Today, I’m being given a new chance at life.

 

The breeze of the steppes no longer caresses my face but the breeze of The Ruby Sea. The once warm wind carrying the smell of the sun has been replaced by the cold touch of the night and the taste of salt. And I can feel relief.

 

A memory hits me like thunder hits trees during a violent storm. Once upon a time I charged shoulder to shoulder with my brothers and sisters and covered my face in blood for a creed I didn’t believe in. 

 

Now, I stand before those who will become my family and the maiden who stretched her hand to me, granting me a chance to change.

 

As a few rays of sunlight sneak out at the edge of the world, I think about what this event entails. 

 

I will no longer be bound by an identity given to me the day I was born. I will no longer be thought of as a reincarnation of someone who doesn’t share my beliefs, someone whom I don’t even know. I will never have to chase glory in battle to be embraced by death and be reborn.

 

I will finally be free from the Dotharl’s grasp.

 

As I take a deep breath to welcome the moment, I concentrate on what my body feels. The waves cover my feet now and then, chilling me down to my bones, and the cold wind prepares me for what is to come.

 

I feel the wet sand beneath my feet. I play around with my toes, almost as if grasping to feel even more of said wet sand. The night slowly becomes day, and dawn rises on the horizon.

 

I am awakened from the trance by a gentle touch on my shoulder. My maiden, even today, stands elegantly in front of me, wearing a beautiful black dress woven especially for this ritual, but I can't help but think that the dress's beauty comes from her presence, and not the other way around.

 

“It’s time,” she says as she gently slaps my back, motivating me to follow her into the sea “Come”

 

I gulp, not only because of the nervousness that engulfed me but from the beautiful silhouette that guided me to my new beginnings.

 

Stepping deeper into the sea, we reach a point where the sea covers a bit more than her waist.

 

“This will have to do” the maiden smiles while covering her mouth with an adorable gesture “I’m not as tall as you, you see”

 

At that moment, I noticed the sea barely covered my knees, and I was reminded of how different our heights were. That reality shook off some of the tension. 

 

The sun finally peaks, with half of its body bathing us with its presence.

 

I know what to do.

 

I walk deeper into the sea to a point where my whole body is left at the wave’s mercy. I close my eyes. Surrounded by nothing but the salty water and the acoustics of the deeps, my mind becomes blank, embracing the experience.

 

This is what the Quietus Family calls The Naming Day. Those who desire to join the family under a new name are given the chance to do so under Llymlaen, the goddess of the seas and navigation according to the myths of The Twelve.

 

Under her guidance, they shall be steered to a new life as members of the Quietus Family, perceived as a mafia by some, admired as home by others.

 

And today, I’m being given a new name. A new identity. A home.

 

As I feel I’m reaching my limits, I promptly swim towards the surface. My movements showcase a hint of desperation, and I think to myself, “This same desperation is the one I felt as I tried to escape my origins, my bloodline”.

 

I make it to the surface and take a breath of air, then slowly swim closer to my maiden until my feet can again feel the sand.

 

Standing in front of her, she stretches both of her arms to place her palms on my cheeks, but I notice her arms can’t extend that far so I bow a little bit.

 

As her cold touch caresses me, she chants:

 

“Today, you are reborn as a member of the Quietus family. Like many others, you sought to leave your past and let it be swayed by the waves. Simply leaving was not enough, as your shoulders carried something far heavier, something that ran far deeper. It’s your identity that causes you despair. Your very own name”
 

And looking straight into my eyes, she continued.

 

“Today, you shall be freed from those chains. Today, you are a new man. Today…”

 

And as she pinches my cheek in a sweet gesture, she softly says:

 

“Today you become Thian, a member of the Quietus family”

 

To this day, I still can’t believe she would become the person that I’d spend so many days (and nights) with.