"T-they're sirens!!"
"So what now?" Aspen looked around at everyone nervously. "Are, are we going to kill them?"
"That..." Kin patted his shoulder and grinned. "...is illegal."
As everyone stared at him, he made his way to the boat's railing and sat on it with his legs and arms crossed.
"We are forbidden to kill any of the ten races, that is to respect the alliance that took place a million of years ago." He said with a smile.
"But we kill our fellow races and dragons though, and even spirits." Aster told him bluntly.
Kin glanced at him and chuckled. "I suppose you're right but these sirens are a different thing." He said. "Unlike for dragons and spirits, we don't know how big their population is. For all we know, all these sirens that are here now are the only ones existing. If we were to annihilate them now, we might risk causing their extinction. If that were to happen then it wouldn't be the ten races anymore, wouldn't it?"
Everyone fell silent. After all, Kin was right. The one that's forbidden wasn't to kill the any of the other races, but it is to destroy the other races from existence.
"Wow, for once you actually sounded like a prince of the Sacred realm." Lux chuckled.
Kin knew that Lux was making fun of him, but he merely beamed at him and sighed. "It's really exhausting to always act like a Sacred royal every time you know."
"Oh Kin, you're just lazy." Zakia told him.
Kin didn't pay heed to them anymore and placed his attention back at the Sirens that are still looking at them.
"We mean no harm to you, so if you please let us leave and continue our journey, we promise we won't hurt you."
"There the ones who lured us here though." Someone mumbled behind him, but he kept his attention towards the sirens who seemed to regard him for a moment.
Then all of a sudden, Kira jumped off the ship and took everyone by surprise.
She floated in the air and her barefooted feet was just barely off the water's surface. As the gentle wind touched her cheek and blew her silky long hair, she smiled at them gracefully with her hands on her back, giving all that looked at her a cute impression.
Kishi jumped off the boat as well and floated behind his dear sister, wrapping his arms on her shoulders, he told her.
"Dear sister, you're always so friendly towards the other races."
"Isn't that a good thing?" She asked him enthusiastically. "and besides, you don't mind either way Nii-chan."
She turned towards the sirens and grinned. "Nice to meet you, we are Kishi and Kira rulers of one of the human empires, may we ask what you wish from us?"
The Sirens continued to stare at them until one of them spoke. "You...you are the cursed twins, aren't you?"
The two of them were astonished and looked at each other. Kishi was about to speak in reply, but Umi suddenly landed on the water beside of them.
Unlike the twins however, she did not float on the air but rather, she floated on the surface of the water. As her foot landed on the water before the other, there was no splashes but ripples of water were formed. She did not sink and got wet like it normally would, and in fact, she was stepping on it like it was hard land.
"U-Umi!?" Her elder brother Aqua called out to her.
"Don't worry Aqua, I'm gonna be fine." She reassured him and looked at the sirens. "Besides...I just want to speak with these mermaids, I heard that they're sea guardians. Is that true?" she asked.
The Sirens were baffled but they maintained their guard. It seems that they got themselves cornered by these troublesome humans. They can also detect that these childish looking mages are very powerful. They must be vigilant.
Umi was excited to meet these water creatures, but they don't really look as much as she imagined.
They look somewhat creepy and their skin was covered in scales, not just their tails. Their ears are like fins and their eyes were scary. She was also sure that they have pointy teeth if they opened their mouths.
They look vile but she knew she cannot judge them by their appearances. Based on the legends -- although no humans can prove this yet -- it is said that sirens have two appearances, but they only show the second one to those that they loved or those that they trust. Their vile appearance was for their self-protection and nothing more.
Seeing that they have no reply, she asked them with a different question, afraid that she might have sounded like prying into their business.
"What do you want from us? Why did you bring us here?"
Once again, they did not reply. Getting impatient, Umi was ready to risk herself getting wet and dive down. However, a voice had stopped her from doing so.
"For humans that you are, what makes you so interested in our kind?"
Everyone including the sirens shifted their attention to where the voice came from. A beautiful lady rose from the water.
Unlike the other sirens, she looked human like, but with a tail. A circlet was on her crimson-brown hair and her eyes were green. She was beautiful, but not the cute type like the children, but a more mature type.
The other sirens bowed at her and their forms gradually changed. They became beautiful ladies, and completely astonished everyone.
"I 'am Guinevere the queen of the sirens, ruler of the sea." She proclaimed.
"Oh, umm....it was such a great honor to--"
"Nevie!"
"What?!"
Everyone was astonished and stared at Kira. She cheerfully smiled and giggled in delight.
"I'll call you Nevie, isn't that cute?"
Everyone was completely taken aback by her bold action. Even the queen herself took some time to recover, and when she did so, she chuckled.
"Oh, yes, of course!" Guinevere laughed.
The other sirens were awestruck. They did not expect their queen to accept this little girl's words so lightly. "M-my queen?!"
"Fear not, they mean us no harm." Guinevere told them, but the other sirens just shut their mouths, yet still eyed the children with suspicion. "...and besides...for an imperial princess such as you; a human with the highest authority, you are gathering the ten races. May it be a spirit, a dragon, or an elf, their scent surrounds you. Though I 'am fully aware that you are human."
To the others what she said doesn't make even the slightest sense. For the other sirens, the twins reek the smell of the curses. They cannot find the scent of the other races in them, but they didn't speak their thoughts aloud, for they cannot disobey their queen.
Guinevere smiled as she continued. "We the sirens don't also mean any harm. I 'am afraid that all this is a mere misunderstanding. We just happened to get the wrong ship."
"You said you got the wrong ship," Umi asked, fiddling her fingers. "then if you got it right, are you gonna kill them?"
The queen considered her for a moment before she replied. "Little girl, you should know well that there are things better left unknown."
Umi lowered her head when the queen didn't answer her, but she brightened up almost instantly and asked her.
"So, are you really the sea guardians? I mean, you can call upon storms, bend the tides and you rule the sea." She stated excitedly. "so, is it true?"
Guinevere smiled at her. "You humans sure are interesting. You don't fear us, but rather you are curious. But of course, we are guardians. But I shall warn you, curiosity comes with risk. You should also learn to fear things. After all, no matter how powerful you are, there will always be someone stronger than you."
"Can we be friends then?" Kira asked her.
"Of course." Guinevere beamed at her and dove down to the bottom of the ocean, and the other sirens followed her.
"Your majesty, they are the cursed twins. Those cursed children are at our lair, how can you just let them go like that? And even pledge your friendship? Why?"
She just swam deeper and did not look at the siren who asked her. "What do you suppose I should've done? Kill them?" She asked but all remained silent. "Whatever happens to those children are not in our hands, but our job is to merely protect the oceans. Moreover, those humans might be so young, but they are also rulers. We must not severe our alliance with them, even if we must take some risks."