Father of Despair [HIATUS]

Arc 2 Chapter 1 - "The veil of uncertainty."

The day was almost over.

The glowing sun had passed its zenith hours ago, and was now about to disappear behind the blurry horizon. The warm radiance of dusk shone its brilliance across the world, golden lights illuminating a quivering path upon the ocean's surface. The clouds up above basked in the glory of the sun's most magical hour, their coloration ranging from their natural, pristine white all the way toward shining yellow, with a few spots of soft pink on the edges.

The air was quiet, almost nonexistent, just a cool summer breeze that made the hot temperatures of this part of the world bearable, enjoyable even.

The ocean stretched as far as the eye could see; it seemed to never end, no matter how far one would go. Calm and serene waves gently rocked the vessel that was currently traveling the high sea that separated the continent of Altazia and Miasina. The faint and steady sound of water splashing against the hull of the ship was soothing, almost hypnotizing, akin to the slow ticks of a metronome.

In this peaceful and idyllic environment, everyone —even the rowdiest and loudest sailors— kept their mouth shut, taking in the scenery, admiring the works of nature.

Everyone... except one.

The young Kazinski sighed deeply, indifferent to the beauty outside the cabin. Yet again, another long, tedious and grueling day had finally come to an end.

This journey was... well, it was torment, frankly speaking.

Fortitude and sanity were challenged on a daily basis. Established boundaries were routinely broken. Nerves were constantly pushed near, or even past, their limits. The very concept of liberty had long been relegated to just some vague, abstract idea, a commodity so easily taken away, or even ignored altogether.

But, without any agency to speak of, there wasn't much to do about it. Except... accept this undeserved fate, and wait.

Ugh...

Another sigh escaped the lips of the young one, louder than the one before.

Truly, there was no one as unfortunate as Kirielle.

Why me... she lamented internally, as she balanced a pencil between her upper lips and her nose.

The youngest of the Kazinski's household was at her wits' end, though she tried not to show it. She was bored beyond belief. To the point that she even began to ponder if absolute boredom could kill.

Was she being dramatic? Absolutely not!

At least... not from her nine years old brain's perspective. To be stuck in a voyage of at least two months —centuries from a child's point of view — with her one and only company being her uncaring parents, who would persistently nag at everything she did, was surely a thing to be reasonably upset about.

It was frustrating. Kirielle definitely did not want to be there. And frankly speaking, she did not feel her mother or father did either. As usual, she was unwanted. A burden to be carried.

What's the point of this stupid trip, anyway... she pouted, letting the pencil drop to the wooden floor without a care in the world.

It had been almost twenty days since their departure from their family home, in Cirin. There was hardly anything for her to do. Well... at least, nothing interesting her mother would approve of —her passion for drawing, for example, had long been forbidden by the matriarch. Same for her interest in magic, which was vehemently shot down every time Kirielle would bring up the subject.

Truthfully, all she did was study, eat or sleep. The rest of the time, she would simply roam around, like a wild beast in a cage, trying to entertain herself to the best of her ability. Sometime, by speaking to other guests behind her mother's back.