EoS Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Afloat in an Ephemeral Sea

"Open my Eyes to Blue," thinks Solineus Mikjehemlut as he awakens in a surreal realm, a dreamlike universe of undulating blues and grays, where his body feels disconnected, and his breath is a memory rather than reality. A sultry, omnipresent feminine voice, both soothing and detached, reveals his identity as Solineus Mikjehemlut of the Clan Emudar, a Silone warrior, though his vacuous memory denies her words. As the voice coalesces into a breathtakingly beautiful woman with ivory teeth and piercing eyes, she tells him he is afloat in Purdonis Bay, having survived the sinking of the Resten, and will soon wash ashore on Kaludor. Her cryptic responses and a kiss on his forehead leave Solineus grappling with the boundaries of dream and reality, his questions about his existence unanswered as the realm fades.

In the waking world, Solineus finds himself on the rocky shores of of the island of Kaludor, chilled to the bone with a burning sensation on his brow, his nakedness exposed to the gray, clouded sky. Discovered by two young sisters, Alu and Kinesee, he covers himself with a scarf they provide and introduces himself as Solineus Mikjehemlut, a survivor of the Resten’s wreck, though his memories remain fragmented. The girls lead him to their stone home, where their father, Iku Koest, and Ielu the Matron, First Voice of the Fire, cautiously welcome him. Ielu’s sharp scrutiny probes his name’s divine implications and his mysterious survival, hinting at destiny or deception, while Solineus struggles to reconcile the woman’s voice from his dream with his reality. As he warms by their fire and eats a humble meal, the weight of unseen gazes and his uncertain identity loom, setting the stage for a journey to reclaim his past amidst the Choerkin clan’s wary hospitality.

• EoS Chapter 9 — Faces
• EoS Chapter 11 — Lesser Evils