Disappearance of Roselei Hawthorne

Chapter Ten

"Does Celty even know what she's doing?" Gideon asked with a concerned expression as he watched her awkwardly hold Vulcan in the water. Some of the folk living in the village had helped carry Vulcan to the shoreline. Once they had brought him there, Celty waded into the water and let Vulcan's limp body float on the surface of the sea.

"I can't see her face, but she looks worried." Kallen whispered, careful as to not let Celty hear. He didn't want to somehow make her more nervous than she already was.

"I trust her. She can do this." Lillia said with confidence.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Gideon furrowed his brow.

Celty removed her hands from Vulcan's body, letting the subtle waves carry him on their own. She closed her palms together, as if she were praying. She squeezed her eyes shut as she stood, bowing slightly over Vulcan's unconscious body. It wasn't clear to Kallen whether or not this was Celty's doing, but the waves began to gradually grow larger, and they scooped up out of the water around Celty and Vulcan like a sphere.

"Incredible..." Lillia gasped softly.

"Is that the ritual?" Gideon asked.

"It must be... but then again, I'm not exactly an expert on water spirits and their sea rituals." Kallen had his eyes fixated on Celty and Vulcan, and the water that was now surrounding them.

"From the way she talks, I don't even think Celty's an expert on water spirits. What, has she never met one before?" Gideon chuckled.

"Actually, its unlikely that she has." Lillia spoke up. "There's only four water spirits in the whole world, and Celty has admitted to not traveling much. I highly doubt she's met any of the other three spirits."

"Only four?" Gideon raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if the legends are true, then there are only ever four water spirits at any given time. One to guard the Northern oceans, one to guard the Southern seas, one to guard the Western waters, and one to guard the Eastern tides." Lillia explained. "And based on our geographical location, I'm guessing Celty is the guardian of the Southern seas."

"Celty of the Southern seas... " Kallen muttered. "Has a nice ring to it."

"We should probably be paying attention to the ritual." Gideon pointed out.

"Right, right." Lillia nodded with excitement. Everyone kept their eyes focused on the sea ritual. The sphere of water surrounding Celty and Vulcan had a faint glow to it, and small ripples began to form on the water's surface.

The sphere continued to circle around Celty and Vulcan for a few more seconds, before slowly unfolding like a flower in bloom. Celty was slowly lowered down onto her feet, like a graceful angel. Vulcan, on the other hand, plummeted into the water like a rock.

"Uh..." Celty, who was trembling nervously, turned to the others. "I think I was supposed to catch him. Can someone help me carry him out of the water?"

"Stay right there, I'll help you." Kallen rushed into the water and helped Celty pull Vulcan to the shore.

"Is he alright?" Gideon crouched down beside Vulcan, who was now laying in the warm sand, still unconscious.

"His wound is gone. There's no trace of it, not even a scar." Lillia examined Vulcan's chest closely. She had to admit, she was impressed by Celty's healing abilities. "This is better than anything that normal healing magic could have done. This is better than anything I could have done."

"So I guess this means you figured out how those sea ritual things work." Kallen nodded to Celty. "I'd consider this a great success for everyone."

"But did I even heal him? I mean... his wound is gone, sure, but he's not awake yet!" Celty worriedly kneeled down next to Vulcan, and shook him slightly. "C'mon, man, wake up!"