Song of the Lost Goddess

Chapter 1: Falling.

Ow.

Ow.

Ow.

Ow.

OW!

These are the words of a falling person. What the hell was I thinking, plunging to the waters below off of a cliff?! It was only 10 feet, though. But still, it was a cliff. I seriously did not know what was circling throughout my mind as I fell, all I remember is the pain when I hit the water. Oh Saint Grigor, THAT HURT. I was enrolled in Sephiros, the school for young women training to become priestesses. I do not desire that outcome for myself. Sure, it is possibly the single way for a Cyresian woman to gain prestige, but chanting to a fruitless moon, staying forever a virgin? I do not want a fate for that.

So I ran, as fast as I could, in the middle of the night. Those foolish nuns will never know of my escapade. That is, if Kina, my roommate, doesn't blab. I would love to think the reason that she would eventually let loose her mouth is because of her perpetual worry, but the actual truth would be that she doesn't' want to get herself into trouble because of a stupid thing I had done. 

But this isn't stupid- this is escape. Escape from a life of eternal silence, of chanting to deities that would find it more pleasant if I had just never have been born.  Right. where was I? Oh. FALLING. The school overlooks a cliff that has the Xenes Sea right under its feet, named for Xenewr, the god of water, one of the four elemental saints. That sea has a reputation for being quite rough, especially during the summer. It often took the lives of ships with measly crews and untrained or foreign navigators. But seriously, Just how much trouble could it be for an 18-year-old girl?

A LOT OF TROUBLE. I gazed at the water that seemed to sparkle, even in the darkest of nights. I made a little prayer to Xenewr, hoping that by his hand, he would softly push his waves over me to hopefully guide me to a profession worth yearning for, not being a stuffy shaman. Maybe the gods know that this life as a priestess isn't my desire, and that perhaps they were wrong in letting destiny drag me here. I once again looked down to the sea. A lump formed in my throat as my common sense screamed, don't do this! I'm not one who usually listens to her senses. Not only are they wrong, they get me into a bigger problem than the last. 

So, I took a deep breath, forced my lungs to its maximum capacity, took a running start, and jumped. The air whooshed angrily around my ears as the heavy forces dragged me down, my body getting nearer and nearer , until finally, I hit the water. The dark, murky waves lapped over my head, threatening to pull me down to the bottom of the sea. I rapidly kicked with all my might, but my hefty training habit was soaked with water, dragging me down. I fought, trying to stay afloat, though I had to be careful, else the remaining air would be knocked out of me, then I would really be in trouble.

I fought for what it seemed like hours, bubbles of air swirling around me like thick smoke rising from a roaring fire. I'm not the lucky few who learned how to swim unfortunately. Or, perhaps this was a sign from the gods for spitting the hands that gave me life.

My lungs screamed for air, my mind screamed for air. Every part of me screamed for air, until I finally managed to overcome the water and shoot my head through. I coughed and spluttered, but my lungs were grateful for the air they were receiving. I floated on my back like a lazy otter, and watched as Sephiros grow smaller and smaller, as I drifted away in the sea. 

The waves roared, pounding my ears. I looked around. I could already see land. There were a few maps in the school, so I knew that soon I would be approaching the mainland. I smiled to myself, having avoided a fate I would surely dread, before a rough wave surfed into my mouth, dragging me right back under the sea. I fought again, but my breath was violently knocked right out of me. I saw my last breaths of air swirl out of me in silver, fluid bubbles. Panic dropped in my chest. This is it, I thought. I'm going to die.  My head bobbed around , and the burning desire for air in my lungs didn't ease me either. Just as my lungs took a gasp for air, filling it to the brim with water, my vision blurred, and everything went dark.