"Jun, do you think she's going to sleep forever?"
"No, she's just exhausted from everything that happened. She's new to our world and she's not designed to be in the water for as long as us."
"I bet you have to kiss her!"
"Why is that?"
"Like the fairytale, dummy. The prince kisses the princess and she wakes up! I can cheer for you."
"I really doubt kissing her will make a difference, but will you go back home if I do? I don't need your mom nagging me."
"Aww, no. I want to talk to the Princess."
"Stubborn."
I stirred slightly, trying to understand their conversation, but still felt really exhausted. It would have been nice to fall back asleep and I seriously considered it for a moment.
"Ah, is she awake, Jun? Is she?!" The kid-like voice caught my attention and I wondered where I was that a child was present.
I felt myself being lifted off the ground and into someone's hold. From their familiar grip, my mind recognized the person holding me to be Junho. I fought to open my eyes, just barely opening them before they fell closed again. I grumbled something incoherent and relaxed against Junho's chest.
"Aww, she went back to sleep,” the little kid whined.
"No. She just needs an energy boost that's all," Junho whispered. I wanted to argue, but I did feel really exhausted, and I again debated if I should go back to sleep or not. Wait, what happened to land me in Junho's care with a kid hanging around?
Something soft pressed against my lips, the gentle action making me lose my train of thought. I knew it was Junho kissing me, but it was such a tender kiss, unlike his usual firm, confident ones.
I kissed him back, wanting him to know I was okay; I felt a slow increase in energy. When he released my lips, I was able to open my eyes, his beautiful turquoise jewels meeting mine.
"See! The fairytale IS true!" the kid’s voice exclaimed before cheering quietly.
Junho rolled his eyes with a wide smile on his lips before he focused on me. "Hey, Sweetheart. Feeling a little better?"
"Junnie?" I mumbled. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Is that my new nickname?" he asked.
"I like Junnie! Can I call you that too?"
I turned my head slightly to see a cute little boy. He looked to be about six years old with brown hair and mismatched blue and purple eyes. He wore black swimming trunks and no t-shirt, a few beautiful markings visible on his arms and chest. He grinned widely at me, noticing he'd caught my attention.
"Good Evening, Princess! Hey, Junnie? If the Princess goes asleep again, can I kiss her to wake her up?!" he asked.
Junho groaned. "No, and don't call me Junnie. Sounds weird coming from you."
"Aww. Such a meanie,” the boy whined.
"Who's this, Junho, and where are we?" I asked, looking around and realizing we were in some type of cave or lagoon.
It was rather beautiful, the ceilings were tall with interesting looking spikes and rocks. There were a few crystals here and there that glowed brightly, helping to light the large space. I noticed there was a fire to our far right, which helped the cave stay comfortably warm.
"She wants to know who I am?" the boy asked quietly before he ran around and hid behind Junho, who sighed. I gave him a look, unsure why the boy was now shyly hiding from me when he had seemed perfectly fine before.
"Can you sit up, Scar?" Junho asked. I nodded and he helped me up into a sitting position. I was wearing my orange bikini still, and my hair was still wet, but no longer dripping.
Junho smiled in relief before he looked over his shoulder. "You know, she kinda knows who you are. Just not your name and what exactly you are."
"But what if she doesn't like me?” the boy mumbled, peeking out slightly to stare at me with sad eyes. I smiled, hoping my expression would help alleviate his worry.
"I think you're pretty cool already, but it would be nice to know your name," I said kindly.
He blinked and glanced at Junho, who smiled and nodded.
"Niko,” the boy whispered, slowly walking out from behind Junho. Then he went down on one knee. "It's an honor to meet you, Princess of Feminara,” he greeted solemnly.
I gawked at him quickly, putting my hands up in defense. "Ah...you don't need to bow. Really...hmm, I guess this is how Mako feels." I mumbled the last part as my cheeks grew red. I didn't realize that even kids had to bow to royalty. Hmm, maybe I can get that changed?
Junho sighed, rising up and walking over to the fire to retrieve something. I looked around the cave some more, still curious as to where exactly we were.
"This is the Lagoon of Protective Souls," Niko declared.
"Protective Souls?" I asked, turning back to him. He gave me a sad smile and nodded, looking around the cave with those big mismatched eyes, making him look so knowledgeable about the topic.
"When a being dies in the ocean, their soul is brought here. To us, it looks like a simple cave for shelter, but in the Space In Between, this is one of the gates that souls pass through. They can't see us and we can't see them. It's just their pit stop where the Starlight God Deathpre tells them whether they will enter the gate to what humans call Heaven, or if they'll fall to the depths of Hell to meet Starlight God Lucifer,” he explained.
"Wow...wait, how do you know all that when you're just a kid?" I asked.
He pouted at me, putting his hands on his hips. "I'm six! Next cycle I'll be twelve! And...and...hmm. Mom said after that I'll reach teenager age and THEN I'll be an adult!" he declared.
I stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "Um...I don't think that's how aging works..." I mumbled. Junho laughed, the sweet sound echoing along the walls as he walked back with a blanket and a bowl of warm food.
He offered me the bowl and I happily accepted it, taking a sniff of what turned out to be tomato basil soup. He placed the blanket around my shoulders. Then he sat down, crossing his legs, smirking at Niko who was still in his pose.
"Again, she doesn't know what shifter you are, Niko," Junho pointed out.
"Oh," Niko replied, lifting his hand to scratch his head.
"What shifter is he?" I asked, taking a sip of my soup. It was absolutely delicious, prompting me to take one spoonful after another quickly, until Junho put a hand on my shoulder.
"Slow down, Scar. There's more for seconds,” he assured me.
I frowned, but took his advice. I hadn't realized I was so hungry until now, but I didn't want to get sick from eating too fast. I decided to distract myself with the current discussion, turning my attention to Niko, who was playing with the white drawstrings of his swimming trunks.
"Okay...um, so what is Niko?" I asked.
"Remember when Michael and I found you after you hid in the water after the car chase?"
"Yes," I replied. "When the whale saved me."
He nodded. "That was Niko," he revealed.
I slowly turned to Niko, who was shyly looking at the ground, his hands fidgeting with the white strings as he shuffled from his left to right leg.
"EH? Wait...how? Niko is a whale shifter? OMG, so whale shifters ARE real!"
"Of course we're real. Who said we weren't?" Niko huffed, crossing his arms, which only made him look more adorable.
"Remember Niko, Scarlet just entered our world a few weeks ago. She doesn't know the vast amount of shifters in this realm, let alone in others," Junho explained.
Niko frowned. "Oh, I forgot. Sorry, Princess."
"Ah, you can just call me Scar. Nice to meet you...well again, Niko. You saved me the first time. Thank you," I whispered, bowing my head in gratitude. I lifted to see his flustered expression.
"I...only did what was right. Plus you called to me, so I couldn't ignore you,” he mumbled.
"I called to you?" I asked, confused by what he meant.
"You're the Elemental, right? When the Elemental is in trouble, the element closest to you responds to your call for assistance. It can be nature helping you, or us shifters can hear you if we're in the area. I felt someone needed help, and when I came, it was you. I knew right away what you were and wanted to help you," Niko explained.
"He's really smart for a six-year-old," I pointed out.
Junho grinned. "Whale shifters grow in spurts. It's not like us who go by age or cycles. Their human forms start out as them being a baby, then they move onto three, six, twelve, sixteen and they'll stop at twenty-one for a while before they start growing by age like the rest of us."
"Wow. That's a huge leap," I admitted.
"Yup! So just you wait, Junnie! I'm gonna be twenty-one before you know it and I'll steal Scar from you," Niko declared proudly.
"I don't get why you have to steal her, but whatever you say," Junho dismissed.
Niko sulked. "I will too! Just you wait!"
"Uh huh," Junho replied. "And stop calling me Junnie."
"No. I like it, right Scar?" Niko beamed.
"I do like it. Junho, can I call you Junnie?" I asked.
He blushed, glancing away as he looked deep in thought. "If you want...sounds like a girl’s name though,” he mumbled.
"True, but it's cute. It can be your code name," I hummed.
"Fine. Hey Niko, you need to go home," Junho pointed out.
"Awww. Can't I stay?" Niko asked.
"Go home?" I asked, wondering how he'd get home from where we were.
"Yes. Your mom will kill me if you don't go home. I don't want to deal with her the next time I come down to visit," Junho disclosed.
Niko seemed to ponder that for a moment. "I guess. Mom's annoying when she's mad. I'll go now!" He turned to me, looking hesitant for a moment before he walked up to me and opened his arms.
"Princess Scar, can I have a hug please?" he asked so sweetly, it made me giggle.
I gave him a wide smile. "Of course you can," I whispered, passing the bowl of food over to Junho for him to hold, then I outstretched my arms.
Niko cheered before he ran into my hold. I hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Niko, for coming to my aid twice now. I appreciate your kind heart and may the gods protect you for me," I whispered.
"I'll always come to your aid, Princess. No matter what,” he declared, those little arms wrapped tightly around my neck. He then leaned back, and with a quick movement kissed me on the lips. It was just a simple peck, but I blushed and he giggled.
"YEAH! I kissed the Princess!" he gleefully announced.
"NIKO!" Junho shouted. He quickly pulled out of my embrace and ran towards the pool of water, Junho already up and chasing after him.
"BYE, PRINCESS! See ya, Junnie! Love you!" Niko declared before he dove right into the water. Junho skidded to a stop as the water glowed a brilliant purple before a stream of water shot out. Then a familiar whale poked out of the water. He then dove back into the water and just like that, he was gone.
"Ugh. That troublemaker," Junho huffed, walking back towards me. I noticed the markings on his legs and lower abs, reminding me of the last image I saw before I lost consciousness.
"You're a mermaid...I mean merman?" I asked.
He smirked, coming over and sitting down to face me. He reached out and grabbed my bowl of soup and passed it back to me.
"You can go with mermaid shifter. I don't like the term merman,” he informed me.
"Why?" I asked, then took a moment to enjoy more soup.
Junho watched me, waiting for me to have a few spoonful’s before he replied. "Because it reminds me of the show about the sponge."
"SpongeBob?" I asked, trying to hold back my laughter.
"Don't laugh. I don't like the character,” he grumbled. I couldn't help but giggle, my shoulders shaking at his confession.
"I'm sorry, but that's really cute," I admitted. It reminded me of Onyx not liking his name because it reminded him of the Pokémon.
"Hmph." Junho grumbled but relaxed, his hands resting on the grey sand while he looked up at the ceiling. I continued to eat my soup, unable to ignore my hunger any longer. I finished it but still wasn't satisfied, staring at the empty bowl.
"You want more?" Junho asked. I looked up to see his relieved expression.
"Yes, please," I admitted. He nodded, getting up and going to grab me seconds. I guess he was happy I was eating, avoiding the wrath of Kendrick if he found out I hadn’t eaten anything when we returned in the morning.
I wrapped the blanket around me, debating if I should walk over to the fire or stay where I was. I didn't know if I felt steady enough to walk yet. I took a moment to ponder what had happened before I lost consciousness.
The conversation with the men near the bush I was hiding in, the guy with blue hair, the pearl's trap that Esmeralda made, and finally Junho's majestic appearance.
He had a level of beauty that complimented his male features, making me wonder if his shifter type was why his skin was so flawless.
I remembered the beautiful blue and purple scales on his tail and the definition in his abs that seemed to pop out when he was in the water.
The glowing markings that were a mix of purple, blue, and green, and his silver-white hair that glowed with hints of gold.
Finally those beautiful eyes I adored, that had been filled with worry and fear when he met my weak gaze in the water. I watched Junho walk back towards me, my eyes lingering on the bracelet that held the Crystal of Protective Souls.
"How are you feeling?" I asked him. He followed my gaze to the bracelet on his left hand and smiled, passing me the second bowl of soup as he sat down again to face me.
"I should be asking you that,” he countered.
"Tired, a little confused, but happy we found the crystal before those lackeys did. Also glad that I met Niko and now I know what you are," I confessed.
"Half of what I am, Sweetheart." He winked before he continued. "I'm fine. Was a little weak after the swim here, but Niko helped by carrying both of us on his back. I directed him to this place and we've been here for a few hours. We'll leave in the morning."
"How did you find this place?" I asked, deciding to question him about where we were before I tried to convince him to tell me what his second spirit was.
"The crystal showed me. It was kinda like an instinct, but the crystal kept glowing until we got here. I'm impressed Niko knew about this place, but he is a whale shifter and travels around the world with his family, both in the waters and on land as a human. He's a very knowledgeable six-year-old." Junho praised him as he watched me work on my second helping of soup.
"Do the others know we're safe?" I asked.
"Yes. I found your phone and clothes and got Niko to store them safely before I figured out you were in the water. When we reached here, I sent Jax a quick text before your phone died. I left mine behind so they knew where we were in case something went down. I bet they're already there due to the fire," Junho revealed.
"The fire. It was a trap...I think? Before I went into the water, two of his lackeys showed up and said something about a fire water thing, but I didn't expect it to be a fire burning on top of the water. It didn't matter how far I swam, the fire never went out so I couldn't escape," I admitted, staring down at the bowl of soup.
Junho put his hand under my chin, tilting my head back. My eyes met his, those blue orbs flickered on and off until they glowed a vibrant blue. I knew right away Junho wasn't in control anymore, one of his spirits taking over.
"That wasn't your fault. I don't want you putting the blame on yourself for the damage caused,” he declared, his Korean accent thick as he moved his hand to brush my cheek.
"You...are?" I questioned, unsure how to respond when I didn't know his name.
He smiled, pausing for a moment before he replied. "Hyun Boom Suk. I'm Junho's mermaid or merman spirit. An honor to meet you, Princess of Feminara. Junho's stingy with revealing us."
"Hyun. Nice to meet you. Stingy? Hmm, I think he just likes teasing," I added.
Hyun chuckled. "I agree with your statement. Anyways, the fire was indeed magic and though it didn't necessarily do harm to the water element, it did kill a few animals. Regardless, the culprits will be found with or without PINC's help,” he declared.
"How do you know?" I asked.
He grinned mischievously, pulling back to relax in his cross legged position. "Shifters of the sea don't play around with death of our kind,” he said firmly. "We believe in second chances, but justice won't be ignored."
I nodded, understanding where he was coming from. Of course, everyone deserved a second chance, but the people who organized that spell did it on purpose, knowing it would likely kill animals or even people, especially when they suspected I'd gone in the water.
Hyun sighed. "I'll be going back to sleep, Princess. I'm tired. Make sure Junho doesn't wear you out too much." Hyun winked. I opened my mouth to answer, unsure what he was implying, but then he closed his eyes.
Junho opened his eyes, their once glowing appearance was gone and he frowned. "Hyun, you're annoying,” he grumbled before ruffling his brown locks.
"Hmm. Why do I feel he's more dangerous than you?” I pondered.
"Trust me, Sweetheart. Hyun's a saint compared to Eun and I don't want him making an appearance today. I'm too exhausted to try and persuade him to give me control back if he does," Junho revealed.
"Eun? Eun...Boom Suk? What spirit is he?" I questioned.
"Snow tiger," Junho replied.
We were both silent as I took a moment to ponder about what he'd said.
"Snow...tiger? How...I mean...well..." I trailed off, unsure how he had such polar opposite types of spirits. I thought spirits had to be of similar nature to be in one host.
"Not necessarily," Aurora answered, entering my mind.
You're awake?
"I woke up when the kid was being cute," Aurora replied.
Do you like kids? I never really questioned what Aurora and Serenity liked and disliked, but I could tell she was intrigued when she mentioned Niko.
"...No," she replied.
"She's lying. She loves kids! Morning, Scar! Wait, is it morning? What did we miss?" Serenity hummed.
Um. I'll explain later, but I want you to explain the polar opposite spirit thing.
"Spirits are chosen by the Starlight gods. They don't need to be similar in an element or animal race," Aurora explained.
"Someone can have a phoenix and fairy while another can have an angel and demon spirit. Anything is possible. There are no restrictions. The gods decide what spirits would be most beneficial to the host before you're born," Serenity explained.
Hmm. That's really cool. Are you two okay, by the way?
"We're fine," Aurora replied.
"How about you? I feel we missed out on some major action," Serenity commented.
A little. I'll explain later, promise.
"Okay," they both said before they faded from my mind.
I looked back to Junho, who was patiently waiting for me to finish my conversation with my spirits. "Sorry."
He shook his head. "Don't worry. Did they explain a bit to you?"
"Yes. I kinda understand that there are no limits to what kind of spirit you can have, but I'm curious, is everyone in your family mermaid shifters?" I asked.
"Somewhat,” he replied, but I could tell from the tone of his voice it was a topic he didn't want to broach.
I quickly changed the subject. "Have you eaten?"
He met my gaze and shook his head. "Not yet. Didn't have an appetite before, but now that I know you’re okay, I guess I should eat."
He stood up and held out a hand to help me stand. I didn't feel as tired as before and was able to stand on my feet once I wiggled them a bit.
"How did you make soup?" I asked.
"In every cave or lagoon that's hidden in the depths of water, mermaid shifters always leave a stash of food, clothes, and wood for a fire. It's something our people have done for years, just in case one of us, or even a group of humans get stranded and needs a way to survive while waiting for help,” he explained.
"That's amazing," I whispered in awe. He smiled before taking a step and coming to face me, his hands resting on my hips as he stared down at me.
"Are you sure you’re okay?" he asked, his stern voice made me smile at his concern. I knew he was referring to me being mentally okay after everything that had happened.
The first time I'd been trapped and saved by Niko, I'd completely lost it and Michael had to knock me out to get me somewhere safe.
I bet he was concerned about me breaking down or freaking out with everything that happened. "I'm okay. I was afraid...and had accepted I wasn't going to make it...but there you were and Niko...somehow you guys always seem to come to my aid when I need you the most," I confessed.
Junho moved my wet strands of hair out of the way as he cradled my face. "I should have been faster,” he whispered, regret reflecting in his eyes.
"You were fighting against fire. I honestly don't know how you were able to get to me like you did," I whispered.
"I jumped into the water,” he replied.
"But the flames..." I gasped, my eyes lowering to his arms and chest, noticing a few hints of red along his skin.
"Burns can heal. Losing the woman I love is something I would never be able to recover from,” he whispered and kissed me gently. I closed my eyes, wrapping my arms around his waist as I melted in his hold.
This was just another moment that reminded me of how grateful I was for the men in my life and how thankful I was to the gods for bringing them to me.
Maybe the purpose of this challenge was for me to remember to rely on the elements and people around me, because together, we can do amazing things.