CHAPTER 28: “OCEANA AND NEBULE”

Ai wasn’t sure on what they needed to do next. They couldn’t exactly stay in the alley for much longer. Though it was dark, sooner or later someone was bound to stumble upon their hiding place and rat them out. Ai wasn’t even sure how he and Naela was going to travel around. The sight of a disheveled harpy wouldn’t be received very well by the sirens.

For the time being he managed to purchase a cloak accessory from the nearby vendors and covered Naela’s wings and aviary features. Both of them walking together would still draw some curious eyes, but at least the villagers wouldn’t try to outright attack Naela for being a harpy.

He really didn’t know where to go, but decided that he would still use the inn for now. Surprisingly, he could still enter the inn without much of a hassle. Though the innkeeper did glance at him curiously, they didn’t stop him from climbing up the stairs into their room.

Nameless was there when they returned, still with her giant cloak that covered her entire face. Naela looked at Nameless with a bit of fear on her face, which was to be expected since Nameless was also a siren that supposedly hated harpies.

As soon as the door closed, Naela quickly took off her cloak, shaking and flapping her wings after that. The cloak must’ve been way too hot against her wings. Nameless didn’t react too much, but she still created a bit of distance between them. Naela also made an effort to not make too much eye contact.

Looking at the both of them, Ai wondered if he should make use of his [Mediation Session] to at least calm the situation just a little bit and let the two of them speak. They had the same goal after all, to free Nebule from her prison. After a thought, he decided that it was best to save the skill. The cooldown was much too long for him to be able to use it so freely. He had a feeling that he would need it much later at a much more important time.

Which meant that he needed to facilitate them manually.

Clearing his throat, he glanced between the two and gestured towards the table. “Why don’t we all sit.”

To the both of them he said, loudly and clearly. “We have the same goal. To free Nebule, right? We’re all on the same side.”

Naela was the first to give in. The harpy glanced at Nameless one more time before she took a seat. Nameless needed to study the harpy for a bit longer before she too took a seat across from the harpy. Ai couldn’t help but smile. It was little but it was progress. They needed to work together.

“Now. We need to talk about everything we know regarding this entire situation. When all the information is laid out, we’ll be able to work on a plan together.”

***

It started when the first sirens were sent to exile. It wasn’t only the normal sirens who were exiled, but their queen, Oceana, was also sent along.

Oceana was no normal siren. She had been much more powerful and charming than the others. Her voice had been the most melodic of them all. Not only had it been a deadly weapon that lured sailors to their death, the queen had also loved singing it to her people for the other sirens loved her voice dearly. Oceana had been a beacon of hope amongst her people. Oh how disappointed she and her people were when they learned that even their almighty queen could not escape Amaiera’s curse. As she tried to sing a song that could comfort her people, nothing but terrible, ugly and unbearable shrieking sounds could escape her lips. Perhaps the most wretched sound of all.

Yet the source of her despair did not end there.

Every generation, a single child will be born with an ability to sing as sirens used to. Beautifully, charmingly, enchantingly. The only difference being that no other race could hear it. Only the sirens could hear the idol’s singing voice. 

Poor, despairing Oceana.

Once the beacon of her people, her role had been stripped from her and she casted away. The former glorious queen had to witness in pain as the sirens flocked to their new idol without so much as thinking about their queen. 

In her last dying moments, Queen Oceana of the Sirens made a single oath.

She would not rest. 

She would stay. Forever. Until the sirens were no more.

And so she stayed. 

In every generation. She was there. Her soul forever tethered to whichever child that was blessed with the siren’s voice. 

***

“Is that what happened with Nebule?” Ai asked, his brows furrowing. “Oceana took over her body?”

Neither of the two spoke, which meant the answer was yes. Oceana had taken over Nebule’s body and free will. The queen wanted to remain as the sirens’ beacon of hope and voice and it came true. Her soul was forever lingering, tethered to whichever child in every siren generation with the ability to sing.

“But this letter she sent me…” Did Oceana fake it…?

Naela glanced at Nebule’s letter once again. Her expression morphed into one of immense sadness. “She wrote that herself. I saw her once. When she was still Nebule, furiously writing as if it was her lifeline.”

Ai gently clutched the letter in his hands and brushed his thumb over it. So the desperation that he felt written in these words were true. Nebule had used the last few remnants of her consciousness to send him this letter and beg for his help. She must’ve thought that she at least had enough time to meet him but judging from what happened when he arrived, Oceana had taken over much faster than Nebule herself anticipated. 

“So what we need to do now is find a way to bring Nebule back.” Ai concluded, his short fingers gently tapping the table in front of him. “A way to pull her back from the depths of her consciousness.”

Naela shook her head dejectedly. She didn’t look up, instead her eyes were locked on one of her feathers that had fallen and landed on the table. “I’ve tried so many times. I’ve called her name, I’ve even knocked her out. Oceana is much too powerful.”

The group fell into more disappointed silence. Naela had been Nebule’s friend and was the closest to her and yet even the harpy could not pull Nebule’s mind out from Oceana’s suppression. What could the rest of them exactly do?

Nameless, who had been staying quiet, suddenly looked up and opened her lips.

“I have a suggestion.” She said. Ai couldn’t see past the darkness of the hood, but he saw just a tiny bit of a glint in the NPC’s eyes.

***

As night fell, the trio decided that it was best if they didn’t leave the inn until the day where they would put their plan into action. Nameless seemed agitated at not being able to go around gallivanting as she loved to do, but recognized that it was important. With what seemed to be a dejected pout, the cloaked NPC rejected the offer to take the bed and found herself a spot on one of the dark corners of the room and fell asleep, her back against the wall.

As for the other two, Ai had insisted that the harpy took the only bed since she had been through quite the experience, escaping a dungeon all on her own. Ai somehow managed to urge the shadow beast to take its giant canine like form and turn itself into Ai’s personal pillow. He wasn’t sure how it would work but he was going to try.

Naela looked the most anxious out of all of them. While Nameless was sound asleep, the harpy sat up on the edge of the bed, nervously combing, plucking and pruning her feathers even though they looked just fine.

Ai watched her gestures for a moment before the harpy caught him. With an awkward smile, she put down her wings and looked away. Ai suspected that she was only seconds away from biting on the tips of her plumes, like a child biting on their fingernails when they were nervous.

“Tell me more about Nebule.” Ai blurted. He really didn’t know why he asked, it was any of his business knowing what exactly their relationship was, but he asked anyway. The harpy looked about ready to run and he found talking about someone you loved to be a great motivator, so he asked.

Naela, not expecting such a question either, flustered around a bit until she managed to come up with a semblance of an answer. “She’s lovely. She’s kind, gentle, a slight pushover. She just can't say no to anyone.”

The more she spoke, the more relaxed her face and posture was. A slight rosy tint rose on her cheeks and her eyes shone so brightly with affection. Ai simply listened without interrupting. “She’s also kind of an airhead, she believes any outlandish lies you tell her, it's concerning. But that’s what makes her so lovable.”

“You’re not just friends are you?” 

This question Naela seemed to expect. She shook her head gently and pulled out a string from beneath her raggedy clothes. The silver string glinted under the dim moonlight and the thin gold ring hanging from the chain also winked. 

“We’re lovers.” Naela said, her eyes fondly gazing into the ring as memories washed over her. “That’s why I have to save her. She’s my entire life.”