Dancing in the Legendary Sea - Chapter 2

Chapter 2. A girl with horns
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Originally, Lokira’s background was very ordinary.

Let’s open the map.

The Aegean Sea is the northeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea; it lies between Greece and Turkey and is bounded in the south by Crete.

Delos is one of the islands scattered like stars in this sea, quintessentially as small as dust. According to Greek mythology, Delos was the birthplace of the twin offspring of Zeus and Leto. When Leto was discovered to be pregnant, Zeus’ jealous wife Hera, banished her from the earth, but Poseidon took pity on her and provided Delos as a place for her to give birth in peace. There was another island called Mykonos. Lokira was born in a small town there.

According to the High Priest’s story, her father farmed wheat and her mother raised the chickens. Their main livelihood was to send well-raised wheat and chickens to Delos. In military terms, they supplied produce to the sanctuary. The young couple were faithful and sincere in their jobs, and worshipped the Gods with reverence.

However, the opponent was bad. Just as the moon was capriciously cold and crumbling, Artemis’s anger was the same. The pretty baby of a young couple was born with horns. If they had the care of modern medicine, they would have asked for a detailed examination at a general hospital without question. The doctor in charge would submit a research paper on , and the baby would have been removed at an appropriate time after the photo was posted on the media. However, this era was in ancient times when harmony of all things was interpreted as sacred by the Gods.

The majority of people believed that the four seasons were not the earth’s orbit, but the temperament cycles of the goddess Demeter. The couple’s conclusion was that their horned baby was also the result of God’s hand. Artemis, who loved virgins and deer, was a prime suspect. The hypothesis was established, but it was an endless trial. They didn’t put any deer meat in their mouths. They didn’t even boast that their daughter would be prettier than the goddess, but it was a curse with no known cause or effect. And God’s anger was hard for humans to understand.

The couple knelt before the high priest and repented endlessly. After receiving the recommendation from the temple, they left the baby in the sanctuary, and moved to another remote island after being acquitted of unknown sins. Thus, Lokira became a Saint on the 100th day after her birth. She stayed in her own little room in the Temple of Artemis on the hillside of Mount Kintos. From that moment, a woman who was mourning the loss of her child stayed in the temple and raised Lokira as her own.

How did a child growing up endure confinement? Of course, that was a problem that could be fixed with discipline. The high priest believed that the ferocious nature of the beast was inherent in the horned child. And since the child was not a horse, she didn’t need carrots. Only the whip was an excellent teaching tool. When young Lokira burst into tears, the high priest would strike without forgiveness. Her rebellion made it even worse. It was his teaching that if Lokira didn’t suppress her temper, she would cause disaster.

“Lokira, please control yourself. I don’t want to punish you either. Why are you not obedient but try to show violence instead?”

After being beaten until Lokira lost consciousness, the high priest would sob for a long time and apply ointment on her body. There would be no child who would not reflect on herself in front of his desperate appearance.

Thanks to the discipline, Lokira was able to grow up as obedient as a soldier, faithful to her routine from childhood. She woke up every morning and offered a prayer of thanks to Artemis. During the day, she learned myths, hymns, poetry, and herbs. It was the same training that the priests had to undergo.

Because Lokira was taught to suppress her beastly nature, sewing wasn’t allowed. This was because holding the needle in her hand could stimulate her vicious nature. For the same reason, cooking was also impossible.There was no fire allowed. Her free time was spent playing with seashells and gongs. Or, once or twice a day, she could take a walk in the backyard with a guard. She didn’t even have enough space to run. She should not express her dissatisfaction with this life because if she does, she will be beaten and walks will be prohibited. Lokira gradually became quiet and less talkative. She learned the habit of subduing her responses and speaking only in her mind.

As a result, Lokira suddenly became a vegetarian, and had silky hair; in other words, a safety-proven God with dull reactions. The high priest was greatly pleased with her achievements. However, after learning that she had menstruation, she had to adhere to more thorough discipline than before. As the days passed, Lokira’s lengthy hair was shiny without needing any oil on the comb. Her body, which had been wasting away as a result of a cloistered life, was as precarious as a wild flower swaying in the wind.

A female monster. How dangerous it was to be beautiful. That beauty obviously has benefits to get a man to talk on his own volition. As a result, Lokira had always been a subject of vigilance and surveillance no matter how well she behaved.

As a result, her movements were strictly controlled from day to day. Her room had a door that could only be opened with a key from the outside. There was a window for food and supplies, a carpet on the floor with a small table on top, and a short bed with legs. A copper mirror hung on the wall while the room was decorated with a few toys meant for children much younger than her age to play with. Last but not least, the backyard stood on a cliff overlooking the endless blue sea.

This was the entire world that Lokira was allowed except for the temple’s main hall where she was called into occasionally. However, going into the main hall without permission would result in severe punishment. Had it been inescapable to be born, she would have dug the ground with a spoon. Unfortunately, Lokira wasn’t too bold.

‘I hate being hurt. If I go outside, I’ll be beaten with the whip again. Yes, I have horns, so it’s not good to go outside.’

As the high priest said, people on the outside world would kill her because she was a monster. However, was it due to the nature of a beast? She had always wanted to roam free. Lokira wanted to leave the temple grounds and go down the mountain. At night when everyone was asleep, she snuck through the window, and she followed the stone steps leading to the shore. It was the back road that only the temple people use occasionally. It was perfect because it was located behind the island and was rarely visited by outside guests. Lokira went down to the middle and looked at the night sea for a while, then she came back up, her frustrated heart changed. She hesitated because the desire to escape was overwhelming.

But soon the high priest’s yells and beatings appeared on her mind and a chill went up her spine. Suddenly, Lokira felt ashamed of the horns on her head. She returned to her room in a hurry and laid down on the bed, reflecting on her misdeeds. Lokira had a stubborn character. When she couldn’t endure her boring life, she found comfort only from the light and the support of her heart.

“Kira, this life is not unusually unfortunate. Living outside is similar. Most people can’t leave their hometowns or their houses. At least in the sanctuary, you aren’t starving or naked.”

Roxias always comforted her that way. He was the only man Lokira was allowed to talk to. She was completely barred from contact with outsiders, especially men. Roxias was allowed to visit the temple grounds in the name of family. Lokira, who always had an unhappy face, could laugh in front of the younger brother. She was grateful that he would deliberately visit his captive sister.

“Did you have a good trip this time?”

“Yes. By the way, I brought this for you, Kira. A new epic poem from Athens.”

“Wow, the scroll book! Egyptian papyrus!” (Lokira)

“I was in the palace. But I didn’t have time to memorize it, so I borrowed it. I hope it will entertain you for a few days.” (Roxias)

“Thank you, Rox. Really, this is so precious.”

Always the caring and loving twins. According to the high priest, Roxias also joined Lokira on his one hundred days of age. His parents handed him over and entrusted him to the sanctuary together with her.

Even if they were twins, they weren’t similar, perhaps because of gender differences. Above all, Roxias had no horns. That was a very significant disparity. Moreover, according to the priests, it seemed that such a beautiful boy was rare. His hair fluttered like golden threads that complemented silvery eyes. The personification of smoothly cut, marble-like beauty.

Certainly, the younger brother suited the nickname,’the incarnation of light’. Still, although he resembled a boy more than a handsome man, he was treated like an adult wherever he went. So It didn’t matter if they were real twins, Roxias was the owner of this sanctuary, Delos. It was also disrespectful to treat him too casually.

On the same day and time, the two entered Delos, but the reason they were entrusted to the temple was different. Lokira was a God who was cursed by Artemis; a beast and a monster which none can predict when it will become violent. On the other hand, Roxias was the incarnation of Apollo – a beautiful and perfect Greek God. Of course, it wasn’t simply that he was just handsome or smart. Roxias had power. Psychokinesis. It is a superpower that radiates from a strong will that is converted into physical force that permeates through objects. From ancient times, there have been people who were born with it. They called it the power of Gods.

Roxias was particularly great. He was able to conjure a view of Athens in Delos’s water bowl. The heavy stone lion that fell in the storm was raised up again by him with just a hand gesture. When he glared, the killer fell on the floor, and when he reached out, the sea parted.

Since Delos was the neutral zone of the Greek alliance, the owner of the sanctuary was also the mediator of the Greek countries. Eventually, there was even a man who addressed Roxias by the name, Apollo. Maybe Lokira’s horns were the result of Artemis’s jealousy and curse for sharing the womb with him. When Lokira was younger, she often envied Roxias. She envied his golden crown and silk clothes, ancient books, and his worn out leather shoes from freely wandering around.

However, Lokira’s immature jealousy faded with age, and there was a reason. First of all, it was less painful by learning to give up. Second, she didn’t want to lose her only friend of her age. If he gets angry and leaves, it’s her side that gets lonely. The third was a little complicated. Perhaps it was because Lokira could see Rox’s hardships as they grew older.

“It’s hard to be a God. I have never seen Mount Olympus myself.” Lokira said.

However, Roxias often said this only in front of Lokira.”But Kira, Delos is better than anywhere else. The outside world is an alliance only in words because they are all scheming behind each other’s backs.”

“Rox. Was the last alliance meeting very difficult?”

“There are only the two of us in the same situation in this world. Let’s live with me here for a long time.” (Roxias)

How does one turn away from a boy who was desperately holding her hands? Lokira had no choice but to nod her head.

“Yes, Rox. I can’t get out of here anyway. Come if you want to talk about anything because all I can offer is this.”

She also had power. As the high priest said, it was a legacy left by the curse of Artemis. However, compared to Roxias, it was a poor contrast. Rather than raising stone lions, the only thing Lokira could do was make shells float. However, if the existence of her power was discovered, she would be severely punished. Eventually, she became reluctant to use it herself. Despite this conflicting situation, Roxias cherished her, and at the same time, he felt sorry for her.

Lokira was grateful for his kindness. Sometimes, when a moment that seemed to be crazy with suffocation came, she endured it, recalling Rox’s words that it wasn’t a bad life. Probably she will live the same life as him. This life determined on the 100th day of birth was like stagnant water in a jar. Life is only as good as holding out until it eventually dries up.

Then one night, the night when the winter wind struck particularly strongly, the night when the sound of the waves were crashing onto the temple atop the mountain, Lokira’s day, which had always been the same, had an unexpected surprise for the first time.

An unconscious man was seen on the shore.

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