Six Years Before, Gay Ever After

Chapter 13

Raya pov
I know what you're thinking.

A lone rider.

A dystopian world.

A land that's gone to waste.

How did this world get so broken?

Well, it all happened 500 years ago. Kumandra.

This was what we used to be, when our land was whole, and we lived harmoniously alongside...

Dragons. Magical creatures who brought us rain, water and peace.

It was paradise, but then.

The Druun came.

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A few days had passed, and Raya felt as if she was back to square one. Twice she lost someone she loved like family, twice they were lost by the same person. Twice she grieved for the two people now etched in stone, the hate she had for Namaari doubled.

It pained her to say those words to Namaari before leaving, but she was just so mad, broken, she just had to spit out the words.

Now she regrets it. She never wanted Namaari to stay away.

Tuk tuk was still furiously rolling at high speeds around Tail, the duo were going to finish their search for Sisu, no matter how mad Raya was at anyone, or the whole world. She has to fulfill her father's wish.

They reached the edge of a cliff, Raya pulled Tuk Tuk to a stop. Squirting at the canyon ahead, she managed to make out a small stream of water into...somewhere. That must be the one, Raya hoped, taking out her map and circling the last river at the edge of Tail. All these years of searching, this was the last river, if Sisu wasn't here, she didn't know what to do next.

A few minutes later, the two arrived at...a shipwreck. Raya rolled her eyes, really, how would a mystical creature be sleeping at a shipwreck. She jumped off Tuktuk, and took off her cap, slowly trudging into the small gap in between the broken planks. Tuk tuk tried following her, but he was way too large to fit into there.

Raya saw the stream ended beyond the shipwreck and flowed back to the sea probably. Sighing, she knew this was it, this is the last try.

Taking off her boots, she knelt down onto the dirt, and laid out the scroll someone gave to her those six years ago, the flowers and the candles, and the antique golden glass. She has done this prayer so many times, all unanswered, she really really needed Sisu.

Raya pov

"Um Sisudatu? I don't know if you hear me, but I've searched every river to find you, and now I'm at the very last one."

My vision gets blurry and I find myself on that day where not one but two people pushed me for something.

The second to protect me.

The first to break me.

"I made a mistake," my voice trembled as I tried to keep my emotions in control.

"I trusted someone I shouldn't have." my words echoed off the broken walls. It felt like talking to a wall, I mean literally but there was only silence.

"And now the world is broken."

"Sisudatu, if you can hear me, the world needs your help. But to be honest, I need your help. I just really really want my Ba back." The memory of Ba flooded my head, the scene of him tuning to stone broke me and tears started to flow down my face.

Wiping them off, I told myself to keep it together, I took out the canteen of water I had, and poured everything into the glass, till the last drop.

Then I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes and only had one word in mind. Please.

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The sound of the last drop of water seems to amplify the entire space.

Raya kept her eyes shut tight, her ears focusing on the sounds of the flow of the tiny stream of water, wishing for something to happen, especially this last try.

Little did she know the water started to move backwards, instead of flowing out of the gap in the shipwreck, the water seemed to be alive.

Outside, Tuk tuk was enjoying the cool taste of the water, but then big columns of water started to emerge out the stream, Tuk tuk stared in wonder as they levitated and started moving inside the shipwreck. He followed it and peeked inside one of the cracks in the ship, and as all those large droplets of water floating behind Raya.

Tuk tuk was pretty much confused at this point, so he grunted and growled for Raya, like how he always would when he wanted food. Recognising the sound, it broke Raya out of her prayer.

She turned and tried to keep a calm tone, "I know buddy, I didn't forget to—" her eyes widened as she saw the bubbles of water floating behind her, actually, all around her. "—woah."

The water seemed to hear her, as they quickly swept over her and the biggest droplet of water collected and connected with all the other floating drops. They kept joining and merging, till it formed a large shape and cool blue mist filled the room.

Raya fanned the mist away, peering at whatever that just happened. Her mouth dropped, gaping at the what she was seeing.

She saw the silhouette of the missing water dragon, 500 years after it disappeared.