UNDER THE SEA

Marcus let his words sink in slowly, watching how everyone's reaction changed from sadness and sorrow to a surprised and bewildered one. Each snapped their head to the person standing next to them, making sure that they heard what the king said right.

Lia didn't know if she was imagining or not, but the more she stared at the king, the more she saw a hint of satisfaction swimming in the back of his eyes. His black eyes were dark pools of secrets, and they were only getting darker as mischief played around there too. Lia found herself shivering.

No, she was probably imagining.

A cold soft hand grazed her pale skin, and Lia felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder. When she turned around, she saw her mother's golden eyes staring back at her.

The sudden presence of her mother had brought nervous feelings to Lia. Her heart was dancing in joy as she heard the king's announcement, yet with that, she was reminded that it wouldn't be an easy matter.

Her mother was going to kill her. And if her father heard of what she was going to do, he would probably suddenly come out and assist her mother with this murder.

Yet, no, she wasn't going to go back on her plans right now.

"But of course," the king continued, "the citizen will only be selected if he or she is eligible." Lia saw him gesturing from a guard to swim toward him. "My guard here will inform everyone about the requirements."

A guard moved toward the king, bowing as he reached him. He held a scroll in front of his belly, coughing in the process and was trying to get everyone's attention on him. "Ehm, first, the candidate has to be two hundred years old or over,"

'Check,' Lia thought in her head.

"The candidate should have a good citizen and behavior report."

Lia thought for a moment, thinking back to her image and how people viewed her, 'Check,'

"The candidate must have a healthy body and mind, with their abilities checked not longer than a year ago,"

'Check,'

"He or she must be willing to go and hold all responsibility of their choice,"

Lia gnawed at her lip, 'Check,'

"Their mental powers should be at least rank 2,"

That one was easy for Lia as her mental powers were four, last time she checked. The maximum mental rank reached was six and the least being zero, which rarely happened to any mermaid as they are born with at least one.

It was an ability that needed time and the proper environment to grow. But it also depended on one's genetics and the heredity. The more powerful the parents were, the more capable their child would be at connecting thoughts and preventing them from being heard.

It decided the future of sea creatures, as many got held back from taking jobs or services because of such a thing. But, the arrogance of the Mercommunity obviously came from the fact that they were naturally born with a capable mind, and most of who had children with high ranks would flaunt and speak endlessly.

Lia saw a few merpersons sigh in the crowds, knowing that they didn't fit one of the conditions mentioned already. But, she saw even more people smiling and cheering quietly as they noticed how far they had gotten into the conditions and that they had a chance.

The competition was still big.

"Confident in their ability to adapt and live between humans,"

That condition alone had made a few mermen and mermaids gaze away. After all, Lia was sure that most of them looked down on humans or even despised them. She couldn't blame them after what happened to Mo, but it was a relief seeing that she still had a chance.

"Have an exceptional scholar level, able to learn human languages," the guard said, his eyes observing the crowds' reaction, then he continued, "They accept not nearing the ocean for as long as it takes to find Mo,"

Lia heard a mermaid gasp near her and widen her eyes at the last condition. Though dramatic, It wasn't weird since the thought of not nearing the ocean for who knows how long would be terrifying to anybody who lived their whole life here. Especially to those close and attached to their families.

She didn't know if she was just imagining things, but she began feeling the pressure of her mother's presence behind her and didn't dare to look back. It was a silent reminder.

It pained Lia to think that she wouldn't be able to come near the ocean or have a good swim there, but she knew that it was because of many reasons. Closing her eyes, she remembered reading about how mermaid's body would naturally change to its original form once in the waters. Their scales would immediately appear and then slowly the 'skin' that they had changed to would slowly transform back to a full tail.

Whether that was a curse or a blessing, no one knew.

Another thing was the natural attraction effect the water has on the mermaids. It can make them unconsciously walk in and feel the urge to return.

Lia held back on saying 'Check'. She heard the guard saying a few other rules that were related to abilities and health issues, and she knew that she was clear of any dangers or issues in those departments.

Yet, it felt as if a mystical hand was holding her back from making a clear decision.

It was easy to say 'never mind' and forget all about it, but when Lia thought of how her father had spoken so fervently about the human world, and the pictures he had shown her when she was younger, providing her in with all the information and magical stuff he could get his hands onto, it made her feel sad.

No, she couldn't just give up now. She was so close; close enough that she could feel the air surrounding her and the smell of the grass that her father loved to describe.

"The last condition," Lia heard the guard say, "Must be able to survive on oxygen above water." Even though merpeople were able to consume both oxygens underwater and above, yet since most of them weren't allowed to go to the surface or are never used to, many would die if they had to only above water oxygen.

Lia smiled internally, 'Check,'

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

After finishing speaking about all the conditions, the guard coughed again as to draw the king's attention to him and bowed. The king still had his natural smile.

In the crowds, a lot of the attendees had disappointed expression on, and a few were surprised at how specific the requirements were. They listed the power required, the ability desired, what to expect and what to be expected from them.

Not to mention that taking a guard's job was already hard enough with their tedious tasks and merciless workouts, but to also possess enough courage to go on the land and leave behind your family for a mission that didn't even have a deadline, was insane to some.

That was why the crowd stayed silent even after the guard had finished his talk and even when the king waited for any questions. Half the crowd was cowards, averting their eyes and trying to make themselves appear smaller. A quarter was disqualified, and the other quarter was hesitant to even raise their hands for their own reasons.

"If nobody got any question-"

"What would be the reward?" a question was raised suddenly. The bold merman who asked such a question was a skinny one. Both of his shoulders were slouched forward, and his hair covered most of his face. Lia could clearly see his hand shaking as he rose it while asking his question.

She tried to rack her brain to think for an instance where she might have seen him but found none. His vivid green hair and tail didn't ring any bell, nor did the scars that were scattered around his body. His eyes were concealed behind his large bangs and even when the current moved, it was hard to see their color from where she was.

Yet, she could clearly see that he was afraid of facing the king.

A calm chuckle sounded from the king. His hand slowly came to his disheveled hair and ran over it while beaming. "How interesting,"