Chapter 751: Aqualaria
The water was still cloudy with blood and debris. The two sea women floated calmly amidst the chaos. The hundreds of Sea Devotees were gone, most dead, the rest fled. The silence felt heavier than the ocean pressure.
Dorran immediately drew his sword, positioning his shark between them and the newcomers. "Stay back," he warned in a fierce tone.
Nox placed a hand on his arm, gently pushing it down.
"Stand down," he said quietly.
"Why? They just killed hundreds without blinking!"
"Exactly," came the reply, eyes locked on the two women. "If they wanted us dead, we’d already be with them." He took a cautious step forward.
The women observed him, their large blue eyes curious and assessing. The one on the right, who had a small star-like marking on her temple, spoke. Her voice was melodic, and like the translator used by the Devotees, perfectly understandable.
"You are surface-dwellers," she stated, her tone not accusatory but factual. "Your presence here has caused a significant... disturbance. What is your purpose in these waters?"
Nox wasn’t foolish enough to reveal the orb, especially after stealing it from their kind. So instead, he answered,
"We came for the statue. They are connected to our... lineage." His tone was firm.
The second woman, her hair a darker shade of green, tilted her head. "Your lineage? You claim the Legacy of the Beast Tamers?" There was skepticism in her voice, but also clear interest.
His eyes glinted briefly. ’So they know about Beast Tamers...’
He smiled faintly. "My name is Nox Aegis Cromwell, King of Cromwell... and this is Dorran." He gestured behind him.
The first woman’s gaze flickered to the statue, its eyes still glowing softly, then back to Nox. "I am Lyra. This is my sister, Coralia. For now, we will refrain from telling you our full identity." She paused before continuing, "The Devotees are heretics, troublesome and fanatical. But their madness does not make your actions wise, King Nox. The Silent Goddess has slept for millennia. Waking her power, even a fragment of it, brings consequences you cannot possibly understand."
"Then help me understand," he said quickly, seizing the opportunity. "I didn’t come here to desecrate or steal. I came to reclaim what was lost to my kind. The Beast Tamers."
The sisters exchanged a long, unreadable look. It was Coralia who spoke next. "The story of the Great War, and the one that preceded it, is long and not meant for this place." She gestured at the blood-clouded water. "Fa— I mean, the king will wish to speak with you. Your possession of the Heart, and the statue’s acknowledgment of you, makes this a matter of state."
Nox was slightly taken aback that they knew he had the stone. He only smiled wryly and chose not to comment.
"Are we prisoners?" Dorran asked bluntly from behind.
Lyra gave a faint smile. "You are guests. Though it would be... unwise to refuse the invitation. The Devotees will not stop hunting you. Only the king’s protection can guarantee safe passage back to the surface now."
He knew she was right. They were in over their heads, and these women—who had just saved their lives—represented order, not fanaticism. It was a chance to gain an ally, or at least valuable information.
’At first, I only wanted the statue... but maybe it won’t hurt to learn about the dwellers of the deep.’
"Alright," Nox said, nodding. "We accept your invitation. Take us to your kingdom."
Lyra inclined her head. "Then we should depart. The scent of blood will attract more than just Devotees." She raised her hand, and another silver portal, larger this time, swirled into existence beside them.
"Please, follow us," she urged.
Nox glanced back at Dorran, who still looked suspicious but gave a reluctant nod. Together, with the shark swimming warily behind, they followed the women through the portal—leaving behind the bloodied battlefield and stepping into the heart of an unknown ocean civilization.
The other side of the portal was not what Nox and Dorran expected.
They were still underwater, but the world had changed completely.
Currently, they stood at the edge of a massive city. It wasn’t built of wood or stone but of living coral and glowing crystal. Towers spiraled upward toward a distant, shimmering surface. The structures were organic, flowing into one another, covered in soft lights that pulsed faintly.
Wide avenues stretched ahead, filled with Sea People gliding gracefully. Some had tails, others legs, but all moved with an easy, fluid grace. Strange, radiant fish swam in schools between the towers, darting like birds in the sky.
The city was silent and peaceful. The only sound was a low, harmonious hum that seemed to come from the city itself.
Dorran stared, his mouth open in amazement. Now that they were out of the statue’s range, Nox conjured air bubbles around their heads once more, allowing them to breathe and see properly.
The shark, calmer now, gazed around with dark eyes. Through their bond, Dorran felt its playful urge to chase the schools of fish in the distance, but he kept it restrained.
As for Nox, he was captivated by the engineering. The deeper he looked, the clearer it became that this wasn’t some random civilization. They were several times more advanced than humans.
"It’s beautiful..." Dorran muttered under his breathe. "I’ve never seen anything like it."
Lyra and Coralia floated ahead, moving with such fluid grace it seemed the water itself parted for them. The Sea People around paused at the sight of the newcomers. Some stared with suspicion, others whispered, recognizing them as surface dwellers. However, none dared to approach too closely.
"Welcome to Aqualaria," Lyra said softly. "One of the six kingdoms of the ocean."
***
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