CHAPTER 32: “AN END”

“I will never forget that day that my sister gave me a new life. I went to many places, learned so many things. They were all things she gave me while she rotted away in this cursed place.” Nerea’s eyes were dark, her hands pulling at threads of the chair now gripped the fabric hard, her sharp nails tearing the once beautiful patterns. “It’s time I do the same.”

After that she seemed like she didn’t want to talk much anymore. She got up and checked back on her sister’s condition as much as Naeya allowed, then found herself a dark corner to sleep in. Aside from Nerea, Naeya also looked incredibly tired. Her head laid on the bed next to Nebule’s still unconscious form, and her eyes were slowly closing, showing how exhausted she was throughout this entire thing. More so mentally and physically.

Ai patted the lounge chair he was sitting on and laid down to get a few minutes of rest as well. He didn’t realize that the day was slowly coming to an end and that he was quite tired. Outside, he could see orange lights of the setting sun filtering through the ocean surface. It was much darker because it was filtered, but it created a nice warm and peaceful glow throughout the coral gardens.

As his eyelids grew heavier, Ai felt that he could at least understand somewhat now why the sirens desperately wanted to return to their underwater home. The view was quite beautiful.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he dreamt.

It was an odd experience since he was still in VR. He was standing on a stranded empty beach, the water lapping at his feet yet he didn’t feel the cold at all. The water was clear and the bluest ocean he had ever seen, the sky was casting its orange glow as it set and the sand on the beach was clean and shining like little diamonds. He had never seen a beach quite like this before, so serene and empty. Most of the beaches in the real world were filled with people or trash, and even the sirens had many types of construction like docks and houses along their beaches. So this was definitely a sight that had him awed.

Further into the water, Ai could see something glittering just underneath. He couldn’t see it clearly since it was quite a distance away but he clearly saw gold colors flashing beneath the waves.

“Atlan.”

Ai looked beside him to see a feminine figure he had never seen before. Long white hair and lashes surrounding pale blue eyes. He figured that they weren’t a siren since they didn’t have any of the fishy features that all sirens did, but their skin was indeed blue tinted though it wasn’t as apparent as the sirens. If one didn’t look too closely, it could easily be assumed that their skin was incredibly pale to the point where the blue seemed like veins.

Compared to Oceana’s prideful queenly manner, they were calm and collected more like a regal and benevolent queen. Ai could also feel the aura that they were projecting outwards and it was no regular feeling. He could feel a semblance of pressure on not just his physical form but rather his entire soul.

“Atlan, the mermaid kingdom?”

Amaeira, the sea deity, nodded solemnly. 

With a wave of their hand, the view changed. Now they stood underneath the ocean surface. Ai’s eyes widened as he took in the sight of a giant golden palace. It was similar to an undersea cartoon castle he saw once as a child but not at the same time. The golden color was much more vibrant and glittering, the sea life gathering around the castle also looked incredibly lively. He’d always thought that the one in the cartoon stood out too much. Although the one in front of his eyes stood out as well, the landscape around it didn’t lose in its beauty, color and vibrance. 

A shadow made its way past him. Instinctively, he looked up and he saw a creature. Long luscious hair, slim upper torso and a long colorful fishtail from the waist down. 

A mermaid.

In many ways, the mermaid looked similar to the sirens. Blue or green tinted skin, blue and green hair, gills on their necks and other aquatic features such as the ears and eyes. At first glance, the tail was the only thing setting them apart but there were little things here and there that were definitely different. The mermaid didn’t have sharp teeth or claws, they weren’t built to be predators like the sirens were. Their tail also made them even more graceful and fast than the sirens. The mermaids he saw glided and zoomed in the water like they were born to do. It looked like they were dancing.

“My children.” Amaeira muttered, their eyes melancholically watching the mermaids swimming happily in the waters. “How happy those days were.”

A bad feeling settled in Ai’s stomach. About why he was dreaming about this and why Amaeria looked so melancholic. He recognized where that look came from. He’d seen it and felt it all too personally.

“The mermaids. They don’t exist anymore do they?”

Amaeira smiled bitterly and waved her hand once more. The sight of the magnificent golden palace disappeared, replaced with a pitiful and depressing sight. The lively environment was now grey, lifeless, dead. The palace had lost its glow and not a single life was in sight.

Ai was horrified as he scanned the once beautiful landscape that had turned into a desolate land with nothing but death. As he stepped forward, he felt something break under his foot. When he looked down he saw a dead coral, broken and shattered, but even without him breaking it, he knew that the thing had long lost its color.

“Without the sirens, there was no one to defend the mermaids.” Amaeira explained. “The mermaids were gentle creatures. They were not prepared for battle.”

“Battle with what?” 

Amaeira shook their head. “A clan of long forgotten undersea beasts. They too have long gone extinct, but it does not change that they took the life and culture of my children.”

Ai looked at Amaeria’s bleak and cloudy expression. He was unsure of how to feel. Certainly he understood that the sirens incurred too much wrath and was punished for their wrong doing but doing so had brought destruction and despair to both the mermaids and the sirens.

“Sending the sirens away, causing all of this…” Amaeira said, their blue eyes looking straight at him. “Do you think I did the right thing?”

Ai’s mouth opened and closed as he tried to think of what to say. He played enough [World Symphony] to know that this was a branching in the quest. His answer to the deity’s question will change how the quest would go and what would happen next and based on what he saw on the previous patch notes, could very well affect the world as a whole for other players as well.

This kind of vague question, he was unsure on what to answer with. It was a rather simple yes or no question but it had no apparent right answer. Ai was unsure due to one thing. He himself didn’t know if the deity’s decision was right or wrong. He was not a siren, he didn’t experience the kind of grievances Atlan faced. 

The more he thought about it, the more hesitant he grew. His mind raced with whether or not the answer to this question would’ve been better if he just said a yes or no. He licked his dry lips.

“I don’t know.” He answered honestly. At this reply, Amaeira gave him a confused look. “I am an elf. I wouldn’t know which would’ve been the right answer to the sirens’ fate.”

“I see.” Amaeira waved her hand and they were once again back at the beach they were standing on. Only this time, there was no golden glow shimmering underneath the sea. “The priestess Nerea seems to think that I was selfish with my decision. Do you think so as well?”

“...I do not know either.” Ai answered honestly once again. “I do not know you.”

Amaeira stood silently, gazing at Ai with an indescribable look that studied his expressions. With a gentle smile, the deity placed a finger on Ai’s waist, where his lantern sat normally.

“Truly,” They muttered, their form starting to vanish as the dream started to end. “Aethera found himself an interesting envoy.”

You completed the side quest [A Deity’s Love]

Completion rank S

Obtained [Crystal Fragment] x 1.

couldn't get a new art done in time. I do have this early early prototype for the cover. the hands are messy i know. foreshortening is hard. phew