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Story
1. The towering waves overturned the cargo ship from Rustport, causing the hull to flip onto the surface of the sea. The crew cried out in despair as they were swallowed up by the raging waves. Nara tried to grab the broken spar in front of her, but before she could press her body against the mast, she was dragged into the sea by the person next to her, her arms covered in blood. The pain of salt water rushing into her wounds was quickly drowned out by the crashing waves. During the last throes of her consciousness, the crimson blood that spread in the sea blinded her eyes, and the pungent seawater poured into her nostrils, suffocating her. The last time she felt such suffocation was when she was a child. Back then, she used to hide with her father in the alleys of Rustport to avoid their creditors. They would bury themselves in piles of garbage reeking of rotten fish soaked in stale water - the same odor that invaded her nostrils now as the salty seawater threatened to drown her. Nara's memories of her father were filled with hatred. The shameless old man had promised her time and time again that he would give her a stable home once he paid off his debts. But his broken promises only brought her endless disappointment. Eventually, even the disappointment faded away, because she no longer held any hope for her father. When her father was killed by his creditors, Nara hid in a garbage heap and struggled to hold her breath. Perhaps when she woke up from her suffocating stupor, everything would have passed. Nara became an orphan, wandering alone in the slums and surviving by stealing. Being beaten up black-and-blue was par for the course with her, and sometimes she even had to fight over scraps of food with wild dogs. She had lost all the innocence that she should have had at her age. Instead, she had to be cunning and even resort to deception to get a measly piece of moldy bread. Life was like a bone-chilling deep ocean, and except to hold her breath, she was helpless. She never harbored any hope for a rescuing hand to pull her out form the depths of this ocean. Not until Sonja appeared.
2. The seawater no longer stung Nara's scarred skin like a sharp blade. She even felt a soft touch. She tried to open her eyes, but could only see faint dots no matter how hard she turned her eyeballs. Gradually, the dots took on the familiar shape of Sonja's hand reaching out to her. Their meeting began with a theft in a dark alley. Sonja, also an orphan, used to wander in the alleys of the slums before she met Nara. Sonja relied on her exceptional intelligence to secretly learn various knowledge that might benefit her. Compared to Nara's roughness, she seemed particularly cautious. After all, given her lack of agile physical skills, she could easily be caught, beaten, and perhaps even die from that. On that day, Nara, who was starving, went to a bakery in Rustport. Hunger made her clumsy and her mind dull. So much so that when she smelled the freshly baked bread, she almost lost her faculties and wanted to burst out from her hiding spot in the kitchen's corner and grab it right away. Even a piece of moldy bread was a delicacy that the homeless orphans in this stinking harbor could only dream of, yet at that moment, such a slice of heaven was within Nara's arm's reach. When Sonja came across Nara, the latter was pinned to the ground by the shopkeeper, covered in blood and filth. Such was common sight for Sonja, who was even considering using the distraction to swipe something useful from the cupboard. However, when their eyes met, Sonja changed her mind. Nara's gaze was deep and filled with intense resentment and despair, as if she was calling for help while also declaring war on life. Carefully, Sonja retrieved an unburnt piece of coal from the stove and used it to ignite the discarded wood planks in the back alley, while the shopkeeper was distracted. The sudden thick smoke frightened the shopkeeper, who abandoned Nara and rushed to put out the fire. Seizing the opportunity, Sonja pulled Nara out of the bakery, taking a few freshly baked loaves of bread on the way. In this dog-eat-dog world of Rustport, exposing one's weakness to others meant putting oneself in danger. Yet Nara had allowed Sonja to witness her most vulnerable state, perhaps hoping that someone would see through her feebleness and offer a helping hand. For so long, Nara had been wandering the dark alleys alone, but now she asked Sonja if she would be willing to join forces and move forward together. She wanted to prove to Sonja that she was more than just the girl who was beaten and covered in mud, and show the nimbleness and agility that had kept her alive for so long. Their bond began on the day they met, and from then on, they established the Whispers together, building a sanctuary for Nara's soul. As long as she could return to Sonja's side, there would always be warm hands waiting to soothe her icy soul. Yet, as the spark of life within her dwindled, Nara realized that she was still a helpless victim of fate, unable to grasp the hand that was reaching out to her.
3. Nara no longer felt any pain, and the last glimmer of light in her eyes faded away. In fact, she knew from the beginning that everything up until now was just a dying dream. Nothing more than an illusion. Before their latest voyage, Nara and Sonja had a fierce argument. Nara had angrily stormed out of the room, leaving Sonja behind. It was their last conversation, which yet ended in an argument. Nara could not understand Sonja's "hypocritical kindness." Perhaps as an intelligent person, Sonja had her own thoughts on the matter, while a reckless person driven by instinct like Nara could not weigh the pros and con like her. Nara had always relied on Sonja, believing that it was her friend's plans and decisions that had neutralized numerous threats to the Whispers. Only this time, Sonja made a decision that went against Nara's beliefs. Sonja often warned Nara not to be satisfied with the status quo, as they had already sacrificed too much for their cause. Nara's injuries, Sonja's sleepless nights - they were all for the sake of protecting those they wanted to keep safe… And yet they had been given tyrannical and cruel labels by the very people they were trying to help. Nara knew that the argument over how to deal with the traitors was just a reflection of the Whispers' plight, but if she could become stronger and prevent the traitors from doing anything that would harm the Whispers, maybe she could bring everything back on track? As she sank into the cold abyss, the darkness consumed Nara's vision, leaving her with no chance for regret. The ocean currents pulled her deeper and deeper until she reached the ocean floor. In her final moments, she realized that none of it mattered anymore. The survival of the Whispers, or punishing the traitors––they were all irrelevant now. All she wanted was to return to Rustport, to the Whispers, and to Sonja's side, where those warm hands could once again comfort her icy soul.
4. "O slumbering assassin. Thou whose nature shy not from killing or plundering, shall be reborn. Serve me, and I will grant thee immortality." After what felt like an eternity, a low whisper echoing through the deep sea stirred Nara's dormant, icy soul. She was surrounded by a hollow darkness, submerged in the depths for what felt like ages, until the voice infused her with a power that lifted her above the waves. Penetrating dim light shafts came into her line of sight, and she caught a glimpse of brightness once again. However, this light was tainted with the color of decay, just like her own rotten body. Her longing to return home had led her to hear the call from the abyss. Despite knowing that the voice must have malicious designs, she did not hesitate to say yes. For even after spending dozens of days and nights at the bottom of the sea as a corpse, which had left her memories on the verge of shattering, she still remembered that there was someone waiting for her return in a place called Rustport. As for the cost? That was never a consideration. Nara would gladly give all that she had. "Go back. Return to where you belong, and embrace the pleasure that death brings you." As her decayed body ascended from the seabed, her shattered hands regained strength. As she approached the sea surface, sunlight penetrated the dark water and shone on Nara's cold body once again. In a trance, she saw the blurry figure of an old acquaintance reflected on the surface, reaching out a familiar yet strange hand towards her. Without hesitation, Nara reached out and grasped at that hand. Yet there was nothing but air.