Citizen 949 Valentine

Valentine took a deep breath of the morning air, the smell of the ice-cold sea walloping into his nostrils with haste as he did so. The sun barely dared to peek out from the horizon as if not to disturb the moon as it slowly disappeared with the cloak of light. It was a good day to challenge oneself, and Valentine patted himself on the shoulder for his wise decision to complete the rite to adulthood today.

He was already standing knee-deep in the sea, fastening an old belt to his hind leg, wedging a dagger between his own flesh and the leather. He was no fool - he knew of the dangers that the sea harboured in its womb, the ones that could surface at any point and claim his life. Sharks were the least of his worries with pirates on the prowl, too - the Navy announced to the public that a ship had been sighted nearby, which was, of course, a concern. But not to Valentine. His need to prove himself was greater than fear or any other primal instinct that whispered the notions of retreat at the back of his skull. He needed to do this - no, he wanted to do this. If he cannot swim through a simple channel, how could he expect himself to be able to protect what little family he had left?

With steady steps, he walked deeper and deeper, until his the ocean floor beneat him almost disappeared. With one last glance and a deep breath, he kicked himself of, and began to swim.

Next to the isle of Pousinia lay two smaller pieces of land - one of these was his target. Graceful twins, they were, their cliffs beckoning Valentine to keep on swimming as the waves around him became more and more hostile. He was a good swimmer, no doubt about that; his love for the waters had shaped him to be an apex of the aqua, but he was used to the more tame parts of the ocean. The regal, untamed waves that he was now fighting were not the kind that he would meet often.

It did not take him too long to finally find a method that carried the key to success within it. As he felt the current swirl under his body and tease the webs between his toes, he decided to let go and let the waves carry him forward. He rode them as if they were mere common mounts; from wave to wave, he glided as if the ancients themselves created him to be a water walker. But in the bliss of ease, he forgot himself, or rather the tool that he carried with himself.

The waves, like the trickters they were not only toyed with the rexal, but the dagger strapped to his thigh as well. With each wave the blade loosened, until eventually it got displaced from its original position - the once at the ready weapon turned against its master within the blink of an eye, and when Valentine tried to paddle, it ripped into his body with the sharp fangs of a wolf.

Valentine huffed at the sudden pain of sharpness and lost his rhythm on the waves. Before he knew it, he was swallowed by them, finding himself under the water without much breath in his lungs. He watched as the blue waters were stained by the mix of blood and magic, inky yellow and red, declaring his mistake to those who would listen. And oh, they did listen.

Valentine quickly discarded the blade from himself and watched it as it slowly plummeted to the endless depths of the abyss, but the damage had already been done. His presence was announced, and worse, it was noticed.

A shark emerged from where the blade disappeared as if the weapon itself was seeking revenge against its owner for abandoning it. The creature's small, beady eyes twisted in their socket as the shark's nose flared up, taking in the smell of blood with hunger.

"That's just fantastic..." Valentine thought, urgency running in his veins as he had to turn upwards and resurface, taking a deep breath.

The other island was not for now, but still, it was too far to offer any sense of safety. He would have to face his pursuer and was ready to do so. With determination in his eyes, he dove under the surface once more, his eyes scanning for the predator as he continued to swim towards the island.

It surprised him how close the creature actually was once he spotted it. The shark was swimming below him, seizing the rexal up as it got drunk on its blood.

Valentine kicked downwards, fighting the waters just as much as the shark, giving the predator a good noggin'. It was a surprise for the apex, who quickly ran away. It was a short-lived victory, however, for the wound was still open, and as long as Valentine bled, he would follow.

"Curses...", he grumbled as he watched the shark get more bold with each passing minute, approaching the rexal before quickly swimming away, and then returning, inching closer and closer each time.

"You know what? I won't let you stop me..." Valentine thought as he stopped swimming and decided to float, knowing that the shark's next move would be an assault against him for sure. He twisted his head around, keeping an eye on its movement. "I have you now..." he smiled as he watched the apex approach, and he quickly swam to the surface, the shore just within reach... But he would not end this adventure before a good ol' fashioned beating.

With the grace of a cat, Valentine jumped to the shore, and the shark followed him without hesitation. A lethal mistake as the sand and rocks took hold of it, leaving it flapping around as if it were a common cod.

Valentine turned around with satisfaction before leaning down and staring into the creature's eyes with the arrogance of a victorious fighter.

"You can't tell me I wasn't nice..." he grumbled before his fist connected with the shark's nose. The creature was dumbfounded and even stopped struggling for a moment, as it had never experienced an impact like this before. Valentine's punch, however, was strong enough to dislocate it from its trap. Once it realised that it was free, it scuttered away like a pup after scolding, and Valentine watched its fin disappear with satisfaction. Well, he certainly had stories to tell after this one.

ForgottenCerberus