‘DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO THEY ARE?!’

The guards flinched, backing away as they exchanged uneasy glances with each other.

The prince puffed out his chest, glaring at the two mermen. ‘They are the successors of the five great Lords, which includes that of Prince Kai Marines I’. He raised his chin, staring down at the now trembling guards. They dropped their tridents, dropped down on their tails, and hit their forehead on the rocky cave’s ground, sending ripples through the water. A trail of blood flowed down their chins and mixed with the water. ‘WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE DISRESPECT!’

Alice frowned at the sight, putting a hand on her ears. ‘Dude…chill’.

The guards widened their eyes, blinking away the drops of blood falling above their eyebrows and floating away. ‘WE APOLOGIZE!’

Alice glared at the prince, raising an eyebrow. The prince jumped forward, swishing his tail, sending a wave towards them. Jason instinctively raised his hand, being pushed back by the pressure. He stood at the front with his arm extended. His palm hovered, fingers spread. In front of him, the water stood eerily like a towering wall, looming over him. The surface of the water rippled, shifting and swirling like a beast.

He panted, his chest seeming to rise and fall in rhythm with the water. The pressure seemed to disappear, making him feel light. Water was clinging to his skin, cool and clammy, sending a shiver down his spine.

The wall of water quivered, its surface flickering as tiny droplets scattered into the surroundings. The water was vibrating through his bones, but his eyes remained locked on the shifting barrier, unblinking.

His hand trembled from the feeling just beneath his skin. He could feel the power tugging at him yet, he held steady, every muscle strained.

Alice whipped her head around at the flurry of bubbles. Zhiren turned around and bumped into Daiki again, who raised a hand over her back. And Jun squatted down to avoid the push.

Alice peeked back, her eyes widened at the sight. She blinked. ‘Uh, how…did you do that?’

Jason pursed his lips, turning his head around. ‘I-I don’t know’.

Upon hearing this Zhiren and Daiki looked at each other, raising their eyebrows, and jumped back. Zhiren's heart raced, as she turned around, stuttering. ‘S-sorry about that’

What am I doing?

Daiki looked up. His breath hitched in his throat. ‘No issue’.

I must be mad for feeling this way. Especially now.

He shook his and looked ahead his eyebrows raising, his attention being diverted by the scene. Jun tilted his head, rolling his eyes at their actions. Right…you guys don’t believe in love anymore.

He stood up with a sigh, startled at the scene ahead. He muttered. ‘Definitely seems like the MC…’

The three mermen raised their eyebrows, eyes darting between Jason and the wall, and bowed down to him.

‘We welcome the Lord’s successor.’

The prince lifted his hand, revealing a lustrous pearl resting on his palm. It glowed with a soft, silver luminescence, lighting up the surroundings. Its warmth relieved the biting cold. The light intensified, projecting a window above it. The image displayed was a bustling town square. Hundreds of mermen, their scales glinting in vibrant hues gathered with heads held high, their faces turned toward the vision.

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Behind them, were homes seemingly made from coral and fitted with intricate shells lining the square. And in the distance, a magnificent castle loomed, its towers spiraling upward, decorated with pearls and shells. The merpeople moved with fluidly, their tails swaying in the current, each one a different color, adding to the vibrant scene.

‘Citizens of the Marines Kingdom! Bow down to the successor of our Lord, Prince Kai Marines I!

At the words, there was a scene of hundreds of merpeople, blobs of vibrant colors frantically dropping down and bowing their heads.

‘We pay our respects to the Lord’s successor’.

Alice gave Jason a light pat on the back and chuckled. ‘Eh, I didn’t get that. Pretty popular aren’t we?’

Jun nodded his head, stepping forward. ‘Well, he does have main character vibes’.

Daiki smirked. ‘ You didn’t manifest any abilities when we were in Yuki’s realm’.

Zhiren stepped forward and raised her hand, ‘Well except for the cold tolerance’.

Jun nodded. ‘Yeah, he does seem to have some sort of a golden finger’.

Alice narrowed her eyes, raising the corners of her mouth. ‘Cute. Now, shut the fuck up.’

Jun and Daiki glanced at each other, pursing their lips as their eyes curved. ‘Pfft’

Zhiren hit their shoulder, shaking her head at them. Alice rolled her eyes and turned away toward Jason who was staring wide-eyed at the screen.

The prince stood up, squaring his shoulder, and looked up. ‘Citizens! I vow to bring the successor to our Kingdom for a visit and we shall have a feast!’

Cheers were erupting from the screen. The prince raised a hand, the surrounding immediately silencing. ‘However-’

He paused at the sound of laughter, glancing at the group who were joking amongst themselves at this moment. He cleared his throat. ‘-Ahem, however, I shall first present them with their inheritance!’

He clutched the pearl, and the screen disappeared. He raised his eyebrows at the group.

‘My Lords, please follow after me’.

Jason nodded at him. The prince turned around and swam forward sending up a flurry of bubbles in his path.

Alice curled her lips, staring at the guards with an eyebrow raised. They fumbled, rippling the water, and slid to the side making way for the group.

They silently followed after the merman for no more than 5 meters when they saw he had turned a corner at another similar cave ahead.

They followed after, mouth gaping as they saw where Kai had stopped.

They glanced at each other. Jun pointed his chin ahead, staring at the shining silver, and said, ‘It’s the same as Trucehaven.’

In front of them stood an imposing heavy iron door, with a small brass keyhole. Kai was inserting a simple, long key into it. He took a deep breath and turned the key with trembling hands. A loud clunk echoed, sending forward ripples. The metal rippled as five sword-shaped spaces appeared like before. He stepped back. ‘This is the extent of my knowledge. I don’t know how to proceed beyond this point.’

Jason nodded, stepping forward with his sword. He raised his hand and placed his sword in the second space. Alice followed closely behind and placed her sword in the first one while Zhiren, Daiki, and Jun went together. The door shone brightly. Illuminating the surroundings as a faint line appeared in the middle. A click sounded making Kai jump back, clenching his fists as he stared at the door. The group glanced at each other and took a deep breath, pushing the door forward together. The familiar stadium came into view, massive pillars and white granite walls lined by shelves of leather-bound books with sliding doors beside each of the hundreds of them. The polished wooden floor was littered with potted indoor plants of various varieties along with a large round-table at the center of the hall. Five chairs were placed around the table. Unlike the previous mess, there was a single scroll on top, and no orb in sight. Prince Kai rushed forward, darting around the hall reminding Alice of Chief Lian.

Kai suddenly paused in front of a shelf to the right, turning his head. He immediately bowed his head and mumbled. ‘I apologize. I am aware I do not have permission to enter, I…got too excited. I’ll leave now.’

He slowly stroked through the water, swimming away. He glanced back multiple times but continued as he noticed Alice glaring with crossed arms. It's fun teasing this little prince.

After Kai left, he gripped the door before looking in one last time. He sighed and pulled the door to a close.

Alice whipped her head around. ‘Okay, let’s get this over with.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘Jason.’

To be continued...

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Kai I: I want to stay...

Alice: leave

Kai I: yes...

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