Nyai Rara Kidul

Issue 9: Emerald

Back inside the cave.

“Eug— Cough! Cough!”

Kandita spit out the water, not yet used to pumping water out of her lungs, and not yet skilled in controlling whether the water will get into lungs or stomach, which now make her throw up from drinking so much water.

As with the man, he climb up and expel the water from his mouth with ease.

“Thou shalt grow accustomed to it in time.”

After testing Kandita's ability to live in water, the woman went to report to The Queen of the underwater kingdom they live in, asking for her consideration of Kandita's position in the land.

“By the by, I am called Vardhi, a warrior by trade. The mistress here goes by Sasandoro, also a warrior, albeit of superior rank to mine own.”

“Ah, ugh … My name is Kandita.”

Still a bit nauseous, Kandita tried to answer the man, Vardhi.

“How is it, thee breathing beneath the wave for the first time?”

“… What are you? No- What am I?”

Vardhi sit in cross-legg, ready to answer all of Kandita's curiosities.

“To the surface folks, they call us undine. To ourselves, we art nommo.”

“… Nommo?”

“We possess the ability to dwell in both realms, upon land and beneath the waves. Upon the land, our skin doth bear a hue akin to that of a typical human, yet when submerged, it assumes a cyan tint. Thou art aware that thy late mother was also a nommo, rite?”

Hearing that, Kandita stunned, turning to Vardhi for an answer.

“You know my amih?”

“Not actually, I knew it from thy mind.”

Kandita's confused expression did not change, now what puzzled her was how Vardhi able to know Kandita's mind.

“Ah, indeed, a tale from our nation's lore; the primordial Nommo sundered and dispersed across the earth, with some being consumed by sea creatures and others alighting upon the land, whereupon shrines were erected. As the portion of the Nommo's form that descended into the sea was consumed, it seemed as though the Nommo had fragmented into various entities, yet all retaining a singular consciousness. From this lore stems our capacity to hear beneath the waves, for we commune with the sea creatures through the shared essence of their minds.”

It was a little unacceptable to her mind, but Kandita try to think that if it's true, then that explain why Kandita could understand what they were saying even though they were speaking an unfamiliar language.

Kandita also realized that her hearing was not as good as a normal human's, it was closed and could only hear high sounds like birds tweeting, the people who talked to her sounded like buzzing without any shape of words at all, but somehow Kandita could understand what they were saying.

“So, dost thou know who thy amih is?”

It didn't sound like a question to Kandita, who also wondering if her late mother was a nommo or not.

Just then, the woman, Sasandoro arrive back.

“Te upastatum Gusti Dewya pratyagernati.”
※ “Thee wast told to visit the Gusti Dewi.”
※ Maha Dewi or Gusti Dewi mean The Great Goddess, just read it as “Your Highness”.

✵

Heading for the land of the nommo, Vardhi pulling Kandita, whose not yet a skilled swimmer, while Sasandoro in front of them leading the way.