Chapter 1: The High Seas

Traveling the world had always been one of Myrin's greatest dreams. Of course, partially to get away from military service. But also because he was excited for the new and unexplored. The former wasn't an issue anymore. Not a real one at least. After all the group surrounding Delmar had become fairly famous these last few years. Four years had passed since Myrin and Delmar's first adventure together. Their first dungeon marked the beginning of a journey, probably neither of them could've imagined to get this big.

Myrin had indeed started being able to tell stories of their adventures. And as they travelled over the lands those stories started spreading far and wide. At this point it wasn't unusual for them to be recognised when they entered a town or a village. They were still able to hide in the anonymity of the big cities though.

But despite their journey and how far they had gotten, Myrin always enjoyed thinking back to those first few adventures. How Delmar dragged him into what he would've called a mess back then. How he just as easily tried to rally up a whole slum of people and how they had gotten punished by being sent into a dungeon. How he coerced an actual assassin into joining them. And how he had oh so easily created bonds with people, Myrin didn't even know could actually be made between non-family. In a way though, that was what they were now. Family. Back then Myrin hadn't know yet what he truly wanted. Now he definitely knew.

He didn't want to be on a sailing ship crossing the ocean. Having grown up in a farming village, he had never before travelled over the sea. And so he never had the chance to realise how easily he got seasick. For the last couple hours Myrin was hanging over the railing of the ship, staring down into the deep blue ocean, asking himself why he didn't just stay behind. The only thing that gave him some comfort was the fact that he wasn't alone in his misery. Rhys was hanging over the railing next to him, looking equally if not even paler than Myrin. He felt some pity for the other boy but that quickly got pushed back as another wave rocked the ship and Myrin had to consider giving up on holding onto his breakfast.

If he wouldn't have felt so sick, a smile would've flashed over Myrin's face, remembering how much Rhys had changed. And grown. Well, he had quite literally grown. He was still a fair bit smaller than Delmar but he had grown from a bratty ten year old into a much more approchable looking young boy. He's around the same age now Delmar and I were when we went on our first adventure. While he had stopped actively following his trade of being an assassin, he had still continued honing his rogueish skills.

And those did come in handy a lot. Opening locks that didn't want opening, acquiring information in slightly less reputable ways, or simply staking out a potential danger. Despite often complaining about the errand tasks that Delmar gave him, Rhys never once actually refused to do something Delmar asked of him. And he had grown into a reliable companion. And despite how he first joined them and the reasons for that, he had grown into someone who Myrin was confident to say of would protect any of them with his life without hesitation. Myrin was also glad that the two of them currently suffered through the same fate of their stomachs being upset by the rocking of the ship.

Shirin on the other hand was in her element. She had always been pretty but in Myrin's opinion she had grown into an even more beautiful lady these last four years. Her voice was still lost, though at this point that was a conscious decision on Shirin's part. The monks in a temple they visited a few years back had offered to have her see the High Priest and have her voice restored. Delmar, Myrin and Rhys all thought she'd be overjoyed and happy about it but ... she had decided not to.

To them she later conveyed that when she still had her voice she never got to use it for herself. But instead was forced to use it for others. While she had wanted her voice back for a long time, traveling with the three of them had made her realise that she didn't need her voice. And so she decided to make the conscious decision of rejecting the offer. Instead Shirin trained under the monks in her fighting skills. And god, did she get good. Even before then none of the boys really ever dared to talk back to her. But after that they definitely stopped doing that.

Currently, Shirin was standing on the deck, going through her usual training routine that she learned at the temple, all the while look far too happy for being on a rocky ship. A few of the sailors were watching her in awe. Her moves had gotten far smoother with all her training, and Myrin was fairly certain that if she decided to challenge the master of a temple, she would most likely defeat him.

The one currently missing from the deck of the ship was their fearless leader. Just like Shirin, Delmar didn't seem to be affected at all by the rocking of the ship - How can one not be affected?! - and had instead retreated below deck to study maps. Before they left for their trip over the ocean, Delmar had gotten a myriad of maps and books to study. While he left the studying mostly up to Myrin, trusting his memory more than his own, studying maps was his forte.

Just like Shirin and Rhys Delmar as well had grown a lot these past few years. He was still reckless and far too smug and arrogant at times. But now he definitely had the skill to back it up. For some time - Rhys was suffering from a fairly bad illness at the time and therefor the group had to take a break from adventuring - Delmar was training with a few knights. Somehow, despite most likely having insulted him, their king had taken a liking to the loudmouthed boy and allowed him to train with his knights.

His skills with swords rapidly increased, and he had also grown to learn quite a bit about tactics. He started reading a lot more, absorbing any information he could find about tactics, trickery and the monsters out in the world. He also spend countless days in conversations with the king. State theory, wether or not wars were needed, the importance of people. Myrin didn't quite keep track of all they were talking about. But he and the other two did notice into how much more of a reliable leader Delmar had grown.

Additionally, apart from the two dungeons they had quickly cleared just after starting their adventures, Delmar and his group had ended up in several other dungeons. Each of them was unique and yet quite similiar in the fact that they were always deadly, and always seemed to ask of all of them to show their best skills. As a result Delmar - though he himself often said it was the group, not just him - was now in posession of a grand total of 9 dungeon artifacts. He was carrying all of them, mainly to avoid having them stolen or them falling into the wrong hands. One could truly say that he had become quite the powerful adventurer.

Despite still hanging over the railing Myrin was fairly certain about what their leader was doing below deck. One, studying the few maps that existed of the Wildlands. Their destination was a whole different continent and to them a land of myster - and adventure. The other thing was most likely studying the scrolls he had gotten from the last city's library about founding guilds. It was a conversation they had had a lot lately. Why not found an adventuring company and make actual legal coin with it?

None of them had an answer for the why not? and so lately they began planning out their company more and more. They were still undeceided over the base of their operations. Shirin had suggested the City of Ice, but Delmar felt as if they'd be too tied to the senate if they did that. Rhys had suggested a capital but Myrin had to remind him that there'd probably be other companies that wouldn't be hapyp about them interfering with their business. As such currently their plans were all a bit in the air. But all four of them were certain that no matter the difficulty, they would definitely found their adventuring company.

The Cecellian Company.

---

Myrin - and most likely Rhys as well - was grateful when the ship stopped rocking too much in the waves. As nightfall came it seemed even the waves would want to lay themselves to rest. The two that were hanging over the railing finally got a bit of a breather, and were able to go back to spending their time in more useful ways. For Rhys that meant practicing his dagger throwing. Myrin in the meantime continued filling his spellbook with spells from other books and scrolls they had found. There was just too much to copy and too little time to do so, so that trip was a great opportunity.

The three of them on deck eventually retreated to their rooms below deck. Shirin had her own while Delmar, Rhys and Myrin were sharing one. There was no trace of Delmar in the room, so Myrin and Rhys assumed he was probably still studying maps. For now it was probably best not to disturb him. They could still remind him to rest later if he didn't stop by himself. Meanwhile the two of them made themselves comfortable in their hammocks. Myrin opened up a book he had been reading to continue where he left off, while Rhys was drawing some scribbles on a piece of parchement.

It could've been a nice, relaxing evening. It could've. If only the ship didn't start swaying from side to side, front to back half way through the night. At the time, at least Myrin had been fast asleep. But with the ship being thrown around by the waves he tumbled out of the hammock onto the ground with a thump and a groan. Rhys seemed to be awake as well, though at least he was on his feet, one hand on the wall of their room though to keep himself stable. The tone of his voice made Myrin smile weakly in comfort.

»...oh by the gods, please not again.«

Myrin's eyes glanced over to the hammock of their fearless leader, still lying empty and he let out a soft sigh.

»I'll go check on Delmar ... let's meet on the deck?«

»That's definitely where I'll be at least.«

The two of them parted ways, and as he headed down the hallway to the study of the ship, Myrin was glad that he had missed out on dinner. He opened the door to the room once he got there, poking his head inside to look for Delmar.

For the way the ship was rocking, the room was still surprisingly much in order. Only a jar of ink having fallen over and covering the desk and the papers in black ink told a story of bad weather. Delmar was at the desk, cursing as he tried to clean the ink away, saving as many of the documents as possible. When the door opened with a creak he looked up at Myrin, frowning a little and looking worried.

»You okay, Myrin? You're looking pretty pale.«

»...not a big fan of ships after all. I'd tell you to rest but since that's not an option right now ... will you at least come up on deck and see if we can help?«

Delmar gave a small nod, closing the lid on the ink jar before heading over to the door where Myrin was at.

»Sure. Let's go.«

Above hell one might say all hell had broken loose. Without anyone noticing the ship had sailed into a massive storm. The waves reached several meters high and Myrin was certain that some of them were bigger than their ship. Those waves were thrashing the ship around from one spot to the next. The wind blew sharply their faces when they came up onto the deck, feeling like hundreds of little cuts on their skin. The rain stung on any skin exposed to the elements, almost as if small pieces of hail had formed. In some distance - though not far enough away to not worry Myrin - lightning hit the sea, while thunder rumbled iin the sky. Despite Delmar standing right next to him it was almost impossible to understand even a single word from him in this storm.

»Find Rhys and Shirin! I want us to keep an eye on each other, understood?!«

»Yeah!«

Shirin was near the helm of the ship. Despite water quite literally being her element, even she looked worried. It partly disappeared when she saw Myrin but it was clear that even someone with an affinity for water didn't feel like they were in a good situation. The two of them joined up with Delmar and Rhys, all of them soaked to their bones at this point. They huddled closer so they could understand Delmar through the thunder and the sound of waves and rain.

»Rhys, Shirin, you stay together! See if you can help getting the ship out of the storm! And keep an eye on each other! Myrin, you stay with me! We'll help the sailors were we can!«

The other three nodded before splitting up, the two groups going after their assigned jobs. As Myrin and Delmar started helping out the sailors though there was something that started bothering Myrin. He stood near the railing of the ship, staring at the water and the waves, and watched out for the lightning. Something isn't right ... Eventually he felt a light slap on his back, Delmar standing behind him.

»Stop spacing out, Myrin! That's dangerous!«

»Delmar, I think something is wrong with this storm!«

»You mean apart from the fact that it's gonna rip the ship apart?!«

»I don't think it's natural!«

»Wha-«

Before they could continue their conversation an enormous wave rose above the ship before swallowing it, drowning all of them in the salty water of the ocean. If not for Delmar's tight grip on his wrist and the railing, Myrin was certain he would've been pulled over board. The two boys coughed when they could finally breathe again, the water still looking threatening as if it was ready to attack again. Though they didn't get a chance to think about what to do if that was the case.

A loud whistle cut through the storm, catching their attention. They turned into the direction the whistle came from, seeing Shirin near the railing, eyes wide in terror as she points at the ocean. Before Myrin could even think of a course of action, Delmar had climbed onto the railing and jumped off, on his way giving a last command to him.

»You and Shirin keep the ship together! I'll get Rhys!«

---

After Delmar had disappeared into the depths of the ocean, Myrin stuck to Shirin. For once, he wanted to make sure she didn't just disappear like the other two. Even if she was more likely to be fine due to her Water Genasi heritage. The other reason was so they'd be able to follow Delmar's order of keeping the ship sailing. Not that either of them really knew how they were supposed to do that. Myrin glanced over at Shirin, catching her qorried gaze towards the see.

»I'm sure they're going to be fine, Shirin!«

She looked back at him, a faint smile on her face as she gave him a small nod.

Now of course, what happened underneath the sea might have been an unsolvable mystery. But I am not just brilliant at telling stories, but also at researching them. As such I can say that the following events did indeed happen in this manner.

While Shirin and Myrin were working hard on trying to keep the ship sailing, as good as it could in that weather at least, Delmar had dove into the ocean. He knew at the time that if he hadn't made that decision Rhys would definitely die. During a previous visit to a hot spring inn he admitted that he never learned how to swim. Apparently neither did Myrin. And even if he could have, swimming in this storm wasn't exactly an easy thing to do. Some might say it was impossible.

But instead of accepting the death of his friend Delmar trusted his luck and jumped after him. In the dead of night the ocean seemed even darker, deadlier and ... somehow hungry. Within moments of him diving into the cold wet he had completely lost his sense of direction. Only a few air bubbles seemed to tell him which way was up. Delmar continued down in the opposite direction. He didn't have much time. He hoped that as an assassin Rhys would be able to hold his breath even in this kind of situation. But it wasn't something he could be sure of.

As the darkness of the ocean surrounded him fully he started wondering how he could even find his friend. The darkness was one thing. But wasn't it likely that Rhys had been pulled further away from the ship than Delmar could possibly swim? Of course it was possible. He knew that. Very well. But that didn't mean he would accept the loss of a friend that easily. He was confident in both his skills and his luck. Confident that he'd find his friend and go back to the surface with him.

But the longer it took, the more a voice started popping up in his head. A voice he hadn't heard in a long time. A panicked voice. Warning him. Telling him to go back up. He'd surely die if he kept diving further down. Rhys was gone. He wouldn't find him. Shut up. He had to survive. Rhys would understand. Shut up. What about Myrin and Shirin? They needed him. Rhys had probably already drowned. Shut up!

He drowned out the voice, some air escaping his mouth in anger at his own inability. And then he saw ... it. A small light. So small and dim that at first he wasn't sure if he just imagined it. Maybe it was the rumoured light that brought you to the other side? Not that he was willing to go there yet. But as he swam closer to it it became bigger and brighter. He reached his hand out, seeing if he could touch it. If it was something that could be touched at all. And as his fingers made contact with the warm glow it seemed as if the darkness of the ocean just disappeared, warmth and bright light envolping Delmar.

He had to close his eyes for a moment, holding his arm up to protect himself from the sudden brightness, slowly adjusting to it. His surroundings were pure white. He wasn't in a room. It didn't seem like one. But his surroundings were completely white. He couldn't tell floor from wall from ceiling. The ocean that had surrounded him until a moment ago was completely gone. And even his clothing had dried almost as if he never went for his swim.

When his eyes had finally adjusted to the brightness of his surroundings he noticed it. A massive creature of ... something. It looked like a long snake. A winged snake, with short legs. Its head and scales were dragon like, and somehow Delmar felt as if it was safer to refer to this creature as a dragon. It was the largest creature of any kind Delmar had ever seen before. And even it seemed to be made fully out of light. It had a form, and yet it seemed as if it only consisted of light. And then as the creature stared at him, despite it not opening its mouth, Delmar could hear a soft, feminine voice directly in his head.

»Welcome, my child. I see you are looking for something and someone.«

He stared at the creature for a moment, taking a small step back. As he reached for his sword he remembered he had taken it off when he was leaning over the scrolls in the study, back on the ship. How inconvenient.

»There is no need for you to be warry, my child. I did not bring you hear to do you any harm.«

»Where exactly is here?«

»Falidin. The world inbetween.«

»...never heard of it before.«

It seemed as if the dragon smiled at him. And while Delmar was still wary, something told him that this creature had no intention of harming him.

»That is because it is inbetween. It is here and yet not here. There and yet not at all.«

»Right ... so, why did you bring me here?«

»Because you were in the search of something and someone. I can lead you to one, but the other you will have to find on your own.«

»...you can bring me to my friend? To Rhys?«

Again it seemed as if the creature was smiling.

»I will return you and your friend to the child and the water princess. But first ... I have a request for you. For you to listen to me for a moment. To take my words into your heart. And never forget them.«

If it meant saving Rhys and getting back to the others it definitely didn't seem like a bad deal. Hopefully.

»Alright. I'm all ears.«

»Delmar Amabile. You will soon cause great chaos and bring change upon this world that is so dear to me. Many people will suffer due to your actions, and they will be filled with hatred and sorrow.«

A small frown showed on his face. This creature knowing his name was one thing. But the things it was saying ... there was no way he'd ever have any intention of hurtin anyone. At least not as long as they aren't threatening his friends.

»You will be forced to sacrifice what is dear to you. And you will not receive anything in return. Your future is a dark one. And your name will be feared for millenias. Knowing this ... are you still going to walk your path?«

For a moment he watched the creature quietly. It didn't seem to be a trick question or anything. Maybe then, he should just answer with the first thing coming to mind.

»I can't forsee the future. And even if I could, I wouldn't want to. I'll live my life however I believe it to be best. And if it means stepping on some people's toes then so be it. But no matter what happens ... I will always stick to my ideals, and believe in my friends.«

This time the dragon creature clearly smiled. She lowered her head towards him before breathing air against him, making him feel warm, and drowsy.

»In that case go forth. Continue on your way. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.«

---

He didn't know how they did it, but somehow Myrin and Shirin managed to not let the ship sink. And eventually the storm subsided. As fast as it had appeared it also disappeared. The only thing left to worry about was where Delmar and Rhys were. They are okay. Of course they are. They have to be. As the ship lay on the now quiet waters, Myrin looked over the railing, staring at the dark ocean, and waiting for his friends to return.

He barely noticed Shirin stepping up next to him, putting her hand in his and squeezing it encouragingly. The look on her face clearly said, that she too did believe they'd return. Delmar had survived much more dangerous situations after all. And as if knowing they were watching the ocean, suddenly with Delmar's head shot up through the surface of the water, gasping for air as he held a coughing Rhys up over the water.

»Delmar! Rhys!«

Myrin's voice was a few pitches higher than normal, despite his certainty having been quite clearly worried. Delmar looked up at his two companions, giving them a grin and a thumbs up, while Rhys will look quite literally like a miserable wet poodle. Shirin and Myrin helped their two friends up, Shirin having organised some blankets and wrapping them both up in one each. Delmar shook his head a little to clear the water out of his face just as a rather pale looking Rhys looked over at him.

»...if you keep saving me I'm never gonna be able to pay you back.«

»Pfft. No need to. We're friends right?«

»...yeah«

Myrin will smile softly, relieved that the two of them where back. But also worried. While Delmar was smiling and talking like his usual self, something about him seemed ... different. What had happened while he was down there? It seemed as if Delmar had noticed his staring, turning his face to his friend with a wry smile.

»If you keep frowning like that Myrin, that frown will get stuck on your face.«

»I doubt it will ... is everything alright?«

»Yeah. But there's something I want to tell you guys later. For now I'd like to get changed into some dry clothes though.«

Myrin will nod and eventually, as promised, the four of them gathered in the boys' room, listening to Delmar's story. When he had finished telling them about the strange creature he saw and what it said, the others fell silent. No one quite knew what to do with that kind of information. Myrin was the first one to speak up again.

»...why am I the child? I'm not the youngest one here ...«

»Stop sulking about that part, Myrin.«

Delmar will roll his eyes before rubbing his neck a little as he looks at them.

»I don't know what that creature was. But after it had told me to get going I found myself back in the ocean. And I saw Rhys. Before I met that creature I couldn't find him anywhere. And I was certain I was quite deep down but I only swam maybe ten feet up after having grabbed Rhys.«

Myrin stared at him, tipping his chin in thought. A creature powerful enough to create what sounded like a pocket dimension was definitely no small being. But the gods rarely ever interacted this directly with mortals. To everyone's surprise Rhys was the one to speak up first, all eyes on him when he did.

»I think I know what that creature was. I didn't here all that many stories as a child. You know? Missing childhood and all. But there was one story even I heard. The story of how this world got created.«

Delmar watched him quietly, opening his mouth just as Myrin interjected.

»Are you saying that creature is one of the Deities of Creation?«

»No. I doubt it. But from Delmar's description ... isn't there another creature that fits that description in the story?«

Myrin's eyes grew wide in realisation. It couldn't be. It was definitely impossible. But in his head he told himself the story Rhys was talking about. Or at least the version he had learned as a child.

In the beginning there was nothing but the Wildspace. An endless space filled with the most powerful of magic. And in this space a creature lived by itself. Once there had been many of its kind. But now it was alone. At least in its part of the endless space there were no others like it.
This creature was a Wildspace Dragon. A beautiful creature. Said to be made out of pure light. No real form, and yet as real as anything else in the Wildspace. For a longtime it simply existed. It name had long been since forgotten by any but itself. Yrva.
As the flow of time continued Yrva continued living. Until one day, a great darkness swept over the Wildspace. There was no true evil and good in the Wildspace. Not until that day. Not until Idem appeared. The creature was like Yrva herself. A Wildspace Dragon. The most astonishing creature in the Wildspace and the existing galaxy until that point. But Yrva soon realised that Idem had become the first true evil. And with the appearance of the first true evil - the Wildspace started dying.
To fend off the corruption Yrva birthed nine children. Bemere, Emmyth, Ehtris, Filverel, Ilvisar, Morvyre, Seeyr, Vaeril, Velatha. Her children inherited the power of the Wildspace, the ability to directly interfere with the veil. But their birth didn't stop the corruption. The children were tasked by their mother to create world sepparated from the Wildspace. A world for them to live in. And a world for the creatures that could not be in the Wildspace to live in.
And so Vetra was birthed as Yrva's first grandchild. And Yrva's children gave life to a world known to us now as Asteria. The nine children populated the world with all the creatures that couldn't live in the Wildspace. And so the world was save from the corruption that was Idem.
The children were sent to this world by Yrva. But she stayed in the Wildspace. Ever watching and waiting. Protecting the world her children had created from afar, and keeping Idem's influence minimal. Yrva became the first goddess of Asteria. As such she was known to all creatures on the planet simply as the Mother of Creation.

Myrin's eyes moved over to Delmar, staring at him, looking almost shocked.

»Y-you met the Creation Dragon?!«

»I dunno ... maybe? Didn't seem that big.«

Myrin shook his head, about to say something, when Shirin will suddenly get up, pointing towards the small round window in the room. Their destination was in view. The four of them shared one last look before the conversation was declared over, everyone packing up. But Myrin's mind was still on Delmar's story. Just what are you, Delmar, that even the Mother of Creation herself acknowledged your existence?