blood-stained water.