Cetas woke up in an unfamiliar area, surrounded by darkness. Even though his eyes were already used to the darkness of the depths, it would still take time to adjust accordingly especially since he had been newly exposed to the concept of sunlight, making his eyes take longer to adjust in the process.
However, in just a mere minute, Cetas' eyes slowly adjusted which made him turn his head and look around to gather information on his whereabouts.
At first, he noticed that he was laying atop a soft white bed with white sheets and a comfortable pillow. One glance at the bed made it seem like he was going to sink towards its core.
Next, he glanced around the walls of the area; it seemed that there were various vials and medical supplies organized neatly at the varnished wooden shelves. Although it was unfamiliar, Cetas determined that he had to have been in a place where the sick or wounded were brought.
Looking to the left of the shelves, he noticed two more beds that were similar to his. He noticed that there was no one laying atop of them so he moved his eyes farther to the left of the room.
In the far left corner, he noticed a particular individual dozing off while seated down on a tall chair.
The individual was a man of middle stature, brown-skinned, black hair, and a glint of emerald-green eyes peeking out of his closed eyelids. He did not look particularly hostile but Cetas was still wary of the stranger.
The stranger seemed to be in deep slumber, looking peaceful and child-like. After a few moments of thinking, Cetas deduced that the stranger acted as a healer or some sort. He did not know how he could deduce such information but his instincts were telling him of the stranger's ability.
It was weird. Cetas was somehow attracted to a foreign energy that enveloped the world but he was not sure what it was or what it could be. His mind also somewhat knew about souls, and the energy that the body produces but this foreign energy felt something beyond those concepts.
His memories were gone but some information retained inside his mind as if it were something untapped.
When the situation arrives, Cetas felt that he was going to remember something.
After that, Cetas scouted the room for a couple more seconds but didn't find anything of interest so he decided to bring his upper body up and leave the room quietly so as to not wake up the dozing individual.
He carefully moved his two legs, revealing a few onyx scales that were hidden by the bed's white sheets. He then slowly brought them down the wooden floor which surprised Cetas due to the unique texture of the floor.
He almost let out a faintly "hmph" due to the surprise, but Cetas managed to hold himself back.
Treading slowly, he made his way towards the door of the infirmary, passing through the similar white beds and the sleeping stranger. He did not know how to operate this so-called "door" so Cetas merely stood in front of it as if he were dumbfounded by the unfamiliar object.
After 10 seconds or so, Cetas raised his arms and placed his palms towards the surface of the door. He sensed the texture of the object which was akin to that of the floor that he was standing on. After a few moments, Cetas felt a cold-metal knob that made his skin crawl due to the unexpectedness.
On instinct, he twisted the knob clockwise using all five of his delicate fingers and he heard a distinct "click". Cetas then pushed his arm forward and opened the door, hearing a quiet creak as it stretched out.
Surely enough, Cetas was greeted by another unfamiliar feeling as a soft and cold breeze washed through his body like it was liquid. His body shook for a moment but he ultimately ended up adjusting to it.
As he stepped out of the infirmary, Cetas' hair swayed along with the winds, giving him an unfamiliar sense of the depths where the liquid moved his hair unpredictably.
Deep within him, he felt.. nostalgic.
With a deep breath, Cetas moved towards the railing in front of him, showing him a view of the ship's main deck. He noticed the swaying mast, and sails that seemed to be guided by the unfamiliar winds.
Cetas then gazed towards the surroundings, seeing the everlasting darkness of the sea's surface. Often, he would hear the sounds of crashing waves towards the ship's hull, paired along with the wooden creaks and careful shaking.
Even though he was surrounded by darkness throughout all directions, Cetas could not help but feel at peace. Somehow, in the vast stretches of the ocean, he felt.. free. He felt that he could do anything. He felt that along with the winds, he could stretch his arms and float. He felt that he could swim along with the waves and experience the cold liquid enveloping his body.
His feelings rose even more when he tilted his head upwards, revealing the sparkling sky beyond the clouds.
"Stars.." He spoke in the depth-dweller's language.
It was a myth among his people.
Somewhere, above the surface, above the clouds, above the skies.. there were.. stars.
Cetas did not know who told that myth to him, he just knew deep within his heart.
He reached up, hoping to grab the radiance up above, but all he could feel was nothing. His abyssal eyes reflected the star's sparkle, radiating life deep within them.
"Such beauty could only exist in this world.." He pondered, letting out his raw thoughts through his voice.
As if grabbing the night sky, he curled his hands to a fist and brought it up his chest level. Then, he slowly opened his fingers to reveal what he had grabbed, but there was nothing.
"Shining so brightly, yet so far to reach." He uttered under his breath.
Wondering about the beauty of the world, Cetas' mind could not help but wander towards his identity.
"..who am I?"
Suddenly, a faint voice resounded beside him, speaking in a language that he was not familiar with.
"Beautiful, isn't it.?"
Surprised, Cetas took a step back and gazed at the direction of the voice. He saw a woman with a fairy-like face, warm-blonde hair fluttering along with the winds, her eyes looking at the distant sky, and her arms leaning on the wooden railings.
She looked melancholic.
It was the woman that he saw first. That unfamiliar woman.
A mere 2 seconds passed and the woman, whose hair was still being carried by the winds, stared at Cetas and observed him closely. Even though there was a language barrier between them, the woman let out her soft yet imposing voice, "I see that you look better."
Cetas, not understanding her words, tilted his head to the side.
The woman blinked two times, and said:
"Right, you can't understand me.", she then stared back into the night sky and let out a deep breath.
Soon, a momentary silence ensued between the two of them with one tensing up due to unfamiliarity and one feeling a sense of peace as she gazed upon the night sky.
However, the silence was broken by none other than Cetas, who in curiosity, wanted to learn more information, "Who are you?".
Hearing the sudden voice of Cetas, the woman gazed towards his direction and looked confused.
"I can't understand.. But I assume that you were asking about what this place is, and who I am."
Cetas, confused about her words, looked clueless.
The woman understood his body language, and pointed at herself in hopes of reaching an understanding between the two.
Cetas quickly grabbed on to the woman's intentions and nodded his head in response. The woman then smiled warmly, and seemed joyous about their communication, "So we can reach an understanding this way, good. Still, communication is difficult without words."
She then averted Cetas' gaze and stared forward to think for a little bit, speaking her thoughts in the process.
"Hmm.. Ah.. Alright.."
As if she was moving along with her voice, the woman spoke while making hand gestures. It looked weird to Cetas but he appreciated the efforts that the woman made.
After a moment passed by, the woman went silent and looked disappointed.
"That didn't work huh.."
In annoyance, she scratched her head and exhaled intensely, looking as if she was producing steam out of her nose.
"Damn it all, I'll do it my way I suppose."
The woman then pointed her finger towards herself and opened her mouth slightly, letting out her soft yet imposing voice.
"My name is Skadi. I am the captain of the-", the woman then realized the scenario that morning where the boy fainted. She was unsure but she knew that there was a correlation between her words and that fiasco so she reiterated and chose her words carefully.
"My name is-" She moved her hand and emphasized her finger towards herself. "Skadi."
"We are pirates." the woman stopped for a second and then continued but her tone was more firm, "The girl with auburn hair that you saw this morning, the boy with white hair, the doctor who took care of you, and the red haired man that you haven't met yet, are all part of my crew."
We found you this morning, floating around the Poseidon Depths, although we do not know of your origins, I can see that you are from the depths?", she stared at the onyx scales on Cetas' face. "Perhaps you are a depth-dweller, although it was only passed through folktales, I've always believed that depth-dwellers existed in the world. I do not know much about that particular race but noticing that you speak a different language, I can assume that you are not from Helios."
Cetas found himself confused.
Not only could he not understand her words but she also spoke quite fast, making him a bit perplexed. Still, he could gather a few words that she said.
'Skadi? We are pirates? Depth-dweller? Helios?'
These three statements were somehow familiar to him but he did not know how. Perhaps it was related to his memories, he did not know.
In the end, Cetas could only nod to her words.
He stared at the unfamiliar woman, and mouthed:
"Ska..di?"
The woman was delighted and her sea-like blue eyes shone for a second due to the success in their understanding.
"Yes! That's me!" She repeatedly pointed her finger towards herself.
After receiving a momentary understanding, Cetas articulated his tongue and attempted to pronounce the word once more.
"Sss..kadi."
Upon gazing at the woman, he saw that her body language was basically confirming his words. And after seeing that she endlessly pointed at herself, Cetas concluded that it was her name.
"Skadi.."
After the third attempt, Cetas could already pronounce the woman's name easily.
The woman, seeing that the boy had pronounced her name perfectly, was quite amazed. It was even in the Northern Heliosian dialect which Skadi herself uses.
"Could it be..", she uttered under her breath.
Aiming to test the Cetas' potential further, Skadi said some words that the boy could be familiarized with.
"Ship, Seas, Pirates, Wind, Freedom-"
She went on for a while before finally stopping abrubtly. Of course, she knew that the boy would not understand her words but if he familiarized himself with one, then understanding between their two races could become possible.
After a while, Cetas' mouth trembled as he tried to pronounce a word that he heard. Stuttering, Cetas uttered, "Pi..rates?"
"Yes!"
Skadi's heart went up in joy!
Understanding between the races could be possible! In fact, it seemed that the boy had great potential for learning. Was he perhaps a prodigy? Was his race an intellectual kind? Skadi did not know.
She opened her mouth but realized that she was probably pushing it too far. The boy had just recently fainted and looked lanky. She shook her head and forced words upon him no longer. However, she had just one more question to ask.
She raised her right arm and slowly pointed her finger to the boy's direction as if asking him the words: "Who are you" or "What is your name?"
Cetas immediately understood as he had learned of the woman's body language - pointing at one is a means of introduction, perhaps? He could've misunderstood but he was fairly certain that the woman was asking who he was.
In fact, Cetas did not know who he was. He woke up with only but a name and fragmented memories in mind.
In response to her action, Cetas slowly moved his lips and spoke somberly, trying to imitate the woman's dialect.
"Cetas.", he spoke in depth-dweller language, "My name is Cetas."