“Aurianna, look at that!” Leila exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the sky. Aurianna followed her gaze and saw a large, beautiful whale-like monster swimming above the kingdom.

“What's that? It's huge!” Aurianna exclaimed, staring at it in awe.

[ That is a whale. ] the system prompted.

“Waahhh!!”

________

“So, they are finally here,” Aquarius stated, sitting on his throne in a large blue marble room, his tail swaying in the water.

“Yes, Ruler, so what should we do?” asked an octopus merman who had a group of guards behind him.

“Bring them to my palace. We must warmly welcome my two new students,” Aquarius said nonchalantly, casually playing with a small swirling water in his hand.

“Students?” The guard blurted out, confused, causing murmurs among them since they were first told that those two girls were intruders.

“Yes, is that a problem?” Aquarius asked coldly, raising an eyebrow.

“No, Ruler, we shall get them immediately!” The first guard stated before bowing, followed by the others, respectfully leaving the throne room and swimming out of the palace.

“Leila, should we dash around the city to explore faster?” Aurianna asked as she held onto Queen's back.

“How are you supposed to enjoy yourself if you're just going to speed run everything?” Leila asked with a frown.

“Umm, well, it's getting boring!” Aurianna complained.

“It hasn't even been more than three hours, Aurianna!” Leila yelled.

“Feels like a whole day to me,” Aurianna pouted.

“Hah, Aurianna,” Leila sighed and shook her head.

“Leila…” Aurianna called out with a cold expression.

“Yes?” Leila replied with a smile.

“We're surrounded,” she replied as she looked around.

“I noticed,” Leila said as she and Aurianna locked eyes with the thirty fish-men guards around them, all much taller than them, their weapons pointed.

All those watching stared at the guards confused because they couldn't see anybody in the circle.

“You there!” The octopus guard called out.

“Are they talking to the air?” Wondered one of the locals.

“We can clearly see you, so reveal yourself!” He demanded, his tone rough but polite.

“They are high leveled, if they noticed us, it means that they are extremely strong people,” Leila stated.

“We promise we don't want to attack; Aquarius asked us to bring you to him,” the octopus guard clarified, surprising Aurianna and Leila.

“Oh, well, it's obvious that he'll sense it when someone enters his territory,” Leila shrugged, “He is a Ruler after all.”

“I agree, I would have been suspicious if he didn't notice us,” Aurianna said before she and Leila nodded and canceled out their magic, revealing two teenage girls being carried on the backs of some beings.

“What are they? They don't look like fish-men,” whispered a guard to another as they stared at them warily, they resembled mermaid but it was clear from the way they looked like they were not one.

“Please kindly follow us,” the octopus guard stated.

“Alright, but first, I need some food,” Aurianna stated, pointing to a fish woman's stall where someone was preparing some strange dish she was eager to try.

“Buy her some, and let's be on our way!” the octopus guard commanded one of the guards, who quickly purchased the food and handed it to Aurianna, who ate it eagerly.

“Time to go,” the octopus guard stated as he swam up, followed by Queen and Ipha carrying Aurianna and Leila. They all moved swiftly, with Aurianna and Leila easily keeping up.

“Stop with the wary looks, we won't run away!” Aurianna spat, noticing the guards constantly giving her and Leila strange stares.

After a while of swimming, Aurianna and Leila finally reached the center of the kingdom, where a marble castle stood tall, its unique structure mesmerizing Aurianna.

Once they reached the front gates of the castle, they were greeted by a group of giant crab fishmen guards. Seeing the octopus guard, they made way for him, allowing Aurianna and Leila to pass through along with the other guards swimming behind them.

“Wow, this palace is huge, much larger than the one in my country!” Aurianna exclaimed, and the octopus man grinned proudly.

Finally, they were allowed into the marble throne room. No signs of small fish could be seen anywhere compared to the other halls.

Luminous orbs were used to light up the place, creating a mesmerizing sight.

Aurianna and Leila's gaze then landed on a pretty boy arrogantly sitting on the throne.

“Who's this child?” Aurianna asked with an annoyed look.

“How dare you speak towards the Ruler?!” the octopus guard yelled, banging his staff on the ground.

“Ruler? How can he be the Ruler? I sense no aura from him,” Leila wondered, warily watching the young boy.

“Welcome, ladies, to my humble palace!” Aquarius said casually, though his tone indicated he wasn't pleased they were there.

Suddenly, a massive pressure befell the room, causing everyone, including Aurianna and Leila, to collapse on their knees with dread on their faces.

The aura this man was releasing was terrifying, completely suppressing them.

They looked up warily to meet his entirely black eyes.

‘This pressure,’ Aurianna thought as she stared at Aquarius.

Aquarius immediately appeared before them, stating coldly, “You two came to train under me, so show some respect like the lowly beings you are,” with a smirk, sparking a nerve in Aurianna and Leila.

‘I don't like him!’ Aurianna snorted.

‘Me neither,’ Leila agreed.

“Now, time for introductions!” he stated excitedly, a sudden shift in his expression as he released his pressure on them.

"I'm Aquarius, and I already know who you both are: Aurianna and Leila. I don't care much about you guys. Eva made a deal with me, so I'll just train you two, and then you can go your way. I don't want to waste too much time being with annoying children like you,” he quickly explained.

‘Seems like he has some personal problems with Eva,’ Leila said.

‘It's definitely clear that he doesn't like us,’ Aurianna nodded in agreement, her arms crossed.

“Well, let's start right away. There's no need to dally around. Time shouldn't be wasted, so follow me,” Aquarius stated as he immediately swirled his hand, and a big whirlpool engulfed Aurianna and Leila, and they all disappeared from the throne room, reappearing somewhere else in a dark sea.

When they looked around, it was clear that they were extremely far away.

“Aren't things moving a bit too fast?” Aurianna mumbled as she followed behind Aquarius, along with Leila, Queen, and Ipha.

“Just be quiet and follow me. Didn't you come here to train?” Aquarius asked with an annoyed look.

“Yes, we did,” Aurianna and Leila replied.

“That's good. From what I can see, you both are already good at swimming, right?” He asked as he stopped to examine them.

“Yes,” they both nervously replied.

“So then, why do you want to train more underwater?” He asked.

“Well, we aren't the best swimmers yet, since it's still hard to fight underwater,” Leila replied.

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“I see.”

‘This is getting awkward,’ Aurianna thought.

“So what did we come here for?” Aurianna asked curiously.

“You see those people there,” Aquarius said, pointing to a group of beings feeding on the flesh of a sea monster. They looked similar to mermaids, but their bodies looked gruesome, almost like a cursed monstrosities.

“They look like fishmen,” Leila blurted out.

“Yes, but they are what I call failed, contaminated fishmen. You see, sometimes my power gets chaotic and affects the people in my kingdom. And those infected can't be saved. So then they are brought here to be used as training for my children,” Aquarius said calmly.

“Children?” Aurianna and Leila stared at him suspiciously.

“Stop giving me those stares. I'm much older compared to you two!” Aquarius declared.

“Hey, hey, why are you giving me such eyes? I can change the shape of my body, alright!” Aquarius defended himself when he noticed their judgmental stares.

“Phew,” Aurianna and Leila sighed in relief.

‘Hah, these dumb children,’ Aquarius thought as he stared at them.

“So yes, back to what I was saying, I would like for you both to kill them. Thousands roam this part of the sea and procreate,” Aquarius stated.

“They are extremely strong, though. They could be even stronger than you,” he said.

“Do be warned because stronger sea kings and Leviathans live in this part of the sea, especially a new Ruler of the sea, Hadina,” he added. “You two can train here for the next fifty years. Yes, I know about your time limit.”

“You're not going to teach us any skills? Help us or something?” Leila asked, since it seemed like he was just ditching them here.

“Heh,” Aquarius scoffed. “The only reason I agree to train you two is because of Eva. So, I'm not in the slightest interested in you both. You can die for all I care. I just want to at least manage to kill Eva. Yet here I am stuck in this prison of a space.”

“Sounds like a child throwing a tantrum,” Leila whispered to Aurianna, who nodded in agreement.

“I am no child!” Aquarius yelled. “I just prefer to look young.”

“I bet he doesn't want to train us because he doesn't have the skills either,” Aurianna whispered to Leila as they gave him judgmental stares.

“That tactic won't work on me,” Aquarius snickered.

“Time for a new plan,” Aurianna whispered to Leila.

“Got one?” Leila asked, staring at Aurianna.

“Not really,” Aurianna shook her head.

“Aquarius, I asked you to train them, not leave them on their own,” Eva's voice appeared in Aquarius’ mind, which caused his expression to shift and his shark-like teeth to be revealed.

“Tch,” he snorted as he calmed himself down.

“I'll teach you both some swimming lessons. Yes, your swimming isn't bad, but you could do a lot to become better as well as kill sea monsters efficiently. After that, we're done,” Aquarius stated coldly.

‘I really hate this,’ he thought as he gritted his teeth.

“Aquarius, how many times have I told you not to enter my territory?” a dull mature voice asked as a being appeared beside them.

A humanoid squid woman floated beside them.

Her tentacles on her back were pointed at all of them, shaped like something similar to Aurianna's hover gun.

Her tentacle hair glowed with green and purple colours, and her bright purple squid eyes stared at them. Her gray skin was almost see-through as one could see her bones and internal system.

“Oh, Hadina, you're here,” Aquarius blurted out.

“Are you trying to provoke me, Aquarius?” Hadina asked as she stared at Aquarius with an emotionless expression.

“Something like that,” Aquarius said with a confident grin. “These two girls are going to try and kill you, alright?”

“Kill her? From her aura, she's stronger than Kisho and Dokgil!” Aurianna exclaimed.

“She reminds me of the Hex Weaver Queen,” Leila blurted out as they both warily stared at Hadina.

However, Aurianna's eyes kept tracing Hadina's floating squid hair, and she couldn't help but get closer and touch it.

“So soft!” Aurianna declared with a happy expression, surprising Hadina.

“Hey you, what are you doing?!” Hadina frantically asked with a flushed face.

“You're cute! You remind me of Zagan. So, would you like to be my familiar? Make a contract with me!” Aurianna excitedly asked, shocking everyone.

“A Contract?!” Hadina exclaimed, her surprise evident in her voice.

“Yes,” Aurianna confirmed, a smile playing on her lips.

“Do you understand what you're suggesting?” Hadina asked, her face flustered.

Aurianna pondered, puzzled by Hadina's reaction. ‘Isn't a contract essentially making her my semi-servant?’ she wondered.

‘My mother told me a contract is a bond between two people,’ Hadina thought, holding her face in her hands.

“Is this finally my time?” she whispered, gazing up at the sea.

“Did they just forget about me?” Aquarius mused, his face blank as he watched them.

“It's okay, it happens,” Queen said, offering him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

“Why do you want to make a contract with her, Aurianna?” Leila questioned.

“She's soft, like a plushie,” Aurianna replied with a grin.

Leila stared blankly, evidently not understanding Aurianna, their sense of cuteness differing.

“Well, you do you,” Leila sighed.

“So, Hadina, would you make a contract with me?” Aurianna asked, a mischievous smile spreading across her face as she leaned closer to Hadina.

“You must first prove to me that you're worthy enough for me to make a contract with you…” Hadina said in a dull tone, but her face still flushed.

“Hmm…” Aurianna stared at her, taken aback.

“I want you to fight me. If you manage to injure me, I'll become your familiar!” Hadina declared, locking eyes with Aurianna.

‘Well then, I have 50 years. I'll be getting a new octopus pet!’ Aurianna thought to herself, imagining herself sleeping on Hadina’s soft tentacles, enjoying their warmth.

“Let's do this!” Aurianna yelled, as she was fired up.

“Just so you know, I'm not going to take it easy on you. I'll just make sure you don't die,” Hadina declared, a creepy laugh escaping her lips.

________

After fifty years of training with Aquarius and successfully making Hadina her second contracted beast, Aurianna found herself back inside the sea monster's belly, gazing upwards.

“Time to try again!” She told herself as she propelled herself upwards, striving to swim out once more. But she soon encountered a dense covering of water that slowed down her movements greatly, making it extremely difficult to swim up any further. As though to prevent any prey from swimming out of the monster.

“Almost there!” Aurianna urged herself, using all her strength to push through. However, the force of the water pushed her back to where she came from, causing her to toss and turn, till she finally managed to balance herself. She then stared upwards with a frustrated expression.

“Argh!” Aurianna yelled in frustration.

“Damn it! I swam farther this time, yet I still can't do it. Do I need to train even more? Even with King and Queen helping me, they can only reach further, not out. Perhaps I can summon Hadina. But would her abilities be as limited as theirs?” Aurianna pondered as she floated in place.

“400 kilometers in size, enough to be a medium sized country. And how long this thing is…….,” Aurianna sighed in defeat.

“I'll just sleep now and head to the training grounds tomorrow. Aquarius isn't the worst teacher, but he's insufferably arrogant. Maybe I'll try using Hadina to escape tomorrow," Aurianna muttered to herself as she retreated to her little cave and settled down.

"I need to eat more of those corrupted fishmen. My singing voice still isn't what I want," Aurianna reminded herself, touching her throat before drifting off to sleep.

The next day Aurianna was abruptly awakened by the sound of someone singing with a beautiful voice.

"Ahhh, do go to sleep," a melodious voice lamented, prompting Aurianna to emerge from her cave and encounter the orange eyes of a mermaid. Her hair was a striking shade of purple, while her skin bore a deep blue hue.

"Why is she crying so much?" Aurianna wondered, slightly repulsed by the tears and snot streaming down the mermaid's face.

"Eeekkk!!!" The mermaid let out a startled shriek upon noticing Aurianna's presence.

"Her tail is truly lovely, and she's very tall," Aurianna observed as she drew nearer to the mermaid for a closer inspection.

‘Aquarius mentioned that any mermaid of this size is likely a Royal Mermaid,’ Aurianna recalled as she scrutinized the mermaid, who stood five times taller than herself.

"Why is a Royal Mermaid here?" Aurianna vocalized her thoughts, sizing up the mermaid.

"Um, please, who are you? Are you also trapped here?" the mermaid, appearing as a teenager, curiously asked as she felt a bit relieved that she wouldn't be alone here.

"As you have eyes to see," Aurianna responded bluntly.

"I-I'm so scared... Mummy, I don't want to be sacrificed! Why must I sing this monster to sleep? I don't want to die here, mummy!!!" The mermaid suddenly erupted into tears once more, her distress palpable.

‘Who's this crybaby?’ Aurianna wondered, annoyance flickering across her face as she observed the mermaid.

‘Yet, she has a very lovely voice. I wonder how I would sound with such a voice. I refrained from eating a mermaid back at the training grounds due to that annoying Aquarius's rules. But his rules don't apply here," Aurianna thought coldly as she eyed the mermaid, then quickly and ruthlessly pierced her throat with her hand. The mermaid stared at Aurianna in shock and horror before succumbing to death.

Aurianna's body then transformed into a liquid form, consuming the entire mermaid. "Mermaid meat isn't so bad, tastes like sweetened fish," she remarked, licking her lips.

"Now, time to test my voice," Aurianna declared to herself, taking a deep watery breath and starting to sing.

"Haaaa, haaa, laaalaaa," Aurianna sang joyously, delighted by the significant improvement in her voice.

"Perfect," Aurianna declared, her face beaming with satisfaction.

"I suppose I should revive her now. She mentioned something about putting this creature to sleep," Aurianna muttered as she waved her hand, arranging the mermaid's bones before her and restoring her soul that floated above her body.

"I must know," Aurianna declared, her hand glowing as she restored the mermaid's body to its original state.

“Wakey, wakey!!" Aurianna delivered a hard slap to the mermaid's face, jolting her awake.

"Ahhhh, am I alive?!" exclaimed the mermaid, holding her swollen cheek.

"How... how?" she wondered, her memory fuzzy from the moment she was killed by Aurianna.

"I thought I was clearly dead," she muttered fearfully, eyeing Aurianna cautiously.

"My eyes! What happened to my eyes?!" she panicked, noticing faint markings similar to Aurianna's reflected in them.

"Well, simple. I made you my servant," Aurianna said with an evil grin, her hands clasped behind her back.

"What is happening? Why is everything going so wrong for me?" the mermaid wondered tearfully. "I was thrown here to die as a sacrifice, and now I'm meeting this strange human. Maybe this is a dream!" she concluded suddenly. "Time to sleep and wake up; all of this will be over," she reasoned to herself, attempting to drift back into sleep, causing Aurianna to grow extremely annoyed by her antics.

"Get up! This isn't a dream!" Aurianna yelled, delivering another hard slap to snap the mermaid back to reality.

“Why did you slap me again???” The mermaid cried as she eyed Aurianna.

"I refuse to believe I'll die here!!" the mermaid cried out.

"Hey, could you stop blabbering for a few minutes so I can ask you some questions?" Aurianna demanded, glaring at the mermaid.

"Why would I want to talk to someone who just killed me? I don't even know how I'm alive! The only people who can revive others are Saintesses..." the mermaid realized, her gaze fixated on Aurianna.

"Ah, so fishmen have Saintesses?" Aurianna remarked with a smile.

"Of course we do!" the mermaid declared.

"I shall not reveal anything more to you!" the mermaid declared, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Are you human? How are you able to survive underwater? You don't smell like me, but more like a human. It shouldn't be possible," the mermaid pondered as she swam around Aurianna.

"First, answer my question: who are you and how did you get here?" Aurianna demanded, her expression serious. 'I didn't even sense her while she was here.'

"I'm Kiana, and well, I've been here for a while. I've been hibernating to prevent myself from dying of starvation faster," Kiana admitted with a sad expression.

"Starvation? With so many sea monsters around to eat?" Aurianna remarked, but Kiana gave her a disgusted look, as if she had just suggested her to eat shit.

"Ewww, eat sea monsters? I may be near death, but I have standards!" Kiana declared boldly, prompting Aurianna to stare at Kina as though she was staring at a professional idiot.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Kiana wondered, confused by Aurianna's expression.

"You're starving and you won't eat sea monsters. With that mentality, you only deserve death," Aurianna said nonchalantly, scratching her ear.

"How could you say something so cruel?!" Kiana cried out, tears welling up in her eyes.