It's difficult to imagine, when I look back on the history of my ancestors.
They were a branch of Merians cast under the waves to guard the mistakes of Old
Celest. Imperial, noble, they bore on their shoulders the failed experiment that
created the foul monstrosities known later as the gorgogs. But woe be, that the
pains of my people never ended there...

In modern times, it was a chance of fate or perhaps Divine intervention that
allowed my fathers generation to resurface into basin prime. They were brought
into the open sky that shines brightly under Father Sun, and is graced by the
radiant Mothers, Night and Moon. Every day at dinner, we would give prayer to
the Gods of the Light that we were to be allowed lives of freedom... Though
fate is cruel, as it has always been. I remember the night well... the night my
life was turned to ash and cinder...

"Meriko, have you washed your hands for bed?" Kneeling beside a slow running
stream, under the starlit night sky was a solitary figure, a young boy no more
then eight years old. Pale blue skin the shade of turquoise glimmers with
youthful energy while sweeping fins grace his form, marks of his noble race.

"Yes, mother. I'm coooming!" A large smile lit up his features, innocent eyes
sparkling with enthusiasm as he stood and raced off towards the source of the
call. As he wandered through the shabby buildings he watched the others all
around him setting up their nightly precautions to ward off those that would
wish them harm, particularly the gorgog abominations that sadly returned to the
world with the Nyalian island. Indeed, Itecia has become a place of fear and
damnation. But the boy was too young to recall the past, to him this was life,
free of fear aside from the stray gorgogs that wandered into the village, only
to be quickly dispatched by the Bravos.

His parents greeted him warmly as he entered their house, which was nothing
more then a converted stable with a couple of beds. It was a simple life, but
they made it their own. "Alright, young one, climb in." Her loving smile
quickly turned to a stern glare as he tried to protest, but shifted back to
tender as he silently gave up the battle and slipped into the lump of hay that
was his makeshift mattress. After the goodnights, his eyes closed and his grip
on reality slowly blurred, allowing him to drift off into his dreams.

At first he was at peace, his dreams forming into the open ocean as he swam
with the dolphins and played with the other children. After a long while of
laughing and playing with friends he began to feel tired as the sun sunk under
the horizon. Bidding them a farewell, he started his journey home as the sky
darkened. After a short while, the familiar leantos brought a happy sparkle
into his eyes. His pace slowed as he enhaled the crisp air deeply, but quickly
stopped as something strange lingered on the wind. Glancing back to his home he
felt his heart sink into the depths of his stomach. Rising up from the homely
oceanic village were tendrils of dark smoke and the air smelled sickly sweet,
though he knew not the source.

That's when he heard it, the screams of his fellow Merians echoing through his
mind. "No..." He shut his eyes, shaking his head as if it were a bad dream he
could get rid of. "No..." Tears began to flow down his cheeks, this couldn't be
right. The sky was lighting up with a deadly orange glow. "NO!" His shout echoed
through the air as his vision blurred and slipped, sounds fading into nothing as
darkness overtook him.

"Me....." He could feel the tears flowing down his face, but he didn't know
why he was crying. "Meriko..." That voice was familiar though it held an
unknown emotion. "Meriko, please! Wake up!"

"Mmm... mother...?" He managed a whisper, eyes opening to the familiar face
but stricken with an unfamiliar expression. It was his mother, yes, but her
kind face was pale with fear. "Mother? What... what's wrong?" She didn't say a
word before gathered him up into her arms and holding him close to her chest.
He could feel her racing heart, hear her laboured breathing, and his own body
from her fear. Nothing made sense, his young mind was racing with images of bad
things that could have happened, but his innocence kept him from the truth. But
soon that too would be shattered.

She stood quickly, turning towards the door as a choking sob wracked her young
sons body. She knew he was confused and scared, but she had to stay focused for
his sake. Suddenly the air was shattered by a piercing scream of death that
sent a cold chill racing along her skin and caused her body to stiffen. She had
to get out of this place for the both of them. Her husband had been summoned
with the other Bravos to defend against the unknown threat so she was on her
own. Quickly she raced towards the door, stepping out into the eerie orange
glow that was unfamiliar, even to her.

All around her the streets were illuminated by the fires that were beginning
to devour the shacks. At her feet and scattered all along the broken
cobblestone were motionless figures that she couldn't make out at firs glancet.
After a moment of confusion the realization set in and her eyes grew wide with
horror. "No... it just can't be..." Slowly she stumbled forward, burdened by
her sons weight and crippled by the fear now setting into her soul. One figure
called her to it, silently resting in a pool of crimson with a look of agony on
it's features. The usual ruggedly handsome face was stained with blood but she
could tell. It was her husband, the other half of her being that made this
simple way of life worth living. It couldn't be true... he couldn't be there...
he couldn't leave her. She sunk to her knees, tears flowing freely down her pale
cheeks. It seemed like an eternity had passed as she mourned her fallen husband.
Such heavy denial filled her mind that her reasoning was drowned out, and the
current danger seemed nothing more then a nagging afterthought.

Still confused, the small figure in the womans arms started to squirm. The
smell on the air was making his stomach hurt and the smoke stung his eyes,
causing even more tears to drip off his chin. His movements seemed to snap his
mother out of her daze as her hollow eyes looked down to him with such a sad
gaze it made him start to sob. She started to stand despire her movements being
slow and unsteady. Turning away from the massacre, she took a single step away
from the scene before shivers wracked her body and a strangled sound of fear
managed to escape her lips.

He forced his eyes shut as his senses were overloaded with a deafening hiss,
like something from his darkest nightmares. It sent him into a panic as his
mind was overloaded with horrors he had never imagined. In a sudden rush,
reality returned to him as he hit the ground face first, coughing and sobbing
into the dust and gravel. Slowly his scrambled senses became clear as he pushed
himself off the ground and onto his knees. "Mother?" He called out into the
choked air but heard no reply. It was hard for him to breathe in the thickening
smog, but even worse was the evil laughter that began to plague his mind. He
felt paralysed as it throbbed in his head and his stomach churned horribly.

"Just a few more fish to slay, my slave. And then we can retire. Ahh, what's
this?" The boy yelped in fright and pain as cold hands grasped his throat,
pulling him up and off his feet as he dangled limply in the air. The fear was
weighing so heavily on his soul that he couldn't move and the iron strong grip
was choking his words as well as breath. "It's a runt. Do you think we
should... throw it back?" A single tear rolled down the childs cheek as the
demonic laughter once again echoed in his mind. Suddenly he was jerked back as
pain coursed his body. Before he even had time to yelp he was flung into the
air, soaring through the cloud of smoke a good distance before slamming into
the ground. The sickening crunch of his ribs snapping filled his ears but he
didn't have the time to realise it. The air left his lungs at impact and he
finally lost control of his stomach as the contents left him all over the
gravel, mixed with a good deal of blood. Though his airflow was no longer
restricted, he found himself still unable to breathe and slowly his
consciousness faded and he was welcomed into darkness.

There was no way to tell how much time had passed before he started to stir.
His eyes flickered open as the light burned into his mind causing tears to well
up. Slowly his senses returned but with it came the pain. He could breathe now,
but every intake sent stabs of pain into his chest. In a valiant attempt he
placed his hands onto the cobblestone, forcing his broken body out of the dirt
and onto his knees. It felt like every inch of his being was torn to shreds as
he continued to force himself up, placing one foot down and using it as support
to stand. Though wobbily, he managed to rise to his feet. It was easy for him to
tell he was in bad shape as he looked himself over. Many of his bones were
broken and he was scraped up horribly, it was no wonder the demon thought he
was dead, which could be the only reason as to why he was still alive.

"Alive..." Despite a severe headache he searched through his broken memory for
what happened to him. What he put together made his pale face drain until it was
nearly transparent. "Mother!" Turning around as quick as his feeble body could
bear, he was faced with a mind shattering horror. His companions, friends, and
his parents all broken along his destroyed home. All he could do was stand and
cry, grief had stolen the mobility from his limbs.

He was unable to tell how long his mourning lasted, but by the time he was
able to turn away from his broken home the sky had darkened into night. In a
slow, unsteady pace he forged his way through the bondero and into the inner
sea. The waves provided a difficult challenge with his fatigue and pain so he
was easily swept away into the currents. For a while he battled to control his
own fate but once again he was too weak to last. Fully drained of energy he
slipped beneath the waves into the cold cradle of the sea.

"... washed up... harbour?" There was a commotion going on around him but he
couldn't focus. "... a kid! Get... hurry!" He could feel himself being moved.
Though he was still partially unconscious he prayed to himself that whoever it
was that had found him would show mercy.