Living on Borealis-9: The Story Of A Reincarnated Human

Chapter 6, Part 6: Departure

When Luna described the boat we would be riding on earlier, I expected us to be riding around on a reed raft like the ones on The Nile. Maybe a little rowboat you'd find in a lake. Instead, I was met by a whole ass island. Like, a legit island, not another turtle or similar. It seemed to be floating around in the sea, untethered by the land and yet...still somehow...staying together? What the hell is this thing? It hurt my geological brain just looking at it beyond the fact that it was a floating island. Alright, cool. Island. Don't overthink it, Matt.

"And here the two of them are!" Head said, sitting on a log on the beach next to Holly. He seemed a little...flushed, with a pinkish tint to his face. Interesting, considering it was nearly pure white before. "And here is the time for the two of us to depart...I shall miss you, love."

"I shall miss you too, Dear Tyr." Holly said, still keeping a stony face. I could clearly tell, however, that she was rather sad, as thin shining tear streaks were trailing down her face from behind her mask.

"Aw...Don't fear. I will return at a later time, with a one-eyed warrior carrying me, with a maiden at his side. And this time, I will do so within this year." Head said.

"May I...Have one last kiss before you go?" Holly asked. Another tear streak appeared down her cheek. "Dear Tyrson?"

"Of course, love."

I felt kind of...What's the word? Yearning. I felt a sense of yearning watching the two, as...Tyr, I guess his name is, kissed Holly. A thin trail of blood trailed down Tyr's mouth, down to his neck. It felt surprisingly intimate watching the two. They obviously had some kind of history, but I guess it really went back for the two of them. As Holly pulled Tyr away from her, I could see a thin puncture wound in her lip, bleeding down her chin.

"Ew..." I mumbled to Luna. "Why'd he bite her?"

"Quiet...It's a Vampire thing, I guess." She murmured back.

Holly walked over to the two of us, handing Tyr over for me to carry.

"You will make sure he will come back to me." She said, her voice ever-so-slightly cracking at the end.

"Of course. I'll take care of him." I said, holding Tyr with a newfound reverence.

"Ah, lad, I can suffice for myself fine! It's you and your girlfriend that should be taken care of!" Tyr said with his usual enthusiasm. Though I could sense some sadness within his voice. Was Holly his wife or something? They definitely were romantically involved, and the mention of Gnula earlier was a bit of an indication towards them maybe being kind of forbidden. You know, like Romeo and Juliet, except instead of opposing houses dating that ended in teen suicide over family drama, it's just a feud, period.

I'll have to ask...Tyr, I guess. It's kind of weird having a real and easy-to-say name for this guy, instead of the 'Kratos' style nickname of 'Head'. But it works. Týr was a Norse God of might, but also peace and wisdom, right? This guy, Tyrson, seemed to fit that bill, at least in the peace and wisdom area. Not sure how a head can be mighty, but...eh?

"Hey, he's not my boyfriend!" Luna objected. But Tyr and Holly just laughed. It was the kind of laugh parents have when you do something that they also did. Foreshadowing..? Nah.

"Alright, come on. We're off to our Holy Land, Valka Mark!" Tyr said, allowing me to carry him onto our neat little island. As soon as we boarded, it cut free of its tethers, and we began drifting off. Off, off, off into the sea...And to what Tyr and Luna described as our deaths. Good times!

"So...Tyr, is it? Do I have to stop calling you Head?" I asked Tyr.

"YES!" He yelled with WAAAAAAY too much emotion. Was he really that upset about being called 'Head'? "I mean...Yes. Please stop calling me Head."

"Alright." I replied, though I couldn't help but feel a little bit of retrospection. Wait, no...Self-reflection. I had been calling him Head for a while now, and yet I ignored him time and time again when he asked me to stop. I never really saw it as mean...Because, I suppose, I never saw Tyr as a real person. He was basically an object, not...Man. Am I actually a huge asshole, and haven't realised it? Who else have I hurt, in that case?

Well...Best to make amends.

"Hey, Tyr?"

"Yes, lad?"

"I'm sorry about calling you Head for so long. It was really mean of me, I shouldn't have...I shouldn't have kept going despite you telling me to stop." I said with an apologetic tone.

"Well, apology accepted. I'm rather surprised that you're apologising to me, rather than just swallowing your guild and keeping on like you have. So...cheers!"

Was that an accepting statement or a veiled asshole comment? I dunno. I don't care, really. So, I tried to change the topic.

"So, what kind of...Deities...are in this world?" I asked.

"Oh, back to the usual, eh? Well, there are a whole bloody slew of them. But the big ones who matter on a daily basis are worshipped by The Churches. You've already met a few, I believe. Life Reaper Argu, Ogher and The Destroyer, The Ferryman, Hosana. They're good. And I've told you about our reputed Godking Asreil, the one true God of this world. The others are a little less or more important, like Tfaef, or Asterias The Ascended. I wouldn't bother memorising the whole lot of them, it doesn't matter in the end. Just worship The Three Brothers of Death, and remember to pay tribute to Markus when you have a party. Nothing much to say, unless you're due to serve a Church. Now, I'm going to take a nap."

And with that, Tyr closed his eyes...and so did Luna, leaving me to keep watch for hours. Until...One late hour, by the moonlight, I saw a speck in the distance. I could have sworn it was some kind of...boat. Pirates? Fishers? I wasn't sure.

Then again, to the...back of the ship? Starboard? I saw the distant speck again. I was about to rub my eyes when a harpoon landed at my feet. And attached to the harpoon was a...rope?

Wait a second. That wasn't just a speck...It was a whole-ass aircraft carrier! I was just looking at the top over the horizon!