"I read from a book that mythical creatures are weakest during the full moon. Isn't that creature earlier a mythical beast? And there is not just one moon but four," Mario said smugly.
Leoric narrowed his eyes and stared at Mario for some time. He suspected that the man knew more than what he was telling them.
"Are you from this world?" Angel asked.
Mario Diaz was taken aback by the straightforward question thrown at him.
"What if I am? What if I am not?"
"Did you cause us to be brought here?" Leoric asked him rudely. Angel gave Leoric a warning look.
"If you are from here, then our chance of survival is increased." Angel was looking at Mario intently.
Mario blinked at the intensity of the two green eyes that seemed to pierce his soul.
"Mrs. Graystone, unfortunately, I am not from here."
"Then, you are not qualified to offer that advice. What if we believed you and lowered our guard and were suddenly attacked? Will you take responsibility?" Angel asked.
Mario Diaz could not refute her. He did not say anything else.
"I also read in some books and even watched in movies that these mythical creatures are at their strongest during a full moon." Alec butted in.
Mario Diaz shrugged his shoulders. 'I gave them the hint. It is not my fault if they would not take it seriously.'
The captain dismissed the rest of the crew and passengers so they could retire for the night.
...
In one of the cabins, the man could not sleep. Memories from four months ago came back to him like the rushing water when the floodgates of a dam were opened.
'You have to wait for me, Tala. I will find a cure for you.' Nayou said gently as she caressed the pale face of the woman he had loved all his life.
'Brother Nayou...' she wanted to say that there is no cure for her, that the poison has invaded her internal organs and she did not have long to live. But she did not want to disappoint him so she smiled and answered sweetly. "I will wait for you but hurry back soon."
They were lying down in their favorite spot atop the highest peak in the Batan Island as they watched the first night of the seven days when the four moons lit the Astralis night sky and turned into day.
Nayou's eyes dimmed with sadness as a tear dropped from the corner of each eyes. 'Why did you not wait for me, Tala?'
He was at the observation deck when he saw a woman who wanted to jump into the sea. He was about to call her out when he saw another woman with copper-colored hair suddenly appear and stand beside her.
Nayou's body froze. Of course, he recognized who it was. Even if she was a kilometer away, or if she in the middle of a crowd, he would still recognize her. Underneath her loose dress, he knew that she had become even thinner.
'How did she get here?' Nayou felt angry. 'Didn't she know that she would consume much energy to open the portal? Her already weak body should not be able to bear it.'
As if she sensed his presence, Tala turner her head to his direction. Their gazes locked for a minute. Her eyes were sad but in the end she gave him her brightest smile and mouthed. 'Good bye, Nayou. I love you.'
He always called him Brother Nayou and had never told him those words before. His heart beat crazily but before his thoughts could process what Tala had silently told him, his eyes widened in horror when he saw her jump without hesitation.
"Tala, No!" He shouted in panic. His loud voice was swept away by the strong breeze that suddenly blew.
He jumped from the observation deck and landed on the sun deck. He quickly removed his shoes and jumped into the water. He resurfaced three times to get air into his lungs. He was a powerful phari in Astralis, but in this world his strength and ability were reduced to only half. He had not recovered when he opened the portal to space travel and looked for the cure for Tala.
Tala was already enveloped in a bluish-white light when he finally found them. His heart constricted. He knew the meaning of that light and what Tala intended to do.
"No!" He screamed in his head.
Tala's eyes turned golden, and she looked at him. He could hear her sweet voice in his head.
'I knew you'd come and find me underwater. I am sorry, Nayou. I cannot wait for you to return, so I came to find you and said goodbye. I love you just like you love me. I did not have the courage to say it to you, but I know that you feel it too. Goodbye my love. My only regret is that we cannot spend a lifetime together. Take care of her. She is someone special.'
Nayou felt warmth linger on his lips, and his lungs felt no longer devoid of oxygen. Then he saw Tala's body dissipate into tiny motes of light and disappear.
Nayou knew that Tala was most powerful underwater. She discovered this ability when she accidentally fell into a lake at age seven. She did not drown and could use the water current to mind-link people. She used the last bit of her power to turn her body into energy and gave Angel Hart a gift. Her power!
Since the night Angel Hart was fished out of the water, he had silently spent his night in loneliness. That was the same night that his Tala died.
If only he could turn back time, he would not have been reckless and agreed to Tala's nagging to enter the Astralis Palace seven years ago. She was captured, and that cruel king, who was also her uncle, tortured her. Though she was rescued after a month, she was poisoned with a rare kind of poison that was undetected until the symptoms appeared a year ago.
Nayou closed his red eyes and tried to sleep. He needed to recover his strength so he could avenge the death of his Tala. He did not know how he and a boatload of people were brought back to Astralis. Other than him, there should be another Astralisian among the crew or the passengers. He sensed his aura the night the Scorpion King attacked, so he needed to be careful.
Who could it be?
_____
Astralisian - a citizen of Astralis
Phari - a powerful warrior who has the power to control inanimate objects using the force surrounding it.