Lost Oceanus System

Prologue

Flames engulfed an ancient land, mothers clung to their children as they tried to find a haven to hide from the surrounding destruction. Armies could not defend from the horrendous enemy they now faced; all hope they had once held in their hearts was turned to ash when the head of their ruler was tossed out onto the street like used garbage. As the soldiers of the land tried to gather the power to turn the tides of war, the enemy began mercilessly slaughtering women, children and anyone who held a fond memory of this now blood-soaked land.

In an underground portion of the kingdom, ten elders stood in a circle surrounding an orb of luminescent blue light. All the elders were dressed in black robes and masks with varying designs. One elder, however, wore a robe that was a deep violet color with a black mask made to resemble a dolphin. The scene was tense and had an air of seriousness which was almost palpable, the sadness in the eyes of each elder did not go unnoticed as they looked at each other with looks of longing and friendship.

The elder in the violet robes took out a black sphere and began to shout in an unknown dialect, performing an incantation of some sort. After almost an hour of repeating one phrase, the leader addressed the rest of his companions with a softer tone as his voice had been damaged from prolonged shouting.

"This is a sad day my brothers, but our responsibilities lie not with the current people, but with whoever finds the kingdom in the future. Though I wish to say that I had planned on staying around for awhile longer, alas life does not simply hand out such luxuries. I will miss each and every one of you and shall await our reunion with eagerness. Goodbye my brothers.

"

With that, the Leader of the elders removed a black dagger from his robe which emanated a piercing blue light from the deadly sharp tip. The blade itself was long and curved, it seemed to resemble an enormous tooth. The cross guard was not any less beautiful as it was designed to imitate the tail fin of a dolphin. Finally, there was the pommel, it was the beautiful finishing touch to the masterpiece of a weapon. The pommel of the dagger seemed to be the eye of a squid, deep blue in color and mesmerizing to behold.

The Leader turned to the elder on his right and with one swift motion, impaled the dagger into the man's heart. A bright golden light could be seen escaping the former elder and being absorbed into the orb in the center of the group. The leader then extended his hand, and the dagger was yanked out of the corpse on the floor by a seemingly imaginary force. The dagger returned to the leader and the previous action was repeated eight more times until only the Leader remained standing in a circle of death. A lone tear could be seen running down the murderous leaders face as he slowly turned the dagger to himself, repeating the same heart stab that he had committed on his former colleagues. As he lay there dying on the floor, he had only one thought and that was whether his actions caused any hatred from his brethren in their final moments. With that the Leader died as the light was transferred from himself to the orb.

The battle taking place above ground raged on for another four days until the kingdom was relieved of all its citizens. The perpetrators of the slaughter left feeling satisfied as they had completed their purpose. Along the Outer edge of the kingdom sat a wall that glowed with bright green veins of light, as the life of the people died so too did the lights in the wall. When the final trace of light was reduced to a memory, the wall started to shake as it fell apart. The destruction of the wall resulted in the entire continent the kingdom was situated on to start sinking into the vast ocean surrounding it. The Sun rose the next day with an air of loneliness in the spot where an ancient kingdom once stood.

....

Paxton Waite frantically flailed his body against the ferocity of the waves, if he did not make it to shore soon, he was going to drown. Exhaustion was starting to set in as his muscles burned from trying to stay afloat. After ten minutes of persistent struggling, Paxton felt the water enter his lungs as he sank into a cold abysmal blue grave. As consciousness left him, Paxton wondered what death would be like.

'At least I can finally just take it easy and stop being so stressed out all the time.' Paxton thought as he let the sweet, relaxing grip of the beyond wisp him away.

Paxton had always been the type to put his studies and his future first, it was that very nature that had led to him drowning in the first place. Throughout his childhood, he had been told that his ability to perform well in school was the ticket to getting his family out of poverty. Likewise, Paxton was placed under a microscope in all aspects of his life. The only time he was not being told what to do was when he was swimming.

Swimming had been Paxton's one escape from the monotonous drone of a life that had been forced upon him. Although he had never been to a beach, the diving pool at his high school was more than sufficient to him. The events leading to Paxton's death were nothing short of stress induced. The day began as any other would, with Paxton eating a healthy breakfast and completing his morning routine. On his family's refrigerator, a calendar with that day's date circled stood out. This was the day that all his hard work would culminate into, the day he would take his college admissions test. If all went according to plan, Paxton would be enrolling in a top university that excelled in getting its students well-paying jobs upon graduation.

Paxton pulled out his phone and checked the time, there was the test first and then a beach party with his classmates afterward. Of course, Paxton was not supposed to be going but he was determined to go regardless. After three hours of sweating, self-doubt and a near heart attack the test was over. Paxton took a bus with a group of friends down to the beach where the party was going to be happening. It was better than anything he had pictured in the months leading up to that moment. Sure, Paxton had seen beaches before but had not been allowed to go before, after greeting the rest of his friends, he headed into the water. A rush of cold passed over his skin as he let his muscles adjusted to the familiar feeling.

Unfortunately for Paxton, the deeper he swam out into in ocean, the harder it would be to get back to shore. Even worse still, there was one thing that he had forgotten about and that was ocean currents. When Paxton got far enough out, he turned around to take in the scene, the sandbar filled with young people dancing to music and playing games. This was the feeling that Paxton had been chasing for so long, the feeling of freedom. Suddenly his vision was replaced with blue as Paxton was pulled under the waves. Being a strong swimmer, he was not taken by enough shock to panic. Instead, he looked around for something to stop him from tumbling further from the safety of the shore. There was nothing.

'Am I really going to die on the one day that I am at my happiest'?

'What about my parents, will they even receive a body to bury'?

'I spent my entire life as an obedient dog, working towards the goal of an easy life for myself and my family...just to die upon crossing the finish line?'

His thoughts slowly started to fade as his consciousness did the same. When at last he could not hold in his breath any longer, Paxton let the water invade his lungs. It slowly became a part of him as any trace of oxygen was replaced with the cold and uncaring touch of the sea. When his struggling finally subsided, he did not see a white light, no tunnel to cross into, none of of that religious stuff. The only thing Paxton experienced in his final moments was the feeling of tears escaping his eyes. The poor boy then proceeded to die while the tears he had shed mixed in perfectly into his salty tomb.