In response to Clara's command, as usual, the male sirens stood in the front row. Meanwhile, the female sirens who couldn't fight hid behind the soon-to-be-completed buildings.
The aura of the approaching person was so strong that Clara had already spoken to her alter ego, Rachel. If the newcomer was an enemy, Clara would yield control to Rachel because she was certain she wouldn't be able to handle it.
To everyone's surprise, the person who arrived was a woman with brown hair and a perfectly beautiful face. However, she didn't look like a siren because she had a pair of human legs. Yet, she could swim very fast. All the male sirens there were enchanted by her beauty.
Clara approached her slowly. "Who are you, and what is your purpose here?"
"I am Nereids, the Guardian of the Sea. I've come here to tell you something," replied Nereids.
"What?" Clara asked.
"A human wants to meet you on the surface. She's using a small boat and is alone."
"Why should I trust you?" Clara asked again.
"You should trust her, Clara. She is Neptune's envoy, the guardian of the sea. I thought Nereids, the Guardian of the Sea, was just a myth, but it turns out it's true. The characteristics I know about Nereids match her perfectly," Rick explained.
"You should stop making up stories; this is not the time for jokes," Clara retorted.
"Clara! The biological daughter of Rita and Joel, and the stepdaughter of Sonny. Are you going to meet the human right away or not? Because many sirens are after her, and if I release my protective spell, she will die," Nereids said, interrupting the debate between Rick and Clara.
Hearing Nereids mention her biological parents' names shocked Clara. Rita had told Clara that her father had passed away when she was still a baby.
Without further hesitation, Clara immediately went to the surface to meet the person who was looking for her. Meanwhile, all the sirens in Atlantis returned to their respective activities.
After reaching the surface, Clara saw an elderly woman gazing out at the calm sea. Without hesitation, Clara approached her.
"Hey!" Clara greeted with a smile.
"Oh, hey! Clara, how are you? Do you still remember me?" the elderly woman asked.
"I'm doing well. I'm sorry, but my memory is a bit fuzzy, and I can't recall who you are," Clara replied with a hint of sadness.
"We met at midnight when my parents and I wanted to buy food. But I was so curious to see the beach at night, and I accidentally saw you," the elderly woman recounted. Clara just smiled, even though she still couldn't remember the woman in front of her.
Suddenly, Clara vividly recalled those times when she desperately wanted to meet her mother at the beach by seeking help from a little girl named Rika.
"Rika, is that you?" Clara asked. Rika nodded slowly.
"Oh my goodness, I didn't expect you to be here. Now I've met my mother, thank you for helping me back then," Clara said.
"Where is your mother? Can I meet her?" Rika asked.
"Clara, are you okay?" Rika asked again, touching Clara's shoulder as she seemed lost in thought.
"Oh, yes. I'm fine; I'm just thinking about my mother's situation. I'm really worried about her."
"Does she know that you've become a siren?"
"Yes, of course. I met her in the forest with my father, but my little sister is still missing. I don't know where she went."
Rika showed genuine concern for Clara and even offered to search for her sister in the forest, but Clara refused, believing that her sister was already lost out there.
"Grandma, are you okay there?" Suddenly, a male voice came from Rika's walkie-talkie.
"Yes, I'm fine. I'm enjoying the beauty of the sea," Rika replied.
"You should come back soon. It's getting late, and I'm afraid there might be a storm later."
"Alright, I'll be back soon."
"Who is he?" Clara asked.
"Ryan, my grandson," Rika replied.
Without asking further questions, Rika bid Clara farewell and thanked her for meeting her at this distant location. Rika then began rowing her boat.
"Grandma, you should come back soon. My friends see many sirens near the shore."
Clara, upon hearing that, froze in her tracks. She was shocked by what Ryan, Rika's grandson, had said.
"(Aaaa...) Grandma! they're eating humans! Come back quickly!" Ryan shouted. In the walkie-talkie, not only Ryan's voice was heard, but also the cries of many people.
"OH GOD, MIKE! MIKE! RONALD, HELP HIM!" Ryan shouted again. "Halo! Grandma. You shouldn't come back for a while; the situation is getting worse! These sirens are like zombies. They're eating human flesh!"
"Ryan, listen to me! I will come back there! Don't kill those sirens, understand?"
There was no response from Ryan. Rika began rowing back to meet her grandson. However, Clara stopped her.
"Rika, you should stay here. I will protect you."
"I don't need protection, Clara. I have to see my grandson and make sure he's safe."
"Alright, wait a moment!"
Clara closed her eyes and used the coniectura spell to see what was happening on the shore. Clara was shocked after seeing that it was Dark Sirens causing the turmoil.
"Rika, they're not sirens like me, but they are my enemies. I will go with you," Clara said.
"No, Clara. If those sirens aren't of your kind, you shouldn't interfere. Other humans won't be able to tell which sirens are good like you and which ones are like those currently eating humans."
"Rika, but they—"
"Clara! She's right; this isn't your concern. You should let her go," Nereids interjected, cutting off Clara.
Rika supported Nereids' argument. With a heavy heart, Clara let her go.
"Why?" Clara asked Nereids after Rika left.
"You must never get involved with them, Clara. Dark Sirens aren't ordinary sirens; they can absorb the power of other sirens, and their swimming speed isn't like yours," Nereids explained.
"Plus, they can breathe on land," she continued.
"Is that why they easily kill humans?"
"No, Clara, they are even more dangerous than you think. They can transform their tails into human-like legs, but each of their fingers has disgusting membranes and mucus."
Clara was startled to hear Nereids' explanation; she now considered Dark Sirens not as regular siren creatures but as terrifying sea monsters.