After a moment Saniel came into view as he walked out from behind the trees, and I soon noticed that Theodius was walking in front of him. May waved, but once Theodius saw me he gasped. He then teleported in front of us and pulled May to her feet and away from me quickly. "CherryMay, shield your eyes! There's a very sexy merman in front of you!"
He said 'eyes' but he covered her boobs as he pulled her away, and she became scared stiff. "Ah!" I sighed and kept my chin resting on my arms as I spoke. "I don't know whether to be flattered or disturbed by that compliment." Theodius's face changed to surprise as he looked at me closer. "Dedrin?! When did you become a mermaid?!"
I gave him an irritated glance. "I thought you were always watching us." Theodius smiled and tilted his head. "You think that I have nothing else to do than to watch you all day? I had some important matters that needed attending to this morning." I rolled my eyes. "Sure." Theodius then let go of May to hand his hand out to me. May fell to the sand as soon as he let go of her chest, and she continued to blush as he didn't pay her any mind. "Now then. Do you have the pearl?"
My face remained emotionless, and I said nothing as I handed Azul's pearl to him. Theodius grasped it and had a smug expression as he closed his eyes. "Oh yeah, there's something I probably should've told you about this test. The pearl has to have an exceptional power level in order for you to pass." I remained still. "I know."
It took a second before he processed what I said and continued. "I hope you're luck helpe- wait, what?" He opened his eyes with a confused face that contained shock as well. I slowly swished my tail in the shallow water as I answered him. "You think I wouldn't have found out?" Theodius's expression stayed the same as he looked at the size of the pearl. "This is the biggest pearl I've ever seen! It definitely surpasses the requirement!"
I was relieved to hear that despite my calm demeanor. "Great. Now can you turn me back into a human and dry both of us off? I'm getting soggy." Theodius made the pearl disappear in his hand so he could place both on his hips. "So I'm the clean-up crew now?" I shrugged. "You're the one who wants us to keep up the pace." He sighed and raised each of his hands toward May and I. "I guess there's no arguing with that."
Suddenly I started to levitate out of the water and glow bright, just like how I did back when I transformed. I felt my anatomy change again, and once the light disappeared I landed on my two feet in the sand. A large gust of strong wind then surrounded us and blew every drop of water from our bodies in just a few seconds.
The wind soon disappeared and I looked down to see that I had my legs again. I was also naked which didn't surprise me. May was standing up now and she quickly covered her eyes with her palm as soon as she noticed. "Ah! Um, your armor is beside you, Dedrin..." I turned to the pile of armor and started to put my clothes back on that had dried off as well from Theodius's gust of wind.
While I dressed, Theodius approached May with a curious expression. "You sure are trying hard to be respectful. If I saw someone I thought was a hottie naked I would do a lot more than peek. I'd probably grope them." I raised an eyebrow as I buckled my belt. "What do you mean by 'probably'?" May uncovered her eyes and turned to him flustered. "What do you mean by 'I thought was a hottie'?! Me and Dedrin are friends! I don't think of him like that!"
Theodius's face fell serious all of a sudden which caught May off guard. He was silent for a moment and I had finished putting my armor back on before he decided to speak. "About that. Why do you call Dedrin your friend? You do know that you mean absolutely nothing to him, right? He has never been kind to you, and he is a black-hearted fiend. So why are you helping him?"
May seemed speechless by his question and I crossed my arms. "What do you know about me?" The corner of his mouth raised a little as he turned his attention toward me. "Everything. The moment we met I infiltrated your mind. I know your intentions, feelings, and everything there is to know about you." I was at a loss for words as well.
'He knows what I plan to do when I get the stone of Sudre?! Then why the hell is he letting me participate in his game?! Wait, is he going to expose me to May?!' Theodius laughed a little once he saw my eyes widen, and May found her words with confidence. "No matter what type of person Dedrin seems like, I know for certain that his heart is not dark. I know that behind that tough exterior is a soft sweet center."
Theodius hesitated briefly. "Alright, let's see if you truly believe that after I show you a few things." Suddenly, our surroundings started to shift and distort. They changed completely and Saniel was nowhere to be seen anymore. I looked around in surprise to see that we were standing in the palace courtyard of Reinthoria.
It was a sunny day and the gardens in between the walkways within the castle walls flourished with flowers. We stood on the brick near the front entrance palace doors, and the fountains around us were carved intricately and sent water smoothly through each spout. May looked around as well as I with a little panic. "Huh? Where are we?!"
Theodius crossed his arms while continuing to smile. "Memory lane. Specifically Dedrin's. Don't bother trying to interact with our surroundings, this is just an illusion. Go ahead and watch." A noise then came from behind me and we both turned to see what had caused it. My eyes widened to see myself; probably around the age of fifteen, hunched over one of the fountain pools.
I was wearing silver armor meant for a knight in training, and I had an evil smile on my face as I was pushing something in the water. It was my brother. He was leaning over the edge as well as I held his head under the water. May gasped once she realized what was going on and I had to shut my mouth tight to prevent myself from laughing.
My younger self then pulled my poor seven-year-old brother out of the water so he could catch his breath. "I told you that there would be consequences for pestering me while I was training, Dymas." My brother cried as he tried to struggle from my grip and failed. "I just wanted to become a knight like you!!" My younger self rolled his eyes. "The favorite son wants to be like me? You're a stupid liar!!" I shoved his head back into the water, and he struggled fiercer than before.