#k-talia | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

kamaribvb · 1 year

Text

Talia's Suffering Chapter Two:

In Which A Suspicious Letter Arrives, and Subsequently Y/n is Kidnapped by A Wizard

Member pairing: Y/n x Yoongi;

Genre: fantasy, fluff, adventure, angst;

Rating: PG-13;

Trigger warnings: descriptions of how a human trafficking organization that victimized Y/n prior to the start of the story works.

Word count: 2,909;

Summary: Y/n calls an old friend to babysit Talia the following day, and subsequently finds a fraudulent letter that raises suspicions about who is responsible for Talia's condition. The friend arrives a few hours later, at which point Y/n learns something about Talia that changes her mind about Aiden. Indeed, she demands that he come right that very second, and Aiden examines Talia then subsequently kidnaps Y/n.

After the phone call, Y/n began to gather all the scales that had fallen off of Talia since she had gotten sick.

“Wait, Yoongi, who will watch Talia while we are gone?”

“I don’t anticipate we’ll be gone for long, so maybe I could ask your older sister Adele to watch Talia.”

The storm had long since ended, so faint light was streaming through the entrance to the cave. Nevertheless, Y/n did not feel much different than she did while it was storming heavily. “No, I don’t believe that’s a wise idea since Talia has a tendency to be a little testy when unfamiliar people are in her cave even in the best of circumstances, but I’ve never seen her seem so sick. So the babysitter that would be least problematic would be a person who she’s familiar with and is trustworthy enough to speak up if something changes. The problem is that no one is coming to mind, so maybe it was a mistake to tell Adrian that both of us were coming.”

“You could ask Aileen,” he suggested as he helped Y/n gather the scales into a large bucket with a handle.

Consequently, Y/n paused, but still responded, “Yeah, I agree, she would probably be the best person, since she accompanied us on the majority of my missions back in the day. But I already know the first complaint she’ll have will be about how dirty this cave is, so would you please grab the broom from the house while I call her?”

Yoongi peeked over at her as his eyes widened a little as he asked, “Was she truly that intolerable?”

But Y/n shook her head as she replied, “Truthfully, I wouldn’t say intolerable, per se, just my polar opposite in numerous ways. We may have driven each other insane during missions with our clashing personalities, but one of the concepts she and I always agreed on is our respect and love for Talia.

With that, Yoongi disappeared into the fog with a nod while Y/n pulled out her cell phone.

“Hello, this is Aileen.”

“Hey, Aileen, its Y/n. Listen, I know it has been a while, but I have an emergency situation on my hands-Talia is extremely sick, so I need a trustworthy, prudent person to keep an eye on her while my partner and I travel to talk to a wizard healer tomorrow.”

“What the-Y/n? What’s wrong with Talia?”

“We don’t know for sure, just that her scales are changing color and falling off, her temperature has been consistently chilly, she’s obviously weak and fatigued, and I can tell she’s only eating to try to keep us from worrying.” At that moment, Y/n needed to be extra conscientious to keep her voice quiet and even to prevent herself from waking up Talia, but her entire body was shaking. “Aileen, I’m worried that she might be dying, and you know that I’ll hate myself for the rest of my life if I don’t try everything to save her, but I can’t just leave her, either.

“Calm down, Y/n, I’m already planning to come help out. In fact, if I’m as familiar with you as I suspect, you haven’t slept since Talia became sick so if it’s acceptable, I’m on my way right now. I’ll be there in a few hours, and once I arrive, why don’t you and Yoongi venture out for a picnic date or something?” she suggested.

“I’ll consider your suggestion once you arrive, but no matter what, I don’t need to hear a single word about how dirty this place is once you come, understand? I’m not in the mood to argue with anyone.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know the drill, Y/n. But just for your information, I will probably clean the entire place myself while I’m there. I’ll be there soon, Y/n, so try not to lose your mind?”

Y/n sighed. “Just leave the pile of leaves. Talia likes to roll around in them and they are fantastic tools for building campfires on cold nights.”

At that moment, Suga returned to the cave and started sweeping the entire place, but he avoided the leaves as best he could.

“I’ll try. Bye, Aileen.” Y/n hung up. “Thanks for the help, baby. I appreciate that you’re using your super speed for this, even though we both know the wind is will bring dirt in sooner or later anyways.” In fact, as soon as she finished speaking, a strong wind blew additional leaves and dirt in, but the fog had mostly dissipated.

“Of course, jagiya. In fact, why don’t you go bathe and change into something comfortable? I’ll watch Talia.”

The moment Yoongi finished speaking, Y/n smiled faintly as she began to pace a little. On the one hand, a shower and a fresh set of clothes sounded wonderful to her at the moment, as she had only done the bare minimum to maintain her health as of late. But on the other hand, there was a reason she had relied mostly on herself to be Talia’s caretaker as of late. In fact, Y/n and Aileen had raised Talia, so they were both acutely familiar with the little mannerisms Talia used to communicate with people around her. Yoongi, on the other hand, would not know those little signs, and Y/n didn’t know how to teach him.

After a minute, though, he spoke. “Do you need a hug?”

Y/n nodded as she pulled him into a loving embrace while he kissed the top of her head. They stood there silently for a few moments, with only Talia’s shallow breaths and the wind as background music.

“I suggest that you do as I suggested, Y/n. I promise, I’ll call you as soon as Talia wakes up.”

Y/n smiled up at him as she quickly kissed him goodbye. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, babe.”

After she was finished getting ready for the day, Y/n went ahead and checked the mail, and among the pile of junk was a suspicious letter that appeared to be from Aileen, according to the stamped words in the upper left corner. But prior to even opening the letter, Y/n suspected it wasn’t actually from her. First of all, Aileen didn’t communicate via letters if she had the phone number of whoever she was contacting-she used either text messages or phone calls. Consequently, she picked up the letter by one of its corners and began walking back to the entrance of the cave.

She found Yoongi sitting on the ground as he stoked the fire. He stood up to come greet her with a smile.

“My love, I just received this letter, but I doubt it is from Aileen. What can you tell about it?”

Yoongi grabbed the letter and sniffed it. “You are right-Aileen has never handled this; her scent is nowhere on the envelope. Actually, I suspect the person who wrote this wasn’t even human-it smells of vampire, in my opinion. You can open it-I’m sure it isn’t cursed or anything.”

And so Y/n began to read the letter aloud. The majority of the letter was information about Aileen and her kids that Y/n fervently hoped were all lies, since the alternative meant that Aileen had a stalker. But the last paragraph read, “’Listen, I have come across information about a threat to Talia. Can we meet at the Recruiters Tavern soon to discuss it? Please reply with your availability soon so we can talk in person. Thanks. Love, Aileen.’ Ok, so now I know for sure that it actually wasn’t Aileen that wrote this letter- she would have lead with the threat and left everything else out. So, there is an unknown person out there, probably a vampire, who wants to meet up with me, but asked to do so by posing as a friend of mine instead of as him or herself- oh, no.” All at once, the color drained from Y/n’s face as her entire body stiffened, so Yoongi rushed over to support her weight as he asked, “What’s happening, Y/n?”

“I believe that I know who is behind this,” she whispered. “But Aileen is arriving here any minute, so I’ll explain later.” Y/n relaxed a little into Yoongi’s embrace as his grip tightened a little. She shoved the letter in her inner coat pocket right as they both heard a knock against stone at the entrance to the cave.

“Hello?” Aileen’s whisper echoed in the cave, so Yoongi and Y/N both hurried to the entrance, holding hands.

Y/n embraced her friend as she murmured, “You’re a real one for coming so quickly, Aileen. Thank you so much, and you remember Yoongi, right?

She nodded and smiled faintly at him as she embraced her friend back. “Yes, and its refreshing to be here with you both, so I was glad to come, however heartbreaking the reason.” Aileen lead the way back into the cave to check on Talia herself, and similar to Y/n, her gaze became a little blurry at first she closely regarded her family. Meanwhile, Talia awakened and started dragging her tail across the ground in glee as she recognized Aileen.

In response, Aileen leaned her forehead against her nose and gently stroked her face with both hands. “Yeah, I’m so glad to be here with you too, baby, we’re such delinquent owners for allowing so much time to pass in-between our little play dates. How are you feeling-oh, do you need a belly rub?” Aileen asked sweetly as Talia quickly rolled onto her side while she walked around to Talia’s belly to give it a rub.

The sound that came from Aileen’s mouth at that moment is difficult to describe. However, if you imagine the sound that results when you mix a squeal of joy together with a scream of horror, you’ll probably imagine something similar. Regardless, Y/n and Yoongi rushed over to her side to figure out what was wrong, only to realize that what was wrong was about to change absolutely everything. Yoongi was obliged to support Y/n’s weight to keep her from falling, but she was absolutely sobbing the minute Talia’s stomach came into her view.

Talia was pregnant, and this meant that the babies were probably dying, too. Since Y/n could not speak coherently at all, she had the following text conversation with Aiden:

Y/n: Aiden, it’s Y/n, I apologize for the late notice but I need you to come immediately to the cave next to 4070 West Birch Street in Norfolk, Starnia, 34431. Once you are at the front door, look to the west. You’ll notice a path made of marbled stones, so follow it through the forest. Once the forest is behind you, the cave will be dead ahead and please HURRY!

Aiden: Lady, what on earth? I practically needed to pull teeth just to convince you to bring scales to a public place tomorrow, and now you are texting me the address? I charge extra for rush jobs, you know!

Y/n: SOME SICK BASTARD CURSED MY BABY EVEN THOUGH SHE’S PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!

Aiden: I’ll be there in ten minutes, so in the meantime, try to calm down as much as you can.

As promised, Y/n heard the sound of footsteps a few minutes later as a man wearing a hooded cloak and a belt filled with unfamiliar objects hurried through the entrance. In response, Talia’ rolled over and growled uneasily, but Y/n held up a cautionary hand.

“Easy, Talia baby. This is Adrien, he’s here to save you and your babies so try to tolerate his presence here just this once, alright?”

Once Talia obediently settled down, Adrien examined Talia closely as he asked several questions, which Aileen and Y/n took turns answering. Afterward, he concluded, “Yes, I can definitively say that your friend has been cursed by a particularly malicious and meticulous sorcerer; I can’t tell anything about who they are from the aura the curse gives off. Do you have any idea who is facetious enough to do this?”

“Actually, I do.” Y/n pulled out the letter. “I just received this fraudulent letter today that I was supposed to believe was from Aileen here, but I’m positive it is not. In fact, I’m almost certain it comes from one of the vampires of the organization I was kidnapped by, the Devil’s Brigade.

In an instant, Adrien did a double take, and subsequently seized Y/n by the wrist to teleport her away to an unknown location. It happened so quickly that neither Yoongi nor Aileen even had time to protest, but Y/n sure did.

“Shut up, woman, I had no choice but to leave with you, it is obvious that our enemies know you live there. If you stop screaming, I’ll explain-no, don’t bite, I told you I’m on your side! Do you wish to be tied up and gagged, if so, continue, I will absolutely do it here and now!”

After much struggle, Adrien finally managed to wrestle Y/n against a wall as he snarled, “LISTEN!”

Y/n grew quiet.

“I’m actually head officer of the vampire department of a secret organization called the Quintessential Protection Squad, which is a secret organization that regulates the interactions between humans and the supernatural. Our purpose is to protect humans, and it just so happens that The Devil’s Brigade is our biggest enemy. So congratulations, sweetheart, you just won the wizard companion lottery until they are eliminated.”

“Release me right the fuck now! And why the drama? Why did you need to separate me from Yoongi and Aileen and Talia? I hate worrying them-“

Adrien examined his nails as he responded, “Not my problem, sweetheart. My job is to keep you safe, but your happiness or lack thereof or anyone else’s isn’t part of my job description. Besides, I figured a reunion would provide fantastic motivation to tell me everything you know, so start talking.”

Y/n glowered at him as she lunged for his cell phone, but at the last minute, he pulled his leg back out of reach. “I don’t need an incentive; I was already planning to tell you everything before I was rudely kidnapped! At least tell Yoongi what’s happening!“ “No can do, sweetheart-“

“And if you call me a condescending nickname again-“

“Consider your separation payback for making my ears bleed, Y/n”, he snapped as he massaged the side of his head. “Just tell me your story, and start with how you first became involved with the Devil’s Brigade.”

Y/n glared at him incessantly as she replied through gritted teeth, “That was back in high school. One day, our history teacher assigned a classmate named Astaroth and I a group project. We agreed to meet up at his place after school to work on the project, but neither of us ever even touched our history books. Instead, once I was at his house, he basically kidnapped me and took me to their headquarters.”

“And what was it like for you to be there?” “Oh, sunshine and rainbows, truly,” Y/n said sarcastically. “Adrien, it’s a human trafficking organization filled with misogynistic, bloodthirsty, malicious vampires. How do you imagine I was treated?”

“Just say everything you know.”

“Yes, I would love to talk to my kidnapper about my trauma while pinned against a cold wall away from my sick baby, partner, and lover.

In response, Adrien loosened his grip a little, but still kept her firmly in place. “How did it work?”

“Okay, so basically, each human that was kidnapped would be sold at a top-secret auction to the highest bidding member of the organization. After the victim was bought, she would be required to spend all her free time with her master in one of numerous villa’s located around the headquarters. At that point, the vampire could basically do whatever they wanted to her when they weren’t at school and/or work to prevent anyone from getting suspicious. Including give the victim a new name to answer to while they were with anyone in the organization. Oh, we were allowed to leave, but only for the reason that our disappearance would raise suspicions.”

“That explains why it has been so difficult to track down victims,” Adrien breathed. “Continue.”

“But my slave trader-his name was Alistair-was unique from the others, in that he allowed his victims to buy their way to freedom. The price he would charge for that was obscene-something along the lines of a quarter of a million dollars-but somehow, I managed it eventually. Once I paid him his money, he lied to the other traders and Astaroth by telling them he accidentally forced his slave to bleed to death. After that, escaping was as simple as walking through the front door in broad daylight.

“So these slave traders would force victims to spend their free time at their assigned villas with their assigned vampire?”

“Yes.”

“Do you remember where the headquarters is?”

“Of course. Why do you think they are after me?”

“Well darlin, you have supplied enough pertinent information to earn a reunion,” he drawled as he snapped his fingers. And all at once, Aileen, Talia, and Suga appeared. Fortunately, the room Aiden had taken her to was gargantuan enough to fit all of them with room to spare.

A second later, Yoongi punched Aiden forcefully enough to knock him out temporarily, but not to break any bones. Y/n grinned as he pulled her tenderly into an embrace.

“I’m home, jagiya.”

Y/n smiled up at him. “Welcome home, gorgeous.”

#Talia's Suffering #yoongi fanfiction #yoongi fluff #kvanity #k-labels

5 notes · View notes

exactlycleverpirate · 7 months

Text

What happened to Lemuria and Rafayel?

A mix of facts and theory. I try to quote where I got stuff from in the game, but let me know if something is unclear.

This is a monster. For TLDR, jump down to the bold words, as this sums up the general idea of this post.

SPOILERS for Main Story, Anecdote 3, and some Memories.

(MS stands for Main Story)

What we know:

Rafayel is Lemurian (Ebb and Flow and MS Chapter 7)

As a child, a long long time ago*, he lived in a Lemurian community in the ocean, specifically in the Deep Sea. He would sneak away from his home to explore the ocean and the surface world. (Nightly Stroll, Whalefall Lament, Ocean At Night).

*(What is a long, long time ago? 10-15 years? 800 years? He says his age is “24…probably” (promotional video). What does that mean? Has he forgotten exactly when he was born or is he alluding to the fact that he is much older? He made his vow to MC when they were both children (MS Chapter 7.11). Was that current MC or a previous reincarnation of her? If current, then he must be actually around 24. If a previous life of MC, then he could easily be 800 or more.)

Lemuria was believed to be mythical, and/or to have disappeared thousands of years ago. It was confirmed to really exist when, on December 31st, 2034 (the same year the Deepspace Tunnel appeared and the Chronorift Catastrophe occured), a tsunami and earthquake southeast of Linkon opened a rift in the ocean, revealing an ancient Lemurian city (MS, in-game article, and promotional video). When asked how he can be alive today if Lemuria disappeared thousands of years ago, Rafayel says to think of him as “a lost pearl that washed up on the beach”.

Other Lemurians are still alive. Rafayel’s Aunt Talia appears to be a Lemurian herself (his only remaining family) as she has known him a long time, knows about Lemurian ceremonies and other Lemurians, etc. In 2047, a Lemurian named K died. Rafayel attended his Seamoon Ceremony (essentially a funeral of sorts, returning him to the ocean to pass on and return to the water from whence he came), as did other remaining Lemurians (Anecdote 3).

Now that we have that foundation to work with, let’s start with Louis’ Tale in Anecdote 3.

For the sake of argument, I am going to assume that Louis got most of the story right, since Rafayel doesn’t contradict him on most points, aside from dismissing him in general, which I feel was to downplay how close Louis was to the truth.

They are discussing the opera Rafayel just performed in, particularly, the Siren’s Ballad. In the opera, the siren is a woman and the human is the man (played by Rafayel). Louis says they got this wrong. The Siren was “a charming, handsome merman”. Presumably this Siren is Rafayel.

Simple enough so far, but now it gets confusing.

The Siren (Rafayel) “met a woman on the beach, but she took his tail and cut off his scales”. This sounds similar in some ways to MC, but opposite in others. MC was a child, not a grown woman. And Rafayel got stranded on the beach (No way out, no hope, and waiting to die) and MC rescued him from death, rather than taking his tail and scales.

However, if we assume Fragrant Dream was a memory and not just a dream (Rafayel acts as though this dream is significant somehow), Rafayel gave a scale, his blood, and his voice to save MC, and ultimately sacrificed his life for her, in some past life. The perfume (bitter like fermented aquatic plants, the same description as the potion in the dream) that brings the possible memory to MC’s mind is from Your Fragrance. Rafayel has some very strange lines in Your Fragrance when he is under the apparently intoxicating effect this perfume has on him. He says the perfume smells familiar, then goes on to say:

“It must be an allergic reaction. This isn’t perfume. How dare they use such underhanded methods to trap me…”

“Who gave you the perfume?”

“Are you trying to run away again?”

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re gonna lock me up again… You’re with them, I just know it. Don’t think I’m unaware of what you’re about to do. (MC name), I won’t fall for it again. Not this time.”

This all implies that Rafayel was trapped and locked up in the past. And that on at least some level, he feels like MC played a role in him getting tricked. (Which might explains why he considers abandoning her when she is drowning in MS Chapter 7.11. See an alternate theory for this here.)

Back to Louis’ story, he describes the fate of the woman. The Siren is on the verge of death, and he sings the Siren’s Ballad. (Later, we learn this portrayal of the Siren’s Ballad is inaccurate: ““Siren's Ballad” isn't a song of revenge. It's an elegy sung for Lemuria”.) According to Louis, “Ultimately, the woman on the shore passed away with a smile as he sang.” Obviously, MC is currently alive. Did Louis get this wrong? Was this a past life? A different woman?

Louis then describes what he believes those who die by the Siren’s song experience.

“People lured by the siren's ballad don't die peacefully. Their smiles are just a mask bestowed by the Siren. Instead, as they near death, they witness bizarre visions as they're plunged into endless torment.”

The man, Mr. Fallon, who died during the opera is described as having died of no obvious cause with a smile on his face. After singing during the opera that Mr. Fallon died watching, Rafayel goes backstage.

“A searing pain throbs in his throat, pulsating in tandem with his heartbeat, rapidly stimulating his nerves. As he touches his Adam’s apple, he pulls out a new tie from his leather briefcase, a smooth satin entwined between his fingers. The cool texture gradually envelops his neck. It’s like sheathing a blade.”

This strongly implies that Rafayel used his voice for something more than singing, hinting at it being a weapon. I think it is safe to assume Rafayel somehow killed Mr. Fallon man with his song, presumably in the way Louis describes.

Another interesting thing of note in this part of Louis’ description is: “A blue pattern, representing the Siren, appears on their chests. It's a constant reminder of the sins they committed against the sea.” At first, I thought this may be the pattern we see on Rafayel’s chest in Chapter 7.11, implying he sinned against the sea, but on rewatching it, I realized that the mark is red, not blue. So I am inclined to go with my first impression that Rafayel’s mark is related to his bond with MC (since it responds to her calling out to him).

So, now that we are thoroughly confused about what has taken place between Rafayel and MC, let’s move on to the next part of the story. This is when everything takes an even more heartbreaking turn.

“The Siren returns to the sea, believing everything has ended. But he discovers his underwater kingdom has turned to ruins, soaked in blood. His people have either vanished, turned into bloody foam, or were kidnapped. His homeland has turned into a silent, deserted city overnight. Oh, and as for the name of this underwater kingdom - Lemuria.”

(Interesting side note: After this part of Louis’ story, Rafayel’s meal is served: “a fish laying amidst white rosemary”. Rosemary symbolizes fidelity and remembrance.)

Later, in his memories, Rafayel adds to this scene for us.

“The young boy sits alone in the middle of the coral reef, softly humming “Siren's Ballad.” Waves lap the shores, staining it dark red. The color blends almost seamlessly with the bloody setting sun in the distance. Those who deceived him have long since sailed away on their massive ships, laughing all the while. “Siren's Ballad” isn't a song of revenge. It's an elegy sung for Lemuria.”

He also remembers:

“The dying cries of his people echo in his ears, fizzing and crackling like a broken record that's been ground into pieces.”

“In the darkness, the shadows of those he personally laid to rest emerge and drag him down, lower and lower into the depths.”

Now, let’s talk about the painting Raymond bought from Rafayel.

But first, let’s talk about Raymond. He is a former patient of Zayne’s with a congenital heart disease. In his mansion, he has a giant fish tank with no water in it. Instead, it has a dull and pale skeleton. (MS Chapter 2.2-2.3)

“Fin-like bones protrude from its pelvis. This skeleton lacks legs, its spine extending like a long string. Its pose is ominously beautiful, resembling a girl sitting cross-legged.”

I think it is pretty safe to say this is a real Lemurian skeleton.

Additionally, Zayne notes that “According to the Akso remote monitor, your vital sign data has improved. The equipment also determined your age to be far younger than what it actually is.” In other words, Raymond’s health has improved, and he is unnaturally youthful for his age. Raymond even suggests he should be dead by now and asks Zayne if he is curious as to why he is not dead. Zayne admits to initial curiosity, but then moves on.

Before K died, he said “They took away my scales and drew my blood. Over and over again. I’m no longer Lemurian.” The doctor told Rafayel that K had endured “such agony”. This appears to be something many of the Lemurians on land are facing or trying to hide from.

In Rafayel’s Myth (Chapter 3), it says that the humans of that time believed:

"Every Lemurian was blessed with beauty. Their tears turn into glimmering pearls, their voices brought dreams of wonder, their blood made one live forever or could even resurrect the dead. Once you tamed a Lemurian, they were the most loyal, powerful servant. They listened to every command, even if it cost them their life."

Even if only parts of this are true, it shows that Lemurians are considered highly desirable as slaves or for parts. And the part about the blood seems to have at least an element of truth, given Raymond's health.

It seems reasonable to conclude that Raymond has been harvesting something (scales, blood, etc) from Lemurians to unnaturally lengthen his life and make him younger.

Now enter Rafayel’s painting.

He used blood red coral, infused with Metaflux, from the ruins of Lemuria for this painting.

When MC resonated with the painting in Raymond’s house, this is what she experiences:

“A stunning oil painting hangs on the wall opposite of the sofa. It depicts a brilliantly blue sea with cascading white waves. Each brush stroke feels alive as if countless fairies are jumping out of the water.

At the edge of the sea, the water is gradually stained crimson like something is being torn apart, swallowed, and coalescing into a blood clot.

The gloomy weather, the sound of the ocean - a salty humidity slowly creeps into my hair.

A girl by the shore, the lower half of her body submerged in the water. Strange. It's almost like she’s crying and laughing at the same time.

The swirling fog carries a faint, ethereal melody on the sea breeze. It sounds like a song, yet is also a lament.”

Mermaid Song plays in the background while MC is resonating with the painting. The translation of it is:

“A fish in your hand. Please burn with passion. Nets of moonlight. With coral, a prison. When waves kiss the morning sun. The scent of roses pierce. With a fish in your hand. Blood. Blood. Blood covers the sea.”

When MC visits Rafayel’s art gallery, we learn a bit more about this painting.

“When I was a kid, I had dreamed I turned into a fish.

I swam and swam and swam from the deep sea, seeking a place beyond the water's surface. Only to end up in blood-red seawater.

It was the first time I ever saw such a color. Who knows how many years I've spent trying to recreate it. But I never really could get that same shade of red.

It was always a slightly different hue, you know...”

All of this put together paints a scene along these lines for us:

A young Rafayel returns from an encounter with a human woman on the beach (MC?). He finds that Lemuria is in ruins and empty. He swims to the surface. It is nighttime on a coral reef. There is a smell of roses in the air. As the sun rises, he sees that the water is filled with blood. Perhaps there is a Lemurian girl there singing mournfully, or the girl in the painting is representative of Rafayel’s experience and the experience of other survivors. (Perhaps it is even her skeleton in Raymond's home). Some Lemurians are dead or dying in the water or on the beach. Rafayel hears their dying cries and returns those dead on land to the sea to become one with the water. He then sits alone on a coral reef, surrounded by bloody water, singing an elegy for Lemuria as the sun sets. He knows he was deceived and that his deceivers have already sailed away. Some of the Lemurians have been kidnapped and taken away with the deceivers.

("A fish in your hand" from the Mermaid Song seems to refer to the Ocean Emissaries (little blue fish) that come from making a Lemurian vow (though Rafayel also seems to be able to summon these on command). Is this a reference to the promise between Rafayel and MC? How does that play into the rest of this scene?)

Given how vulnerable Lemurians are on Ebb Day, I think it very likely that this occurred on Ebb Day. (Perhaps this vulnerability was revealed to those who killed the Lemurians by MC or Rafayel himself. Did one or both of them trust the wrong people with this information? This also might be why Rafayel was stranded on a beach in the first place when he met MC.)

So now we have some kind of a picture about what happened to Lemuria. Is this ancient or recent history?

Either way, Lemurians still live and are still being harvested for parts.

Louis concludes his story by asking Rafayel, “When the Siren returns to the beach…How does he exact his revenge on those responsible for Lemuria's destruction?”

To which Rafayel responds, “I think he’d first learn from them. He's gotta study their wits and cruelty, you know.”

Which brings us back to Mr. Fallon dead with a smile on his face at the opera. And also Raymond drowned in his bathtub after carving fish scales into his body. The painting has vanished from his home. (MS Chapter 7.3)

I think this is why Rafayel has a bounty on him, since those participating in harvesting Lemurians are being killed by him, but can't exactly go to the authorities about it.

I also think Rafayel is not solely motivated by revenge. He tells Aunt Talia “Not every Lemurian survivor can wait.” Somehow, what he is doing is supposed to prevent other Lemurians from ending up like K.

Talia notes that Rafayel has changed "After that incident in Lemuria." He seems unrecognizable. Past Rafayel was like a blazing flame, whereas he "now resembled a reef battered by relentless waves - outwardly cold and hard, yet riddled with cracks, vulnerable to crumbling from the next wave." Talia is helping Rafayel gather information for his goal, but she isn't convinced that they are doing the right thing.

What are your thoughts? Was this helpful? More confusing? Is Rafayel ancient or young? What the heck happened between Rafayel and MC? Let me know your thoughts!

#love and deepspace #rafayel love and deepspace #rafayel #love and deepspace rafayel

267 notes · View notes