The violent rocking of the boat awoke Nijahoeba who was fast asleep, paralyzed in a dark dream. He gasped, sitting upright and froze, his mind slowly coming back.
He switched on the lamp quickly, and found the compass's needle spinning violently. There was no stop to it, making him fear for his life.
He grabbed it and squeezed it, feeling the cold metal on his palms.
"Please, don't break!" he begged.
"Nijahoeba!" Odo's voice yelled.
"Odo?!" he yelled back before he wore his pants and coat. He then shoved the compass inside his coat and ran out of his cabin and down the dark and narrow passage.
He finally reached the deck and found Arina and Odo pulling the sails. For a noble woman, Arina had so much power, and knowledge, knowing where to pull and how.
The sky had turned scarlet with dark cumulonimbus clouds. Strong winds blew by, setting rain showers over their faces and blinding them.
Nijahoeba quickly ran to help the two, pulling where he could. As he pulled the ropes, he noticed that the ship was heading for a whirlpool.
"Oh no!" he whispered.
"We're not going to make it!" yelled Arina. "We have to abandon the ship"
"What?! I will never abandon Marietta!" Odo yelled in anger.
"We have to!" yelled Nijahoeba, the rain blinding his vision.
"Never!" yelled Odo.
The boat suddenly got tossed to the side by the violent waves and Nijahoeba fell inside the dark sea. It all happened so fast that even Nijahoeba did not know what to do.
"SAILOR!" Arina's voice was heard as Nijahoeba battled with the waves.
Images of the religious bracelets flashed through his head as water entered his nose. He tried to scream but the water muffled his cries.
Barrels floated above him and he quickly swam towards them but the water pulled him deeper into the unknown.
Darkness was all he could see until he could not see no more.
"When the compass breaks, the promise you made would be broken. They will all come for you Nijahoeba,"
**
Sea gulls screeched across the sky and the sound of people talking could be heard as Nijahoeba slowly opened his dark eyes slowly.
The first thing he saw was the blue sky. He blinked multiple times not believing that he was alive. How had he survived?
A shadow suddenly blocked the sunlight. Blonde hair was all he could see. She poked his chest before shouting, "He's still alive."
"Arina?" he croaked. "Is that you?"
"Yes, it is me sailor, come now," she stretched out her hand towards him.
The religious bracelets on her wrist juggled, making a familiar sound. He immediately froze.
"Sailor,"
"Where did you get the bracelets?" he asked. Arina looked at the bracelets closely and said nothing.
"Hey lad, get up! You have some work to do. Clean up these seaweeds all over my deck." Odo's voice interrupted.
Arina rose to her feet and walked away, leaving Nijahoeba to help himself up.
"We survived the whirlpool?" Nijahoeba asked Odo as he rose to his feet.
Odo shrugged his shoulders.
"I couldn't possibly tell you what happened lad, one moment I was sure we were done for and the next, we were safe. The lord of the seas must have showed us mercy."
Mercy, did the gods even know of the word?
Nijahoeba stared at his reflection on the half-broken mirror. His half opened, dark eyes stared back at him. Something dark lingered behind them, something that he had kept a secret for so long. it lived inside of him, a part of him.
He looked exhausted and his small moustache had grown back, making him look like his late father.
He had seen him in the photographs when he was a little boy. His mother would show him the photographs every week.
Just like him, his father had long, black hair and a small moustache.
Nijahoeba put the mirror back inside his drawer and then sat down on his small bunk.
He could hear the voices of Arina and Odo talking from the other room and decided to go and join them.
As he entered the cabin in which they were, Odo shouted, "Arina made some tea, please take a seat."
Nijahoeba took a seat slowly, his eyes narrowed in disbelief. For a noble woman, Arina knew how to do alot of things, she had helped during the storm and now she was making tea. Odo poured some tea into an enamel mug. He then handed it to Nijahoeba who took it.
"Thank you," he then looked at Arina who was busy writing on her book. Strands of blonde hair escaped from the low ponytail, falling over her forehead. Unbothered by the hair, she continued to scribble on her notebook, her blue eyes blank.
"Arina studied theology and philosophy do you know that lad?" Odo asked, taking a sip on his mug.
"Really?" Nijahoeba asked, his eyes still on Arina.
"Yes, right Arina?" Odo answered, looking at Arina.
"Yes, I did study theology and philosophy." she answered, without looking at them.
"Why would you study such topics? Isn't what the upper beings teach us enough?" Odo asked.
"It isn't enough Odo, the reason I study such topics is to fully comprehend life. I want to know everything about the upper beings. The reason they left their realm, what do they hope to achieve?"
"You will never know everything about the upper beings unless you become one of them." Nijahoeba said flatly. "There are things that you will never be able to comprehend with your head. It is the reason we are not like them, our form does not allow us to see to their extent."
Silence reigned. Arina put the book away and looked up at him curiously. "What is your family name" she finally asked.
"Family name? why are you asking me that?"
"You seem to have an interesting take on life, who knows, you might be a distant cousin." she answered.
"Distant cousin?" there was amusement in his tone, " I highly doubt it." he then brought the enamel mug over his mouth and took a sip on the tea.
She smiled shortly before moving the strands of loose hair from her forehead. The bracelets on her wrist moved, hypnotizing Nijahoeba instantly. His dark eyes stared at them blankly, and Arina noticed his stare.
She removed the wrist from view before clearing her throat. He placed the mug on the wooden table before his eyes darted away from Arina.