The Sky's Eternal Sunset

Face the Tide

Come on all you monsters
We're going down underwater
Another world, won't you come and see?
Yeah, yeah, come on now!

So don't be scared
Of what's hidden in the deep
Hold your breath, come on and just flow with me
Yeah, yeah, come on now

Face The Tide- Monster Hight The Great Scarrier Reef

ヽ⁠(⁠｡⁠◕⁠o⁠◕⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠.ヽ⁠(⁠｡⁠◕⁠o⁠◕⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠.ヽ⁠(⁠｡⁠◕⁠o⁠◕⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠.ヽ⁠(⁠｡⁠◕⁠o⁠◕⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠.

Roxas can see the island coming into view when he breaches the surface for a quick scan of their surroundings. No boats. No signs of danger. In another ten minutes, they'll hit the sandbar that protects the sanctuary bay.

Every bone in Roxas's body vibrates with excitement. He's been so eager to get back to Falmouth for so many reasons.

Oblivion was a nightmare of boredom and loneliness. Things hadn't changed much among the Rusalkas in regard to his being there. The pods allowed him to stay, of course, but conversation never improved. He could honestly say he missed the Marakihaus constant chatter. Part of him wished he went with them to the Oathkeeper sanctuary, but he wasn't sure if he'd be welcome, and he wasn't sure he could leave Axel, the only real family he has.

To make matters worse, Axel was injured within a week of their arrival. It put him in the humans' lab for a while to recover, which meant Roxas spent that entire time alone without a single person talking to him. At least in Falmouth, he had the humans, namely Sora, to keep him company when he was bored or lonely.

Sora .

He's so looking forward to seeing Sora again.

He imagines it'll feel just like when he saw Skuld and the others. A rush of emotions that he wasn't entirely prepared for. Mostly excitement and gratitude. When the Marakihaus joined their pods at the meeting point, he found himself looking for his hunting friends and was pleased when they rushed over to see him too. They dunked and raced and tugged on each other's fins like children for an hour when they should have been resting, but it made Roxas feel like a part of something again, so he didn't care.

Seeing Sora and the other humans again can only feel just as good.

Their group finally reaches the sandbar. Roxas takes his place on top of the sands that divide the bay from the ocean and ushers the group to cross. He counts them as they pull themselves over the sand to make sure everyone is accounted for. Once the last one crosses, he lets out a deep sigh, grateful that the trip is officially over. He gets a tug on his fin that brings his attention down to the child smiling at him.

🌸Thank you, Roxy🌸 says the child mer.

Vor. A Tatsu Steed like her mother, Ava. She looks like every other Tatsu Steed with her mixture of purple and tan scales and light blonde hair, except she has a small rip in her left ear fin. She's the girl he saved from a shark before she even knew how to speak. At first, she was scared of Roxas but has since changed her mind, often tugging on his fin as they traveled.

🌸Play ? Today?🌸 she asks and signs, and her mother pats her little head of blonde hair.

💮Later, love. He needs rest,💮the mother pets fondly. She turns to face Roxas and gives him a polite bow of her head but no direct eye contact. 💮Thank you, Roxas,💮 she tells him.

That's been happening more often in the past several weeks. Lots of acknowledgments. And it's still so surreal being referred to by his actual name. For years, everyone called him strange One or Leviathan, and that's only when they chose to speak to him at all. Things are changing, but he can't say he's unhappy about it.