Every single person in Yhen lived every day while carrying a sliver of Phloria with themselves and they did it with pride. The realization made Orion’s eyes add more water to the ocean and through the communion of the song, he knew that he wasn’t alone.
Lith, Solus, Rem, and everyone else were honoring those they had loved and lost, shedding tears of grief and joy. Death was unavoidable and unstoppable but so was life.
‘Grief didn’t stop them.’ Orion thought. ‘The merfolk kept moving on with their lives because it’s the only way to give death meaning. Something that I’ve learned today and that I can only hope I’ll be able to pass on to Jirni.’
The song stopped and Orion became blind again. Without the resonance from the living spiral and Solus’ tenth sense, everything had gone dark. He broke the chain, keeping solely Mal’s hand while paddling toward the Sea Stone.
The merfolk understood his intention and guided Orion toward Phloria’s statue. He used his free hand to caress the features of the stone figure and even through its rough surface he could still recognize his daughter’s face.
Orion brought his forehead against hers, stopping for a moment before signaling Mal that he was done.
Or at least, that was Orion’s intention.
The merfolk had no military background so he interpreted the sharp gestures of the coded language as a call for help.
‘Calm down, I’m getting you more air.’ Mal said as other merfolk put their hands on Orion and provided him with an extra flow of oxygen.
Lith couldn’t help since Sonar wasn’t precise enough in its readings and he had no idea what was happening. Only Solus could see and decipher the gestures, urging her host to bring her close to Orion so that he could speak via the mind link.
‘Thank you very much. The Ernas Household will forever be grateful to you for honoring one of our own.’ He said. ‘I have no words to express the beauty of your city or the feelings that visiting it inspired in me.’
‘Don’t mention it.’ Rem replied. ‘We are glad that your brief stay has been meaningful for you as much as for us. You are a good man, Orion Ernas.’
He blinked in surprise for a couple of seconds, wondering if the merfolk had learned something about him through the communion or if those were just formal words.
‘If it’s not a bother and if there’s enough time left, I would like for my daughters to visit Yhen as well.’
‘It would be our honor.’ Rem replied.
Reaching the surface required regular stops to decompress and keep the humans from suffering embolism. The first mouthful of fresh air felt amazing and despite the strong feelings that still stirred his heart, Orion was delighted to regain his senses.
Lith entrusted to one of the merfolk a Home Stone and warned her to keep it above the water’s surface. Then he triggered the other one he had left at the campsite and they reached it in an instant.
There were less than two hours left but thanks to Dimensional Magic and without all the care that bringing a fake mage required, the second trip required much less time.
Solus accompanied Friya and Quylla, allowing them to see the monument and truly appreciate the unsettling beauty of the deep. Upon their return, their bodies were drenched by the ocean and their eyes watery with tears.
They needed a bit of time to compose themselves while their father discussed with the merfolk.
“My people are planning their return to the surface and we would like to have a settlement in Garlen. Someplace near Magus Verhen’s house, if possible.” Rem said.
“I can help you with that and vouch for you if necessary but there’s an unsurmountable problem with your plan.” Orion replied after offering everyone a cup of hot tea to shake off the cold of the sea from their bodies.
“What problem? If it’s a matter of trust we are willing to-”
“Not that.” Lith cut her short and conjured a hologram of the Lustria County. “I live on the mainland. Hundreds of kilometers away from the nearest shore.”
“Me too.” Orion gestured for Quylla to do the same for the Ernas Arch Duchy. “I can help you with the paperwork and smooth the diplomatic issues, but if you come to Garlen, you’ll have to deal with the local lords, not us.”
“This won’t do.” Rem sighed, shaking her head. “Humans have a good reason to not trust merfolk but the opposite is also true. Tensions and conflicts have to be expected but having a figure trusted by both parties would make things much easier.
“I requested Magus Verhen’s territory because we know him and we have heard from the advanced scouts how open-minded he is. He treats beasts as peers and has befriended monsters, undead, and even elves.
“If he has overcome the struggle of dealing with the main instigator of the War of the Races, helping the merfolk should be a breeze for him.”
“And maybe it is.” Lith nodded. “You see, I’m an honorary citizen of the Blood Desert and I have a beach house there. Have you considered starting a colony there?”
“The Desert?” Rem squinted her eyes. “Isn’t it dry and unhospitable?”
“For the most part, yes. On the other hand, bureaucracy and diplomacy are not going to be an issue since the law of the Overlord is absolute. If you get a deal with her, there won’t be any petty feudal lord bothering you or acts of sabotage from the locals.
“They might not like you at first just like the people of the Kingdom, but they won’t dare defy the Overlord.”
“It sounds interesting, but you are Supreme Magus of the Kingdom and just an honorary citizen of the Desert.” Rem replied. “I doubt you have the authority to even get us an audience with the Overlord.”
Her words were met with several coughs of suppressed hilarity that offended the merfolk quite a bit.
“I don’t think so.” Lith shrugged. “Grandma, can you come here, please?”
“Yes, dear?” A stunning woman in her mid-twenties with waist-long raven hair and emerald eyes said.
She was holding in the crook of her arm what looked like a Dragon whelp covered in black scales and with flaming red feathered wings coming out of his back. The whelp was the size of a human baby and from time to time he shapeshifted into one.
“Grandma?” Ren was shocked by her youthful appearance for a second, then she remembered about the Awakened’s longevity and everything made sense.
“Rem, this is Overlord Salaark of the Desert. Overlord Salaark, this is Rem the merfolk of the underwater twin cities of Yhen and Zhen. She would like to discuss with you the terms to establish a merfolk settlement along the Desert’s coast.”
“Sha!” The whelp cried in outrage, emitting a burst of bright red Origin Flames aimed at Lith.
“My bad.” Lith chuckled. “This is my Uncle Shargein, son of the Overlord.”
The whelp emitted a low prideful grumble, thick puffs of black smoke coming out of his nostrils while his yellow eyes shone like embers.
