Chungkit Wong muttered a string of words that caused Lei An and her two minions to stare at him in shock, so I safely assumed that they were swear words. Grandpa's Hugo face remained steady, but the shade of white displayed on his face was a giveaway at his nervousness.
I squinted at the pack in front of us, letting my senses drift outwards tentatively and trying to gauge whether they were friend or foe. It seemed awfully hard to figure out who was on your side nowadays.
Deciding that they were clear of all malicious intentions, I stepped out of the vehicle, breaking the tense stare down that we were lock in for the past minute. Several protests for me to get back into the car were whispered, but I ignored them as well as the ferocious thumping of my heart and advanced towards the pack.
Several of the Lupas flanking the sides immediately retreated, and I slowed down as well as raising my hands up to let them know that I meant no harm. One of the Lupas standing right at the front craned its head at me, and I knew that it was the alpha.
We mean no harm. I sent a message towards it, keeping my palms out and up. The Lupa froze for a second before narrowing its eyes at me.
So it is true. The Lupa stood up taller and straighter, heading towards me. I could hear some shouting from behind, but I was too focused at the present exchange to hear what was said. A girl with the power to talk to us has finally arrived.
You don't seem happy. I questioned, stating it as a fact and not putting any emotions into it. If I had learnt anything with the Legres, it was that however intelligent they might be – they are still fundamentally different to us. They have killer instincts, fierce loyalty and no bs. If anything, I had come to like the Legres more than some, if not most, of the human that I knew.
I am not. The Lupa replied curtly and I felt my stomach twists. Just because this particular pack of Lupas wasn't hostile, it didn't mean other groups wouldn't be. After letting her knew that we had come to renew the peace treaty, the pack threw me a look that I couldn't quite decipher (possibly because of the facial feature difference between human and wolf-legres), we were let past.
"Don't do that." Viktor said at me as soon as I climb back into the car, with a hand over his chest. "It was like we were watching you walking over to get eaten."
I raised my eyebrow at him, feeling just a bit guilty for not giving them any warning. I was too nervous, and ended up acting on my instinct. Grandpa Hugo didn't say anything, but I could see from his frown that he wasn't entirely happy with me either.
Chungkit Wong, however, took the whole incident in stride and told Lei An what I assumed was 'step on the gas', since we were speeding off in no time. He threw me a look that seemed amused, and a bit nostalgic.
"Are we there yet?" Viktor asked, and I was glad he voiced it before I did. We hadn't really been driving for that long, but I was already starting to feel the tension building up inside me. There was something about this particular Ruin that caused the hair on my arms to rise and a tingling feeling spreading across them. It was like someone had poured cold acid into my back.
"We should be there in twenty minutes, if everything goes smoothly." Lei An answered, while Chungkit Wong continued to stare broodingly out the Jeep in silence. He didn't seem to be a man of many words, in fact, he didn't particularly resemble the smiley man on the portrait at all.
Looking out of the window, my unease intensified as I took in the derelict buildings and crumbling roads that was once Hong Kong. The car swiveled to avoid the rumbles left from what appeared to be a skywalk before careering onwards.
After another turn, the land suddenly cleared and my heart skipped a beat as I noticed the claw and drag marks on the ground that were clearly not made by human. Feeling my heart beating fast against my chest, I felt like I had just been dredged from head to toe by a bucket of cold water; the clearing was strategically made by the Legres. This was the first real sign of organized activities I had ever seen at a grand scale. The entire kilometer wide area was completely exposed to the sea, the concrete ground marked and cracking at several places.
Screeching into a halt, Lei An parked us on a random spot that didn't seem to have any particular value.
"留喺架車入面。＂Chungkit instructed, "記得,無論點都唔好落車。"
"小心啲。" Lei An replied, looking at him with concern and nodding repeatedly at what he had told her. I saw the two minions was still strapped in by their seat-belts and put two and two together. They weren't coming down with us. Wise choice.
"Hugo, please stay in the car as well. Abigail, Viktor, you two come with me." Chungkit announced, and Grandpa Hugo threw me a worried glance, but made no protest. I could see where I got that side of me from.
"I will see you soon." Grandpa Hugo said, patting my shoulder gently as I unclipped my seatbelt. Viktor, who seemed to finally realise what was about to happen, turned a delicate shade of green. I gave him a reassuring smile, my body and mind too wired up to feel anything other than an intense clutching of my heart and stomach. This was it, this was history, and I was being a part of it.
"Come along." Chungkit waved at me, his long legs taking huge strides towards the sea as though it was the most natural thing in the world. I was equally part fascinated by the churning water the colour of a stormy sky in front of me. It was such a different thing than the earth that I was standing on. So liquid, so volatile, and so alive. It's constantly in motion, crashing against the shore in a stormy fiery that's unmatched for, its dark depth hiding secrets that no human would know.
"What do we do?" I asked, hoping that this would not involve us jumping into the water in any way; however, fascinated as I was by the sea, I sure as hell wasn't stupid enough to think that I could survive jumping into its depth. Behind the thick mist that was building up, I could see the glimpse of an island not too far away. Maybe we would have to brave our way oven one way or another?
"We wait. They should be here any minute." Chungkit answered, putting his hands behind his back and staring out into the sea. I was feeling a little fidgety as I attempted to settle down in one spot beside him, my eyes flickering all over the place alert to any sign of trouble.
"Hey." Viktor's nervous voice sounded to my right, and I twisted my head to look at him. His face was the palest shade I had ever seen, giving him an almost ghostly look. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead and slid down his face, his posture slightly slumped.
"Viktor, are you okay?" I asked, grabbing his left arm to support him. He looked like he was having an allergic reaction, or a nervous breakdown.
"I don't know, something doesn't feel right." He answered, and my heart lurched. Could he be vibe-ing on the same thing I was?
"They are here." Chungkit announced, it was so sudden that I almost lose my grip on Viktor and let him fall. Whipping my head around, I could see the water being sliced open as whatever in the sea tore through the waters.
I released a breath that I didn't realise I was holding, mesmerized by the scene in front of me. I still couldn't see anything yet apart from the waves and foams and sprays, but the noise and the anticipation kept me on high alert.
"Chungkit Wong." A voice unlike any I had ever heard before speaking, it was so melodious, so beautiful that I lost myself in it for a second. Viktor, on the other hand, was gripping my arm like there was no tomorrow, snapping me back to reality.
"Who was that?" He asked, his face scanning the area. The commotion in the sea had stopped and a procession unlike any I had ever imagined greeted us. They didn't look monstrous, nor malicious. In fact, my mind conjured up the very animal that these Legres must be before their mutation.
"Dolphins." I gasped, unable to stop myself as I stared at the incredibly cute and tiny creatures lined up by the shore, their pale pastel colour skin glistering from the moisture. "They are dolphins."
Giving me the briefest of look, Chungkit Wong advanced towards the Legres, whom I feared less now. We were far enough that they couldn't have heard my exclamation, at least, I hope they didn't.
Then the truth hit me. There wasn't anyone, or anything, else around, so whoever had spoken, it must have been the Legres.
"Long time no see, Sylvia." Chungkit greeted one of the dolphins, who chuckled like a real human. Viktor's grip on my arm tightened into a vice-like hold, but I was too in shock to feel it.
The Legres could talk.
What. Just. Happened.
A million thoughts thundered through my mind. Why would they need me if they can communicate directly with the Legres? She could just as easily talk to Chungkit Wong, or anyone for the matter and send out words to the rest. How would the communication had ceased? The two just greeted each other like an old friend.
"The new Victoria is here." Chungkit said, for some reason the two had chosen to speak in English, whether it had always been this way or just for us I didn't know. The line of dolphins turned towards me and their intelligent eyes sent a shiver down my spine.
"This one doesn't look like Victoria." Sylvia complained, her voice soothing some of my frayed nerves. "She looks just like that little brat she likes."
Chungkit tensed for a second before shaking his head. "You have never actually met them." He said, shaking his head.
"No, but my ancestor did." Sylvia ignored Chungkit's jibe and swum towards me. Viktor's hold on me slackens a little as we edged towards the shoreline, and I nudged him a little indicating he should stay behind. If they decided to jump up and toss me into the sea to drown, I wouldn't want Viktor to get caught in as well.
"Hello there." Her voice was almost like a siren call, and I struggled to keep my thought straight as the beautiful creature gaze at me.
"Hi." I squealed, not sounding like my usual self at all. We looked at each other for a while, both of us were not saying anything.
"She has the spark." She smiled at me. At least, I thought she did; giving me one last lingering look that was so human-like that I did a double take.
"The lords and ladies will arrive soon." Sylvia said, and I felt like my heart was hit by a hammer. Sylvia wasn't the boss; but she was already intelligent enough to talk and carries a conversation. What would the higher up be like?
"Please, Sylvia." Chungkit's voice was close to a pled. Sylvia bobbed up and down the water, waving his head around that looked like an attempt to shake its head.
"Our family has always been about peace, but times are changing. The situation is different now." Sylvia said, just as the water behind her started to bubble up and the waves started crushing.
"Wow..." Viktor gasped, almost screaming as a massive turtle surfaced; its head as big as my entire body. It had a kind face, though it was scrunched up. Next to it, an equally massive whale popped up, only partially seen as the rest of it remained underwater. A third head popped up, scaring me for a second with its slimy thinness – it looked like a snake without scales. An eel!
"Lords and Ladies." Chungkit muttered respectfully, taking a bow and I quickly followed the suit pulling Viktor down alongside me. Thee three big heads' entourage started showing up and I had never seen this many Legres in one place before. The powers and intelligence that I felt from them were like never before. And I could sense their mood, their thoughts and some of them were outright hostile.
"Chung." The turtle said, and I wrapped my mental wall tighter around my mind to make sure none of them could hear me, even though I knew they couldn't. His voice was a deep baritone, so deep, so low that it sounded like a rumble from deep inside the Earth.
"A new Victoria is here." He announced, and I couldn't help but find it odd that he would refer to me as the new Victoria; it seemed that everyone since her had been called that. What if the new Victoria is a male? Surely being call that wouldn't sit well with him?
"You mean this little girl." The whale's voice reverberated through me, though it was strangely shrill until I realized that it was a she.
"Hi, my name is Abigail." I decided that there was no use standing around in the background and stepped forward. Mummers broke throughout the Legres and I actually caught a few snippets:
She doesn't look anything like the last Victoria.
Her name is weird.
Why is her hair dark? I thought they were all blonde.
Stop it. I thought, throwing a look at the Legres who was telling its friend that I was weirdly ugly. And suddenly everyone, and everything, fell silent.
You can hear us like this? The eel turned to me, and it narrow pupils and yellow eyes stared at me, making me jump.
Yes. I answered, although my tone made it sound more like a question. Viktor was watching our exchange with his brows furrowed together, while Chungkit had an unreadable expression on his face.
I suppose we should start the negotiation then. The turtle gave me a kind smile, which eased the nerves a little. The Whale bobbed up a little, which I took as a nod while the eel continued to glare at me. I guessed we just worked out who wasn't on our side.
"We had an agreement." Turtle started, turning his attention back to Chungkit as the two stared at each other straight on. "Five hundred and fifty seasons ago you came to us to establish a peace treaty, agreeing that we would meet here every five years to renew our faith. You, Chungkit Wong were to meet us here and Victoria Balikova or whoever would take her place will meet there others in that forest of hers, and that James Smith or whoever would take his place would meet the ones across the ocean."
The more information that they didn't tell me; I couldn't help but wondered just how many more secrets I could unravel from the Originals, shaking my head at the news.
"Indeed." Chungkit Wong nodded, "But lately you have been restless."
Turtle didn't seem fazed by Chungkit's question. Your kind had always been greedy, unfaithful and quick to exploit. We often turned a blind eye throughout the years, hoping to maintain this peace, but if you continue to overstep our boundaries, we would have no choice but to retaliate."
"What do you mean?" Chungkit frowned, crossing his arms against his chest. "We haven't harmed the ocean in over two centuries."
"We are seeing significant damage around the bounded sea." Turtle responded, moving its left flappers causing a ginormous wave that washed a herd of seal Legres onto their cousins; but they didn't seem too bothered by it. "Not to mention the negligence of the renewal over in Victoria's grounds."
Wow, they really took their vows seriously. Thinking back the Lupas along the Himalayas, it wasn't hard to deduce that when she said their loyalty is renewed, I had somehow managed to renew the treaty. I wondered if there were any speaking Legres on the ground, since there were quite a few in the sea already.
It isn't us. I decided to step in the conversation, but instead of talking only to Turtle, and those who understand human speak, I projected my thought. We face a threat greater than each other. There is a team of people who want to end both us and you, to start the world anew. I can promise that whoever is doing harm to the ocean it's them. They want us to fight each other while they plot behind our back, we need to stop fighting each other and focus on fighting them.
These are pretty words, little one. The eel immediately counteracted, while the rest of the sea Legres seemed to be taking my words in, at least a little bit. You have no proves. Humans are liars, and we cannot trust you.
Then out of nowhere, thunders begun to sound and the sky darkened even more. Without warning, lightning started to shoot out of the eel's eyeballs and aimed straight at me.
"No!"
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I was kind of hoping to wrap up with the Legres this chapter, but unfortunately not. A few things to clarify (because I know there will be questions):
1) 550 seasons means winter + summer, so it's 225 years
2) The pastel dolphins are the pink dolphins native to the seas around Hong Kong
3) Lupa = wolf Legres
4) Sea Legres are not cover in the POE Academy syllabus.
That aside - who's excited for Easter holiday? I know I am - have been super tired and my eyes are still suffering. So sorry if I haven't seem too responsive lately!
Preparations of the Dark Ages is coming on fast now that Revolution is past mid-way (I think), I have already have a cast in mind, and you can find them all here:
http://www.iflist.com/stories/thedarkages
Feel free to suggest any you like too!
Anywho, don't forget to vote and comment!