Siren's Kiss

58: Beneath the Lost Isle Part One

Ciel's grandmother, the esteemed Lady Maris, had always warned him never to call upon the forces of eternal darkness unless he was ready to face the consequences. The thought that his mother, who despised Lady Maris and now ruled as the Queen of Thalassara in this timeline, would descend into the depths in search of a holy monster capable of granting a wish seemed unimaginable.

Ciel knew from experience that every ancient myth of the Seven Seas held some truth. Whatever monsters lurked in the abyss; he was certain they were tied to his own birth. His curiosity drove him to explore the depths of the sea, fearless only because this was the past—a time that couldn't be changed. This journey existed as a secret shared between him and Drake, disguised as a story woven by the Gods themselves.

It had all been a bet, after all, between the Phoenix God, the Dragon God, and Lexios, the Keeper of Divine Order and Enforcer of Contracts. Ciel understood why the Phoenix God, Som, had made such a wager. Lexios, bound by his nature, could never back down from a contract. His ambition to defeat a being as powerful as Som would only boost his own standing. But Ciel, as Som's champion, knew he couldn't let Lexios win, even if Lexios was an immortal.

In this world, Ciel was the siren prince, and he had a mission: to find Lexios's champion in this past timeline and face them in the future. And he was determined to win.

Ciel had many reasons why he was determined to win, but the most important of all was that he had everything to lose and nothing to gain. His family, the people he cared about, the fate of the Seven Seas—he could lose it all. And more than anything, he could lose Drake. If there was one thing he wanted above proving his worth, it was a future with Drake. That, above all, was what drove him.

And so, Ciel found a way to slip away from Nerissa, swimming out of the Siren Kingdom in search of freedom. The creature whose skin he now wore in this timeline—Ciel knew it hadn't survived the past. Nerissa had called him "Rio," the name of this creature, one of her old friends, a squid of sorts. It seemed unlikely, but it explained why his mother had always been so fascinated by other sea creatures, despite being a siren herself.

The depths of the ocean were a frightening expanse. The further one swam, the darker it became, revealing a vast, shadowy world brimming with ancient secrets. With Nerevarus being the God of Sea and Rain, this realm he created must have given rise to all manner of sea monsters that could keep anyone awake at night. Even as a siren, Ciel harbored a deep-seated fear of the ocean's depths. There was no knowing what other creatures lurked beneath the surface.

Wearing the skin of a squid, Ciel made the most of its color-changing abilities, blending seamlessly into his surroundings. He was fascinated by how much he could discover with this form, using the squid's ability to alter its skin tone to become nearly invisible. He knew that squid had their own predators in the depths of the ocean, but this was the past. If he failed, he wouldn't die in this timeline. However, he had a nagging feeling that he and Drake would be pulled back to the present, missing their chance to uncover the identity of Lexios' champion.

With that in mind, Ciel moved cautiously, keeping a vigilant watch on every predator he encountered. He wasn't afraid of them; as a siren, he was the most powerful, sentient being in the ocean. But in this timeline, he was not a siren—he was "Rio," the squid.

As he swam near the rocks, diving deeper in search of a holy monster that could grant wishes, Ciel spotted something that piqued his interest.

It was his grandmother.

Majestic as ever, Lady Maris's form was surrounded and accompanied by hundreds of thousands of pale pink jellyfish. As Ciel observed, it became clear that she wasn't hiding but trying to blend in with them. Regardless of the purpose of her journey, the jellyfish seemed to stand as a testament to nature's power. In this timeline, as the Herald Queen of Thalassara, it was only natural that every creature of the abyss would come to her defense.