When her eyes opened, she was drowning. She looked up, and the top of the water was so far away…but she had to try. Pena kicked once. Then again. Then again. She keeps her mouth closed as tight as she could as she pushed to the surface. Halfway up, though, she felt a slight pull, and got a gut feeling that deeper might hold…something…but she shoved that feeling behind her. She needed to breath. She needed air. When she was, maybe a hundred feet to the surface, the ache in her lungs got too bad, and she took a breath of water…and she knew she was dead. Her lungs started to fill, and it made her arms and legs ache more with the effort of swimming. Just before she hit the surface, she felt everything give out, and she closed her eyes….
She woke up with a start, coughing and sputtering. The bag was still over her head, and it was as dry as it could be while on the ocean. But she felt like she was still drowning, or at the very least was just pulled from the ocean. Then, everything went white as the bag was lifted from her head, and she was roughly grabbed up by her shirt.
“What did you see!” The regal voice shouts at her. Once her eyes adjust to the harsh sunlight, she could finally put a face to his voice. He was a handsome man, with a very clean face. He was wearing red and white clothes, obviously not meant for sailing, along with a purple cloak. He had to be some form of royalty. With a spare moment, she glanced down to a sword at his hip with a quick pulse or worry, but the feeling dissipated when she realized that she could see dust on the top of its hilt.
“Answer me! What did you see! What did you do?!”
She saw the crew, who liked like traditional sailors she would see at the pier, back away from the royal man. She managed to speak. “I…almost…I d-drowned….but almost got to the surface.”
The man scowls, and throws her to the ground with surprisingly little force. “Restart the ritual, men! This time, do it better, or you’ll all be sent to the gallows for insubordination!“
The men all grumble, and start to set down different oceanic items. Pena tries to stand, but can’t find any energy.
And then, with the snap of the royalty’s fingers, she passed back out.
She woke up in the same underwater space, but this time, she was even deeper. She remembered her gut feeling from before, and since she had no chance of surfacing, she dove deeper.
When she felt like her lungs would burst, she took a breath…and her lungs filled with air. She looked around. This place was identical to all the water around her, but here she could breath. She swam around a bit, and she almost felt like she was getting energy, instead of losing it. Finally, she reached something in the water. A small, greenish-blue sphere. She felt drawn to it, but waited. She’d heard stories of artifacts ruining lives, and waited to see if she would be pulled from…wherever this was. But she wasn’t drawn out….and finally, she grabbed the orb, and woke back up.
But something felt wrong. Her eyes opened, but she didn’t demand them to open. She felt her arm raise and her hand scratch her head, but didn’t feel like she made it. And then she heard a female voice.
“What in the….where am I…” Pena knew she had to be speaking in her head. There was no distance between the voice and her ears. The voice sounded regal like then mans, and while it sounded like a young woman, it also sounded….old, in some way. It spoke…this time through, it spoke using her mouth.
“What…what am I…what happened?”
Pena sees the regal man grin. “Good. The ritual worked! Welcome. I have heard stories of your greatness, even if your name has been forgotten to time. I am in need of your assistance, so I put you in this…creatures, body.”
“I-I’m not a…I’m just a Kobald!” Pena tries to say, not wanting to stand by anymore. But her lips don’t move.
“Silence” She hears in her head. “Do not attempt to speak, little Kobald…I require my thoughts unclouded but your speech.”
“But-“
“I said silence!” The regal voice yells this time, speaking through Penas lips.
The royal man tilts his head. “Hmm…before you assist me for summoning you, kill that stupid Kobald.”
“What?! No!” Pena speaks through her own lips this time, and covers her mouth when she realizes she did.
“Kobald!” The regal woman speaks in her head. “I have no reason to kill you! Give. Me. Back. Control.”
“I-but what if-“ she says aloud.
“Trust me, I did not desire to be summoned! Stupid creature, give me control!”
With that insult, Pena lost focus. She feels herself lose control of her body, and the regal voice makes her stand up straighter.
“Why. Was I. Summoned.” She demands.
“I require you to protect my kingdom. We are threatened by another nations navy. I need to to wipe it out.”
“And so you trap me in another creature, and demand me to kill it?!” Pena can feel the ship rock a bit.
“Well…it was the only way.”
“It was not…and you should have known that.”
The royal man, maybe a prince, glares at Pena. “Well…so what! My kingdom needs saving now, why should it matter that some stupid Kobald must die?”
Pena yells, upset and scared for her life. And the regal voice yells with her. suddenly, tendrils of water throw everyone from the ship, besides the prince.
He looks around, trembling. His hand weakly grasps his sword. “You…you can only escape if I live! Only I can free you!”
After the tendrils killed the crew, Pena felt a rage building. She was so close to death. All because of this one man. She almost drowned twice, because of this one man. She feels her claws ready, and the regal woman shouts at her.
“No! Do not- give me back control! Do not kill hi-“
Pena growls, and lunges at the prince, making a long gash across his neck and chest. The prince sputters and spits out blood.
“You…creature…you have doomed…you both…haaaaaaaa…” He stumbles to the edge of the ship, and with a final shudder, tumbles overboard.
The regal woman yells, taking back control, and slams a hand against the floor. “You….stupid…Kobald!”
-
Deeper, yet darker…