As more dark clouds appear on the southwest horizon, Nea, Saria, and Lucien fly towards the central region. The mother-daughter pair travel underwater while Lucien flies through the sky.
Despite the trio's speed being incredibly high even by Immortal Realm standards, the Blue Star is a much larger world than Argerm, so even after hours and a few thousand miles traveled, the group is still far from their destination.
Traveling in such a way may seem bad for other people, but Lucien manages to share the work of his body with his strong wings, and the Sins fill his mind with random conversations, making the journey more comfortable.
The Mermaids, on the other hand, don't have such a pleasant time as they swim as fast as they can. Nea is very concerned about what is reason to the sea and sky be so furious while Saria doesn't know how to communicate with her mother.
After several hours of silence, the confused Mermaid Princess speaks her first word. "Mom..."
"..." But Nea can't hear due to being so focused on comprehending that mysterious storm.
"Mom..." Saria calls out again until Nea hears her.
"Saria??" She asks in a concerned tone.
"I am fine." Saria quickly responds, but then her expression turns concerned, too, as she holds the Ghost Lady's grip tighter. "She's missing him..."
Nea is confused at first but quickly understands that Saria is talking about Kaisa and Lucien. Due to their powerful magical senses, she can feel the desire or rather the hungry of the cursed sword for Lucien's energies.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"..." Nea doesn't know what to think, let alone say or do. As a Queen, she would like the soul of the Mermaid Princess who saved their race to rest in peace and for that story to remain in the past.
But as a mother, she would like to give all possible comfort to Kaisa's soul and free her daughter from that torment, even dreaming of the possibility of giving her a second chance to live.
But while she doesn't see any alternative to helping Kaisa, Nea has to deal with the fact that the only thing keeping her daughter's soul steady is the demonic energy of a seductive devil.
[What am I supposed to do?!?] She asks herself as she continues swimming towards the central region. If that subject alone wasn't enough to drive her crazy, let alone the war against Tyrion and now a mysterious evil influencing the whole Blue Star.
Saria, more than anyone, understands how hard her mother is trying to stay strong and keep their race safe, but there is no one else who can make some decisions.
"Mom..." She calls out again. "Kaisa is very hungry... let me take her to him."
While swimming, Nea looks up and sees Lucien through the water. Her expression becomes even more thoughtful. "The more we depend on him, the harder it is to get rid of him..."
"Isn't that a little too much?" Saria also looks at Lucien, but her expression is kind and expectant. "I'm not naive enough to believe there are good demons out there, but... he doesn't seem to have any evil intentions towards our people."
Nea looks at her daughter with an upset expression. "Do you already like him that much?"
Saria quickly blushes. "It's just that he's the first man that got this close to me, and... he's so attractive... so handso... well, that's a physiological thing, I can't help but, you know..."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"I'm not talking about that..." Nea rolls her eyes. "I mean, you like his heart, right?"
"His heart..." Saria repeats those words while wondering about that. Liking someone's heart is a term the Mermaids use for true love, or rather the closest thing to that.
As an all-female race, the Mermaids are asexual creatures that give birth to children through magical eggs, a process that can only be done once or twice depending on that Mermaid's power.
But not everything is so simple, and although Mermaids are born asexual, they can easily develop sexual desires when coming into contact with other races. And throughout history, there are even reports of hybrids, but such creatures were never strong enough to survive in or out of the water, which inhibits such desires.
Yet, many Mermaids like to venture outside their lands and have sex with other races, especially humans. And when a Mermaid finds a partner, whether male or female, that makes her want a serious relationship, their race calls it 'liking the heart,' something that is often the fall of many Mermaids.
"No!" Saria quickly tries to deny that as she is not just a random Mermaid who can afford to be so romantic and naive, but rather the future Queen and protector of her people.
"..." Nea is happy to see the determination in Saria's eyes, but she can feel that the young Princess' heart is confused. "Really?"
"Of course!" Saria tries to contain the growing desires in her heart and focus her feelings on the core of her tail. "I just find his body attractive, and... his character mysterious, a little bit..."
"I see..." Nea comments in a sarcastic tone. "I bet your grandmother would have a heart attack if she saw her granddaughter liking a demons' heart; not just any demon, but a greedy devil!"
Saria can't say anything because, despite being ashamed, she just can't stop thinking about Lucien and wanting to be with him more than his body.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Nea doesn't blame Saria for being so attracted to Lucien, but she still tries to persuade her daughter. "What do you think will happen when he gets what he wants from us?"
Before she can think about that, her mother continues. "He's going to leave the Blue Star, of course. His destiny is too great for a world like this… not even all the Seven Stars together can hold his potential, so you'd have to choose between letting him go or going with him, abandoning your people. "
"I will never abandon my responsibilities!" Saria quickly exclaims with determination. Despite doubting her abilities sometimes, she knows it is her heart's desire to be a good Queen and protect her people just like her mother always did.
Nea smiles. "So you know what you have to do."
[Rip these feelings out of my heart...] Saria thinks.
But then she shakes her head while her eyes sparkle. "No! There are other options... a different way... a better way."
Nea looks away as she continues to swim, but after a few seconds, she looks at Saria again. "I'm listening."
Saria thinks through her following words before starting to explain. "We have to deal with Tyrion first, then find a way to help Kaisa's soul, and only then create a better future for our people..."
Nea can predict Saria's next words, and she gets it right. "Lucien could be the solution to those three things."
"If we join forces with his group and the Nagas loyal to Mira, we can crush Tyrion's forces." Saria continues. "Later, I could go with him… I don't mean forever, but just to find a way to help Kaisa's soul, and it can only be done with him while you continue to protect our people."
Saria smiles as she finishes her explanation. "Finally, after many years and hard work, I could return home much more powerfully, wise, and even with Kaisa by my side... together, our family could create the best possible future for our people."
Even Nea can't help but smile, imagining that future. But her smile quickly gives way to a sad expression. "I wish things could be so simple..."
"But-" Saria tries to say something.
"Your plan has many flaws." Nea quickly interrupts her. "First, you're underestimating Tyrion's strength. Also, walking the path of the Sins will likely lead to your death, and I..."
Her eyes seem to get more tired than usual. "I've already lived much longer than my strength allows... due to the sacred tree's help, I was able to get this far, but the truth is that my potential is very limited."
Before Saria can say anything, Nea continues. "I'm dying, don't pretend you don't see it. Now, I can die for a reason and pass the crown to you with honor or put my hopes on a mysterious devil that appeared out of nowhere."
"..." Saria is silent out of respect for her mother. Despite Nea's appearance showing a strong and healthy woman, the Mermaid Queen is actually at the end of her life, already greatly extended by the fruits of their sacred tree.
A few more seconds pass as they continue swimming at high speed, then Saria speaks again. "What if you're wrong?"
Nea looks back with a curious expression. "And how could I be wrong?"
Saria again looks at Lucien above the surface of the sea. "What if he can make you reach the Cosmic Realm with his mysterious power??"
"Cosmic Realm?" Nea hadn't thought of that.
"Yeah..." Saria responds. "You are already considered by everyone to be the greatest Mermaid Queen ever, the one who fought a High Goddess and won... what if Lucien is a miracle and changes the future of our people like Kaisa's sacrifice did? If he can really make you more powerful and I even more... all of us, in fact."
"..." Nea isn't stupid; she knows that if everything Saria said happened, it would be perfect for her people and daughters. And even to someone as experienced as she, such miracles don't seem entirely impossible, just very unlikely.
As many thoughts pass through her mind, Saria swims towards the surface. As soon as she pops her head out of the water and looks up at the sky, she sees a loving smile on Lucien's face as he gazes at her.
"You look a little lonely there." She smiles at him too.
"Will you keep me company?" He excitedly asks as he descends and flies close to Saria.
Without stopping swimming, Saria lifts the Ghost Lady. "How about you feed my sister?"
Lucien makes a fake disappointed expression. "So you just want my help? I'm a fool to think you came to comfort me..."
Saria can feel that Lucien is just joking, but for some unknown reason, she likes that game. "Oh, don't be so sad... you can enjoy my presence, or not, it's up to you."
He takes the cursed sword and begins to feed Kaisa's soul with his energies while looking at Saria with a thoughtful expression. Then he moves his eyes down and looks at her fish-tail swaying excitedly as she swims at high speed.
A teasing smile appears on Lucien's face, making Saria blush. "I can enjoy it, a lot..."
Saria feels somehow proud of the way Lucien looks at her. She continues swimming and making graceful movements for him to enjoy.
The moob gets so good that she doesn't want it to end, but after a few minutes, her expression gets a little concerned. "Lucien... did you listen to that?"
"What?" He asks back, but then Saria pouts, and he quickly apologizes. "Oh, you mean that… I'd be lying if I said I didn't listen."
Saria sighs. "I'm sorry for my mother being so skeptical about your intentions... and even hostile sometimes."
"That's not your fault." Lucien smiles gently at her. "And it's not your mother's fault either; she's doing what she thinks is best for you and your people."
"I guess so..." Saria also smiles back at him; that is becoming more common than she may notice.
A few minutes more go by in silence before Lucien laughs. "Yet, I'm surprised you think so highly of me."
She can't contain the expectant sparkle in her eyes. "I don't think so highly of you, but… I like to think wonderful things can happen."
Lucien feels his heart grow incredibly warmer as he enjoys that beautiful expression on Saria's perfect face. "You are wonderful!"
"..." She blushes but keeps smiling.
"You know, I really want to be able to do all the good things you think to be possible..." He comments. "And one thing that motivates me a lot is being able to see your beautiful smile the day you realize how right you are..."
The Mermaid Princess's eyes sparkle like the most beautiful blue pearls in the universe. She envisions a bright future for her race with him, and he imagines a fantastic future by having her by his side.
