The moment I stopped moving, I realized how dangerously close I had drifted toward him.
Without the crystal ball separating us, everything felt different. The water no longer felt like a barrier keeping me alive; instead, it embraced me gently, supporting my weight as though it recognized me. I should have been panicking. Humans were not meant to stand calmly beneath the ocean, yet my lungs burned for no air, my body moved effortlessly, and fear slowly gave way to bewildered fascination.
Azarus watched me in silence.His silver eyes followed every small motion I made, from the nervous twitch of my fingers to the uncertain flick of my legs as I tried to balance myself underwater. There was no hostility in his gaze, but neither was there warmth. It was the look of a ruler observing something that refused to obey the laws of his world.
"You are adapting," he said at last, his voice low and steady. "Faster than any creature should."
I let out an awkward laugh. "Trust me, Your Majesty, I'm just as surprised."
The words slipped out before I could stop myself. Calling him Your Majesty suddenly felt absurd when I was floating only a few steps away from him like an invited guest instead of a prisoner. Yet no one corrected me.
Behind him, Triton and Moana exchanged a brief glance but remained silent.
Azarus raised his hand slightly.The water responded immediately,a soft current formed around me, circling slowly, brushing across my skin like invisible fingers searching for something hidden beneath the surface. I froze, instinctively hugging my arms around myself.
"Relax," he said calmly. "It is observation, not punishment."
Easy for him to say.
The current moved carefully along my shoulders, down my arms, then around my chest and back. It didn't hurt. If anything, it felt strangely comforting…warm, familiar, almost welcoming. My eyes widened as realization struck me.
The ocean wasn't resisting me.It was… greeting me.
Azarus noticed my reaction instantly. His gaze sharpened, curiosity flickering behind his controlled expression.
"The sea does not reject you," he murmured more to himself than to me.
"Even now, it responds willingly."
I swallowed. "Is… is that bad?"
His eyes returned to mine. "It is… unusual."
That was not reassuring.
He lowered his hand, and the current faded instantly. The water grew still again, yet the faint warmth lingered against my skin. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. The silence between us felt heavy, charged with questions neither of us understood.
Finally, I gathered enough courage to ask,"Are you going to kill me?"
Triton nearly choked behind him.Moana shot me a horrified look.
But Azarus did not react with anger. Instead, he studied me as though weighing the sincerity of the question.
"If I intended your death," he said calmly, "you would not be standing before me."
I nodded slowly, though my heart still raced. "Then… what happens to me now?"
His gaze shifted slightly, thoughtful. For a moment, the powerful Ocean Emperor looked less like a terrifying ruler and more like a man confronted with a puzzle he could not solve.
"You remain within the palace," he decided. "Under my supervision."
My mouth fell open. "So… I'm still a prisoner?"
"You are under protection."The way he said it left no room for argument.
I frowned. "That sounds suspiciously similar."
A faint ripple passed through the water behind him…almost like suppressed amusement but Azarus himself remained composed.
"You arrived in my kingdom under impossible circumstances," he continued.
"Until I understand how you survive here, allowing you to wander freely would endanger both you and my people."
I hesitated, realizing he wasn't entirely wrong. I didn't know how I was breathing. I didn't know why the ocean felt alive around me. I didn't even know how I had gotten here in the first place.
Still… being watched by the most terrifying man in existence was hardly comforting.
He turned slightly toward Triton. "Assign guards."
Triton bowed immediately. "Yes, Your Majesty."
"No," Azarus added after a pause. "Select those capable of restraint. I will not have fear provoking unnecessary aggression."
My eyebrows lifted. He was… worried about how others might treat me?
Before I could process that thought,he looked back at me.
"You will be given chambers."
"Chambers?" I echoed.
"Suitable for your condition."
Which probably meant a human-proof room so I don't accidentally explode underwater.
I nodded quickly. "Okay… that sounds… survivable."
For the briefest moment, something softened in his expression again. Not a smile,he didn't seem like someone who smiled often but the harsh edge of authority eased.
Then it vanished,He moved closer.
It wasn't threateningly, nor aggressively.
The water shifted around him instinctively, bending to his presence. Standing near him felt overwhelming, like standing too close to a storm you knew could destroy everything with a single decision.
He stopped directly in front of me.Our eyes met.
Up close, his gaze was even more unsettling. Ancient, heavy and Lonely.
"You do not fear me as others do," he observed quietly.
I hesitated before answering honestly. "I did… at first."
"And now?"
I considered the question carefully. "Now I think you're… dangerous."
One of Triton's shoulders twitched as if suppressing a reaction.
Azarus tilted his head slightly. "Honest."
"But," I added quickly, surprising even myself, "I don't think you're cruel."
Silence followed my words instantly like the calmness of the ocean.
The chamber itself seemed to still.For a brief second, something unreadable crossed his face…something almost human. Then his expression returned to calm neutrality.
"You speak boldly for a fragile creature."
I crossed my arms defensively. "I survived being kidnapped by the ocean. I think I earned a little boldness."
That time, Moana definitely smiled.Azarus turned away before I could study his reaction further. "Prepare her chambers."
The command ended the conversation instantly.
Servants appeared from the edges of the hall, moving with graceful efficiency. Soft streams of glowing coral light guided the path ahead as gentle currents gathered around me again, lifting my body slightly.
I panicked for half a second. "Wait…am I going back into the ball?"
"No," Triton reassured quickly. "You will move freely now."
Freely?The word felt strange.
As I was guided toward the exit, I glanced back instinctively.
Azarus had not moved.He stood exactly where I had left him, watching me leave with the same intense focus as before. Not possessively ,Not hostilely but curiously.
As if my existence alone had disrupted something ancient and unchanging inside him.
Our eyes met one last time before the corridor curved out of view.And for reasons I couldn't explain, my chest tightened.
The chamber fell silent once she disappeared.Triton waited several moments before speaking. "Your Majesty… shall the scholars be summoned?"
Azarus remained motionless."The ocean obeyed her," he said quietly.
Neither guard responded.Because they had seen it too.
The currents had welcomed the Impossible creature.His gaze drifted toward the ancient symbols carved into the chamber walls…markings older than the kingdom itself, warnings left by rulers long forgotten.
A human surviving the depths without magic.A presence the ocean refused to reject.
Something was awakening.And for the first time in centuries, Emperor Azarus felt it clearly—not threat…not fear…but anticipation.
"Observe her carefully," he ordered at last.
"Report every change."
Triton bowed deeply. "Yes, Your Majesty."
As they departed, Azarus remained alone with his thoughts.He did not know what she was.
He did not know why the sea responded to her.But one truth settled heavily in his mind.From the moment Marimar entered Oceania…the ocean itself had begun to change…And so had he.