The Maliki's revelry had calmed down. Now, the creaking of the ship dominated as it rocked against the waves. The drunken crew was strewn across the main deck, fast asleep, while Miri sat on the bridge, polishing the worn hilt of her blade.
Captain Maliki had retreated into his cabin, at least. Just looking at him made Yun feel heavy and exhausted. It was probably just the effects of being left to the frosty wind and tied to a hard, wooden pole against his will. But what did he know?
Yun shuffled against the rope, hoping to find a comfortable position. When splinters began biting into his back, he stopped and heaved a long sigh.
I miss my shack. I never thought there'd come a day when I'd say something so depressing!
Yun had expected his First Vision to be a disaster. He'd at least hoped for the epic variety, like a crimson-tainted battlefield rich with the stench of burning copper. Or an extinction-level event where he had to race against time to recover some artifact and save the world. Comparatively, his situation was quite mundane.
Those damn comics were full of shit!
The government made sure to provide standard welfare to less fortunate groups — including the Tainted — but due to intervention from Descendant society, the aid allotted to the Tainted was purposefully limited. The government could only provide flash-pads as they were standard issue for all citizens over the age of thirteen. Yun mostly used it to surf the web and learn as much as he could about Divines and the Forsaken Realm.
Given that most of the important information was classified, he had to settle for the few publicly available archives and web-fictions like comics and novels. It was the only way he could reach out to his Divine sister.
He decided to manifest the fragments once again. A few things he didn't manage to analyse before piqued his interest, such as his full name.
"Yun Morrigan."
It felt weird to say it out loud. He could barely remember the last time he was referred to by his clan name. The classic "mutt" tends to stick on you. "Runt" and "brat" were also some regular players.
Interesting. The Curse itself acknowledged him as a member of the Morrigan clan. Most Tainted might have seen this as an opportunity to finally belong to a clan. All they had to do was prove their worth somehow. Yun wasn't sure of the specific process, but he suspected that Authority had a lot to do with it.
Either way, Yun had no such ambitions, so he was not going to waste his energy. When he thought that, his chest tightened.
Thump!
"Argh…"
His heart drummed against his chest. Like his body was trying to tell him something. Something he had forgotten due to the Curse. He heard his own voice saying some unfamiliar words.
"…my mother was a Morrigan!… she's still one of you, how could… allow me to… sister's… at least… What do you mean it's my fault?…"
The memory fragments faded as swiftly as they materialized, leaving Yun with a splitting headache and ragged breaths.
Was that from the missing three days? Who was I shouting at…?
… Do those people have something to do with Mother…?
From the sound of it, Yun had gone to his Clan… and Mother was involved somehow.
His head swirled with a thousand thoughts, giving himself answers and then rejecting them. Nothing seemed to make sense. Mother had abandoned Yun and his sister years ago; looking for her was a useless endeavor.
But even then, there was one conclusion he came to. One that would guarantee him an answer.
Recovering his memories was the only way to know what happened. He didn't like the fact that the Curse was practically holding them hostage, dangling them in front of his face with a disgusting sneer.
Sorry, Mom. I can't travel light with this one.
There was one way to recover his memories.
"Fine, I'll play your stupid game." Yun's hand tightened into a fist. "I'll survive the First Vision. No matter what."
***
Yun threw a furtive glance at Miri, who was still tending to her sword. She was currently tracing its edges with a dirty cloth. From the first time he saw her, from how she spoke, her sincere diligence, how she blushed at her own mistakes, and even her stance, it all seemed too familiar.
His sister had a knife collection from when she still lived in the Stone District. Even made that same blank face when she was tending to them.
Stop. The First Vision is supposed to be a simulated past of the Forsaken Realm. Visions are unique to each Descendant. All these people are long dead. They might as well not be real.
His body spasmed at a gust of wind, snapping him back to focus. He quickly chased away the nostalgia.
Right, my Traits.
[Court of Divinity] Trait Description: "You inherited the last embers of the Heavenly Court's celestial flame. All creatures with an affinity for the divine will recognize you as such, attracting lost souls and enemies alike."
This was the Trait all Descendants possessed, lying dormant until they were cursed. Once awakened, Descendants would gain access to Authority. Yun assumed that the "attracting enemies" part meant that Plague Monsters would be drawn to him and always attack on sight.
[Incubant] Trait Description: "The chrysalis stirs, but is yet to crack. An unfamiliar power resides within you, granting you preternatural grace and balance."
Straightforward, but it was probably suppressed by that damn [Cloud Servant] Lineage Path.
[Eyes of Acuity] Trait Description: "The sky embraces all and is contained within all. Under your gaze, the world holds no hidden quantities."
The sky? Was that a translation error or something?
Earlier, Yun could tell how many prisoners were directly below the grating despite being barely able to see through the dark. He could even discern that they were tightly packed.
While he could not see through the deck, he could estimate their full number, about fifty. He also could not quantify what was outside his field of vision, but the exact length and weight of Miri's blade, the ship's dimensions and its distance from the storm barrier, were all things he had information on.
This was clearly his biggest boon, and one he'd have to thoroughly explore later. Still, what did the sky have to do with it?
Also, knowing the height and weight of everyone on the ship felt weird. And invasive.
Moving on…
Both [Incubant] and [Eyes of Acuity] were derived from his Lineage Path. The [Incubant] Trait in particular might have doubled as a beacon of sorts that the Itheon used to identify its servants. Not that all Traits functioned the same way, but it would explain why Maliki needed Yun — he was a lure for the Itheon and possibly a way to get it to lower its guard. And judging by the storm barrier, it worked. Until it didn't.
Despite the name, Lineage Paths weren't actually derived from any relationship with divine beings or anything of the sort. They were uniquely suited to the aspirant undergoing the Vision. Yun would obviously wonder why his Lineage Path, and the Vision as a whole, revolved around this Itheon.
Maybe if—
Splash!
"Huh?"
A loud ripple in the sea caught Yun's attention. This one stood out from the rest. He shifted his weight against the mast to get a better visual. He squinted. What he saw was a shadow. Anyone else might have ignored it, but Yun had the [Eyes of Acuity]. And that was one heavy shadow.
The rope tightened against Yun's chest when the shadow's titanic size was revealed to him. It was large enough to swallow them all in one gulp. He traced it as it circled the ship, stalking its target.
Shit.