"The seventh moon's shadow sets on Ouma,
the eighth is soon to follow.
The final veil, the veil of truth,
will unseal Ekaviira's tomb.
Mother's poison will the true sun swallow
to darken the dragon's womb."
The head-wrapped woman gently tapped the large translucent ball in her palms, slow chaotic static phasing in and out of its core. The orb was like a light bulb, illuminating the miasmic black liquid environment she floated along in.
The scabrous black sea floor beneath her reflected its light, giant carvings and marks of animalistic carnage scarring the soft rock. The woman's looks made clear she was native to the environment, her head wrap accessory forming a jaw complete with teeth above her hairline.
Frolicking she went, humming the wicked enchantment to the dark waters, her raven dress scraping on fossilized skeletons long forgotten. The very light that she guided herself with seemed to attract a predator, brushing decayed bone debris through the viscous inky current. Just out of sight, the predator crept, stalking her shadow and trailing her path.
The woman's humming grew frantic, searching for something when her vision was only arms length. It wasn't the sound of panicking, but her tune getting higher and higher pitched—joyful. The ripples of disturbed bone dust from the predator at bay did not frighten the witch, it confirmed her fortune. She was a predator herself, hiding her scaled aquatic tails as part of her dress garment.
"The clock is set, and you can't nudge the sun's shade for motion. You being here changes nothing, they'll all still be consumed while your deities watch… It'll start with Ouma first, then Kharos will taste all of Neravor," speaking jeeringly to the figure that trotted in darkness, the witch held her orb above her head, revealing its connection to the scalp through a thick fur covered rope appendage. Exposed in the light was a rock wall formation inscribed with symbolic depictions that could only represent meanings of death, finally finding what it was she searched for in the cavernous depths.
"We can never just leave someone like you to their own devices, can we? You're already trying to summon horrors beyond your comprehension."
A deep and jarring voice spoke out from beyond light's reach, not a predator, but a man announcing himself to her. He shifted into the ball's glow just a few inches, giving physical form to the disembodied voice. The voice did not travel the way that sound traditionally did, but the two of them communicated through the water with telepathic waves.
"Will your prophecy still come true if you're dead?"
The man's face was covered by a mask of dark aquamarine colored stone, with burning teal radiance between the eye holes. The mask was carved like the face of a fanged sea beast with horns, and a wide cone-shaped hat of straw cloaking him from above. The rest of him was kept out of sight, provoking the question of what his true form could be.
"Will it come true? You silly old man, it already has!"
With no forewarning, a small crack formed at the base of the wall. The masked figure jerked backwards, startled by the sudden fissure. The small crack splintered up its surface, cracking off chips of black stone as it went higher and higher, scaling up further than the two observers could visually see.
"EKRATH! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
His voice boomed across the water currents, clearing out the fossilized remains beneath them with a telepathic burst. His yelling was in vain, the wall crumbling to uncover the endless void behind it. No matter how bright her orb was, the misty ooze behind the wall refused to react with luminosity.
"You know what the painful thing about following someone else's light is? You just end up another one of their shadows."
The orb lit up, the purple glow flashing through the night zone like pulses of plasma, blinding the masked figure in contrasting light that drowned out his image. When the dark light faded, the shadowy shape of the masks was trapped within the ball, slamming against its domain walls like a lava lamp.
Thumping to the sea floor and dragging into the currents, the masked man was completely lost to the darkness he first stalked her in. Not dead, not alive, but taken away into the blacked out landscape.
The woman he called Ekrath stood standby at the wall of void, waiting for her savior to rear its ugly head through.
Nothing short of paradise, the mountain regions of East Ouma were filled with stunning gardens, seen from kilometers away. Of course, these gardens were not filled with flowers and trees, but kilp stalks and ferovines. If you've never heard of those plants, it's because you don't live on the planet Neravor, where civilization evolved and remained on the ocean floor.
Neravor was a purely water planet over 50 times the size of Earth, with two suns and 8 moons. This chaotic arrangement made life prefer the depths of the sea, evolving inside gargantuan salt brine pools where gravity was less imposing.
"Don't damage my preta-kaiyim!"
A feminine voice shouted through the untamed kilp forests. The long and wide ribbon-shaped plants grew several fins high, masking the chaos that unfolded within it. Bursting through the kilp stalks was a creature with long eye stalks and a giant swirling shell, with tentacles squirming beneath its body. Chasing the preta-kaiyim close behind were two men, each adorned in robe garments and sandals made from alchwort vines. This was the usual attire for monks of the ouma religion.
"If it doesn't take us out first!"
Speaking into a teal diamond-shaped crystal clutched in his hand, the first man sounded annoyed. Connected to the crystal were viridian green interlinked prayer beads, large and round with symbols on them relating to the Ouma faith.
The second man was keeping close pace with the first, his orange hair brushing into his face from the water currents. His tail was orange with black inky splotches, while his partner's tail was silver and iridescent with organized black lines.
"Calm down, calm down! We're just herding it to the trap!"
Just like most people from ouma, the pair were communicating through telepathic speech waves. The orange-haired man spoke into a similar crystal he owned as well, his version of prayer bead rope the color of rusted brass. He might've spoken too soon, the mammoth-sized shell creature standing up on its tentacles. The two men were shocked by how imposing it became, turning to face them with its beady black eyes and sharpened maw.
They stopped in their tracks, skidding across the sea-shell pebbled mountain terrain. Tall vines draped the rocky outcroppings around them, their surfaces dotted with glowing berries that pulsed like ember coals in the aquamarine light. Cyan-colored algae sprawled across the stone formations in intricate print patterns, as if ancient hands had painted them there eons ago.
Adjusting his black lens glasses, the first man clutched a silver pole on his back. At the end of the pole was a stretched triangle spearhead, with carved teeth blades that split it down the middle.
"Did you really just say project that out loud? No weapons, Kazan! That material is worth more than most can afford in a lifetime."
The female's voice rang out again from the crystal, forcing the man she called Kazan to release his grip on the weapon. Kyris wanted the unique material the preta-kaiyim produced for its shell, useful for all sorts of technology in Ouma.
PHEEEEWW-WHIP!
The preta-kaiyim had no reservations hurting Kazan and his teammate, whipping at them with its tendril at such a stupendous speed and force that it cracked open a fissure between the duo. It was aiming for the ground, separating the ground they stood on and sending them diving in opposite directions for cover.
It didn't end there, whipping at them with a series of more tendrils, mowing down the surrounding kilp stalks and exposing the aquamarine glow of upper waters. The mountain side shook, a disturbance of bubbles and dust debris clouding the environment. Giant spike-shaped red roots jutted from the seafloor like ancient spears, some snapping under the creature's assault while others stood firm as natural barriers. Kazan used this as cover, slamming his tail around the field to fog himself in it even more.
"Teiren, this seems like your department! How about a distraction?" He desperately called out to his partner, hoping they both had the same idea.
From within the debris smoke, six large tendrils lunged out and curled up around the clearing. The tendrils didn't belong to the Preta-Kaiyim, but were bigger and peach colored with an inflated gummy look.
The opposing tendrils cracked at the preta-kaiyim, deflecting its rampage of serial whippings back into its own shell. The battle of tendrils were almost equal, but the skinnier of the two couldn't keep up with the other, causing the preta-kaiyim to bow out and retreat into its shell.
The tendrils belonged to Teiren, or more specifically, the creature in his possession. The orange robed monk kept a brass colored barrel strapped to his back, taking the big container wherever he went. In it was a squishy mushroom shaped creature covered in tendrils that shifted between hues of peach and blush pink. It didn't have any visible mouth or eyes, but it was bonded with him and guarded him on instinct.
"Does that work for a distraction?"
Teiren joked, dusting off the debris from his clothing and approaching the giant shell cautiously. The six tendrils retreated into the barrel, shrinking from their inflated size down to just the size of a human arm.
Kazan swiftly tossed a netting of brown interwoven vines over the preta shell, revealing himself from his dust concealed location. The net of vines blanketed the shell, churning up patches of salted sand beneath—teal and pink grains swirling through the water like colored smoke. The net began to crawl over its surface and branch out more vines to cover the creature whole.
"Ha! Good use of those ferovines as a trap. Guess we can keep Kaero waiting since we took care of this one ourselves."
Kazan gently patted his silver iridescent garment clean then circled the mass of growing vines, slapping his friend on the hand in celebration.
"Well, Kyris didn't say I couldn't use my spear on plant life. Ferovines get pretty agitated when you cut them dow."
These unique vines were carnivorous and fed on the bioluminescent bacteria that filled every micrometer of the ouma world. They grew and tangled predators whenever they felt threatened, a very fatal common occurrence in forests and kilp gardens.
With the threat neutralized, Kazan called into the teal crystal. "Yo! Kyris, we saved your little environmental project. Come collect-"
Kazan's voice trailed off, distracted by the sound of bending and ripping. They both looked down to see the ball of vines bulging, the tendrils of the preta-kaiyim pulsating under the brown and green plant wrapping.
"Do you think it will hold?"
Teiren side eyed his partner, the two of them stepping back in weary. Kazan rubbed the back of his head, inspecting his handy work. He glanced at Teiren, then back at the preta-kaiyim, adjusting his glasses once more.
"Yeah, it'll be alright."
As if proving him wrong, the ensnarement of vines immediately popped open, spewing deadly jabbing tendrils striking in their direction. It was enraged, it's movements across the sand like that of a spider with 20 legs, surprising the duo at it's switch to swift offense rather than defense. The creature on Teiren's back readied to shield them for a second time, but the attacking tendrils never came close to the duo, each one turned away and slammed back into the ground. Someone's hands were parrying the attack, a third monk in all crimson fabric and locks of red twists. The presence that this third man brought was intimidating, driving the tendrils to back away and take defensive position outside the shell.
"I thought the plan was to direct it to me, not harm the thing. Who in the abyss used ferovine as a trap?"
The brown skinned figure turned to face his colleagues, a look of disappointment reflecting from his red pupils. In one of his hands was a burgundy pair of prayer beads with a sharp brass colored ornament at the end of it, and the other a small green sack made of leaf.
"He did it!" "He did it!"
Kazan and Teiren both pointed at each other, feeling a wave of judgement from the monk known as Kaero. Neither wanted to get chewed out by him at the temple when this was over. Kaero shook his head in response, turning back attention to the frightened and panicking creature. He reached his fingers into the little green make-shift bag, pulling out red berries that glowed like coal embers.
The preta-kaiyim reacted positively to the berries, moving its slim tendrils to scoop them from his fingertip. The creature became more docile, going back for seconds and thirds.
"It just wanted some gloshrub berries, that's probably why it's here to begin with."
The two other monks dropped their jaws, baffled they wasted all that energy when food was the answer. It should've been obvious, but the way the beast looked, the team just figured they were the food.
"We're sorry little guy, I didn't know you were so lax."
Kazan bowed and apologized to the preta, then used his spear to shave off the ferovines that remained on its shell. He wouldn't have stressed it out so much if he knew its true nature.
"My precious!"
The voice from the crystals was finally here in person, her small frame sprinting from the forest line. She ignored everything else but the tamed beast on the sandy ground, leaping on the back of the preta-kaiyim like one does to a mattress. The woman was shorter than the monks, and wore an oversized hat that flopped around her head. Her clothing was the most interesting, both sleeves trimmed with fan-shaped frills and a kimono-style robe that ended as a skirt.
The preta-kaiyim had no hostile reaction to her, something the other monks noticed immediately. It wasn't just because she had gloshrub berries already on hand, but because of something deeper.
"You've made friends quickly. How come it didn't attack you?" Kazan questioned the woman, Kyris, drawing her attention from the preta.
Her expression was less friendly when addressing the monks, sensing that they had distressed her new pet. "Some pretas have the same telepathic sensory as us, but theirs are reduced to just intent instead of full speech communication. She probably didn't like your feelings towards her."
Before the onumans, there were the onuvae, their primitive and monstrous ancestors that acted on animal instinct. After eons of evolution, onuvae who did not become onumans morphed into lesser versions of themselves—the pretas.
Kazan and Teiren scratched their necks nervously, recalling using words like ugly and disgusting in their first encounter with it. They weren't expecting it to comprehend the concept of insults, so many lessons were learned all around today.
"Thank you for your help, guys. When I heard you spotted one up here, I was worried poachers would try and kill it."
Kyris climbed down from the giant shell and unstrapped a grown sack from her back, a heaping pile of glowing green and cyan shards inside. This was not currency, but a popular local snack called kilp flakes. These flakes were made from crystalizing stalks of kilp plants in soured salt, forming a taste similar to vinegar chips. "Anyways, here's your payload since you won't accept my money."
Kaero grabbed the sack from Kyris, slinging it over his shoulder. The both of them almost looked alike, but Kyris's hair was towards the brown shade and twisted into two braids resembling long scorpion tails.
"I appreciate it, Kyris. Oriyu's gonna love getting a new supply of his favorite snack. He probably finished the last batch I brought for him."
Oriyu was a monk that guarded the gate between the Eastern Onuma Temple and the mountain pass. The temple was built in the mountains and away from the greater Ouma Republic to protect the mystic ouma teachings from the wrong hands, and all eastern monks passed through that checkpoint when heading back home.
Even Kyris, who was not a monk, had met and made friends with Oriyu. She was a researcher who made modern technology and crafts from the valuable materials found through Neravor, and tougher than she looks.
"Speaking of poachers, Head Monk Omuzen has informed me that a gang of them were stalking the outskirts of New Onurai. I was going to handle it, but tonight is my night to cook… I wanted to make foamweed and red scuttles."
Kaero was always the first call for everything, being the most popular of the eastern monks. He was older than he looked, and had a history that many others couldn't compete with. Kazan and Teiren were both legendary in their own right, but the clan of raiyim that Kaero belonged to was a standout for several reasons.
"Don't worry, me and Kazan can handle it. Deliver that kilp to Oriyu, he's probably dying for it. Leave this mission to us!"
The duo's body language changed, both of them wincing at the mention of foamweed. That was one of their favorite non-meat dishes, and they certainly didn't want it to get cold before they got back.
"Got it! We'll be done in just a few tides, expect us back by dinner."
Kazan's mood changed, snatching Teiren by the collar and dragging him across the seafloor as he ran south. Teiren barely had time to react, reaching out his arms in sudden search of help from the strangulation.
"WAIT—WAIT WE DON'T KNOW THE COORDINATES YET!"
Teiren kicked and scrambled to flee Kazan's grasp, but the mention of food put a fire under Kazan that wouldn't be squashed until supper. The trade would be smarter to flee now than make him late for his heated pot of foamweed and kilp berries. Kyris found the duo's dynamic precious, covering the laugh building up with her fingers.
"I guess I'll be seeing you in a few blooms, Kaero. Be safe and tell Oriyu hi for me. I'll visit the temple again sometime soon!"
Kyris threw her arms up in a tired wave to her cousin, dreading the long journey back to her research farm. The mission was over, so their lives were returning back to temple and study work, the two living in separate worlds of reality.
"Yeah, I better get this up there before it gets too late. The kilp flakes might attract unwanted feral guests up in the deeper mountain routes. You know where to find me, and make sure you keep your elactrite crystal nearby."
Kaero gave her a farewell, taking the teal diamond-shaped crystal from the waist of his garment and pointing at it for her to remember. These elactrite crystals were used for large scale infrastructure and communication technology across Ouma, but were trained on the electromagnetic signature of their hosts—creating two way telepathic communication between recorded wavelengths. A single crystal could store the memory of water around them for eons.
"Be safe up there, Kaero. There's all types of crazy things up there when you travel in late bloom."
Kyris issued her little cousin one last warning, her figure getting blurrier and blurrier as she headed towards a waterline of shimmering larger buildings constructed from blueish-black and rainbow material closely appearing as nacre.
In Kaero's direction was a waterline of mountains tall and intimidating, standing taller than dozens of Mount Everest stacked atop themselves in a game of Tetris. Threatening as they were, these mountains were light and porous with a spongy texture, much like most of the natural growing materials in Neravor. This was the very reason hardened materials were sought after more frequently—the tougher the more expensive and revered.
Somewhere between the mountains were bridges leading a path, but it wasn't much like they needed a bridge to get up a mountain. Swimming was always faster and the easiest option, but walking conserved energy for their species to use it for things more important. It would seem most of the natural fish-like attributes you'd expect sea dwellers to do or have gone from their everyday lives, but not completely lost.
The path back to the Eastern Temple was a little over 500 Sculls, equaling close to roughly 1000 km to measurements on earth—a long way to travel on foot for a human but not for the Onuma People. Their world was massive, so they learned to navigate it in quicker amounts of time across wider amounts of distance. One such method was known as jetting, but not in context of the winged flying machines you're thinking of.
Jetting was an easy way for onumans to propel themselves through water with bursts of oxygen from their pores, creating a personal jet stream in the direction they're moving.
He planted his feet to the ground and positioned himself in a sprinting stance. Small fizzling air bubbles trickled up behind his heels, starting a small flareup before unleashing its full might in an explosive pulsating ring of oxygen suds. His feet kicked off from the ground and sent sand debris puffing through the rigid water currents, funneling an air pocket tunnel that spiraled through the upper seas, turning his body into a speeding blur to outside observers. He avoided the kilp forest entirely by going over instead of through it, zipping above what looked like endless valleys meanwhile the monumental mountain walls that surrounded the east region approached closer and closer.
The garden region of the mountains was much smaller in scale than the true deeper rock formations, and closer to New Onurai City. The fading view of the city was breathtaking from the height he traveled, the cascading glints of reflecting lights on its dark rainbow refractive architecture. The buildings of Onurai city were built like upright spiraling shells, and some shaped like temples with hexagonal construction assembled atop pillars. There was a faint glow getting further and further of teal elactrite crystals powering the city like energy grids, its hazy blue glow turning more and more blurry until he was too far to make out any shapes.