I expected a tour. Maybe a magical swim-through of glowy landmarks with commentary like "To your left, the royal kelp gardens."
What I got was: current. Strong enough to yank my hair into knots.
"Hey!" I flailed. "Warning next time?"
Kaelen didn't bother to look back. "Keep up, land-legs. The capital's that way. Unless you'd rather get eaten by a reef crab the size of your sarcasm."
Rude.
I paddled harder, dodging coral towers and weird fish that looked like floating plums with fangs. Every part of this sea buzzed with energy — too alive, too bright. The currents shimmered like neon ribbons, the light from crystals wedged in rock, and the fish… glared. Actually glared.
"Why is everything glowing? Am I dead or just inside someone's fever dream?"
Kaelen shrugged mid-swim. "This is Uverra. Sea Kingdom of Light. We like our aesthetic."
Then, grumbling, "You surface people are always so dull."
I squinted through the water. "So… Tirazaek is the capital?"
"Yeah," Kaelen said. "City of Pearls. Old as the tide. Full of politics, nobles, and people who'd rather stab you than say good morning."
"Charming."
He slowed as we reached an arch of coral shaped like a spine. Floating above it, in glowing script:
"All Who Enter, Carry No Secrets."
Chills rolled down my spine.
"…That's ominous."
Kaelen snorted. "It's ceremonial. Nobody listens to it. Nobles are walking lies in jewellery."
I drifted beside him. "So what exactly am I walking into?"
He eyed me. "A city on edge. A throne with cracks. And a bunch of folks who haven't seen your kind in a long time — if ever."
"So… not a 'welcome to paradise' situation?"
"Not unless you consider polite paranoia and being stared at like a cursed relic fun."
Great. Nothing says vacation like being mistaken for a sea omen.
"Wait. We didn't even do a proper introduction."
He turned slightly. "You already know I'm Kaelen. Sea dragon. Fashion advicor. Sarcasm consultant."
He raised a brow. "And you are…?"
"Elara," I said. "From… not here."
"Yeah, figured. Wanna be more specific?"
I hesitated. Then sighed.
"I think I died. Like… in my world. Drowning. I remember water, falling, and then—boom—I'm here. Alive. Breathing underwater. No halo or wings in sight."
Kaelen blinked. "So you really just… dropped in?"
"Yup. Surprise mermaid entrance. No tail included."
He gave a long exhale. "Well… crap. That explains the mark. Sort of."
"So now what? Am I gonna explode if someone touches me or something?"
"Probably not." He grinned. "But let's avoid testing that in public."
✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧
We swam through the coral arch into a whole new world.
And I know — that phrase is overused. But seriously.
Tirazaek was massive. Glowing streets of neon stone twisted upward like spirals, forming towers so tall they pierced light shafts from the surface. Schools of silverfish weaved between floating lanterns. Jelly-masked guards patrolled pathways strung with drifting banners. And then — I saw them.
Mermaids.
Not like cartoons. Not even like the romanticised online art. These ones had attitude. Their fins shimmered like glass, torsos wrapped in flowing fabric that moved like sea-smoke, some had scales on faces and some on necks. Their eyes — too large, too knowing — turned to me.
And that's when the whispering started.
I couldn't hear the words, but I didn't need to. I saw the way their eyes flicked to my shoulder, where the mark still glowed faintly. A few narrowed their gaze. One even turned her face sharply away.
My smile faltered.
I lowered my arm. Turned slightly. Tried to act like I was admiring the architecture instead of hiding a glowing billboard.
Kaelen noticed.
"Yeah," he muttered, "they're not exactly subtle."
"I thought mermaids would be more… welcoming," I said softly.
Kaelen snorted. "Only to people they know. Or people with crowns. Or people without mysterious sigils that look like ancient doom tattoos."
"Great."
We kept moving. Tried blending in. Failed faster than a fish at prom.
Kaelen drifted closer and nudged my elbow with his fin. "C'mon, don't let them get to you. You're not the first outsider to pass through. And you're still breathing — that's already a win."
"Yay," I muttered. "Survived death just to get stared at like I stole someone's seashell tiara."
He rolled his eyes. "Let's get you something to wear before you cause a diplomatic incident."
"…Excuse me?"
He pointed to my shoulder. "The glowing. It's like a 'look at me' sign strapped to your soul. We'll find you something that doesn't scream 'I just fell out of the sky'."
"Do they sell coats underwater?"
"Better. Silk-weed cloaks. Elegant. Flowing. Only slightly cursed."
"…Comforting."
As we swam toward a side street, Kaelen added, almost as an afterthought, "You know… you're not the only one getting stared at."
I blinked. "What?"
"I'm a Saelkyn," he said. "We're rare. Too rare. Most people go their whole lives without seeing one of us — especially not near cities."
He didn't say it like he was bragging. More like… a fact that came with weight.
"And when people do see one?" I asked.
"They whisper. They wonder what I'm doing so far from home. They assume something's wrong."
He gave a half-smile, not quite reaching his eyes.
"So if you're getting weird looks — congratulations. You're not alone."
I stared at him for a beat. Then softly, "Thanks."
He flicked his tail. "Don't get used to it. I roast people for a living."
"Sure. Professional sass machine."
"You're learning."
✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧
The shop looked like a sea snail got into fashion school and never left.
We swam through an arch made of what I swear were glowing teeth — or bones? I didn't ask — into a room stacked with clothes floating in bubbles. No hangers. No racks. Just clothes hovering.
Cloaks. Scarves. Weird shiny stuff that looked like jellyfish with sleeves.
Kaelen swam straight in like he'd done this a thousand times.
I hung back. "Is this a boutique or a trap?"
He ignored me and floated over to a display. "They've got aura-dimming cloaks. You need one. Bad."
I looked down at my shoulder. Yeah… still glowing like a neon 'kick me' sign. Not ideal.
"Can I even pay for any of this?" I asked.
He opened a tiny glowing shell clipped to his fin. It popped open and showed tiny little coins.
"These are brines. Sea money. We store them in vaultshells. Don't lose them or you'll be poor and stupid."
"Sea money stored in talking clams. Got it."
"They don't talk. Just shimmer. Shut up and pick a cloak."
✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧
He tossed one at me — navy blue with a shimmery border. It curled around my shoulders on its own.
The second it touched my skin, the glow on my shoulder dimmed like someone turned down the brightness. Not gone, but way less obvious.
I blinked. "Okay… that's actually cool."
"It'll keep you from getting stabbed or dragged to some prophecy cult, so yeah — cool."
I looked around. Most of the outfits were ridiculous. One had fins on the elbows. One was made entirely of seaweed. One had barnacle buttons.
"I'm not wearing anything with seafood on it," I muttered.
"Pick fast. People are already staring."
I turned. Yep — two mermaids near the entrance were whispering. One pointed straight at me. I yanked the cloak tighter around my shoulder.
Great.
Kaelen floated up beside me and lowered his voice. "Don't panic. Just don't let them see you freak out. Your mark's rare. People don't know what it means, and they hate not knowing things."
"…Comforting."
"This little thing helps," Kaelen said, tossing a thin ring of coral toward me.
It latched onto my ankle and glowed faintly.
"Swim charm. Sea won't let you die until you pay taxes."
He nudged me toward the exit. "Let's move. You standing here like a lost guppy is making it worse."
I shot one last look at the shelves. Glowing jackets. Shimmery pants but for one leg, maybe for merfolk. Dresses that looked like they were grown, not sewn.
All beautiful. All very not Earth.
We swam out fast.
Outside, I muttered, "So… do I look less murderable now?"
"You'll still get stares, but fewer pitchforks. Progress."
"Thanks."
Kaelen paused. "Also… just a heads up — Saelkyns like me? Rare. I get stared at too."
I blinked. "Because you're pink?"
"No. Because I'm gorgeous. And also, yeah. The pink. I'm basically a walking gossip magnet. You'll get used to it."
He flicked his tail and zoomed ahead.
I followed, one thought in my head.
So this was my new life.
No phones. No pizza. No clue what I was doing.
But if I was gonna survive it — might as well look good doing it.
✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧