I turned toward the Queen Mother and saw her and her husband preparing the twins, talking softly to them. My gaze shifted to the other clams, then stopped at my mother's clam.
I should probably say my farewells.
I walked toward her, still not used to how I could move so easily under the sea, like I was just walking on land. It still felt strange. Like everything I knew before, don't apply here anymore.
When I reached her, I tugged lightly at her dress, like a child .She turned to me and chuckled, then gently pulled my hand and guided me inside her clam, letting me sit beside her.
"Child," she said softly, "you must take care out there, okay? Don't let anyone break you again.
Her hand moved to my face, warm and gentle as she looked at me. There was something in her eyes… something soft. Something that made my chest feel tight. Her expressions looked like a mother worrying for her child.
She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against mine, her eyes closing. Then I felt a current. There is something warm flowing from her to me. It wasn't overwhelming or painful, it's just… gentle, comforting. Like it was wrapping around me, pulling me into a warm safe haven. For a moment, I almost forgot everything outside and just drowned in this warmth.
Then she opened her eyes and they shone like pearls. So soft, bright, and mesmerizing.
"Now you have my essence inside you," she said gently. "It will help you for a while… until you grow stronger. Although I'm not as powerful as the Queen Mother, I still have some connections from my time outside."
I turned into a snail and snuggled into her embrace one last time.
" I will miss your warmth, Mother. "
She chuckled softly.
" Though it was your father and my warmth that you grew accustomed to. "
I froze, then slowly looked up at her.
" I have a father?"
Before she could answer, a presence appeared beside us. I turned. A man stood there his sharp features made him look both calm and dangerous at the same time.
His hair was short was deep purple, slightly messy like a storm had just passed through it… yet somehow, the chaos suited him perfectly. Like it was exactly how it was meant to be.
He smirked, and without warning, lifted me from Mother's lap like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"You were a pitiful snail when you first came to this cave, son," he said. "I still remember it. You kept testing the clam, checking if it would close on you… before finally getting comfortable in your mother's warmth."
I immediately hid inside my shell.…that was embarrassing. Then I heard him laughed.
"It's good that you were cautious," he continued. "You'll need that if you want to survive out there."
Then his tone shifted.
"Now, let's talk about girls. Specifically… Nysera."
His eyebrow moved up and down. I stared at him. This father of mine is really something and before I knew it, I was smiling. Maybe… if things were different before, if I wasn't always busy… My father and I could've moments like this. I didn't dwell on it. I didn't have time to. This is my new life now and the life that I should focus on.
The next thing I knew, I felt myself floating? I was flying and fast.
"…Wait—"
I landed on something soft. I blinked, then looked up. I saw my father stood a short distance away, already walking off, his shoulders shaking slightly. He even winked at me before turning his back.
He really just threw me like it was nothing. I slowly looked down. Nysera. Her face was close. She looked at me, her expression shifting between confused… and annoyed.
Without thinking, I switched back to my humanoid form and landed sitting on her lap.
I looked at her and smiled, trying my best to show my most handsome expression.
"Hi."
A second passed then I felt the world flipped. I hit the seabed…again. I looked up at her with an aggrieved expression.
"That was uncalled for."
Laughter filled the cave, from all sides.One of the older clams spoke, clearly amused.
"Our youngest is not the easiest to coax, boy. Even the most handsome and accomplished Abyssal Seraphid…" He paused, scratching his head.
"…what was his name again?"
From somewhere behind someone said.
"Vaelith!"
"Ah, right!"
He clapped his hands.
"Even Vaelith couldn't move her."
" Vaelith… that man." The elder chuckled. "Oh boy, you're still too young to compete with him. Even after he moved the sea and made a garden filled with the rarest flower, the Noctyra Bloom, which only grows in the deepest abyss… our youngest still rejected him."
I turned to Nysera. She didn't say anything and just looked away. That made sense. With her looks, of course she would attract all kinds of flies.
[ Exactly. And those "flies" you're talking about are the kind that can kill you with a snap of a finger. ]
I smirked. "I don't care about some Aquaman." I paused. "If Nysera rejected him, then he must be ugly."
[ What is an Aquaman? ]
I grinned. "Someone you don't know… and won't ever know."
[ That statement is false. Sooner or later, I will have access to all information within these seas. With or without your contribution. ]
I chuckled. "Heh. Good luck with that."
[ -_- ]
After the noise died down and everyone finished reminding me how weak I am, I made my way toward Nysera.
"Ahem."
She glanced at me, then crossed her arms.
"What do you want?"
Why does she always sound so prickly when I talk to her? I'm not that ugly.
[ It is called preference. ]
I rolled my eyes and ignored Vex, then I looked at her again and just like always…I paused. No matter how many times I saw her, I still get captivated by her.
At first glance, she looked almost human. Slender, well-proportioned, moving naturally in the water like it was part of her but the longer you looked, the more you could tell she wasn't.
Her skin had a soft sheen to it, smooth like the inside of a shell, catching light in a faint, quiet way. Not flashy. Just… different. Her hair flowed past her waist, shifting between deep violet and soft purple depending on the light. It didn't drift randomly either. It moved slowly, like it had its own rhythm.
Her eyes, oh her eyes, were the most noticeable. A mix of violet and pink, but not a flat color. There was depth in them, like layers hidden beneath the surface. And the way she looked at things… always aware, always thinking, even when she pretended not to care.
Her expression stayed mostly the same. Slightly annoyed. A little distant. But every now and then, when she let her guard down, something softer would slip through, and that makes it hard to look away.
Those small actions, her prickly responses, her expressions, they just make me feel warm and giddy, as if something were lightly brushing against my heart.
[ Isn't that sign of masochism? ]
My fantasies immediately shattered when I heard Vex's comment.
" You really know how to ruin a moment, Vex."
[ -_- ]
I looked at Nysera and thought, "Maybe I really am a masochist." I mean, if it's Nysera, why not? I shivered at that thought, yet at the same time, I couldn't stop my lips from curving into a smile.
" What are you thinking, pervert? " Nysera said as she covered her body.
I scratched my head in embarrassment and let out an awkward laugh.
"Nysera… I'm here to introduce myself. My name is Nyxen Neo. Nice to meet you."
I took a small breath.
"Will you allow me to court you?"
She stared at me. Her brows slowly furrowed, the corner of her lips twitching like she didn't know whether to be annoyed or confused.
Before she could answer— Clap. The sound echoed through the cave and everyone turned. It was the Queen Mother.
"I need someone to accompany my twins… together with the boy as they venture outside."
Then her gaze settled on Nysera.
"Nysera, will you accept this?"
Nysera's expression changed. The annoyance was gone. Now she looked serious.
"If you don't want to," the Queen Mother added calmly, "I won't force you. I can ask someone else."
Her gaze shifted across the entire cavern, scanning. Then it stopped on another woman.
She's beautiful. Different, but still… beautiful. Before I could even say anything I hear Vex say.
[ Pervert. ]
I froze.
Wwhat did I even do?"
[ … ]
I decided to ignore Vex and focus on the present. The queen mother was about to call the woman when–
"Wait."
Nysera voice called out.
I agree."
Everything paused for a second. Then the Queen Mother looked at her, then smiled. Not openly, but there was something behind it, like she already expected that answer.
Nysera didn't look at her for long. She turned sideways and for a moment, I saw it. A faint blush, then our eyes met, her brows immediately knitted together, and she let out a small huff before turning her head away.
"…Hmph."
I blinked.
"What did I even do?"
[ Maybe it's just your presence. ]
I frowned slightly.
"That sounds like an insult."
[ It is a possibility. ]