Destruction Preventer: Lunar Salvation

Destruction Preventer: Lunar Salvation
Chapter 9 – Shipwreck

~

The wool coat hadn't been a bad idea. Cecil stood on the deck, wind in his sliver-white hair. No matter how many times he pushed it behind his ears, it would still come back in his eyes. Annoyed, he turned around and shook the bangs back into place. The view wasn't as pretty, but it was much less irritating.

Still, he turned around to take one last glance at the tiny row of greenery. He automatically regretted the movement, and spat out a strand of his silver hair.

Edward sprawled out on the wooden floor. Seasick. Obviously, the prince fared much better on the hovercraft than on the boat. The hover did rock less, and the water was shallow.

"Go back inside..."

But it was pointless advice. Edward fought against a nauseous wave. "You're right Cecil... I need to get over it."

Exasperated sapphire eyes rose up to the skies. "I give up. Being seasick doesn't make you less of a man."

Still stuck on the floor, Edward lowered his emerald gaze to his feet. "Rydia's going to tell me to 'man up'..."

She would have been right, but he had enough. Cecil crouched and held the man at arm's length. "Go back inside. You're not feeling well. There's enough beds for everyone and-"

On cue, the prince's eyes watered and he snapped his mouth shut. Cecil backed off right away – he had been on enough ships and airships to know when someone was going to be sick. Edward scrambled back to his feet and turned towards the ramp.

A wave shook the boat – Cecil fell on his butt. Even from his position, he could hear the older man retch his lunch overboard. Brows raised, he mumbled to himself. "Well, that should settle his stomach... until dinner anyways..."

Once finished, Edward dropped to the floor. "Maybe you're right, Cecil... I think I'll lay down for a while..."

'Boy am I looking forward to tonight.'

~

"And he finally decided to go inside?"

Cecil took a sip from the canteen. The boy still stood up on the deck, gently swaying along with boat's rhythm. The sea had calmed during the evening. "Yeah. I don't think the man's made to be an adventurer. The problem is that he wants to be, but doesn't have the guts." His memory flashed back to the afternoon. "Or the constitution, for that matter. The only difference between him and I, is that I've had training and grew accustomed to all of this."

Yang had to give props to the knight. "And you have self-confidence."

"It hasn't always been that way," he admitted. "I played along, forcing myself to show completely different emotions than what I felt."

"You still do."

"..."

Cecil turned around and leaned on the ramp, looking down to the sea. The last thing he needed was someone to pry in his life – especially his love life. He already had too much to think about.

The monk offered an apology. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought this up. This isn't any of my business."

Still, Cecil kept quiet, eyes locked on a school of big fish. He couldn't keep hiding forever; he'd have to come to terms with himself. "Right now, I need to be a warrior. My own problems and needs can come later. We've got bigger things to face."

Yang couldn't argue. "So, what do you think Golbez wants to do with the Crystals?"

"I have no clue. Whatever it is, it's big, and it needs to be stopped as soon as possible. That's why we need to go to Baron, find Cid, and fly to Troia. We need that Crystal."

"We'll get it!"

Both men spun around, alerted by the new voice. Rydia stood on the deck, her green eyes going back and forth between both men. She was as determined as them to put an end to this.

"It's not like you two are going to sit around. And neither will I! I'll help too!"

Smiles formed on Cecil and Yang's lips. "Thank you, Rydia. Your attitude's a big help actually..." Cecil started off. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed. "We'll make it through. There's no reason we can't. We're a team. Alone, I wouldn't have made it."

"Same here, Cecil," Yang continued, thankful. "There's no way I could have fended Baron off on my own."

More footsteps; this time, the trio could see who was coming towards them. Edward's red clothes made him easily recognizable. "I'm afraid I won't be of much use... but I'll try the best I can." He suppressed his nausea, and joined his friends. "I won't let you down. I may have lost Anna and my parents, but I refuse to see someone else's life taken away by Golbez."

"Good." Cecil nodded. He wouldn't let anyone down either. "For now, we're better off going to sleep. We've had a long day, and we still have one more, maybe two, to relax a bit. Let's make the best of this boat ride... and I say we sleep in tomorrow morning."

"You won't see me until one or two in the afternoon then," Yang stated, amused.

"Duly noted." With this, Cecil slowly took off for the dorms, not without looking, once more, at the now very tiny green rocks. He sputtered a strand of silver-white hair from his mouth.

"... Some days, I simply hate my hair."

~

To his own amazement, Cecil slept well, and way into the morning. It wasn't often he was given the chance to sleep in. He shifted in his bed; only Yang remained in the room. The monk was on his back and snored steadily.

Cecil quickly dressed up, and even before he made it outside, was halted by Edward and Rydia. The prince's color-drained face showed nothing but distress. "Captain says we might get attacked..."

The summoner, as usual, wasn't scared. She did pout, however. "He also says little girls shouldn't fight. Shows what he knows..."

Blue eyes turned to the sleeping figure in the nearby bed. "There's no way I'll be able to wake him up. You two stay here. I'll be getting my gear back and come back after. We'll all go." He paused, his attention going back to Yang. "Except him, as far as I can see."

Rydia's face lit up, proud to be considered worthy of fighting. Edward paled even more.

"I can't stay here, can I...?"

Cecil shook his head, firm. "No."

He exited the room and headed down the corridor. He stopped at the third door, where his equipment was safely stashed. He gave the room a quick look; his eyes quickly adapted to the very dim light inside. It took him a good minute to spot his armor and sword, and a few more to put it on over the light clothes.

Sword in hand, the knight rushed outside.

On his way to the corridor, he bumped into a larger frame. The bulky man stumbled to his butt, and scooted away from him. Something had scared him. "Oh dear god! Cap'n!!" He saw a flash of blue and white scurrying away from him, and Cecil looked back to see whatever had bothered the sailor.

Nothing.

It dawned on him. "It's only me!" he stated. He slumped in his shoulders a bit, and ran after the sailor. "It's alright, I'm no monster..."

But it was too late. The captain of the ship stood tall in front of him.

"It's me," Cecil repeated. He dropped his sword to the ground.

The captain squinted.

"... The man with the silver hair."

Same look.

Cecli sighed. He didn't have time for long explanations. "... You mistook me for a woman when we boarded...?"

"Oh! It's you! Don't know who's a warrior nowadays, pretty boy. Anyways, something's not right out here. Where's the monk?" the older man inquired.

"Asleep. Don't bother trying to wake him up; people have been calling me a heavy sleeper, and he's worse than I am. Let's just go." Cecil grabbed his sword and pushed past the captain, impatient. This gave him an opportunity to do something. Relaxing got boring quickly for a man used to commanding armies.

Both men reached the dorms, where Cecil gathered Rydia and Edward back together. Yang had finally awoken – he yawned and stretched casually on the bed.

The knight didn't waste his time. "We might be attacked by monsters. Come on."

In his bed, eyes fluttering sleepily, Yang didn't register the information right away.

However, when he did, worry oozed from his voice. "Ever stories of a gigantic water dragon attacking boats and devouring passengers?"

Cecil nodded. He had traveled enough to be aware of some myths and legends scattered around the world. "Leviathan."

"Indeed."

"Come on up," the knight continued. "We'll see what's going on outside."

~

Everyone was on the deck; the sailors had taken the back, while Cecil and friends were up front. As the waters churned several feet below them and the skies turned grey, the boat rocked under their feet. Rydia had lost her hold a few times already, but she refused to give up. Cecil had come close to give up as well, yet maintained an iron grip – literally – on the ramp.

Edward had turned into a shade of green, and the prince fought against his own gag reflexes.

"Anything so far?"

With the exception of a small shark and some rocks, nothing had been deemed dangerous. "No." Cecil shook his head. Raindrops bounced off his armor, barely audible for the man beneath. "What about you?"

Similar response from Yang. The monk was soaked wet.

Suddenly, a large waved crashed onto the ship. Cecil held on tight, until he saw a small figure being taken away. "Rydia!"

The child's scream tore in the darkened skies, though drowned out by the waves. Cecil spun around, unable to see her. He ran towards the other side of the ship, near Edward, and looked down. From his angle, he could see Rydia's small body float in the water. But before he knew it, Yang dashed and plunged in the water.

"Yang!"

And that's when he saw it.

Where Yang floated two seconds ago, there was a large, blueish-sliver dragon head.

Leviathan, god of the seas.

The beast's jaws opened, revealing sharp, white teeth. A whirlpool formed at the base of its neck.

Cecil could only stand there and blink.

As soon as it came, the beast had vanished.

Cecil grasped the ramp. Within the waves, he couldn't see Yang's bright red pants, or Rydia's green hair. Where they so deep they couldn't be seen, or swallowed by Leviathan's whirlpool? He squinted. The drops of water on his visor clouded his vision. Still nothing.

Beside him, Edward was about to pass out.

"Go back inside!" Cecil yelled, but something came to him. If Edward released his grip... which he did...

The man fell overboard. He kicked and screamed, overwhelmed by the fear of drowning. His lungs quickly filled with water, and soon, he vanished from Cecil's vision.

"Edward!"

Cecil fought to stay on his feet, but to no avail. The boat rocked to his right, and another wave knocked him away from the ramp. His head made contact with the wood, and in a matter of seconds, Cecil's vision had turned to black.

~

He had no idea how long he had been out.

Even then, he had no idea where he was, and how he got there was a blur in his mind.

Something about a boat. Waves. Leviathan-

Cecil turned to his side and coughed up water. His throat burned from the liquid, but he had no choice. He needed to breathe. Badly. With every inhale, his chest responded with a wave of agonizing pain that went as deep as his lungs.

Still, he refused to lay there and die.

The salty taste lingered in his mouth, along with bits of algae. He took deep breaths and tried to calm himself down. He even tried to sit up, but to no avail. Weak, the boy's head fell back on the sand. Something was missing... or someone.

He didn't even know anymore.

He tried to open his eyes. They closed almost automatically. He felt so tired.

Images played in his head; the girl going overboard, followed by the monk... the bard swallowed by the sea... the deep blue waters churning around him...

Where was everyone else? Yang, Edward, Rydia, the captain and his sailors? He forced his eyes open.

Nothing.

A deep panic nested in his heart. Cecil rose his head and called out, weak. "Yang...?"

Every movement, every breath, every blink made him cower in pain.

"Yang...!" he shouted again, his voice hoarse.

But his surroundings remained quiet, deaf to his call.

"I'm sorry..." His voice was nothing but a whisper.

Much like the waters had, darkness swallowed him.

~

When Cecil came to for the second time, the sun hung low in the sky. The pain in his chest had subsided to a dull, constant throb. Nothing he couldn't bear. Or so he thought.

Cecil tried to sit up, only to fail miserably and fall back into the sand. He sighed, utterly annoyed, cursing his weakness in such a dire moment. As he hit the ground, his chest jolted in pain and a scream of agony passed his lips. He was left groaning on the beach, deploying insane efforts not to let the tears fall.

Over his pained grunts, he could hear the waves crash ashore; if he didn't get up, he'd get wiped by the rising tide. Not what he wanted.

So Cecil forced himself to sit, again.

Once in a decent position, he took a moment to assess his surroundings. The endless sea shone under the setting sun, and the wet sand grated against his armor. If he wasn't wearing the obsidian gear, he might have looked like a child enjoying the last few hours of the day at the beach, staring longingly at the ocean.

Cecil was momentarily thrown off by a dizzy spell. It didn't stop him from attempting to get to his feet. He knew the sea water he had swallowed clouded his judgment... but hell, what did he really know, the water clouded his judgment. He ignored the pain in his legs and struggled to his feet.

Wobbly, still dizzy, the knight walked through the sand. The dryer sand squealed with his every step; the chaotic sound rang in his helmet and overwhelmed his other senses. Focusing was a chore; walking demanded insane efforts.

He had absolutely not a clue where he was going, other than away from the shore and towards low dunes. The environment made it easy for him: avoid the blue, follow the green.

And as he walked, he felt something looming over him. He turned around and raised his sapphires eyes to the skies.

His own hopes of survival were fading. A good thirty feet in the air, a large black bird followed him, waiting for him to drop dead.

'Is this really how I'm going to end up? As Zuu fodder?'

His subconscious answered that for him. 'Hell no. You keep walking, soldier.'

Cecil obeyed. He was not going to give up. He walked, doing his best to ignore the pain and the fading colors around him. Nightfall wasn't the only element responsible for this grey-toned world.

'If I make it alive, don't even think about putting me on a boat. I'm sticking to airships,' he promised himself.'

'You're such a coward.'

Just this once, he promptly ignored himself, and kept marching.

He was five meters away from the wooden board when his brain registered it, but the black ink was clear. Hallucination or not, it sent shivers down his spine.

It could have spelled "Doom," and its effect would have been the same.

WELCOME TO MYSIDIA.

Hyperventilating, still weak from the wreckage, Cecil's eyes widened in fear. He couldn't be here. He simply could not be here.

The man crumbled to his feet. Tears welled in his eyes. It immediately sent his brain in a frenzy; thinking he was still underwater, he called for help. Only one name was on his lips.

"KAIN!"

Was he really yelling? Could Kain really hear him?

The blue blur rushing towards him seemed to mean yes.

"KAIN! Please... Kain..."

The only thing Cecil drowned into was darkness.

~

To hell if he had fished all day long, and if his catches were now flopping on the ground. His mind raced for an explanation, but no rational thought made sense.

What the hell was that dark knight doing here?

Still, he couldn't leave the man there... that would be cruel.

But the real question was how cruel would the entire village of Mysidia get, should they learn he had made it back here. They'd most likely vouch to let him die.

He ran to the frame. A youthful voice rose to his ears; the man was obviously disoriented and lost.

"Kain....!"

A friend? "I'll get you somewhere safe..."

"Kain.... please..."

~ To be continued... ~