The Roar of the Sea

The Roar of the SeaThe rain fell like blades, slicing through the air as the wind rocked the boat on the furious waves of the Stomic Ocean. Lirien rowed with strength, her slender arms battling the sea that roared like a living beast, her golden blonde hair plastered to her drenched face. "Row faster, girl, or this sea will swallow us before the pirates do!" Kain growled, his rough voice dripping with sarcasm, crouched at the front as the Rubi sword reverted to a jewel — its glow fading into the storm's darkness. His dark brown eyes, bisected by the scar across his eyebrow, fixed on the pirate ship that had captured another vessel and was now pursuing them, a black shadow amid the thunderclaps. "Scared, rower?" Lirien taunted, her clear voice defying the wind, as a wave crashed against the boat, splashing saltwater over them both. "You're the one who got us into this mess!" Kain shot back, his tone sharp and serious. "And you're still complaining, girl?" he asked, sarcasm creeping back in. "I'm thinking of selling you to them, but first tell me: why are they chasing you? Is it because of that necklace?" He pointed to her neck, where a relic glowed faintly beneath her soaked tunic. "Only if this stone decides to cut me," Lirien retorted, rowing with fury, while Kain spun the Rubi, heat rising from the jewel in his hand, a living mystery he still didn't understand.

Lirien rowed with gritted teeth, the wind tossing the boat, her faded tunic clinging to her lean frame. "If those pirates catch me because of you, rower, I'll drown you first!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the sea's roar, green eyes flashing toward Kain. "I didn't want to say it, but if the pirates get us, there'll only be one person to blame!" he countered with a crooked smile, laughing with a rough, dangerous sarcasm, spinning the Rubi in his hand — the jewel flickering with light against his calloused palm, as if responding to the chaos, while Kain leaned forward, dark eyes locked on the enemy ship.

A rope with a hook flew from the black shadow, embedding into the boat's wood with a sharp crack, the impact throwing Lirien sideways, nearly losing the oars. "Hold on to that!" Kain snarled. He was about to leap to cut the rope with his free hand but remembered he'd go straight into the water if he did. Before he could react, the Rubi flared bright, blood-red, and a blade erupted from the jewel once more, hissing in the rain. His eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't hesitate — he swung his arm and sliced the rope clean through, red sparks flying into the darkness. "This stone's enjoying the mess," he muttered, his tone laced with cynicism, as the boat rocked from the pirates' forceful tug.

Lirien straightened up, grabbing the oars again, and shot him a sharp look. "Enjoying it or not, shadow, this necklace you're mocking is worth more than your entire life," she said, her voice cutting but tinged with pride. Kain chuckled low, pointing the Rubi blade at her neck for a second before swinging it toward the sea. "Then explain, girl, why these idiots want a piece of jewelry so bad?" She rowed harder, the wet tunic revealing the relic's outline at her neck. "It's not jewelry, rower. It's a key to something they don't deserve — a power I took from a blue-haired man, some guy named Yariv. And now he sends these lackeys to hunt me down."

The pirate ship sliced through the waves, now close enough for Kain to see the figures standing at the bow — five men, knives gleaming in their hands, one shouting, "The relic is ours, hand it over!" Kain narrowed his eyes, the scar on his brow creasing. "Yariv, huh? Your necklace is dragging me into a fight I didn't ask for," he said, sarcasm mixing with a growl. "And you're coming out ahead, since they're taking you along for the ride!" Lirien paused, her gaze steady. "This necklace unlocks something at the bottom of this sea — something he wants to set loose."

A massive wave slammed the boat, dousing them with icy water, and a pirate's shout echoed closer. "Grab them now!" Kain steadied himself, worn boots firm on the slick wood, and spotted a figure swimming fast through the waves, knife clenched in its teeth. "Come on, then," he murmured, his voice low and magnetic, the Rubi glowing hot in his hand, ready for the next fight.

Kain gripped the Rubi tightly, calloused fingers digging into the warm jewel, and suddenly the world slowed — the figure swimming through the waves moved as if trapped in honey, raindrops fell one by one, the pirates' shouts stretched into a drawn-out echo. "What the hell is this?" he muttered, dark eyes wide, but the Rubi pulsed stronger, its red blade gleaming in his hand. He dashed across the water, feet barely skimming the surface, time crawling as he boarded the pirate ship, the black shadow now within reach.

He stumbled over the edge, falling to his knees on the drenched deck, the slow-motion vision failing — the world snapped back to normal in a blink, and he cursed under his breath, sarcasm dripping. "Great, you stupid stone, throwing me right into them!" A pirate lunged, knife raised, but Kain rolled aside, the Rubi blade slashing through the air in a quick arc — it tore through the man's gut, blood gushing as he fell screaming. Another came from behind, and Kain kicked his knee, snapping it with a crack, before driving the Rubi into his shoulder — the scream rang across the deck.

In the boat, Lirien yelled, "Shadow, where are you?!" But the sea answered for her — a colossal wave roared, lifting the boat like a toy and flipping it with a crash. She plunged into the freezing water, slender arms thrashing as the current dragged her down, the necklace glowing faintly at her neck. "You idiot rower!" she cried, her voice swallowed by the waves, desperate to surface. On the pirate ship, Kain balanced, the Rubi hot in his hand, as more pirates charged him, the deck shuddering with the sea's next blow.

Kain rolled across the pirate ship's deck, the Rubi slicing the air, but a pirate drove his knife into the wood beside his head, the blade whistling near his ear. "Too weak!" he snarled, kicking the man in the chest and swinging the Rubi in a swift arc — the red blade ripped through the next one's throat, blood spraying hot against the cold rain. Ten pirates surrounded him, knives glinting in the storm, and attacked in sync — one punched Kain square in the face, knocking him down, while another kicked him on the ground. He cursed softly, the Rubi hot in his hand nearly slipping free. But time flickered into slow motion for an instant, he rose from the deck with everyone sluggish around him, the jewel's glow faltering again, and he stumbled, taking a searing blow to the shoulder.

In the water, Lirien flailed, the necklace flaring bright, and the sea spun into a warped whirlpool, flinging her onto the deck. She kicked a pirate about to stab Kain, saving him by a hair. "Shadow, you idiot!" she shouted, but the necklace's glow died, the water falling uselessly. Kain laughed, a rough, sarcastic sound. "Your necklace does tricks, girl?"

Suddenly, a monstrous wave crashed over the pirate ship, splitting everything with a thunderous crack. The deck shattered, wood groaning as the ship sank, pirates screaming in panic. One slipped, splashing into the water, while another was crushed by a falling mast, his body sinking into the black foam. "Let's jump to that wooden wreckage!" Kain yelled, his voice serious, pointing to a broken piece of the ship floating nearby. "Got it!" Lirien replied, green eyes resolute, and they leaped together to save themselves, clinging to the wreckage as the water roared around them, the pirate ship swallowed behind them, its final cries muffled by the sea.

Kain held tight to the wood, his shoulder bleeding, and threw her a glance. "Enjoy the adventure, girl?" he asked, sarcasm returning even on the brink of death. "My name's not girl, you know!" Lirien shot back with attitude, gripping the wreckage hard. "I only let you call me that because we were about to die!" Kain laughed, his sarcastic grin cutting through the rain. "Who started calling me rower and shadow first? And anyway, you never told me your name — how was I supposed to know?"

"I'm Lirien, and you?" she said, clutching the wreckage with trembling hands. "Kain," he answered, his tone firm, the Rubi glowing faintly in his hand. Still in the storm, a giant wave roared, engulfing them. The water's force tore them from the wreckage, dragging them under with no time for a proper goodbye. Kain felt the cold pierce his bones, the Rubi slipping from his fingers, while Lirien was pulled by the current, both thinking they were done for. A shadow swam fast through the dark water, heading toward them.