Bia let out a chuckle, her eyes filled with fury.
-"That bastard! So he woke up, huh? Yet, he didn't come to check if I'm alive or not?"
Mia placed the communication crystal in her hand inside her storage ring and smiled at the furious phoenix. Bia huffed and stared off into the distance.
-"Just let me see him again, I'm going to beat him up! How dare he... hold on a second... I'll go search for him myself!"
The phoenix soared in the sky with a powerful flap of her wings, determined to find the person who had caused her so much worry in the past few months.
She needed to see Kyle, to make sure he was really okay. But before she could leave the area, two (SS+)-Rank monsters leaped out from the forest. The monsters let out angry roars and glared at the people around them with crazy eyes.
In the next second, they jumped toward the crowd without any care for their lives. Bia stopped in her tracks and looked at Neon, Ray, Sinon, and the others before letting out a curse.
-"I want to go find him, but I can't leave everyone alone. The number of monsters is increasing with each passing second, and everyone's already exhausted. If anyone collapses while I'm gone, no one will be able to control the monsters."
She looked at Mia and, after complaining inside her head for the umpteenth time, decided to stay.
-"I swear, the moment I see him, I want answers as to why he didn't come and meet me and his family first! And if he doesn't have a good reason, well... hehe."
Upon hearing her wicked laughter, the people around the phoenix quickly moved away, creating some distance between them. However, amidst all the things the phoenix said, there was pure joy and happiness twinkling in her eyes.
.....
Completely clueless that a certain phoenix was fuming because he didn't go to see her, Kyle paused above a vast expanse of glistening blue water.
It stretched out as far as the eye could see, and the water shimmered under the dim glow of the sun.
He jumped into the water and traveled deeper and deeper before pausing among the countless little fish swimming around him in a calm manner. However, he didn't find any structures or any signs of the Sea Continent.
'It's gonna take me a while to find the exact location of the Sea Continent...'
Kyle clicked his tongue and traveled through the vast space. He spread out his scent perception skill in all directions and smelled the countless scents around him, but with so many small creatures around, it was getting hard to maintain the skill.
He paused when a white fish with rectangular fins appeared above him.
'It's quite big.'
Strangely enough, the fish even had some symbols engraved on its skin, a peculiar sight indeed.
Kyle watched the fish closely and got curious about the symbols. It's not normal for an animal to have symbols on its body, so he knew it was unusual. He quietly followed the fish as it swam deeper into the water and raised his brow in surprise because the fish seemed to know where it was going. It effortlessly crossed through a bunch of different colored plants. But then, it disappeared.
'Huh?'
He raised his hand and touched the spot where the fish disappeared, causing ripples to form in the water in front of him.
'Oh?'
Kyle's lips curled into a smile as he activated his scent perception skill and detected numerous scents in front of him. Along with various presences, he also caught whiffs of delicious aromas from well-cooked food and the faint scent of flowers.
'Looks like I found the place I was looking for... rather easily.'
.....
Deep beneath the sea, encircling a colossal, glistening castle that is partially submerged in water, countless unique structures are crafted with a blend of natural materials. They include intricately woven seaweed, sturdy coral bricks, and delicate seashell accents.
The Sea Continent isn't the biggest because it only has one Kingdom belonging to the merpeople. Also, to remain hidden from outsiders, the entire continent is covered with a transparent shield, making it invisible to those on the outside.
In stark contrast to the outside world, which is currently going through a major crisis, Kingdom Gylexia is bustling with lots of activities. There are lots of merpeople gliding through marketplaces with the help of their tails which are adorned with scales that glowed in the sunlight. So many of them are engaged in trading, while others are busy purchasing from the colorful stalls overflowing with sea plants, seashell jewelry, and clothes.
The air carries the delightful scent of saltwater, and you can hear faint laughter from the people inside the Kingdom. However, unlike the bustling atmosphere outside, a loud crashing sound echoed from one of the biggest rooms in the colossal castle at the center of the Kingdom.
The curtains on one of the curved windows were lifted, revealing a luxurious room adorned with colorful chandeliers, beautiful artwork crafted from pieces of coral and sea glass, and driftwood furniture.
A graceful middle-aged woman, wearing a long blue robe adorned with golden patterns, sat on a throne. She stared at the people standing in front of her with an angry expression, particularly the man with golden eyes resembling hers.
"Nine! I told you that you're not allowed to leave this place! No means no! Can't you understand? Or should I impose another house arrest on you?"
Nine let out a chuckle, he wiped the blood trickling down his cheek with the back of his hand. He had a silver accessory on one of his ears, and its strings flowed down, touching the white fitted jacket he wore over the loose grey trousers.
No matter what, he could never believe that the woman in front of him was his mother. After all, which mother would throw a glass so hard at their child's head? It's a good thing he moved away in time, and only a shattered fragment grazed his cheek. Otherwise, he was sure he would have lost consciousness from the impact.
He stared at Seraphine, who was standing beside the woman's throne, and he had the urge to wipe the smile off her face. But he controlled himself because there were many people around.
This was already the seventh time he was captured while trying to run away. The Kingdom didn't want to help the people living on the land, so why couldn't they just let him leave?
The Queen closed her eyes and waved her hand at one of the middle-aged men standing behind Nine, telling him to take Nine back and lock him up in his room. She could have let Nine go, but by the time he woke up, the Sea Continent had already set up an array to isolate itself from the outside world.
Now, she couldn't let him go, or else the risk of the Sea Continent's location being revealed would be too high. The Queen looked at Seraphine and let out a sigh.
"I could have made an exception and let him go... Is there a reason you want him to stay here so badly? Did you have another vision?"
Seraphine blinked and flashed a sweet smile. There's no way she would spill the beans to the Queen that she was seeking revenge on Nine. After all, he left her all by herself in the secret realm when she wanted to join him. And let's not forget, because of him, she had a not-so-great impression on Kyle.
"No, mother, it's dangerous outside. I'm just worried about my brother."
