The pale greenish titan glowered at us, her immense presence suffocating the air around us. Emerging from the water, she remained inexplicably dry—except for her hair, which hung damp and watery like she’d just stepped out of a shampoo commercial.

Moving with the slow, deliberate grace of a predator stalking its prey, she bent down, propped her elbows on the marble floor, and brought her colossal face right up to ours. It was astonishing how, even at such a close distance, her skin appeared flawless, devoid of a single pore. Do I need to sign up for Guardian lessons to get that kind of skin? I mean, I’m pretty fair myself—I could probably blend into the marble floor if I tried. Her corneas were glossy, lacking iris or pupils, just a muted green color that seemed to swallow everything.

Kaede and I stood frozen, soaked but fortunately not cold, and uncertain whether this titan was a guardian or some ancient mystical nightmare about to unleash chaos upon us for trespassing. As her eyes roamed over us, I noticed a darker patch of skin on her forehead, right where her hair parted. The area was slightly sunken, as if someone had carved out a piece of her flesh.

The titan tilted her head sideways, and in an instant, her hair ignited with a cascade of shimmering lights, coming alive into a display of vibrant green and blue streaks of energy that wove through her hair like living currents, turning it into a magical light show that could rival an Arckwar Jubilee fireworks display. “Hyew . . . khauldt . . . hme?” she dragged, her voice rich and deep yet airy, echoing through my brain. What was even more startling was that she didn't need to open her mouth to speak, unlike other guardians. Her hair dimmed to a darker green again, as her youthful, elongated face softened. “Hwas . . . iht . . . hyew?” she asked, turning to me, her hair glowing once more.

So her hair glows when she speaks—or rather, thinks out loud?

“Cici, what is she saying? Did you summon her here?” Kaede asked, standing rigid beside me.

The titan snapped her head toward Kaede, making me jolt. “Cuh–ryo–hmancerr,” she identified in a way that made my spine shiver.

She whipped her head back to me, causing me to flinch. “Hyew . . . sah–mondt . . . hme?” she asked, and I nodded, keeping my tongue glued to the roof of my mouth. Did I summon her? All I did was call a name. Was she Amathaisah? “Hwon hahn-dred yeeers . . . ihn tzhe pool of Aethereia . . seens . . ssto-own, stow . . leh-n,” she added, her words almost picking up speed.

A hundred years . . . since stone, stolen?

“Kaede, did you catch that?” I asked, glancing at him.

“I did, but how can that be? Unless the stone taken from Arckwar isn’t the Aetherial one.”

Now that's an ice breaker.

I turned back to the titan. “The Aetherial Stone—was it stolen from you?” I pointed to my forehead and then toward hers. She followed my gesture, crossing her eyes as she looked upward. I couldn’t help but chuckle, and Kaede nudged my arm in warning.

Slowly, the titan raised her heavy hand to touch her forehead. “Stow- lehn . . . hyes. Hahndred yeers,” she repeated, her voice filled with a sorrow that resonated through the air.

“Who stole it?” Kaede asked urgently. The titan's gaze shifted back to us, her enormous eyes blinking with an innocence that didn’t match her size.

“Haa-wooo-mann,” she replied, her voice echoing like distant thunder. A woman? Whoa.

“Any specific details you remember?” I probed, hoping for something useful. The mermaid’s eyes flitted about as if delving into the depths of her memories.

“Oh, fantastic plan—consulting the one who’s been in slumber for the last hundred years. I can’t wait for her to share every last secret before we turn into relics ourselves,” he remarked, his voice laced with biting sarcasm.

Without missing a beat, I flashed a sweet smile at the oversized fish in front of us, deliberately ignoring Kaede. “Don’t mind him. He’s on his period today,” I shot back, sharp as a tack.

Kaede hissed, clearly ready to retort, but the titan exhaled, “Ahburra–haaall,” her breath echoing through the cavern. Kaede and I exchanged wary glances.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Did she just say Abrahall? As in our grandmother's Blood Coven, Abrahall?

“That . . . wouldn’t be . . . by any chance . . . our Grammy Lor?” Kaede whispered, his face as pale as a ghost. I wasn’t faring much better.

A wave of unease swept over me as I turned back to the giant mermaid. “Which Abrahall?” I asked cautiously.

The mermaid's face reflected confusion and concern. She shook her head, “Khan’t reee-khaaall.”

“Do you always speak like this? It’s quite irregular,” I said, growing increasingly irked by her manner of speech. Kaede’s probably right—we might be here until the next century trying to drag answers out of her.

“Don’t provoke her,” Kaede warned, his tone pressing.

The mermaid smiled enigmatically. “Hann-dred yeers sleeeping . . . dhepps ovff . . . woh-tter,” she grinned. “Nauw hwon . . . tto . . . twhawk tto,” she added.

“Are you a Guardian?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Noh, ownlee . . . khree-eytedt.”

“Bahthalla?” Kaede inquired softly, leaning in closer.

She shook her head again. “Noh,” she gently pointed to the gap on her forehead, “Aeythee-reeyal sstow-hn.”

“That’s impossible,” Kaede said, his irritation evident. “She would’ve had to be a person before she is now. Someone must have experimented on her using the stone.” He looked genuinely frustrated. “Nothing else, and certainly not a mere stone can possess the power to create life apart from Bahthalla.”

“Let’s not jump too far ahead on that. It could mean something else,” I said. “And maybe calm your knickers.”

“We need to get out of here, Legacie,” Kaede ordered, but just then, a splash echoed from the far end of the pool near the tunnel arch, where her tail—well, part of it—appeared.

She whined, a sound like a whale's cry that echoed through the cavern. “Dton’t . . . hleeevf hmee,” she pleaded, struggling to push herself up from the marble floor, her tail flapping at the water and splashing us again. This is two days’ worth of showers.

Kade fumbled for my hand. “Hold tight, I’m—” his words were cut off as I felt myself being lifted, the pressure tightening around my stomach. As much as I love heights, being manhandled by a giant hand with the risk of being tossed down wasn’t exactly my idea of fun.

“Kaede, run!” I shouted, pointing as I noticed the sand blocking the tunnel entrance beginning to clear.

“Are you insane?!”

“I thought we both already knew that!”

“I cannot leave you!”

Amathaisah gently swung me closer to her face, lifting me nearly to the top of the cavern. Looking down, I couldn’t help but find the view pretty amazing from up here—except for the part where Kaede was frantically running around, probably trying to figure out how to reach me.

“Ley-gaah-see?” her gentle voice echoed, and I gave her a kind smile.

I nodded, my voice soft. "Yes, that's my name. Quite weird huh."

“Hyeur . . . boh-dey burn-nss hmeee,” she said in a quiet, mournful tone.

“I know, I’m sorry. You should put me down, or it’ll keep hurting you. I don’t want to hurt you, Amathaisah.”

She sniffed the air, her eyes narrowing. “Vohl-khard-szen?” She looked down, and we both saw Kaede, slowly climbing the side of her tail. She grabbed him hastily, lifting him up to dangle beside me. She can sniff blood?

Kaede hissed, “Release us. You’re a cursed being!”

“Kaede! I thought you said not to provoke her!” I shouted, only for him to snap back at me with fiery frustration.

“Not now Cici!”

“Don't shout!”

“I'm not!”

“I . . . aehmm . . . kurssedt,” she said, as if just realizing it.

We began to descend, smoother than a lift, until she gently set us back on our feet. I noticed tiny blisters forming on her palms where she had held me. “You are?” I asked, somewhat surprised. She didn’t look cursed. If anything, she’d fit as one of the beasts of Old Majesta.

She straightened, then turned her back to us, settling into a concave in the farside of the wall. “Yehss, dza stow-nn . . . fhind itt . . . dehs-tchroyy,” she said. She covered her face and tried to cram herself into the hollow like a pitiful child, releasing a deep, mournful wail that reverberated through the cavern. “Freee . . . hmee, Vohl-khardsen,” she sobbed.

Kaede seized my arm, pulling me out of the cavern and into the tunnel. As I looked back, I reached out to the waters, the marble floor, and the sand, weaving my magic of creation to craft a parting gift for Amathaisah. Just before we ventured further into the tunnel, I noticed the three sculpted figures I had conjured taking shape. With a final touch, I placed my palms over my mouth, kissed them, and blew the gesture towards the figures before we exited onto the dungeon landing. Barely a moment passed when a creaking sound echoed through the tunnel. Kaede and I spun around to see the sand creeping up and solidifying into a frozen ice door, sealing off the tunnel behind us.

Kaede crouched down, panting heavily. I, too, felt the weariness and hunger creeping in.

“This . . . alters everything, Cici,” Kaede panted, struggling to regain his composure.

I glanced at him, my thoughts mirroring his. “I guess it does.”