Shadow Slave: Gleaming Stars

[Audun's POV]

I've gotta say

I'm a terrible fucking sailor.

I somehow managed to circle back to the edge of the Ashen Barrow 4 times, a navigational feat that I was still wrapping my head around.

Thank god I lulled Cassie to sleep. If she were awake to witness this fiasco, I'd probably be too embarrassed to ever talk to her again. 

Even after throwing in the towel and using the Star of Memory as a bona fide GPS, I was so incredibly inept at steering the boat that I still struggled, but I was determined to get us across. 

Cassie, Sunny, and Nephis were all practically incapacitated, so I was alone in a metaphorical sense. 

Without help, I sailed our vessel across the pitch black waters of the Dark Sea, eerily aware of the colossal abominations squirming around in the depths. 

Not one to take chances, I shrouded the boat in a thin coating of starlight, singing hymns to enhance our speed whilst reducing our presence to a near imperceptible degree. 

And it seemed to work. 

For the next few hours, I was able to steer in melodic silence, the cool, familiar waters of the Dark Sea clearing my mind as foreign shanties flowed off my tongue. 

Unbothered by the Gargantuan nightmare creatures and grim stakes, I took solace in the unexpectedly peaceful inky scenery surrounding us. 

I had spent a lot more time actually swimming in these waters than I'd like to admit, and honestly, sailing across the vast expanse of absolute darkness was oddly cathartic. 

The profane cries of the abominations in the distance, coupled with the ambient sounds of water and the steady breathing of my companions, drew me into the eerily beautiful atmosphere wonderfully.

More hours passed as I got lost in my thoughts. 

Eventually, someone woke up, the boat swaying ever so slightly as they stirred.

In the dark, it was hard to make anything out, but I recognized the distinct sound of a tunic rustling. 

Identifying my roused companion, I stayed silent, waiting for them to speak up.

Completely shattering my expectations, I wasn't met with dialogue or peaceful silence.

Instead, I was met with a tight embrace. 

Cassie wrapped her arms around my neck, pressing her face into the soft, silken fabric of the garment memory I wore.

She let out a breath so weighty and fraught with exhaustion that I could hardly believe she was 17, and collapsed into my frame. 

Returning her tight embrace with a one-armed hug of my own, the other still controlling the oar, I hung my chin on her shoulder. 

Hot, silent tears stained my garments as she used my chest as a makeshift pillow. 

Thankfully, it was dark, so the teary imprint on my clothes wouldn't be visible to the others if they woke up.

I had absolutely no fucking clue what was going on, but I had the emotional intelligence of a functioning human being and was well aware that Cassie was going through it. 

Oracles more often than not fell into two categories: those shown just enough, and those shown far too much. 

Unfortunately, it seemed that Cassie belonged to the latter category.

That, coupled with the forced lobotomization courtesy of the Soul Tree, made it pretty easy for me to put two and two together.

Cutting through the silence, Cassie let out quiet sobs, her shoulders shaking as her hands squeezed the fabric on my back.

Quietly, I whispered in her ear.

"You can be as loud as you want. Don't bottle it up inside..."

Twin stars silently orbited the us, pulsing with faint platinum light. 

With a small gesture, I formed a barrier of starlight around us, specifically isolating and dampening sound. 

I patted her back as gently and as reassuringly as I could.

For the next couple of minutes, I sat in silence, steering the boat as Cassie clung to me and let out soft, aggrieved cries. 

Finally, letting out a shaky breath, Cassie sniffled and brought her face to the crook of my neck.

"Thanks..."

Not one for words, I responded in a different way, cupping the back of her head and leaning into her embrace. 

Unknown to Cassie, a small, terrified smile wormed its way onto my face.

Ok...

I was about as inexperienced as they came when it came to consoling someone, especially a woman. 

Generally, my reassurance amounted to a beating and a firm pat on the back, but clearly that wasn't the play in this situation. 

I had no idea what I was doing, and in all honesty, I was absolutely terrified of messing something up. 

Thank god my trait comes with a built-in poker face; otherwise, I might've been screwed. 

Last time I tried consoling a woman, I got carpet bombed by meteors for two full weeks, and based on that brutal uppercut she landed on Sunny earlier, if Cassie wanted to, she could probably beat me black and blue if I did or said something wrong. 

I was not about to be a repeat offender. 

Maintaining my calm facade, I stroked her back gently as the last of her tears cascaded down from her doll-like eyes. 

With a few more sniffles, she finally peeled herself from my body.

In the dark, I could make out the silhouette of a small, tired yet content smile spreading across her face. 

"Thank you and uh... sorry."

Managing my tone, I responded in kind.

"It's... ok. Are you fine now, though?"

Cassie nodded.

"You can come to me for anything if you need..."

She chuckled weakly.

"I'll keep that in mind- besides, if I've remembered correctly, you still owe me a favor."

I stiffened ever so slightly before instantly relaxing. 

'Oops... Forgot about that.'

Thankfully, Cassie was blind and could therefore not see the awkward smile adorning my lips. 

"Of course..."

With that finished, I dismissed the transluscent sound barrier around us as we fell into a comfortable silence. 

-----------------------------------------

Sunny woke up about an hour after Cassie, and Nephis half an hour after Sunny.

With the other two awake, I made the wise decision of relinquishing my duties to someone who'd probably be far more capable. 

After hours of continuous usage, I had exhausted about half of my total starlight using my abilities, and I wasn't exactly keen on wasting more when Sunny could probably steer a gazillion times better than me without the aid of Stars.

After giving up my post, there was a noticeable increase in our speed, the boat cutting through the waters like a blade.

Sunny's eyes pierced through the darkness with almost supernatural ease as he manipulated the vessels oar with precision.

To my shagrin he seemed like a natural at sailing, making a task that I struggled with look trivial.

Silently cursing his multifaceted talents, I grumbled audibly next to Cassie.

———————-

An hour or two passed as the four of us made steady progress west, and the unconscious tension weighing down on the others shoulders eased as a subtle hope graced our minds.

Nephis and Sunny, while still clearly on guard, were equally lost in thought.

Cassie, ever oblivious, had her mind conditioned to be at ease after hours of serene sailing.

And I was no different.

Far in the east, the light of dawn pierced the veil of the night, pure whiteness dying the sky in incandescent light.

With the dawns light, we were able to spot a giant stone hand in the not so far distance, connected to another mysterious statue.

We were close, so increadibly close to land.

I let down my guard for a mere moment, the thin sheen of starlight covering the boat flickering out of existence as we got ever closer to our destination.

Unfortunately, as luck would have it, we were fated to not get there unscathed.

As the others silently rejoiced, thinking the arduous journey was nearing its completion, my sixth sense rang alarm bells in my head.

Without a word I jumped to my feet, calling forth the [Midnight Shard] as a suit of armor replaced my silken garments.

The others, thought initially confused by my behavior, realized that something was wrong.

But they reacted a beat too slow.

Colossal tentacles broke through the surface of the water and wrapped around the hull of the boat.

The thin metal shell of the Carapace Demon groaned under the new found pressure, and I could feel our vessel teetering on the edge of breaking.

More rose from the depths until we were trapped in an eerie cage of profane tendrils, eight tentacles encircling us like we were prey.

Understanding the genuine danger we were in, I wasted no time.

I grasped Cassie's shoulders, a command breaking through my emotional blockade in the form of a faint whisper.

"Follow the others."

Before she could process my words, I shot forward encased in a glorious amethyst glow.

Pushing past Sunny and Nephis, I severed the tentacle wrapped around our hull.

The waters shook, tremors shaking our vessel violently, as the deep cry of the sea creature echoed across the Dark Sea.

Giving them one last look, I gave Sunny and Nephis a nod, a small smile covering my face.

The two looked combat ready, blades in hand, but I doubted they were prepared for this monumental challenge.

Knowing that I'd be severely hindered with their presence, I knew exactly what I had to do.

Sometimes a good offense is the best defense after all.

With a parting wave, I bid them a temporary farewell before plunging into the icy waters of the Dark Sea, prepared for the titanic fight to come.

________________________________________________

(A/N: I'm ngl, I'm still hella jetlagged, so my internal schedule is a bit off. 

If I'm being honest, I kinda threw in the towel w this one cuz of pacing and accuracy issues, so I cut out a lot of content after finishing it and edited it to be more accurate to the source. 

As a result, it ended up a little bit shorter than usual, but I digress. 

Getting used to the Daily schedule is taking a bit of time, but I'm getting there, so please bear with me. 

Anyway

As usual, ima have to implore you to leave a comment or review if you haven't already yk

Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and thank you for the continued support!)