In the middle of the Fish Mystic Land, there stood a mighty castle. It hovered above the ground and was inside a gigantic bubble.
Outside the bubble, there hovered a gigantic whale, ten times smaller than the castle itself. It unhurriedly flew around the bubble protecting the castle as though it was there to keep on guard.
Inside the castle was the throne room, and in that huge and grand hall was the majestic throne made out of huge white clamshell where a certain humanoid creature rested. It was a female creature, and was clad in otherworldly garments. It seemed to boast beauty and grandeur as anything else on earth would shy away in comparison.
Not surprisingly, the creature who sat on the throne had no legs, but instead, a long and slender fishtail shining in silver was there in their place. Her two big peaks in front were covered by a clamshell design, displaying an allure that seemed to arouse charm and seduction.
Looking at her facial features, one would definitely stand stunned and fall in awe when faced with her peerless beauty. Anyone who would see her might even fall face down, afraid to defile such beauty with their eyes.
That creature was, of course, no other than a mermaid, an elemental.
Giving heed to her physical appearance, one could immediately see her long eyelashes and thick eyebrows that were silver in color. The same color went for her long straight hair that reached down to her fishtail. The pupils of her eyes were also silver.
In contrast, her skin tone was almond brown, rich in vigor, soft, and definitely seemed to attract attention. She had a slender figure, slim and gracefully long hands, and also a deep belly button.
Behind her throne hovered two Royal Guards, mermen to be precise, as they held a silver and gold trident. They were three times bigger than the one on the throne, and they were clad in black and white cloth armor.
The two Royal Guards were blindfolded, and both of them held no expression as they stood unmoving. But they exuded an intimidating aura that seemed to cast away every destitute who would dare come close to the one on the throne.
Above the head of the one on the throne was a floating crown, and on her lap rested a little red octopus. She caressed the little octopus gently, petting it like a priceless treasure.
Not until a moment later, when she suddenly grabbed the body of the little octopus and pressed it tightly.
The little red octopus shrieked, but thankfully it was still not dead. It also suppressed its cries, afraid to suffer any more than what it was currently experiencing now from the hand of its master.
''So... You're saying that one of my daughters is injured, and it's still unknown why we are suddenly losing a lot of fish in the Forest of Rain?'' The one on the clamshell throne suddenly spoke. Her voice soft, yet it harbored a coldness that sent chills to anyone who heard it. The threat of the unknown invaders seemed to disrupt her mind.
Before her, down there on the throne, kneeled another mermaid. Her face pressed down on the floor firmly, not daring to make the slightest eye contact with the supreme entity before her.
This mermaid looked different from the one on the throne. Her skin tone was light, and her hair was blue. Although her beauty was also top-notch, it paled in comparison to the one on the throne. That aside, this mermaid seemed to hold great fear and reverence for the entity before her.
''Forgive me, my Queen, but we don't have the full details yet. Princess Nerrissa wants to investigate alone. So she used the Absolute Order on us and ordered us not to follow her. Let alone stop her, we don't even have the power to follow her. I'm only here to report to you, my Queen, and await the order of greater authority.'' The kneeling mermaid responded, her tone laced with the mixture of dread and worry. And with a growing sense of said emotion, she added, ''But... It's certain that Princess Nerissa is currently injured since her Life Pearl has gotten a small crack.''
For a good while, the entity who appeared to be the Queen remained silent. Subjects like the one in front of her were forced to obey every order put to them by the authorities using the skill: Absolute Order. So, she understood her situation.
In the end, the Queen sighed and gently pressed her temples with her slender fingers.
''Nerissa, Nerissa, oh my little Nerissa... Why are you so adamant to prove yourself?'' The Queen spoke. Droplets of tears dripped from the corner of her eye as she wiped it with the back of her forefinger.
Then, all of a sudden, when the tears fell on the ground, they became silver pearls, bouncing and scattering all around the floor.
Heaving a resigned sigh, she gently caressed the little red octopus again and shifted her gaze back at her subject. Then she spoke again, ''Three days.'' She took a moment of pause before she added, ''That's the time I'm giving you to prove to me that your worth hasn't been dulled yet. Find out what on earth was going on in that place and also make sure to bring my daughter back safe and sound.''
For her daughter to be injured, something dangerous must be happening there in the Forest of Rain. She needed to fix this issue before troubles arose any more than what they already were. But...
''As for the one who harmed my daughter...'' The Queen suddenly spoke again. But her voice this time became cold and suppressive as the entire foundation of the castle shook. ''You already know what to do.''
The subject immediately understood as she replied, ''Yes, my Queen. Thank you for giving me the chance.''
''You may now go.'' The Queen replied, this time, a faint smile reappeared on her lips.
''As you wish,'' The subject replied. After getting the Queen's permission, she rose in midair and swam away at an insane speed. Her eyes became fierce, determined to solve the problem with her own two hands.
''Just you wait...'' She muttered coldly, thinking about the one who harmed the Princess. She gritted her teeth as she spoke again, ''Whoever or whatever you are, I will certainly make you suffer life worse than death.''
***
Meanwhile...
King frowned, seeing an incoming trouble before his eyes. For a mermaid to come here, it only meant one thing. They must have already noticed that a large number of their minions there in that place were being exterminated within a short period of time.
They must be suspecting that an outsider had invaded their territory again and was causing trouble.
But that wasn't the real problem here. King expected that sooner or later, the mermaids would make a move and investigate the abrupt loss of their beloved minions.
He had already prepared a back-up plan to deal with it once that happened.
But for that kind of mermaid to appear here...
King knitted his eyebrows in deep thought. Brown skin... Silver hair... Silver fishtail... Peerless beauty...
There was no doubt about it. That mermaid must be of royal blood. A member of the Sirena Clan!
For one of the royal blood to actually come here... That wasn't what King expected. And no matter how he looked at it, only trouble would soon follow if he involved his business with them.
It definitely was a good decision to get out of that place now.
Of course, King wasn't afraid of that mermaid. Considering that that mermaid was still yet to reach adolescence, he was confident of killing her even in his current weakened state.
Of course, he needed to use everything he had if he wanted to do that. A mermaid of her caliber was, after all, a member of the royal family. Her strength couldn't be underestimated.
Another concerning fact, was that killing that mermaid also meant incurring the wrath of her mother, their Queen. If that lunatic was the one to make a move, then King could only hope of living for tomorrow.
Their Queen, after all, was the leader of one of the ten great Elementals.
No matter how he looked at it, it was much better to leave and avoid getting involved with them.
He could have left quietly. They could have avoided that mermaid without too much effort.
But the bigger problem was that Jax actually hit that mermaid with a giant bolt. Whether it was on purpose or just a coincidence, that held little importance now.
It wouldn't change the fact that Jax still hit that mermaid hard.
Although it wasn't enough to kill her, it was more than enough to anger her. That mermaid would definitely hold grudges to the one who attacked her and do everything it takes to get her revenge.
''Tch, that brat sure knows how to bring trouble.'' In the end, King clicked his tongue in frustration. He already knew it, but that Jax really appeared like someone who would mess his life for good.