Ran, seeing he was caught, was not nearly as embarrassed as a normal person would be. He just slowly pulled his fingers out of Grannys nostrils, not without giving it a little tickle first of course.
With his fingers away from her face, Granny finally spoke:
"Child?"
"Yes?"
"Why are you here?" Her face was calm and serene, like a wise old lady. She showed no annoyance towards Rans little prank, even though she didn't like direct contact with other people.
Ran was surprised by her question. Why was he here? After merging with his Koi bloodline, he just started popping up here every now and again; there was no rhyme or reason - it just happens when it happens.
"Why am I here?" He voiced his question, not really expecting an answer.
But Granny ended up surprising him again by answering his own question:
"Child, are you alright? Isn't it simple why you're here? It's obvious, it's the result of you being a fish!"
She spoke with a certain rhythm and even a tinge of pride echoed from her voice.
"Hmm…" Ran couldn't help but think of the fish he had eaten just a few hours ago. Some pride even swelled from within him when he thought that he could be as delicious as that fish. Too bad, no animal, living or dead, will be able to taste this fish!
However, Granny mistook his face of contemplation as one of confusion.
"Child… don't you know where you are?"
"Where I am?" Ran had not even considered that once. Once he was thrown into this world, he simply went along with it. There was no point in questioning anything as long as he made it out okay, plus he basically had no one to ask other than Granny herself.
"This…" Granny was sent reeling. Even outsiders such as Ran knew what place this is and its significance. But he didn't? Indeed, he was just a little fingerling that had only lived for a few months (um… what?).
"Listen well, child, where you are now is the one-" she cut herself off to make sure Ran was paying attention.
"The only-" she cut herself off again, this time purely for dramatic effect.
"Pispatria! Our home." Her face then proceeded to burst forth with such a smile that the sharp teeth pressing against each other created a zigzag pattern across her mouth. Her scaly arms reached out in front of her as she did a little jig; she was apparently… happy? Is this the almighty power of nationalism!?
And while she tells others to call her "Granny", and indeed she was older than a lot of people, she appeared to be in the prime of her life.
In the end, Ran had easily caught her vibes and was jiving with her for little more than a single minute, though it seemed that she was in her world as she ignored Ran for the rest of the time. Probably because Ran didn't know how to dance underwater.
After they did whatever it was that they were doing, Granny spoke, "now, do you understand?"
"I… suppose." Ran didn't think he was stupid, but he didn't suppose he was smart either. Although, he clearly remembers being terrifyingly intelligent as a child. As he grew up however, his character shifted greatly until it became what it is today. At least, he considered being able to walk, talk, and read all within one month of being born as terrifying.
However, now that she was here, he wouldn't let her slip away without revealing anything.
"Um…"
"Hmm?"
Ran thought for a moment before saying, "do you know how to get to the third zone?" He wondered if he could find more friends there; so far, the only person he could talk to was Granny, and until he wakes up, he could only sit here and do nothing.
"Pfft!" Granny almost laughed at his face from his question. "Child, are you looking to die? Or perhaps be eaten?"
"The second zone is too dangerous for you, let alone the third." Her once calm face now became… actually it was still calm, but her voice clearly contained an extra air of ferocity.
"Then…" if he wanted to avenge his home, he had to get stronger. And how could it be, just to make new friends, one has to be strong too!? Oh how unfortunate.
"Not to mention your bloodlines family is taken in very harshly by others. Yours in particular isn't even fully awakened; meaning you don't even have the power to prove them right." There was also the strangeness that accompanied it, especially now that it had awakened further a while back.
"Well, you're in luck at least." Her sudden statement had made Rans crystal-like eyes widen. So, there was a way?
Seeing his hopeful face, she had the urge to pinch it, but she refrained from doing so. She gestured to him to follow and the both of them floated to the mouth of the cave.
"Down there." She pointed below her; it turned out that the cave they were in was actually inside a canyon that extended lower into the watery depths.
Ran got closer and stuck his head outside the cave; he looked down and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw.
When he looked down and gazed upon what he saw, he was astounded. The ocean was slowly waving at him!
Okay, you got me, it was what grows on it. It was a big*ss kelp forest! Not only that, these protists extended deeper into the ocean, but from Rans perspective, they were at least a hundred meters tall! That's pretty tall.
And who knows what lives there? Ran doesn't, that's for sure. Not yet at least.
"No, look further." She motioned for Ran to change his position and he was again surprised by what he saw when he looked further outwards.
Far into the forest, quite far actually, a faint brownish-red glow penetrated through the thick fronds of the kelp. Despite being so far that the kelp was but a mere blurry shadow, the glow still made its way to Ran's eyes. It flickered like something had just swept past it, but it still called out to him nonetheless. That's… what he needs.
"Like I said, you're quite lucky. During this time, at the center of the forest, some of the kelp awakens a spiritual nature."
"Then, that's what I need to get stronger?"
Granny looked at him for a moment before nodding, "mhm."
"But… it's still too dangerous for you; that area has been cultivated by their originators, the rockfish tribe, for millennia."
"So… you're saying I have to steal?" Ran suddenly looked at Granny with slight amounts of disgust!
How many times has he said it, and how many times do I have to say it for him, he is a good boy!
Since when was he the type to steal? Never, that's when!
However, someone "mature" like Granny, who was experienced, could only laugh in front of Rans face. "Look, do you want to become stronger or not?"
"Of course," Ran answered with conviction.
"Then you have your answer right there. Nothing in life is going to get handed to you on a silver platter; if you want to become stronger, you do what you have to."
Her emotions and facial expressions were calm the whole time; her words were clear and concise. Even animals that did not speak would have understood what she meant.
But with every word she spoke, Rans face would get paler.
"I… I understand," he said while running his fingers through his free-flowing hair. He was clearly unnerved by having to make such a dirty and uncontrollable decision; now his hands are gonna get stained by the blood of greed and he'll never be able to wash them off!
Yet, after a few seconds, he calmed himself down and tried to clarify his doubts. "But if it's still too dangerous, how am I going to… 'borrow' their 'crops'?"
"That, child, is what this is for," and again, a horrid aura swallowed the whole cave in its presence for a moment. The next moment however, it disappeared entirely as Grannys body shined dimly. It didn't even get to alert Ran before it vanished.
Small amounts of black soul juice oozed out of her every pore before it covered her entirely. At which point, it completely lost its color. Then, Granny approached the wall before reaching out toward it with her hand.
When her scaly and slender fingers grasped upon the hard surface of the cave, the colorless juice surrounding her suddenly reacted! It jiggled for a bit like it was waving around before Granny just up and disappeared!