Chapter 17: The Sea Dragon Emperor

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A tsunami!

It struck out of absolutely nowhere.

A crack tore open in the sky in the blink of an eye, my father was too late to sense it in time.

From that rift poured an endless surge of azure light, followed by water crashing down uncontrollably like a tidal wave.

It was seawater, roaring straight toward us while a colossal silhouette rose amid the deluge.

The creature was enormous, resembling a plesiosaur but vastly larger, with powerful limbs and a serpentine neck. It radiated supreme divinity that overshadowed everything and everyone else, much like Surtr. It seemed to be a figure on par with my great-grandfather.

Two sea serpents accompanied it, swimming at its sides, along with… a gigantic black squid exuding void and darkness.

What the hell is this?!

Are we under attack?!

“Are these Nightmares?!” I cried.

“No…” my father sighed, raising his hand.

FLASH!

A barrier instantly enveloped the entire event, blocking the downpour. Water splashed outward across the grasslands below, soaking them and the forest.

The excess cascaded off the floating island onto the unfortunate citizens beneath, I could only hope it didn’t cause a catastrophe.

As the water receded, the crack in the sky sealed shut. Four titanic figures revealed themselves, hovering above the sea that still rippled beneath them.

“Well, here we are! Is this where the party’s at?!”

A loud, booming voice rang out from the largest of them—a deep, manly tone filled with effortless power.

“Sea Dragon Emperor, Triton, right?” my father asked. “Long time no see… Did you really have to make such a dramatic entrance?!”

“What?! Oh! Louis! There you are!” Triton laughed heartily. “What entrance? We just arrived!”

“…? Did you have to dump an ocean’s worth of seawater on us?!” my mother snapped angrily. “You nearly drowned everyone!”

“Oh…” Triton muttered, glancing back at the giant black squid and the two sea serpents. “My bad. We came through the sea… maybe a little spilled out. Ha… Hahahaha! But it’s kind of funny, right?”

“It’s not funny…” my father sighed, shaking his head as the barrier dissolved.

“Honey, I think we messed up,” the black squid sighed beside him.

“Ah, did we?!” Triton gasped. “A-Ahem! Anyway, sorry about that. Let’s shrink down—looks like this party’s for human-sized folks.”

The giants burst into divine light one after another, shrinking into humanoid forms.

The black squid became a stunning Scylla woman with long black tentacles for hair and lower limbs. She had pale skin, glowing red eyes, and a third purple-red eye on her forehead. She wore an elegant black-and-red dress.

Triton himself transformed into a tall, imposing merman with pale blue skin, fins along his neck, and azure scales accenting his body. He had a handsome, strong face, long white hair, a lean yet powerful frame, a long dragon-like tail without wings, and coral-shaped blue horns rising from his forehead.

The two sea serpents, one adult, one child, shifted into forms that blended traits of both “parents”: pale blue skin, tentacle-like hair in black or azure, gleaming golden eyes, a third red eye, and slender yet strong builds decorated with scales.

They were an astonishing fusion of features!

So the Sea Dragon Emperor’s wife was a Scylla, an octopus- or squid-like woman… or something even more unique. Either way, she radiated the aura of a goddess, clearly a formidable being.

Triton had a son, the taller, stronger of the two sea-serpent figures, and a daughter, the smaller girl.

Another figure emerged beside them: a beautiful mermaid woman with legs alongside a thick, fish-like tail. She had long, flowing pink hair, striking blue eyes, and coral-like horns despite not being a dragon.

She exuded an aura of mystery; she was no ordinary being. Was she Triton’s daughter-in-law?

Their daughter was adorable: long pink tentacle-hair, an azure-and-pink sea-serpent tail, and pale blue skin. She appeared three or four years older than me and had clearly already achieved her dragon form, as we had just witnessed.

“Sorry for the commotion,” Triton apologized as he approached, carrying the unmistakable scent of the ocean with him.

“Don’t worry about it,” my father said, shaking his hand. “I was half expecting something like this after the last three times you pulled a similar stunt.”

“Hello Triton, Eleanor!” my mother greeted them warmly, waving. “Oh, you brought the whole family! Aquarius and…”

Aquarius, Triton’s son, replied in a calm, measured voice. “This is my wife, Coral Rose, daughter of the previous Mermaid Princess of our kingdom. And this is our little girl, Salacia.”

“Hiiii!!!” Salacia waved her tentacles enthusiastically at me. “OMG! Are you little Elizabeth?! You’re so tiny!”

“Hi!” I waved back as she rushed over and began patting my head with her tentacles.

“Ugh, please don’t…” I muttered.

“O-Oh, sorry…” she said, suddenly shy. “I just get excited when I see a new friend.”

Huh. I guess she’s already decided we’re friends.

Not that I mind.

“Nice to see your girl’s safe and healthy!” Triton said. “I heard she got into some trouble a couple of years ago. Is she alright now?”

“Yeah, we handled it ourselves—don’t worry,” my father replied with a nod.

“Thank you for your concern,” my mother added. “Anyway, yes, this is our baby girl, and…”

“Oh! You’re expecting, Mirai?” Eleanor asked, stepping forward. “I’m so happy for you. I hope it’s a healthy child.”

“Thank you for your blessings, Eleanor,” my mother said with a gentle smile.

“She’s indeed a very beautiful girl,” Eleanor continued. “Hello, Elizabeth. How are you?”

“Fine…” I yawned, already tired of being asked that question repeatedly.

“Haha, she’s already yawning. I guess this is pretty boring for a kid,” Aquarius chuckled.

“Fufu, coming to the surface from time to time is nice, though,” his wife said, glancing around curiously.

“Are you usually underwater?” I asked, gently pushing Salacia’s tentacles away from my face—though the little girl never quite stopped.

“The Aquarius Archipelago sank a few thousand years ago due to a tremor,” Triton explained. “But most inhabitants were already mermen capable of breathing underwater, so we built an underwater kingdom called the Sea Kingdom of Aquarius. It was named after my father, and I passed the name to my son, the current king, while I mostly oversee the oceans of Yggdrasil.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Ooohh!” I nodded. “And what do you do, Salacia?”

“Me? I goof around, hunt beasties, and… hmmm, I like going to the surface to buy shiny things and nice clothes!” she said brightly. “Earth looks super fun! Can we stay here for a while, Daddy?”

“Hmm, we’ll think about it,” Aquarius replied. “Mostly depends on whether your grandpa wants to stay or not.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you stayed, Salacia,” I said. “As long as you stop using your tentacles on me…”

“S-Sorry! Hehehe,” she giggled, bubbles escaping her mouth and making a funny popping sound.

“Hmm, maybe,” Triton mused. “I haven’t tested the seas of this world yet. I’d like to see if they’re safe or full of danger.”

“I would appreciate that,” my father said. “Oh, also—Surtr is staying. My daughter seems compatible with the Origin Flames and absorbed them, so he’ll test her. If she passes, he and his family will tutor her in fire magic.”

“W-Wait, what?” Triton suddenly tensed. “That bastard Surtr already…! Ah, fine…! Um, Elizabeth, what do you think? Can you wield this too?”

He opened his large palm, revealing spiraling azure-and-gold seawater that pulsed with spiritual energy and soul essence.

“Wow, what’s that?!” I asked in awe.

“This is Spirit Soul Sea Water,” he explained. “It was born from my own special Spiritual Soul Physique. Over the years it has spread through the oceans, creating special areas known as Spiritual Soul Seas, realms filled with treasures and dangers. It’s equivalent to the Origin Flames, capable of things you wouldn’t expect from water, like breathing life into things.”

“Oh…!” I extended my hand eagerly. “Okay, Uncle, let me check it out!”

“C-Check it out?” He raised an eyebrow, then laughed. “Hahaha! This one’s a funny kid! Alright, girl, go ahead.”

He let me touch the water. I activated Harmony… and nothing happened.

Wait, it doesn’t react?

Guess this one isn’t for me then.

Or…

Chaos?

FLUOSH!

Chaos absorbed the azure-gold water instead, for some reason. I had thought Chaos only took in evil, cursed, or shadow elements, but apparently this counted as chaotic too.

Whatever the case, the Spirit Soul Sea Water flowed through my body. I felt refreshed and cold, as though I were swimming in a crisp, invigorating ocean.

“Wow…”

My eyes briefly glowed bright blue, I caught the light in my reflection. I smiled and nodded, channeling it. The water emerged again… but dark, like miasma, and unmistakably sinister.

“S-Sorry!” I panicked. “I could absorb it, but it came out black…”