The rebels emerged from the shadows of the rear halls, their long-awaited appearance devoid of any hospitality. Their glares were sharp, and the condemnation dripping from their lips was thick with malice.
Fiu's composure broke; her face shifted into a mask of pure, explosive resentment.
"She is just a traveler who helped me," Fiu spat, her voice trembling. "She has nothing to do with the affairs of this palace."
Aya moved to shield her, but Fiu was determined to push her away, wanting to spare Aya from the burden of this internal war. However, Aya could see the truth: Fiu was cornered. She was unsafe, and Aya's legs moved by instinct, positioning herself as a bulwark between the princess and the encroaching threat.
"Oh? Just a 'traveler'?" the man mocked.
"Hey, boys! Why are you lot moving so slowly?!"
He shouted for his reinforcements. The heavy sound of marching boots echoed through the halls, growing louder as the rebels swarmed the corridor.
"I never thought you'd actually hire a bodyguard," the leader sneered, his brow furrowed in a cold grin. "Does this mean Princess Fiu is finally mentally prepared to fight us? Or... are you just ready to die?! Hahaha!" He laughed as if he were a comedian performing on a stage.
"How dare you speak to me with such insolence!" Fiu's voice rose to a command.
She thrust her palm toward the man, revealing a glowing crest. Swirling currents of water began to spiral around her. "By my authority, I command you—!"
"Stupid girl!" The man swept his arm through the air. Something—an invisible force—shattered the magic. Fiu gasped in shock.
"The spell... it broke?"
"Exactly, you foolish little princess! Did you forget? Your 'friend's' magic is far stronger than yours. An absolute command from a weakling like you has no power over sea-dwellers like us!"
"Watch your tongue!" Aya shouted, stepping firmly between them once more.
"Aya, what are you doing?" Fiu gasped.
"Who are you supposed to be? You're awfully clingy with Her Highness," the man asked, looking at Aya with utter disdain.
"I am Princess Fiu's guard! I promised to protect her until this is finished, and I intend to keep that promise!" Aya declared.
"Is that so?" The man clapped his hands once. "Fine. If you want to play hero, you'll have to step over me first!"
Rebels poured into the room, brandishing weapons. To Aya's utter confusion, they weren't fish or sea monsters—they were human. Every single one of them.
"Why are there humans here?" Aya whispered, her confusion mounting. But there was no time for questions; the weapons were raised, and there would be no mercy.
"Aya, why go this far?" Fiu asked.
"Do what you have to do, Princess Fiu!" Aya yelled, her eyes locked on the enemy. Her clothes were soaked and heavy, and saltwater dripped from her glasses, blurring her vision. "You said that if you became Queen, the chaos would end. So do it! I'll hold them back!"
Fiu looked at Aya's back, seeing the fierce determination there. She finally placed her trust in Aya. A hum began to rise—a melody that shifted from low to high, a soft, haunting sound that vibrated inside Aya's head.
It was the Echo of the Sea.
The ocean itself seemed to join the song. Outside the palace, the calm currents turned violent. Inside, water began to flow upward, spiraling around Fiu's body. She sang with her eyes closed, her voice so beautiful and ethereal that Aya stood momentarily entranced.
The humans snarled and swung their blades.
CLANG! Aya ducked behind her cloak, which Fiu had enchanted. It felt as tough as steel, a perfect shield that allowed her to weather the storm of attacks.
"Princess Fiu is layering the magic... it's beautiful," Aya whispered.
The rebels grew frantic, attacking blindly, but their physical strikes were useless against the barrier. Then, one of the leaders began to emit a dark aura. His eyes turned blood-red. "No more holding back! The reign of the sea ends today!"
The man's body began to warp. He and his followers were no longer human; jagged fins sprouted from their faces, hands, and feet. They were transforming into horrific fish-men.
"What is that?!" Aya cried.
Fiu's song grew louder, the vibrations rattling the very foundation of the palace.
"It's all right," Fiu whispered amidst her melody.
The seawater outside suddenly surged inward, bursting through every window and crevice. Aya watched, mesmerized, as Fiu herself transformed. A glowing mark appeared on her forehead, and her legs merged into a shimmering, powerful tail.
"A mermaid... I'm not dreaming, am I?"
Aya remembered the fairy tales her mother used to read to her, but seeing it in person was beyond anything she could have imagined. Fiu was magnificent. Glowing blue lines etched across her upper body, connecting to the crest on her brow.
In seconds, the palace was completely submerged. It was no longer a dry hall; it was a true kingdom of the deep. Curiously, a pocket of air remained around Aya, keeping her dry as if she were in a different dimension.
When Fiu opened her eyes, she didn't strike or scream. She simply sang. In an instant, every rebel in the room dissolved into sea foam, their forms swallowed and reclaimed by the ocean.
"Princess Fiu..."
Aya stood in awe, her gaze locked on the mermaid swimming away from her. With her long hair trailing like silk in the water, Fiu looked like a true goddess of the sea.
She was the definition of elegance, with shimmering fins and a powerful tail. Her long, wavy hair flowed through the water as her song echoed with a hidden, profound meaning.
The undersea palace was once again fully submerged, the trapped air replaced by the rushing ocean. Aya found herself back in the water, protected by the magic Fiu had granted her.
"Princess Fiu... thank you," Aya whispered.
The words slipped out instinctively; she felt she had to thank her for everything.
"What are you saying? I should be the one thanking you. Thank you, Aya."
"Princess Fiu, for a fish ... mermaid like you... I mean, is it really over now?"
"Yes. It's over," Fiu replied with a slow shake of her head. "I wasn't skilled enough to use this power before, which is why I ran away. But I won't run anymore."
"I don't fully understand, but I'm happy," Aya said, bowing her head with a smile. "Because now, Princess... I mean, Her Majesty Queen Fiu is finally wearing the smile I hoped to see."
Aya smiled, but Fiu's expression remained clouded. Even though she offered a slight smile, something was clearly troubling her.
"There is so much I want to say," Fiu said.
"Including the truth about that sorcerer and her friend."
"Tell me."
Fiu exhaled, tiny bubbles escaping her lips. She blinked, turned away, and then looked back at Aya with a sorrowful gaze.
"It's hard to put into words. If you don't want to hear it, it's alright."
"Aya, you're quite unique. To be honest, I never expected to meet someone like you," Fiu began, her voice weary. "As I mentioned before, this is about the sorcerer and her companion."
Fiu gestured for Aya to follow her to a nearby window. She pointed her finger upward, toward the surface.
"Up there. The sorcerer and her friend arrived together. They had been through so much that it seemed nothing could shake their bond. But the friend had a different vision."
Aya listened, trying to piece together who these figures were. Fiu explained that they were once inseparable, but the friend's perspective on the undersea world changed everything. The friend believed it would be better if the creatures here didn't exist at all—and certainly shouldn't have their own kingdom.
"At the time, the sorcerer thought it was just a joke. She just hugged her friend and said it was impossible, because all power has its limits."
"I think I understand just by hearing that," Aya interrupted, her eyes widening. "Are you that sorcerer?"
"Yes," Fiu admitted, her gaze heavy with grief.
She explained how her friend's actions sparked the chaos. The friend began killing sea creatures one by one, turning them into malevolent spirits. The arrival of a group of adventurers only accelerated the tragedy.
The friend forced those spirits into the adventurers' bodies, leaving them to die in agony. In the end, the sorcerer was forced to kill her own friend to stop the madness.
"That couldn't have been easy," Aya murmured, sensing the immense suffering Fiu had hidden so well.
"I had to say it. Now that I have, I feel a weight has been lifted."
Fiu reached out and placed something in Aya's palm. When Aya opened her hand, she saw a pearl as bright and clear as shallow seawater.
"I know you belong to another world. That is why I'm giving you this pearl—so you can survive here."
Fiu smiled again, and for the first time, Aya felt her genuine relief. It made Aya smile back in return.
"Queen Fiu, may I ask one more thing? Why do you call yourself a sorcerer when I see a mermaid standing before me?"
"I cursed myself. Because the royal family of this palace has long been gone, I cursed myself into this form after my friend's death."
She paused, her eyes narrowing as she looked back. "But I didn't expect any of them to remain. They still move, even though the master who commanded them is long dead."
Fiu's figure seemed to drift further away as she turned her back to Aya. Her voice came as a faint whisper, yet Aya heard every word.
"Thank you, Aya. For guarding me until I was safe, and for giving me a place to tell my story."
Suddenly, several coins clattered to the floor. There were ten of them, all bearing the image of a sorcerer rather than a mermaid, surrounded by engravings of water bubbles.
"Alright, I got them! Now I can go... Queen Fiu?"
Aya looked up from the coins, but Fiu was gone. She had vanished, perhaps to find a moment of peace for herself. Aya quickly made her way out of the palace.
"Okay, only one coin left—the one that was stolen!"
Aya clutched the coins tightly and began searching the area near the palace. She had to find that last coin, no matter what.
"Hey, you!" a man's voice barked. Aya turned to see the stout shopkeeper from before.
"Where's my coin?" He held out his hand demandingly.
"It's not your coin, old man! It's mine! It was stolen by that kid with the claws and ended up at your shop!" Aya shouted back.
"Bah! I don't care what you say. That coin became mine the moment it entered my shop, little lady!" he spat on the ground.
"It's useless talking to you. Ugh!" Aya turned away in disgust. She hurried away, searching every corner of the city for the young man with brown hair, but the task felt impossible.
"Excuse me, Fish Lady? Have you seen a young man? I... I don't know much about him other than he has brown hair," Aya asked a passerby, her voice trailing off as she realized how vague she was being.
"How dare you! Who are you calling 'Fish Lady', huh?!" the woman screamed, throwing something at Aya. Aya dodged just in time.
She was lost. She had no real description of the thief, and no idea where the coin might end up next.
"What am I going to do?" Aya groaned, collapsing onto the white sand of the ocean floor. "It's just one coin, but it's a coin made of hope. It's my way home..." She began to wail, her frustration finally boiling over.