Uncharted Waters

Splashes of ocean water danced on Sayane’s skin as the wind whipped her dampened hair along her face. They were on a hovercraft, speeding along the placid water’s surface. It turned out that The Revolution’s base was not on the beach, but instead was a large floating base a slight distance out in the ocean.

Massive support cables ran from towering beams that stuck up from the water like lightposts, anchoring the unseen base to the shore. Pearlescent clouds still muted the sky above. Blue hexagonal glyphs could be seen occasionally pulsing with life, reminding all below that the bubble was there looming down on them.

Droplets of water touched Sayane’s lips and as she wiped them away, some grazed her tongue. The taste was different. Instead of the expected saltiness, the water was metallic and bitter. As Sayane pondered the difference of this world and her last, she smiled to herself at the surrealness of it all. Two months ago, she was concerned about paying rent and getting back into the studio. Now, she was a revolutionary songstress in a warzone.

Azag approached as saw Sayane smiling to herself as she looked at the droplets on her fingers.

“Something interesting?” he asked.

“It’s different. From the ocean water in my first life. That was salty. This, not so much. I was reflecting on how different everything is, large and small.”

Azag joined her at the edge of the craft.

“I’m sorry, I’ve never really asked you about your old life. At first, I’m not sure I really cared. Then, once I started to care, I was afraid that bringing it up might cause pain. You have been through a great deal of trial in a short time. Are you holding well?” he asked.

Sayane shrugged with an exhausted laugh as she tried to vocalize everything she was feeling.

“I died two months ago…” she said with a bewildered laugh.

“That’s strange, right? And now I’m fighting in a revolution against an evil empire… It’s all very surreal.”

“Was there conflict? In your previous world?” Azag asked.

Sayane nodded.

“There was. There were once wars so severe, they engulfed the entire world in conflict. My people had great cruelties done to them, but they also committed great cruelties to others. Even now, there was tragedy and conflict in different parts of the world, but we all ignored it. Assumed it would never happen to us…”

She sighed as she reflected on her previous life. For so long, she had known that people were suffering, but she ignored it. Moreso, she knew that her music helped others ignore it. She was part of an industry of distraction that helped people escape grief and responsibility. In that, she was glad that she was no longer an idol. At least now she knew her music actually had purpose.

“It’s always easier to ignore conflict when it is distant. I think that is why I stayed in the fourth ring, in The Underworld. It made the suffering feel far away,” Azag agreed.

“Why did you leave? Were you once part of The Revolution? You know Erosc, somehow.”

Azag nodded.

“I was young and hopeful. I smuggled weapons for them. Helped retrofit old machina and gunnery devices. But it came to feel like a system. The Revolution was so obsessed with its master plans and perfect structures that it failed to ever do anything meaningful as it waited on the ideal moment. The battles never stopped, and they never accomplished anything. Only death. So I left. At most, I occasionally used Esca to help those in need. Like the day we met.”

His words were thoughtful and tainted with somber remembrance. As he spoke, his eyes glanced over his shoulder to Erosc.

“Is that why people seemed afraid to trust you?” Sayane asked.

Azag shook his head.

“No, that is because of my race. Our ability to make people feel what we wanted was long coveted and feared.”

Sayane paused to recall the way Azag had so easily pushed a sense of peace into her spirit all those nights ago. In the scope of everything that had happened, that moment had seemed relatively normal. But as she reflected on it, his ability was awe-inspiring.

“Because of what we could do, for ages, across dozens of empires, we were sought as pleasure laborers, interrogators, and manipulators for the politicians and bureaucrats. There was very little else for us. In time, society turned on us. We were outcasts, never to be trusted. I put these gloves on as a child in the hope that covering my ability would make others trust me, but that trust never came. Until you…”

Azag looked at his glove and slowly slid it off to observe his damaged hand. Standing at the edge of the craft allowed him to feel the wind and water dance on his palm like Sayane. As the drops slid down, his glowing eyes dulled slightly before he moved to return the covering. But then Sayane’s hand met his. For once, he didn’t recoil.

“I think you’re the first being I’ve actually touched in many decades,” Azag said as he looked from her fingers to her wrist while turning his scarred hand upwards so that she could feel his palm.

 Words moved through Sayane, and she almost stopped them, but decided against it.

“I want to touch you. I want you to touch me…” she whispered.

His large fingers slowly bent to enclose her hand, but his fingertips did not meet her skin. No word of agreement or objection was spoken. Footsteps approaching behind them broke them from their intimacy. Erosc neared and cleared his throat.

“We are approaching. Attis has requested an emergency council meeting. You two, Attis, and the imperial traitor shall join,” Erosc said.

Massive domes of energy appeared through the fog. Over a dozen rounded orbs stood stoic in the expansive ocean. Within them were entire city districts. They had reached the heart of The Revolution. As Sayane looked up to watch the energy barriers break to let them pass, she noticed that Azag released her hand and returned his glove to his.