The sound was the first thing Kael felt.
Distant, hazy… laughter. Children's laughter.
Then, the smell. Fresh grass, clean wind.
Kael slowly opened his eyes. He blinked a few times. He was sitting. On a warm wooden bench beneath him. Around him, a peaceful park, bathed in the golden light of a perfect sunset that made his eyes sting a little. In the distance, among the trees, the children's laughter mixed with the clumsy steps of those playing without a care.
And yet… there was something.
Something that didn't fit.
'...What was I doing?'
His voice was barely a whisper on his own lips. He looked at his hands. They were clean. No cracks. No blood. No spear.
Only his distorted reflection on the metallic gleam of a nearby public clock. Hair slightly tousled by the wind, his eyes lighter than he remembered.
'Where… am I…?'
He tried to cling to an image, a concrete memory. But it was like trying to hold smoke between his fingers. Something important. Something crucial. But it slipped away.
Until a voice was heard.
"Kael..."
Still trying to remember whatever was escaping him, he didn't look up. The voice was feminine. Young. But distorted, like coming through water.
"Kael…" —the voice spoke again, more insistent this time.
Kael brought a hand to his head, the dizziness growing.
'I… was…'
"KAEL!!!"
The shout shook him like thunder. His heart skipped a beat. In front of him, standing, was a girl. He couldn't see her face, as if a mist covered it where it should be. But what he could see… was her smile... warm. Wide. Immense. Unbreakable. And her hair, long and white as snow, fell down her back.
"Mouuuu! Kael, don't ignore me!"
Kael blinked. Suddenly, without knowing how, he was standing in front of her. He was talking, trying to calm her, as if his body remembered a forgotten routine. As if these words had been spoken many times before.
"I'm sorry" —he said without thinking—. "I didn't mean to… you know I get lost in my thoughts sometimes."
She puffed her cheeks.
"At this rate, you'll never get a girlfriend before graduation, you know?"
Kael didn't take long to reply with a whisper that was almost pitiful. Almost.
"Who needs one anyway..."
"Fine. I forgive you… but you owe me ice cream! Hurry up, if I get there before you, it'll be two."
With that, she spun on her heels and ran off, leaving the park, crossing the street without looking back.
Kael followed her with an unconscious smile. That girl… made him feel a warmth he didn't fully understand. As if part of him had always loved her. And yet, he didn't know who she was... or couldn't remember.
"Wait! Don't run so—!"
Then, the horn.
Loud. Unexpected. Imminent.
Kael turned his face slightly. Middle of the street. A truck. Speeding. No time to stop. No time to dodge.
The world seemed to freeze.
But Kael, in slow motion, turned to look ahead again, at the figure in front of him.
The girl.
Still standing, looking at him. Smiling.
That smile.
Still warm... but.
It was immense. Bigger than it should be. Inhuman. Maddened.
Kael felt a chill crawl down his spine.
And then, the figure's lips moved.
"See you soon… my ████."
The last word… vanished. As if torn from the world.
And then, the sound.
Brakes. Screams. Impact.
And then.
Darkness.
He woke with a gasp.
His entire body was trembling, soaked in cold sweat.
He was in a small cave. Around him, the sound of dripping, of water breathing in the distance. A dim light entered from somewhere above, reflected in the waters.
Kael brought a hand to his head, feeling a sharp pain.
"...Was it a dream?"
He tried to move. His body responded naturally. Not broken. Not injured.
That's when he saw it.
In the other corner of the cave, solitary… the black spear, Dix's spear.
Kael recognized it instantly. As if its mere presence echoed in his chest.
And then… everything came back to him.
The battle.
The fall.
Knossos enraged.
Dix's body, bleeding, eyes lifeless.
"...You'll never be more than this."
His body began to shake. Air escaped his lungs uncontrollably. He clutched his throat, tried to vomit, but nothing came out. Only dry heaving and bitter saliva.
"He deserved it… he caused… so much pain… I had to… I had to!"
But his words were hollow.
Then, his gaze dropped to his hand.
No cracks.
"…what"
Quickly, he brought his hand to his chest…
"It can't be…"
No wound. His heart still there, beating, weak but present.
"What the hell…?"
But suddenly, interrupting his thoughts, he felt a presence.
A gaze. Faint, barely perceptible, but strangely… familiar.
He turned slightly toward the water's surface. Nothing.
But he knew that feeling.
He had felt it before.
'Like on Floor 18…'
He remembered. Every time he bathed in the waterfall, something watched him.
Never did anything.
Just watched, and after a few seconds, disappeared.
But now, it didn't seem to be hiding. Not entirely, at least.
Kael turned to face forward again, but this time, he didn't ignore the feeling.
"You saved me, didn't you?" —he said aloud, with his back to the water—. "You also healed my wounds… Thank you. I wouldn't have survived long down there."
Silence.
Then, not hearing a reply, he slowly turned his head.
And saw her.
Peeking from the water, a young woman watched him. Her face soft, with delicate features. On one side of her head, a sort of decorative pink shell. Her indigo-blue skin shimmered with moisture, and her jade-colored eyes glowed with a mix of shyness and curiosity. Instead of ears, she had cute little fins. Her hair was long, emerald-blue, floating like silk in the water.
Both remained silent.
Kael murmured, almost without thinking.
"…Beautiful…"
The girl blushed. Her cheeks tinted a deeper blue. A moment later, she vanished beneath the water with a splash.
"No, wait! I didn't mean to…!"
He quickly approached the edge of the platform and knelt down, searching for her silhouette underwater.
Nothing.
He sighed, lowering his head.
"I blew it…"
But when he opened his eyes, she was there again.
Watching him from the water, just inches away.
Then, without warning, she reached out and hugged him around the neck, pulling him into the water.
Kael instinctively closed his eyes, holding his breath.
When he opened them… they were floating.
Suspended in the water, the girl clinging to his neck, with a pure, innocent expression. She wasn't pressed against him, but even so, the moment felt… intimate.
Kael looked down.
The girl had a mermaid's body from the waist down. A powerful and elegant fin moved gracefully.
And in that moment, he remembered.
'You're…'
Marie, the Mermaid. A Xenos. One who had helped the protagonist of this world more times than he could count.
But then he noticed something else.
Marie… was almost naked.
Covered only with small shells in key areas.
Kael gulped. He hadn't been breathing.
And then, as if nerves triggered his body, he started swallowing water.
Marie's eyes widened, then she giggled softly. Her laughter, bubbly and melodic.
She hugged him again, this time tenderly, and brought him to the surface.
Kael emerged coughing and gasping, climbing back to the edge.
'I almost drowned again…'
When he recovered, he looked at her.
Marie was there, leaning on the cave floor, smiling as brightly as the water.
"…Thanks again. For saving me. I don't know what would've happened if not for you."
Marie didn't reply. She just smiled more.
Kael felt his heart skip a beat.
'That smile should be illegal.'
Trying to break the tension, he spoke.
"Do you have a name? Can you speak?"
Marie tilted her head, thoughtful.
"Marie can speak… a little."
Her voice was soft, almost a song.
Kael smiled slightly.
"My name is Kael, Kael Draven."
Marie, having understood it was his name, tried to say it but failed hilariously.
"Kuael?"
"No, not Kuael, Kael, look, like this. K-A-E-L."
"Kiel!"
"…God, this is going to take longer than I thought."
After some practice, Marie managed to pronounce it properly—barely.
"KAEL!"
"Yes, that's it! Finally, you got it, Marie. Well done... let's leave the surname for another time."
Kael, sensing that his last name would be a whole new challenge for the poor mermaid with a slight communication issue, wisely postponed it.
Marie, now delighted she could say his name, kept repeating it joyfully.
"KAEL! KAEL! KAEL! KAEL!"
'Cute… she's so…'
He didn't want to finish that thought.
"So, Marie… how did you find me? Was it a coincidence?"
Kael pulled the dangerously adorable mermaid from her bliss with a question he'd had for a while.
"Marie… listens. Marie feels water."
'I guess she means she felt the fight and when I fell into the water, huh?' Indeed, Marie, sensing the commotion near her usual hiding place, came out to investigate, where she saw Kael pushed by a massive rock into the chaotic waters of the floor.
"Were you… the one watching me at the waterfall?"
When Kael asked, Marie looked away, shy, her cheeks turning even bluer.
"Marie… wanted to see who was where she likes to be. But Kael… scared Marie."
Kael chuckled softly.
"I see…"
The conversation continued. Kael asked about the cave, his body. And finally.
"How did you heal me?"
Marie didn't quite understand the question. She frowned and, as if realizing, bit her finger, causing a drop of scarlet blood to fall. But before she could explain anything...
Kael smelled it.
And something in his body changed.
His eyes locked onto the finger. His nose moved by instinct. His hand, gentle yet firm, took Marie's. He brought the bleeding finger to his lips.
And licked the blood.
Marie froze.
Her face turned a deep navy blue.
Kael tasted the blood as if it were the finest wine of the century.
Then—SLAP!
Not hard, but firm.
A small smack, louder than it should've been. Marie's soft, delicate palm had landed on Kael's left cheek. Not aggressive or hurt… more like a desperate, timid, embarrassed gesture. Her face, usually hidden under a serene expression, now glowed dark blue, and her jade eyes were wide.
And then, like water was her natural shield, Marie sank. Not disappearing completely… just retreating. Her long, emerald-blue hair rippled as she submerged, leaving only the top of her head and her eyes visible above the surface of the underground lagoon.
Kael blinked, still feeling the faint tingle on his cheek. But quickly came to his senses.
"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" —he spoke immediately, raising both hands in peace, his voice full of genuine remorse—". I didn't mean to! I don't know what came over me!"
Marie didn't answer. Instead, she puffed her cheeks underwater. The gesture made her look like a pouting child. Then, with a soft blub, she began releasing small bubbles from her nose. They floated lazily to the surface, popping with almost ridiculous sounds.
Kael stared.
'Is she… making angry bubbles?', he thought, perplexed and amused.
He scratched the back of his neck, sighing.
'It must be her blood…', he thought again.
He looked at his palm. He still felt the warm echo of the taste on his tongue. It wasn't just the sweetness or the strange purity that intoxicated him. It was… as if, for a moment, he'd touched something beyond this world. Something that healed not just the body, but the soul.
He remembered. Mermaid blood...
They say it can restore lost limbs, cure incurable diseases. A single drop could save a life. And he… tasted it like a delicacy. On a primitive impulse. Almost animal.
'I was hypnotized…'
He turned, sitting on the edge of the rock, looking at Marie with more respect than before.
"…You healed me with your blood, didn't you?"
Marie barely raised her face above the water. Her eyes were softer now, less shy. She nodded gently, her long emerald hair floating in delicate waves around her.
A small smile appeared on her lips. Barely a gesture, but warm. Her anger faded.
'...that smile should be very illegal...'
Kael relaxed a bit. But now he felt a different discomfort. Guilt.
He looked down, avoiding those eyes that seemed to look straight into his soul.
'Don't look at me like that… makes me want to…'
He stopped before his thoughts turned dangerous.
He took a breath, trying to calm down.
"Is there anything you want in return?"—he asked, voice softer than any since he awoke in this world. It was the least he could offer after she saved him.
Marie stopped smiling. Her eyes flickered, as if the question touched her deeply. Her body stiffened slightly. Her tail tensed beneath the water.
For a moment, Kael thought she wouldn't answer.
But then, her voice came, weaker than before.
"Monster… chases… Marie."
Those broken, clumsy words brought a sudden chill to the cave.
Kael frowned.
"A monster?"
Marie lowered her gaze. Nodded. Her body trembled.
And then, the final piece of the puzzle clicked.
The Moss Huge.
He remembered. An aberration among monsters. One that devoured magic stones, grew and mutated. That thought. That hunted. And that never forgot the taste of blood that strengthened it.
Marie… had caught its attention.
'That bastard…'
Kael clenched his fists. He would not allow that creature to keep living. Not if it kept stalking someone as innocent as Marie.
"Listen to me,"— he said firmly, placing a hand on the stone. —"I'm going to find it. And I'm going to kill it. I promise you."
Marie remained silent, her gaze lowered—whatever was in her eyes couldn't be seen.
For several seconds, the water was the only thing that moved.
Then, her body trembled. But not out of fear.
It was excitement.
And before Kael could even react, she jumped!
A burst of water, a blue and green blur shot in his direction.
"...eh?"
Marie burst from the water with powerful momentum, her tail slapping the water's surface hard. Her body flew through the air like a comet. Kael barely had time to blink before feeling the impact.
WHAM!
"Kael!!"
The shout was pure joy.
Marie clung to him, wrapping both arms around his neck, her still-wet tail smacking against his back.
Kael nearly fell backward, his face already completely red, as the little girl literally curled up around him as if he were a giant stuffed animal.
"Wait, wait, wait?!"— he yelled as if assaulted by a lightning bolt of cuteness and chaos. —"Personal space! Marie, you're too close! Way too close! Put something on! A towel! A leaf, anything!"
Marie said nothing. She just laughed softly, rubbing her head against the space on his neck below Kael's face as if trying to memorize his warmth.
"Ahhhhhh this is not normal!"— Kael complained, his arms stiff at his sides, unable to push her away without feeling like he was sinning against divinity itself. —"It's not fair that you're so soft! And warm! And…"
Kael froze.
Marie only laughed harder.
And Kael, defeated, let himself fall backward, his wet body softly crashing against the damp stone. Marie, still clinging to his neck, didn't move an inch.
For a moment, the cave was silent.
Their breathing mixed with the echo of the water.
And Kael, after all the chaos, after all his broken hopes, the battles, Dix's death… smiled.
It was a fragile smile.
Sincere.
A piece of light in the darkness of his soul.
Marie noticed the smile. And, silently, rested her chin on his chest, looking at him with those eyes that knew no malice.
Kael murmured, unable to stop himself.
"I don't deserve you…"
Marie just looked at him, not understanding.
And maybe, that was for the best.
That she didn't understand how broken he was.
How full of cracks his soul was.
But even so…
Marie smiled.
And that, for now, was enough.