Chapter Text
To you, who keep me going —
who prove silly fanfictions aren’t just silly fanfictions.
And the two kids back in 2019.
When there is darkness, there is light.
But what if they don’t meet?
What if the light was so bright it left no room for shadows to lurk in? What if it was so dark there was not even a speck of gleam to find? No one would like that.
It would be either too bright or too dark to see anything to be one with it — like nothing exists at all.
That’s why they must come together, as a whole. That way, it can be comprehensible with their depths and surfaces. It's how art works.
So where there is darkness, there has to be light, always.
That’s how it has always been… right?
“Six… seven… eight… nine…” —he pulled his hands away from his eyes —”and ten!”
“No, you got it wrong!” responded the taller toddler standing right infront of him. His chestnut brown eyes were nestled onto him, quite intimidatingly if he could say for the kid is looking down on him with his chin raised high up above.
Oh, don’t flatter the boy. There’s several other kids behind him who were also looking down on our little merman.
He guessed these kids were older than him; they all had limbs a tad longer than his, and they used words flexibly, even the unfamiliar ones he hadn't heard of like shaky legs, sealegs, or this game called hide and seek.
“But you said to open my eyes on ten,” pouted the short brunet.
“I changed my mind, open them AFTER ten.”
“Must we bother?” murmured another kid beside the tall one, though the little merman was still able to hear them.
The other boy only glared at them and smirked. He nodded at the short brunet. “Try again, second sealegs.”
“It’s Kai.”
“Whatever.”
Little Kai deepened his pout, though he still obeyed and covered his eyes shut with his hands covered in dust and dirt. He hated the smell of his hands during these days, actually, he hated how he himself smelled. And he feels very dry, he hates it.
“One… two… three… four… fi —”
“Actually, let’s play for real this time,” the kid suddenly suggested with a chuckle, finally bringing smiles to the other faces.
“Oh, I have to go hide now?” Kai asked, pointing at the strange cylindrical chamber behind him. It’s about as big as him curled up to fit in.
“Yeah, go inside the barrel and count there.”
“Okay.”
Kai carefully climbed up on the boxes. He stumbles in the process, earning a few snickers coming from the group. They churned his feelings, but he chose to not mention it as he looked around the area. There’s barely anyone in the dark alleyway but them, it quite gave him the spooks considering that the kids were going to leave him alone. No matter. He’ll be alright like they said.
He finally brings himself inside the barrel.
“Oh, and count to 20, can you do that?” someone asked from outside.
“Two tens! Got it!” He replied back.
And so the lid above him closed, letting no light enter the room where he’s left all alone with nothing to do but cover his eyes and count.
“One… two… three… four… five… “
In every light, there lies a shadow.
In every shadow, there lies a light —
A bright ray of light.
It may come from candlelight dancing in no particular choreography as it burns and melts what it stands on.
It may also streak down from the window. The kind you see as you wake up from a slumber to see the sun peeking through the curtains gaps. With strong enough light, you can see dust floating about, and sometimes catch it fading in and out every once in a while; although it still remains.
“Six… seven… eight…”
Oh, how he wonders if light will always stay… Either way, he believes that all is a matter of perspective.
Light is of use for those to see, but not the blind.
Light is of use for those to admire, but not those harmed from it.
Sometimes, light is for those who admire and hurt from it.
Why is it that light burns?
“Nine… ten! Oh right, two tens. One… two… three…”
Sometimes, Light comes from the wildlife.
In the deepest part of the oceans you see a speck of light seemingly coming towards you amidst the darkness; it appears to be small, innocent, and a gift from heaven as it continues to advance… and soon realise it to be an Anglerfish. In that very moment of truth you drag yourself into thinking:
Would I have preferred if it came with something different, or would I have preferred for light to never have been there?
“Four… five… six…”
But what if we talk about light… differently?
Not like, speaking of weights or something like that.
Figuratively.
Light.
Is it not the same as hope?
Or rather, a simply good something; something amazing — or someone you’re glad to have ever graced upon the world.
It could be anything at this point, and of course that does not rule out the point of it all.
The shadow.
A light, and a shadow.
“Seven… eight… nine…”
In this particular world, apparently those two mean a lot more, as before someone’s footsteps there lies their doom. Their fated doom, to be precise. And that said doom can come from anything, let’s be wary here. It can come from a prick of a finger as told from those dark fairytales often told to children by a candlelight; and from what slumbers from deep below with an eye prevailing a man-o’-war the moment it opens.
The light undesired by all.
The blinding light.
His eyes are gently shut close after gazing upon the faint sun for a long while. He takes in the darkness for a moment. The wind caresses his skin softly like a mother’s touch, and his noir locks flow within them as they ask to free themselves from the elastic they’re tied into.
“Ten!”
He flutters his lashes back up, bestowing the sombre sky with his forest green eyes, and bestowing himself with the sight. He listens to the sound of the waves crashing into the grey sand and pebbles he’s standing onto.
Cole takes a deep breath and lets it out. It’s ridiculously cold, which is understandable considering that the break of dawn had just ended.
He can’t afford to let himself shiver just because of some cold wind. Hell no. It sounds like something a certain brunet would say, but he guesses he hung out with the merman enough to have picked up on some of his antics.
The pirate lays his eyes on the Destiny’s Bounty resting far away from where he stands. Everyone should still be in their dreamlands back there. Cole’s sure of it, he made everyone stay up late last night courtesy to his new captain who allowed the crew to celebrate and bond by a campfire that set the night alight.
As he watches the flag subtly waving at him, the sound of shuffling rocks and clothes lingers on his ears.
The noiret doesn’t bother turning his head around nor looking at the presence approaching him. He longs his eyes back to the horizon.
Soon enough, the person silently joins him several feet apart from the pirate.
Cole’s nose twitches.
“Ackshoo!”
“...”
“...”
“You’re standing here expecting me, correct?”
“Knowing we were upon the thread of your heels,” said Skylor.
She narrows her eyes at the pirate burying his hands in his pants pockets. She tucks her flying red locks behind her ear, seemingly irritated with the wind too.
Cole doesn’t answer, he remains silent.
Skylor closes her mouth shut after that, well, only at the moment. She may not know exactly what’s behind the mind of this particular pirate — Rocky is hard to read — however, she’s got an idea of what must be spewed out from her throat.
She reckons it’s what’s bound to happen here as she diverts her eyes from him.
It’s stunning how the sun remains to be blinding, granting that the day is coloured with gloom and hushed secrets about to unfold. And as if on cue, the clouds start to unveil themselves.
Cole feels his eyelids twitch at the brightening sun.
Light is created by nature itself, and it is everywhere.
In whatever meaning it holds, it is still everywhere.. The shadows forming behind the big rocks is a gentle reminder of that.
There’s so much of it, yet it would still be surprising to discover more from both sides.
Perhaps, humanity could create one… just like how they first laid their eyes upon the fire they ignited.
With sticks and stones.
And flint and steel.
Cole slowly brings his left hand up, covering the sun fully and shielding his eyes away from it.
The light does not only come from anglerfish by the way. It can come from jellyfish, lanternfish, glowworms —
It can come from fireflies.
“A-achoo!”
_00. The Story before Ashes_
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