It might have been a few minutes or it might have been an hour that passed while Noah prayed within the shrine. The dim and shifting light far, far above gave no clue and Hadama continued his slow, deliberate patrol of the perimeter with unhurried sweeps of his tail as he slipped between shadow and current. He moved as easily through the water as the Sentinel moved over the snow, and the darkness held no fear for him; only calm alertness and the caution of one who had survived through a lifetime of respecting the sea and its dangers.
But whether it was the protection of the shrine, the presence of a Mer, or the combined power of two demigods, nothing emerged from the deeper shadows to trouble them. Hadama's patrol was uneventful, and when Noah joined him once more the Mer King offered his friend a deep inclination of his head for the reverence that Vi's demigod had shown the ancient altar.
Nothing was said, nor did it need to be. The peace of the shrine lingered between them, a gentle balm to their thoughts as they moved with matching grace back into the deepwater currents, Hadama leading them back towards shallower seas, where light filtered down more brightly and the coral and fish grew more prominent and more colorful once more. In time, they would begin their hunt. But not until the harmony of their prayers had faded and they were ready to turn from the sacred duties of demigods to the secular practicalities of men and mortals once more.
~Fin
But whether it was the protection of the shrine, the presence of a Mer, or the combined power of two demigods, nothing emerged from the deeper shadows to trouble them. Hadama's patrol was uneventful, and when Noah joined him once more the Mer King offered his friend a deep inclination of his head for the reverence that Vi's demigod had shown the ancient altar.
Nothing was said, nor did it need to be. The peace of the shrine lingered between them, a gentle balm to their thoughts as they moved with matching grace back into the deepwater currents, Hadama leading them back towards shallower seas, where light filtered down more brightly and the coral and fish grew more prominent and more colorful once more. In time, they would begin their hunt. But not until the harmony of their prayers had faded and they were ready to turn from the sacred duties of demigods to the secular practicalities of men and mortals once more.
~Fin
