Her eyes blinked sluggishly, like a video of a crashing wave played in slow motion. Muffled screams echoed beyond the water’s surface. Utterly submerged, Misumi drifted downward after splashing into the orca exhibit by accident, and all she could see were the blurred outlines of people beyond the water as they shouted words she couldn’t understand.
Mom? Dad? she thought. Is that you?
The voices were so mangled they were impossible to identify, but from their general shape, Misumi believed those people were her parents. They had to be. But how had she fallen into the water? Why hadn’t they pulled her out?
They had come to the aquarium as a family and spent hours there already, visiting every exhibit like the jellyfish tunnel, which glowed like a moonlit night as the gelatinous creatures drifted overhead, and the deep-sea zone, which housed many rare fish and types of coral. They also visited an otter show, played with live turtles, and ate ice cream at a shop designed like a north pole igloo. For Misumi, the day couldn’t have been better, but once they reached the orca performance, all her fascination vanished in place of emotionless disbelief.
After walking to the platform in order to pet one of the orcas, Misumi had leaned too far over the railing and fallen into the water, starting the black-and-white sea panda. The whale caused a ruckus and went into a noncombative rage, not being violent but not listening to its trainer’s commands either.
I can’t swim…Mom and Dad need to help me…
After a pause, she flailed her arms and legs, only to suck in a breath of saltwater accidentally. She started coughing, crying, making the situation worse.
“Help me!” she tried to scream. But the words came out as stifled gargling sounds. “Mommy! Daddy! Please help me!”
Again, they were above the water, too afraid to jump in. Meanwhile, through the corner of her eye, Misumi noticed a massive shadow getting closer, then its image became clear. The orca. It was fast approaching, heading directly toward her. And as her drowning lungs gasped out bubbles and the remainder of what air she had left, the beast drew in and opened its mouth wide as if about to devour her.
But as she clenched her eyes tight and braced for the inevitable impact, the giant orca thrashed to the side and avoided her completely, only for her to be grabbed by one of the trainers a second later and hauled back to the surface, where she was laid flat on the platform, coughing, crying, and gasping for air simultaneously. The sun was so bright overhead that she couldn’t see right away; all she could make out were shadows gathered around her, while all sound was muted through her waterlogged ears. And when the paramedics arrived on scene, the trainers worked their hardest to calm the orca as many people in the crowd were quiet now, not screaming or panicking, just watching. Everyone must have wondered if she was safe.
Eventually, she regained enough awareness to sit back up and cough out the remaining water from her lungs, meeting the flashlight of a paramedic as her mother wrapped her in a tight hug. Her father stood close behind, relief calming his terrorized face.
“Misumi…” her mother cried, a sobbing and horrified mess of a woman. “I thought you were…I thought…”
The tender hand of Misumi’s father met the woman’s shoulder, and he got on the ground with them, pulling them both into an embrace that sparked a robust cheer from the crowds behind them. Indeed, she was okay. The orca’s frustration was quelled. And as for their family, they were still whole, still together, and her birthday at the aquarium ended on a happy note and an incredible story worth telling. Misumi wanted more, less-dangerous adventures to be made with them in the future, but at such a young age, she couldn’t have known her parents would become more enchanted with work than her over years. She couldn’t have anticipated that the heartwarming embrace they shared at the exhibit would be the last. And by no means could she have expected to be torn away from life in Tokyo altogether and cast into a deadlier world. Even if she could return…would she want to?
******
Blood clouded through the water like powder instead of liquid, still bleeding from the wounds at her ankle. The cuts throbbed, stinging her in waves as the pain came and went randomly, and while deep in the shadows of a Siren’s den, Misumi awakened with little energy, so tired she could fall asleep at any moment. Yet if she did, she’d never wake up. That would be her resting place until the end of time, and never would she see her friends or family again.
Around her, the underwater grotto was a system with many passages, tunnels, and vibrant plants. Much of the flora looked ancient, like something from the prehistoric era as it stretched to the ceiling no more than two meters high, while the ground was dusty, crawling with tiny crabs and dotted with sea urchins, sponges, and patches of seaweed. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say it was exactly like the old aquarium. Then again, any rendition of the sea floor would remind her of the place.
Thinking back, she remembered the crowds, the animals, the underwater tunnels that slithered beneath the deep-sea biome, but more than anything, she remembered her parents and how they used to be. That day at the aquarium was one of the last memories she had of them actually caring. Of them spending time with her of their own volition, without the need for her to instigate an opportunity. What had changed over the years?
Misumi shook her head, willing away the memories. They weren’t important now.
What was important, though, was getting out of there and finding the others. Where were they? How long had she been asleep? And where were the Sirens?
Shouldn’t they be trying to eat me or something?
Speaking of the devil, a group of slimy wrigglers darted through nearby passages like indistinct shadows in the night. They swerved through the honeycombed stonework, between natural pillars of rock, and straight through forests of seaweed. Then they emerged, surrounding her like wolves cornering a lamb. The Sirens. All of them had come back.
It felt like they took pleasure in her fear. Like they were laughing at her, but also excited for the night’s meal, and then she remembered what Sinopa told her party: the Sirens would never harm someone directly, but would trap or distract each victim until they drowned. No one knew why the creatures behaved in such a way, but they treated each kill like a game or ritual; or perhaps a drowned corpse just tasted better somehow.
I have to get out of here, she thought. Misumi’s hope faded as she met their silver eyes, shifting her focus to each one in a random order. But can I? There’s so many.
Her skills as a Marksman were useless, and to her knowledge, Kenji and the others had no idea where she was. They probably tried to follow her, but the cave system might’ve spread out through a hundred different passages, making it next to impossible to reach or even find her location. And aside from all that was the waterbreathing potion—when would the effects wear off? Was she really destined to die there?
Still able to swim, she tried to flee from that place and kicked her legs, swept her arms, but the Sirens were impeccably fast and they snatched her like they had the first time, yanking her back without mercy. Such cold skin they had, slimy to the touch. It felt like stone covered in algae. And once her ability to leave was stolen away, one of the Sirens positioned itself right in front of her face and snarled through the water, bearing its awful teeth that reminded her of the spines on a porcupine. No matter how badly wanted to, she wasn’t going anywhere.
And yet she didn’t have to.
For as the Siren clutched her neck with its razor-sharp claws, a distorted noise thundered through the water from nearby, and the next thing Misumi noticed was a dagger stabbing straight into the beast’s neck, causing blood to seep and trembling arms to reach for the gaping wound. Next thing she knew, the Siren’s life faded right before her eyes. Its killer was made known not a second later: Kenji. From the shadows, he, Amelia, and Cleo had emerged, armed and ready to fight back. Once again, the people she cared about the most were coming to help her because they cared about her just as much.
The battle that followed was anticlimactic at best, for when Kenji stabbed the first Siren and killed it instantly, most of the others panicked and darted away, though a few stayed behind as if enraged by their fallen comrade. They were faster than sharks, more agile than eels zipping through the water, and while one got a few good licks in and cut Amelia’s arm, the Sirens were defeated after a short struggle. After that, all attention was focused on Misumi and getting out of the tunnel system alive, and from the way they rushed, she assumed there wasn’t much time left in terms of the waterbreathing potion.
But as they abandoned that place, she still had trouble believing her rescue was real. She was actually going to make it out of there alive, not as a corpse, and with Kenji leading the way, she and her friends safely exited the tunnels and entered the wide-open spaces of the underwater city. No Sirens were in sight. Breathing was still easy. And though she and Amelia were both wounded, they were well enough to swim, even if Misumi would not doubt need a few days to let the gash on her ankle, as well as the bruises all over her body heal.
Thus, despite being stretched for time, they made their way back toward the district’s exit, and all the while Misumi couldn’t fight against her emotions. Just like when she was a child at the aquarium, disaster struck and left her in a danger, but someone was there to help her in the end. Someone was there to watch out for her. Unlike her parents, however—Kenji wouldn’t leave, and neither would Cleo or Amelia. They were her friends, and she had every confidence that would never change.
******
It was six o’clock when Misumi’s party returned to the guild, and though she limped, Kenji had helped her wrap up the wounds and allowed her to lean on his shoulder, while Cleo assisted Amelia in bandaging her arm. There clothing and hair was soaked. Their limbs were sore from so much swimming. But after everything that happened, they still managed to acquire the goblet, meaning their job was completed.
Flanigan met them as they wobbled up to the bar completely exhausted, and Misumi had a traumatized look on her face.
“You guys alright?” he asked. “Looks like you got a little banged up.”
Kenji sighed and sat down, laying his head down on his forearms. “Yeah, well, it happens. We were in The Underwater City today and trailed by some Sirens. One of them got Misumi, and we just barely rescued her in time to make it out before the waterbreathing potion wore off. I don’t know—make of it what you will. I’m too tired to talk about it.”
“I can tell. I’m tired just looking at you.”
As they sat there, Misumi felt so drained she couldn’t even talk, let alone cry after how close she came to death. It was like the fatigue took control of every part of her, refusing to let her feel any emotions it deemed too strenuous, and all she could do was slump over and breathe out, collapsing onto the bar like Kenji as all she wanted was to sleep.
“There, there,” comforted Sinopa, who had come behind her and was patting her on the back. “Everybody’s first time there is a rough one. Buck up, darlin’. You’ll do better next time.”
Misumi mumbled, “That’s easy for you to say. You’ve done it before.”
“True, I am pretty great.” Though she was out of view, it was obvious that Sinopa’s tail began to wag, because she loved hearing people talk about how skilled she was. Her voice changed, becoming more pronounced and prideful. “But not everyone can attain this level of expertise. I’m a natural at kickin’ some good ol’ monster butt.”
Suddenly, another person intervened, and Misumi turned around just quick enough to see Sapphire standing there, arms cross. “No, you’re a natural at annoying everyone you meet. Honestly, what makes you think people believe you when you talk like this?”
“Hey! I’m not annoyin’ anybody! You’re the annoyin’ one!” Sinopa squeaked. “And you’re just jealous!”
“As if. I’m more jealous of Misumi, because she doesn’t have to put up with this every time you get a kill…which is usually a rat or something.”
“Take that back! I’ve killed more monsters with my left pinky than you could in a hundred lifetimes!”
The bickering continued endlessly like always, and as Misumi listen, she couldn’t fight a smile that warred for dominance over her shock and fear. The guild would always be home. It would be a place for friends to gather and have a good time, for kicking up one’s feet and forgetting about the daily toils of life. And as the evening carried on, she felt the bitter emotions fade as happier ones took their place, and whenever her family crossed her mind, she had an inkling of idea: maybe going back to Tokyo wouldn’t be a good decision after all. However, that wouldn’t matter unless they reached the tenth floor of the Spire, and based on how difficult their journey had been so far, conquering all ten levels felt like a pipe dream. Only time would tell if that dream came true or not.
