OHNIR – Chapter 60
Chapter 60: The Promise
“…I don’t want to be separated from you either.”
The girl, held in a tight embrace, spoke in a muffled voice. She too reached out, gently wrapping her arms around Lux’s slender waist. Her touch was cautious, yet brimming with a profound reluctance to part and a deep sense of attachment.
“I want to always look at you, to always keep you in my sight… to let you always be your truest self.”
Lux was slightly stunned, a smile tinged with a bit of regret and sadness appearing on her face. She reached out to stroke Kelusta’s hair, softened her voice, and pressed her cheek against the other’s, like the closest of friends, whispering into her ear, “Then, let’s make a formal promise.”
She slightly loosened her arm around Kelusta’s shoulder, watching as the other girl looked up in confusion. Only then did she smile gently, lightly pinching her slightly chubby cheeks, and extended a hand, asking with a grin, “Before I came, I learned from my mother… besides the Sea Offering Tea, your Seaside Town also has a custom of making a vow, asking the ocean to be the witness—I haven’t misremembered, have I?”
Kelusta seemed to have a sudden realization, a look of understanding on her face. She let out an “Ah,” her golden eyes regaining their luster. As if their minds were connected, she instantly understood the promise Lux wanted to make.
The black-haired girl stroked her hair and smiled.
“Let’s swear that if we are fortunate enough to meet again, we will never be separated, we will always have eyes only for each other, we will never be the one to suggest parting, and we will always be together… How about it?”
“Alright!”
The girl from Seaside Town let out a breath of relief, reached out, and firmly grasped Lux’s already extended fingertips, pulling her steadily towards the water’s edge.
Lux followed her lead, stepping into her footprints one by one. The smooth satin hem of her skirt kept brushing against Kelusta’s bare knees. The brown-haired girl, ticklish, turned her head back. Beneath her eyes, which shimmered like a golden stream, was an expectation and reliance that was about to overflow.
The waves churned up white foam, as full and sweet as a sculpted dollop of ice cream. With Kelusta’s help, Lux gave a slightly uncomfortable cough, steadied herself with the other’s wrist, and for the first time outdoors, slowly removed her short boots and long socks. She revealed a pair of slender feet, where even the blue veins beneath her pale skin were faintly visible.
Kelusta, however, clearly lacked this aristocratic reserve and unfamiliarity. She kicked off her own little leather shoes in a few quick movements, let out a cheer, and, holding Lux’s hand, stepped into the warm seawater, sending droplets of water flying.
Lux helplessly brushed the water droplets from her knee-length skirt but still accommodated Kelusta’s pace, following her a little deeper into the water.
Only when they reached a spot where they could dip their hands into the seawater with just a slight bend did Kelusta stop. The gradually setting sun had turned a passionate orange-red. Bright light shone down through the clouds, spilling between their intertwined hands like a rose petal that had drifted and twirled before finally choosing to rest there.
“The Ocean Oath is the oldest and most revered way for the people of Seaside Town to make a contract. It uses the ocean as a medium, asking it to be the witness. The two parties immerse their clasped hands in the water and simultaneously speak their vow and names. The oath is then established.”
“It is said that after the ocean acknowledges the oath as valid, it will send what it deems the most suitable gift as proof of its witness… However, throughout history, among all those who have used the Ocean Oath, no one has ever claimed to have received this gift.”
Kelusta stood in the sea, steadily supporting Lux, who was a bit unsteady from being unused to the waves. Her small face was full of solemnity and seriousness. “Both parties who make the oath must abide by its contents… Seaside Town has always regarded the ocean as one of our faiths. If you want to make this promise with me, you must obey it no matter what—so, Lux, I have to confirm with you one more time… Are you really sure?”
Lux didn’t answer, asking instead, “Are you sure?”
The brown-haired girl paused for a moment, then said without hesitation, “The people of Seaside Town never regret any decision they make, nor do they ever doubt their judgment in choosing friends.”
“Then I’m sure,” Lux said. She blinked her deep blue eyes, her voice full of smiles, “If you won’t regret it, if you won’t change your original intention… then, just like you, I will never break the promise I’ve made, no matter what.”
Kelusta smiled too. She offered a hand to Lux, who matched the gesture, their fingers lacing together tightly.
“Then let’s begin,” she said.
“Oh, merciful, vast, and embracing ocean—”
The girl who grew up in the seaside town spoke in a low, young but soft voice, “We, the people of Seaside, your faithful neighbors from the land, sincerely beseech you to witness our vow.”
The two of them closed their eyes in unison, palms pressed together, assuming a pious prayer-like posture.
However, it was precisely because of this action that they failed to see—at the same moment Kelusta’s words fell, the surface of the sea suddenly began to glow faintly with a black light.
Like the light reflected from marble… it was clearly black, yet it was indeed glowing faintly.
—This was the light produced by a fluctuation of Holy Force.
“…We are willing to swear to you—”
Amidst the flickering black light, two clear voices spoke in unison: “If we are fortunate enough to meet again… we will forever stay by each other’s side, forever have eyes only for each other, and never again choose to part willingly.”
As their voices faded, the shimmering light from the ocean seemed to grow a bit stronger, yet it remained so faint that it could easily be overlooked.
Kelusta opened her eyes and said softly, “Kelusta Breviou, I ask the ocean to bear witness.”
She looked at Lux, who was slowly opening her deep blue eyes opposite her. The latter smiled at her and said in a lowered voice, “Gloria Silentdis—I ask the ocean to bear witness.”
Gloria? Splendor?
Kelusta stared at Lux in astonishment, but the latter only gave her an ingratiating blink.
The brown-haired girl pouted unhappily, clearly realizing that the girl opposite her still had some secrets she hadn’t shared.
But she also knew she couldn’t interrupt the oath to settle scores, so she could only stick her tongue out and make a face at the black-haired girl who had hidden her real name, before taking her hand and proceeding with the next step.
She led Lux, slowly submerging their joined hands into the seawater.
The final step of the Ocean Oath, immersing their tightly interlocked hands into the water at the same time, represented the swearers fully proclaiming their vow to the ocean, thus establishing the oath.
In the unseen world, it was as if they both heard a low murmur coming from the depths of the sea.
The flowing seawater trickled between their fingers, soft and slightly ticklish. It seemed something else came with it, pushed by the current into the palms of their hands, which had relaxed slightly as the oath concluded and were no longer pressed so tightly together.
The two girls who had made the promise exchanged a look of astonishment and lifted their dripping hands from the sea. The unknown object in their palms was angular, hard, and smooth. Kelusta frowned, then was the first to release Lux’s fingers, and the object fell into her palm.
It was a whole, flawless, and very rare Sea Blue Shell.
“…Huh?” Kelusta let out a soft cry of surprise. She looked in disbelief at the calf-deep water and said blankly, “Could it be that the so-called ‘gift’ is actually real?”
“What?” Lux looked quizzically at the shell in Kelusta’s hand, not understanding.
She had thought that a shell being washed in by the current was a normal phenomenon in the sea.
In fact, while it was rare for “the sea to wash a shell right into one’s hand,” one couldn’t say for certain it had never happened… Kelusta stared at the sparkling seawater in confusion, but under the increasingly crimson glow of the setting sun, she unfortunately couldn’t see anything.
…It must be a coincidence. An ancient ritual passed down for hundreds of years, and no one had ever received the “gift.” Now it was her and Lux’s turn to try it on a whim, and they hit the jackpot on the first try?
That didn’t make sense.
She shook her head, deciding not to overthink it, and mentally categorized the strange event as a coincidence. Then she took Lux’s hand and slowly walked toward the shore.
When the water level had dropped to their ankles, Kelusta stopped. Holding Lux’s hand, she placed the shell securely in the other girl’s palm.
“This is…?”
“It’s a gift in return for the necklace.” Kelusta smiled shyly, touching the swan pendant at her neck. She added, “I was originally going to find one on the beach for you… but I never expected this shell’s color to be so beautiful and special, so I decided to just give this to you instead.”
After a pause, she added in a small voice, “Besides… its color is exactly the same as your eyes. I don’t think I could have found a more suitable return gift for you if I had searched for it myself.”
“…”
Lux held the shell in her hand, smiled faintly, and said in a soft, drawn-out voice, “You’re giving me a shell. Does that mean you’re giving yourself to me?”
“That’s right,” the brown-haired girl said, lowering her eyes to avoid her gaze, her cheeks flushing red. She gave a light cough, but her voice was filled with a forced composure. “I’m giving ‘myself’ to you. That way, while you’re waiting for me to find you in the capital, you definitely won’t forget me.”
Lux was taken aback.
She tightened her fingers, slowly closing her hand around the shell, and said solemnly, “Alright. No matter what, I will never forget you… my Little Shell.”
Author's Notes
The Ocean Oath itself isn't binding; it's just a way for the people of Seaside Town to express their respect for the ocean. For the True Ending route, it serves as foreshadowing for Kelusta and Gloria getting together later. For other routes, this broken, behind-the-scenes oath serves as a tragic contrast, not only because they don't stay together forever when they meet again, but also because Gloria truly never forgets Kelusta, while the latter (due to certain unavoidable circumstances) forgets her completely.
The shell is an important item, but it won't be used until the engagement.
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