Legend of Parocaav II: Against the Darkness (rough draft)

Chapter IV: The Return of Water

A few hours have flown by while the Bringers of Hope are trying to figure out where they need to go. The clue is in the legend. Drayk and Roku are staring out into the sea, pondering over the story they have just heard. The waves crashing against the dock under their feet. Sammi is lying back, looking straight up into the sky.

"It can't be Ragnarok. That would be too obvious," Drayk thinks out loud.

"Indeed," Sammi agrees as she sits up.

"Where could it possibly be?" Roku asks, who seems to be the most confused.

"Hey Sammi, do you remember the stories father used to tell us before we went to bed every night?" Drayk asks while looking at his kid sister.

"Of course," Sammi replies, "They're some of my most precious memories. Why?"

"Do you remember the story of Auzt?" Drayk responds with a question.

"Auzt.... yeah! That was the City of Beginnings in ancient times," Sammi says.

"I wonder if Auzt is it. It's called the City of Beginnings for a reason. It is the place that Gaia gave her life force to the planet," Drayk explains.

"Makes sense, it may have been the Legend of Parocaav, but Gaia has always been her main focus. No doubt they could be connected, but what if we're wrong?" Roku adds, "Besides, is Auzt still standing?"

"No. It has been in ruins for centuries, but it's a place to start at the very least," Drayk jokes, "Better than sittin' around here waiting for any other ideas."

"What if we're wrong?" Roku asks.

"Only one way to find out," Drayk tells her, "Let's go tell Ryk we're leaving."

The Bringers of Hope start to get up when a loud crash echoes from out at sea. A massive wave rises high, blanketing out the light from the sun. Water slams down into the city, instantly destroying all it comes in contact with. Drayk covers the three of them with a rock wall. Water rushes over and around the wall. The rock starts to crack while Roku enforces the wall with another layer of rock.

"Sammi!" Drayk shouts.

"On it!" Sammi says, already knowing what to do.

Sammi carves an alchemic circle into the rock wall and touches it with two fingers. The circle glows white, then so does the wall. Once the light fades away, it leaves the rock a shiny metallic wall. Drayk and Roku relax while lowering their arms.

"Thanks sis," Drayk smiles as he turns around.

The raging water has finally subsided, but has left a trail of destruction in its wake. The entire city has crumbled to the ground. Bodies of the Storm Clan are scattered about all over the streets. A familiar feeling of being sickened overtakes Sammi. She looks up at Drayk, now understanding his desire to fight in this war. Before now, she had never understood why he wanted to join the war so much. Now that Sammi has seen such a slaughtering in person without running from it, she can see the true damage being done.

"What could have caused this?" Sammi wonders out loud.

"I don't know," Drayk simply states.

"Merii?" Roku says under her breath, then speaks louder, "I have a feeling.... well, it's more of a hunch.... Merii."

"We defeated her," Drayk points out, "I sent her to an unknown dimension."

"Parocaav is absorbing Gaia's power, who knows what it's capable of," Sammi adds.

A laughing can be heard echoing throughout the area, coming from the ocean. Drayk taps the wall and it collapses back into the earth. Just as the Bringers look out into the sea, a spiral of water shoots out from beneath the waves with a beam of light. A small object moves up through the towering water, darkened in the light. The tower bursts open and water crashes down to the ocean. The object now looks like a woman standing still, but whom is seen from the backside. Long wavy blue hair reaches the small of the woman's back. She is dressed in traditional Water Mage battle robes. They are a dark blue with a silver stitching and have the Crest of Water on both shoulders. The woman turns to face them, revealing her face. Blue eyes glare them down as Roku's heart sinks.