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Wherever the sea breeze blows is under the Sea God’s divine gaze.

As winds rose at sea and the tides pummeled ships, fishermen and sailors alike wore gray garments. The Sea God sat on a coral stone at some distance, watching the foolish humans along the hundreds of corpses above the cabin with disinterest. He brought the flute to His lips, playing a soft melody across the misty sea, as if caressing the raging whirls of the Ocean to a mystical calmness.

“Fools… Any further and a storm would be the last thing on your mind.”

The Sea God was never a fan of the sacrifices from the humans, what with throwing dead corpses to the sea, He thought that the surface land might be running out of land to bury the dead. As He turned around to return to His home, a shrill scream caught His ears.

“Help… Help me…”

The God of the Sea was the most treasured pearl, and the Ocean was His oyster. He gently sat on a nearby driftwood, and with a wave of His hand, the currents brought Him to the source of the sound. Under His fiery presence, the chilly bone-piercing waters turned warm in an instant. The Sea God fiddled with His flute idly as He watched the feeble girl drowning underneath Him, trying to keep herself on the surface. He asked without much interest, “...Were you abandoned?”

“Save me…”

He gave a cold laugh at her request, scales glowing under the night sky as He squinted His eyes at her with amusement. “Did you ask for my assistance?”

The girl nodded her head with all of her strength. A couple of times, she tried to reach for the driftwood, but the Sea God waved His hand every time. The water currents keep her at a safe distance from Him.

Watching the girl’s desperate and frustrated gaze, a playful thought came to His head. He reached out His hand, which she delightfully took immediately. But just inches away, fire burst forth from His fingers. There was a loud yelp as she pulled her hand back, red burn marks on her hand seemingly stung against the salt water. The Sea God laughed heartily at His successful joke. After all, it was not everyday He can poke some fun at the living humans from the surface world.

Yet just as the Sea God lowered his guard, that burned hand sprang up from the waters. Red rashes clear on the back of her hand as she clenched His hand with all her might.

“Release me.” The God of the Sea glared at where their hands touched, the frown lines on His face deepened with a hint of anger. There was a dangerous glint shining from those blue-pink eyes as the scales on His neck were raised ever so slightly, its sharp edges emitting a sense of warning. His voice boomed once more amidst the chilling night wind, “...I said release me!”

Regardless, it appeared that the girl seemed to willingly die either way. Trapped in the unrelenting tide, she pulled Him slightly down as her other hand rested on His shoulder, catching the Sea God off guard and kissing Him.

The God of the Sea had never suffered that kind of utter humiliation in all of his life. Everyone had always treated Him with the utmost respect, both in the underwater civilization or on the surface world. He was the most treasured pearl of the Deep Sea, not even His parents were to lay a hand on Him after He turned fifteen, and nobody else could even touch a strand of His hair unprompted.

Which explained the way his face turned red and white in an instant. He was still frozen even after the girl pulled away, struggling to keep her eyes open with the salt water washing up on her face with every passing second, though her gaze remained unwavering from His own. 

The Sea God looked at her with a complicated gaze, somewhat filled with embarrassment and rage as she had just ‘defiled’ His body. But after a long silence passed, a chuckle slipped past His lips. 

What a joke, He thought, finding it intriguing that this lowly human was able to amuse Him with her outrageous actions. 

“I will grant you deliverance.” His fingers tucked the stray strands of hair behind her ear, down to trace along her jaw, then tilted her chin to look up at Him. Under the bright moonlight, He saw her clearly for the first time. The furrows of her brows, desperation in those bright eyes, lips slightly quivering from terror and cold. For a human, she was beautiful, and thus, an idea popped up to His mind. “And in exchange… Offer yourself, your everything to me. Become my follower, mortal.”

But the girl lost consciousness just before she answered Him, causing annoyance to flash by His face as her weak body proceeded to slip from His grasp and drown. Rolling His eyes, the Sea God jumped down from the driftwood, grabbed her forearm, and dragged her to His abode. 

Days passed with the Sea God watching over her unconscious body from time to time. Just as He wanted to pay her a visit one day, He walked in on Algie and Konche’s bantering along the lines of wanting to use the living human for research. 

“S-she’s awake! Her eyes are open!”

The Sea God’s ears perked up immediately. Subconsciously, mirth flashed in His beautiful eyes as He inched closer to the bed, silently observing the girl sitting up with a wary gaze, asking, “What is this place…? Am I… below the waves?”

“Keep your distance. She bites.” 

Almost immediately, Algie and Konche each took a step back from the bed while the God of the Sea walked closer to the human. His eyes shone a dangerous glare when He caught her looking at His swollen lips. She gulped and fiddled around nervously under His intimidating stare, asking, “Um… Where am I?”

“A glance would reveal that you are in Lemuria.” He replied in a matter of fact way, tilting His head at her slow comprehension, wondering if He had made a wrong judgment and this girl wasn’t as intriguing as He initially thought she would be. The Sea God swiped a judging look across her tattered white dress before turning around to instruct the young Lemurians in front of him. “Treat her wounds and give her clean clothes. I’ll inform Elder Amund that we’ve found my devout follower.”

“Um, you’re my savior, right? I should express my gratitude—”

Before she could finish her sentence, the Sea God left the room without glancing back. He walked immediately to the Temple, thoughts flooded His head. He had brought her to the deep sea on a whim out of curiosity, and when He remembered how the elders of the Temple had been urging Him to find a devout human follower for the upcoming ceremony, He thought that this girl’s sudden appearance was like hitting two birds with a stone: He could continue to observe and poke his fun at this curious human, and make do with the ceremony preparations.

“They take their sweet time, huh?” He looked at the crowded winding path to the Temple from where He leaned on the door, where Lemurians swam and chatted along their ways. As He turned to go back inside the Temple, His ears caught hushes and whispers from his surroundings. Wary gazes quickly followed the sudden silence in the street as Lemurians that had been scattered all over the place swam aside, making a way for three people who walked towards the Temple.

“Elder Amund maintains the Temple. He believes only the most devout, sincerest worship can awaken the Sea God’s powers and keep the flame strong.”

The girl frowned at Algie’s statement. “Why a human specifically? Can’t a Lemurian be selected?”

“Humans are the most selfish, greediest of creatures.” Konche piped up eagerly, brimming with anticipation, as he remained dense to the human’s dumbfounded look. “Thus, when they offer their hearts, love, even their lives, ‘tis considered the most precious form of worship. The Tome also confirms that Rafayel will be the last God of the Sea. Therefore…”

“Konche.”

When the three people saw Rafayel opening the Temple’s door, their faces flashed red from being caught gossiping. Grabbing Algie’s arms, Konche smiled apologetically and said, “Uh, I just remembered I still have a report to write. F-Farewell!”

Only the two people remained in the Temple’s periphery, other Lemurians had long kept their distance from the surface world’s girl. The God of the Sea, or Rafayel, as they called Him, gestured for the girl to follow Him inside. 

Ahead of them was the fire, symbolic of Lemuria as a whole. Rafayel led her to stand before the altar where an old man wearing an exquisite robe stood in the middle of the Temple. Above him, the fire flickered, as if threatening to go out every now and then.

“She’s most suited to be the one.”

Elder Amund looked at the girl with a scrutinizing gaze, furrowed brows deepening the wrinkles on his face. “Her? She is the human Your Quintessence decided on?”

“Twas more of fate's whimsy. I wandered about on the earth, and became her cushion as she fell.”

“For now, I shall forget Your Quintessence snuck out and burned the guard’s hair.” There was a heavy sigh in his sentence, indicating that this had happened way too many times than he liked to count. Elder Amund looked at Rafayel, then swiped another look at the girl who kept her head hung low. Doubt was apparent in his tone as he repeated his question, “I must ask again, is she truly to be the human Your Quintessence is bound to?”

“As long as the Sea God’s ceremony is assured. I’ll make her my follower.” Rafayel shrugged nonchalantly. He threw a look at the girl and tugged his lips at her timid stance which contradicted her rush of courage upon their first meeting, he teased, “However, we should remove all her teeth and nails. I worry she’d bite and scratch us if given the opportunity.”

Her head shot up when His words landed, bright eyes immediately meeting His beautiful blue-pink ones. She agape for a moment, lost in His persistent gaze, before muttering, “...I-I don’t think that’s a good idea!”

Elder Amund watched the two of them with a complicated gaze. He sighed in his old heart as it appeared that this young Sea God of his still didn’t know the weight and cost of making a human to become His follower. “Once a Lemurian is bound to someone, ‘tis impossible to go against their wishes. She will have the power to command Your Quintessence.”

Rafayel pulled His amused gaze from her to look at Elder Amund with a tilt of His head, while the girl remained stealing wary glances at Rafayel and himself.

“When the two of you barely know each other, is that something worth giving?”

The light of the fire above flickered, casting shadows on Rafayel’s face. He lowered His head to ruminate His answer. Yet before he could come up with anything, Elder Amund left, making the Temple felt too spacious with only the two people inside. 

Rafayel sighed softly, it seemed that He couldn’t fool Elder Amund no matter what. His only option was to make a real deal with this foolish girl.

“...If you have yet to decide, can I be set free? I promise I won’t speak of this to anyone.”

Rafayel didn’t pay any attention to her. His head was splitting with pain from how weary He had been feeling the whole day, so He dragged His feet to sit down on the ground by the Temple’s window. Leaning against the marble pillar, He closed His eyes. “The day has dragged on long enough. I’m tired.”

She sat down next to Him. “...What are you doing?”

“Sleeping.”

“Why?!”

“Wake me before nightfall.”

“Ugh! You…”

Rafayel ignored her completely, but He had taken her stubbornness too lightly, as He couldn’t help but to wake from his nap every time she called His name. Over and over again. He moved His head slightly, a scale came off His neck and turned into a blue fish that swam around His shoulders.

“Where did you come from? I have to admit you’re adorable…” There was a trace of surprise and wonder when she spoke to the fish, swimming in a circle before it settled on her finger. “Do you know the way out, O Little Fish? Do you understand me? Could you show me a way out?”

As the fish was a part of Rafayel, thus His mind was connected to the fish. It flicked its translucent tail, then swam to the stained-glass window behind the alcove. Lemurians had keener senses than most, thus He heard her hesitant and careful footsteps as she followed the fish out of the Temple. Once He found the peace He had longed for, Rafayel fell into a deep nap the entire afternoon.

Rafayel had predicted how long His fish would be able to ‘guide her escape’. The fire burned slightly brighter when He woke up from His nap, indicating that time had turned into nightfall. 

Looking at the empty spot by His side where the girl had been sitting before He fell asleep, Rafayel sighed with indignation. He had expected it, but when He experienced it first hand that day, He quickly realized that human’s vows were truly unreliable.

He swam through a shortcut leading to the borders of Lemuria swiftly, mapping the route that He had remembered at the back of His head. Walking through the garden of coral reef with slow steps, sand tickling His feet before He laid down behind a silk curtain. He counted in His heart: Three, two, one…

“Yes! Apologize to your master on my behalf. He is my savior, all things considered.” The girl’s voice echoed through the garden with brimming confidence. She held the blue fish on her palm with a thankful gaze. “I have yet to think of a proper way to express my gratitude. Should I feed the fishes during the Sea God’s Ceremony?”

“Was it fun to explore Lemuria?”

The girl shot her head in His direction, shouting in terror, “Rafayel?!”

“There is no need to shout my name.” He lifted a finger, and the little fish swam around it, before it transformed into a blue scale that landed on His palm.

“You planned this.”

“Twas a test made for you.” He couldn’t help but to roll His eyes. “Elder Amund was right. Human promises are but meaningless words.”

“When did I make a vow to you?!”

“I told you to wake me before nightfall, didn’t I?” Rafayel yawned, though not a trace of upset on His well-rested face in the slightest. “Besides, when I saved you from the Ocean’s clutches, we made an oath. Did you forget?”

The girl was ready to refute His words again, but then she seemed to recall something from that night, and surprise flashed in her face. She asked in a bargaining tone, “T-that counted…? You are the God of the Sea, respectable and awe-inspiring. Can’t you consider my rescue an act of kindness and let me go?”

“I am not a god who answers every whim.” He snorted. Casting His gaze upon the opulent underwater city behind them, He continued, “The Ceremony is to take place in a month. And as you are aware, ceremonies always neeed—”

“F-followers… There are plenty on land. The ones who wear robes pray every day to you. They’re more devout than me.”

Rafayel looked at her plea with a still gaze, wondering if He had been too lenient with her out of his amusement, thus He held out His hand as if grabbing an invisible rope that’s tied tightly around her neck. A performatory smile rested on His lips. “All right. Return to me your life.”

In that instant, water entered her nose and throat. He watched her flailing her weak arms with an unfazed gaze while she proceeded to drown right in front of Him. Having learned from experience, He waved a small current against her to keep her at a safe distance from Himself. With no way out, she let out a muffled scream, “I-I swear! I swear on my name I’ll do anything you ask!”

Once He received an answer that satisfied Him, the Sea God grinned with pleasure and loosened His hold to let her breathe again. Watching her cough out the water from her lungs, her hand brushed against her sore throat and held the wildly thumping heart in her chest.

Rafayel almost felt bad looking at her. Almost.

“Tis not worship that I desire. From the depths of your very soul, I seek only the purest devotion.”

She frowned, “...I beg your pardon?”

“The tides ebb and flow, and with every setting sun is a moon rising. Till time’s end, I should occupy your every thought. You must believe in me alone.”

“You mean I…”

“Think of it from another perspective.” Rafayel walked closer to her. A genuine smile graced His lips as He poked her chest, specifically where her heart would be. He mused, “Thou is to find a means by which thy heart becomes smitten with me.”

His promise to let her go if she became His most devout follower had significantly increased her compliance to stay in Whalefall City.

One day Rafayel had spent the entire day in the Temple when He saw three familiar faces entering her peripherals. He wrapped up His outing with the Lemurian kids by giving out His blessing before coming over to entertain His guest. When they were left alone, the girl started wondering about Lemurian conches which could store sounds for many years, so He gave her His treasured conch from the Temple’s shelf in passing. 

Dusk fell when they stepped out of the Temple, soft orange light graced her beautiful features as Rafayel saw her gazing up at the bright fire at the highest spire on the building. He figured how the Sun Below the Waves must’ve reminded her of the Sun on the surface world, whose light and warmth were unparalleled to the one under the waters. 

“Are you interested in some sightseeing?”

“Isn’t the Temple closed off at this time?”

He tugged His lips into a smile. “Follow me.” 

Rafayel had done this way too many times, swiftly avoided the Temple’s guards and reached the highest floor of the spire in no time. Pride filled His chest when the sight of Lemuria’s flame shone beautifully across the buildings in the city. Yet before He was able to say anything, short heaves of breaths came from the girl beside Him. Exhaustion was apparent on her face, and Rafayel could bet that if they weren’t underwater at the moment, her sweat would’ve drenched her clothes. 

The sight of her fatigue made Him chuckle, wanting to make a snarky comment, when suddenly she lost her footing and almost fell into His arms.

Though He tried to stay unfazed, she still noticed the frown on His face. “...Do you not like people touching you?”

It wasn’t entirely untrue. If any lowly human were to touch Him as carelessly as she did the last two times, then they could just bid their goodbye to their entire arm or even their lives. Rafayel despised being touched by another, what with His gracious upbringing of an entirely higher power that He had always lived with in His entire life. 

But whenever her warm hand touched His cold skin, He found an inexplicable comfort that made Him wonder, perhaps He was just… unaccustomed to physical touches.

Rafayel’s frown deepened when He realized what He was thinking. Humans were the most selfish, greediest of creatures. How could He, the God of the Sea, even think about finding warmth and comfort under their soiled touch? Rafayel thought that spending some time with her must’ve messed up His mind. When He looked at her searching gaze again, He hardened His heart. “No.”

“Sorry…”

“You can hold my hand.” Oh well. That came out faster than He intended. Rafayel sighed in His heart upon the realization that He really couldn’t lie to Himself about craving for her touch, in one way or another. So He extended His hand, to which she gaped with a soft “oh” before she accepted His offer excitedly. “But don’t hold onto it too tightly.”

The girl smiled sheepishly as she settled with holding one of His fingers. He brought her to the top of the spire that overlooked the Whalefall City, each building covered in a golden fog from the firelight.

“How beautiful! This is the first time I’ve seen a sunset underwater.”

Rafayel looked at her from the side. Her eyes were flowing with pure excitement, a bright smile graced her lips, bringing a sense of youthful spirit to her face. Rafayel found the youthful air on her face to be endearing. “Is it pleasing to look at?”

“Yeah.”

His gaze followed the distant light, then He looked up at the empty blue waters of the vast sea. Faraway up there, hung in the azure sky, was the Sun that this girl belonged to. It appeared to Him that maybe the time had finally come to let her leave. He had brought her to this place on a whimsy curiosity, and since He promised to let her go, then the sooner would be better. Rafayel’s fingers moved slightly, thumb subconsciously caressing the hand that wrapped around His index finger, as His voice echoed softly, “Tell me of the world on the surface.”

What initially started as an impromptu pastime that day, had turned into a hiding place that they shared just between the two of them.

Although Rafayel thought about letting her go, things couldn’t be that simple when the rumor about her being the one spread through the city. The girl had to suffer a lot of classes about the culture of Lemuria from the elders, and on the day that she finally couldn’t take the pressure anymore, she climbed out the window in an attempt to escape Elder Amund’s clutches.

“Elder Amund expressed his grievances today. He said you stacked seven or eight turtles in your attempt to climb out the window.” Rafayel sat down by her side at their shared hiding place. He couldn’t help a smile to bloom when He found her tucked away in a corner, face looking away from Him. “I can surmise your expression even if you don’t let me see your face.”

He moved closer to her, feet accidentally knocking her ankle, to which she flinched reflexively. Rafayel frowned, thinking He didn’t step on her feet intentionally for it to hurt, but then she rubbed at the slight bruise on it with an embarrassed smile. “Just my luck, I might’ve gotten it when I fell down from the window.”

“Huh? Your ankle… ‘Tis twisted today?” 

It was as if all lessons about the ethics of a Ruler were thrown out of His mind as He kneeled in front of her immediately. There had never been a history of the God of the Sea kneeling before the others. After all, the lower power shouldn’t be the one to move the higher power.

And yet, despite her protests, He managed to find other injuries on her legs that had turned into bruises from being left untreated. Scolding her gently at her carelessness, Rafayel sighed as He rummaged through an old container at the corner of the spire and took a jar of ointment. He had kept it here during His earlier days, having slipped from the high stairs too many times. To think that He would put this ointment to use on someone else, Rafayel found it quite a surprise Himself. “There. You’ll be good as new in a few days.”

The girl finally let go of her death grip on His silk cloth, sniffling as she rubbed at the reddened frame of her eyes.

“Don’t be embarrassed about shedding a tear or two.”

“I didn’t cry.”

“Mmm, you didn’t cry. As you can see, I accidentally left some pearls on your cheek. I forgot to take them back.” Rafayel mused fondly, tucking a strand behind her ear gently as his thumb caressed away the small pearls at the corner of her eyes. Seeing her distressed expression made Him feel… sympathetic. Was it really sympathy, or was it something else ? Rafayel shook His head when she refused to humor His teasing, thus He pacified her gently, “Once you’ve recovered, we can play on the beach. How does that sound?”

This time, the girl stared at Him with a look of disbelief. “Are you sure? My sprained ankle would take a while to heal.”

“Everything will be fine. I’ll hold your hand as you limp.”

His fingers rolled around the pearls on His palm, musing over the fact that her tears could also turn into pearls. He wondered if this was the case for every living human that was brought to the deep sea, or if the girl had been special in some ways. Regardless, the more He learned about her, the more He found her quite dear. 

“You should be more concerned about our plans. There are too many places I wish to see on land.” His gaze returned to her face with absolute assurance. He thought about how stressful the lectures must’ve been for her and the dread she must’ve felt with Rafayel dragging the time to let her go. 

Rafayel wouldn’t wish the Deep Sea to imprison this innocent girl, as it had done to Himself. Though it had been His initial intention, upon spending some time with her, Rafayel knew He shouldn’t drag her to do something that was not of her own wish. 

After all, what difference would that make between Him and the greedy humans of the surface? 

Rafayel would let her go out of his own good will. It totally had nothing to do with this deep-seated familiarity of comfort that tickled His guilty conscience too many times. When He reassured Himself of this, He nodded in satisfaction, “Then there’s… whether or not we return to the Deep.”

As Rafayel weighed His words in His head, the spreading warmth of her palm engulfed His own. Her touch took away His focus the way it averted His still gaze to find her own mirthful ones. She tugged her lips into a smile. “Thank you, Rafayel.”

“Why are you thanking me?” Though Rafayel refuted almost immediately, an apologetic smile rested on His lips. “I’m not doing this for your appreciation. You are mistaken.”

“Still, you have my gratitude.” Her thumb rubbed circles on His hand. Then a thought came to her mind when she asked, “When we get to the surface, what do you want to do? Should we visit the Sea God’s temple up there, or maybe feed the fishes during the Sea God’s Ceremony?”

His gaze softened when He saw her brimming with childlike innocence, finding her dearer the more she spoke about how she wanted to make the most of their time on the surface to be memorable for Him, when all He wanted to do was let her go for good. Rafayel held her hand with His own gently, thumb swept over her ring finger before He shook His head, thinking: Just going this far with her is fine. 

When Rafayel brought her to the deep sea, He initially wanted to poke His curiosity and fun at her until He got sick of her, and maybe used her to become His follower in the Ceremony. But then she begged Him to go, so he planned to let her go when He got bored with her. 

However, the young Sea God didn’t know when He started to find her face gracing His mind throughout His days and nights. A quiet curiosity turned into unbearable yearning to see her, to hear her, and to be by her side once more. A day longer is a moment longer to be spent with her, and this Sea God began to cherish her presence next to Him. Before He knew it, her bright eyes had been ingrained into His brain and her laugh passed through from His ears and tickled His heart. The warmth radiating from being close to her sunk beneath His skin and tail and bones, that Rafayel started to question how He had lived His life without her warmth in all of His years not knowing her. 

Rafayel looked at her eyes that seemed to shine with their own light, maybe even rivaling the Sun Below the Waves and above the surface. Rafayel thought that if her eyes were the Sun, then Rafayel would let His world bask under her gaze forever.

Thinking to this point, a reluctance to part started to invade His thoughts, and the shattering of His heart began to resound in His own ears. He planted a kiss on her ring finger gently. Regardless of what He felt, Rafayel had to let her go according to her wishes. “I already… have what I desire.”

That night He took her to the surface world, bearing a disguise with a mask He created from a driftwood, they entered the festival underway. The scent of expensive spices permeated the air, mermaid-shaped lamps burned bright on the buildings, and performers sang along the melodious lyre beneath the arches which were inscribed with a legend of the Sea God. 

They had settled listening to a storyteller about the tale of the Sea God and His beloved, listening to the human children’s opinions and ideas that sparked made Rafayel let out a cold laugh. He rested His chin when little children asked about Lemuria with their curious eyes, making a tiny circle of crowd just like the one He always had back in Whalefall City. Rafayel spoke in a matter of fact way when a little girl eagerly questioned him about the tale, He said, “Lemurians don’t fall in love with people they are bound to. ‘Tis a human fantasy.”

“What else?”

“Are you that curious?” Rafayel chuckled, seeing the little girl’s eagerness somewhat reminded Him of His companion. He wanted to tease her, but then He turned His head only to find the empty seat beside Him. Perplexed, He scanned His surroundings, unable to find her anywhere. He thought, was this the way they would have parted ways? But the fleeting thought went away as quickly as it appeared, as relief washed upon His thumping heart when His gaze landed on a familiar figure in the market’s plaza, standing curiously in front of a stall that sold Pomegranate wine. He tapped the little girl’s head and pointed His finger at His lost companion, “The young lady there. Inform her that someone is waiting. If she doesn’t return soon… That person won’t keep waiting.”

The little girl giggled as she followed His instruction, skipping her way to the girl that now carried a jar of Pomegranate wine in her hand. The two girls looked in His direction, said something to each other before they laughed cheerily.

“Are you upset I was distracted? Don’t be angry. I returned, didn’t I?” The girl smiled as she came over to Him, raising her jar of wine proudly. “I even brought with me pomegranate wine. It just finished fermenting! We can take it back for Algie and Konche—”

Rafayel frowned slightly, unable to figure out her thought process that, with all the opportunity to slip from His sight and run for her life, instead she was thinking about returning to the deep sea with a souvenir of wine for Algie and Konche?

Rafayel thought He had learned so much about the girl in front of Him, but then she would always surprise Him by saying things such as this. He even wondered if she knew that tonight, Rafayel was planning to set her free. 

“I’m not upset. But…”

As they spoke with each other, there was an argument behind them. Rafayel looked at the arguing storyteller and guards, yelling loudly about the ‘stolen Sea God’s pearl’. He had a bad premonition about those vigilant faces when they laid their eyes on the two of them.

“Will they imprison us?” Rafayel asked when the guards started to make their way in His direction. “Oh well. We should start running.”

“We were careless! Commoners would use coins to pay. Not pearls from the Deep Sea!”

“I just found them in the sand before we—ouch!”

The girl grabbed His arm and dragged Him into a deserted alleyway. Beneath a rundown arch, her body was flushed against His in a small alcove. She warily peeked out, “We are no longer safe here. We must find a way back.”

“Don’t you want to stay?” Rafayel interrupted her. His unexpected question seemed to confuse her, so Rafayel continued to speak, “If that’s your wish, I can distract them for you. In the Tome of the Sea God, the text states I must never go against your wishes. If I did, it’d mean we cannot be bound.”

The girl stayed silent, but her gaze didn’t leave His face even for a moment. Under her searching gaze, Rafayel felt warmth creeping up his face. He turned around and kicked the pebbles by His feet. 

“I need only one follower. It doesn’t have to be you.”

Although His face remained unfazed, Rafayel could feel the soaring pain inside His chest when the words left His mouth. It was as if His own heart was shattering at the thought of how easy it would be for her to leave Him at the moment.

But then, why would His heart shatter? Didn’t he just say it Himself, that His follower didn’t have to be her ?

Well, although it didn't have to be her, but He wanted it to be her.

“Aren’t you afraid of me telling others about Lemuria?”

“...But you always wanted to live on the surface world, right?”

She smiled when He tilted His head confusedly in return, shaking her hand and taking His hand, she traced the skin paints that complimented His soft skin. A gentle sweep of her thumb across His ring finger that was absent of gold jewelry, she said, “I don’t have a wish. Besides, this celebration is not about me.”

Realization dawned on His face in an instant. Under the realistic statues of the Sea God, He smiled, “This event has nothing to do with me either.”

When the guards found them, Rafayel immediately pushed her into the shadows and walked onto the street. 

“Do you all want eyes from the God of the Sea? I have tons. Have at it.” With a flick of His wrists, countless pearls of various sizes soared through the air and cascaded onto the ground. Cacophony immediately filled the streets as passerby and guards alike gave into temptation and hogged as many pearls in their possessions. 

Just when He turned around to the girl’s side, a tug at His silk cloth grabbed their attention. The little girl from earlier looked up at Him with sparkly eyes and a toothy grin. “Sir, I don’t want the Sea God’s eyes. Can I get your Sea God puppet instead?”

Rafayel exchanged a look with the girl next to him, then He took out two puppets from His pocket and kneeled as He gave them to the little girl with the gentlest smile He could muster up. “Here. Remember to keep them together.” 

He then took the girl’s hand by His side and pulled her into the night. Distant shouts followed their trail along the path behind a mountain. Cornered like preys, they stood on a cliff with nothing but Ocean below them.

“Jump.”

The girl peeked at the sharp, jagged coral and rock that laid at the bottom. “Surely you jest. If we jump, we’ll die—ah!”

“Not with me here.” Rafayel ignored her protests and kicked her off the cliff when He saw the bright flames closing on them, black smoke rising up to the sky as the guards found them. Hideous, winning grins tugged at their lips.

Rafayel burned a bright flame on His palm, casting a spell under His breath, before the fire on each timber suddenly roared. Flame dripped down every hand as if they were water, licking onto each helmet and armors, emitting screams of terror from the supposedly predator. 

Rafayel looked at a symbol that was akin to this island, then glanced up at the highest tower in the distance. He recalled the higher ups who governed this island, which were the Emissaries of a temple who had dealt grievances to His dearest follower with an indignant glare. 

Though He decided to settle that matters another day. 

The Sea God jumped down the cliff with a still gaze, finding her flailing body against the current as He dived smoothly into the waters. Using all His strength, Rafayel tightly held her hand. “Hold on tight.”

“Rafayel…”

When He saw the pearls trickling down the corner of her eyes, Rafayel wanted to scold Himself. He had been panicking to escort her into safety that He had forgotten the day they first met was exactly like this one. 

How could He not know how scared she must've been to think He had abandoned her?

Wasn’t He feeling that same fear of being abandoned by her just a few moments ago?

Rafayel didn’t know how to pacify her upon His own negligence. He cupped her cheek gently, and His head moved closer to kiss her. 

In that instant, the girl’s eyes bulged. Flustered, her limbs started thrashing to push Him away. But instead, water entered her nose and mouth, choking her with large mouthfuls of water. Thus, Rafayel pulled her closer, bodies flushed together to keep her at bay. Lips secured onto each other, the girl started to sense the small bubbles of air that slowly passed through His lips into her own, entering her lungs and making her able to breathe normally underwater.

Accepting her fate, the girl let Rafayel deliver air to her. Moments passed as His kiss deepened for a little while more, before He finally pulled away. 

“You…! I…!” She stuttered when she saw that Rafayel’s gaze lingered on her lips even after they separated. “You… You should have…! At least said something before that…”

“If I did, your last kiss would have been given to this generation’s Sea God.” Rafayel chuckled at her flushed face. The more she stared back at His blue-pink eyes at such a close distance, her face and ears reddened even more. The girl started to struggle out of His embrace, arms flailing and pushing against Him, but He easily stopped her limbs by pulling her closer. “Also, watch what your arms and legs are doing.”

Upon His soft scolding, she gave up and stilled. From the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of a scratch on His arm that was left from her jewelry. “...I’m sorry. I left a mark on your arms again.”

“I don’t mind. Give me your hand.”

The girl had a pleasant surprise on her face; after all, how could she not? If it had been a month ago, Rafayel would’ve made a fuss over her ‘touching him inappropriately’ again.

But the said God didn’t seem to notice His own change of demeanor. He tossed her mask into the Ocean, took her hand, and helped her stand. Even after that, His hand remained intertwined to her own.

In boundless blue, He took her to the horizon while the islands behind them faded into the sunset’s shadow. His free hand gestured for waves to bloom under her feet, sea foam appearing with every step she took. Fish swam. White gulls circled overhead and sang as they landed on her shoulder.

“We went through a lot of effort to see the sunrise. Why are you quiet?”

“No, it’s… I… I’ve never seen anything this beautiful in my life.” 

The girl pulled their intertwined hands to make Him sit down. She let her feet touch the lapping waves as curious fish circled around them. Rafayel smiled as He was finally able to take a good look at her under the basking light of the Sun. He raised an eyebrow and poked the fish that leapt out of the water fondly.

“As a young boy, my life was not different from yours. The prophecy stated Lemuria was to only have one God of the Sea left. My predecessor passed away, and they found me years later, bathed in the flames under the union of dusk and dawn.” 

The Sea God’s expression remained still, but the girl could feel His hand tightened a little under her hold. He gingerly recalled that He had asked for the reason she was willing to return to the island that had once sacrificed her for the Sea God, then thought about how He was similarly inviting Himself back to the Deep Sea at the moment. Though their positions were very different, one a worthless sacrifice and one a reputable Sea God, it appeared they both longed to get away from the prisons of their ‘home’. 

But Rafayel had his duties, so He was bound to return to the Deep with or without her. He warned her once more. “The Deep Sea is dangerous. Only the strong survive… Tis why I can only go as far as the surface of the Sea.”

“Were… you happy?” Her other hand touched His fingers, pulling His faraway gaze into her own. “Have you ever thought about traveling to another place?”

“Who do you think made that hole behind the College?”

The girl remained silent as He gave her a small smile. He looked at her finely curved eyebrows, down to her bright eyes, giving out the youthful air of a girl who wasn’t tainted by worldly matters. 

Looking at her at a close distance, Rafayel repeated her questions in His heart: Was he happy? He wouldn’t know the answer to that, but He thought about spending the rest of His days with her company, and the thought didn't seem to be that bad.

Being imprisoned below the waves would be bearable if He were to be by her side.

But would she like to be imprisoned together with Him?

A fleeting thought wildly flew past His mind: “Should we…” Elope?

“The sun’s rising!”

Rafayel followed her gaze to the rising sun across the horizon. Its graceful orange hues lighted up the morning sky in all of its glory, light piercing through the clouds and turning the gray skies into bright blues. He looked up at the sky, observing the glittering sea under its ray. “So it is.”

When Rafayel looked at her again, He knew that He had fallen so incurably in love with her that He couldn’t go back anymore. 

Lemurians don’t fall in love with people they are bound to, thus the Sea God would later go down in history to be the lucky one; to have fallen in love with the person He was bound with. 

Many moons passed since their last rendezvous to the surface, many kisses sneaked behind the backs of the elders, and many songs were created from the Sea God’s flute to entertain His beloved.

The Sea God hadn’t dreamed in a long time, but a distant memory came to His mind during one afternoon nap with His beloved. Under the very same windowsill, His young self had played hide-and-seek with Algie and the other Lemurian kids. Time was ticking away as boredom filled His hiding place, so He poked fun at the blue fish by His side.

“I heard there is a lot of entertainment on land, as well as humans.” The young Sea God mused as He played with the little fish in His hand. “You’re small. Barely even a bit if eaten. If we sneak out onto the surface and meet bad people, could you do anything?”

The little blew bubbles at His face.

“Be careful. Or else you’ll be caught, they’ll pluck all your scales, and remove your insides. Humans will turn you into a fish oil for a lamp, and…” The little fish bit His finger harshly, making the young Sea God shake it from the pain, and frowned, “Bite you.”

Rafayel woke up from the nap shortly after. His body felt stiff, but when His gaze landed on the girl laying her head on His shoulder, Rafayel could only smile in relief. He didn’t know why He dreamed such a dream, but maybe He had been too prejudiced.

Although humans from the surface world were mostly cruel, Rafayel could never imagine His beloved to ever do such a vicious thing; to pluck His scales and remove His insides. Rafayel couldn’t put the two together, He didn’t even think she could hurt a plankton.

His gaze traced upon the contours of her face, soft lashes fluttering under her rested eyebrows, down to last a breath longer on her lips than He intended. In her slumber, the gentleness on her face captivated Him, much like the shimmering surface of the sea under the moonlight. To the Sea God, her beauty made the glittering sea as well as the gleaming moon even less lovely. 

Other sights in the world that He had encountered throughout His life, no matter how beautiful, faded into insignificance now that He already set His eyes upon His beloved.

The Sea God chuckled as His heart was blooming with tender love. 

On the night before the Sea God’s Ceremony, as everyone was asleep, the Sea God took His beloved to the Temple where He later offered His heart for the Sea God's bride.