The ocean's scenery is not always as beautiful as a painting, just like this turbulent sea area at the moment.
Although the sun is shining brightly in the sky, the air between the sea and sky still feels thick, as if mixed with haze.
Wavy's loud and hurried singing, in sync with the unsettled sea wind, made the white waves on the sea surface dance strangely.
Wavy is the name that the team gave to the young whale, and today it is swimming with particular excitement. It occasionally leaps out of the water, tumbling in the air before splashing back into the sea. What is different today is that it is singing loudly as it swims, with a voice that is sometimes piercing and sometimes deep, making it somewhat uncomfortable to listen to.
As a result, the team is following far behind, a good distance away.
"The books say that beluga whales are the best singers among the whale species. But Wavy is clearly a humpback whale, so why does it love singing so much?"
Calypso sighed. "It's swimming especially fast today. Did it discover something?"
"Is there a fish it likes to eat ahead?"
"Well, this is indeed strange. Adult humpback whales can make their songs travel up to eighty kilometers to attract mates. But Wavy is singing like this—"
Captain Kenny wasn't sure. "Could it be that there are other whales of its kind ahead? Maybe it's sensing them with its sonar?"
Seraphina loves to sing, but she can't discern the meaning of every song. "I summarized Wavy's song. It contains about eighteen different types of sounds, such as snoring, lamenting, whistling, trembling, long howls, chirping, or shouting, all with a certain pattern. There are six melodic sections, each with about five syllables. These suggest that Wavy is an intelligent whale. This song seems like a broad and joyful chorus, spilling out from the ocean, filling the sea surface, turning the entire ocean into a musical palace full of thunderous echoes. It comes together into a magnificent ocean symphony, stunningly beautiful.
But right now, Wavy's singing doesn't quite seem to convey joy."
Wavy was swimming powerfully ahead, and now and then, its loud and deep voice could be heard. But the sound didn't come from its vocal cords.
It came from the air moving inside its body, as well as from the faint pain deep inside its heart.
Aaron, who had been playing around on the surface of the ocean, swam over to his companions and said, "Guess what I saw on the surface?" He swirled his flowing dark blue robe and continued, "Waves! Wild, untamed waves. And the clouds in the sky looked strange, like white clouds arranged in neat fish scales."
"But I also felt like I was seeing a pod of whales moving in unison, a huge mass like a squadron of soldiers, it's truly magnificent!"
As he spoke, no one noticed when Wavy's singing stopped, and everyone turned to look in the direction where Wavy had been.
They saw a large mass of black about one hundred meters ahead, moving and looking like a huge mouth about to swallow Wavy.
"Goodness! It's a school of fish, such a massive group."
"There must be about ten million of them. Wavy's in trouble." Captain Kenny exclaimed. "Quick, get Wavy back!"
But it was already too late. Wavy was enveloped in the mass of fish.
By the time the team arrived, they were also surrounded by the fish "school."
"It's tuna, but there's no reason they would attack a whale!" Captain Kenny shouted.
The densely packed tuna swam rapidly in front of the companions, making it impossible to tell where they were or to find any clear direction. The group was separated by the fish. Aaron and Captain Kenny entered battle mode, throwing punches. Calypso extended her protective spikes, ready to defend up close, while Seraphina moved back cautiously. But the attacks and defenses of the first three were largely ineffective, as the tuna formed a dizzying maze and swam at incredible speeds.
It wasn't just about attacking them; even identifying their positions was a challenge. If they used any large moves, they risked injuring their own teammates.
Captain Kenny was becoming anxious for Wavy. If it had been an adult humpback whale, it could have just opened its mouth and eaten the fish to break free. Unfortunately, Wavy was still a young whale, lacking the experience. Not only could it not catch any fish, but the school of tuna could also interfere with its sonar and disrupt its ability to navigate.
With its visual blind spots, a small mistake could cause Wavy to crash into a reef and get hurt.
In just a few seconds, everyone started to feel overwhelmed, as the dark mass of tuna frantically harassed them, like a swarm of hornets on land.
The struggle persisted.
Soon, the water became murky. A large group of manta rays appeared, moving like a well-organized force, charging into the tuna school. Colliding, biting, tearing, eating, slapping, and sweeping—the manta rays and tuna engaged in a chaotic battle, with another round of struggle beginning. After some time, the chaos finally subsided.
The murky water gradually cleared up, and Captain Kenny, Calypso, and Seraphina landed in three directions, panting. They were covered in bruises and cuts.
Two mermaids were seen facing each other, stopped on two distant rocks. One was Aaron, and the other was a mermaid they didn't recognize.
What was the same about them was that both of their eyes emitted a bright, pupil-less white light, which was the battle mode for summoning and commanding their respective magical creatures to fight.
In a critical moment, Aaron had sensed and successfully summoned nearly a thousand manta rays, known as "devil fish," from the nearby waters to join the battle and rescue his companions.
The other mermaid, with a white belly and yellow back, was likely the owner of the tuna. Since the chaos had stopped, the two of them withdrew their eyes from the summoning and command mode, returning to their normal state. The stranger spoke first, asking, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
His raspy voice, slightly off-key, came from the large mouth on his slightly chubby cheeks. With his small eyes and thick eyebrows, he looked like a seemingly simple but calm and thoughtful mermaid.
"I'm Aaron, and these are my companions. I don't understand why we were attacked by your magical creatures. We should be strangers, with no enmity between us."
The magical creatures from both sides began to gather behind their respective masters, signaling a ceasefire.
"I'm Barney, the owner of the tuna. I originally just wanted to use the tuna to capture the young whale. But then you got involved," Barney replied.
Captain Kenny, Calypso, and Seraphina moved closer to Aaron's side. Aaron asked, "Why capture the young whale? What's wrong with it?"
"Whales are too dangerous. They can lose control and go on a rampage, hurting themselves," Barney explained.
"But that young whale is one that got separated from its mother's family. How can it be dangerous?" Aaron questioned.
"I'm not exactly sure why, but I know that most whales in this area have already gone out of control and become very dangerous," Barney said, his expression showing clear concern.
Captain Kenny observed this and a thought flashed through his mind.
He said, "Barney, your actions have made it clear that you know the owner of Lyanna's pet, and you were trying to work for Lyanna, weren't you?"
Barney remained silent. His silence at this moment could already be considered an acknowledgment that he knew Lyanna.
The captain continued speaking:
"Just as you mentioned, the whales are going wild for reasons unknown, and that's exactly why we're here. First, we want to return the young whale to its family, and second, we want to find out the cause. What's happening to them? The only person who can help us is Lyanna, a whale language translator who can communicate with them.
We need her help. Can you take us to meet her?"
Barney remained silent, but doubt lingered in his heart. He regarded Lyanna as his mentor, someone who had taught him simple battle tactics and mind-control techniques to help his magical creatures avoid being hunted by giant beasts and predatory fish. She held a very high place in his heart. When he learned that she was in trouble, he felt obligated to protect her. However, Lyanna had told him that anyone coming to meet her before the whale rampage was stopped could bring danger to her. But without finding out the truth, she would continue to hide in fear of the unknown.
What should he do?
Finally, Barney spoke: "I think I can trust you. If you want to meet Lyanna, you'll have to follow my lead. Otherwise, I won't take you to see her."
"Of course, we've been searching for Lyanna for days and didn't know what to do. We're lucky to have met you," the captain said happily.
Following Barney, the group and Wavy passed through a labyrinth-like coral forest. The farther they went, the darker the light became, and they could feel some small glowing fish scattering quickly through the seaweed, as if startled.
Their glowing bodies looked like eyes that opened and closed in the dark, adding a strange atmosphere to the coral tunnel.
Soon, they arrived at a rock wall and stopped.
The wall was covered with green ferns and moss-like plants, and a few beams of soft light shone down from the top, creating a hidden and peaceful spot.
Barney signaled for everyone to stop and stepped forward. He addressed the green plants on the stone wall, saying, "Teacher, I'm here. Is it convenient for you to come out and see me?"
The plants were slowly pushed aside, revealing two glowing eyes:
"Oh, it's you. Did you learn anything new from today's training?" A hoarse voice spoke, and a mermaid, still draped in many green vines, emerged from behind the plants. It was Lyanna.
"Teacher, I see you've been living like a hermit crab. It must be exhausting. Today, I brought some trustworthy friends and a young whale."
"What?" The mermaid, wrapped in green leaves, recoiled in shock: "My foolish disciple, didn't I tell you not to bring anyone here?" The vines slid off her body, revealing a gray, almost skeletal face and a thin, frail body.
"Teacher, you once said that when a pet master can properly control their magical creature, it is the greatest affirmation of the master's virtue and cultivation. But when a pet loses its loyalty to its master, it is a cruel blow to the master's character, something that will bring public disgrace and is more terrifying than death.
Your magical creatures have gone berserk. Don't you want to know the reason?"
"I've tried to establish a mental connection with them, but all I found in their minds was one thought: to kill me. Nothing else. I don't know where to begin with this. What can an old woman like me do? Should I just block my mental waves and hide? Am I supposed to fight them with my fists?
If they eat me, my body wouldn't even be enough for them to use as toothpicks."
At that moment, the young whale, Wavy, swam towards Lyanna and looked at her with hopeful eyes, softly making a sound that seemed like a cry of sorrow.
Lyanna turned around and gently stroked Wavy's head with her withered hand, feeling a sense of familiarity deep in her heart. In the past, she had gotten along so well with the whales, swimming through the ocean together, playing with the world, dancing each other's souls, and their songs resonating together.
The memories echoed through her mind, a past that felt both distant and intimate.
But now, fear—the fear of being hunted by the whale herd—pressed on her like a dark curse, with no reason or solution in sight.
For her, it was an agonizing thing, one that filled her with despair and frustration.
The familiarity she felt in this moment might be the resonance of a shared hope.
Wavy hoped she could help find its family; perhaps, through Wavy's memories, she could uncover the truth or a clue. Both hopes seemed slim, but they were rare and precious.
Time seemed to freeze for a long moment, and the captain and the others approached the elderly whale master, Lyanna, and greeted her respectfully.
They introduced themselves and explained their purpose, breaking the silence.
"Barney makes a good point. Discovering that your magical creature has turned hostile is truly baffling.
As a pet master, if you don't get to the bottom of this, it's irresponsible to both yourself and your magical creature," the captain said.
"I'm an old woman, I don't need you to teach me how to act. I understand all of this."
"However, there are factors that remain uncertain, and I must make a balanced choice."
Originally shrinking in the corner, Lyanna seemed to realize her own hesitation. She took a deep breath and corrected herself: "Sometimes, opportunity and risk coexist. Without weighing both, rash actions will only make the outcome worse."
Seraphina sensed the atmosphere had become a bit tense. She stepped forward and said:
"Grandma Lyanna, I believe you have a lot of experience with magical creatures. Once this situation settles, I truly wish to learn from you how to interact and communicate with them. You know how important that is for my cultivation." Seraphina turned her gaze to Wavy and continued, "But right now, is Wavy able to help you? Can you read any valuable information from its mind? If so…"
Lyanna felt that Seraphina's words hit the mark. On one hand, she could learn about the strange experiences in Wavy's memories; on the other, it might help Wavy return home sooner.
So, she slowly leaned toward Wavy, placing one hand on its forehead, her eyes beginning to emit a clear, bright light.
At the same time, Wavy's eyes also began to glow in the same way. Soon, Wavy cried out:
"Moo moo, ee ee!"
Seraphina and Calypso felt a bit worried, but Kenny gently pulled them aside and whispered, "Don't worry about Wavy. This is the process of establishing a subconscious link between a master and their magical creature. It'll yield results soon."
Lyanna's clear gaze seemed to have yielded something. The captain and his group, along with Barney, felt a bit reassured. They didn't want to see the old woman hiding away in this place. Was it possible that Wavy's mind held the key to revealing the truth? Suddenly, Lyanna's brow furrowed deeper, her face now showing even more anxiety.
She withdrew from the link and sternly questioned Captain Kenny:
"Captain, how many of you are there exactly? Don't try to deceive this old woman!"
Looking at the elderly woman's angry expression, the captain was somewhat confused and responded, "There are four mermaids and one young whale in our party."
"The young whale's sonar perception tells me that there's another mermaid following behind you. Not many have noticed him. Who is he? Is he with you?"
"What?"
"There's another mermaid following us?" The captain shuddered in surprise. "But I didn't notice him!"
The group exchanged confused glances, still unsure of what was happening.
"The young whale also told me that the mermaid who followed us left after arriving here. Captain, do you have an explanation for that?"
Kenny, with his detective instincts, realized that he had been quietly followed. The unknown follower's target wasn't him, but Lyanna!
"Barney, I need you to do something. Immediately send your tuna to patrol the area and check for any suspicious mermaids nearby. Also, expand the search and have the tuna keep an eye out for any large predatory fish in the area.
It must be fast!" Captain Kenny ordered. "This place is probably compromised. We can't let the whale master stay here."
Barney followed the order. His eyes glowed with a clear light, and he began to send out mental commands to his magical creatures. The mermaids around them all sank into a tense atmosphere.
Wavy seemed to sense something, swimming anxiously and flapping its fins erratically, crying out in a mournful tone.
Everyone had hoped to gain valuable information from the young whale, but the current situation felt like a thunderclap out of the blue. The uncertain anxiety weighed on each mermaid's heart. What was happening?
What did fate want to tell Lyanna?
At that moment, a massive shadow began to slowly approach the coral forest.
The light from above grew dimmer, and the tuna, called to gather by the disturbance, began to recognize the details of the large shadow growing closer.
Whales. A massive group of whales, forming a solid black wall.
The number was estimated to exceed five hundred, reflected in the eyes of the tuna.
Barney saw the same vision, and his body trembled in shock:
"Fish masters, spread out!
Follow my orders and scatter!"
Barney realized that the whale herd, lined up like a giant wall, could form a barrier that would eat the tuna. A single whale could consume tons of tuna in one meal.
This was a terrifying scenario. He could only order his tuna to retreat at full speed.
Cutting off communication with the tuna, Barney explained the situation to the mermaids present and urgently instructed everyone to leave quickly.
"What's meant to come will come, this is fate!" Lyanna sighed, then added, "Where can we run to?"
Barney, feeling incredibly anxious, regretted bringing anyone to find Lyanna: "Teacher, it's all my fault. But right now, we should leave quickly. Only if we survive can the truth be uncovered by you. Only then can you clear your name and that of the whales in front of the merfolk!"
Lyanna seemed to have anticipated this. She couldn't just die at the hands of her own magical creatures' sharp teeth and massive bellies.
She moved aside a vine on the rock wall, revealing a secret passage. "Ladies, follow me. I don't want my uncontrollable magical creatures to eat you as well."
She led the way, followed by Calypso, Seraphina, Aaron, and the captain. Wavy's large size would require a different approach.
Barney urged the others to go ahead while he took a moment to settle Wavy and then follow.
However, just after the team left, something unexpected happened. Wavy became frantic. It began crashing wildly against the rocks and coral, emitting painful low growls. Its eyes started to turn red, just like the bloodshot eyes of the whales in the herd seen by the tuna earlier. It swam erratically, heading back toward the bloody battleground of the coral forest. Barney couldn't stop it, but he understood—Wavy was a whale.
The angry whale herd outside probably wouldn't attack it; perhaps it was being summoned back to its family by another mysterious force, returning to the whale's own kind.
Barney was filled with anxiety, feeling powerless to help the poor young whale, who seemed to be infected by the same illness as the other whales in its family. Since it had already gone berserk, he decided it was better to deal with Lyanna's crisis first.
He followed the escape route that Lyanna had opened earlier, ignoring the heavy losses to his tuna. He could only suppress his grief and focus on helping those in more immediate need.
At the end of the narrow escape tunnel, Lyanna peeked out and looked around.
Outside, the coral forest was eerily still. After confirming it was safe, she swam out of the passage, waiting for the second mermaid to follow.
Suddenly, Lyanna looked back, her eyes filling with terror.
A massive great white shark, with its enormous mouth wide open, lunged out of the dark water and bit into her waist.
"Ah!" The pain made Lyanna gasp in agony, struggling helplessly.
More sharks and their master, Dubbin, appeared from behind the coral.
Dubbin laughed cruelly:
"Hahaha! Hahaha, Lyanna, I never thought I'd be the one to defeat you today. Normally, sharks can't defeat whales, but now you can't control the whales, so what value do you even have left?"
"Hahaha!"
"Stop!" Captain Kenny swam out of the tunnel, shouting, "What do you intend to do? You won't even spare an elderly woman!"
At the sight of the captain, Dubbin laughed wildly again:
"Oh! It's our silly detective friend. Did you really think you escaped from me? We actually let you slip away on purpose. How else could we find Lyanna? Hahaha!"
Another round of maniacal laughter, fueling Kenny's anger.
He realized he hadn't fully seen through Dubbin's trick, leading to Lyanna's irreversible fate. Just as he was about to shift into combat mode, Dubbin interrupted:
"Don't be hasty! Captain, think about the consequences of acting recklessly." Dubbin pointed at Lyanna, who was still held by the great white shark: "I know you four—come out and surrender, and I'll spare your lives."
The captain looked at Lyanna, caught in the shark's vicious jaws, feeling the crushing regret of not being able to change anything. They had all fallen into danger with no chance to fight back.
He had no choice but to endure it for now in order to save them all.
When Dubbin's guards chained up the four merfolk, the great white shark tightened its jaws, and fresh blood gushed out.
"No!" the captain shouted, while the two ladies covered their faces in tears, and Aaron kept his large hat pulled over his face.
Dubbin laughed manically, pleased with himself.
"Didn't you say you'd spare our lives? Why kill Lyanna? Do you have some personal grudge against her?" the captain yelled.
"I only promised not to kill you four, didn't say anything about her. Why would I tell you prisoners why I'm killing her? Hahaha!"
The captain felt utterly deceived. A resolve formed in his heart: If he got the chance, he would make sure Lyanna's death wasn't in vain. He could never forget the massacre he had witnessed today—the sound of teeth gnashing from the shark, and the villain laughing as he killed someone right before his eyes. Lyanna hadn't even had the chance to discover the cause of the whales' rampage in the young whale's mind before she was taken from them by this sudden tragedy. Was this truly fate? If merfolk's second evolution was supposed to perfect their lives, then why such a contradictory end to evolution?
The merfolk team of four was taken by the sharks. The coral forest remained eerily quiet. Lyanna's life—an elder's life—ended with unanswered questions and a quiet, defiant conclusion.
Barney arrived at the scene, his mind a blank slate as he surveyed the devastation. His teacher lay in his arms, silent, and he could find no words to ease the crushing grief in his heart. The mentor who had inspired his second evolution, who had never judged him for his slow reactions, who had taught him strategies and warfare, the one he had revered as much as a mother, was gone. He hadn't even figured out who the killer was or who should be suspected.
Desperate to speak, but unable to find the right words, he screamed out in anguish:
"Ah! Ah!" His voice carried through the ocean, carried by the waves.
"Teacher, I swear I will catch the murderer! Kenny, Aaron, what did you all do? How could you let such a huge shark kill her? Her wounds—those were caused by you! Why? Why?"
Tears flowed freely as he wept, clutching his teacher's lifeless body. He left the sea, retreating deep into the chaotic coral forest, disappearing into the depths.
Through his tears, Barney whispered to himself, "I will return. This time, I've lost nearly 10 million tuna pets. But next time, I will return with 100 million, a billion... or even more, much more." His voice cracked, like a defiant child holding onto a promise.
If you listen closely, the waters that once thrived under Lyanna's care still seemed to echo with the sound of whale songs—low and mournful. The melody drifted far and wide, beyond the coral forest, all the way to the depths of the sea.