Ripple
CEAL
WC: 1,028
THE WATER WAS PERFECTLY STILL and untouched as far as the eye could see. It shone and gleamed beneath the sun’s warm but gentle touch, and every few moments, a small ripple would find itself swirling above the smooth sandy floor, reflecting light in every direction.
Amongst the water, enveloped by it like a vast bubble, was an unusual figure. They had sunken deep beneath the surface of the sea━their long legs gently floated by the sandy floor, slowly tucking beneath their lithe body━and yet it seemed like they were entirely untouched by their surroundings.
It was clear to the ocean that they belonged here. That this was the place of their creation, or at least, in this life. Yet somehow, they remained as an outsider.
The figure raised a hand and studied it under careful eyes, admiring every small bubble and crack between their skin. Slowly, they tilted their head. Thoughtful.
They were shaped by the water itself, with blue, almost opaque skin, large pink-tinged eyes, and a head of swirling hair reminiscent of the vast ocean’s wild water on stormy nights.
Their pink eyes carefully pointed away from their fingers and began drifting upwards, toward the surface of the sea, which did not stir or ripple whatsoever.
It had been such a long time since they had gazed at the clear sky from sure footing on the Earth. Many lifetimes had passed since such an opportunity had arisen…
Ceal sighed. A small pocket of bubbles left their parted lips and silently fluttered upwards, only to bump against the sea’s surface and disappear into nothingness.
Slowly, their eyes began to narrow.
Were they like the bubbles that emitted from them? Endlessly floating, useless little things that were bound to disappear someday?
Ceal hummed. A vibration quivered from their chest, stirring the water around them until it rumbled
At this point, after an entire millennia of drifting lifelessly, caged in this new form, Ceal could hardly remember their life before this one… Sometimes, if they concentrated very hard, they’d remember a faint flicker.
A distant emotion which felt just out of reach. Like there was a translucent glass wall between them and their past feelings.
They made a sacrifice, once. To become what they were now. And yet somehow, it still hadn’t paid of.
Once… Once, they were happy. Once, they were fulfilled. Their life was boring and monotonous, but at least it had meaning and a purpose. Now all Ceal seemed to have was his ability to control the water that caged them━if control was even the right word to use. They only seemed able to manipulate it under stress or deep emotion, which didn’t seem useful when they were constantly alone and bored into an apathetic state.
The hand by Ceal’s side slowly curled into a fist as something hot and unfamiliar raged in their chest. It stirred, awakening with it an unpleasant, stifling feeling that made Ceal want to suddenly lash out at the sand around them. But they didn’t understand why.
Nothing about this feeling was logical or familiar. Nothing about it made sense to them.
And yet, without truly thinking it through, they shot up from the sandy floor and pushed through the sea’s barrier. Their head popped up over the other side━a side they had never ventured out to explore, not since trading their mortality for this damnation━and their rosy eyes widened.
The sky was just as vast and blue as the ocean, yet it had something that Ceal couldn’t deem familiar.
Something soft, white, and fuzzy floated throughout the sky, darting among clouds as if one of their own. Ceal squinted their eyes and furrowed their brows, concentrating on making out the unfamiliar shape.
It was almost shaped like they were━it held a vaguely humanoid form, yet it had a lot of extra, fluffy padding that Ceal themselves lacked.
Had Earth changed so much since they became immortal? Though it had been more than a hundred lifetimes for mortal creatures, which Ceal was sure was enough time for evolution to take its course, they still hadn’t expected this sudden turn of events.
The white cloudy creature grew closer as it darted through the sky, still a distant silhouette despite how hard Ceal tried to see it better.
“Hey!” they called.
Or, at least, attempted to. Their voice was strange━an unusual combination of hoarse and airy. As they spoke, their words were carried away by a light, passing breeze.
Ceal’s eyebrows raised as they continued to gaze upon the cloudy creature. Was it like them? Had it traded its mortality, its humanity, for a life like theirs? Except… It seemed to Ceal that it was one with the air and wind.
Which meant it was infinitely freer than they were…
It was during times like these that Ceal felt they’d made a huge mistake.
A slow, soft pool of water began to stir by Ceal’s shoulders. Their rose-colored eyes flickered toward it, and they watched in intrigued silence as a thin string began to form, shaped entirely by the once-still water.
The string snaked itself up into the air and surrounded Ceal. It wriggled faintly before suddenly moving toward their bicep━which it soon began to wrap itself around, like a ribbon.
What’s happening? Thought Ceal, though they didn’t resist the familiar touch of water as it pressed itself against them. The ribbon did not stir, nor did it respond. It simply stayed there, glued to his arm like it was truly meant to be there the entire time.
Maybe it was telling them something…
Ceal’s eyes rose back up to the sky. The clouded, humanoid figure was drifting away from sight, like driftwood being sucked down into a current.
Suddenly, Ceal realized something. Were they truly bound to the water? Or was the water bound to them?
Perhaps the ribbon-shaped pool was telling them that so long as they kept themselves connected with the sea━one with water━then their movement was… unlimited.
As Ceal began to move their slender fingers, slowly forming a large wave to their side, their world suddenly felt so much larger than it ever had before.
Perhaps mortality was overrated. Ceal might’ve made the right decision after all.