Sky & Sea
Updated: Jul 3
I: Moonlight Kiss
Ring sat on his Rinus Cloud, travelling over the shining sea that was lit by the rays of the crescent moon. Though his father ordered him not to leave the fort at night, Ring disobeyed, intending to meet his lover. He called her the “Jewel of the Sea”, and she called him the “Flame of the Sky”. Both of them loved each other wholeheartedly, and they met when the moon’s first rays kissed the lovely sea. For once, Ring was late and found his Jewel sitting on the golden rock waiting for him. He whispered an apology into the air and heard a sweet, cold wind, filled with love, strike back, saying he did not need to apologise.
Ever since Ring saved her from being caught in the nets with the help of a hawk, the mermaid loved him with all her heart. However, the problem was that Ring could not go down the clouds, nor could the mermaid reach up to the sky. Although they loved each other, they could not even touch. As years passed, the only solution that could unite them was marriage, but their races would never agree to such an alliance.
It’s proclaimed in the Lightning Law, which Ring’s father - the King followed, that merpeople are considered inferior to white clouds, and according to the law, they were fit for nothing. Even if Ring dared to talk to his father about a mermaid, he would thrash him beneath the clouds and banish him forever. The mermaid also knew that even if Ring was brought to the water world by any means, her father would have them both killed without a second thought.
Yet Ring chose to risk declaring his love to his family despite the penalty. The mermaid dreaded the decision but knew that they had no other choice. They could no longer bear the distance between them. Ring, at last, went to his father’s chambers after the sun rose, thinking that it would be the most fitting time to talk. He presumed that the morning prayers would make his father peaceful. To his surprise, his mother was also in the room. Without any hesitation, he stated with no sort of foreword that he loved a mermaid and wished to marry her. His mother, who was arranging her husband’s crystals, looked back at her son, dazed.
As he heard the crystals touch the floor and scatter, Ring could see his father’s face ablaze like a cloud that just created a bolt of lightning. For a while, Ring could hear nothing but a deluge of scoldings. He could see his mother stopping his father from hammering him down. That very evening, King Hast ordered the arrest of Rinus Cloud for disobeying his command, sent a few of his soldiers to place his son under house arrest, and then called a meeting with his generals.
• • •
King Hast informed the gathered generals of the perilous decision his son made. They all remarked against the prince and appreciated King Hast’s work. Then they imposed new wind protocols on all the clouds to prevent any such mistakes from happening ever again. From that very day, Ring was forced to stay in his room, and only his mother brought him food. Every day he would sob thinking about the mermaid while the mermaid waited down on the golden rock every night for her flame to arrive and talk to him.
Two full moons passed by, and one day Ring could no longer bear his separation and yelled at his mother, who, as usual, came up to make sure he ate. Though his mother wanted to help him, she was in no position to do so. She tried to soothe her son in numerous ways, but her attempts were futile. Unable to find a way to persuade her son to get off this dim desire, she gave in and informed him of a way to succeed instead.
She told him there was no way the Sky Lords would welcome her as a mermaid, but if she intended to become a member of the Lightning family, then she might help him in convincing the members. Ring’s happiness knew no limits for a short span, but he soon started plotting about it. He asked his mother how that change could be possible, but the queen gave no reply. A moment later, she stated, “It is your responsibility to make it happen since it is your desire to do so.”
She left soon after Ring finished his lunch, and the young Prince thought for about half a day before recalling the promise to “The Grand Tree”. This was the only living tree on the clouds and was renowned for granting wishes. He recalled how the old saint under the tree once promised him a boon because Ring eased his hunger in his time of need. Ring now wished to redeem this wish and called upon the old saint by chanting the hex which was once instructed to him. As soon as he opened his eyes, he could see the saint before him.
• • •
Ring prostrated before the saint and quickly explained to him all about his predicament and asked for his help. Hearing his tale, the saint hesitated, knowing he would have to break the law. But still, his wish is a wish, and he had to fulfil it. He whispered that there is only one way to make the conversion. He said that a true lover’s kiss on a full moon day, while sitting on a lightning bolt, could make the mermaid transform.
Following the advice, the saint warned that once changed, there are only a few ways for the mermaid to transform back, and so he asked Ring to make sure the mermaid gave good thought before making her decision. He concluded by saying that if she decides to transform, it can all be done in just three days.
That evening, Ring pleaded with his mother for just one last favour and travelled to the golden rock on his mother’s Royal Chain clouds. No wind dared to stop him as the clouds were of royalty. When he reached, Ring could see his lover sitting on the rock looking at the sky and waiting for him like every day. He could not whisper because the winds would recognise him, and so he wrote up a note explaining the condition and concluded the letter by saying that if she wished to transform, she should shoot the “Orun’s Spear” in the Temple of Irma. He also informed her that the next full moon would be the day of transformation if she so accepted.
He left the letter, binding it like a scroll, and it reached the mermaid. Now it was her turn to make the choice, and for a while, she was in a dilemma. She knew that if she intended to transform, she could no longer meet her family, and if she stayed, she would lose the love of her life and be forced to live with an unknown king for the rest of her life, compromising many unseen qualities.
To her, the decision was hard, but she thought about it for a while before deciding to inform her younger brother. But she damn well knew that he would stop her. The next morning, when the sun rose, she prayed to the Sun God for protection and threw the spear. Noticing it from the sky, Ring was overjoyed to see the spear from his window and immediately summoned the saint to inquire about further instructions.
• • •
The saint began by explaining to Ring that if the mermaid were struck directly by lightning, she would die, and if she saw it, she could become blind. So the saint insisted that the Prince should himself set forth, sitting at the edge of the lightning and kiss the mermaid. He promised that the lightning would reach the required distance and also assured that the clouds being used could produce lightning without thunder.
As promised, the old one managed to bring the Bright Lightning Clouds from the Temple of Ornus and Ring’s mother assured to keep her husband busy that night while the generals were given a party in Wine Showers. Winds were called off for that one night by the queen. Ring set out on the bright clouds, reaching the golden stone, and so did the mermaid.
Surprisingly, that night, Merpeople King woke up hungry and found his daughter leaving the fort. Curious where she was going, he started to follow her. The mermaid soon reached the golden stone and sat on it, eagerly waiting for her first kiss. She was overjoyed with the new life she was going to start. Soon enough, Ring also reached, and the Merpeople King was watching the whole thing from far beneath the sea. He stood still, wondering why the clouds were so bright. All of a sudden, he could see a bolt of huge lightning erupting out of those two bright clouds after they dashed past each other.
He could see a young, beautiful boy sitting on the edge of the lightning travelling towards his daughter. Merpeople King rushed forward to drag his daughter out of danger, but he was too far. Ring reached, sitting on the lightning towards the golden rock, closing his eyes and kissing the red, juicy lips of his lover for the first time. The next thing Ring could see as soon as he opened his eyes, lying on his bed, was his Jewel standing before him as one of them.
II: Ocean’s Twirl
Long back when King Hast was just a prince, his province was ruled by King Luther. Luther was a master administrator and an intellectual king. All his years, he spent learning from the “Scholars of Nature” to make the Sky Dynasty the most prominent of all creations. At last, he got to know that the only way to protect his subjects was by constructing “The Charred Gates”, for which he summoned the “Teleports from the Ethereal World.” He ordered them to build the gates and offered them freedom from the Sky Dynasty once and for all, and even promised to waive the tribute they paid for the worlds they occupied.
On the other hand, the merpeople feared that the Sky Dynasty would become invincible if the Charred Gates were built. So, all three kings of the Sea formed an alliance, the “Scar of Octopus”, and shot up the “Arrow of Driger”, which was the only non-godly warhead that could reach the sky. With the arrow, the gates were wholly destroyed.
