Chronicle of Burden

Chapter 17

The never-ending and outlandish space of the Sea of Quanta welcomes the Captain in its way. Unlike the first time the Captain arrived in the Sea, this time his entrance wasn't the result of an explosion that ripped open a hole between realities, but a proper gateway into this realm that defies the laws of physics known to man. He cannot help but admire the surreal vista before him.
The glass-like platforms shift and move in and out of sight, some create walkways and paths that enable one to move forward, while other regions become unreachable and slowly drift away into the unknown. Blinding lights streak across the Sea's boundless expanse, illuminating the floating islands to the point where they threaten to blind someone that would look directly at them when the light reflects off their glassy surface.
Beyond all of this mesmerizing show of light and imitations of life, dangers of the Sea lurk in hiding. The Captain remains vigilant to avoid confrontations with the beasts that reside in this place, and not too soon after his arrival inside the Sea, these bests begin to show themselves.
From behind the relative shelter of a towering white tree, the Captain sees numerous packs of quanta beasts moving quickly through the shifting environment and seem to be drawn towards a certain direction.
Despite the need to proceed cautiously, the Sage's parting words ring in the Captain's mind: "Only those that carry great power can survive the erosion of the Boundless Sea. You must move quickly, otherwise, the Sea will break down your body and you will become one with it."
Ignoring his better judgment, the Captain decides to throw caution to the wind and follow the quanta beasts to wherever they are headed hoping they were drawn to something that could aid in his escape from the Sea.
Thankfully, the modest level of acrobatic skills the Captain possesses serve him well and allow him to traverse the unpredictable and ever-changing "terrain" of the Sea. His advance is occasionally hindered by the sudden interference of the quanta beasts who have a habit of materializing out of nowhere. In the past, these beasts were ferocious opponents to take on alone, but this time they prove to be no match.
As the Captain wields the now fully powered Shamash's Blade against the quanta beasts, he can feel the sword's eagerness to be used and unleash its power. An intense and infectious feeling compels the Captain to fight his attackers and not shy away from a challenge should an enemy seek an early demise.
It is impossible to say how much time has passed since the Captain arrived in the Sea, the only way to measure time is by counting the number of quanta beasts slain. After facing off nearly thirty beasts that he brought to a fiery demise, the Captain reached an odd platform that resembled an unfinished grand cathedral of gothic architecture. He could recognize the narrow and tall windows on the sides as well as four cross-sections, double supporting arches, and buttresses lining the left complete side of this impressive structure. If the Captain were to use his imagination a little bit more, the structure looked somewhat familiar to the grand cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris; but unlike the original structure, this version lacks the pointed buttresses and instead is tipped with unfamiliar statues of beautiful women with long hair holding aloft golden goblets.
The Captain cautiously advances towards the cathedral, ascends a long flight of stairs, and enters through the front where no door barred his way. Once inside, the Captain looked up at the incomplete ceiling and could see the ceiling having ribbed vaults just like the real Notre Dame to support the weight of the roof. The rest of the cathedral's interior is devoid of decorations except for a throne-like seat in the middle of the expansive interior that had a six-foot-tall back support adorned with elaborate decorations depicting flowers.
As the Captain walks towards the throne to get a better look at it, a pale light shines into his eyes forcing him to shield himself with his left hand. As he looks toward the source of the light, the Captain is astonished by what lies on the far right side of the structure. What transfixed the Captain wasn't the fact that the entire right side of the building was missing, but the view was beyond what he had seen until now. A garden full to the brim with beautiful white lilies illuminated by the pale light of a distant sun, making the lilies shine with a rarely seen ethereal beauty. As the flowers gently swayed, the soft sound of bells could be heard as their petals gently touched one another.
On the very edge of the garden, looking towards the endless expanse of the Sea, was a lone figure with glowing long hair that covered most of its back. The figure doesn't say anything nor does it look hostile, it simply stands and stares into the vastness of the Sea, its sight aimed at the sun-like star in the distance.
When the Captain attempted to step into the garden, the moment the toe of his boot touched one of the lilies ever so gently, the flower disintegrated into dust immediately. When he made a bold step into the flowers while attempting to avoid stepping on the lilies, the gentle things make a heartbreaking crack as their delicate frames are destroyed by the slightest touch.
Concluding that the demise of these flowers was inevitable no matter how much he tried to avoid destroying them unintentionally, the Captain walks toward the figure that begins to draw its attention to him.
When the Captain was halfway across the garden, the figure completely turned around and faced him. The figure turned out to be a fair-skinned girl wearing a white high-tech tight suit with red-colored decorative lines and patches of black carbon-fiber platings on her chest, shoulders, and hips. Her hair has an ethereal glow to it and it's difficult to tell what color it is. The shimmering light in her hair constantly changes in a harmonious and eye-catching pattern of colors; it goes from pink to blue, then from blue to golden. Her eyes are much like her hair, changing colors constantly in a similar fashion. When the girl moves toward him, the Captain barely noticed the girl was floating above the lilies; all this time he believed she was taller than him.
As the girl looked towards the Captain and drew ever closer, she smiles brightly and seems to be overjoyed to see him. Her smile becomes radiant and her eyes light up as she's overcome by her feelings.