"Status. Check."
After the voice was uttered, purple runes expanded like a balloon, revealing all the intricacies of the device and even its blueprints.
Dotted lines and the like were situated on the plans, going so far as even to point out the tiniest markings.
The man who wore a purple scuba suit clenched his dark gloves and gripped the wheel of the contraption, pivoting the vehicle. A hushed masculine voice asked as its visor peered straight through the sea.
"Alas, the great analyst has calculated its target. Primrose, the carrier of the Potion Spell from none other than her mother, has reached oceanic depths. Prepare sending call to master, (redacted)
"You have done well, my servant. Done well indeed." A feminine voice, as deep as a whale, answered the scuba diver's analysis. "Shall you come face to face with a white-haired boy, do not tamper. He is not part of this investigation."
"Indeed, master (redacted). I shall use the submerged cities' ruins to serve as a weaponized labyrinth. From there, our delicate Primrose can grant the power to tear the heavens asunder and finally reveal the civilization hidden in the clouds."
"You are thinking too far..." She closed her lips.
Only her hair, dark as midnight, was seen in a very advanced hologram. Technology that did not belong in the world.
For what purpose, and how could they develop such functions not only to breach reality, but also to communicate when not there?
Nonetheless, with a hasty tone, the mysterious woman demanded.
"Proceed. We must find The Prism's influence here."
"Understood, your majesty." The dark scuba diver spoke as it closed the hatch of the underwater vehicle, closing the hologram. "Whatever it takes."
. . .
(On the other side of the sea.)
(30 minutes after Asahi's awakening.)
"Why did you two sell the armor? Are you serious? Not one person is willing to join?" Asahi, who had looked frustrated, tried his best to persuade merfolk to join the team. But he had no armor, so he had to swim his way through.
Regardless, he had failed.
No mermaid or man, for that matter, would want to go far from their safest haven, into the submerged city near Astait's cold waters.
So, Asahi chose Brooke and Coral to join his team.
Currently, they were weaponless, so Asahi redirected his plans and decided to go down the city's depths and converse with other merfolk there.
"Would it be possible to go to the shop?"
"Shop?" The mermaid sounded confused. "What shop?"
After a deep, underwater breath, Asahi stomped his feet on the ground and muttered.
"If you admit you sold the armor, you could at least tell us—
"Why should I give you intel about that? I sold it to a random stranger."
"For how much?" Asahi asked, confused and a little bit infuriated.
After taking a deep breath, Brooke's golden eyes drifted over to Asahi's back. Thoughts started to arise in Brooke's mind, trying desperately to recollect.
"They didn't look like a mermaid," Brooke said, twiddling her thumbs. "And they didn't look like a creature, either. They looked purely human, wearing black scuba suits with two stars perched on their collars."
Now, coming to think of it, Asahi COULD recollect seeing five stars perched on the collar of The Collector.
Could this mean that there were other subordinates of that same faction? If that's the case, that would explain the several devices perched all over the gargantuan Coral Cities. Purple and ominous. Dark and conspicuous.
It seemed to have siphoned the very air from the underwater volcanoes, allowing them to breathe underwater as much as they want. Asahi, trying to flail his arms and legs, stepped downward the street into the street lights, far at the border of the city.
Vibrant hues of green and blue whisked themselves into the deep blue depths, confusing and rousing up merfolk alike. Coral seemed to have climbed the rocky spires, consuming all known algae.
While Asahi watched and wandered through the giant city of sea creatures, Brooke gave her explanation of the town.
"What you see right here is the hub of all merfolk alike in these waters."
The tone in her voice did not stray far from normal, giving off a presentation vibe.
"Not that long ago, a demi-ruler once saw a city above the waters and chose to submerge so that he and his mermaid lover could live happily under the waves. All he sacrificed was his life up in the skies, his fortune and values, and everything he knew, all of it so he could live happily with his water-crossed lover."
"Basically, what Brooke is trying to say is that the Founder of The City turned everyone he knew into merfolk and sank the entire city just so that he could live with his lover."
Asahi scratched his head, trying to imagine the scenario in his head. The sheer idea of a human becoming a humanoid swimming creature called merfolk, indeed, bit him.
No one that crazy would prefer to live beneath the waves than on dry land. But this scenario was different. With curiosity arising, Asahi asked.
"So, what happened afterward?"
As Asahi clung to the railing, watching as merfolk alike swam along the roads, into doorways and houses, Brooke swam near Asahi and answered.
"He... unfortunately passed away, and had five children that would soon grow up as princes and princesses of the underwater Kingdom."
Asahi's eyes bulged in surprise.
"Really?"
After careful consideration and walking down the staircases, Asahi reached a beautiful fountain plaza with merfolk and creatures gathered. From there rested five currents that took merfolk through from city to city.
Now that Asahi thought of it,
"How exactly did we arrive here?"
Quickly, Brooke and Coral went silent at his question.
"Wait, you don't believe us?"
"No. Not at all. It's just..."
"If you want the complete answer, just say so." Brooke clicked her teeth. "We escaped The Collector via a sea current that took us from the Ancient City to Coral City, where we are. If you ever want to return to the ruined city, please choose the right current. Some take you all to the other side of the sea. I believe we are far between..."
Asahi slowly lost focus the more Brooke explained. It now became clear to Asahi that no merfolk could construct such a city. Humans made it. But now, after hearing the explanation, it made sense why the sea creatures sought refuge here.
"I suppose they just want a home to reside in," Asahi mumbled as he stepped away from the current. "But I am not ready to leave. I still have questions. Like where my armor went, and who The Collector really is."
"Then you are in the right spot!" Brooke exclaimed with a hint of enthusiasm, ignoring the many wandering merfolk bouncing from one corner of the city to the next. "I think I can show you where we sold the armor, too."
"So you DO know!?" Asahi exclaimed with a peachy face.
. . .
Later that same hour, Asahi, Brooke, and Coral wandered every street until they reached the epicenter of Coral City. The place was usually vivacious, but on this note, not so much. The shadows of the watery ceiling barely scraped the walls, rippling as boats moved back and forth. Where could it be that the current, Brooke, and Coral took Asahi?
After several questions reverberated in his head, Asahi demanded an answer.
"So are we getting close?"
Brooke pushed her silky blonde hair to the side, swimming down to the deepest part of the city. Ruined remains and a few merfolk resided here. Sunlight just barely came within their reach, lathered in shadow.
"I believe this is the place where we traded the scuba diver in."
Asahi swam back, then forth. Nothing. No one. Inverted structures embedded at the ocean floor, with windows blocking the sunlight. Not a single person was here. Why was that?
Before he could grab an answer, Brooke expressed her frustration.
"I could have sworn there was this mini submarine. Where did it go?"
"Mini-Submarine?" Asahi mumbled beneath his icy breath. "What do you mean?"
Coral swam by, shaking her head and crossing her arms.
"This place gives me the creeps. It's where we met the weirdly hospitable man before."
"So you DID trade with him."
"Yes, but..." Brooke tried to silence Coral, "He had such a strange voice. Distorted even."
Asahi couldn't help but bottle up his anger. Not only had he taken—
"Wait... where's my sword?" Asahi's gray eyes widened suddenly. "Did you two sell my Sword of Eventide as well?"
Both kept their mouths sealed. That, along with the other quirky moments, quickly sparked a commotion, creating a sense of urgency in the boy. Asahi grabbed the mermaid by the shoulder, squinting his eyes in visible rage, her face flushing red and pale.
"What did you do with my sword? I'm okay with losing the armor, but my Sword? That is my pride and joy; My custom makeshift weapon, destined to kill monsters. It took decades of blood, sweat, and tears to forge that weapon. And now you two are telling me, YOU sold it? How am I supposed to get the Collector without a weapon? How am I supposed to save Primrose without that sword?"
. . .
Both Brooke and Coral looked down in a fit of guilt, Asahi pushing them away as he took another step down the blue depths.
"If you won't answer, then I'll go down there myself. Why did you sell it?"
"No, wait..." After Asahi's misfit rage, Brooke couldn't bottle up her emotions any longer. Before he went berserk, Brooke revealed.
"We did it so we can..."
Asahi squinted his eyes, waiting for a proper apology.
"...so we can feed our family."
. . .
Asahi couldn't tell if that was a lie. But he squinted further, expecting more to come up from the mermaid's lips.
"And...?"
At that moment, Brooke erupted in a lengthy apology.
"Please, we're sorry. Very sorry. We just didn't have enough food, and there were too many mouths to feed. The city needed a savior, so we saved you since you had legs. We're very, very sorry about what we did. Can we make amends? Can we start over and help you find your weapon? Our demi ruler is long gone... and...a...and."
Silence erupted afterward.
Seconds passed, and Asahi took that time to reconsider.
Deep down, he respected Brooke's honesty. To exclaim and humiliate yourself to receive forgiveness reminded Asahi of when he was like that, desperate to change his fate.
And knowing they were only trying to save their family's lives reminded Asahi of the time when he had taken desperate measures like this.
"You know what..." Asahi shook his head and changed his expression, shrugging the past off and stepping forward. "You remind me of when I was desperate."
Brooke and Coral remained silent. Asahi continued.
"You may be desperate, but at least you were honest. If my sister were here, she could tell if you were lying. But deep down in my heart, I know that what you two meant is the truth only. So, let's make a deal. If we can get my sword back, with your help, I'll help divide the profit, and I can find a way to feed. And other matters too."
Instead of a frown, Asahi put up a smile of forgiveness and exclaimed as the sun from above lightly scraped the dark surface of the city's ruins.
"Do we have a deal?"
"There," Coral said, seeing a purple light shine on the rocky walls. Asahi quickly looked in the direction Coral was pointing. "Something is right there!"