The Wani Channel

Static chased after Sumire's every footstep.
She was practically alight with excitement, trotting about from place to place on the deck of the ferry. It was hard for Senren to keep up with her as she tried to see every angle possible of their departure.

“You act like you've never been on a boat before. I thought you grew up in a fishing village?” Senren inquired, barely concealing his amused smirk.

“I did!” Sumire responded with enthusiasm. “But it's been years since they last let me sail on a boat. I was still a kid the last time I saw land disappearing into the horizon. Can't believe I almost forgot how magical it felt…”

Sumire leaned on the deck’s rail, watching the gradually sinking shore. There was a sort of whimsical glow in her amethyst colored eye, and a heartfelt sincerity in her smile. It felt almost like watching a child’s wonder blossom and fruit.

“I actually don't think you've ever remotely forgotten it, Sumire,” Senren stepped forward to watch beside her. “Not in your heart. You simply missed it for so long that the hole scabbed over, so that you wouldn't notice it anymore.”

Sumire watched Senren for a moment, his words sinking in slowly. He looked rather beautiful against the backdrop of the water — it suited him. For someone so pale, Sumire was certain he held a great amount of emotional scabs hidden away as well.

“Heh… You're a pretty wise man, Senren. But ya better be careful saying deep things like that, or else people will start thinkin’ you're an old man.”

Her honest praise became a playful tease, one which they shared a soft chuckle over. For just a few moments, while immersed in the sensation of sailing through the water on a summer day, it felt as if time had ceased to exist.

CRRRACK!

Lightning suddenly cleaved through the sky, commanding the attention of everyone on the ferry. Immediately following, the summer sun was darkened with clouds, and the sea beneath them began to churn.

“Huh? A storm?” Senren questioned, looking around with the same confusion as the other passengers. Within seconds the storm worsened and worsened. Lightning continued to crack, and the sea became so tumultuous that the ferry rocked back and forth.

“Something's not right,” Sumire observed as fearful chatter erupted around them. “This is way too sudden, and there isn't any rain. Something else must be—”

Her words were drowned by the screams of passengers as a particularly unruly wave sent the ferry nearly vertical. She and Senren clutched the rail to remain upright, giving them a perfect view of the culprit.

From beneath the water, just beside the boat, something dark rose up like a massive bubble. Once it crested enough to break its saltwater sheath, a sort of serpentine body covered in iridescent black scales was revealed.

“No way…” Sumire breathed in awe. “Is that… really…”

As one half of the body slipped back into the depths of the channel, the other half slid upwards, until the end broke through the surface with such force that it sent a wave of seawater upon the deck.

“It's a Wani!” The captain of the ferry called out. While the creature’s tail descended again into the sea on one side of the boat, another large curl of its long body emerged on the other side.

“Take cover!” Another ferryman tried to shout over the thunder and waves.

“Why is it so angry?! Did we disrespect it?”

“Everyone! Please brace yourselves!”

As most of the passengers were ushered below deck, Sumire grit her teeth, watching the churning sea in the hopes of predicting where the Wani’s body might appear next. She had to take every possible detail of their surroundings into consideration — a low rumbling beneath the water, a loud thunk against the hull of the boat, the direction of the waves… Violet lightning sparked at Sumire's feet as she gripped the hilt of the sword on her back and braced herself.

Within moments the serpent’s body reemerged from the channel, and when it did Sumire launched her attack.

“Sumi, what are you—?!”

“KYAA!!”

By the time Senren realized what she was doing, it was too late. Sumire jumped onto the deck railing and swung her sword with all her might. The electricity from her feet flowed through her entire body, igniting every nerve before culminating in the amethyst orb on her sword.

Surprisingly, the blade barely even scratched the Wani's shimmering scales. But, Sumire's lightning still traveled from the sword to the creature, arcing across its body. The Wani cried shrilly as it apparently dove deeper beneath them into the channel, slowing the boat’s rocking for a moment.

“Haha!” Sumire laughed against the backdrop of thunderclaps. “Take that, ya overgrown lizard! Who knew Wani were such cowards?”

“That was reckless, Sumire!” Senren scolded her. “Why would you take such a beast on by yourself?!”

“Relax, Sen, I got it handled. Look! I beat the big guy back! Can't wait to hear everyone praise me for saving their—”

The momentary calmness was violently broken by the same underwater rumbling Sumire had heard before. She then understood that the noise was the Wani's furious roar, a revelation which sent a chill down her spine. Before either her or Senren could react, the ferry began rocking even worse, and their opponent burst forth from the sea.

This time, the Wani cared enough to meet them face to face. It was truly a wondrous and terrifying sight, bearing its reptilian snout full of fangs at them. Even the Wani's sclera were pitch black, leaving its golden irises to strike through the pirates’ very core with its gaze.

Unlike them, however, the serpent felt no such sensation as awe to keep it from moving. It only knew of rage and retaliation, driving it to raise its massive tail and lash out towards the woman who'd shocked it.

“SUMIRE, LOOK OUT!”

Although Sumire braced for impact, her companion was far faster. In an instant, Senren had drawn his sword and shielded her, and just as quickly he was sent flying across the deck. The Wani's scales were so sharp that they even created sparks against Senren’s katana.

“Sen! You idiot!”

Sumire immediately called out to the ronin, rushing over to him. By the time she reached Senren the unsteady boat knocked her to her knees, and from there she could see the growing pool of blood. The scales had cut into Senren's arms like razors, but despite only a few slashes the blood was pouring from his arms like water.

“Oh gods… S-Senren, talk to me,” Sumire urged the ronin, propping him up and tapping a bit aggressively on his cheeks. Senren's aquamarine eye fluttered in response, but his gaze was distant, and the color was draining from his pale face.

“S’mire… Get… b’low…”

Senren's speech was slurred, as if his mouth was struggling to firm the words. Before the brief sentence could even finish passing through his lips, his eye rolled back and his consciousness faded.

It wouldn't be long before Sumire was holding her friend's corpse.