Mermother looked at the captain kneeling before her.
She narrowed her eyes.
"...Have we met before?"
The captain looked up respectfully.
"Your Majesty..."
He slowly removed his helmet.
Silver-blue hair fell over his shoulders.
His face was older now.
Marked by centuries of experience.
But his smile...
That smile hadn't changed.
Mermother's eyes widened.
"...Zazin?"
The captain smiled warmly.
"Yes, my Queen."
Mermother covered her mouth.
"Oh my..."
"The last time I saw you..."
"You were barely taller than my waist."
Zazin chuckled.
"I was."
"I used to follow you around the palace asking endless questions."
Mermother laughed, memories returning.
"You kept trying to hold a spear bigger than you were."
"And you insisted you would become Captain of the Royal Guard."
Zazin scratched the back of his head.
"I may have been an ambitious child."
"You certainly were."
She looked him up and down.
Now he stood nearly two meters tall.
His armor bore countless medals.
Scars marked his hands.
His posture was that of a veteran.
"...Time has passed."
Zazin nodded.
"Yes."
"It has."
There was a brief silence.
One filled with centuries that neither of them could ever get back.
Behind him, the other Ningyo guards looked completely bewildered.
One leaned toward another.
"...Captain?"
Another whispered.
"Did... did Her Majesty just call him by his first name?"
A third blinked.
"And she remembered him... as a child?"
The youngest guard quietly asked,
"...How old is the Captain?"
Another answered in an equally quiet voice.
"About six hundred years."
The youngest guard's eyes nearly popped out.
"...Then..."
He slowly looked back at Mermother.
"...She really is..."
Zazin stood and turned toward his soldiers.
His voice became firm.
"Kneel."
Every guard immediately straightened.
"The woman before you..."
He placed a hand over his heart.
"...is Mermother."
"The First Queen of the Ningyo."
"The Founder of our modern royal house."
"The Heroine who united the eastern seas."
"The one history records as disappearing centuries ago."
Every guard's expression changed.
Confusion became disbelief.
Disbelief became shock.
Shock became reverence.
One by one...
Every spear was lowered.
Every Ningyo dropped to one knee.
"Our Queen..."
"Has returned."
The words spread like ripples across the formation.
Mermother smiled awkwardly.
"You really don't have to make such a fuss."
Zazin laughed.
"With respect..."
"I absolutely do."
He looked toward the shining city below.
"The entire kingdom deserves to know."
He reached for the crystal attached to his belt.
Infusing it with Yokai energy.
The crystal flared with blue light.
Its signal shot toward the capital.
Moments later...
The bells rang once again.
This time, every bell in the underwater kingdom answered.
The sound echoed through streets, markets, and the royal palace itself.
Throughout Ryūgū, Ningyo stopped what they were doing.
Merchants.
Soldiers.
Children.
Nobles.
Everyone looked toward the palace.
Because only one event in their history caused every royal bell to ring at once.
A Queen...
Had come home.
Meanwhile, deep within the Kingdom of Ryūgū...
Far beneath the sea...
At the very center of the underwater kingdom...
Stood the Dragon Palace.
Built from white coral, jade, and shimmering pearls, it was the oldest structure in the Ningyo Kingdom. Ancient dragon carvings spiraled around its pillars, while schools of glowing fish drifted peacefully through its halls.
Upon the throne sat the current ruler of the Ningyo.
Queen Mermadonna.
Her golden tail rested elegantly beneath her as she read through reports from across the kingdom.
Wrapped protectively around the throne was an enormous azure dragon.
Ryūjin.
The Sea God.
The guardian deity of the Ningyo.
The Dragon's golden eyes suddenly opened.
Dong...
Dong...
Dong...
The royal bells echoed through every corner of Ryūgū.
Ryūjin slowly lifted his head.
"...What is that?"
The sound wasn't one of alarm.
Nor was it a declaration of war.
It was...
Ancient.
Almost ceremonial.
Mermadonna looked up from her documents.
She smiled softly at the dragon wrapped around her throne.
"What's that noise, my love?"
Ryūjin listened carefully.
His whiskers gently moved with the ocean currents.
"I don't know."
He glanced toward the palace entrance.
"Would you like me to investigate?"
Mermadonna thought for a moment.
Then she slowly shook her head.
"...No."
She closed her eyes.
"Listen to the bells more carefully."
The two remained silent.
Only the ringing echoed through the palace.
Dong...
Dong...
Dong...
Ryūjin's expression slowly changed.
Confusion...
Became surprise.
Then disbelief.
"...Impossible."
Mermadonna opened her eyes.
"What is it?"
The Sea God's voice had become unusually quiet.
"...Those aren't alarm bells."
"They're..."
He paused.
"The Bells of Return."
Mermadonna blinked.
"The Bells of Return?"
Ryūjin nodded.
"They're only rung..."
"...when a member of the royal family believed lost to history..."
"...returns alive."
Silence filled the throne room.
Mermadonna slowly stood.
"...That's impossible."
Ryūjin looked toward the distant palace gates.
"I thought so too."
Another bell echoed.
Then another.
Each one carrying the same message.
The Dragon King's eyes widened.
"...Someone has opened the First Sea Gate."
"...using royal authority."
Mermadonna's emerald eyes widened.
"There is only one person who could..."
She stopped mid-sentence.
"No..."
Ryūjin looked at her.
"You've reached the same conclusion."
She nodded slowly.
"If..."
"If we're both thinking of the same person..."
Her voice almost became a whisper.
"...then history has just walked back into my kingdom."
Without another word, the Queen gathered her royal robes.
Ryūjin uncoiled from around the throne, his colossal body moving gracefully through the palace.
The two rulers headed toward the entrance.
Whatever awaited them...
Had already caused every bell in Ryūgū to sing.
Then an order was send to bring the people here.
Royal guards escorted Nate's group through the magnificent halls of the Dragon Palace.
No one spoke.
The atmosphere was simply too solemn.
At the end of the hall, the massive doors opened.
Standing before them were the rulers of the Ningyo Clan.
Queen Mermadonna.
And beside her, coiled protectively around the throne, the Sea God Ryūjin in his majestic dragon form.
The room fell silent.
Ryūjin's golden eyes swept across the visitors.
"..."
His gaze stopped on Mermother.
His ancient instincts immediately recognized something.
"...Impossible."
Mermadonna was equally stunned.
She looked from Mermother...
...to Lily Adams.
"...The former Seer."
Then to Aaron.
"The human husband."
Her eyes shifted again.
"...A Lich?"
She looked at Wiz with genuine surprise.
Then—
"...The daughter of Lord Enma."
Emma awkwardly raised a hand.
"Hello..."
Finally...
Her gaze rested on Nate and Kunou.
"The current Yokai King and Queen..."
She quietly muttered,
"So this is the generation everyone has been speaking about."
The throne room remained quiet.
Mermadonna frowned slightly.
"...Something is missing."
She walked toward a nearby desk piled high with official correspondence.
"If Lady Yasaka truly intended to send the Yokai King here..."
She began searching through the stacks.
"...then where is her diplomatic notice?"
She flipped through another scroll.
"...Not this one."
Another.
"...Not this one either."
Then—
A panicked fish messenger swam into the throne room.
"Y-Your Majesty!"
He bowed repeatedly.
"I-I'm terribly sorry!"
"I have an official letter that was supposed to arrive yesterday!"
"The ocean currents delayed our courier!"
He held out a beautifully sealed scroll.
Mermadonna accepted it.
"...Yesterday?"
She examined the wax seal.
Her eyes widened.
"The Kitsune Royal Seal..."
She carefully broke the seal.
Inside was an elegantly written letter.
As she read...
Her expression changed from confusion...
To realization.
Then...
To amusement.
She looked up at Nate.
Then at Kunou.
"...Oh."
Nate blinked.
"...Oh?"
Mermadonna smiled.
"So that's why."
She folded the letter.
"Lady Yasaka informed me that the current Yokai King and Queen wished to discuss the unification of our clans."
She looked toward the embarrassed messenger.
"So the meeting was scheduled."
"...Yesterday."
The fish messenger shrank.
"I-I'm sorry..."
"The current around the eastern trench changed..."
"I couldn't arrive on time..."
Ryūjin let out a deep rumbling laugh.
"So..."
He looked at Nate.
"You didn't arrive unannounced after all."
"You simply arrived..."
He glanced at the messenger.
"...before your paperwork did."
Nate slowly looked at Lily.
Then at Kunou.
Then back at the messenger.
"...That."
He sighed.
"Actually explains a lot."
Whisper floated forward, nodding wisely.
"A classic bureaucratic failure."
Lily chuckled.
"No matter the realm..."
"Paperwork is always late."
Even Mermadonna couldn't help but laugh.
"It appears..."
"Our first diplomatic incident..."
"...was caused by the postal service."
There was silence.
A long silence.
Mermadonna slowly swam forward until she was only a few feet away from Mermother.
She studied every detail.
Her face.
Her eyes.
The shape of her fins.
Even the way she carried herself.
Finally, she spoke.
"So..."
"You are the real Queen."
Mermother smiled gently.
"Correct."
Mermadonna circled around her once.
Looking her up and down.
"I admit..."
"I find that difficult to believe."
Mermother simply nodded.
"I understand why."
Neither woman said another word.
They simply stared at one another.
The pressure in the throne room somehow became even heavier.
Not hostile.
Just...
Intense.
In the background, Wiz nervously rubbed her arms.
"...Why does the ocean feel colder all of a sudden?"
Whisper whispered back.
"I don't believe that's the ocean."
"I think that's royal awkwardness."
Moka quietly hid behind Nate's shoulder.
"I don't know why..."
"...but I'm nervous."
Nate didn't move.
"...Me too."
Hailey leaned toward Fumika.
"...Should we say something?"
Fumika immediately shook her head.
"No."
"This feels like one of those moments where speaking gets you executed."
Even Ryūjin remained completely silent.
Watching.
Waiting.
Finally...
Mermother smiled.
Breaking the silence.
"So..."
She tilted her head slightly.
"What are you to me?"
Mermadonna answered without hesitation.
"If our bloodline records are correct..."
"And if you truly are no impostor..."
She placed a hand over her heart.
"...Then you are my great-grandmother."
Silence returned.
Then Mermother blinked.
"Oh."
She looked genuinely surprised.
"So many generations..."
Mermadonna gave a small nod.
"More than you realize."
"Centuries have passed since your disappearance."
"Our family believed you had fallen protecting the kingdom."
She smiled sadly.
"Every ruler since then has inherited your crown..."
"...and your dream."
Mermother's expression softened.
"My dream..."
Mermadonna nodded.
"A united sea."
"A peaceful kingdom."
"A future where the Ningyo would never again fear extinction."
She looked directly into Mermother's eyes.
"We've spent generations trying to live up to the standards you left behind."
Mermother's eyes widened.
Then...
She laughed quietly.
Not from amusement.
But from relief.
"I always wondered..."
"...if my children would be alright."
Mermadonna smiled.
"They were."
"They built families."
"They built cities."
"They built this kingdom."
She gestured toward the palace around them.
"And eventually..."
"...they built me."
For the first time since entering the palace...
Mermother's eyes became watery.
She gently placed a hand on Mermadonna's shoulder.
"I'm proud of all of you."
The words were simple.
But to the Queen of the Ningyo...
They meant more than any royal decree.
Mermadonna lowered her head.
"...Thank you..."
"...Great-Grandmother."
Ryūjin smiled.
Then, in a voice deep enough to echo through the palace, he said,
"History has returned..."
"...and it approves of the present."
The tension that had filled the throne room finally melted away.
The atmosphere in the throne room finally became lighter.
Mermadonna smiled warmly.
"I never imagined I would meet the founder of our royal family."
Mermother chuckled.
"Neither did I."
"I honestly expected to stay retired."
Ryūjin laughed, the sound rumbling through the palace.
"It would seem fate had other plans."
His enormous golden eyes turned toward Nate.
"...And those plans appear to involve the Child of Prophecy."
Every eye in the room shifted toward Nate.
Nate pointed at himself.
"...Me?"
Ryūjin nodded.
"You."
"You have reunited the First Queen of the Ningyo with her descendants."
Nate scratched the back of his head.
"I... honestly just invited her because she seemed like the best person to help negotiate."
Whisper floated beside him.
"Master Nate has an extraordinary ability."
Ryūjin tilted his head.
"And what ability is that?"
Whisper smiled proudly.
"He accidentally changes history."
Nate sighed.
"...I hate that you're right."
Hailey immediately nodded.
"He's absolutely right."
Fumika agreed.
"It keeps happening."
Emma raised a hand.
"I've only known him a short time..."
"...but even I've noticed."
Moka giggled.
"I think that's just Nate."
Everyone nodded.
"..."
Nate looked around.
"Why is everyone agreeing?"
Lily smiled into her tea.
"Because it's true."
Aaron laughed.
"Son, your life stopped being normal years ago."
Nate couldn't even argue.
---
Mermadonna turned serious again.
She looked at Nate and Kunou.
"So..."
"The Yokai King and Queen did not travel all this way simply to reunite a family."
Kunou nodded.
"We came on official business."
Nate stepped forward.
"The Yokai Clans are unifying."
"We've already welcomed the Kitsune and the Yuki-Onna."
"The Oni have accepted after proving their strength."
He looked directly at Mermadonna.
"We're here to invite the Ningyo Clan."
Silence filled the throne room once more.
Not awkward this time.
Thoughtful.
Ryūjin slowly coiled around one of the palace pillars.
"An ambitious proposal."
Mermadonna folded her hands.
"Tell me."
"What kind of kingdom are you trying to build?"
Nate answered immediately.
"One where the clans stop treating each other as rivals."
"One where humans and Yokai don't have to fear every meeting ending in bloodshed."
He smiled slightly.
"And one where children grow up knowing the names of other clans as friends instead of enemies."
The room became quiet.
Even the palace guards listened.
Mermadonna looked toward Mermother.
"What would you have done?"
Mermother smiled.
"I would have accepted."
She looked around the throne room.
"I founded this kingdom to protect our people."
"If joining a united Yokai nation protects them better than standing alone..."
She looked back at her descendant.
"...then the answer seems obvious."
Mermadonna closed her eyes.
Thinking.
After several moments, she opened them again.
"There is only one problem."
Nate blinked.
"What problem?"
Mermadonna smiled.
"It would be improper for me to decide something this important alone."
She looked toward the palace doors.
"The elders..."
"The nobles..."
"The military..."
"They all deserve to hear this proposal."
She stood from her throne.
"I will convene the Royal Council."
Her voice echoed throughout the Dragon Palace.
"By sunset..."
"The future of the Ningyo Clan shall be decided."
The guards immediately saluted.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Ryūjin smiled.
"It seems..."
He looked at Nate.
"...your diplomacy is about to face its greatest test yet."
The journey to the Ningyo Kingdom had already accomplished far more than Nate expected.
A forgotten queen had returned home.
A royal family had been reunited after centuries.
And an entire kingdom had learned that its founder was alive.
Yet the real challenge...
Hadn't even begun.
As the bells of Ryūgū echoed across the sea, messengers raced toward every corner of the underwater kingdom.
The Royal Council would soon gather.
Nobles.
Generals.
Clan elders.
Scholars.
Priests.
Every influential voice in the Ningyo Clan would soon decide one question.
Should the Ningyo stand alone...
Or join the United Yokai Clans under the Child of Prophecy?
Nate looked out over the underwater capital, unaware that the meeting about to take place would shape not only the future of the Ningyo...
But the balance of power across the entire supernatural world.
To Be Continued
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