The Deep: TToaLG Mini-episodes

To shed light on my past

Chapter 11.1: To shed light on my past

Tsuki felt her heart race when she stepped into the study. She knew that she had to open up more about her past. 'I don't want to get into this. I was taught to keep myself a complete secret. It was life or death!'

"Well, how should I start...?" Tsuki rubbed the back of her neck. This is far out of her comfort zone. If people caught a whiff that she was a Lunarian, a sword would pierce her chest and be turned in for riches a man can only dream of.

"Where ever you feel comfortable," Kaiko assured. It was just her and her husband in the room to listen.

"To understand everything that happened...I have to explain more of myself." The guardian found her hands messing with the end of her braid. She had to remember that the Nekton family aren't like the people in her time. They've been very accepting of her, and most of all, patient. "I'm a Lunarian...an ancient race in...my time."

"What does this have to do with what happened in the engine room?" Will asked.

"I'll get there, I suggest having a seat, this will take a while." They all got comfortable to listen to the story. "A lot of the history of my people was lost, but the origin of my people stayed with us. The story of my people started with a young lady. She lived close to the ocean with her husband. Every night the couple would enjoy the night skies before they went to bed.

Sadly, a war started near their homeland. The army started to draft the men to protect themselves from invaders. The lady was heartbroken to see her husband leave.

Every night she looked up to the moon, wishing for her husband's safety and for the war to end peacefully. Every night the moon would listen.

A few months went by before the couple was reunited once again. They were overjoyed, especially with their first child on the way.

On the night of the full moon, a little girl was born. She came into the world quietly...sickly and frail. The parents were told that she wouldn't make it past dawn.

The mother did what comforted her, going out to look at the moon. The couple showed their newborn the night skies for what seemed to be the first and last time.

The grief soon came upon the mother, she cried out to the moon. 'Please, I know you heard me months ago and brought my husband home safely! I know you're hearing me know! Please, I beg of you, save my daughter.'

The moon did hear her, and her heart went out to the couple. That night, the moon glowed brightly.

The dawn of a new day arrived, and the baby cried, color came to the infant's cheeks." Dark blue eyes looked up. "She grew up to be the first Lunarian."

"So you're a descendant of the child?" Kaiko asked. She's trying to process everything.

"I'm not for sure," Tsuki rested her chin on her hand, and looked off to the side. "after the miracle of the baby spread in the village, many became followers of the moon. They became the first of many tribes. They had the moon's blessings and throughout the generations, our powers grew. Especially when they came into contact with the first Solarians, a race similar to us that follow the sun. We had an era of enlightenment where we came to a great understanding of our abilities."

"How come there haven't been any discoveries or evidence? They must've become a great nation at some point." If there were many like the girl in front of him, Will was certain there would have found some evidence found, recorded by the Lunarians or others near them.

The couple noticed the sudden change in the girl. The nervous demeanor switched to fear and unease. They were worried about the girl, they only saw her like this when she first woke up on the Aronnax. The couple could feel pressure in the room wavering.

Tsuki did her best to steel her nerves, she pushed her feelings away to answer. "People don't like what they don't understand..." The girl looked down at her hands. "After the Enlightenment era of my people, that fear increased. One day they're enjoying their day, the next they're running for their lives." She started to curl up. "At first it was to drive us away from them, but then..."

Kaiko hugged the girl, "You don't have to say it..." She had a feeling where this was going. It honestly made sense to the girl's strange habits. Constantly scanning the room, alert when an alarm went off, the peculiar mask the girl had when a stranger is around (video conference or in person), and always anticipating the worse in certain situations.

Tsuki took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "When I call to them for help, they listen. That's what you saw in the engine room. I called to the sun to help me control the flames." She didn't want to go down the path of the dark history of her people. That's the history she wanted to be erased from her mind. How could she if that's the time she grew up in?

She felt Kaiko's hands on her shoulders. Blue eyes met green, "Tsuki, I need you to be honest with me. Does it hurt you in any way when you do this?"

Tsuki gave her an assuring smile, "I only feel tired after, no need to worry!" That smile was something she had been working on at a young age, she can oddly do it at will with no strain. 'I may have perfected it during my time in Lemuria.'

—

'I'm sorry for lying Kaiko...' The girl thought as she walked down the hallway. In all honesty, her chest was in pain and her body felt like it was burning. The worst pain was coming from her lying in Will's and Kaiko's faces. 'They don't deserve it, but I don't want to burden them. I can handle this on my own.'

The great downfall is energy exhaustion. Her body wasn't meant to have that great power rushing through her. It takes up her energy to heal and act as a barrier between the two different energies. The sun's great power burns her inside and takes up far more energy than asking the moon for help, she is a Lunarian after all. It still makes her wonder why the sun would listen to her.

'Maybe it's because I'm the last Lunarian and the Solarians were wiped out. The Solarians weren't that different from us. Grandmother even told me we used to live side by side at some point in history!'

The girl shook her head and pushed those thoughts to the side, they could be solved later. All Tsuki wanted to do now was sleep.

"Hey Tsuki!"

'Never mind...'