Siren's Kiss

59: Beneath the Lost Isle Part Two

"The monster you seek and speak of has yet to be born. But there is a far more terrifying beast slumbering beneath the ocean's depths, cradled in its mother's arms, waiting to give birth to abomination and chaos."

Drake stood in the center of a room dominated by a vast, circular pool. It looked identical to the one he and Ciel had visited when they ventured into this timeline. He surveyed the space—the marble columns, the intricate details—it was all the same. Yet, he had never encountered this place in the Amazon Queen's lair back in Eldoria.

"That be impossible... Are ye tellin' me that there whatever we be about to face in the present be more powerful than the Azure Kraken?" Althea lifted her gaze, her eyes settling on his face. If Drake's words intrigued her, she hid it well. His patience was unraveling, his reasoning slipping as he forgot that this was the past. The Amazon Queen's prophecy had already come to pass, and there was indeed a creature far worse than the Azure Kraken waiting for them in their timeline.

"You must embrace who you truly are if you wish to defeat that beast."

Drake stiffened. Whoever he was, huh? He glanced at the woman who, in the present timeline, was his mother. Althea's words, and even her demeanor, suggested she might know he was from the future—or at least, in this timeline, she believed he was part of her future. But for Drake and Ciel, these events were the past, and the future she foresaw was actually their present.

"Fantastic!" he exclaimed, finally succumbing to madness. "Just fantastic! Why waste our time travelin' all the way to this here... The gods be so—"

"If the gods wanted you here, it means they want you to embrace who you are..." Althea stepped forward slowly, unafraid of Drake, despite the frustration clear on his face and the way his fists clenched. It was as if she knew exactly how to handle him, or perhaps she had glimpsed a future where she held her firstborn child, only to let him go. Gently, she placed her palm on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath her skin, and sighed. "You've suffered enough, and you need closure. If you don't forgive and learn to trust those around you—including yourself—you will never defeat it. You'll lose, and someone powerful, immortal, will rise to reign. And when that happens, you'll lose everything."

Drake met her eyes, and a wave of calm and warmth seemed to envelop his heart. His hand instinctively wrapped around her wrist, gripping tightly, but she neither flinched nor pulled away. She stood there, as patient and understanding as only a mother could be...

"You left me..." Drake's voice trembled, his eyes locked on hers. "I ne'er once felt like ye were really there for me."

The impact of his words was undeniable—Althea's eyes misted with tears, and for the first time, her confidence wavered. "If I could take it all back, I would."

"But ye can't," he replied, his tone hardening. "Because whatever this here is... it's already happened, an' nothin' can change that."

A quiet clarity lit up her face. "I understand."

At that moment, Garrick kicked open the wooden door, his gaze darting from one person to the next, flickering between shock, disbelief, and offense. "What be the meanin' o' this here?"

Drake groaned and removed his mother's hand from his chest. Of course, Garrick would be jealous; all he had seen in this timeline was a saurian flirting with the Amazon Queen. "Don't worry, pop. She's not me type. Besides, if ye care about 'er so much, why didn't ye ever tell me about 'er?"

Garrick was taken aback by the response, left stunned for a moment. "What?"

"Forget it," Drake said, stepping away and heading toward the door. " I need to find me beloved an' be gone. We've gathered enough information, an' I'm already scarred enough." He paused halfway and glanced back at his parents. They were watching him, their expressions conveying different emotions. "It's been nice meetin' ye two... at least I've learned a little about meself. I'll be a jolly parent an' make ye both proud."