Until We Meet Again

Ch. 1 - A Second Chance

"Who is he?"

What...?

"...This is the master of the Voltaris..."

Where am I...?

"...Maybe we should just kill him. He's Voltaris after all..."

What! No! Please...

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"I wish to thank you for rescuing me. I thought if the sea didn't swallow me up, someone would surely kill me afterward."

The young Nesoris looked up at him from his spot on the pier, shifting the fishing rod he was holding into one hand. Ingressus could see the fear in his eyes.

Not that I can truly blame him, the other clans' corrupted view of us only causes them to be afraid.

It only made his disgust and hatred toward the other clans grow.

The Nestoris awkwardly shifted closer to the edge of the dock, "Yeah... I wonder why that is..." The uncomfortable expression on his face became even more apparent. Ingressus had to hold back scoffing and rolling his eyes. He knew why he would have been killed, Ingressus was Voltaris, it was as simple as that.

He sat down next to the Nestoris, despite what his instincts were telling him. Growing up in the Barrier Mountains and experiencing raids nearly every week caused Ingressus to have a gut feeling to run if someone wasn't Voltaris.

He saw the Nestoris tense up, moving the fishing pole to his other hand and reaching for the knife next to him even though Ingressus acted like he didn't.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Something, anything to break the tension, anything to keep him alive, even if it was just a few minutes, "I don't know how to catch fish, but I'd be happy to learn."

"I-..." the Nestoris hesitated, quickly pulling his hand away from the knife, "Am sure fishing is not very exciting compared to what you grew up with." Ingressus could hear his voice was shaking, even though he was trying to hide it. The Nestoris looked away as if he was embarrassed or scared to have spoken again.

"I would welcome a change of pace," he would, no matter how much he wanted to return to his clan, "Also I don't exactly have anyone else to talk with..."

And why would he? Ingressus stared down at his reflection in the water, no matter how ashamed he was of it, the ocean terrified him. It nearly killed him, and immediately after he watched his father killed, never getting a chance to say goodbye.

I was never even able to give him a proper burial... a burial he deserved...

He heard the Nestoris faintly sigh. Ingressus looked up at him and saw he had picked up the fishing knife.

Ingressus curled his hands into fists, ready to defend himself if needed. To his surprise, the Nestoris tucked the knife next to the spare fishing rod in the bucket next to him. He reeled in his own pole and set it next to them in the bucket as well.

The Nestoris stood up and grabbed the bucket, "Come on, there's a good lake with smaller fish for practicing nearby."

Ingressus stared at him in shock as the Nestoris walked away, He- he's not going to kill me?

He was frozen in confusion, he looked up when he heard the other Ardoni call out to him, "Are you coming?" Ingressus hesitated for a moment longer, Well... if he does try and kill me, I'm sure I will have an easier time defending myself than he will if does not try to kill me...

Ingressus sighed as he stood up, looking around to see if it was safe out of habit. He glanced down at himself and his now yellow markings. He despised it. His markings were now the same color as some Ardoni who ruthlessly murdered everyone he knew and loved.

He cautiously walked over to the Nestoris, who led him to a small lake a ways away.

"I never did get your name..."

Ingressus looked up at the other, "What?" The fellow Ardoni nodded, "Your name, you never said anything."

"Oh... it's... Ingressus..."

"Alright then, I'm Achillean... just so you know..."

Ingressus nodded, Achillean...

They had reached the lake, Achillean set the bucket down in between the two and pulled out the fishing rods. He handed one to Ingressus and turned towards the water when he took it.

Achillean gestured to the pole he was holding and Ingressus glanced down at his own. He pulled his arm back and threw it forward, the hook flew off the rod, a thin line of string following behind it.

It landed in the middle of the lake with a small splash. Ingressus watches the ripples grow smaller as they traveled outwards. Achillean gestured to the fishing pole again and surprised Ingressus with a grin on his face when he looked at him.

"Uhm-" Ingressus tried to copy what Achillean had done.

He retracted his arm behind him and threw it forward, expecting it to work the same way Achillean's did. Instead, Ingressus heard a louder splash and looked down at his extended hand, only to find it empty.

He looked up to the lake, and saw the fishing rod he was supposed to have been holding a few feet away from the hook on Achilleans'.

"Uhmmm..." Ingressus turned to Achillean, awkwardly smiling and scratching the back of his head. The Nestoris smacked his face in his hand, sighing.

Ingressus suddenly panicked, he would have to go pull the pole out of the lake. He did not want to have to go into the water, it frightened him more than he would ever admit. Achillean looked up at him, "It's fine, I got it," he seemed to sense Ingressus's fear.

Achillean reeled in his rod and handed it to Ingressus to hang on to. He waded into the water and made his way to the floating fishing pole. The water had reached up to his chest when he had reached it.

He grabbed it and tossed it back to shore. It landed next to Ingressus, who he bent down and picked it up. Achillean turned around and swam back to him.

How is this possible? I should not be able to get along with a Nestoris...

Achillean pulled himself out of the water, shaking the excess water from his hair. It splattered onto Ingressus and he wiped it off his face.

The Nestoris took the rod from him as Ingressus held it out, "Well... that didn't go so great, huh?"

Ingressus shook his head, finding himself struggling to find something to say. "Hey, it's fine. Things like that happen all the time," Ingressus's eyes widened when he heard Achillean laugh, "I'm honestly just glad you have at least some idea of what you're doing. Having to try and teach the younger kids is a nightmare."

Ingressus awkwardly laughed, "Yeah... I guess so..."

Achillean smiled, "Don't worry about it, it's perfectly fine." The Voltaris nodded, finding it difficult to relax. The Nestoris seemed to be able to tell he was uncomfortable, "Hey, I told you, it's fine. Sorry for how I acted earlier. It's just... a lot going on..."

Ingressus nodded again, "Yeah..." he agreed with Achillean, "A lot is... one way to put it..." The Nestoris chuckled slightly, "That's fair."

Achillean walked over to him and switched the pole from one hand to his other, "It's better to hold it with your right hand." Ingressus nodded as the explanation continued, "You have to release the string and hook here, and also try to hold onto it this time."

It was more complicated than Ingressus was expecting, he only really knew how to throw snowballs and spears for hunting. He had never had much experience with not letting go of something when throwing it.

Achillean demonstrated it again and turned to Ingressus to watch as he tried.

Ingressus tried it again, with the new instructions the Nestoris had given him. He threw his arm forward and the hook fell off the tip of the rod and splashed into the water directly in front of him.

He looked up to Achillean as he heard him laugh, "Well that's better than last time."