Drizzle

I could not believe my eyes after I went through the portal.

If Drought was the nation of perpetual sunlight, then Drizzle was undoubtedly the nation plagued by never-ending rain. That much was a level of deduction that a child could make. But exactly how much of it was soaked in the characteristics of this heaven-fallen phenomenon was beyond my wildest understanding.

There was no ground. At all. Before me, surrounding me, stretching as far as the eyes could see, everywhere was a murky black of water, going deeper than even the most spectacular human understanding out there. Even the spot where we teleported from the portal was a rock formation instead of actual ground — a natural staircase, or in this case, a cage leading to numerous mountain ranges, completely sealing all of this rainfall into one singular place.

“Well, that explains how the water can’t get out.” I exclaimed.

“Must be a shock seeing this, huh?” Replied Duna. “Don’t worry, I was the same. In the old myth, this is supposed to be Vritra’s doing.”

“Well sorry for that.”

“Did you really mean it?” The man replied with a snark.

“Obviously no.”

“Figured.”

“How do people live around here?”

“How else?”

Following Duna’s gesture, I took a look further down the giant body of water. And there, I saw it.

Countless bodies of boats floating about. All of them were made of wood and were roofed, but none were especially big in size — they looked more like lifeboats you often see in rescue movies. A boat that size would only be enough for around three people at most. And there were thousands, tens of thousands even, on the surface. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that most of Drizzle’s population had only lived on water their whole life.

But. it was only “most”.

I could still see it on the opposite, and some surrounding, rock formations. Houses — no, perhaps “fortresses” would be a better description for them — were built directly on these hanging cliffs, made from the same rocks that made these mountains, turning them into both marvelous wonders as well as a freakish combination of nature’s madness and humanity’s ingenuity. The roofs of these fortresses were steep, too steep as a matter of fact; they could pass for a witch’s castle with flying colors.

“They’re for combating heavy rain,” Duna, seeing me pause at the scene for a while, answered in my stead. “Makes it easier for water to slide down, and doesn’t damage the building too much.”

Of course, that design also came with a price — since these buildings were rocks, it didn’t absorb rainfall that well. That, and the fact that rain was sliding off them, meant that there was an extra source of water that kept on being poured into this giant central lake of a country. The water was rising slowly every day, that much was fact.

“How much time does this place have?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” shook Duna. “I came here from Drought like you, after all. But I assume not much left.”

“Is that why you betrayed your own nation?”

It could have been the case. Perhaps this man before me was one of those “heroes”: one that wouldn’t necessarily fight for what he started with, but rather what he felt like the right thing to do. And compared to the bustling, lively scene in Drought, it didn’t take a genius to see which of these places needed more help.

But surprisingly, Duna shook his head once more.

“Nah,” the man chuckled. “If you’re taking me for a heroic type, then forget it. I merely switched sides because of her.”

“Her? You mean that one called Kana?”

“I didn’t get to ask, but how did you know her name? I thought you were still mistaking her for your sister.”

“From Arja, where else?” I shrugged. “And that part was long solved. I know it’s not Reiko underneath that armor.”

“Perhaps, perhaps…” The man nodded.

“So? You like her or something?” I asked once more.

“Who doesn’t? She’s a beaut, that Kana,” a less than charismatic grin showed on the man’s face.

“Even if she’s probably several decades younger than you?”

“So? Are there any laws that ban us?”

“Even if she was Arja’s betrothed?"

“To take a flower, sometimes smashing the pot is necessary, my boy.”

“You’re despicable, you know that?”

“Did you mean it?”

“Obviously not.”

That much, I was being honest. It was almost like any of my moral values had long been washed away along with the rain, along with my previous desires. I could converse just fine. I could understand human emotions, as well as discern between them. I knew what my opposite liked and hated, but as for myself…

Gone. Still nowhere to be found. It was an odd feeling. There was nothing strong enough to burst out, of course, just a weird case of emptiness. Like my heart was missing a piece to be whole again, yet it didn’t hurt even now.

“Let me ask one more thing, though,” I continued. “Do you at least know what Kana is doing?”

“Huh? What makes you say that?” The man sounded surprised.

“Oh, I just thought you’re the type to follow a woman around no matter the consequences.”

“I’m hurt by that!”

Yet, his face was smiling.

“Of course I know,” he continued. “And believe me, even I’m not that low; I’ve heard what she had to say about her plans, and I think that it’s the best solution for both nations. That’s why I followed her and turned my back against my former brothers.”

“Metaphorically, right?”

“Obviously. I mean, look at us; you’re telling me we look related?”

“Just making sure,” I shrugged.

“If you know, then surely you know what I would have to do with everything, right?”

“... I do.”

It seemed like the man had finally realized my trap laid out for him, seeing his shoulders visibly droop like that. It took a while, but the small talks and bantering to get him to lower his guard was worth it.

“Then answer me straight before we move on,” I continued. “Does this plan involve my life?”

“I… Even if it is, what other choice do you have? You’re already here!” The man shouted in anger.

“I can always kill myself.” I answered with a firm gaze.

“The plan involves your life, and your solution is… killing yourself? Are you daft, kid? What if it just works exactly in our favor?”

“But I know that’s not true,” I smirked at the paltry attempt at a threat. “If that was the case, you could have just ended me back when we fought instead of wasting your breath convincing me to switch sides. So I’m thinking…”

Pointing a finger gun at my head, I continued with a grin:

“Either I need to be in a certain state, or in a certain location to fulfill the conditions of my life being used for something. And right now, I’m the furthest I’ve ever been from what you people wanted. So, what will it be, Duna? I might not have power over water anymore, but just one of these claws would be more than enough to pierce through my own head.”

Even in this perpetual rain, I could tell that Duna was sweating in fear. His pupils narrowed; his breathing haggard, his temperature rising. The man was panicking, and I could tell.

He stuttered for a while, struggling to find a good answer. But finally, his mouth moved the way I wanted it to.

“I… You… weren’t supposed to die here,” it took every ounce of strength left in him for Duna to say those words.

“And? Keep going.”

“Kana’s plan is… to recreate the battle of Vritra and Indra. But instead of just killing you, she plans on a double suicide. By killing both Indra and Vritra, the curse will be broken, and the world will return to normal.”

I put my hand down from my head.

“See, that wasn’t too hard now, was it?”

But that was enough smiles for one day.

“Take me to her. Now.”