You are the only one I need

PROLOGUE - 3 - the death

Thalirana's connection to the sea ran deep, woven into the very fabric of her being since childhood. Despite the arguments and disapproval from her family, she found solace and joy in the embrace of the ocean, its waves and currents a source of unparalleled comfort and belonging.

However, the tranquillity of Thalirana's life was shattered when her beloved grandmother fell gravely ill. For months, she watched as Metara's health deteriorated, knowing in her heart that her tìhawnu's time was drawing to a close. As Thalirana turned seventeen, she found herself grappling not only with the impending loss of her grandmother but also with the weight of her responsibilities as a warrior and the eldest daughter of the village chief.

One fateful day, as Thalirana returned from the daily hunt with her fellow warriors, she received a distress call from a villager urging her immediate return to the maruai pod. With a sinking feeling in her chest, she raced back, her heart pounding with dread.

Inside the maruai, Thalirana was met with a scene that drained the colour from her face. Her grandmother lay pale and frail, her once-sparkling eyes now dimmed by the weight of illness. Thalirana knew that the time had come, yet she couldn't bear the thought of saying goodbye.

With trembling hands and tear-filled eyes, Thalirana knelt by her grandmother's side as Metara whispered her final words. It was a bittersweet moment, filled with love and sorrow, as Thalirana held onto her grandmother's hand with all her strength, unwilling to let go.

[Metara:] I know a girl from an island. She stands apart from the crowd. She loves the sea and her people, she makes her whole family proud. Sometimes the world seems against you, the journey may leave a scar. But scars can heal and reveal just where you are. The people you love will change you. The things you have learned will guide you. And nothing on Pandora can silence, the quiet voice still inside you. And when that voice starts to whisper, "Thalirana, you've come so far." Thalirana listen, do you know who you are?

[Thalirana:] Who am I?I am a girl who loves my island, and the girl who loves the sea ... it calls me. I am the daughter of the village chief. We are descended from voyagers, who found their way across the world, they call me. They've delivered us to where we are. I will journey farther. I am everything I've learned and more, still it calls me. And the call isn't out there at all. It's inside me. It's like the tide, always falling and rising. I will carry you here in my heart, you'll remind me, that come what may, I will know the way! I am poised to become the next olyeykte of our tribe, entrusted with the responsibility of guiding our people. But above all, I am your beloved tìhawnu alor. I am Thalirana te Ronal'ite, and I carry within me the legacy of our ancestors and the strength to forge my path."

As Metara drew her last breaths, Thalirana whispered a prayer to Ewya, her heart heavy with grief. She was torn from her grandmother's side by her grieving parents, the weight of loss pressing down on her like a leaden weight.

In the days that followed, Thalirana found herself consumed by grief, her sorrow mingling with the overwhelming sense of duty that now lay heavy upon her shoulders. It was then that her father revealed Metara's final wish – a message from Ewya herself, urging Thalirana to venture beyond the reef and fulfil her destiny.

[Tonowari:] She told us her final wish before she died. She had received a message from Ewya to be asked to do so. She wants you to venture beyond the reef to fulfil your destiny, to become the one you were born to be. You will be allowed to venture after a month, once all the ceremonies are completed.

[Thalirana:] Really? Even though I am not 21?

[Ronal:] Yes, you are. However, you must promise to come back safely and before the next Tulkun cycle in 10 months.

[Thalirana:] Absolutely. Oh! Thank you sa'nok and sempul!

With the first rays of dawn illuminating the horizon, Thalirana set off on her journey, her heart filled with both grief and hope. It was a journey of self-discovery, a quest to honour her grandmother's memory and uncover the depths of her soul. And as she sailed into the unknown, she whispered a silent vow to herself – to become the one she was born to be, to ride the waters and discover her true destiny. Her journey to discover her true self, the journey to become........."Txur tìran oeyä, toruk txe'lan makto."

(rider of the last fang, rider of the water dragon)