The Black Poison
Part Ift.
Nereus The sea was calm under the grey sky. There was no sound, even the waves crashing against the shore seemed to respect the religious silence of the storm's aftermath. It had been a terrible storm, with very strong winds that had shaken the trees in the forest and caused many of them to fall. Nereus and his herd had taken shelter in their houses of huge hollowed-out logs a stone's throw from the beach, waiting for the storm to pass.
Nereus stared out at the grey sea, filling his nostrils with the salty smell he loved so much. Then a sound broke the silence and something leapt out of the water not far from the shore. It was Morpheus, his best underwater friend. The dolphin jumped out again, but did not seem as happy and playful as usual. There was a certain urgency, a certain reverence. Nereus entered the water and began to swim towards the open sea, diving in. Down there, there was no sign of the storm that had just passed, everything was as calm and beautiful as ever. The seaweed swayed slowly, pushed by the current, and the fish swam peacefully. It was another world.
Morpheus appeared in his vision. He was clearly excited and invited Nereus to join him by touching his back. Nereus put his front hooves around the dolphin's neck and it immediately began to swim like lightning. Soon three more dolphins appeared with long seaweed in their mouths, which Nereus grabbed with his teeth and wrapped around his body, and in a moment they had formed a kind of sea quadriga, moving very fast. That was how they took him around the seas: Nereus had no fin to swim as fast as the dolphins, and they were never patient enough to wait for him.
At one point they stopped holding onto the seaweed and dispersed, leaving Nereus with a clear view. Had he been in the air, he would have screamed, but all that came out of his mouth were bubbles of air. His gills began to pulsate faster as Nereus began to swim in the opposite direction. Ahead of him were the dolphins, inviting him with unfriendly taps of their snouts to approach the huge creature in front of him. It was huge, the biggest thing he had ever seen. Its eye was as big as Nereus and it was fixed on him. But the creature didn't seem aggressive. It lay motionless on the bottom of the ocean. Its gaze was like a cry for help. He approached slowly and cautiously. The creature blinked its huge eyelid and tried to move its head towards him, but failed. It was then that Nereus realised what was happening before him: the creature was dying, and the dolphins had brought him there in the hope that he could help. But how could he, a young fable who knew nothing of the world, help a sea giant so much bigger and more powerful than himself? The sea monster blinked again and Nereus felt himself being pushed towards it. It was the dolphins. By now he was within inches of the beast's snout, which lifted its lip to reveal huge, sharp teeth. Nereus swallowed, then found himself in direct contact with the creature. His vision blurred and he saw a scene he had never seen before.
He swims fast in the open sea. His powerful body hits the water with great force and his fins move his body in the direction he wants. It is a beautiful feeling, he is the master of the ocean and all the creatures know it and respect him. He is the Leviathan, the largest and most powerful creature that has ever sailed the seas, land and sky. No one, not even the mighty Dragon of the north, can compete with him.Then the vision ended abruptly and another began. This time, the emotions Nereus was experiencing were completely different.
The water is dark, almost black, and you cannot see very far. Swimming is tiring, as if the water had turned to jelly. Why did he go so far? Is his ego so big that he thought he was immortal? He has to get out of there, back to the warm waters of the bay. But he is struggling to move and every breath is an effort. He's also lost his sense of direction, and when he suddenly realises that he doesn't know which way to swim to get home, he has a panic attack. His breathing becomes labored. What is happening to him? He is the Leviathan, the most powerful creature in the world... or is he? All confidence vanishes, and his eyelids are about to fall heavy upon his eyes, when a memory hits him like a strong current. He remembers the colourful fish that swam around him in a wonderful choreography, the dolphins, always cheerful, that tickled him, and the seabirds that rested on his back to take a break from their acrobatic flights in the middle of the ocean. He has to go home. A sparkle in his eyes, he chooses a direction and begins to swim. He moves slowly, but he moves. His gaze is fixed ahead. After a while he felt the water become less viscous and familiar shapes began to appear in front of him: the seaweed, the rocks. He swims on, putting what strength he has left into his muscles. He just swims, does not think. Eventually he notices that swimming is easier, that he is moving faster. What little consciousness he has left allows him to see that so many sea creatures have gathered around him that he can see nothing else. They have wrapped themselves in thick seaweed and are pulling him along. It is the last thing he sees before he succumbs to exhaustion and everything goes black.Nereus regained his senses and looked into the Leviathan's eyes. The black water must have poisoned him, and now he was dying. He was about to turn away when another vision began.
Urgency. Heal. To help. Hills seen from above, as if flying. A grove of elms. A dark fable with golden tattoos that glowed. A hut with dried herbs hanging everywhere. Heal. Help.The vision disappeared. Did the Leviathan want him to go to the mainland, find the fable and bring back the cure? The eyelid dropped and lifted, as if in agreement. Then it closed and never opened again. The effort of communicating with Nereus must have sapped the sea king's strength. Nereus turned away and the dolphins dragged him back to shore. Once on the beach, he turned around. The dolphins jumped out of the water and invited him to walk away from the beach, deep into the green hearth of the land. He had a mission. He did not think he would be able to complete it, but he had no choice. Squeals caught his attention: young fables from his herd were playing chase at the edge of the forest. They were his friends, and he would have liked to join them, to say goodbye before he left. But he knew he would lack the courage to do so. Without a second thought, he set off in the opposite direction, walking along the beach. There was a determination in his eyes that he didn't know he had.
