35: Sinking the Head

During the night, Grey slept peacefully while Sara watched the black sea, so calm and quiet that not even the waves were visible.

The sky remained just as dark, as if some entity of unimaginable dimensions and power had decorated it, leaving the infinite space above them completely devoid of light.

Sometimes, Sara would look at the sky and wonder: if all the stars were devoured by the shadows, how is it that the sun still rose every day?

She would probably never know.

She sighed and lay back on the coral, frowning as she felt a slight prick on her back.

'How boring.'

For the first two hours of the night, from the moment the sun set, Sara had to stay awake and keep watch. Then, she would wake Grey to take his turn.

Despite knowing the horrors lurking in the depths of the black sea, she remained calm. After all, if any of those creatures attacked them, what could she do? Nothing.

So, why stress? She simply relaxed. If an awakened beast attacked, she could defend them alone, and if more came, now she had Grey with her, so together they could handle it.

With her sharp senses, she didn't even need to see the attacker. Before any of those things could get close, she would have already sensed their presence.

She shifted her gaze from the sky to Grey's scaly back, wondering what had really happened that night.

When the abomination of the black sea emerged, she had already been asleep, unaware of what was happening. She had no idea how that creature destroyed only half the mountain but left Grey alive.

He didn't seem willing to talk about it, and although Sara was curious, she decided to wait. She knew that eventually, he would tell her when he felt ready.

After that, she lay back again, her eyes fixed on the starless black sky. Time passed slowly, but both of them seemed to have an instinctive sense of the passing hours, as if their bodies were in sync with their surroundings.

Finally, it was time to switch the guard. Sara rose gently and lightly touched Grey's shoulder. He woke up immediately, directing his gaze toward her hand before she could say a word.

"It's time, I'm going to sleep."

She let out a big yawn she had been holding in all day and lay down on the coral, ignoring the discomfort caused by the prickling sensation.

Grey watched her, and although the darkness made it hard to see clearly, he could make out her silhouette beside him.

"Sara, you can sleep through the night. You've been awake all day since you found me and didn't rest, right?"

She turned around and looked directly at him. She let out another yawn and settled down.

"Don't do that, we agreed to take turns. Wake me up in two hours."

Through the darkness, Sara saw a slight change in Grey's expression, but he just nodded and looked away.

Although she couldn't see anything, she understood that he did it to avoid being watched by her.

Sara squinted for a moment, but after letting out another yawn, she decided not to give it much thought and went back to sleep.

---

Taking advantage of the prevailing calm and the apparent tranquility of the black sea, Grey decided to dive once more into his soul.

He lay down next to Sara, closed his eyes, and upon reopening them, he was already in his inner sea.

The vast expanse that once felt unsettling now seemed peaceful to him. The sun, half black and half white, had found a perfect balance, splitting without one side overpowering the other.

The sky was a serene blue, and the water was crystal clear. Hundreds of white platforms, identical to the one supporting Grey, floated in the calm sea, while silence enveloped everything.

White clouds decorated the sky, swirling in a gentle vortex around the core of his soul.

Although breathing wasn't necessary in this place, Grey took a deep breath, enjoying the stillness.

'It's more pleasant to be in here than out there, where nothing can be seen.'

He looked over his inner paradise, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

'It's improved a lot in here.'

He spent about ten minutes enjoying the peace of his soul before standing up and taking a few steps forward.

Last time, he had been interrupted, but this time, he was determined to thoroughly explore his soul.

He knelt at the edge of the platform, leaning in, and brought his face closer to the clear water, which reflected like a mirror.

---

His face grew larger the closer he got to the crystal-clear water.

Just a few inches away, he stopped and carefully observed his reflection.

'It's different, isn't it?' There was something about his own reflection that unsettled him.

He couldn't pinpoint what, but he knew something wasn't normal in his reflection.

Perhaps it was his eyes. The color in the eyes of his reflection was almost identical to Grey's, but with a barely noticeable difference.

The iris and pupil in his reflection's eyes were slightly more intense than his own.

While Grey's eyes were silver with a black dot in the center, his reflection's had a whiter hue, and the pupil seemed even darker.

'Forget it, maybe it's just in my head. If my soul can change depending on my state, why wouldn't my eyes? I haven't looked at myself in a mirror in a while, anyway.'

Without thinking too much about it, Grey submerged his face in the water.

And soon realized it was more special than he thought.

---

Note: Sorry for the delay with new chapters, I simply didn't feel motivated to write, so instead of doing it without enthusiasm and ending up with a poor chapter, I just postponed it.

Anyway, here I am again, let's see if I can keep bringing more chapters regularly.

P.S. Thank you, Lord of the Tree! Always gifting power stones, just so you know, I appreciate it 🥳