With Aegir's new Powers and aid, it might be not as hard to deal with the problems that are waiting for us within Muspelheim, the land of flames is, after all, covered on flames, the power of Primordial Seas will be quite useful, without a doubt.
Although I had many questions to ask her, we'll have to leave that for later, we had to go for now. Ariel ran towards Sapphire and Triton, hugging them both.
"I'll get going now, Sapphire! I have to accompany Drake on his journey now that Papa Aquarius gave me this mission." She said. "I'll come back one day too, to see Triton grown up!"
"Take care, Ariel, have a nice trip, and don't do anything mischievous!" Sapphire said.
Benladra and Kate were currently saying their goodbyes to the friends they made in this country, Rose, Coral, and Eleanor, and well, all the kids at the orphanage.
"Bye-bye, Benladra, Kate!" Rose quickly hugged the two tightly. "Thank you for everything, really!"
"Rose…" Benladra's eyes were holding their tears back. "W-Will I see you again one day?"
"We have to!" Kate said, nodding.
"Hehe, of course we'll see each other another day, later, when you and your daddy aren't so busy." Rose smiled. "I… I also wanted to kind of apologize a bit…"
"Apologize?" Asked Benladra.
"Why?" Kate asked.
"W-Well… At the beginning, I was… kind of jealous of you two, and I kind of said a lot of rude things." Rose sighed. "I am sorry… I really didn't mean it, I have grown to love you two so much as my friends… You've done so much for us… I simply can't express everything into words."
Benladra and Kate blushed a bit, and then smiled, giggling. Tears quickly started flowing from their eyes.
"It's fine!" Benladra giggled. "We knew you didn't mean it, Rose's a good girl!"
"Yeah." Kate nodded. "You're our best friend! Forever!"
"Hmm!" Rose nodded, beginning to cry herself. "We'll be friends forever and ever!"
Coral smiled in the back while crossing his arms, a small tear flowed from his eyes.
"Coral, what are you waiting there for?!" Rose asked. "Eleanor, come here too!"
"E-Eh? Me?!" Coral asked, as he was suddenly hugged by Benladra and Kate too. "Uwaah?!" The rascal must have been embarrassed of being hugged by my two beautiful daughters, because he blushed instantly.
"Thanks for being there for us as well, Coral!" Benladra said. "You're our best friend too!"
"Yeah! Please protect Rose, she's a bit reckless sometimes." Kate said with a nod.
"Ahahah… W-Well, yes, I will, don't worry about it." Coral smiled. "I am glad you see me as a friend… I do as well, let's meet again one day, and let's go on a big adventure together!"
"Yeah!" Benladra was instantly cheered up by the idea.
"Nn! Our own adventure!" Kate nodded.
Eleanor timidly walked towards the two.
"Erm… I-I…" Eleanor began fidgeting a bit.
"Eleanor's also a best friend!" Benladra said.
"Yeah! Hug!" Kate and Benladra hugged her.
"Eeeh?! Me too? B-but I… We were enemies before and I… I did bad things…" Eleanor felt rather depressed.
"Doesn't matter!" Benladra smiled. "We're all friends now, you did those things because the bad deep one was controlling you!"
"Nn! Eleanor is a good girl, you will help Rose and Coral, right?" Kate asked.
"O-Of course!" Eleanor nodded. "I will do my best to assist the next queen! T-Thank you… for your friendship, it really means a lot…"
"Nn! No problem!" Kate smiled.
"Let's meet again another time, you can also come into an adventure with us too!" Benladra said excitedly.
"Heheh, I would gladly do so!" Eleanor smiled.
Anastasia and Sapphire glanced at the children say goodbyes while containing their own tears, and quite honestly, I was doing the same with Benladann and Miranda at my side, while Aegir was admiring the scene.
"Alright, time to go, Benladra, Kate." I said. "There's a whole continent waiting for us to explore."
Benladra and Kate let go of their friends, and slowly walked to my side, holding my hands, as we slowly walked back inside of Fuyu through an ice-made bridge connecting to the port.
"Byeeeee! Please take careeee!" Rose cried, waving her hands.
"Have a nice trip!" Coral said. "I am sure you girls will be able to beat anything in your path!"
"Good luck! I-I hope we can meet again!" Eleanor said.
"Bye-byeeee!" Benladra waved her hand. "I'll miss you all!" Tears flowed from her eyes.
"Nn! M-Me too!" Kate cried.
"Thank you for everything, Drake!" Sapphire said.
"I hope we can meet again, someday." Anastasia nodded.
"Buwah!" Triton roared, glaring at me from afar.
"Of course! Once I am a bit freer in my scheduled, I'll come pay a visit, you have my word!" I said with a giggle.
"Take care!" Benladann said. "I hope we can see each other again, Sapphire!"
"Yeah! Please make sure to protect the island well!" Miranda said.
"Of course! I'll do everything I can! I am… I am no longer alone!" Sapphire smiled radiantly, as the ship slowly began moving away faster and faster.
Slowly, the island became smaller in front of our vision, until it was already in the long distance, beyond the endless horizons of the sea…
"Are you two okay?" Benladann asked our daughters, quickly carrying Benladra in her arms.
"Aw, look at you, all covered in tears and snout!" Miranda sighed, cleaning Kate with a handkerchief.
"I-I'm fine! I'm not sad…" Benladra said. "Because I know I'll see them again one day!"
"Nn!" Kate nodded. "M-Me too…"
"Hahaha, that's the spirit." I nodded. "Don't worry about it a single bit, I'll make sure to bring a beautiful future for all of you children, a future where all you can laugh, play, eat to your fillings, and enjoy life in peace… I'll fight for that future, with my life."
I looked into the horizon, as the moon began glowing atop the night sky. Aegir stayed in silence while floating above me, looking at the sea with a smile, sighing a bit.
I could tell she had a slightly saddened expression in her face. Despite not having been completely conscious, as the fragments themselves, she probably experienced many of the things we did, and grew attached to these people and this island…
"Goodbye for now, Aquarius Archipelago…" Aegir sighed. "I might be gone from there, but within the seas, my will resides. I will protect you all, it is the least I could do, my old friends…"
She suddenly waved her hand, conjuring a divine power and imbuing it into the seas. In the distance, the entire island gained a blue aura, which formed into an invisible barrier of divine power that was constantly fueled by the seas surrounding it…
"A-Amazing, is that a divine barrier that fuels on the sea itself?!" I asked.
"Heheh, amazing, right?" Aegir was proud. "It is one of the few things you'll learn to do now that you have me with you, Dragon King~ Now! How about something sweet? I want to eat all the delicious things you've been eating all this time in front of my noses!"
"Right, right~" I sighed. "I guess I'll make you some sweets. Girls, do you want some too?" I asked everyone.
"I wouldn't mind some ice cream." Benladann giggled.
"Pudding for me!" Miranda raised her arm.
"Cheesecake!" Kate said.
"Beef!" Benladra said, drooling.
"Benladra, that's not a sweet though!" Laughed Benladann.
I have not realized it until now, but it looks like I've made my own, beautiful family to belong to and always feel accompanied with. At their side, I'll never be alone anymore.
Author's Note: And with this we have reached the end of this awesome arc, which I had so much fun writing! I did my best writing these new side characters, the lore behind the island, and the new enemy that showed up, the Deep One. This was also a storyline meant to show Benladra and Kate's growth, and to give them some meaningful friendships that would help them develop as characters, and not to be just babies anymore.
Now the future seems to have endless possibilities, onwards to Muspelheim, the Continent of Flames! In here, Drake and his family and friends will face countless new challenges and enemies, and also find brand new allies… maybe even a peculiar fire dragon with otherworldly powers will join him.
And I do wonder, what's that bastard of Greenwood plotting now? He's sure a tough nut to crack, and he might come out with even more powerful challenges for Drake in the future.
Well, it's not like Drake will give up either.
Thanks for reading so far.
