The Sea

•••

     The bathwater was cold. I couldn't decipher how long I stayed in the porcelain tub, but the once steaming water was now almost frigid. My body trembled from the cold, but I refused to get out and get dressed in warm clothes. The cold numbed my whole being, and it helped me focus on the pain from the water instead of the pain from my loss. Besides, there was nothing else for me to do in this new world. Dryden promised I would visit the sea, but not even the sea could lift my spirits. I longed to see the ocean sparkling against the shore as the sun beat down upon its crystal green and blue waves, but that longing wasn't as strong as the longing to forget my mother's body.

There was so much blood. I knew I could never forget the way she looked lying on her bed. Her room was her sanctuary, her safe place, and the idea that someone had the audacity to kill my mother in the room she felt the safest made me so angry. It infuriated me as I imagined the look of horror on her face as she cowered in the corner and begged for her life.

I lifted my numb hand out of the water to wipe away the fresh tears. It was impossible to be strong in a world such as mine, but crying didn't mean I wasn't strong. I had just been hurt too many times. Felt pain and loss too many times, and my body couldn't handle it anymore.

Not only was I numb and cold, but my skin wrinkled beneath the water from being submerged for so long. I resembled a cold prune, and I knew I would eventually have to get out. However, I also knew it probably wouldn't be of my own free will because I would've stayed in the bath all night if I could. I guessed that Chefford or Dryden would eventually bang on the door and tell me to get out. I just hoped it would be later instead of sooner.

Although I didn't know how long I had been in the bath, I knew that hours passed since Chefford left me at the House to put the horses in the stable. The sun was no longer high in the sky like it was when we arrived back in Tyrenius, but it was setting beneath the horizon. I could see the pink and orange streaks reflecting across the clouds as I glanced out the window, but not even the beauty of the sky could inspire me to emerge from the water.

I was hungry again, cold, thirsty, and tired, but my will was stronger than my needs. I could hold out for a few more hours until someone came looking for me.

I thought of Chefford watching Dryden from the Pool, and I wondered if Dryden saw the person who murdered my mother. Did they ever come back for her body? Did they ever return to the scene of the crime? As much as I hated the Monsters, I wanted them to find the person who killed my mother and shred the culprit to pieces. For once, I wouldn't be opposed if they tore the murderer apart with their teeth, but I knew Dryden wouldn't do that unless the person was tried before Tyrenius. His duty to his town almost infuriated me. He would wait to try a murderer he knew committed the crime for what? Justice? There was no justice in this world. That was why my mother was now in another life with the goddess our Mother.

My head hurt from not drinking enough water and crying out more liquid than my body took in. But my mother deserved the tears just like she deserved her life.

I watched the water ripple around me as I shivered from the cold. I knew I would be sick if I stayed in much longer, but being sick could distract me from the loss. There was so much loss in a world that was supposed to be perfect. Our Mother made the world beautiful, perfect, but that crumbled when the war came. I wish I saw Landria before the war because it would help me know if Tyrenius actually resembled the old world or if it was all a facade derived from magic.

"Ocean," Chefford spoke softly as he knocked on the door. "Are you all right?"

"As if you care," I muttered and shook simultaneously.

I heard him sigh through the door.

"Dryden is home. He wants to see you."

"I don't want to be seen," I stated before submerging my head under the water. The sudden shock of the cold against my head made me shiver even more, but I didn't want to hear Chefford speak or tell me that Dryden wanted to see me. I didn't want to see anyone. I wanted to grieve by myself.

Contrary to my last bath, I wasn't trying to face death this time. I just wanted to escape the Monsters around me. Under the water, I couldn't hear Chefford through the door. However, I soon felt a hum from magic and opened my eyes. Beneath the cloudy surface, I saw Dryden standing above me before I felt his arms lift me out of the water.

"How many times must I save you from a bath?" He sighed before covering me with a towel and carrying me to the room he labeled as mine.

"I wasn't—I wasn't trying to kill myself," I shivered. "I was—it doesn't matter," I muttered. I didn't even care that he saw me naked, I just wanted to forget what I saw that morning.

"It does though," he whispered, but he didn't say anything else about it.

He set me down on the bed making sure the towel covered me. I saw both fury and anguish in his eyes, and I knew immediately that he found whoever killed my mother. I wanted to ask who it was, but I wasn't sure if I'd believe him. I knew my town wasn't as evil as he said because I lived there my whole life and only felt unsafe on the mornings of the solstice. But I also knew that arguing with him was pointless. It would only make both of us angry, and I was angry enough for the both of us already.

"I found the culprit," he spoke up after a while as he stared out the empty door toward the bathroom. "We're going to have a trial tomorrow. I've already contacted my brethren in the Main City. I must go there tomorrow to speak with them, and I want you to join me," he said as he lowered his head and glanced at me in the corner of his eyes. "The Main City is where the sea is. The City of Diamonds rests on the shore of the ocean. That's where the Academy is too where you can learn your magic."

"I don't want to learn magic," I told him as I tightened the towel around me. I was already warmer than earlier, but the towel wasn't enough covering to warm all of me.

"I know you don't, but you will once you know the truth. You need to see the truth for yourself, Oceana. Especially since you refuse to believe my truth, the only truth there is. Why must you be so stubborn?" He sighed.

"Why does it matter so much that I believe you? Why do you care what I think? I'm only a mortal, a human, someone that desires death above being here in Tyrenius." I suddenly wanted to cry again, but I held off any tears. I wanted to go home, but what home did I have? The cottage in Nortadane wasn't home to me any longer. Especially not after losing my mother and knowing someone in the village killed her. I was still suspicious it was an elder, but I didn't say any more about it. It hurt too much as it was.

"I've told you before that you're more than just a mortal. We're all connected by magic, and this world needs you. I won't press the matter any further because you refuse to listen to anything, and you've been through enough for one day. You need to get some rest and warmed up. I'll have one of the servants bring a heated nightgown up here for you," he told me softly before standing up and walking toward the open doorway.

"Dryden?" I spoke up before he could leave.

He stopped walking and turned to me with a quizzical look. "Yes?"

"Are we really going to visit the sea tomorrow?" I tried not to sound too hopeful, but I knew he noticed the excitement in my voice.

"We are," he smiled softly. "I want you to see how beautiful this world really is. Sleep, Oceana. You need it."

He closed the door behind him, and I remained on the bed as I listened to his steps down the hall. I was still shivering slightly from the cold water, but I waited until a servant returned to my room with the heated nightgown he promised me.

"Do you want me to help you, miss?" The servant asked. Her canines were not sharp, and I remembered that only men were elders. Dryden only chose his closest friends he deemed his brothers along with men he thought were worthy. Women weren't elders, and that didn't sit right with me.

She was a short plump woman with rosy cheeks. Her skin was as white as the shining marble of the House, and her hair was blacker than the night sky. She wore silver clothes like Chefford except they weren't made from any material. They looked soft and comfortable, and she seemed like she enjoyed bustling around my room.

"Were you from Nortadane?" I asked her as she pulled the nightgown over my head and began to lace up the back. I held back my auburn hair to make it easier for her to reach the laces.

"Goodness, no!" She laughed. "I was raised here in Tyrenius with my family.

"But you're human, right?" I asked to assure myself.

"Of course, I am. Your village isn't the only town with humans. Not every human was destroyed in the war, Miss Howl. Lots of us continued to live here or in the other cities unharmed. There are only a handful of elders, miss, there aren't as many as you'd think. Some were destroyed like the one in your town. He tried to come through the magic barrier, and the wall devoured him through the magic of the High Elders. But we didn't all die," she smiled at me as she collected the wet towel off my bed.

"I thought elders ruled over towns and cities," I said after a moment of thinking about Chefford. He was always here, so what was he ruling over?

"They do. Well, they're supposed to," she smiled. "If you're referring to Sir Chefford, he does rule over a city. Lord Dryden gave Chefford a part of every city in Landria to rule over since Chefford no longer wanted to rule by himself. Chefford is one of the judges who attend to crime and such. Lord Dryden helps him of course and changes punishments when he thinks it's needed, but that is very rare. They're close like brothers, so they work together."

This information about Chefford astounded me. Why didn't he want to rule over his own city?

"But he's not a high elder?" I questioned. I knew Dryden's closest friends were high elders, so why wasn't Chefford one if they were so close? "I thought only the high elders held that much power. Especially have a piece of control in all of Landria."

"No, he's not. He should be ruling over one of the smaller towns, but he chose to stay here since it was his home. Sir Chefford is an exception on many levels," she laughed. "And Lord Dryden knows how pure Sir Chefford's heart is. Our Mother also knows, and she approved of our lord's decision."

"Our Mother?" I gaped. "When was this duty given to Chefford?"

"About a decade ago. It was after Chefford had enough of his own city. He really desired the justice and jury side, not the ruling side."

"Dryden spoke with our Mother only ten years ago?" I asked in shock. After the war, I thought our Mother gave up on us. Especially since her creation became her demise.

"My dear," she laughed, "Lord Dryden speaks to our goddess almost daily. He spends every morning in the Temple for prayer. She leads and guides him, and that's why I know that Lord Dryden is exactly the ruler we need for Landria. However," she sighed, "he just wanted this tiny part of the land called Tyrenius. I do wish he'd return to the Main City someday. He would be the best fit for our country."

"I wasn't aware of any of this," I smiled slightly to be polite, but it was forced and quickly evaporated. There was just too much information to take in. Chefford gave up a city? Dryden spoke to our goddess daily? Today showed me what little I truly knew of my own world. "Sorry for so many questions," I apologized, "but do you work here willingly?" I wanted to know if she had the choice to work for Dryden, or if she was forced here against her own will. It wouldn't surprise me if she was forced since Dryden was one of the Monsters after all.

"Of course! Lord Dryden has always been kind to my family, and I wanted to repay the kindness. He didn't need another servant to help him keep the House clean, but he hired me because he knew I wanted to do something kind for him. He is our High Elder after all. Goodnight, miss," she bowed to me before leaving me alone.

I meant to ask her for her name, but the thought slipped my mind after she shared with me the information about Chefford, the humans, and Dryden. I had too many things to think about for one evening that I pushed it all away and climbed into the warm bed.

The nightgown was both soft and steaming against my skin, and the extra layers from the blanket added even more heat. Before I knew it, I was dreaming of my mother and the sweet memories we had when I was younger.

•••••

I expected to wake up with Chefford or Dryden banging on the door, but I woke up to birds chirping in the window. The morning had just begun because the sun was still rising, so I knew that was why nobody disturbed me.

I was warm and comfortable in bed, but only my body reflected this comfort. My heart was sad and longing for my mother after the dream I had. We were all together in our cottage—my mother, father, and sister—and the sun shone on our village while we danced in the square. It was a festival with flowers and shops and food. I had never been to a festival, and the dream faded into a murky, hazy Nortadane that I was used to. It was as if my memories were already fading even though I saw my mother less than a week ago. However, I knew the brain worked differently as it grieved, and I didn't fault myself for this. As long as I could forget the pain, I would be okay.

I knew that time of forgetting wouldn't arrive for a while unless I removed these memories, but only magic could...

Scrambling out of bed, I opened the door and ran down the hall to Dryden's room. I knew what I was about to ask him was a lot, especially after how I treated him and felt about him. He deserved my hatred though, and the least he could do was this one thing.

"Dryden!" I called as I banged on the door. "Open up!"

"All this shouting this early?" He spoke behind me, and I jumped before turning around and facing the high elder as he leaned against the wall. He held a cup of tea in his hand and sipped it gently as amusement flooded his face. "That eager to visit the sea, are we?" But his smile faltered when he noticed there wasn't any excitement on my own face.

"This isn't about the sea," I told him as I gazed down at my hands and began fiddling with the material of the nightgown. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay," he nodded as he stood up off the wall. "What is it?"

"I know I despise magic and what it can do especially after the war and what went on with my town, but there isn't another option and—" I paused as I glanced up at him. His blue eyes shone brighter in the morning sun as the light trickled in from the window and fell upon his tan face. I hadn't noticed he stepped closer to me until I could smell the lavender tea on his breath.

"Yes?" He encouraged me further, and I began to wonder if he assumed I was going to comply and attend the Academy.

"Can you erase my memory? Not all of them," I shook my head as my eyes returned to my hands, "but the memory of what I saw? How I found my mother?" I requested as tears pooled into my eyes both from sorrow at the memory and pride from having asked such a big request from a person I wanted nothing to do with.

No, not a person. A Monster.

"Oceana," he sighed, and he said my name as if it was the last word he'd ever speak. It was soft and gentle, and before I could respond I felt his hand lift my face to meet his. "Magic cannot erase what we know," he replied. "We must face our heartaches and pain on our own. That is what keeps us human."

"So," I sniffled angrily, "you're saying you won't?"

"I'm saying I can't. Could I erase your memories of yesterday? Yes, but am I going to? No. I don't want you in pain constantly, but yesterday's encounter will help you tomorrow and in the future to come. Don't shut off your feelings because it's easy. Face the pain, Ocean. It leaves you feeling what you should be. It leaves you human. Using magic for this is the exact reason you hate magic. It strips you of your human qualities, and erasing your memory would do just that." His eyes appeared soft as if he was helping me as if he was trying to give me some hope, but it was all to benefit him.

"You don't care about human qualities," I snarled as I pushed his hand away. "You just want to prove that the people in my town are the real enemies. You just want me to see that Tyrenius is where I'm supposed to be and believe in this new world. You don't care about my pain, you only care about what you'll get from it." Before he could respond, I left him in the hallway as I ran back to my room.

How selfish could he be? He only wanted me to feel the pain so I would believe him. Everything was for his own benefit, and I was stupid to even ask him for help.

"Woah!" Chefford practically yelled as I almost ran into him. I could barely see where I was going as the tears fell faster and faster. "Why are you always crying?" He sighed. "What happened now?"

"You could show some respect," I growled.

"Respect? Like you show us?" He laughed. "You amuse me, Ocean. I'll show you respect when you show Lord Dryden or me some. Until then, I think I'd rather be sarcastic. I was kind to you yesterday, but today is a new day."

"If you consider that kind," I sniffled as I wiped my eyes, "then I would hate to see you being mean."

"Mean is such a juvenile term. Besides, you need to stop requesting stupid ideas from our lord if you despise magic so much. Erase your memories?" He scoffed. "Aren't you obsessed with remembering Nortadane's false history? Why keep that information but erase the truth about your mother? It makes no sense."

"You know nothing about me," I snapped. "You're just as selfish as he is."

"Selfish? You don't even know what Dryden's done for this country. Do you think being the first elder is easy? Do you think selecting the men to follow you and uphold your beliefs and care for cities is easy? You think you've had it so tough since you've lost your parents. That's all you've been through, Oceana! All. We've lost hundreds of people! We've seen thousands of deaths, we've made both poor and good decisions for our country, but we bear a burden you know nothing about! Do you think magic makes this easier? By god, magic makes it harder! To have such a powerful tool in the palm of your hand means there's more weight on your actions. You're expected to do everything perfectly. You think your life is the only one with struggles, and you call us selfish? You're the most selfish and ignorant woman I've ever met!" He shouted before pushing past me and stalking out the front door.

I stood near the open doorway of my bedroom and thought about what Chefford said. It was the second time he reminded me that I wasn't the only person to deal with loss and pain, but that still didn't negate my feelings. He was Dryden's close friend, so wouldn't he automatically be on his side?

It was too early in the morning to be so skeptical, and my head hurt from the lack of food.

"Come and eat, Ocean, you're famished," Dryden called from the dining room. I didn't have enough fight left in me, so I wiped away the last of my tears and walked toward the table.

Eggs, bacon, and sausage sat waiting for me. My mouth watered as I noticed fresh fruit and gravy as well. Although I tried to pace myself before, I no longer cared. I piled my plate with food and began devouring breakfast immediately.

"I see I was right," he raised his eyebrows as he watched me eat. "Please don't choke," he begged. "My least favorite part of a meal is trying to save someone when I just want to eat peacefully." I couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or serious, but his comment made me snort.

Instinctively, I felt my cheeks heat up. I was crying only moments ago, and now I found something funny? My emotions were all over the place, and I needed to get them under control before much longer.

"Don't forget the juice. Fresh grape juice pressed this morning. I know you've never had such a meal in your town, but tell me, what is your favorite food?" He asked as he took a sip from his goblet and waited for my answer.

I had to chew the food in my mouth and swallow before I could respond, so there was a long pause before I answered him.

"I'm not sure," I answered honestly. "At home, I enjoyed dried meat whenever we could get it. Here, I enjoy all the food. The turkey leg I tasted my first night here was very good, though," I admitted. Even though it was what I threw up multiple times, it was the best meat I ever tasted. Even better than the bacon and sausage I was devouring at the moment.

"And your favorite drink?" He asked as he watched me sip the juice.

"This," I sighed into the goblet, "is the best thing I've ever drank before."

"Wait until you taste the strawberry wine," he smiled. "We'll have some for dinner tonight in the City of Diamonds. After we visit the sea, we'll go and dine at the best restaurant in all of Landria. I think you'll enjoy it."

"What about the trial?" I asked him. I knew it was supposed to take place today, and that was why we were taking a trip to the City of Diamonds to begin with.

"While you're visiting the sea, I'll attend the trial. You don't need to be there for that. You'll see the culprit soon enough," he assured me.

I didn't speak for the rest of the meal. I assumed he would accompany me to the sea. I wasn't disappointed that he wouldn't be there, but I was curious as to why he would let me go alone. Then again, I knew Chefford would probably follow me around to make sure I didn't run away again.

"Chefford will accompany me to the trial for his duties," he spoke after a moment as if he read my mind, "so, you'll be visiting the sea by yourself. I would have one of my servants escort you, but I don't believe that'll be necessary. After the last few days, you've had, you deserve some time alone."

I knew I should thank him for being kind, but my pride outweighed my doing what was right. I did want to be alone at the sea, and I was glad I would visit the place I most wanted to without a Monster chaperoning me like a prisoner. But then again, wasn't I a prisoner?

I fought this idea away and returned to my room where the servant from last night was preparing an outfit for me.

"Good morning, miss," she bowed as she picked out accessories for an emerald green dress with a sweetheart neckline. The shoulders were puffy, and the sleeves were long and ended past the wrists with a V shape cut into the cuffs that extended toward the middle finger. It was a beautiful dress, but I wondered if it would be too hot in weather this warm.

"Won't I be hot in this?" I asked her as I ran my hands over the velvet material.

"No, miss, the City of Diamonds is cooler this time of the year. Since it's on the shore, the ocean lowers the temperature," she informed me as she untied the back of the nightgown and slipped it over my head.

"What's your name?" I asked her as she helped me into my undergarments and began lacing up my corset.

"Yelanie. My name is Yelanie, miss," she said.

"That's a beautiful name," I complimented her. "And, please, call me Ocean. Miss is too formal for my liking," I assured her.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be disrespectful," she muttered as she laced the last of the corset and reached for the dress.

"I'm sure," I promised her as she pulled it over my head and began buttoning the back.

The material was stiffer than the blue dress I wore the other day, but this dress was made for walking and traveling. The sturdy fabric was perfect for walking through the woods and not snagging on branches. Besides, it was the most beautiful and simple dress I ever seen. The little details made it far more stunning than the blue dress, and I awed at how it fit me.

"You look beautiful," Yelanie assured me. "Now, allow me to fix your hair and powder your face. Lord Dryden wanted me to make you look extra beautiful today for the city. Oh! You'll adore the city, miss—I mean, Ocean. It's gorgeous! It sparkles like a diamond in the sun from all the technology and magic it holds."

"I can't wait," I told her, and I wasn't lying. Even though the last few days were hard, I knew this was exactly what I needed. A break from Dryden, from the images of yesterday, and from this House to clear my mind and focus on the beauty around me. Magic or not, the new world was truly stunning. I began to believe that it wasn't just magic that made it beautiful, but it was perhaps nature healing herself from the war.

•••

Yelanie left my hair down and curled the ends so it lay in waves beneath my breasts. She pinned back the top so the bottom was free and cascaded down in curly tendrils. She also powdered my face and gave my cheeks some color along with my lips. I barely recognized myself when she handed me a mirror. It was me in the reflection, but it was a better me. I didn't resemble the dirty, tired girl from Nortadane. I resembled a woman.

"Thank you," I told her as she helped me into my green boots that matched and hurried me out the door.

Dryden stood near the carriage wearing a gold suit and emerald shirt underneath his jacket. His bright red hair was combed back, and he wore a ring on every single finger. I noticed the rings as he ran his hands through his hair before I reached the carriage.

"Ah, you look stunning," he smiled as he walked a circle around me. "That dress was made for you. I think green is your color."

"Thank you," I said without smiling. It took every ounce of my being not to blush at his words. It wasn't that I cared what he thought of me, but I saw myself in the mirror and knew he was right. I did look stunning.

I wanted to ask him if we matched on purpose, but I held my tongue. I knew we matched on purpose, and I wasn't going to comment on it.

"Allow me," he said as he opened the carriage door and extended his hand.

I ignored the gesture and climbed in by myself. I also ignored the look of disappointment on his face when he climbed in after me.

"You're not driving today?" I asked.

"No. Chefford insisted that he drive. I asked him if he wanted to ride with you or drive, and he jumped at the opportunity to be our chauffeur," Dryden laughed, and this time I did blush.

I knew Chefford hated me, and that was why he wanted to be the driver. I also knew that it shouldn't bother me as much as it did, but from our last conversation together to what Yelanie told me, there was something about Chefford that made me want to get along with him. I was still unsure about this feeling since the elders were still Monsters in my eyes—especially after Dryden's poor excuse and reasons as to why he punished my father the way he did—but Chefford wasn't Dryden. I had to separate the two. Chefford also had a better way with words, and I was unsure why our Mother didn't choose him as the first elder instead of Dryden.

"Yelanie told me that you still speak with our Mother," I spoke up after a moment of silence apart from the horses neighing and the carriage rumbling down the brick road.

"I do. How else would I acquire any wisdom in this world?" He asked bemused. "Why are you so surprised? Don't you ever pray?"

I blushed which gave the answer away.

"No," I admitted. "I thought she gave up on us after the war. Especially with how few humans were left."

"But there are a plethora of humans, Ocean, you just didn't know that. You believed a lie you were told by evil men. I don't trust anyone in Nortadane and neither should you. I don't even trust the men I once chose as elders for your town. Haven't you noticed how old and almost doll-like their skin is? How tight it lays over their bones?" Dryden shook his head. "Evil shines through your body. None of the elders in any other city or town resemble the elders in your village. Dark magic destroys the body. The real monsters of this world are them."

Although I wanted to argue with Dryden, I saw the skin of the elders. I knew what he was referring to, and I also knew there was a truth to what he said. I hated the elders in Nortadane because I thought they were the Monsters' minions, but perhaps they were not the minions but were Monsters also. By now, it was too hard to keep up with who was good and who wasn't. I didn't trust Chefford at all yet, but I couldn't find evil in him. Sarcasm, yes, but not evil.

"Yet, here you are looking preserved and beautiful even after what you did to my father," I scoffed as his blue eyes pierced my own. "Isn't that ironic?"

"What's ironic is that you called me beautiful," he teased, "but there are things you don't know, Oceana, and I've already told you this. I can't trust you with the truth when you're automatically blinded to anything apart from what you learned in your village. Can't you see your whole town was in the dark both physically and mentally? You know nothing about what you speak of," he snarled as he leaned across the carriage.

I forced my body as far back as I could into the seats to get away from him, but no matter how far back I leaned, he leaned even further toward me.

"And another thing," he whispered as his tongue escaped his mouth to dampen his lips, "I must request that you stop acting as if you know more than I do. Because, Miss Howl, I guarantee you don't."

His face was so close to mine I almost feared he'd kiss me. However, he eventually sat back in his own seat across from me. My heart beat against my chest at our close proximity that it took many minutes for it to slow down and my face to cool down. He was a beast and he enjoyed this game. I didn't, though, so I stayed silent until we arrived at the city.

Our journey took a few hours to complete, and we spent those few hours in utter silence. I didn't know what to say after he leaned over and spoke so closely to me. I also couldn't fathom why his close proximity made my heart vibrate so fast. Was it because he was powerful? Was I afraid of him?

Although Dryden was the most powerful Monster I had ever and would ever encounter, I wasn't actually afraid of him. I knew I should've been since I read about what the Monsters did during the war and how that ended for the humans, but Dryden kept me alive this long. Plus, he always liked to remind me that I was here in Tyrenius for a reason. Whatever this reason was, I knew it was important after my public scene in the market. If he kept me alive after disrespecting him in front of others, I knew I had to be important. I didn't necessarily want to be alive especially after losing my mother and getting told I needed to accept the pain, but at least I wasn't tortured. I hadn't experienced a death so gruesome where he ate me alive, and I was thankful for that. Just thinking about my father's death turned my stomach, and I had to divert my attention to outside. I had stared at Dryden throughout most of the ride, and I wasn't sure how I felt about this. He murdered my father, he destroyed my country, yet he showed me mercy. I couldn't comprehend why.

He was the High Elder, he was there at the beginning of the world, yet he found some strange hope in me. Either he was fabricating his ideas to sound like a politician, or he genuinely wanted me to believe his guff. As much as I hated the Monster, mercy was what I needed after the life I had. However, because I hated the Monster, mercy from him was the last thing I needed right now. His mercy and kindness made me feel weak. I was supposed to die crossing the barrier. I wasn't supposed to aid a Monster's cause for a new world.

"We're here. Look out your window," he interrupted my thoughts as he pointed toward what resembled the top of a mountain. Only instead of a peak, a whole city was carved into the stone. A city that stood layer upon layer with diamonds glistening in the background.

"They're diamonds everywhere," I whispered as I pressed my face against the glass like a child eagerly waiting for some candy. "Behind the city is full of them."

"Those aren't diamonds," Dryden chuckled as he moved behind me. His breath tickled my ear as he rested his chin on my shoulder. "That's the sea."

My mouth fell open, and I instantly forgot about how close he was. His chin was hard against my shoulder, but it didn't dig into my bones. Instead, he rested it gently as if he was eager to be as close to me just to watch my reaction.

"It's sparkling is the sun. I—I've never seen anything like it," I breathed as the carriage continued down the road and into the city. Soon, the beautiful sea was out of our sight and emptiness returned into my heart.

"And you never will. Now you understand where the city got its name?" He grinned as if he were a little kid showing off his best school project. "Chefford is driving through the city and stopping at the sea first. Then he'll take me to the courthouse where the trial will be. I want you to spend as much time as you want on the shore. When you are ready to leave, tell anyone around who you are. They'll bring you straight to me," he assured me as he leaned back in his seat and watched me carefully.

He rested his chin against his fingers as he watched my reaction. I wanted to ask him how people would know who I was, but I couldn't form the words. I couldn't even form thoughts as I gazed out upon the city carved into the mountain.

There was technology all around me as streetlights blazed on every corner, towers buzzed with electricity, and the people around rode on tiny carts powered by themselves and not a horse. It astounded me how many things I didn't know existed, and it made me wonder if I was genuinely the one in the dark.

"There's even more than you can see," Dryden spoke up after I had a moment to collect myself. "They're vehicles that drive people around, they're carriages that fly in the sky, and they're gadgets that help everyday living much easier. Tyrenius doesn't have all that the Main City does, but it will eventually. Technology is branching out once again as our lands heal from the war. War takes so much," he shook his head as he glanced down at his many rings. "I wish it didn't."

"You could've stopped it, though. Couldn't you? Couldn't you have ended the war with a snap of your fingers?" I asked. It didn't make sense that he pretended to be sad about a situation he created himself.

"Magic doesn't end wars, Oceana, especially when the wars continue to brew in people's hearts." He glanced up at me, and I could see through those glass eyes that he was referring to my own heart.

"You know nothing about my heart," I snapped.

"It's a shame too, isn't it? It does intrigue me so much, yet you don't allow anyone to see it. I don't believe there is anybody in all of Landria that knows you, Oceana Howl, and how sad. How truly sad it is to be alone." His countenance fell as he sighed. He turned his attention toward his window, and I knew the conversation was over. I also knew that a person who spoke of loneliness in the same manner he just did, was a person who experienced it first hand.

Monster or human, loneliness was a universal term. But I believed it was the most humane feeling one could have. For with loneliness, you feel the pain Dryden told me to embrace. And for once since I arrived in Tyrenius, I knew Dryden was right. Pain was meant to be felt, and it was the only way I could survive this new life.

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This chapter is SO long. But what do you guys think? What do you think of Dryden?😌let me know!