Chapter Text
Northern Atlantic Ocean
The storm covering the sky and sea within sight while also hide everything under dark rains except for flash of lightnings
that appear from time to time.
Boon wipes water from the wave that keep splashing on this trawling ship out of his face and begin to pulling the massive trawl line
along with other fishermen,
dragging the fishes-filled fishing net from the ocean with their tired arms.
Captain shouts an order again. He seems to be in a good mood when seeing that they have caught some sharks
among other usual fishes like basses or mackerels.
Some fishermen quickly running at the still-moving fish and start cutting off its fin with their knives,
before they will simply throwing the bleeding animal overboard.
The men didn't bother to look as wounded shark quickly sinking under the waves, leaving only trail of blood behind.
While shark's jaw can be sold in high prize, it's illegal for the fishing fleets to kill shark nowadays due to their reduction in numbers.
So, the illegal fishermen like everyone on board has to cut shark fins and then dropping poor animals back in the sea,
pretending that they never catch shark during the fishing progress and sell (easier to conceal) dried shark fin in the black market.
It's seemingly that some people still believes that shark fin will give them some special power or worse,
they just want to showing off how rich they are by serving a dish of near-extinct animal during one of their luxury feasts.
Not that Boon care about whether shark will become extinct that much, especially when his family is still struggling in the river of starvation.
He used to watch television and see some scientist in neat clothing and perfect hairstyle talking to a camera
about how every shark will became extinct within 20 years if people keep catching them and all that. Tough luck.
But to Boon, two decades sound like some very long and uncertain distance future.
He has three children and his wife is working inside some factory he couldn't remembered the name,
while he leaving them on land to go working as a slave-wage fisherman on some old ship in an ocean that he never heard of.
They could barely afforded foods for everyone each day, much less for the next 20 years.
Why should he care if some animals going to face an extinction if it means that Boon and his family will survives another day?
Maybe his daughter can become a doctor or teacher and save hundred people in one day.
Right now, Boon just need to make sure that they'll survive the next week first.
The memory of his family made Boon's heart hurt. But he shook his head again as they start pouring every fishes they caught on the ship's deck.
Surely his wife and children must have live comfortably with the money his boss has promised about by now.
Or at least that's what Boon hope, because he never leave this accursed fishing ship for over one year since the time he stepping inside it.
...
Boon's life has turn into the hellish routine since Boon and other fishermen have set foot on this rusty ship.
It's start and end with working, working and working. Sleep for a few hours and eat whatever scrap left from the fish they have caught
and then working again.
Some workers tried to run when they know of what they have gotten into and get punished for it.
But most of them just keep working in hope that they can be freed some days and maybe leaving with more money than the time they start.
However, with guards patrolling the deck with their firearms and threaten to shoot everyone who trying to leave.
Boon doubt that the day will ever come.
Boon looks up at the stormy night sky above and wipe the mixing of sweat and sea water from his face
after they finished pouring the fishes into the cargo below deck, hoping to get some rest after long and exhaust night.
One guard kicking Boon's rib, making him stumbles by pain and the fact that he can barely standing on his own legs right now.
He quickly gets up and looking for his attacker. But the guard already moving away to bully someone else.
"Clean the fishing net! We will be moving to the next target in 30 minutes." Captain barks an order,
the dressing in better clothes than everyone on this ship and has his own warm cabin while the rest of them have to cramped in the empty, rat-infested cargo.
There are more than a few angry mutters from tired ship's workers,
but .357 Magnum that never move far from captain's hand making no one dare to confronted him face to face.
"There is still one of them left." One guard point at the finless shark that somehow dodge everyone's eyes after fisherman has cut its fin.
Red blood running on the ship's iron deck, making everyone life harder when they have to cleaning it tomorrow.
Boon swears and start walking toward dying fish, but the big wave that rushed toward their ship splashing at everyone again,
knocking fisher man off his feet.
"Somebody helps me throw it!" Boon cries.
One guard muttered to himself but quickly walking and grabbed the fish's head while boon holding its tail.
But before he could drop the shark overboard, the next splashing wave arrived and Boon's face being filled with sea water again.
Boon going to swears at this accursed ocean but stopped when he realizes something.
The water that gets into his mouth has a taste of iron instead of normal salt like many times in the past.
He looks at guard who help him pick up shark's body and screams because the man in front of him has no head,
red blood spraying from his neck like fountain.
Boon stumble on the ground and screaming as the guard and bloody shark drops on the ship's deck, covered it with red color.
Some guard swore and swinging their weapons around, but there is no one for them to hit except from shaking ship crews and empty ocean.
"What's happening!" Captain asks, revolver in his hand.
"I…I don't know. We were trying to throw away that fish and his head is suddenly gone."
Boon almost crying as he speaks. It's not that he never saw some gore.
But there is a big trench between seeing someone die from stabbing wound during drunkard fights over bottle of whisky
and seeing someone's head being neatly cut in front of him. Especially in the stormy night, middle of nowhere.
"A shark? Or the accident from ship's sling?" Another guard asks, looking nervous.
"Shark don't bite like that. And there is no cable over there."
One of the gathered fishermen said, his name is Mali. Some native from Southern Pacific Ocean Island that being lured here
with the promise of traveling around the world and good wage.
"Then what…" Before that guard could answers, something suddenly pierces through his body and send him flying to the ship's cabin wall,
pinned dying man's body on the iron plate like mounted fish one some rich guy's wall.
Everyone looks at the thing that pierced through the man's heart.
It's look like spear but having two blades instead of one, similar to medieval military fork.
Fishermen scream and the remaining guards swears as they're waving their guns aimlessly at the stormy sea.
Seeing nothing except for whatever inside their own imagination.
One guard suddenly screaming as something drags him away from the ship's deck.
Other shooting their assault rifle aimed at the dark water around them.
Captain pointed his revolver at the ocean too but didn't shoot at anything as his men wasting bullets firing into nothing.
Something wrapping itself around remaining guards and knocking them over their feet,
Boon looking at them and surprised at what has trapping the surviving but unable to move guards.
"A fishing nets?" Boon exclaimed.
"It's already on the deck!" One of the guard shouts as he is trying to tears himself out of a long net.
Captain turns his head toward direction, gun follows, but he is unable to pulled the trigger since something already cut his right hand a millisecond before.
Captain screams and collapsing on the deck as hot red blood start pouring from his arm.
"Isn't it weird?" A newcomer said as he sheaths his short blade, ignoring the whimpering man on the ground.
"That when land dweller like you cutting our animal alive and drop them to die in our sea.
You seem to be totally fine with it, but when we did the same to you. It's suddenly become a big deal."
The man laughs. He is wearing a strange hood that has a strip on it, similar to a tiger skin.
His sand color hair gleaming by the ship's light, showing the man's cruel yellow eyes and a sharp-looking tooth as he pulls his war fork out of the wall,
letting guard's dead body to dropping on the deck.
This is no man. Boon think. But a monster from under the wave, arriving here to kill them all.
There are other too. Out of nowhere, things in fish-looking costume suddenly appeared on the ship's gunwale.
There are eight of them, aiming bizarre-looking weapons in their hands at the remaining fishermen.
"Val. Call our sharks." A man in tiger hoodie pick captain by his neck and dragged him at the ship's edge,
ignoring blood and captain's cries in pain.
Boon looks in the dark water and surprised. Even with the murky and nonstop moving waves,
he can see several shark's dorsal fins gather around their ship, as if they were waiting for something to happened.
It's weird. Boon think. Most of the time, shark will not gathering on the surface this many, especially during the storm.
It's as if someone has been specifically calling for them to be here.
One fisherman uses this chance to pick captain's gun up but his head then being blows up by one of the intruders' energy gun as a reward.
"There is no need to fight. You all are going to die eventually.
Why don't let your fate become a warning message for other land dwellers not to f**k with Atlantis."
the tiger-stripped man throws the captain overboard, smiles as many sharks start biting into the dying human
and drag him under the surface, leaving only pool of blood behind.
"Please." Boon whimpered, dropping on his knees while Mali praying for his South Pacific's native god.
Monster from the sea grabbed Boon by his throat and dragging him toward the gunwale,
his strength is so much that Boon is unable to breathe under the man's grip.
"Why are you crying, human? Isn't it is the world where we live in? Fish eat fish world.
You just forget that there's always a bigger fish, that's it."
Man in strips hood laughs and lifting Boon's body, ready to throw him overboard,
but then another big splashing wave suddenly hit the ship and splashed Boon back on the deck again.
The man swears and lower himself in order to pick Boon up, ignoring fisherman struggles.
"Yes, there is." Someone said from behind them, and every hoodie man jerks and looking at the newcomer who's standing on the ship's deck.
She is a silver hair girl in great white shark hoodie, her blue trident and eyes are glowing in the dark night.
The strips hood man collected his nerve as he observed the newcomer.
"Trident and blue hood. You are our former king's runaway daughter. Gawr Gura." He said in disbelief.
"And you are a sadistic spoils brat who love killing somebody for pleasure. Who are you again?" Gura sneers.
Strips hood seem to be very proud of himself as he boasts.
"My name is Seanz De veur. Son of Grand General Tigre. I am here to send the message to these land dwellers
that Atlantis will not stand for their arrogant act anymore."
"By killing them? I thought my father always maintain peaceful relationship with human.
Do you want to create a war between land and sea or something?" Gura demands.
Seanz laughed. "You are hundred of years late, after the king's death.
Regent Prime Minister, Sakamata Chloe demands blood for the damages that human did to our ocean.
Overfishing, wastes dropping and global warming. All of that need to stop, or else we will stop them."
"Humans aren't as weak as you think. They already reaching the nuclear era by now and have make a contact with other intelligent aliens too.
Okay, if a war broke out your people are probably win.
But what will being left after that? Wasteland full of toxic water and lack of any living creatures.
After human decided to have a nuke and chemical warfare with us.
So much of a fighting to protect your land, eh?" Gura trying to put a reason in this situation.
"Keep your weakling logic with yourself. A princess who leaving her duty for 9000 years has no rights to judges us." Seanz snarled.
"Are you going to challenged me and ignores this trident?"Gura asks, showing blue trident that belong only to the king of Atlantis' family.
"Shoving it in your ass because I don't care. Everyone knows that Orca's clan has ruled over the Atlantis right now."
Seanz laughed, making other Atlanteans that standing around them start laughing too even if some of them are not as certain as him.
"Very well."Gura looking at her feet. And, without warning, striking her trident at Seanz who barely has time to counterattack with his war fork.
But the man is panicking and his weapon missed Gura's head for an inch while her trident completely cut Saenz's hand in one swing.
Before Seanz could scream, Gura already knocking him down with her feet. Pointing trident at his neck before other Atlanteans could react.
"Compare to Haachama. You guys are just a joke." She snorts.
"Are you going to shoot that gun? Because I'm sure your master's head will leave his body before you could pulls the trigger."
Gura sneers at Atlanteans whose pointing their weapons at her.
"Get out of here. Now!" Gura barks an order, some Atlanteans start moving back but the rest still standing there,
hesitated to leave their leader behind.
The lightning struck at something not far away from the fishing vessel.
Everyone looks up and saw a newcomer who standing on top of captain's cabin.
She is a white hair magician who is wearing a big hat and dark purple outfit.
"Do as she said or facing my seven colors magic. It's up to your choice, soldiers."
Murasaki Shion said as she jumps to the ship's deck, small fireball floating on her hand despite the rain and seawater that keeps splashing upon them right now
showing how good with the magic spells this girl is.
Every Atlantean soldiers immediately bow down.
"Great Magi." All of them said in unison before they will quickly retreating, facing former king's daughter is one thing.
But picks a fight with the grand master magician of Atlantis is another story,
one of the soldiers look back worryingly at Seanz who still clutching his wound on the deck.
"He will be fine. Magician always keep their words, can't you remember?" Shion snorts,
it's enough for every Atlantean to disappears under the waves then, letting wounded Seanz at the mercy of Gura and Shion.
...
"So, why are you here again?" Gura asks, stopped Seanz from crawling away by stomping on his back.
"I promised with your father to bringing you home. That's all." Shion said.
"Is it true that Atlantis has declared war against humanity?" Gura questioned again.
"No official announcement yet, but everyone seems to agree that they can raid every human ship without real punishment.
Luckily that no one actually did it yet, except from these fools." Shion points at Seanz who still whimpering from his wound.
"Let's me guessed. It's Chloe's idea." Gura snorted.
"Yes, but most of Atlantean agreed to it, because there is no king to make a decision for almost two hundreds year,
and she is the person who most likely to become one if nothing has changed.
Guessed what's happened when the king die and there is no foreseeable heir
because she keep running away from her duty for 9000 years? "Shion said bitterly.
"I run away for 9000 years but no one thinks about finding new heir? Sound like bullsh*t to me." Gura sneered.
"King Girass always believed in you. He want to you to become his heir and nobody else." Gura look away upon hearing Shion's word.
"What do you want me to do? As you said, I am just a runaway girl. Not a great king or whatever you seem to think I am."
"First. Go to Atlantis and declared yourself as its king. Not only from the rights of your blood but also the symbol of trident you are carrying,
forging from the great tidal wave since the day when the first king of Atlantis Gawr Gorgo, declared that every oceans are under his rules.
Beside, I heard that you're able to beat former Council Member, Haachama and stopped the end of this world not too long ago.
So your Portfolio is not exactly empty, at least." Shion smiles.
"I didn't beat her by myself, but whatever." Gura snorts, grabbing Seanz by his neck and lift the Atlantean's body up.
"You can't kill me! I am grand general's son." He yells.
"Whatever you say, lad."Gura looks at Shion.
"Are his man gone?" she smiles when magician nodded.
"Have fun." Shark girl then throwing Seans overboard and laughed as his body quickly sinking under the waves.
"Now. Let's talk about how we are supposed to taking the throne of Atlantis."
Shion quickly gets to the business, but Gura shook her head.
"I have something to do first." She looks at surviving fishermen and guards, noticing Mali who kneels down and praying to her in his native language.
"I knows that you would come, kworkua." He said with tearful face.
Gura snorts. "But I don't, to be honest. I just followed migrating sardines around here, smell human blood and decided to check it out. That's it."
But she takes his gift that being made by carving fish bone anyway. It was the man's island tradition, and Gura don't want to upset him.
"Call the coastguards and waited for them to take you guys back ashore. You all are probably going to sleep in jail.
But I guessed that it's better than dying out here." Gura tell the remaining fisherman before turning she will turning her attention toward Shion.
"Now, what do you want me to do again?" she asks.
…
As both girls jumping from deck of stinky fishing ship into the dark water, Gura asks.
"Why don't you just using your magic to bring us to Atlantis or something?
I thought magician can created portal spell to travel wherever and whenever they want?"
Shion flustered "I can use portal magic! And I just used it to finding you here.
It just that when I use that kind of magic, I need to wait for 12 hours per spell. Bending reality like that is not an easy job after all."
She is trying her best to explain the limitation of her spell to the non-magic user.
Guru sneers "So you are Great Magi that cannot use portal magic whenever you want? What a reliable magician we have here."
"Nowadays magicians that can use portal magic are really hard to find!
Only a legendary magician can using portal whenever they want."Shion protests.
"Sure! Whatever you say. But could you swim a bit faster?" Gura asks Shion who is swimming slowly behind her.
Magician who looked as if she just having a marathon match for hours despite barely swimming for more than ten minutes moaned.
"I always travel by using mana broom or riding Atlanteans' vehicles to preserved my magic power.
After all, I have to continuously spending some so that my lungs can be able to breath underwater and to talking with your people.
Who knows one day I'll have to swim across Atlantic Ocean like some hot damp herrings?" Shion gasped.
"At this rate Chloe will become king of Atlantis and dies from old age before we get anywhere near her!" Gura complained.
Shark girl looking around for helps, because she doesn't want to carry magician across the ocean by herself.
Gura closing her eyes and sending a signal. It was some sort of wave that cannot be heard or seen by human,
but some others creature can and with luck, will answering the call too.
Shion feels something coming out of Gura's body but not exactly sure what it is.
" What are you doing?" She asks.
" Calling for a ride." Gura smiles as she staring at some movements in the dark water around her.
A tuna, or army of them. To be precise.
"You can talk with a fish?" Shion said in disbelief after seeing so many bluefin tuna approaching them from afar.
"It's not exactly a talk, more like some sort of mutual communication line between different species.
I can do this as long as I remember."Gura explained.
" I heard that some Atlantean can do that." Shion recalled.
"In the Atlantis' history book, Gawr Gorgo commanded every single shark in the sea to fight for him against armies of Whale Kingdom.
Not sure if it was just a legend to make him become more even badass or not." She shrugged.
" I don't know about controlling. For me it's just about how we communicated.
Those tunas are just coming to help us because I once helping them from fishing fleets in the past,
not because I can commanded them to do whatever I want." Gura explained.
Shion smiles "At least that tell me you did have a good heart. You might not fight as fiercely as Chloe, but you are surely more merciful than her."
Gura snorted at the idea. "If I have to ruled over fishes and shrimps, I guessed."
…
In a few minutes. Hundreds of tunas are already swirling around them like tornado.
Waiting to be chosen as mounted animal by Gura and Shion.
"Never ride a tuna before?" Gura chuckled when she sees Shion's face.
"I used to ride a bottle neck dolphin during my time in Atlantis but…"
Gura's laugher make Shion blushed.
"Hey! I can drive a car, you knows? Well, Aqua did the driving for me but…"Last part is just Shion muttering to herself,
but Gura choose to ignored her.
Some smaller tuna starts swimming pass them but Gura waiting for the large one, over two meters in length to come closer before she will grabbing its tail.
"The trick is wrapping your legs around its back and avoid the spike. If the tuna starts swimming slowly that's mean it starting to get tired.
You will need to find a new fish to ride then." Gura explained.
Shion follows her advising and get on one massive bluefin tuna. This one is length around 8 feet long.
"Tunas are bigger than I ever thought!" Magician exclaimed.
Gura snorted. "This is normal size. In the past, tunas can be bigger than 13 feet, but thanks to overfishing and all.
Nowadays you are lucky to found one that bigger than 10 feet." Gura's voices losing her cheerfulness for a bit when she compares past with present.
Maybe shark girl's start getting old after all.
…
As the girls silently riding on their mounted tunas that swimming alongside the swarm of their migrating companions for a while,
Shion decide to make a conversation in order to break the ices between them.
"Let me tell you about what has happened to Atlantis Kingdom when you were gone.
How many things do you remembered about your people?"
Gura snorted. "I knows about my people very well. I am not old enough to have an Alzheimer yet."
"You has left your home for 9000 years, let check on some of your memories first. Okay?" Shion insisted.
Gura didn't immediately swimming away so Shion takes that as an okay.
"Atlantean homeland is a planet that fully submerged underwater for hundred millions of years except from the frozen northern sea.
Lot of beings turn sentient underwater without the need to using fire.
There are mollusk clan, fish, arthropod and even sea mammal in the same water. Tearing each other's throats all the time.
By using genetic engineering technology and breeding tools instead of creating them with metal works.
Atlantean is one of the most unique sentient being in this universe.
A civilization without fire.
Even your people's vehicles are living beings that has been genetic engineered to carried people and stuffs instead of machine.
Such as manta ray bomber plane or horseshoe crab tank etc.." Shion explained.
Gura snorts at the info dump and looking away.
"After millions year of war between each species. There are only three strong leaders left.
Whale clan from the frozen sea, Great white shark king from middle ocean and tiger shark clan from southern sea.
To avoid great war that might killing everyone in their planet.
Three rulers agree to choose only one king to rules them all.
In the end they choose Gawr Gorgo, great white shark king as an Emperor of The Deep, ruler of all Atlanteans.
Even their weapons showing this. Only person from Gawr family can use trident as their weapon,
its triple blades showing how the Gawr ruled north, middle and south sea.
While tiger shark clan only use double blades war fork as their family weapons, ruling east and western sea.
Whale family can only use a single blade spear as they ruled the frozen sea under both shark families.
Other kings still ruling their own water and seafloor but has to bow down and recognized emperor's superiority in order to keep their heads."
"Gawr Gorgo's greatest act is that he has sealed a legendary monster that threaten every Atlantean life for who know how long.
The Leviathan, to sleep inside the Atlantean's holy land forever under his rules.
However, after Gorgo's death by assassination. The greatest disaster happened and destroys almost everything in Atlantean's homeland.
Atlantean priests tell us that it was because Leviathan has finally waking up again.
To stop this, they has to sacrificed one Atlantean woman to the Leviathan in order to pleased the beast.
Since that day. It has become Atlantean's tradition to give one woman to the vicious beast every time bad thing happens in their society,
by public vote of course."
Shion keeps on explaining and Gura keep looking away from her, as if not wanting to hear this particular piece of information.
"Atlantean start moving across the universe and colonized every planet that have enough water for their civilizations,
leaving their ruined homeland behind.
After long traveling and many contacted with other species, they have earned technologies to sustain themselves even without water.
But wherever Atlantean go, they still make a portal that being connected with the holy land they have sealed Leviathan in.
And sacrifice a chosen woman to it whenever the great disaster event happens." Shion concluded.
"Your father, king Girass knows this full well when he found a city in earth's ocean.
So, he built the said portal gateway inside Bermuda Triangle.
Everything seemed fine after the council war that happen over 10,000 years ago,
after all there is big ocean spreading over 70% of this planet.
At that time, human are still not an Atlantean's threat yet. So they have the whole ocean for themselves for quite some time."
"Then the disaster event happen. Ocean currents stop moving, causing ecosystems to collapsed and Atlantean's life also being affect too.
A famine happen across the ocean some of their cities start dying along with the ocean.
King Girass has no other choices but performed the sacrificing ritual.
The woman that his citizen choose, however. Is an Clovis tribes woman he met on land during the Ice Age
and bringing her to the Atlantis to became his bride-"
"Don't talk about my mother!" Gura suddenly snarled.
"Not talking about what already happened doesn't undo it. You know that full well, Gura.
Isn't that's the reason why you refused to joining your father's funeral? You never forgive him for his decision."
Shion shifted herself to another big tuna when the one she rides on start swimming slower than usual.
Gura clenched her teeth. "He should send my mom away. Not giving her to those brainless bunches!" She yelled.
"He did what he think is a right thing and it's became a decision that will haunted him forever, that's it.
I won't judge something I barely understand. But it's seem that Atlantean believed that bad thing happened
because king Girass decided to have land dweller as his wife.
Instead of choosing one from pure blood Atlantean, typical xenophobic behavior from social animals. I supposed?"
Shion sneered at the idea, she has read it happen hundred of times in every civilization books she can lay her hand on.
"After the sacrification of his wife to the great beast Leviathan. King Girass faced with another sad news,
his daughter running away after knowing what's happened to her mother, his wife.
He sends his soldiers to looking for her anywhere.
From The frozen north pole to the south. No one ever find Gawr Gura again for 9000 years.
Even after they sends some Atlantean back among the stars in vain hope of knowing her whereabouts."
"Even after all this, king Girass still hoping to see you again. He refused to remarry or named another person as his new heir.
Because he still believes that one day you will come back and ruling his kingdom." Shion concluded.
"I will be very appreciated if he just naming another heir." Gura snorted.
"Anyway, he needs more people to help him rules the kingdom.
Especially after the war of treason in Pacific Ocean that happened 4000 years ago by the bull shark family.
All of them become extinct now, If you haven't know about it yet." Shion still not done with her story yet.
"I know about that war. And how he thanks orca family for helping him during the battle by giving them position in his court."
Gura said with an irritation.
"Two of them are Sakamata Chloe and her sister." Shion said
"I know both of them." Gura recalled.
"During the royal journeys we go to their frozen castle, around Arctic Ocean, I think.
Chloe is the brave one, while her sister is a bit timid.
When their parents greeted mine, Chloe gives me a white bear fur coat she claims to hunting and skinning by herself.
While her sister gives me a colorful starfish necklace, they seemed to be a good bunches at that time.
Gosh, I wish I have a friend that can traveled back in time or something!
Everything seemed to be more beautiful in the past." Gura groaned.
"Chloe did a very good job during the war, people said that she ripped bull shark king's liver out with bare hand and feast on it in front of his soldiers."
Shion said.
"Well, that was…metal." Gura touches her own stomach without realizing it.
" After the death of her parent. Chloe become head of the orca clan and minister of defense in king Girass' court.
All seemed to be going well, until the great El Niño happened and making ocean became inhabitable,
people screaming for sacrification again and the king allowed it. Do you know who they choose?" Shion asks.
"Don't know. I probably trying to find the source of Amazon River at the time.
Geez, Andes mountains are so cold." Gura recalled.
"You've climbed that Andes? What a madlad!" Shion exclaimed.
"Anyway. People of Atlantis voting for Chloe's sister to be sacrificed, and you probably knowing the rest." Shion concludes.
"For real?" Gura exclaimed, she knows that public opinion is always full of sh*t,
but sacrificing a member from one of the strongest clans of Atlantis?
That's beyond stupidity!
What will they wanting to do next? Telling Atlantis king to handovers his wife to the Leviathan? Wait a minute…
"After the sacrifices, Chloe has turned into another person, nothing can make her happy ever again maybe except for crushing enemies.
She still did her duty as a minister, but everyone knows that there is no love left between her and Girass anymore.
Chloe start rising in ranks and replaced people in king Girass's court with her own.
Some Gawr loyalists did warned Girass but he didn't seemed to care about it.
Before everyone noticed, Chloe has already become a prime minister of the Atlantis kingdom."
Shion's voice starting to filled with emotion so, Gura glances at her
" Around 200 years ago, idiot magician has stumbled upon the Atlantis during its darkest time,
looking for her human friend's ally again the great alien threat. King Girass begged for her to stay 'until his daughter come home.'
He showered her with promise and gifts until she accept his deal and became the first Great Magi of the Atlantis
since they have lost magic techniques long time ago."
"So, the stupid magician stay, not knowing that his daughter has been running away more than 9000 years ago."
"Bound by her promise, magician keep her word and wait and wait and wait for 200 years, but the king's daughter never returned.
Not even after magician's friend, Minato Aqua, dies by old age more than century ago.
But magician did not leave Atlantis to joined her funeral.
She did not leave even after King Girass died hundred years ago from 'poisoned by his enemies' or at least that's what Chloe said.
For magician, promise is what you value more than your life.
If you can't keep it then your life is worthless, even if we have been tricked to do it in the first place."
"And that silly magician name is Murasaki Shion." Shion said, staring at Gura's eyes until shark girl looks away.
"Well, what can I say. A d*ck move from my father, I guessed. You will get used to it." Gura finding her voices at last.
"The point is I didn't want to be here as much as you do.
But everyone has their duty and only a coward will running away from it. Understand?" Shion declared.
"I will think about it." Gura turned her head away, rather looking at the dark water of Atlantic Ocean instead of anger and sorrow on Shion's face.
…
" We already reached Atlantis!" Shion yelled, waking Gura from her own reveries.
She looks down at the dark water and saw dim light below her, too little for human to see.
But more than enough for Atlantean like her.
Gura swimming downward while Shion jumping from her tuna's back with the same speed,
it's seemed that magician has regained her magic power during the time she rest.
The Atlantis is below them. A city that being constructed by the mixing of rock, anemone, sponge, barnacles,
coral reef and many other living sea creatures along with magically genetic engineering technology.
Gura didn't look around as they swimming passed glowing crinoid that Atlantean use as a street lamp
and a traveler bench that being created by living sponge.
Lot of beautiful fishes swimming cheerfully in the city, knowing that no one want to eat it
when there are plenty of more juicy fish farming factories nearby.
Some hunter from seven-gilled shark clan waves at Gura when she swims passes him in the coral forest near the city.
He is holding a bow made by sea urchin and using genetic engineering angler fish as his flashlight,
looking for their dinner that trying to hide under the bushy corals but failed.
Gura waves back at the man after he has caught some pest parrot fish with a shot of giant jellyfish's stinger arrow,
now she and Shion already tossed away their costumes and Gura's trident.
Hood is what Atlantean classified their social status with and even those who don't know Gura probably remembered her great white shark hoodies,
same goes with Shion's purple magician costumes.
So now, they're just wearing normal clothes that being made by seaweed as their traveling's outfits.
Even Shion is not sure what citizens of Atlantis will react if their long-lost king's daughter suddenly come back home to reclaimed her throne.
So, they agreed to hide and wait for more clear wind's direction, some clan like shrimps or sharks probably always supporting Gura as their king,
but the rest are still uncertain qualities, especially orca clan under Sakamata Chloe.
Crustaceans king from Indian Ocean is a diehard Gawr family supporter and probably greets her with open arm,
but Shion afraid that he would just declared war with orca clan and creating a civil war that will ripped apart Atlantis kingdom apart instead,
since the old lobster who ruled all Crustacean's families is being well known for his bad tempered.
So, their plan is to make everything as peaceful as possible. Just sneak in, send message to Gura's supporters and tell them to gathers here,
make an epic ceremonial return and then peacefully send Chloe's army back to their Arctic home (hopefully) without any fight. Easy peasy.
...
The girls sneaking inside one small tavern at the city's edge, it's owner come from Humboldt squid clan whom Gura knows since she was a little kid,
while always looking red and angry, experience of sleeping there when she is too tired of Atlantis's royal education
taught Gura that the uncle Humboldt is a very kind heart person who always did everything is his power to follows costumer demanded,
no matter how absurd it will be.
See, he is actually is serving some lionfish menu after one customer asked for it despite the fact that they are Pacific Ocean creatures.
the amount of working and preparation he need in order to get them here must be insane.
(Scientific Notes The Humboldt dude may be a good tavern owner. But Gura haven't visited Atlantic Ocean
for so long that she haven't the news about how lionfishes that being pet and then releasing in the wild by human
are now become invasive species that terrorizing many species in Atlantic Ocean right now.
So nope, in this case the guy just eliminating pests and put it a good use. Not finding exotic dish for his customers.)
Gura munching on her lionfish that being boiled in hydrothermal vents and seasoned with anemone poisons
before she will looking at Shion who didn't order anything.
"Tasty. Don't you want some?"
Magician giving shark girl a weak smiles " 200 years underwater… I already tried every fish menus in this world. No need for seafood anymore in my life."
Before Gura could answered, someone else is approaching them.
He is a big muscular man who wearing a tiger shark hoodie that somewhat seems very familiar in Gura's eyes.
A double blades war fork glowing in the man's left hand as he spoke.
"My name is Tigre De Veur. Grand General of the Atlantis kingdom.
My son reported that he has spotted you not very far from here. Hope you can come with me at the palace."
His tone is polite, but the groups of armed Atlantean soldiers that poured into this small tavern and aiming their weapons at Gura and Shion
told them that they has no choice but to follows the order.
Gura weighted her chance. Together with Shion, she might be able to beat this general and his men…
If there is no back up and the man didn't have anything else under his sleeves.
"What is this, Tigre?" Shion said angrily, she seems to knowing this man more than Gura did.
9000 years of her absent seemed to really make shark girl became a stranger in her own city after all.
"We will discussed this once we've reaches Prime Minister's chamber." Tigre didn't take his eyes off Gura as he is speaking.
"So much for a stealth mission, aren't we?" Gura said jokingly at Shion.
In the end. It's seemed that Chloe is already knows their whereabouts and patiently waiting for them for quite some time.
...