"Then you are also descended from the bloodline of the god Degei, are you a member of the divine people?" Nete asked.
Aleks was confused, he didn't know how to answer.
"Degei? Divine people?" asked Aleks.
The village elder cleared his throat and began to speak. "My son, let's sit by the campfire, and we'll tell you the story of your people."
Aleks nodded, then he and Belial stood up and made themselves comfortable on a log around the fire. All the villagers sat in a circle around the fire and waited for the village elder to begin to speak.
"There are different stories of how our people came into being, but our creator is the god Degei. It all started with a simple boat trip.
According to myth, huge war canoes from Tanganyika (a town north of Egypt) brought the first settlers to Fiji. The leader of the sailors was a warrior chieftain named Lutunasobasoba and his general Degei. They sailed on the double-hulled canoe Kaunitoni. According to legend, the Armada carried a sacred relic called Katonimana, which means "box of blessing".
Lutunasobasoba and his people sailed in search of a mythological island with lush seas and rich land, created by the gods, where the chief's people could rest after years of wandering.
Half of the ships were separated during the voyage, but the rest made it to Fiji. While trying to find a safe passage into the waters of Fiji, the sailors found the Momi Passage, which is still used by large ocean-going vessels today.
Around the islands around Matamanoa, Mana and Likuliku, the Armada encountered a storm. The high seas threw the Katonimana overboard. Believing it was the will of the gods, Lutunasobasoba told his people to leave it alone. It is believed that the box is still there, protected by two giant clams.
Degei is said to have returned to the Mamanuca Islands later in his life to try to recover the Katonimana. It is said that he found the box and a large diamond right next to it. He took the diamond and was immediately transformed into a snake with a diamond pattern on his head. He was cursed to live forever as a serpent, trapped in the Sawa-i-lau caves in the Yasawa archipelago.
As a newborn god, Degei led a solitary life who had only a falcon named Turukawa as a friend. One day, Turukawa disappeared and Degei went in search of her. He came across Turukawa's bird's nest, where he found two abandoned eggs, which he immediately brought to his own house to care for.
After several weeks of nesting, the eggs hatched to reveal two tiny human bodies. Degei raised them, grew plants to feed them, and told them stories that revealed the nature of all things.
These people were the first members of the divine people – Degei's people. They had hair the color of the sun and fair skin. Unlike the other people, they were born with a peaceful and loving mind and were pure in heart.
My tribe was chosen as the protector of this group of people, who loved Degei so much, because only a member of the divine people is able to find the Katonimana. The Qarase family is the last family from this line and we thought it ended with the two sisters Sereana and Sovaia Qarase. But as the gods would have it, they have continued it and a son has returned to the bosom of our land."
Aleks followed the elder's story spellbound. I am descended from a divine lineage of the serpent god Degei? He knew that Aleks belonged to a people loved by the supreme god. Did they mean the supreme god by Degei? Was it Katonimana that he was supposed to find? Was it, perhaps, this holy relic, perhaps the third key, or a clue as to where it was?
Aleks' thoughts ran wild, and so did Belial's. Bel, this relic Katonimana could be a clue to the key. It cannot be a coincidence that I am brought here and, according to their stories, that I belong to the people of this God.
Belial was of the same opinion. It would be too much of a coincidence, of course.
"Where is Katonimana?" Belial asked the village elder.
He looked at him and looked at him briefly. "She is said to still be with Degei, who, according to legend, is still trapped in the Sawa-i-lau caves, waiting for a member of his people to free him," he replied.
"Can you take us to this place?" he asked Elenoa, who was sitting next to him.
Before she could say anything, however, the village elder interrupted her: "My son, this place is dangerous. The caves are said to be the resting place of Ulutini. Ulutini, a legendary Fijian god, has 10 heads, one of which is a human, the other 9 snakes. The human head is said to be so beautiful that it is almost too much for a mortal. However, he hates people more than anything else."
Another God? But he had to follow this trail.
"My mate is strong. I feel like I have to go there. I can't explain it," Aleks said, lowering his head thoughtfully. He didn't want to contradict the head of the village, but his instincts told him that something was waiting for him in the cave.
The head of the village looked at him for a while, sighed and admitted defeat. "Well, then our prayer – the priest of our village – will give you permission and say a prayer of protection for you. But enough now, let's celebrate this evening together."
And they did. They enjoyed the time together and chatted around the cozy campfire. When Aleks' eyes slowly closed, they said goodbye to go to sleep. That night, Aleks had a dream.
A drop woke him up and he opened his eyes. The dripping came from a stalactite, from which drops fell down onto the stalagmite beneath it. Cautiously, he sat up and looked around. He was in a cave with numerous stalactites hanging from the ceiling, stalagmites and stalactites. From a distance he heard a whisper, as soft as the sound of the wind.
Aleks rose and walked cautiously in the direction from which the whisper came. He passed through a narrow corridor and a new chamber awaited him. In the center of the chamber was a small pond, the surface of which was moving. As he approached, he saw three creatures creating the small ripples in the water. There were two fish – one in iridescent white, the other pitch black and a gray eel, which swam incessantly around in circles. The fish whispered something, but he couldn't understand it.
When Aleks knelt down, the eel stopped swimming and looked at him. He opened his mouth and closed it again.
You are here, child of God. But the time is not yet ripe. Only when the three of them meet will you be welcome here.
Suddenly, he saw a long bluish scaly tail and opened his eyes. The moment he turned around, he was devoured by a large black mouth.
Aleks woke up from his sleep and gasped. Belial was immediately at his side and pulled him reassuringly into his arms.
"Tsuka, everything alright?" he asked.
Aleks looked into two soothing green eyes. His pulse slowly calmed down and he calmed down. What was that?
The next morning, Belial, Aleks and Elenoa made their way to the Yasawa Islands, where the Sawa-i-Lau Caves were located. They took a small motorboat to the beach and walked down the stone stairs that led directly into the cave.
It was early in the morning and so there were no tourists who visited the cave as well. Belial created a barrier that would persuade the tourists and guides to abandon the excursion and turn back. However, this wouldn't last long, only a few hours.
Together they put on a wetsuit and snorkeling equipment. It wasn't so easy for Aleks to squeeze into the suit, because they didn't want Elenoa to be suspicious. They ran up the small mountain that led to the entrance of the cave. From there it went steeply down a concrete staircase with a rusted railing on the side, at the other end of which stretched a large grotto.
The cave had a ceiling height of about twenty meters and daylight fell through the openings in the ceiling further back, which made the water glow turquoise. However, the front part was rather dark and the limestone walls looked a bit threatening. The limestone had formed long threads on the wall that glowed white in the light. Aleks could see some inscriptions on the wall, which must have been from a very long time ago.
This was the first cave that consisted of two chambers. They had now arrived in the large chamber with daylight, but the second could only be reached through an underwater tunnel. To do this, however, they had to swim through the grotto filled with water.
Carefully, Aleks touched the surface of the water with his foot and sighed with relief. The water was crystal clear and had a pleasant temperature of 24°C (75.2°F). Carefully, Belial let his mate into the water, and Belial and Elenoa followed. They swam slowly through the grotto and marveled at this wonder of nature.
When they arrived at the entrance to the second chamber, Elenoa stopped briefly. "We have to dive through a corridor at a depth of about one to two meters to get into the second chamber. This corridor is about three meters long. We're going to need our headlights because there's no daylight there," their guide explained.
She turned on the lamp and they did the same. Everyone took a breath and dived. Elenoa dived ahead, Aleks right after her and Belial brought up the rear. Elenoa gently pulled Aleks in the right direction when they arrived at a spot that was a bit narrow. As Aleks broke through the surface of the water, he took a deep breath. He was excited and his heart was pounding.
The second chamber had a very low ceiling. It was about twenty meters long and it was not a meter high in some places. The walls were brown and had black spots. The atmosphere was mystical and Aleks' skin tingled. They swam along it.
"In a few meters we reach the end. There's another underwater tunnel leading outside," she explained, and Belial and Aleks saw the water getting brighter, so there had to be daylight nearby.
What is it, Tsuka? You're so silent.
Aleks didn't know, he felt as if he shouldn't go to the exit, as if he was moving away from what he was actually looking for. "Can we take a look around?" Aleks asked and Elenoa nodded in surprise.
Slowly, he swam back a bit until the tingling sensation became stronger. He walked closer to the wall and stared at it. "There's something here," he said.
Belial and the woman looked at him confused, because they just saw a brown limestone wall.
Aleks slowly ran his hand over the wall. It was as if it was reacting to his touch, because suddenly it began to vibrate. When Aleks felt a brief sharp pain in his hand, he hissed. Some blood ran along the wall and it began to glow at this point. Belial held his breath in surprise, and Elenoa's eyes widened.
"It's here," Aleks said. I feel it. Again he put his hand on the place that marked his blood. The wall began to vibrate again, and bright lines spread out from this place. Aleks' hair and eyes began to glow and bright lines ran across his skin. At that moment, Aleks felt a deep connection to this place. He asked it to let him in.
The lines formed a pattern that completed into a magic circle. When it closed, the wall began to open at this point, revealing another chamber.
Elenoa gasped, trying to comprehend what had just happened. He is truly one of the members of the Divine People. Slowly, Aleks pulled himself over the edge and landed on a ledge. Belial and Elenoa followed him. Carefully, she illuminated the new chamber and realized that it was narrow and long.
"Unbelievable, a hidden chamber," she marveled.
Belial looked at the dark cave. "It seems to go deep in there and no one knows how long it is," Belial said. "I think we should go back and take some supplies with us when we explore these," he added.
Aleks nodded. Suddenly, a rumble went through the cave and they held on.