Goodbye Dimharbor

Year x684, 5 years after Aurelia's defeat. 

Screams of terror filled the streets of Dimharbor as Dohi's undead legion ravaged the town.  The smell of the nearby sea mixed with the scent of death that filled the air. Maura and her parents huddled in the attic of their small cottage. 

Maura tried her best to stay strong for her families sake but the stifled sobs of her mother broke her, the tears came flowing like a waterfall crashing into the rocks below. 

Her father held them tightly while saying things like "It's alright" and "We'll be fine, they won't be able to find us here." But Maura new this was a lie, no one in this town would survive. The horde would snuff out everyone eventually, it was just a matter of time. No one in this town could combat Dohi's legion and even if someone could the sheer numbers of undead would surely overrun them.

Growing up, Maura's family never had much but they were content. Her father was a fisherman though so was just about every man in Dimharbor, consequently there wasn't exactly much demand however they were able to make just enough to survive. Her mother stayed home and tended to the house. On rare occasions Maura would be allowed to sail along with her father. These were some of her happiest memories, in fact the sea was her favorite place. To Maura it represented infinite possibilities; It gave her hope for a better future. But that hope quickly diminished.

"We can leave on your boat right?" Maura tearfully whispered, her entire body was shaking in fear.

"We'll never make it honey. Just stay pu-"

Bang! Bang! Boom!

Her father was interrupted by an undead soldier breaking through the floor and scaling his way into the attic.

Maura buried her face in her fathers chest, her mother let out and ear piercing shriek. Maura and her mother were pushed aside and her father positioned himself between them and the undead.

"Adaline, get Maura out of here! Take her to the ship!" He screamed, her mother quickly picked her up and jumped through the window, shielding her daughter from the glass shards and cushioning her fall, injuring herself in the process; however she didn't stop moving. The desire to protect her child far outweighed any pain she could endure. 

Adeline sprinted with immense speed towards the dock where her husbands boat was. The streets were filled with panicked people also trying to escape via the docs, one by one they were struck down by the undead horde. Maura looked around at the chaos that surrounded them. She wondered if maybe they'd be next but somehow her mother managed to maneuver through the crowd while steering clear of any harm.

Slowly the amount of living dwindled and the amount of undead multiplied endlessly. As time went on it appeared as if the undead were getting better at hunting down the people. Maura gawked as entire families were cut off and surrounded. Adults and children alike were slain with no remorse from their killers. 

"We're almost there Maura. I think we're gonna make it." Adeline said before stopping in her tracks. 

Maura looked ahead to figure out the reason they had stopped. When she turned to where her mother was looking her heart dropped. A giant blaze engulfed the entire harbor. Hundreds of people stood there hopelessly, some made the jump into the water; attempting to swim the entire distance to the next island.

The screams behind them grew nearer and Maura turned back to see several undead advancing on them.

"Mama they're coming!" She screamed.

Adeline once again picked up her daughter and began running, the dock cleared out as many gave up on the idea of escaping by sea. They soon arrived and just as expected not a single ship was left, only the remnants of wood and cloth stayed afloat atop the waves.

Adeline dropped to her knees and pulled Maura in for one last embrace. She looked over her mothers shoulder and saw the undead surrounding them on all sides except one. 

Both Maura and her mothers eyes filled with tears. They both knew there was no chance at survival.

"I'm sorry Maura, I wish I could've done better for you." Adeline tearfully said as the undead closed in.

Maura watched as a sword slashed her mothers back. Blood sprayed in every direction but her mother didn't fall. Instead she put her hands on Maura's shoulders and spoke with her one last time.

"You'll survive... I just know you will." Adeline smiled warmly, to Maura it said a thousand words in one moment. Thoughi it was never said she knew her mother wanted to tell her "This is goodbye. I love you.".

Adeline put the last of her strength into pushing her daughter into the sea. At the same time the final blow was dealt and Adeline's lifeless head fell to the ground in a pool of blood. 

Maura reached out to her mother though she knew there was no chance it would be received. She hit the water without ever getting the chance to say goodbye. 

The water was freezing and the waves were rough, too rough for her to stay afloat. She was brought under by the current quickly. Her eyes opened and she saw the dead bodies of people who attempted the same thing, no one was could fight against an angry sea.

Maura slowly began her descent into the deep depths of the sea. Her ears were ringing and her lungs felt like they would explode at any minute, all hope of surviving was lost. 

Goodbye Mama. Goodbye Papa... And goodbye Dimharbor. She thought as her consciousness began to slowly fade.

----

Maura slowly opened her eyes to find herself in an unknown place. Curiously her eyes wandered but there wasn't much to see. She laid in a bed surrounded by curtains, left with nothing but her thoughts. In her mind she had already died but everything around her seemed to contradict that. 

It all feels so real. Thought Maura, still unsure of her own survival.

Then it hit. Immense pain assaulted her lungs, causing a loud yelp that broke the silence. This confirmed the idea that she had indeed survived.

Quickly the curtains were removed and many doctors surrounded the bed. All wide eyed though Maura was unsure why. 

"It's a miracle that you survived!" One of the doctors exclaimed, the woman next to him hit on the chest and giving him a death stare that told him to shut it. That same woman then leaned forwards towards Maura.

"Hey how are you feeling honey?" She asked politely with a smile on her face. The way she said it reminded Maura of her mother, it was comforting and seemed to make the pain slightly recede. Or at least enough so that she felt as though she could finally speak without the sensation of her innards exploding. 

"I'm fine just a little bit of pain that's all." Her throat felt like it was burning up as she spoke and the expression on her face made it impossible to hide that fact.

"I'm Elena, may I ask your name dear?" The woman said.

"My names Maura, I come from Dimharbor. Is this place near there?"

The doctors all looked at each other unsure of what to tell her.

"Why don't you come with us? The Goddess asked to meet with you upon your awakening. It's out of character for her to ask for anyone to come see her in such an unprofessional way, it must be important".

"Goddess? What goddess?"

"Come with me and you'll see" The woman helped Maura out of bed and led or by the hand. They quickly exited the room and marched down the hallway to the entrance. The door swung open and they stepped outside.

Maura looked around in awe, the sky around her was a beautiful blue. But not like any blue sky she'd ever seen. Here the sky was the sea, aquatic creatures swam miles above. The water was so incredibly clear that she could faintly make out the glow of the sun.

What amazed her the most was the fact that this city was just like any other she had seen. There were a few oddities here and there, such as various species of Merfolk that swam through the many canals at speeds faster than the most impressive of horses. Beside the canals were sidewalks in which they walked along. 

In the distance Maura could spot a large palace, she figured that's where they were headed. It was impressively sized and seemed to dwarf everything else in the city. What else would you expect from a goddess. She thought.

Surely enough as they walked the palace got bigger and bigger, growing in size as the distance closed. The closer they got the larger the palace seemed. 

Just as Maura predicted they stopped right at the front gate of the palace. Two large Merfolk guards stood with spears. As they approached the guards crossed their spears preventing her and Elena from going any further.

"Halt! Reveal your entry pass" One of the guard said.

Elena reached into her pocket and pulled a piece of paper out, showing it to the guards who looked in approval.

"You may pass" The other one said as they stepped aside. The gate seemed to magically open revealing two large golden doors that shined brightly like the sun itself. The two made there way to the doors and inside the palace.

Elena led Maura through winding hallways, soon enough she was lost and had no chance of getting out on her own.

Eventually they came up to another set of large doors however this time they weren't made of gold. 

"Alright I'll be waiting out here, go on the Goddess is in there." Elena assured her it would be fine and prompted for her to head inside.

Maura entered the room alone and was greeted by a beautiful pearl throne. However the woman sitting on it wasn't exactly what she expected when she heard the word 'Goddess'. Atop the throne sat a decrepit old woman with greying hair, Maura did her best to hide the surprise she felt. 

"Welcome child, I'm glad to see you survived. I'm not sure many could do that It would seem that the sea favors you. In the same way it once did me." The woman said in a quiet voice. Almost a whisper. "I am the Goddess Of The Sea Aurelia and this is my domain. I call it Atlantia."