Echoes and Light
Only the pitter-patter of rain falling from the endless void in the sky could be heard on the small island of Tartarus. It was a typical night by all means to its residents, yet to an outsider like Orion, it only worsened the pit in his stomach. Was she here, as that informant had detailed? After all these years of chasing her echoes, could he finally see her face again? What could even be said once they reunited? These questions swirled around his brain like a whirlpool as he sat at the helm, trying to navigate the ship onto the azure shore. The journey here from Abbadonia had been arduous on his morale, especially since he had now found himself braving the heartless seas of Impetus all by his lonesome.
Orion had always tried to convince his crew that this pursuit would be worth it. Some initially agreed, and others tried to debate just continuing towards Limelight when the conversation arose. He couldn’t let go of her, though. She had been the glue that held him together, and with each consecutive failure to find her, hate and disdain grew amongst the ones Orion had once called friends. One by one his crew departed until it had just been Orion and Rhin investigating the lead in that accursed port city. He could still remember the disgusted look on Rhin’s face as she had called him pathetic and left him standing at the pier alone, telling him to come to find her in the Shadelight district once he had come to his senses. At that moment, he had considered just slipping away into the oil-stained waters of the shaded sea, yet that note had stopped him. It had not been vague information on where to find her next like all the times before. It was a direct location, provided to him by the usual faceless contacts he had contracted to look into her whereabouts. Tonight was the night. This island was the place. Orion could feel despair and dread pumping through his body, not fully ready to face the situation ahead.
The view outside was astonishing. Distant, warm light radiated from the island's core, illuminating something incredibly puzzling at its very center: a massive, decaying foot. This foot had been the defining factor of the island across the many stories about it, yet Orion had never even heard anything about Tartarus before his voyage. This was something completely new. Besides that glaring factor, the island seemed normal, covered deep in the veil of darkness. The blue sand on the shore seemed to invite Orion, almost as if to tell him that it would be ok here. A slight vibration rocked the ship as the anchor made contact with the sea floor. Orion didn’t have an excuse to be idly staring out the window, contemplating what was to come anymore. With a yawn and a second glance back at the island ahead, he left the helm, beginning to walk towards the deck.
This ship had certainly seen better days. It had held a name once, back when Orion’s crew had stood united against the endless tides that came their way—The Spirit’s Flame. Rhin had come up with it after locking herself in her room, dedicating herself to reading a hefty book on many of the “Spirits” in Thalasso. Orion had always interpreted spirits as more of a fairytale idea rather than an actual part of the world, but after years of Rhin’s rants about their existence and significance, he had been fully convinced. Perhaps this whole ordeal had been the work of some malicious spirit, sending him down a spiral of torment. In any case, The Spirit’s Flame was only a shell of its former self, with rust, broken glass, and scrap metal strewn about in place of where friends had once stood.
Orion didn’t want to reminisce on the now-sorrowful memories of old any longer, as it stirred a sickening melancholy within, moving in order with all the other overwhelming emotions he had been feeling. He quickly descended a ladder hung off the side of the ship into a small rowboat, prepared for the final stretch to bring him to shore. The water was surprisingly warm against his bare feet as it sloshed around within the small vessel. As he clutched the oars and pushed the boat toward the island, a weight in his shoulder eased. She would be here. They would be able to talk and mend things. Even if she wouldn’t return with him, he could at least find closure. It just needed to end.
With a few bumps and a slight lurch forward, the rowboat fully landed on the shore. Orion attempted to disembark, unaware his foot was caught on one of the various slack ropes that lined the insides of the boat. By the time he noticed, he had already begun to fall face-first into the sand. Upon impact, Orion’s face erupted into a symphony of agony, with each grain of sand feeling like a shard of frost lodging its way into his skin. It had been quite a while since Orion had felt physical pain like this, given the weeks he spent sitting alone at the helm of The Spirit’s Flame, blankly staring off into the horizon as he continued his voyage towards this very island. He reveled in this pain, simply letting his face rest in the sediment as rain pelted against the back of his head. Minutes passed as he remained head down, waiting for the discomfort to fade into nothingness.
“Sir… are you ok?” A frail voice spoke out from above him with a twinge of pity.
Orion quickly flipped over to face the unknown voice, crimson fluid spraying from his nose onto his tanktop. A small old man stood directly across from him, his expression twisted in confusion.
“I’ll live.” Orion quipped quickly, pushing himself upwards from his pathetic floor sprawl. Blood was still pouring out of his face, falling and oppressing the clean blue that made up the ground.
“It looks like you broke your nose! I saw your ship from a mile away and was planning to greet you, but when I came over, you were just laid out on the ground. I thought I was staring down at a corpse! Glad you’re not dead though, my friend.” The old man said with a smile, offering his hand forward.
Orion clasped the man’s hand, presenting a wide, bloodstained grin.
“Name’s Orion. Nice to meet you Mr….?”
“Lou. No need for "Mr." I’m not that old.” The old man chuckled, vigorously shaking Orion’s hand until they both broke away, awkwardly staring at each other in silence.
“I should help you get that nose checked out. We can go to my shack down the coast. Get you all cozy as I bandage that right up for you. I have tea!” Lou smiled, gesturing down the shore towards a small illuminated hut Orion had failed to notice during his advance.
Orion nodded in silence, following Lou across the smooth beach toward his home. He hadn’t said a word to another human since his confrontation with Rhin. It felt good to speak for a purpose again, not violently ranting to himself during the innumerable amount of lulls on his trip here. Lou was so kind, too! If someone less rational had seen him in the position he was in, they might have tried to rob him. If anyone else was even on this island. It seemed incredibly desolate, with only the sound of the rain and breeze swirling around. The crashing of the waves was almost inaudible against it all, yet it still soothed him to observe it as he neared Lou’s home.
The house itself was certainly worthy of being described as a shack. Logs, planks, and rough stones had been forced together using nails and sealing gaps carved into the wood. The foundation had many cracks, and the whole house looked as though it were sinking into the ground from its weight. It was still quite the welcome sight though, and as he ascended the precarious staircase upwards towards the door, Orion felt a small feeling of nostalgia rush through him from a memory he had long since lost to time.
“Well, welcome inside my oh-so-very humble abode, Orion. If you were wearing shoes, I would tell you to take them off, but just try and wipe your feet on the wood before you take a step inside. I’ll start making that tea. You can just set yourself down on the couch or wherever else you fancy. You’re my guest, after all! Watch that blood though. Don’t stain my home now!” Lou spoke in a soft voice, pushing the door open.
After cleaning off any sand that had stuck around after his ascent up the staircase, Orion entered through the door. The first word that came to his mind upon looking at the small room within was “Cozy.” A small firepit sat in the middle, which Lou currently sat hunched over, heating water to make the tea he had promised. A small glass shard, eternally pouring out a warm yellow light, had been hung by a string to the ceiling, acting as a sort of pseudo-lightbulb. Orion had never seen such an artifact before. It looked like the light had been captured within the glass itself, constantly shifting and moving around, trying to escape. There was also a small table in the corner, alongside a few pieces of furniture that surrounded it, including the couch that Lou had mentioned before. Tucked away in another corner was a small bed, tidy with books strewn on top of the covers, clearly taken from the bookshelf that sat right next to it. That was all it had, yet still, this one room held more life than the entirety of The Sprit’s Flame. That ship was an abandoned scrap of metal that still somehow had the will to sail. Orion felt almost ashamed of what his living situation had been in comparison to this as he sat himself down on a small, cushioned chair.
“So! What brings you to Tartarus? Not a destination most stop by, despite the giant foot. To be fair, we are in Impetus. The foot is nothing compared to some of the things down here. Hell, it’s nothing compared to some of the things up in Horizon!” Lou chuckled to himself, still preparing the tea.
“Oh. Sorry. I’m looking for my daughter. Have been for a long time. I was told she came to this island a few weeks ago and that she wouldn’t be leaving for months.” Orion responded.
“No shit? What’s your daughter’s name? Might have met her when she first arrived. The majority of the people that come here pass through my neck of the shore, and I make it my responsibility to greet em.” Lou asked.
“Samantha. Her name is Samantha. However, she calls herself Stormy Sam. Said it’s her ‘Legend Name,’” Orion laughed.
“Stormy Sam??? How could I forget her? I’ve met your girl, I believe, Orion. She and her boisterous crew came bounding through, pushing straight towards the village right under the foot. I barely got to greet her. She just said her name, laughed and continued onwards with her gang. They were quite a variety of folks. All different kinds of beings. She’s your daughter?” Lou spoke, clearly surprised that someone had mentioned her.
“…She had a crew?” Orion stammered out, still in shock that someone else had interacted with her.
Why didn’t he think of this? Of course, she would have a crew now. That’s what she said she was going to do on the night before she left in one of their arguments. She had wanted to go on a journey for herself, and he had vehemently denied that for her again and again. So she had snuck out and stolen one of their rowboats, having been long gone come the morning. This wasn’t the idea of Samantha that Orion had hung onto for years. In his mind, she was still that malnourished teenage pickpocket that he had taken under her wing, not able to fend for herself in any capacity. By Lou’s words, however, she had ascended far past that! He felt an unknown feeling grow in his heart, yet something else was starting to bubble. Regret. Soon after, the first tears began falling.
“Why did I come here then? Why did I waste years searching for her when she was happier without me, creating a life of her own not tied to the shackles of sailing with me? Why did I let that consume my senses?” Orion began to wail, slamming his fists against the chair’s armrests.
“Hey, careful! I built that furniture myself! I understand this might be new information for you, but-” Lou started before being interrupted by Orion.
“I lost my crew searching for her! They kept telling me and telling me that she was better off on her own, but I never listened. Was it some delusion that I had? That she was unsafe on her own? She was 27 when she left, for fuck’s sake! I… I can’t…” Orion stammered between breaths, tears mixing with blood to create a disgusting blend within his mouth.
“Breathe. Breathe. We can talk about this. The tea’s ready. Why don’t you let me bandage your nose while you think about things, ok? I can share my perspective if you want.” Lou replied.
Setting the tea down on the small table, Lou grabbed a small piece of gauze from a shelf and began to place it over the small gash on Orion’s nose.
“Now tell me your story. What exactly happened?” Lou said.
“It-It’s been three years since I last saw Samantha. She left on her own to seek a purpose for herself, which is what she had told me she felt she was missing for months before. I kept telling her that her purpose was with her crew, but she wasn’t convinced. She wanted more. I didn’t think she would be safe. I wanted to bring her back so I could protect her. I spent months asking around without regard to my crew’s thoughts, simply trying to find her. They got fed up with me. Said I didn’t know Samantha, and that if I did, I would just let her lead her own life. Soon enough, it was just me and one of my closest friends. Even Rhin knew that what I was doing was delusional. Yet she stuck with me until she couldn’t handle it anymore and left me alone to seek her out myself. I hated them all. I thought that they could never understand the reality of the situation. I’m realizing now that I was the only one who misunderstood and that it ruined everything because I was so steadfast in my false hunt for someone who had long since left me behind.” Orion ranted, lost in his misery.
“That’s… no good. So much is lost in the pursuit of a memory. She’s still on this island, however. You could go walk a few miles up to that village underneath that accursed foot and find her if you want.” Lou responded.
“No. That would only cause her pain. It would only cause me pain as well.”
“Ah. I can’t disagree.”
“Lou… what do I even begin to do now? I’m alone.” Orion asked, desperately seeking an answer to make the crushing fear he felt dissipate.
“You drink your tea, you return to that rowboat, and you sail yourself back to where you came from in that big rig of yours,” Lou responded.
A crushing silence filled the room as Orion simply sat, once again staring up into the light as more silent tears fell.
“Why? There’s nothing left anywhere.”
“You can tell yourself that. From what I heard, however, you have a friend to find. Not some delusion to chase either. I believe you can right the wrongs you made. Fix what you broke in your pursuit.”
“How would I even begin to find her? Pay more informants to stalk her down? I can’t do that. Then everyone else… It’s not…” Orion responded.
“If you knew them well, then you should know where they will be,” Lou said with a smile.
The Shadelight district. Rhin had told Orion to find her in the Shadelight district once he had realized his failures. It was possible.
“I can, perhaps. I just need to rest. It’ll be a long trip back. What if she isn’t there?”
“You will be ok, Orion. Even if we only met just now, I can see who you are. You have passion. You care. That will keep you afloat, even in the harshest of seas. Now, can you drink your tea? I don’t have much of it, and it would be a shame if we let this go to waste and grow cold.” Lou said.
Orion reached out for the cup, feeling its deep warmth as he raised it to his lips. The tea was divine. A sweet meld of chamomile, lemon, honey and ginger. It eased his swollen throat, and the tears that had been welling once more began to recede. He and Lou sat like this for an hour, simply slowly whittling away at the tea and sharing idle conversation until the cauldron used to make it had been rendered dry.
“I think I’ll be going now. Not much left for me here. Thanks for the gauze and the tea. I can’t believe I tripped on my own boat.” Orion chuckled as he began to rise from his seat.
“It was my pleasure, Orion. Stay safe, ok?” Lou responded.
“One more thing. If I come back… could you show me around that giant foot? It’s such an odd sight…”
“Sure! The thing stinks to high hell though, so be prepared. Can’t believe I’m making friends at such an old age… hope I’m not dead when you come back!” Lou laughed.
“Now I have to come back with the way you’re speaking. See you around, Lou. I cannot thank you enough for what you’ve done. Had I realized my own mistakes any sooner…”
Orion gestured a knife cutting his own throat as he made a weak smile.
“It’s gonna be a while before I fully process this. Probably lots more tears. You gave me the first push though. I’m glad.”
“See you, Orion. Stay safe on the seas.” Lou said, watching as Orion finally walked out of the door.
The rain had faded, and on the far horizon, scattered, suppressed beams of light began to make their way down from the sky. Orion walked slowly, appreciating the beauty of the scene around him. There was hope for the future once again. He could live a life not focused on one singular goal. As he carefully pushed his boat out into the cold waters, he thought once again about what Lou had said about Samantha. She had her crew. She had taken up that silly nickname and turned it into something powerful. She had found victory in the place where he had now failed. How could he be sad at this moment when he now knew that his daughter had become so successful in her own life? That unknown feeling from before was making itself known now.
All Orion could feel coursing through him was his heartwarming pride as he once again returned to The Spirit’s Flame.