Nakai continued to drive the submarine until they were far enough from the city to no longer be on their radar; turning the auto drive on, Nakai wouldn’t need to drive again until they reached the border. Wang Bao made himself busy by putting the food Ma had given them, as well as the food from Nakai’s bag into the small cupboards in the kitchen area. The submarine wasn’t like the one they had used to transport Tira’s statue, instead Wang Bao found it was more like a mobile home. Thankfully it was roomy enough for both Nakai and Wang Bao since the Sea People were similar in height with Giants. Once everything was put away, Wang Bao walked down the short corridor and into the back room that was the bedroom. Inside the room, Nakai was sitting on the large bed, folding a large pile of clothes that looked to be for the both of them. Wang Bao stood in the doorway patiently, watching as Nakai folded each piece of clothing quickly yet precise. It wasn’t long before Nakai started putting the clothes away into the small drawers inside the wall beside the bed, with a small enough space on the bed for him, Wang Bao laid down with a huff. Looking back at Nakai, Wang Bao said in a light voice.

 

“It doesn’t feel like we’re making our way to see Lei… It feels more like…”

 

Before Wang Bao could finish, Nakai cut in.

 

“A honeymoon?”

 

En. Wang Bao hummed in agreement while his eyes moved to look above him. Nakai finished putting the last piece of clothing away, then he joined Wang Bao on the bed, the two of them staring up at the ceiling in a peaceful silence. Above the bed was a large circle window, it allowed them to watch all the small and large sea creatures swimming around. Wang Bao was quite interested in watching all the different species he had never seen before, when he felt something cold slip over his hand and onto his wrist. Wang Bao slowly sat up and stared at his wrist. He knew it wasn’t just a plain bracelet, but he also didn’t know what it was and he asked Nakai.

 

“What does it do?”

 

Nakai pointed to a rough fingerprint size section on the shiny metal while explaining.

 

“It’s nano-tech armour. It won’t cover your face because ours isn’t made to be under water. Try it out, see what it’s like.”

 

Wang Bao had never heard of nan-tech but he wasn’t interested enough to ask what it was, instead he ran his finger over the rough patch of metal Nakai had pointed out, and he felt a cold firm material spread over his body within a split second. Wang Bao froze on the bed before he looked down. He could see his entire body was covered in a thick rough black material, the texture of the material was like broken ground unlike the scales on the Sea guards armour. When Wang Bao moved his body side to side, he could see hints of blue and green shine in the light. Wang Bao suddenly looked up at Nakai and saw he was also wearing his armour. Unlike Wang Bao’s, Nakai’s armour was a mixture of different browns, and his armour didn’t cover his feet or hands. The only similarity was the texture of the material. Wang Bao reached forward and ran his armoured hand over Nakai’s chest, a rough grating sound came from the materials rubbing against each other. Wang Bao liked the sound and ran his hand over Nakai’s chest again before heard the Giant say.

 

“It’s very rare for a country's royal armour to be given to outsiders. Sea people like to keep their tech to themselves, in case anyone tries to use it against them.”

 

Wang Bao pulled his hand away from Nakai’s chest, and rubbed the cuff on his wrist. In an instant his normal clothes appeared. Wang Bao stared at the cuff, mesmerised by the science. Nakai removed his armour as well and stood up to leave the room. He returned to the control panel and sat down, before removing the auto drive. Nakai took control of the wheel and manoeuvred the submarine through a dark winding cavern where various old stone pillars stood. Wang Bao slowly made his way to the front of the submarine, and sat beside Nakai. He couldn’t help but feel the landscape felt a little ominous while he looked around them. It wasn’t long before Wang Bao could see the ruins of tall stone pillars, and he asked Nakai.

 

“Was there a city here? These don't look like natural pillars.”

 

Nakai slowed down a little, the submarine weaving in and out of ruins. While driving, Nakai told Wang Bao in a low voice.

 

“The north city used to stretch out to the border, but a war happened between the Sea People and Mer People almost a thousand years ago. The Mer People invaded the north city through this district and destroyed more than half of it. To save the people in the other parts of the city, the king blew up this district and everyone inside.”

 

Oh. Wang Bao continued to look around, the ruins of thousand year old buildings were covered in various types of limpets, barnacles and weeds. Wang Bao was busy admiring the beauty of the old stone until he saw something swim by in the distance, the creature was long with a swishy tail. Wang Bao instantly thought of the large snake-like creature from the capital and tapped Nakai, his voice noticeably more tense than a few seconds ago.

 

“I saw something, are there more of those sea snakes here?”

 

Nakai slowly sped up now that they were in a less cramped section of the ruined city, unlike Wang Bao he appeared to be relaxed and answered calmly.

 

“There are no snakes here, only Mer People. It’s best if you don’t stare too long if you see one. They are very proud people and if they see someone staring at them, they take it as a challenge, they also are good at mind games. From this point on we’ll be in Mer Country. I will need to pilot for a while, because it’s too dangerous for the auto driver to be left on for long periods of time in Mer country.”

 

Wang Bao became a little more worried from this, he didn’t know Mer People were this violent and he didn’t know what they would do if they were to anger one. Hearing that Nakai wouldn’t be resting as long as they were in Mer Country also scared Wang Bao. It seemed as if Wang Bao was feeling enough anxiety for the two of them though, as Nakai was completely free from any stress, and drove through the cavern confidently as if he had done this before. When Wang Bao saw how unfazed Nakai continued to be, it aided in calming him down a little but there was still a sinking feeling in his gut. While sitting silently, Wang Bao started to think about how from the moment their journey started, he had learnt a lot about other countries thanks to Nakai, whether it was recent news, or old history. Wang Bao couldn’t help but be curious as to how Nakai was so knowledgeable in the history of countries half a world length away.

 

“How did you learn about so many different countries and their history? Do they teach these things at school in Giant Country?”  

 

Nakai kept his focused eyes forward while answering Wang Bao.

 

“My schooling was done by the military, everything I know is thanks to them. If you want to build a better long lasting partnership with a country, it’s best to know their history and where they came from, if you want to destroy a country it works the same way. Maths was taught by knowing how far different bullets could travel or the distance between every border around the world. Health was learning how to deal with injuries we had to inflict on ourselves. We would  also learn about the history of all the humanoid species, dating back thousands of years. All of this is because knowing a person’s weakness is either a great way to form relations or break them, it just depends on the person. All of my schooling was done to create a great soldier and an even better King.”

 

Wang Bao was shocked at what Nakai had to go through in order to get to where he is today. Thinking that he also had the pressure of being a royal, must have also made things even more difficult for him. Wang Bao thought back to his own schooling, but found it was very simple when compared to Nakai’s. Wang Bao started talking in a distant voice as he remembered bits from his childhood.

 

“My first teacher was hired by my Father, he was a very kind man and would sit me in his lap so I could learn to read. My favourite subject has always been reading, but my Mother didn’t like how slow I was learning and fired him. My next teacher was a very strict woman. If my Mother thought my grades were too different from Lei’s, she would let the teacher punish me however she liked.”

 

Wang Bao didn’t notice but Nakai’s hands gripped the controls with a tight grip, turning his tanned knuckles white while asking.

 

“How did she punish you?”

 

Wang Bao stared off into space as he replied quietly.

 

“My first punishment by the teacher was when I was 7. My skin is sensitive to too much sun exposure and she made me sit outside for the whole lesson. I was only ushered back inside once my Father saw me when he personally came to pick me up. After that lesson, we sat in a cold healing pool until my fever had passed. When my Mother found out what had happened, she knew she had to use hidden punishments to prevent my Father from finding out.”

 

Wang Bao stopped talking as his mind filtered through all of the terrible things his Mother had done to him. Soon  his mind took him to what Wang Lei had written in his letter, stating that he had been aware of their Mother’s actions even though Wang Bao had tried to hide it. Nakai looked over once Wang Bao had stopped talking for a while and saw an odd expression on his face, he reached over and squeezed Wang Bao’s jittering thigh, snapping him out of his stupor. Nakai could see Wang Bao’s eyes had turned red, as if he would start crying and Nakai offered gently.

 

“Let’s talk about something else.”

 

Wang Bao quickly agreed in a tense voice.

 

“Okay….Did the military really take up all of your life?”

 

Wang Bao didn’t want to talk about himself and redirected the conversation back to Nakai. The latter didn’t mind this, and he talked about his military life openly.

 

“I had breaks every now and then. As long as I stayed at the top rank and my physical fitness was on par with my instructors, I could have extended leave with Nera anytime I wanted. We would go to different countries and wander around, it was nice because no one knew I was the Prince and would treat us like any other giant that was passing through.”

 

Listening to the way Nakai’s voice perked up when mentioning Nera, a person Wang Bao had never heard of before, he couldn’t help but ask hesitantly.

 

“....Who’s Nera?”

 

Nakai forgot that he had never talked about Nera to Wang Bao before, he could hear the mixed emotions in Wang Bao’s voice when he asked the question and smirked to himself, wanting to tease Wang Bao.

 

“Someone special, why?”

 

Sourness instantly coated Wang Bao’s voice as he spoke.

 

“Oh, they must be someone very special to be allowed to travel with a Prince by themself.”

 

 Nakai couldn’t stop himself from laughing after hearing Wang Bao’s obvious jealousy. He looked back at Wang Bao to see his expression, and laughed harder. Wang Bao had scrunched his face, while his eyes held a sense of irritation. Nakai cleared his throat after laughing for a while and explained to Wang Bao.

 

“Nera is my childhood friend and second general. We grew up together because his Mother worked in the palace, and it was our childhood dream to join the military together. He’s nothing more than a brother to me.”

 

Oh, Wang Bao didn’t say anything but he felt better inside after hearing Nera was only a friend, and he continued looking outside; the water had changed from a clear blue to a murky purple, they had also exited the cavern and were now travelling on the outskirts of a city with small buildings. The buildings weren’t torn down or broken like the previous district, instead they looked more like huts with lights in the distance showing off the purple coloured water more. Wang Bao leaned forward to get a better look at the water while asking.

 

“Why is the water purple?”

 

Nakai started to speed up a little more again, the small buildings allowed them to travel a little more freely. Nakai sat back comfortably while answering Wang Bao.

 

“A lot of the rocks in Mer Country contain a special mineral that causes the water to have a hue of purple. Many people have tried to take some, wanting to know what causes such a large reaction but no one has ever made it out alive.”

 

Wang Bao didn’t know what to say to this new information, and he decided to stay quiet instead. Looking outside again, Wang Bao felt it was quite jarring to have seen how far the Sea People had come, with their large underwater cities that were completely free from water. Compared to the Mer People, who appeared to have carved their houses into the underwater mountains, while others had been carved out of large rocks and placed along the seafloor. It was also surprising how there were no walls or fences to keep beasts and submarines out, Wang Bao could see various large beasts swimming through what looked like the city centre, he couldn’t help but shiver thinking about waking up to see a slippery creature staring in through your window.

 

. . . . . . .

 

The first day in the submarine passed by smoothly, helping Wang Bao’s nerves calm down and he headed to bed once he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. Alone in the bedroom, Wang Bao was having a peaceful sleep when he heard a light tapping noise. Wang Bao tried to ignore the sound and go back to sleep but the tapping grew louder. Slowly Wang Bao opened his eyes and looked around the room but he didn’t see anything, thinking that the noise had finally stopped, Wang Bao laid back down. Although Wang Bao was tired, sleep wouldn’t come back to him, in the end he rolled onto his back hoping a change of position would help. When Wang Bao opened his eyes out of boredom, he almost jumped out of his skin and screamed loudly. There was a Mer Person peering into the submarine window above the bed.

 

Their skin had a hint of pale blue while the rest of their features were like the Sea People’s. After the initial shock, Wang Bao quickly felt lost the longer he stared into the person's black eyes. When they cocked their head to the side slowly, Wang Bao followed. The Mer Person grinned, baring their sharp teeth at the same time as tapping on the window. Wang Bao stood up on the bed still engulfed in the eyes of the person. In his head Wang Bao felt as if he could hear a sweet lullaby, the sound made him sleepy but he didn’t want to fall asleep anymore.

 

Nakai had heard Wang Bao’s scream and knew that he had seen a Mer Person. During Wang Bao’s nap, he had managed to bypass two cities already but the closer they got to the middle of the country, the harder it was becoming to pass by unnoticed. Multiple Mer People had already begun following them and Nakai was working hard to lose them in an underwater canyon, but it was proving difficult. Nakai locked in a location then put the submarine’s autodrive on, he knew it was dangerous to leave Wang Bao to the gaze of the Mer People, and he rushed into the bedroom before shouting.

 

“Don’t!”

 

Nakai tackled Wang Bao to the bed and covered the man’s eyes. Nakai had run in to see Wang Bao holding his gun at the window where the Mer Person was. Luckily the gun was too heavy and big for Wang Bao to properly use. If the gun had been fired at the glass, there was a big chance of the bullet ricocheting back at Wang Bao or breaking the glass, flooding the submarine.the smile of the Mer Person vanished after Nakai’s appearance. Wang Bao squirmed around as the song in his head rang loudly.

 

“Get off, I have to let them in, they can’t breathe!”

 

Nakai kept his hand over Wang Bao, his struggling no match for the weight of the Giant. While keeping Wang Bao still, Nakai replied angrily.

 

“Bullshit, they live underwater, of course they can breathe.”

 

Wang Bao continued squirming but Nakai didn’t give in; it wasn’t until Nakai could hear the autodrive ringing from the front, signalling they were close to the location that he had to move. Nakai picked Wang Bao up and carried him over his shoulder, before sitting him on his lap once they were back at the control panel. Wang Bao’s face was pressed against Nakai’s shoulder, with one hand on the back of his head to keep his face in place. Nakai quickly took control of the submarine with one hand and drove towards a dark cave hidden on the rocky seafloor. While Nakai caught sight of the pitch black cave, he heard Wang Bao complain in a muffled voice.

 

“Get off~ I need to help them~”

 

“Who do you need to help?”

 

While asking Nakai pulled Wang Bao’s head back softly by his hair. Most people found it hard to tell Wang Bao’s irises and pupils apart because of the similarity of the colours, but Nakai had been around Wang Bao for so long that he was able to see the difference easily, however at this moment Wang Bao’s pupils were dilated to the point of making him look high. Nakai gently pushed Wang Bao back into his shoulder, before he went back to focusing on driving. The large submarine entered the dark cave and Nakai quickly shut the lights off, allowing Wang Bao to no longer see outside. Despite being in the dark, Wang Bao constantly squirmed in Nakai’s lap as he tried to get away, but he couldn't move because of Nakai’s strong hold.

 

Tap, tap, tap. The Mer Person that had caused Wang Bao’s state of mind had somehow grabbed a hold of the submarine, and was pulling themselves to the front of the large window in front of them. Wang Bao reacted to the tapping and tried to switch the lights on but his hands were caught and held in Nakai’s free hand. The Submarine bumped against the cave walls as the current inside the cave moved the submarine, but Nakai wasn’t worried about that. Wang Bao started whining loudly like a child as he struggled to seek out the Mer Person in the dark. Before Wang Bao’s condition could get any worse, Nakai pulled Wang Bao’s head back, holding the small face in his hands firmly.

 

“Wang Bao, look at me!”

 

Nakai came back into Wang Bao’s unfocused view and locked eyes with him. Nakai had learnt about the hypnotising technique the Mer People used and started to mimic it. A low hum came from his throat while he kept Wang Bao’s eyes on him, the tapping on the window grew to scratching and banging in order to get Wang Bao’s attention but he was already caught in Nakai’s web. Slowly Wang Bao’s body stopped squirming to get away and he slumped against Nakai’s shoulder, sleeping soundly. With Wang Bao no longer struggling, Nakai pulled a headset from the panel in front of him and placed it on Wang Bao’s head, white noise was all that came through since the communication channels hadn't been tuned. 

 

Once he had gotten rid of one problem, Nakai dealt with the next. The Mer People didn’t need lights to see and they were unhappy to know Wang Bao was of no more use. All around the submarine, they screeched angrily before scratching at the thick glass and metal. Nakai heard the echo of more Mer People and he sighed tiredly, speaking under his breath.

 

“Can’t we travel through a country and not be attacked?”

 

Nakai took control of the submarine and turned the lights to as bright as they would go, before he increased his speed, the long cave curved and dropped before straightening out, making it hard to manoeuvre, it also didn’t help that the stubborn Mer person was still holding on to the front of the submarine. Despite the difficulties, Nakai was hoping to make it to the heart of the death trap without causing too much damage to the submarine. Nakai had heard of this underwater labyrinth but had never had the pleasure of venturing inside until now. Plenty of scientists had tried to lead excavating parties, hoping to find the rarest beasts and minerals, but none had made it out to continue their research. After travelling through the winding tunnel for a while, Nakai switched the lights to dim so as to not alarm too many beasts; within a few seconds a horde of Mer People caught up with his fast speed, while the Mer Person on the front of the submarine struggled to hold on with the increase in speed and their long tail whacked against the glass in protest. The cave continuously swerved and twisted narrowly but Nakai drove smoothly, and it wasn’t long before he finally reached the heart of the labyrinth. Nakai stopped rapidly and the Mer Person was thrown forward, their sleek body twisting through the water. Reacting quickly, Nakai quickly dialled the lights on the inside and outside of the submarine to the brightest setting. A thousand eyes instantly reflected the light back and the large group of Mer People surrounding them froze.

 

The eyes of the beasts were unmoving as the Mer People all gathered into one clump, they had switched their focus and were now waiting for the best time to escape. Nakai briefly looked on a screen to his left, keeping watch of the back view of the submarine while also staying aware of the beasts in the tunnels. Without a second of hesitation, the Mer People linked arms and swam back the way they came, their tales moving in sync. In that instant Nakai dimmed the lights again, and drove down to the closest empty tunnel at a fierce speed. The gurgled roar of a gigantic beast rumbled through the tunnels and the rock around them shook. On the screen Nakai could see a white worm-like beast slithering after them, a sharp stinger at the head of its body. Nakai pushed the lever forward to accelerate the submarine to full speed as he drove through the tight space. The worm stayed close on their tail until Nakai could finally find the weapon controls. Using the back gun, Nakai drove one handed as he tried to shoot, all the while Wang Bao flopped around on his lap with no signs of waking up. Because of how difficult it was to drive and shoot at the same time, the submarine bashed into the sides of the narrow tunnel every time Nakai glanced at the screen. The bullets tore at the worm's white skin but the speed of the beast barely decreased. Once Nakai looked back to the front he swiftly pulled up to avoid the dead end, and the head of the worm rammed into the hard rock. 

 

With nothing behind them, Nakai slowed down and followed the new tunnel, at the same time Wang Bao stirred on his lap and pulled at the headset, ripping it off his head. Nakai rubbed Wang Bao’s back gently, and it was only a few seconds before he fell back asleep. Inside the quiet submarine, Nakai cracked his stiff neck and focused on the bleak surroundings. He hadn’t wanted to make such a large detour in their journey, but the Mer People left him no choice. Before Nakai could start wondering about how much longer he would need to travel through the skinny winding tunnel, he found the tunnel had led them back to the heart of the labyrinth. Nakai sighed tiredly and wiped his dry eyes before picking another tunnel that would hopefully lead them out. Nakai overestimated his luck and his gaze darkened when drove the submarine back into the heart. Sitting back in his seat, Nakai muttered to himself.

 

“Come on, give me a break.”

 

With the risk of being discovered by another beast becoming greater with every tunnel taken, Nakai was becoming impatient and he rubbed his eyes again before driving towards another tunnel. However instead of picking a random tunnel again, Nakai looked for a memorable marker to keep track of all the tunnels, and after looking at the endless tunnels on carved into the wall in front of him, Nakai found a tunnel that was shaped more like an egg; using this hole as a marker, Nakai began trying every tunnel. 

 

When that tunnel failed and he ended up back where he started, Nakai found his marker and chose the tunnel beside it. The submarine was powered with kinetic energy, meaning as long as it was moving, it would never run out of battery power. If Nakai wanted, with all the food in their kitchen and never ending regenerating power, they could stay in the dark labyrinth for over a month, but Nakai was hoping it wouldn’t come to this. Ending up where he started again, he felt that all the tunnels were beginning to look the same. It didn’t help that every tunnel twisted and warped constantly, giving him a headache before an hour had even passed. Once Nakai turned into the tenth tunnel, he drove to the entrance but saw a sleeping beast, and quietly reversed out. After another five tunnels with no luck, Nakai had to take a break before he went crazy. After using the controls on the wall beside him to cover all of the windows, he lifted Wang Bao up and carried him back to bed. In the bedroom, Nakai tucked Wang Bao in tightly, before he put his gun back in his backpack. Stepping into the kitchen area, Nakai had the feeling he was going to be driving through tunnels for a while, and he made himself a jug of coffee along with a sandwich. As Nakai sat down in the control seat, he slowly ate his sandwich with closed eyes. He was reluctant to start again, but with no other choice Nakai drove forward.