Bladewarriors Book 1: Refresh

Myst emerged from the sea, gasping for air as she spun her head about, panicked. Around her, in every direction, was nothing but water. There was no shore – no land visible on any horizon; just the endless expanse of the ocean surrounding her. The nymph took in a breath, struggling to keep her self afloat as her mind raced, trying to figure out what was going on – how she had gotten there. What had happened to the ship?

As if to answer the treading girl's question, the undulating sea lifted a shattered chunk of the vessel into her vision. The girl gasped, spinning where she was to stare around her at the scattered pieces of the strange ship that littered the ocean. There was nothing left of it but ruins tossed by the waves, scattered among similarly sized hunks of ice.

"Frost…"

Myst stared at the pieces of frozen water, thinking of the white-haired fool, and the rest of her companions. She spun herself in the water again, swinging her head back and forth as she searched for any signs of them.

"Frost!" the nymph screamed, hoping he might reply. "Flare! Ivy!"

Only the gentle lapping of the water against the debris around her responded, the rest of the world silent. Alarm began to overtake the girl's senses as her friend's failed to reply.

"Frost, damn it, answer me!" She screamed out again, spinning about still as she waited for a response.

Still nothing.

Myst took in a deep breath before dunking her head beneath the waves, diving down into the water. The salty fluid burned at her eyes as she twisted around beneath the waves, searching for any signs of her friends. But she found no signs of red, green, or white before her air began to expire. In need of breath, the girl pushed up to the surface once more.

The nymph quickly took in a rushed breath before diving back beneath the surface again, pushing herself deeper as she struggled to find her friends. She twisted her head back and forth, desperately seeking any sign of them as the light got dimmer, and her breath slowly ran out. Still nothing.

Myst poked her head back up from beneath the water, taking a deep breath as she pulled in much needed air, spinning her head back and forth once more, hoping she might spot them. All the nymph could see, though, was the still bobbing chunks of ship and ice.

"What the hell is going on…?"

Myst thought aloud as she began to swim to one of the floating masses, pulling herself part way on to it in order to rest, mind still racing. The last thing she could remember was…

"Oh…"

Myst let out a sigh of relief as she suddenly realized what was really going on. The last thing she could remember was falling asleep in the cabin of Medusa's ship. She was dreaming – or maybe…

"Oh." The word was a little less comfortable sounding as the girl said it again. She wasn't dreaming – she was stuck in a vision. And from the looks of it, it wasn't a happy one. Not that she ever seemed to have cheery portents of the future.

Myst paused, glancing around once more. Obviously her blade was trying to warn of this outcome, but how was she supposed to prevent it if she only knew the aftermath. Unless… unless it was simply warning her of what was going to happen if they continued on their path.

The nymph pulled herself the remaining way up onto her makeshift lifesaver, glancing out across the ocean. At the moment, outside of her vision, their group was on course to battle with The Serpent. Was this her sword's way of telling her they weren't ready for such an undertaking? It was true they were still inexperienced. Ivy was still learning how to use her sword. Even though the girl had shown impressive resolve and skill for her level against Medusa, Myst had no doubt in her mind the victory was almost entirely a matter of luck. She was sure if the jellyfish had been entirely serious against Ivy from the start, the girl wouldn't have even lasted as long as she had when first attacked.

The rest of them weren't exactly experts with their blades, either. Though, combined, they had somehow managed to push back the Sentry, it hadn't been without a number of close calls. And while stories insisted that the Sentry rivaled The Serpent's strength, there was a clear reason why it was The Serpent that ruled the realm – and it wasn't because she was beloved by the people.

The nymph lifted her hand, somehow finding the Aqua Saber suddenly clutched in her mitts. She stared at the weapon, sighing as she tried to understand its message – wondering if her intuition was correct.

"Is that what you want to say?" The nymph asked, questioning the silent tool. "Are you trying to show me that we aren't ready? That this is what will happen if we don't turn back?"

A sudden glow blinded Myst, forcing her to raise an arm to shield her eyes. The nymph blinked, turning back and forth as she searched for the source, finding nothing that could make so brilliant a glow. She turned her eyes down, looking at the shadow she cast, trying to guess the direction of the shine's source from where it fell. The nymph gasped as she saw the short, punctuated form of her shadow. It could mean only one thing.

The nymph spun her head upward, staring at the clouds. There, above her, was one of the rarest sights in the Realm of Water: the sun. The swordswoman stared up at the glowing orb, barely able to tolerate its shine as she sat in awe of the spectacle. It had been years since it had last poked its head out.

"Now there's a beautiful sight!"

Myst gasped, spinning her head to the side, staring as Ivy suddenly moved up next to her, leaning out to enjoy the sun's rays. The nymph suddenly found herself back on the ship – somehow reassembled – sitting on the deck near the railing. She shot up, spinning about as she eyed Frost and Flare as well. What was her sword showing her now?

"You alright, Myst?" Flare turned a concerned eye to her, spotting her trepidation.

The nymph as silent, staring past the boy at the opposite edge of the ship, where the sun didn't hit. There was nothing there – it was as if the part of the ship in the shadows didn't exist. Myst turned her eyes out to the sea beyond, finding the scattered pieces of the ship still floating out there in the water.

"Myst?"

The boy moved toward her, catching her befuddled gaze. The sword was telling her… to stay in the light?

Myst turned her vision down, staring at the sword in her hands. How was she supposed to do that? Was the sword guaranteeing her the sun would shine tomorrow? And even if it was, how was she supposed to make sure to avoid the shadows when she couldn't control the ship?

"I don't understand." Myst shook her head, staring at the blade.

"You will." A voice responded as the world around her suddenly vanished, replaced by an intruding darkness.

Myst gasped, springing up as she turned to glance around. The ocean was gone, the darkness slowly receding, also, as her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the ships' cabin. The nymph paused, staring around at the dark, silent room. She looked to her side, spying Ivy sleeping comfortably in the bed beside her. Turning her head the other way, Myst spotted the half-vacated bed the boys were sharing. She could see a noticeable mound in the blankets which she assumed to be Flare on the distant side of the mattress. On the closer side, Myst found her white-haired companion half-collapsed on the floor. The fool's feet seemed to grip the top of the bed while the rest of him was sprawled out along the floor beside it, a small puddle of drool collecting near the boy's head.

Myst sighed, shifting the blankets from on top of her as she carefully got out of bed – trying her best not to wake Flare or Ivy, or step on Frost. The nymph stood, moving through the cabin, and slowly closing the door behind her, trying not to disturb their slumber.

"Can't sleep."

Myst jumped as someone questioned her, forcing her to spin around quickly. She blinked, staring toward the nearby railing of the ship at the mass of fiery red hair, and burning red eyes of her Flamian companion.

"I… uh…" Myst paused, turning to point back at the door. "I thought you were still sleeping."

The redhead grinned, laughing a bit as he turned to stare back out at the sea. "Couldn't seem to sleep… Frost kept kicking me."

Myst giggled softly, shifting her gaze back to the door for moment, before moving over to join Flare at the deck's edge, watching the ocean.

"What about you?" The redhead asked, looking toward Myst as he did.

"Me? I…" Myst paused a moment, realizing she was about to make up an excuse when she didn't need one. "… I had a vision."

The nymph stared down as the waves lapped against the side of the boat, the ship gently rocking. She had spent the last few years being told she shouldn't talk about her prophetic dreams, and trying to pretend they didn't happen whenever possible. Her father had treated them as curses, and her mother had always told her to keep them to herself. As Flare asked the question, though – as she opened her mouth to answer him – she realized she didn't need to lie about it to him.

"A vision?" Flare smiled, nodding. "That's right. You're sword lets you see the future, right?"

"I wouldn't say it 'lets me'," the nymph replied, frowning as she continued to watch the water. "More like, it makes me see it sometimes."

"You say that like you wish it didn't."

Myst lifted her head, turning to look at the redhead, but found him already staring at her. The fiery teen's pupils peered into her, as if trying to discern what thoughts were rushing through her head as he smiled. Oddly… Myst felt like he was concerned for her.

"Sometimes." The nymph replied, turning away from his gaze. "I don't usually see happy things. A lot of it is painful… or sad."

Flare was silent a moment, turning his eyes from the girl. The boy brought his hands together, leaning back against the railing as he stared out at the dark and imperceptible horizon.

"It's a reflection of our age."

"Huh?" Myst replied, curious as she snuck a peek at the boy through the corner of her eyes.

"The world we live in right now," Flare explained, his words carrying with them an imperceptible force that seemed to grip at Myst's attention, "is a sad and painful place. I think your visions mirror that."

The nymph didn't respond as she turned to face the boy, silent as she waited for him to say more.

"You can't expect to see cheery events when the world is full of so much suffering. There's not going to be many happy things to see." Flare continued. "So that's the kind of future your sword is going to show you. At least until we do something about it."

Myst continued to stand in silence as the boy finished, twisting to face back out at the ocean as she lowered her gaze. Only a week had passed since she had met Flare, but in that week, she had yet to hear him say something so insightful. He spoke a lot of what had to be done, but not much on the how or why. More than anything else, the redhead was passionate about his beliefs – when he spoke, you got the impression he believed the outcome he was hoping for was the only possible outcome. He seemed to think he would know how things would finish when in truth he had no clue.

On the other hand, she could actually see the future. Visions of inevitable events filled Myst's dreams every night, telling her – without room for doubt, sometimes – exactly what was going to happen. And yet, knowing these things – seeing these things – Myst was never sure of what the future actually held. She felt more lost than ever.

"There's… something I've wanted to ask you." Myst spoke up, feeling Flare's eyes move on to her as she continued to stare at the sea. "I just never felt like it was the right time to ask… with Frost and Ivy always around."

"You're… not going to confess your love to me or anything are you?" Flare joked, laughing to himself. The nymph smiled, shaking her head gently.

"Nothing like that."

"What's up, then?" The redhead questioned, tone as genial as ever.

"Back in Sentinel Bay," Myst began, wringing her hands together as she spoke, "when we were fighting The Sentry… I had a vision."

"What of?" Flare asked when the nymph fell silent for a moment, prompting her to continue.

"I'd rather not say," Myst replied, a surge of guilt rising in her as she recalled what she had allowed herself to do in that prophetic dream, "but… you changed it."

"I changed it?" Flare repeated the phrase inquisitively. "How so?"

The nymph paused, unsure how to answer the question without revealing what she would have done had that redheaded boy not been around and thrown sanity to the wind.

"Sentinel Bay was supposed to be destroyed." Myst replied after a long moment of silence. "But… you didn't do what you were supposed to do."

"What was I supposed to do?" Flare questioned immediately.

The nymph raised her gaze from the sea, meeting the boy's eyes. Hidden there, behind a layer of counterfeit curiosity, Myst was sure she could see an air of certainty. It was as if Flare already knew the answer, but wanted her to say it – to admit it.

"You weren't supposed to do anything." The girl sighed, lowering her eyes. "I was just… I thought I was… But then you didn't…"

Myst trailed off, frustration building in her gut as she struggled to find the right words – the words that would let her answer Flare but not reveal what she had seen herself do – let herself do. Before she realized it, tears were welling in the corner of her eyes, guilt for the action she had never been able to perform, if only thanks to that boy's compassion and drive.

"What you see," Flare sighed, turning away, back to the ocean, "and what happen… they don't always have to be the same thing, do they?"

Myst shook her head, trying to wipe the tears from her eyes as she turned away from the boy.

"Then don't worry about it." Flare exclaimed, turning a grin to the back of the girl's head. "What you see – who you see – they're not always going to be how things end up… or how they are."

The nymph turned back, facing the smile as she finished calming her frustration, finding the same sense of knowing hidden behind the boy's compassionate eyes. Part of her wanted to ask if, somehow, he did know what she had seen – what she might have done – but she didn't. She stepped back to the railing, staring out at the ocean, reluctant to ever admit to this boy – this soldier of passion – what might have been. A long moment of silence passed between them as they both stared at the point in the distance where the sky and the sea blurred together.

After the moment passed, Myst took in a deep breath, shifting to look at the redheaded teen – to thank him for his swords. But as she saw the melancholy glaze that coated the boy's eyes, she paused, surprised. She hadn't seen Flare ever wear a look like that. Myst bit down on her lower lip, concerned and alarmed.

"Are…" Myst paused as Flare suddenly began to turn toward her, the depression that had been drowning his eyes vanishing that same instant. She almost wondered if she should think twice about asking, but as the redhead's eyes stared back at her curiously, waiting for her to finish, she felt she had no choice.

"Are you okay?" Myst bit down on her lip again as the forced levity fled from the redhead's face and he turned back out to sea.

"Yeah…" The boy answered coldly, the normal kindness and passion in his voice gone. The nymph remained silent, reaching one hand up to squeeze her opposite arm, uncertain what to do as an awkward silence crept in.

"What were you doing right before we started this quest?"

The redhead broke the lull suddenly, turning his sad eyes back to Myst once more.

"I was…" The nymph paused, recalling those stressful moments. "I was fighting The Serpent, The Sentry, and Medusa."

The redhead's eyes widened as he straightened up a little bit, appearing to see her in a different light.

"I-I was thrashed completely." She added quickly, trying not to give the boy the wrong idea. "I held my own for a brief moment, but… as soon as The Serpent actually stepped in I was beaten in a matter of seconds."

"Hmm." Flare nodded, forcing a small grin as he turned his eyes away once more. "That's kind of strange. I was fighting The Salamander right before I got pulled into all of this."

"R-really?" Myst questioned, sounding as impressed as Flare had looked moments ago. "What happened?"

The boy was silent a moment before responding, lowering his eyes as he stared at nothing, lost in thought.

"I was fighting with a friend." Flare began after a moment. "I had told her to run, while I held The Salamander off. And she did. But then…"

Flare paused a moment, shaking his head as he sighed.

"The Salamander unleashed this massive explosion – I'm not even sure how far it stretched. It was right in the middle of my hometown. And the beast just… dropped it there, and burnt away everything, and…"

"You're worried about your friend." Myst inferred from the boy's tone, frowning as she stared at Flare. Flare didn't respond with anything more than a nod, eyes focused on some distant, unseen object.

"I'm sure she's okay." Myst spoke up, trying to comfort the boy.

He still didn't say anything.

The nymph sighed to herself, turning to stare out at the ocean, watching as a distant bolt of lightning lit the clouds for a moment. She wondered if that storm might be heading their way.

"You never talked about any of this before." Myst stated, turning back to Flare. "Why is it bothering you now?"

The redhead chuckled to himself, suddenly pushing up from the rail as he turned away from the ocean.

"It's not as if it hasn't been bothering me all this time." Flare replied, slowly moving back toward the cabin. "I'm sorry. This was supposed to be a private dilemma. Just forget about it."

"Flare, wait!" Myst reached out quickly, grasping the boy's arm as he tried to move away.

"You once told me that I wasn't alone." The nymph pulled on the boy's arm, forcing the redhead to face her. "Well… the same is true for you. You're not alone, either, Flare. I'm here – we're all here. You can talk about these things if you need to."

The redhead stared back at her, appearing confused. His eyes peered into her own, as if searching for something – searching for an answer he didn't have. She tilted her head to the side a bit, curious why he seemed so bewildered. Then, from nowhere, Flare began to laugh, shaking his head.

"That's so weird…"

"Wh-what is?" Myst responded, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"Nothing." Flare shook his head, lifting his eyes back up to Myst as he grinned. "Thanks, Myst."

The redhead turned back, finishing his trek to the door. As he placed his palm on the handle, though, he stopped and turned back to the nymph once more.

"What was it about?"

"Wh-what?" Myst replied, confused by the question.

"You said you had a vision, right?" Flare questioned. "What was it about?"

Myst frowned, shaking her head.

"I was in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by the shattered remains of our ship. And I couldn't find you, or Ivy, or Frost anywhere" Myst explained, clutching at her own arm for comfort. "I have no idea how it got like that, but then…"

Myst paused, raising her head to look up at the pitch of the night sky.

"But then, the clouds parted, and a ray of sunlight surrounded me." Myst replied. "And everywhere the light touched, the ship was okay. And you were all back. But… I'm not sure what it means."

Flare twisted his face, contemplating the premonition a moment, then shrugged.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out." Flare replied, turning to pull open the door. "Don't fret it too much, and try to get some sleep."

Flare began to step into the cabin, pulling the door closed behind him.

"We'll have a busy day tomorrow, by the sounds of it."

The door closed behind the red head, leaving Myst alone on the deck. The nymph turned her eyes out to the distant storm once more, watching as another bolt of lightning lit the far off sky. Whether literal or figurative, their group would be facing a storm tomorrow. Sighing, Myst only hoped they'd be ready for it.