Bella was awake. Yet she wasn't.
She stood in a place that was not ice, not snow, not her domain.
It was water.
Endless water, simmering softly under a pale blue sky.
She realized she was not seeing through her own eyes.
She was watching through another perspective.
Aegis stood at the edge of the Sea God's Palace balcony, far weaker than she had ever seen him last time.
His shoulders still bore stiffness, as if he had not yet grown accustomed to his power yet.
Naida stood beside him obediently.
Not as a towering guardian. Not as a warrior.
Just Naida.
She leaned on the railing, her long silver hair drifting like silk in the sea breeze. Her fish like tail lazily swaying in the water below.
"You're thinking too hard again, your grace," she said lightly.
Aegis didn't answer at first.
"I don't want this place to be just strong," he finally said. "I want it to be alive. A home. Not another battlefield."
Naida turned to him, with eyes shining.
