The Cliff

The oracle told Lillakos, a great warrior, that the spirits had asked of her to have him throw his firstborn son into the ocean. The oracle had namely predicted that the child would ruin the country if he was to survive. And thus, with pain in his heart, Lillakos threw his son off a cliff, his wife screaming at him to defile the wishes of the oracle. But Lillakos had made up his mind. He thought it a necessary evil, for the good of his country.

However, the son of Lillakos was destined for something far greater than death. The spirits in the sea he was thrown into caught him, just before the fall would kill him. They put him back on land, far away from his father. For none of his countrymen should know the child still lived. The child was called Néro by the spirits and the land Néro was laid on would purposefully not suffer from the tides of the waves until he was found.

Néro was found by a kind hearted lady who never had her own children for reasons unknown. She would call Néro Theodorus, but once Nèro had found his own voice he demanded to be called as the water spirits had named him. The lady, who’s name to Nèro would always be mamà, agreed to calling him as he wished. Although when she got angry at him, the name Theodorus would sometimes slip her mouth. When Nèro was called that he really knew he was in trouble.

Nèro would often ask mamà where his father was. She was truthful in telling him she didn’t know, but not as truthful as to tell him she was not his real mamà. This would go on for years, until he finally reached the age of 12.

“Did father have the same green eyes as I have, mamà?”

“I don’t remember darling.”

“Did father fight as well as I fight?”

“And when do you fight?”

“Uhm. I would never… mamà.”

Mamà sighed. She knew her child would fight a lot of his peers because he was confused. He had no father and had nothing in common with his mother. His questions became more and more, and they’d always be the same questions. About the looks of his father, the brains. Anything for Nèro to find someone he could recognize himself in.

“Mamà… Did you ever meet my father?” He interrupted her thoughts with this unexpected question. Did he know he was not hers?

“No Nèro, I don’t know who’s you were. But you’re mine now.”

Nèro was quiet for a minute. His thoughts were all too much for his mind to comprehend. He kind of knew he wasn’t hers, but to hear it, it hurt. It was too much to bear. He was confused and didn’t know what to say, but he did know what he wanted to do. Find his real father. To finally have freedom of the confusion. He quietly went to his room. Mamà assumed he needed some time alone to accept what she had just told him, so she didn’t think much of it and went on with her homely duties. Nèro on the other hand had other plans than she might have expected. He took his favorite toy, his wooden sword and some clothes and put it in a backpack. He was going to find his father, even if he’d have to go to the ends of the world.

Mamà had called out Theodorus name for weeks after he left and tried to find him as Nèro even months later. After years passed, she pleaded to the water spirits to bring him back, but there was no response. The water was as calm as ever.

Nèro himself was less worried than she. He proved to be quite the pickpocket and to be able to fend well for himself. His big green eyes and youthful look made him trustworthy to most and his skills with the swords he had stolen from merchants a great threat to all others. Though he’d sometimes feel bad about leaving mamà without a note or a goodbye, he knew he would one day find her back. For now, he had a quest that was more pressing than his feelings for the woman who raised him.

As years passed, he still had no luck finding a trace of his heritage anywhere on the island he had known as home. Where others would give up, Nèro at only 16 years old, got himself on board of a ship, it was a small one from a thief’s guild that was used to trade stolen wares in other cities. Soon the guild realised the boy brought luck to their ship. Whenever they traveled the waters would always calm down, as if by magic. To Nèro’s delight, the guild started to travel further and further. Distances that seemed impossible with the small ship appeared to be no trouble with Nèro on board. And with every city they traveled to, he tried again to ask around if anyone had lost a son 16 years ago. But nobody ever had.

The day Nèro finally turned 18 he heard voices, fighting, arguing.

“Theodorus, come back. Whatever you’ll find, it won’t satisfy you.”

“Silence. This is Nèro’s destiny.”

“Theodorus, don’t listen to spirits and dreams. Come back. I’m real. Home is real.”

“Mamà?” Nèro screamed out in disbelief, he ran to the place the voices seemed to come from. It came from the still water underneath his ship, in the dark of night, nothing was visible in the waters. He tried to look better but saw nothing but a slight fog over the water.

“Fulfill your destiny.” Was the last thing that came from the ominous waters before complete silence ensued.

The next day the ship came to a new city. Nèro hopped off to go around and ask again if anyone had lost a son, but after asking a few he heard a woman’s voice coming from behind a tavern. Pleading him to come to her. Nèro cautiously followed the voice until she was in her line of view. She was a beautiful lady, small but with a personality that seemed to be able to fill a room.

“Boy, you have beautiful eyes. Do you know anyone with your eyes?” She asked. He shook his head in disbelief. Would she know someone with his eyes? Someone who would be his father?

The woman seemed somewhat in pain and doubtful. She slowly raised her hand to touch his face, and then her own.

“Theodorus, are you real? Did the spirits hear my biddings, or is this some way of them to pester me for not saving you from your father?”

“How do you know the name mamà gave me?” Nèro asked without answering her question. The woman looked him in his eyes without answering and hugged him. This was enough for Nèro to realize this must be his real mother. It raised as many questions as it answered, however. How did mamà know his real parents had named him Theodorus. Why did he need to be saved from his father? Why did his mother not search for him if she wanted to see him this badly?

His mother took him by his hand away from the marketplace they were previously in and into a small shack which was presumably his mother’s home. She explained him everything that happened. About the oracle and how his father had thrown him from the cliff. About how she left him after what he had done, as she couldn’t bare to look him into the eyes anymore. She had lived alone, thinking her only son had died 18 as a child. She could not explain how the woman who raised him knew his name was Theodorus, but she presumed she must have been a witch.

“Witches will steal children and read their thoughts. They are the nicest mothers to these children, until they need their youth. And then they eat them. You’re smart for running away and joining the thief’s guild.”

Nèro had trouble believing what he was hearing. His mamà only took him in to use him at an older age? He somewhat could believe it as well, however. There seemed always something off back home, which had made leaving so easy. He felt like he didn’t belong to her. But now that he was here with his real mother, he also didn’t feel like he belonged to this woman either. Something still felt off.

“I must then go and kill the oracle and my father.” Nèro concluded after hearing everything his mother had to tell him.

“No, are you insane? You can’t go around and kill people.”

“Mother, you don’t know what I can or can’t do.” Nèro answered and ended the short conversation with these words. They tried to kill him, so there was no other way to go than to have his revenge. After taking them, he’d go and confront mamà, as he now also believed her to be a witch.

Filled with rage and pain after looking for his father for years, only to find out he was supposed to be murdered by this man. Nèro secluded himself to a small oasis nearby the sea. He took off his clothes and jumped into the water to calm down.

“Find the cliff. He will be there, everyday on your birthday,” the voices in the oasis told Nèro. This time he was less surprised by the voices. They felt recognizable. More so than the voices of his mother or mamà. The only voices he felt save with. After he cooled off, he put his clothes back on and didn’t hesitate to go find his father. What a luck Nèro had, today was his birthday.

The people in the city could easily point him into the right direction. There were multiple cliffs, but only one near the oracle’s house. The great warrior Lillakos, Nèro’s father he found out, was also a known man. Everybody could tell him Lillakos would be there today. They also told him to leave him alone, as he’d never win a fight and would also not want to bother Lillakos on the cliff where he had lost his son, but Nèro never answered these threaths the people told him.

Nèro walked up the mountain to indeed find his father on the top of the cliff, he looked over the cliff and had his back towards him. Thought the pouring rain, his father couldn’t have heard him climb up. Nèro drew his sword and wondered if he could just easily slice off Lillakos’ head and leave again. Just like that.

“Son, I know why you came.” Lillakos spoke to Nèro in a calm and wise voice.

“You aren’t the only one the sea seems to want to talk to.” Lillakos said as he turned around.

Nèro was speechless for just a moment. The sea talked to his father as well. What does this all mean?

“You tried to kill me.” Nèro could only utter these words as he looked in his father’s eyes. Green as his own. He didn’t want to kill anymore, so he had to remind himself of the atrocity Lillakos had afflicted on him to fulfill his duty.

“Yes, and I know I can’t be forgiven for that.” Lillakos said, sighed and slowly walked to Nèro, who still had his sword drawn.

“The oracle is already dead… Taken, by the sea.” Lillakos continued. “I guess the spirits were tired of waiting for you.” He cracked a smile as he said this.

Nèro had a change of mind and retracted his sword. He walked past his father towards the cliff. His father doubtingly followed him towards the edge. When looking over it, the sea seemed angry, moving around aggressively.

“The oracle never spoke for the spirits. She was fake. I had no destiny of destroying the country father. That’s why the spirits are angry. It was all fake and you would rather believe it than think freely and keep your son.” Nèro spoke, hearing the spirits from the water through the aggressive movements of the sea.

“No, Nèro. She wasn’t wrong. One day you will destroy all land. Not today, but maybe one day.” Lillakos said looking down the edge.

Nèro’s anger returned as the old man spoke his last words. And in his anger, he pushed his father over the edge, where he himself had been thrown off all these years ago. The sea eagerly seemed to swallow the man. Moving aggressively and giving him no chance to struggle or to breathe.

The storm calmed down slightly, and there was just a drizzle coming from the sky. Nèro’s anger hadn’t left him, his confusion hadn’t either. He still didn’t have answers. He screamed at the sea.

“Is this what you wanted? Is this all!” He screamed. But he was answered by nothing but silence. He felt completely abandoned by the water spirits that had guided him all this time. Agitated he walked away, as there seemed to be nothing left for him here.