Kai's P.O.V.
Kai takes one final look at the blade he has been working on for weeks on his anvil. Twenty-three years old and already one of the finest smiths in Thornhaven, yet something was missing. All he felt was a familiar void that he was determined to uncover that grows stronger each day.
"Alright, son. That's enough for today". His father's voice echoed within their forge with pride and a hint of concern.
"You've been at this since dawn, you need a break".
Kai nods obediently, though his hands are still on the cooling metal.
"Kai, take it easy", his father advises. His father gives him a pat on the back with a proud smile on his face. "Why don't you go for a walk? Clear your head a bit".
Kai looks at his father Chris with a surprised expression. Chris chuckles lightly, "son, I know when something is bothering you. You haven't spoken all day and only take breaks to eat just a loaf of bread".
Kai was about to say something and Chris patiently sat on the edge of their working table. Kai sighs, "I'll take you up on that offer".
Chris pulls a slight frown of worry however, lets his son go.
"I'll be back before dinner", Kai says as he untangles the string from his apron to the rock wall hanger. He faintly smiles at his dad before walking off to a trail.
The forge had been his whole world since the day he could speak. Every waking moment of his spare time, he's been mastering each craft so much that his mother Reyna jokes about being born with coal dust in his lungs and iron filings in his blood. A true blacksmith at heart. Or so they thought.
Something has been calling out to Kai, an unfamiliar nostalgic voice from the forbidden Cove of Whispers beach. Legend has it, no one ever comes back from that beach alive, nor does anyone dare to step foot in that beach. Only drunken sailors would dare to step foot, as they wander off.
However, for Kai it was something else. Almost like a calling. A longing. Even though Thornhaven has its old folklore myths, what if they were missing something? What if he could find the voice that's been calling out to him in his dreams? What if he could save it, or her? What if–
"Kai."
Kai snapped out of it and realized he just reached a very misty beach. He was about to walk back home, realizing he went a bit too far when he noticed a woman standing far in the distance.
"Hello?" Kai called out, "Is someone there?"
No answer. Kai took a step forward, however, a big wave startled him causing to look away for a second. When he turned to look at the lady figure again, he was stunned to see her out of sight. He was about to walk back when suddenly, the soft gentle voice whispered back to him.
"Kai. Do you remember me?"
This time, he stood still. It seemed as though the voice had an ambience that could not be pinned. Though, the sense of longing had returned to an even stronger pull. Though he could not remember, a part of his heart still did. "I do not understand," he whispered into the dark. The mist from above the waves started to clear, showing a beautiful woman barefoot on the sand. His whole world stood still.
There was an oddly familiar sadness in her eyes, as heavy and dark as the forces that loomed among this beach. No words could express her beauty, as it hurt to look at her directly with those deep blue ocean eyes fixed upon him. Though, he slowly looked anyway, and saw the lonely, yearning expression on her face that made him breathless.
Out of his lips, barely a whisper, he says "Hiraya".
She had a warm, kind smile, brighter than the sun, softer than the sands they step on, breaking through the fog that separated them. "You do remember."
The warm feeling cut short as he suddenly felt a sharp chill across his spine. He sensed he was being monitored by something… otherworldly. Two sirens, Cora and Nixie, slowly emerged from the ocean. With devious smiles and crooked hearts, they took a deep breath in. Out a blood-curdling scream that Kai could not handle to cover his ears with. The sonic screams were unbearably strong, causing blood to gush out of his ears and nose. Kai falls down to his knees and tries hard to block his ears with his hands but there is no use.
Old, rusted scales covered their limbs in black and silver blue, their eyes with cold, red maleficent rage. The more Kai crouched on the sand, the more they rose to slither towards him.
"Kai, run!" Hiraya's voice pierced through the deafening sonic screams, as he struggled to get back up. His muscles went weak, visions blurry. He faintly saw Hiraya, crying as the hope left her eyes.
A sudden silver light emerged from behind, engulfing the darkness that surrounded him. A man, tall and brooding, with hair as black as shadows, suddenly runs in front of Kai, continuing to shield him. The surface of his shield rippled like liquid mercury from the sirens' sonic screams. Kai watched with horror as the vibrations hit back to the sirens, causing them to fall back into the sea. They swam away, yanking Hiraya away back into the sea with a hiss so sharp, it rang Kai's bloodied ears. He lay motionless.
"Not bad for your first real encounter," the stranger said, his voice carrying a dry humor.
Kai, wheezing with a hoarse dryness to his voice, turned to the strange man who had just saved him.
"What... the hell... was that?"
The man did not answer. He knelt beside Kai and checked for more injuries. The man had eyes of a grey storm, history of war, hatred and pain.
"Who are you?" Kai managed to ask further.
"Not yet," the man murmured. "You're not ready."
The man swiftly covered Kai's ears as the world began to blur around the edges.
Kai woke up screaming.
"Kai!"
Reyna rushed into his room, panic stricken.
"It's okay, sweetheart. You're okay. You're safe"
Reyna immediately cradled her son into her arms as he was trembling with cold sweat dripping down his face.
Kai slowly looked up at Reyna with bewildered eyes. "What… how did I get here? The Coves… I was at the Coves…"
He immediately touched his ears and nose, only to be perplexed to find them completely healed.
"It was probably just a bad dream, sweetheart." Reyna murmured. She brushed his hair in a calm, rhythmic stroke as she did when he had past nightmares back in childhood.
"I know it was real," he pleaded, eyes still bewildered.
"Kai, the kind bartender sent you home last night because of how wasted you were." Reyna replied.
Bartender? I don't remember any bartender…
Reyna becomes concerned. "I don't know what's gotten into you, son. You've been absent minded lately and now being this intoxicated, and for your first time too?"
Reyna sighs. "Get some more rest, son. It's 2 in the morning".
Reyna gently squeezes Kai's shoulder and kisses his forehead before getting up to leave his room. Kai lays back to bed and closes his eyes.
"It was a dream…" Kai mumbles to himself. "Yeah… a dream…".