The Krakens Bride

The Cave (Chapter 6): Yuki

Feeling satisfied that I had finally spoken my mind, I walked into the darkness with the only sound being the teasing ringing of the bangles around my ankles.

The cool stones of my chosen jewelry grew colder in the air of the cave as I walked blindly, but they filled me with a strange sense of ease.

I wasn't sure if that came from my release of tension after my outburst with the elders or if there was some unknown element causing my sudden relaxation in the dark cave.

Despite that, my eyes settled into the darkness of the cave while I breathed in the scent of flowery saltwater, it instantly reminded me of the combined scents of the incense room.

That smell filled me now while I walked deeper and deeper.

The coldness of the air eased the longer I walked and was then replaced with a constant warmth. It was subtle yet growing as I walked into the dark, while the bangles around my ankles made sweet music for me, to which I felt even more at ease.

The dryness of my throat was amped up in what felt like anticipation, while I also felt strangely stronger, the more that floral salty scent filled my lungs. My mind was running on both stray thoughts of my family and simulations of what this Kraken could or would look like.

It had not occurred to me to think of what this beast I was being sacrificed to would really be like. As a child I honestly thought the stories sounded like a creature that simply lacked love, the same way the animals of the forest did. But now, I was not so sure.

Would it try to kill me the second it saw me? What if it didn't even show up? What then?

Truthfully, a small part of me believed if I did not fear the Kraken, then it would not hurt me.

For some reason, that nagging little thought was what kept the fear from me in this moment. 'What if all the beast of the sea really desires, is some love from the humans, who cowered from the simple vocalization of its name?'

My inner voice spoke that into existence, and yet again I despised when my inner self was right.

The darkness was beginning to be invaded by a flickering yellow light, as I approached the source of it, I was now no longer in a darkened hallway. The light came from two burning torches in what looked like an inner cavern inside the cave, and like Darmine said earlier, there was a pool of water directly in the middle of the cavern.

The ringing of my bangles as I walked now supplied me strength as I made my way to the water's edge.

The water was so beautifully blue in the light of the torches that I was shocked at how serene it all seemed. Looking down, I couldn't see the bottom of all that blue, but I did see multi-colored fish that faintly glowed as they darted around in the water, either unaware of my presence or simply too deep to care.

I smiled before taking a deep breath. That lovely scent of salt water, jasmine, honeysuckle, and delicate vanilla invaded my nose, calming me further.

The knife I had held onto loosely was now being gripped in my right hand tightly.

I held my other hand out and quickly slashed down on my palm, gasping in surprise at the pain but I ignored it and gripped my bleeding hand into a tight fist.

The beads of ruby red blood plinked into the clean blue water, and it almost looked like it was staining it. My heart thudded in sadness at the impurity my blood was creating in that gorgeous water, but I did as I was directed and let my hand bleed.

After a good amount of my blood had dripped into the water, I withdrew my hand and pressed the cloth that Darmine had given me to my wound.

Watching the water, I noticed my blood was glowing as it sank into the water, it was a red glow that trickled into the blue. Surprisingly, I was not even shocked.