Aura of Creation and Destruction

Chapter 5

To forget where one comes from means the death of identity. Luckily, intuition never dies.

On the water, the world becomes a different place entirely. Travel by foot was natural to bipedal, quadrupedal and winged creatures. Flight was achieved by many creatures too, be it with birthright or with talent. On the water however, a different set of rules applied. One is at the mercy of the sea, and one can only control so much. Gaito, now adrift, was following his memories. By looking to the reflection Faosha had gifted him, he followed a path. Guided with memories and along the stars, and hoping that he would find the place which had been so vividly brought back into his mind.

He was outstretched on the board, laying flat on his chest. His front spike giving way and flopping to the side. With his natural fins, he paddled forward. Two arms set below the waves. Each hand holding orange-void spheres conjured from his own energy. These acted as propellants forward through the sea's surface. Gaito was making progress with great speed, shooting through the waters. Waves flashed one by one, the fighter holding his breath as he breached into the watery mountains one by one, finding the other side seconds later.

The rippling aura pushed him on his way towards that fated destination. The smell of salt and fresh air filled him with vigor. Fish of various colors, shapes and sizes traveled besides him, some catching wind to imitate flight, but splashing down again moments after. He stared on through the moonlit sea, gazed affixed on his goal. In his mind were two questions. "will I really find my parents here?" and "How am I going to get back?"

The sun took hold of the sky, giving it a breathtaking vibrant pinkness. Dawn. And beyond dawn, his destination. An island cavern appeared in his line of sight; a blue rock on a blue ocean. The rock had birds flying about, its size increasing second by second. Gaito's anticipation grew, wondering what might lie ashore for him to ponder. Would there be others? Would his welcome be warm or ice cold? Memories began to unlock bit by bit. One of himself as a youthful spirit, coming and going from the island. He had always wondered what lie beyond the place he lived.

The island was the very one one he remembered from his childhood. It was smaller than he expected, however. The blue rock had one entrance, a parted line of land with rocks hovering overhead like an ethereal dome. It seemed like an illusion, but it was so very real. The rock he remembered, was built for them to live on.

He dove in. Waters calmed as the approach became slower and slower from the gallade. Rocks ended up leading him to another beach. He docked his board on the shore, the sand digging into the wooden composition. Slowing further until his movement stalled completely. Gaito released his aura sphere powers and propped the board in his arm. He rose to gaze at the landscape before him. He was as speechless as a tourist.

The shores of the island he landed upon of seemed uninhabited from first glance. The entrance of the cave was just that, a small cavern's entering point, seemingly artificially made. There were micro ponds all dotted around the surrounding landscape, with rock formations dotted with circular forms all across the way. They reached up to the treetops, where they snuck in and rested within the branches. They seemed to balance as if aided by a supernatural power at some point. Light could get through with many well planned gaps in the rocky ceiling, but not too much light. The trees were like bonsai's, each one equally as rock as it was earth. There were walls, mazes like a labyrinth at some stretched, followed by open areas. As open as it was, the island itself could be walked in about 100 steps. If it was this small, where could the rest of it be?

Gaito went on guard. Fists were raised. He was ready to strike should a foe appear before him as he took his first step forward. He quickly died back down as more wondrous mysteries lie before his vision. His parents, he was not sure if they were even still alive. He glowed a bit, anxious and excited all at once. He didn't venture far through the formations before finding the answer to his question of the island. A hole in the ground, seemingly carved with stairs, took place before him. He looked down, glowing a bit, seeing the pit with carvings heading down, down, deep and dark. He ventured forward, downwards, drawing up some excitement with anticipation, causing a chest glow to take hold further.