Birds sing across the ocean air, and waking up in his matted silk sheets is Foster — his hair a mess and his clothes falling off his shoulder.
"What the fuck," he lets out, looking around his dilapidated rich-boy room. His floors shiny, his walls perfect, but bottles strung across the room, striking out like the wretched smell of a homeless man excusing within a church.
"Ackt." A heavy buzzing pain pulses out of his head. "Right… the Sea Lord pre‑festival party."
He shuffles out of bed and takes a breath, walking out onto his balcony overlooking the Ruby's Rest — the sun reflecting off the sea and bouncing off the sand as the nattering of the early risers reaches his ears.
He looks at peace.
"HURK!" He throws up over the side of his balcony.
He leans back, looking up at the sky. "What am I doing…"
The light from the sun beams down on him. Then he finds himself in front of Eva's dad's restaurant, wearing his best clothes and cleaner than he woke up.
He opens the door, stepping inside. "Hey up, pops. You doing better?"
"Yes, lad," Eva's father replies.
"Can I have some breakfast then?" Foster asks, and the man narrows his eyes.
"As long as you pay," Eva's father says.
"As long as you keep your clothes on," Foster counters.
"Touché," the old man says — his clothes already gone, with only an apron covering him.
"How does that happen?" Foster questions, sitting down.
"It's one of the wonders of the world," a voice says, and quickly looking to his side he finds himself sitting next to that man from yesterday's fight. He never got his name, but he has grey‑blue hair and green eyes.
"Who are you?" Foster asks, and the boy takes a sip of milk tea.
"My name's Noman Dier."
Foster nods.
What did he just say? Foster thinks to himself. "I'm Foster Van Jane. The pleasure's yours," the rich boy says, pushing up his glasses he just now notices he had on. But looking away from the table, he sees Eva's father staring at them in shock, pouring a tea kettle of water onto the ground with his jaw wide open like he saw a ghost.
"What up, pops?" Foster asks, and the old man's jaw closes and his teeth clang together.
"H‑h‑h‑h‑h‑h‑h‑h‑he's a Dier!" the man proclaims.
"What's with the noise!?" Eva says, walking out of the back room.
"Y‑y‑y‑y‑y‑your new friend — a clan member!" their dad shouts.
"Who asked? Now put some clothes on!" Eva shouts.
After a couple of minutes, Eva's father hides behind the counter while Eva sits in front of the boy.
"So, fuck‑face. Dickweed. What's going on?" Eva asks.
"Fuck if I know," Foster slurs out.
"It's not important, but can you tell me about the Sea Lord festival?" Noman asks, seemingly hiding something.
"Alright — if you tell me what your last name means."
"Alright," he lets out.
"The Sea Lord festival celebrates the Sea Lord. It comes up every year, we feed it, and it fucks off."
"No — the Sea Lord protects us from bandits and other problems. In exchange, we give her food," Eva's father says from behind the counter.
Noman hums in understanding, and Foster looks at the pair talking — a feeling of isolation and melancholy washing over him like he's watching them through a window and not sitting right next to them. Eva leans forward, her eyes focused on Noman, anticipating an answer.
The blue‑grey‑haired boy lets out a weak smile. "The Dier clan are like the king's guards, and they use special magic to summon monsters."
"And what the fuck does that mean?" Eva asks with interest, seemingly getting excited as she looks at Noman with more and more curiosity.
"He's dangerous!" the old man shouts from behind the counter.
"So what's a royal guard doing all the way out in the sticks?" Foster blurts out.
"I want to see the Sea Lord," Noman replies with a smile like he's holding something back.
"Do you want to summon it?!" Eva says, and Noman nods with a smile.
"That's so cool!" she says, grabbing the boy's hand with sparkles in her eyes. "How do you do it?"
Foster looks at how close they're getting so quickly and narrows his eyes — jealousy encompassing him.
"Who cares? It's not that impressive. That guy yesterday could summon—" Foster turns to Noman, realizing that the man from yesterday was also a Dier clan member. "You brought the fucker here — the guy that hurt me and pops!"
"Actually, are your ribs okay?" Noman asks, instantly changing the subject.
Foster looks to the side. "Yes," he replies fast. The boy then points at Noman. "Don't change the subject! That man was after you! Get out of town before you bring more trouble!"
Foster then marches out of the restaurant in a huff.
"Oh, what the hell — I just finished making breakfast," Eva's father says, placing the plate down on the table.
Foster marches down the street, angry. "Damn that prick. Damn that guy. Damn that lamb‑looking thing," he huffs out — jealousy, rage, and pride lashing around inside him. "Damn it," he mumbles, looking down at the ground.
Back within the restaurant, Noman and Eva keep talking.
"Can you tell me how you summon things? Can I do it? Actually — why do you want the Sea Lord? Fuck it, I can't wait — come on, show me!" Eva proclaims with excitement, and they head out.
"Yo, Asmen," Noman says, and Eva giggles as they pass a pole — tied at the top is Asmen, his glasses shattered and his body bruised.
But as the pair walk, they pass an alley where Foster sits on a step, looking down at the ground.
"Fuck's sake…" he says, his brain still dazed from yesterday and his heart in pain from the one he likes ignoring him. "This is so stupid," he mumbles. But looking up, he sees Eva and Noman just for a moment — and she's smiling.
"What the hell…" he says, with bitterness worse than black coffee.
He lumbers up and out of the alleyway, and he sees them on the beach — Noman explaining something, probably something about summoning. But as he looks on, time passes. People pass him. And his eyes get more and more dreadful, like he's watching his life waste away. Eventually day turns to afternoon, and the festival has started.
Voices and ground murmur their joy and wonder, synergising with the air.
"What a mistake… whatever," he mumbles, not even taking the time to think, making his way to a liquor bottle.
Chugging the drink, he finds himself looking out at the ocean.
"Foster?" a familiar voice says, and the man takes his lips off the drink and turns to see Eva.
"Yeah?" he says, with no concern for his tone.
"You alright?" she asks — making him annoyed. Now she asks. Before, why did she only care now?
"Fine," he lets out with a sigh.
"Good, good… so, I'm leaving the village tomorrow," Eva says with a soft smile.
Foster's eyes widen and he looks at her. "I LOV—"
"Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!"
Leaping out of the water is a large whale‑like beast with razor fangs, sea grass growing on its back, and luminescent eyes — the Sea Lord, better known as the Vythos Whale.
A mass of water splashes over the beach — not dragging people in, but knocking them over. People cheer in delight, but Foster could care less as his face is beet red from the booze and his confession.
"You know… I used to love seeing the Sea Lord," Eva lets out, looking at the beast with an accepting expression. "But after time passes, you kind of get used to everything, you know? Like… it's get up, fish, trade in the fish, help out at home, and repeat. It becomes so dull," she explains. "I want to see the world. I want to see everything it has to offer. I want to feel like there's more than just this village!" she proclaims, smiling like she's had a weight lifted off her chest.
Foster places down his bottle and removes the conflict written all over his face.
"Alright… I hope you find what you're looking for," he says, walking away into the crowd of people — tears streaming down his face.
"Life just isn't fair."