CHAPTER 42: A LEVIATHAN’S DREAM - 2

The city started to tremble. The ground beneath Rhys’s feet shook violently. The silent, ruined towers around them began to crumble.

Large pieces of ancient stone fell into the dark water, sending up huge clouds of silt. The whispers that filled the water grew louder.

They turned from sad murmurs into a single, deafening roar of hunger. Rhys instinctively grabbed Yuki, pulling her close to protect her from the falling debris.

[Yu swhuld ttink abwt yurself hos...]

’What?’ he thought.

The System’s voice was garbled. It did not make any sense. Everything started to become vague in his eyes. He thought he was hugging Yuki, but he was not hugging her at all.

He felt nothing in his arms. He blinked, trying to focus. But when his eyelids opened, the place where he should have been was gone.

The focus of his eyes changed.

He was in a small, simple room. The walls were made of rough, dark wood. A single, square window let in the bright morning light.

Through the window, he could see the masts of tall ships and hear the distant sound of seagulls. The air smelled of salt and fish. He was lying in a small, narrow bed.

The blanket was thin and scratchy. He sat up. He felt a dull ache in his head. Confusion gave way to clarity, but the clarity felt artificial.

A female voice sounded from the other side of the door. It was a familiar voice, but the familiarity also felt artificial.

"Rhys, wake up! It’s time for you to go to work!"

A new set of memories flooded his mind. They came in a sudden, painful rush. They fogged up his real memories.

His head hurt very badly. He closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he understood who he was.

He was Rhys, an orphan. He had grown up in the bustling port city of Aethel. He did not have parents.

He had been raised by a kind but strict woman who ran the local orphanage. He was now a young man, and he had a special job.

He was a Trench Guide.

The city of Aethel was an island. It was surrounded by a dangerous stretch of sea called the Endless Lake.

For the ships from the mainland to reach the city, they had to circle the lake and move with the northern waves. There was another way. It was called the Leviathan’s Trench.

It was a strange path where the northern and eastern waters separated from the lake, creating a strange rift.

By crossing through the Leviathan’s Trench, ships could neglect thousands of miles of travel. But the currents in the trench were wild and unpredictable.

They could smash a ship against the sharp rocks in an instant. Only a few people, like him, had the special, innate ability to feel the currents.

They could guide ships safely through the treacherous waters. He was a rare and valuable person.

He walked out of his small room. He saw a fat lady standing in the kitchen. She was his adoptive mother.

She had taken him in after he left the orphanage. She turned to look at him. Her face was set in a familiar expression of disgust.

’It seems she isn’t that kind,’ he thought.

"You are so lazy these days," she said, her voice sharp. "You are again late for your job. Do you want to lose the best job in the city?"

Rhys sat down at the small wooden table. He did not say anything. He felt a familiar mix of duty and resentment. This was his normal life.

He ate the simple food she had prepared for him. It was a piece of dry bread and a small, salted fish. Then he stood up and went to the door.

"I am going," he said, without looking back.

He walked out of the small house and onto the cobblestone street. The city was full of life. Sailors with tanned faces and rough hands walked past him.

Merchants shouted, trying to sell their goods. The air was filled with the sounds and smells of the port.

He got onto a horse-drawn carriage. The city streets went by in a breeze. He saw the familiar shops and houses. He saw the people he had known his whole life.

Everything was too familiar. But why did he feel like it was all artificial?

Rhys had no idea. It was like he had forgotten something. Something that made him who he was now.

’Strange...’

At one busy intersection, the carriage stopped. In the centre of the square was a large, strange decoration. It was in the shape of a giant, golden beehive.

On the sides of the beehive were statues of strange, crystal ants. Rhys stared at the decoration. A strange memory came into his mind.

It was a foggy image of fighting things that looked just like those ants. The memory was confusing.

It disappeared as quickly as it came. It left him with a dull headache. He shook his head.

’I have to lessen my alcohol intake...’

The carriage started to move again.

He finally reached the port. It was the busiest part of the city. The docks were filled with ships of all sizes. There were small fishing boats and large merchant vessels.

Then he saw a ship.

It was the biggest, most magnificent ship he had ever seen. Its wood was a dark, polished red. Its sails were as white as snow.

It was the "Emperor’s Pride," the greatest ship in the entire empire.

’Don’t tell me...’

His captain was a big man with a friendly face and a huge axe strapped to his back. He saw Rhys and smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

"Boy, you are lucky," the captain said, his voice a loud, happy boom. "The empire’s greatest ship is now under your guidance."

Rhys looked at the huge ship. He felt a mix of pride and confusion. Why did the greatest ship in the empire need to go through the Leviathan’s Trench?

The trench was a dangerous shortcut. It was usually only used by smaller, faster ships that were in a hurry.

A huge ship like this should take the long, safe route around the island.

His confusion grew as he entered the ship. There was no cargo in it. There was just a huge iron cage. It was bound with thick chains.

It was covered with a thick, black cloth, so he could not see what was inside. A group of heavily armed soldiers stood guard around it.

They looked serious and dangerous. He had no idea what the cage was for. His new memories told him that he should not care about the cargo.

’New memories?’ he asked in his mind, waiting for an answer back.

But only silence continued.

’Waiting for whom?’ Rhys felt a headache.

What did he forget? Or was there anything he should have forgotten?

’Whatever. I will go to a physician after this ride.’

His job was just to guide the ship. He was a simple guide. He tried to ignore the cage, but he felt a strange sense of unease.

The ship started to move. The sailors shouted as they raised the huge, white sails. Rhys stood at the helm, his hands on the big, wooden wheel.

He could feel the currents of the water. It was a strange and wonderful feeling. His innate talent as a guide took over.

He knew exactly where to steer the ship to avoid the hidden rocks and the dangerous whirlpools. The ship sailed out of the port and into the open sea.

The city of Aethel became smaller and smaller in the distance.

Rhys felt tired. He asked the captain to take the helm. He lay down on the deck, looking up at the pale blue sky. He felt like he was forgetting something.

Something very, very important.

The feeling was like an itch in his brain that he could not scratch. It was a frustrating feeling.

He rubbed his brows, trying to remember. But there was only a fog. A fog that covered a different life. A different him.

"What did I miss?" he whispered to the empty sky.