Seeing her so despondent tugged at Aya's heartstrings. Ignoring someone in pain simply wasn't in her nature, which was why she approached the princess, seeking clarity until she was certain Fiu posed no threat.
"Hey, where are your guards?" Aya asked, masking her concern with a calm tone. "Don't royals like you usually have people following them everywhere?"
"You came back," Fiu whispered, looking up. "I didn't expect that."
"I didn't 'come back.' I just happened to pass by while looking for the way out," Aya lied, crossing her arms.
"I fled the kingdom, Underwater Palace, because rebels within the palace slaughtered my family. My mother, my father... everyone. I only survived thanks to the sacrifice of one of my guards."
Hearing the story, Aya knew immediately that this was no ordinary trouble. It was a heavy burden to carry alone, yet involving others meant dragging them into the line of fire.
"But I'm not asking you to save the kingdom," Fiu added, shaking her head. "I only ask that you keep me safe. If I survive, the throne won't fall into the hands of the rebels."
"Then where are we now?"
"An old, abandoned kingdom. It's still habitable and far enough from my home to be a temporary sanctuary," Fiu explained.
"I see. You could have tried to rebuild your guard, so why choose us? Why choose strangers?"
"I had no choice. Some of the rebels might have reached this city already. Then I saw you two drifting in the current. You aren't from this world, are you? That makes you the only people I can trust not to be allied with the usurpers."
"You chose us because we're the safest people to hide with," Aya mused. Fiu nodded, having laid all her cards on the table.
Ficky, who had been listening from the shadows, stepped forward. Aya jumped slightly, startled by his sudden presence.
"So that's how it is," Ficky said. "Suppose we treat this as the conversation you should have had before we rejected you. Is your wish simply to stay alive?"
Fiu lowered her head for a moment before meeting Ficky's gaze. "At least until I am truly safe. I will reward you handsomely."
Fiu felt a wave of relief. She was lucky to have found them. Exhausted by the day's events, she decided it was time to rest.
At the inn, Aya and Fiu shared a room. After settling in, Aya found Fiu sitting on the bed with her eyes closed, her expression intensely focused. As Aya quietly closed the door, Fiu's eyes snapped open.
"Sorry, am I interrupting?" Aya asked.
"No," Fiu replied with a faint, bitter smile.
"What were you doing? It looked like meditation."
Fiu patted the spot next to her, gesturing for Aya to sit. "I was using a spell. It creates a double of oneself—a Doppelgänger. I sent one to scout the city so I can see through its eyes."
"Why do that?"
"To keep watch. If my pursuers enter the city, we'll know immediately and can flee," Fiu explained.
Aya looked at her with pity. The princess appeared strong, but she was clearly fragile, forced to rely on strangers to survive.
Running away only allowed her enemies to grow stronger, and that knowledge clearly gnawed at her.
"Princess Fiu, I might not fully understand what you're going through," Aya said, placing a hand on Fiu's. "But I'll do what I can to lighten the load."
"Thank you."
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself properly. I'm Aya Kruger. And the man from before is Ficky."
"A pleasure, Aya Kruger. You seem like a very... precious person."
"Precious? I don't know about that," Aya chuckled. "But could you teach me that spell? I'm curious to try it."
"The magic in your blood seems to be tightly sealed," Fiu noted as she took Aya's hand. "But I can help you manifest a simple version of it."
Fiu gripped Aya's hand firmly. "Doppel."
A bright, glowing cord spun upward from Aya's hand. A blinding flash filled the room, and suddenly, something appeared beside them.
"What is that?"
Fiu clapped her hands, clearing the light, but then gasped in shock. "A fox? You're... a full fox?"
The doppelgänger was a fox with two tails, slightly larger than a cub, with dark, orange-peel-colored fur.
I was hunted before because I'm a fox, Aya thought. But I can use this doppelgänger to test the waters and see if anyone else is looking for me.
She knew the risk, but she was determined to let the clone roam free.
"Aya, the doppelgänger mimics your true essence. That's why it appeared as a fox. It will share your voice and habits. Are you sure about this?" Fiu asked.
"It's fine. But I'm sorry if we have to leave before the sea grows bright," Aya replied.
Fiu nodded, and the fox-clone scampered out of the room to explore the undersea.
"It's not too late yet. Would you like something to drink, Princess?"
"Whatever you like, Aya."
"Alright. Wait here. Don't go anywhere."
Aya headed downstairs to find some refreshments. She felt a surge of excitement; the Doppelgänger spell could be a game-changer for tricking their enemies.
Meanwhile, in the room, Fiu suddenly realized something crucial. "Oh no! I forgot to tell her! If the doppelgänger is killed, her location will be revealed... and Aya will feel every bit of the pain inflicted on the clone!"
The door swung open as Aya returned with two cups on a tray.
"Aya! Listen to me!"
Fiu jumped as the tray and cups shattered on the floor. Aya stood frozen, her face contorted in a mask of sudden, agonizing shock.
Aya had seen it all through her doppelgänger's eyes. One moment, the small fox—no taller than a toddler—was wandering calmly through the dark. Then, a shadow flickered past, followed by a searing pain in its back. Before Aya could process the attacker's identity, the vision shattered. The clone was dead.
"What happened?!" Ficky shouted, bursting into the room out of breath. He found the floor littered with broken glass and spilled drinks. In her shock, Aya had stepped on the shards, drawing blood.
"I... I was startled. I'm sorry, Fiu! My fox... it was killed in the street!"
The news hit Fiu like a bolt of lightning. Her own clones were safe, yet Aya's fox had been taken down almost immediately.
"This is very strange," Fiu said, her face hardening. "Those rebels shouldn't have found us this fast."
"No, Princess Fiu! It's not just the rebels," Aya explained, trembling. "My fox form is valuable. My fur, my tails—people hunt me for profit. I sent the clone out as a decoy, but I didn't expect someone to strike so ruthlessly."
Fiu grabbed Aya's shoulders. "We have to move. If a doppelgänger is killed, your location will be compromised sooner or later. We need to leave now."
They scrambled out of the room. Ficky, still catching up to the magical mechanics of the situation, followed close behind.
"Wait, what exactly is going on?" Ficky demanded.
"Just move!" Aya hissed, pulling at his sleeve. "There are people—or fish—hunting me here!"
Once outside, the undersea city felt different. Predatory creatures, half-human and half-beast, prowled the dimly lit streets. Fiu cast a series of defensive spells, covering them in cloaks that felt hummed with energy.
"I hate this," Aya whispered as they ducked behind a wall. "No matter how much I deny being a spirit or a fox, the world keeps hunting me for it."
As they moved through the shadows, Ficky turned to Fiu. "You mentioned your wish was to stay safe. Does that mean you're planning to head back to the palace?"
"You guessed correctly," Fiu said firmly. "I must return. I need to take my place as Queen so I can stop these rebels once and for all."
"I'm sorry about your parents," Aya added softly.
"It's alright," Fiu replied solemnly. "Death comes for everyone eventually. I must focus on what's left."
Fiu swam up to a rooftop to scout the path ahead. When she returned, she raised her hand toward them. "Chameleon."
Their cloaks shimmered and turned transparent. They were now camouflaged, invisible to the naked eye. But suddenly, Aya felt a cold shiver down her spine. Without thinking, she shoved Fiu into a narrow alleyway.
"What is it?" Fiu gasped.
"Ficky... someone is watching us," Aya whispered.
Ficky, invisible to all, began to scan the area for the intruder. Aya pushed Fiu further into a nearby shop, hiding her among the confused patrons.
"Stay here, Princess. I don't want you getting hurt because of me. Stay until it's safe," Aya said, her voice steady despite her racing heart.
Before Fiu could protest, Aya ran back into the street. She crossed paths with Ficky; they shared a silent, knowing look, but Ficky intentionally ignored her to maintain their cover.
"We'll meet again," Ficky's voice echoed in her mind as he vanished into the crowd. "Until then, take care of yourself."
Ficky had vanished into the shadows right after his cryptic farewell. Aya didn't fully grasp his words at the time, but she pressed on, determined to act as a decoy so the pursuers wouldn't find Fiu. While Ficky went God-knows-where, Aya prepared to face the music alone.
"Heh... a fox that knows doppelgänger magic. Who taught you that trick?"
A voice sliced through the darkness. Small, strange fish swimming above scattered in a panic, sensing a predator.
"Who's there? Are you after my tails? Or something else?" Aya asked, backing away slowly. She had to survive. She had to prove she could hold her own, even when her bodyguard wasn't there to bail her out.
"Heh, so you already know the deal."
The sea current groaned through the underwater vents like a prowling beast. But the real beast was standing right in front of her. At first, he sounded like an ordinary man, but as he stepped into the light, his true nature was revealed: a shark-shifter, with rows of razor-sharp, jagged teeth.
He was a "Pure" shark—a creature born entirely of the sea, not a half-breed. Despite his lean frame, he wore human clothes, making the sight of his predatory eyes even more unsettling.
"What is a fox, a land-dweller, doing down here?" the shark asked, closing the distance.
"That's none of your business," Aya snapped, still retreating. "Besides, isn't shark skin worth more than a fox cub's?"
"You talk too much for someone who knows nothing about us."
In a flash, the man lunged, transforming into a full shark as he tore through the water. He surged toward Aya, reverting to his human-hybrid form just as he reached her, baring his fangs.
Aya's fox tails manifested instinctively, but one was grazed by a sharp tooth. A cloud of blood bloomed in the water. For a shark, the scent of blood is a trigger for total madness.
"KYAAA!" Aya shrieked, terror seizing her. She turned and ran as fast as her legs would carry her in the heavy water. She eventually scrambled into a discarded crate, hiding among the trash.
Shortly after, a series of violent thuds echoed from the street she had just fled.
"Wait... is he not coming for me?"
Aya crept out of her hiding spot, peeking around a wall. To her shock, the shark-man was sprawled on the ground, his body covered in deep gashes.
"Claw marks... was this Ficky?" Aya whispered, her brow furrowed in a mix of panic and relief.
"Aya." A hand touched her shoulder from behind.
"GYAAA! WHO IS IT?!" Aya screamed, her breath hitching in a reflex of pure fright.
"It's just me, Aya. It's Fiu. Your fish friend."
Aya slumped to the ground, the adrenaline leaving her body in a wave of relief. But then, she looked at Fiu with frustration. "Wait, you shouldn't be here! Why did you leave your hiding spot?"
"Stop it, Aya. No one is hunting me anymore. Stop trying to be a decoy; the predators are targeting you now because you're a fox."
Aya fell silent. Fiu looked her up and down, contemplating the irony of the situation.
"Foxes are supposed to eat fish, right?" Fiu mused, resting her chin on her finger.
"I might like swimming, but I hate seafood. Especially sharks," Aya muttered, hugging herself.
"Stop being afraid. Your bodyguard handled it. Now we just have to wait for morning."
Fiu sat beside Aya, her expression grimmer than before. They sat in a heavy silence until Fiu drifted into a restless sleep. Aya, however, couldn't close her eyes.
"Ficky... where did you go? Why did you say those things?"
Fiu woke up shortly after. "I'm sorry. This is my fault. Your bodyguard... he looks like he's willing to do anything. He's fighting someone else in this sea right now. He's fierce—like the true master of this city."
"No, Princess Fiu, it's my fault," Aya countered. "If I hadn't insisted on using that doppelgänger spell, they might never have found us."
They sat together in a circle of mutual guilt, waiting for the sun to rise above the waves.
"It doesn't matter, Aya," Fiu said softly. "But I know you didn't come to this world for a vacation. You have your own burdens, don't you?"
Aya nodded. "We were brought here by someone who might only be after me. Ficky got dragged into this because of my existence."
Aya picked up a handful of white sand, watching it slip through her fingers. Life felt just as fragile—easy to break, impossible to count. She watched the grains scatter, lamenting the "what ifs" and "if onlys" that haunted her.
"We have to find a way back to our world. And granting wishes... that's the only way."
"I understand."
"I'm sorry if I seem selfish," Aya admitted, looking down. "I might act like I care about people, but a part of me is just being cunning—thinking about the reward."
"No," Fiu disagreed, shaking her head as she looked up toward the surface. "I know you feel forced into this, but in your heart of hearts, you truly mean it when you help someone. You aren't as 'cunning' as you think."
Aya wanted to argue, to say that her kindness always had strings attached, but she couldn't deny that the bond she felt with those she helped was real.