(POV Dorcha)
I'd never gone this deep on any of my missions before.
From the surface, you'd never guess.
But down here… it's a completely different world.
Beautiful.
And yet—something about it unsettles me.
(POV Grogher)
Yeah, it's nice down herrre.
But I don't feel good about it.
The silence is so strrrange.
All you can hear are muffled sounds… bubbles chasing one another thrrrough the dark.
Bah!
I never liked swimming to begin with— and the idea of turrrning into some kind of fish?
No, thank you.
(POV Aileen)
The underwater world feels almost enchanted.
I remember the first time I came here…
dear Adalberto, always ready to help me.
Look at Raertha and the others—
they're having so much fun.
It's like they're about to dive straight down, racing each other.
"Stay exactly where you are. All three of you. Do not move."
Adalberto's voice cuts through the water, sharp and commanding.
I've never heard him sound like that before.
He's tense. Nervous.
I can't help thinking this is my fault.
But without him… without someone to guide us—
how could we ever have managed on our own?
(POV Dorcha)
We keep descending… deeper and deeper.
The light fades until I can barely see anything at all.
Adalberto veers toward a rocky wall, slipping into a narrow opening.
Are we already there?
"Hold on. I'm going straight down now."
In—
By the storm-shattered rocks!
I almost lose my grip.
Aileen clutches onto me, tight.
This is nothing like "going straight down."
It's pitch black, it's taking forever, and it feels like we're sinking into the very guts of the sea.
(POV Aileen)
It feels like we're entering a forbidden place.
So different from before.
Finally, Adalberto straightens out again.
The water… it's thicker now.
Almost sticky.
A pale mist has been surrounding us for a while—
what's hiding in there?
It feels like something is waiting.
(POV Grogher)
That thing ahead…
it's huge.
Biggerrr than a mountain.
What is that?
And—wait.
What are those two shapes coming towarrrd us?
I tighten my grip on the flail.
Just in case.
(POV Dorcha)
Adalberto comes to a stop before two massive whales.
Judging by the bands wrapped around them, they must be guardians.
"Adalgisa. Rocchino. My respects."
"Adalberto! What a surprise!"
The larger one moves closer, warm and friendly. That must be Rocchino.
"It's been centuries since you last came down here."
The other approaches too, nudging him with its snout.
Strange creatures… strange ways of greeting.
"I don't do things without reason," Adalberto says calmly.
"And now, I have one. I need a favor."
"Anything you wish," Adalgisa replies without hesitation.
"My friends must speak with Queen Selìna and King Nèilos."
The two guardians exchange a glance.
I don't like it. Not one bit.
After a moment, Rocchino turns back to Adalberto.
His voice is firm, his gaze serious—almost threatening.
"Have your friends decided they want to die young?"
…What?
(POV Aileen)
"What do you mean?"
I try to reach out, to sense our cetacean friend—
nothing. Completely unreadable.
I can feel her heart, though.
Slow.
Impenetrable.
"You know very well that the Sovereigns of the Sirens do not welcome outsiders into their realm," Adalgisa says.
"We can let you cross the gate, if you insist. Yes, that much is possible. But no one can promise you'll ever come back."
"But you don't belong to the Siren folk either," Dorcha ventures carefully.
"And yet… you serve them."
By all the clouds—has he lost his mind?
Please don't let them take offense—
Too late.
The whales' eyes flare, blazing.
Rocchino looks seconds away from lunging at him.
Thank the skies we're still standing atop Adalberto.
"Whales serve no one, boy!" he roars.
"We offer our aid where the sea has need of it!"
The other whale moves alongside him.
"And besides, young and reckless knight," she adds, nudging her mate gently with her snout to calm him, "it is different for us, don't you think? We are children of the sea. We have been finned allies since our peoples were born.
We have never brought death. Unlike the world above, which seems quite eager to wipe us out."
This is going badly.
Very badly.
I need to intervene—now.
"You are right. Entirely," I say quickly.
"But this time, we do not bring destruction.
The whole Great Universal Realm is in danger—above and below.
To save it, we need the Sirens' help," I continue,
"and therefore… yours."
I meet their gaze, trying to project a calm I do not feel.
Rocchino lets out a short, scornful laugh.
"Little Clouder girl, even if the Great Universal Realm truly were in danger, as you claim, the Sirens would only act for their own gain.
Do you believe such gain exists?"
I hope so—for your sake.
Otherwise, those who come to eat… will be eaten."
Silence falls.
Heavy. Absolute.
None of us speak.
But we cannot turn back.
We must reach the Sovereigns.
Whatever the cost.
I keep holding his gaze.
And I realize I'm not alone.
Grogher does the same.
Dorcha.
Adalberto.
Even Raertha, Sidae… Hercules.
After a long moment, Adalgisa finally moves.
"Are you truly certain you wish to enter?"
"Yes," we answer together—
Dorcha, Grogher, and I.
"Very well," Adalberto says quietly.
"Adalgisa. Rocchino. I entrust them to you.
Bring them before Their Majesties. After that… your duty is done."
Wait—what?
"Adalberto… you're leaving?" I ask.
His reply catches me off guard.
"Yes, little one. I am not welcome here.
Farewell, child. All of you… good luck."
We slide down from his back.
I reach out, brushing his snout in a quick, grateful caress.
He doesn't return it.
He seems more tense than ever.
Then he turns away—
and ascends toward his part of the ocean.
(POV Dorcha)
And now what are we supposed to do down here without Adalberto?
(POV Grogher)
Guess we follow them.
But can we trrrust them?
Will they really take us to the Sirrrens?
(POV Aileen)
Why didn't he stay?
Everything would have been so much easier…
(POV Dorcha)
"Let's move. My wife will lead. I'll bring up the rear."
We all turn to look at Rocchino at once.
Aileen squeezes my hand.
I nod.
I squeeze back and step in behind Adalgisa—
I want Aileen protected, between me and Grog.
I don't trust this.
The beasts fall in behind us.
They're restless too.
And that's not a good sign.
When we're finally in position, Adalgisa releases a sound.
Sharp.
Rhythmic.
The mist ahead of us peels away like a curtain—
and a gate emerges.
Ancient.
Majestic.
Carved from coral.
It looks… alive.
Iridescent patterns ripple across its surface, inlaid with shells and algae that sway like floating ribbons.
Beams of energy pulse outward—
liquid braids of water and light weaving in every direction, making it seem as vast as the sea itself.
Ingenious.
An invisible, impenetrable boundary—
sealing the Realm of the Deep Abyss away from the rest of the Ocean.
(POV Aileen)
Thank the skies—thanks to Adalberto, we can breathe underwater.
But walking without fins? That's another story.
We're all clumsy at first, awkward and unsteady—
until Sidae, of all beings, starts swimming as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
We're so shaken we barely think.
We just imitate him.
And finally, we manage to follow the female whale.
The path isn't easy—
thick banks of silt, jagged rocks everywhere—
but little by little, we reach the Palace of the Siren Sovereigns.
And it steals my breath.
Its shape is unlike any palace I've ever seen.
On either side rise pyramidal caverns crowned with spired ornaments, like two towering sentinels.
Between them, the main structure soars—
a shell.
A colossal shell.
Slender columns curve upward, reminiscent of harp strings stretched high and strong, or the tapered pipes of an aulos.
Seawater flows through the structure itself, alive—
teeming with fish of every kind.
And everywhere…
vivid, silky seaweeds ripple, blending the palace seamlessly into the ocean floor.
It's strange.
And mesmerizing.
The hollow of the shell must be the entrance.
Two tall, powerful tritons stand guard, armed with long spears.
Their hair is long—jet-black, drifting like shadows in the current.
The moment they notice us, they move forward.
"We're here," Dorcha murmurs.
I look at him and nod.
I let myself get so distracted by the beauty of it all that I almost forgot the mission.
Grogher and Dorcha are visibly tense.
Me? I don't know anymore.
Could a people capable of creating something this beautiful truly be so terrible?
What if it's all rumor?
Stories spread by the Sirens themselves, just to keep intruders away from their peace?
Adalgisa and Rocchino stop, waiting for the guards to reach them.
"Who are these?" one of the tritons asks.
Bubbles spill from his mouth, amplifying the natural echo of his voice.
What a strange effect…
"Friends," Adalgisa replies.
"They are expected by Their Majesties."
The guard and his companion snap to attention.
"Orders received. You are dismissed."
Adalgisa and Rocchino don't even say goodbye.
They simply turn away.
Like they've just dropped off a package at the gate.
As soon as they vanish from sight, the tritons gesture for us to follow.
Well.
I'd say the decisive step has been taken, right?
Now we just need to ask the Sovereigns for the secret—
and then we can leave.
Hmm… let's see…
maybe I'll explain it like this…
(POV Grogher)
The furrrther we go, the less I like it.
Everything in here is lit by a pale blue glow,
cut thrrrough now and then by strrripes of green light.
This isn't a normal place.
I feel magic.
Too much of it.
The silence is thick.
Unrrreal.
(POV Dorcha)
We stop before a massive door, wrought of gold and coral.
The Throne Hall. No doubt about it.
The guards turn toward us.
"Please wait while we announce you to our Sovereigns."
They slip inside through a side passage veiled in seaweed.
Their looks were… off.
There's more than one thing here that I don't like.
I glance at Grogher—
he seems to feel the same.
I look at Aileen—
she looks calm.
Hercules and Raertha have wide, alert eyes.
Sidae flicks his tail, restless.
It's taking forever.
There—
the great doors are opening.
They reveal two compact, parallel rows of soldiers standing at attention.
Between them stands one of the guards from before.
"The Sovereigns of the Deep Abyss are willing to grant you an audience," he announces.
So pompous.
He even strikes his trident against the floor, releasing a storm of huge, colorful bubbles—
yet the sound is strangely muffled.
What's the point of that?
Then he turns his back on us, clearly expecting us to follow.
Aileen squeezes my hand one last time.
Then she lets go.
Her role as Princess has begun.
Trying to look confident…
we step inside.