Synecca, Realm of Monsters
A light flashed in the being's eye at his answer, apparently it had been hoping for such an response but had been unsure if the young man would dare to agree so readily. Still even with such a quick reply, the young man still had questions he wanted answered. " But why was I chosen? Wouldn't it have made sense to pick someone from your own realm? "
" Ah if it was only that easy. I am unable to interact at all with my original realm so though it would have been the simplest, it was not an option. As for why you out of all others had been chosen...hmm I suppose it was how your soul called out in those final moments. Few can handle such a dire situation head on and even fewer can hold their head high when the battle has been lost. You certainly would have died if I did not take you but death would never have been a defeat for you. " The being was slowly taking them towards the sphere which had been pointed out earlier. As he drew near something seemed to press out from it and slowed their progress but whatever it was the young man could not feel it.
They finally stopped just outside of its range of tendrils, a struggle it seemed even for the magnificent being. The answer was simple enough to understand, in fact the young man took a little pride at the fact that he was even able to be noticed. Of course not recalling who he was made it difficult to understand why he had done such a thing but he would accept whatever fate was about to be thrown his way.
" So then were you the one who took my memories? " The question hung there for a long moment before the being responded, looking a little off put by it. Even before it spoke it was clear that the being knew nothing about this.
" Your memories? I had thought I reached you before death started to claim anything from you but...you seem to be aware of yourself at least. Sadly no, in your realm when one dies they are cleansed of all that they once were and are eventually given life anew. It is not the same in all realms but it is common enough. " The being seemed to deflate but continued on. " Though this should be worrisome I will consider it fate. In the end my realm will not need the exact person who you were, it will just need the person you have the potential to become. "
It was still high praise coming from the being but now the young man had to question if he was suited for the task. He had already said that he would help and was even looking forward to returning to a more normal place than the Between, even if he felt that he could spend countless lifetimes with the being and never grow tired. It must have experienced so much, and who knew what he would be able to see over time as the realms shifted and changed? He had only one question left now, but he mulled over if it was important enough to ask or not.
" I can see you still have something to say, you are doing something for me so do not hesitate to ask or to speak your mind. " The being was kind and it made the young man feel undeserving. What was he after all in comparison? But it had told him to speak freely, and so he would.
" How will I be able to save your realm? I know nothing about it and you won't be able to come with me to show the way forward. What if I was not the one you should have picked? " The being blinked before laughing, a warm vibration that made the young man feel a little foolish.
" No one ever truly knows what fate shall have in store. My realm is Synecca, the realm of monsters. You will be able to gain strengths only dreamed of in the realm you came from. I have already left my imprint upon you and it will help to guide you from time to time, but it will be you who decides what actions and which way you wish to go. After meeting you I have faith that you will be able to make a change. Now then it is time young Behemoth, I wish you the best of luck. And thank you for doing this, I will never forget your kindness. "
The young man felt his presence begin to leave and movetowards the realm. He tried to speak but a tendril from the realm surrounded him and he was unable to form the thoughts. The last he saw of the being was its massive figure as he was dragged into the realm, one that was both majestic and monstrous.
The being meanwhile watched as the young man was pulled into Synecca, the color of his existence slowly taking on the same hue that his own had. There had been so much the being wished to share, to warn the young man of, and matters unique to the realm. But in the end it had taken the last of his strength just to send him off. When the shimmering black of its existence flickered for the last time, it wore a smile on its long muzzle.
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The storm had been sudden, even for the Sral Coast. In all his years, Juin had never seen something so ferocious come so quickly. It took most of his strength just to battle back the waves with his own, thankful that he had picked Water as one of his talents back when he had been a young man and had trained enough to be moderately skilled. The rest of the village fishermen had been much closer to shore so they were safe from the storm, but Juin as usual had gone father out in hopes of catching the fish which lived around the reef, they always had a much richer flavor than anything found in the brackish waters where the river dumped into the coastline.
Juin was still very much a strong man even for his age, just starting to reach the point where his hair had turned salt and pepper. The life of a fisherman was lax but proved challenging enough that he maintained a slim yet athletic figure. The small flat bottom boat he was in only measured about five meters and had no obvious form of momentum, but what would a Water mage need such a thing for? Even so, the storm was wild enough to cause the vessel to ride high on waves and come slapping back down with enough force that Juin had decided to move closer to the center of his boat to keep from accidentally getting thrown overboard. There would be no way to keep himself from getting drenched if that happened.
~Thunk~
Baffled by the sudden noise, Juin looked to the side of his small vessel and noticed something floating in the chaotic waves. Thick sheets of rain made it difficult to see, but when he used his strength to push them back he could only gasp and dive headfirst into the waves. There was someone floating out in the middle of the storm!
Though Juin might be well past his prime, he was still a Water mage and wouldn't hesitate to save whatever unfortunate soul the sea was trying to swallow up. Juin focused his strength around his body and used it to propel himself through the waves, quickly catching up to the body before it sank back beneath the waves. Whoever the male was, he seemed young though still in the age of adulthood. Instead of carrying the two of them back, Juin simply pulled his fishing vessel over and hefted the two of them onboard with an upward surge of water.
As if by a miracle, the moment they hit the small boat's deck the rain started to subside, wind dying down from a near squall to simple sea breeze. As suddenly as the storm began, it was gone. Though he wanted to marvel at this strange phenomenon, Juin had to focus on the young man. A quick pass of his magic was enough to find water in his lungs, a simple matter to pull it free before he started trying to resuscitate the young man. After a few breaths Juin sat back as the young man began to sputter and cough, forcing air into his lungs and letting Juin get a better look at him.
The young man was just airing on the tall side, though it was hard to say exactly how tall he was since he was now sitting upright. He had dark brown hair splattered across his face, reaching just far enough to touch his eyes as it clung to his skin thanks to being drenched. The clothing he wore was a little strange but seemed to be nothing special, perhaps just materials that Juin wasn't familiar with. The young man also looked to have a decent build to him, but as Juin noticed his right arm it was clear that he had yet to Awaken since there was no marking. Handsome would be just a bit too much to describe him but the young man had a good face. When finally his eyes opened though, Juin was a bit surprised at their rich emerald color.
" Wha...~Cough~ Where am I? " The young man was clearly a bit banged up and Juin could only assume he must have come from an unfortunate ship considering where he had been found. Juin placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke up while looking to the village which was just barely visible off in the distance.
" Not to fret young man, I was lucky enough to pick you out of that storm. Just take a moment to get your bearings and I'll have us back on solid ground in a bit. " The boat was much easier to control now that it wasn't being thrown about, cutting through the water with ease as the two headed back. Juin took the young man's wide eyes and sudden silence as shock settling in from how close he had been to death. Little did he know that what was truly shocking was that the young man had noticed the ship being moved without sail, oar, or motor. He was viewing magic for the first time in his life!