Ominous Sea

Aisha stood on the ship deck, feeling the sea breeze on her skin. Her long hair fluttered in the air as she couldn't take her eyes off the fantastic view before her.

The world was really vast. Even more so than what was depicted in the picture book or what her mind could ever imagine.

Previously, her world was only limited to the Land of Oblivion, but looking at the never-ending blue spread in front of her, Aisha felt so moved. She couldn't see the land behind them anymore; it was as if it was swallowed by the sea itself.

Her eyes sparkled excitedly under the sunlight.

"Strange. There is nothing to obstruct the view, but why can't I see the land anymore?" Aisha wondered curiously. "If we keep going straight, will we ever see the end of the sea sometimes? What kind of view would I see there?"

"Pfft."

Aisha was startled when she heard someone snort behind her. Turning around, she saw Leslie standing there with an amused look on his face. "Ah, pardon my rudeness. I didn't mean to laugh at you. You look so excited that I feel bad to interrupt."

A faint blush crept up her face as she tried to maintain her expression. "Did you need something from me?"

"Not in particular. I saw you have been standing here for hours now. The sea breeze can make you sick after some time. Please wear this." Leslie smiled before offering a shawl to her.

"Ah, thank you," Aisha accepted it gratefully. "I'm used to the cold, but I appreciate your consideration."

"Priestess, have you never been outside the land until now?" Leslie asked curiously.

"No. I have a duty as the Priestess to uphold, so I wasn't allowed to leave."

"Is your job really that demanding? It should be fine if you take a break once in a while, right?"

"It is believed that I should distance myself from people so I won't get contaminated with negative energy. I also need to chant daily prayer in the shrine every morning to afternoon, then perform a purification ritual every night."

Leslie put his finger on his chin thoughtfully. "That sounds pretty busy, indeed. But what is this purification ritual you are talking about? Can you tell me what you usually do during the ritual? Ah, of course, if you don't want to tell me, I won't force you to say it."

Aisha didn't mind if he only asked that much. "As its name implies, the purification ritual is a ritual to clean one's soul. Every day, I have to perform this ritual to cleanse myself. That way, I can perform my other duties well. There is a small waterfall in the inner shrine where I must soak in for a few hours while chanting a prayer. It is said that the holy water will cleanse my soul from impurities."

"I see." Leslie didn't understand much about the Land of Oblivion's customs, but the idea was very unique. "You always do that every night? What about in the winter? Aren't you cold?"

Aisha smiled. "It was cold at first, but once you get used to it, the cold is nothing."

Leslie was sure it wasn't as easy as she claimed it to be, but he chose to keep his opinion to himself. He couldn't let his guard down in front of Aisha.

"You are very dedicated to your job. Can you show me how it was done later?"

"Ah, that's a bit difficult. Only some people were allowed in the room during the ritual because the process is very sacred. Usually, only the Head Priest, Chief Advisors, and several senior believers are allowed to enter the ritual chamber."

"Why are they the only ones who can see it?"

"It's because they have been acknowledged by the God of Life to watch over the ritual."

Leslie was skeptical. Just what kind of criteria did one need to be acknowledged by this 'God'? Of course, there was a concept of religion in the Roseau Empire as well. However, the royal family strictly supervised activities by religious organizations.

The believers from the Land of Oblivion took their belief as the center of their culture, unlike them, who were more secular. And the Priestess was the symbol of their faith, so her existence was essential in their daily lives.

Leslie still didn't understand why Archibald wanted to take the Priestess with them? He probably wanted to keep her hostage, but there shouldn't be any need to do that when they had successfully conquered the land.

Leslie felt like there was something more about this than what could be seen in the eyes. But he had no right to question the Emperor about his decision, so he could only probe Aisha like this. From this conversation, it didn't seem Aisha knew why she was taken back to the Empire too.

"Thank you for telling me all this, Priestess. It has been a very enlightening conversation. I will stop bothering you and return to my work."

"Yes. Please don't let me stop you."

"Then, if you'll excuse me."

Aisha inwardly heaved a sigh of relief. She was glad that Leslie didn't try to pry further. Ever since she was a child, she had been strictly prohibited from telling other people what she could do. Or else someone would get hurt again.

A particular past memory flashed across her mind, and she quickly shook her head.

It happened long ago and was the reason she had never thought of leaving the land before. If she kept her mouth shut and did as they said, no one would get hurt.

Yes, it was better like this.

Aisha wrapped the shawl more tightly around her. She wanted to enjoy this momentary freedom a bit longer. There was a chance that she wouldn't feel this pleasant sea breeze anymore once they reached the Empire.

However, the ship collided with something unexpectedly. Aisha was shocked by the crash and might have been pushed overboard if she hadn't grabbed the railing in time. Every crew on board was also startled and immediately ran to the ship railing to look at what possibly caused the impact.

"Hey, look at that!"

One of the men pointed to the area where dark clouds and mist gathered. The clouds cast a dark shadow on the raging sea, and the mist made it hard for them to see what was ahead. An ominous feeling brewed inside every people who saw it.

Aisha wasn't a sailor, but even she could tell that the area seemed dangerous.