Reverie Visage

Chapter 4: Its Name is Quetzal

The boat tore through the black ocean with exhilarating force, charging headlong toward the light at the edge of the water. Even with the windshield, the cold, billowing gales that pushed against them were like knives against their skin, but they did not slow down. Kiran was dead set on reaching the island as quickly as possible.

"We should be arriving in about twenty minutes," Quim informed him. "we're in no rush, so if the wind is too much for you, we can go a little slower or take a break."
"No. Keep going at full speed. I've already waited this long, and I'm tired of not knowing."
"If you say so... Just make sure you don't fall out. The air is already cold enough, falling in the water would probably send you into shock within seconds, and on top of that, it would be too dark to find you."
"Tch, don't worry about me, just keep your eyes ahead."

The leader leaned forward, staring off to their destination, trying to make out any sort of details that could have been newly visible, but it was still too far off. He soon sat back down in his chair and rested his arm on the side of the boat, the rippling of the water below them creating a light mist around him.

"You must really care about your people to go to such lengths for them, huh?" Quim asked.
"I guess you could say that. I put 'em through a lot, but I've taken care of them since before they could even walk. I guess more than anything I feel the responsibility of continuing what my dad started."
The boy paused. "About that... how exactly did your dad's generation die off? You said that the water supply was tainted by a poisonous substance, but if that were the case, there would be an abundance of that substance outside that seeped into the shelter, or it had to have been tampered with... Did you happen to see how the contamination began?"
Kiran looked down at his fist and pursed his lips. "No... I... I never saw how."

---

The two sat in forced silence for what must have been minutes. Save for the sound of the ocean and the boat's whirring motor, there was no sound. As they drew nearer, more and more of the island became clear to them. The light was not coming from the island alone, but was added onto by something shining down on it, yet still it was too far to make out.

"Hey Kiran..." Quim started, treading lightly with his words. "forgive me for making any assumptions, but... were you the one who--"
"Just shut up and keep going."

---

Without even realizing it, Kiran's eyes fell shut. The minutes that had passed were reduced to a mere blink of an eye in his light sleep. He wiped his eyes and looked around, trying to see if they had covered any substantial ground, but when he tried looking ahead, his eyes were blinded by light that shone more brilliantly than anything he had seen before.

"Rgh! What was that?!" he grunted, covering his face.
"Oh, you're awake," Quim replied. "this island... it's incredible... I've never seen anything like it."
"Where's that light coming from?! Turn it off!"
"I don't think we can turn it off... Look."

When Kiran tried to gaze upon what was ahead, his then watery eyes were subconsciously forced shut by the bright intensity. It took him a solid minute, but eventually his eyes got used to the harsh conditions and he was able to see clearly, more clearly than he ever had before.

A black mass stood still at the center of the ocean. He wanted to think it was an island, but it was unlike anything previously described in his research. Instead of a sandy beach, green grass and trees, and animals, it was just a ginormous, mostly flat platform that contorted into an unrecognizable shape. The most peculiar part about it, however, was not the shape of the landmass, but what was around it. Along the edges, spires of ethereal light beamed straight up toward the heavens, pulsating through all the colors of the rainbow as if by magic. Below, a sort of energy was emmitted from the base of the island that weaved around the lights in a fluid motion. Further still, his eyes followed the beacons to the sky, where his view changed once again to something even more fantastical. The colorful pillars seemed to tear open the sky above, causing the black clouds to open in a vortex like the eye of a storm. And from that hole in the clouds... a series of golden rays shone down on the island.