Tale of the Abyss

Chapter 3

"ALEENA! Where are you, my child?" Queen Meridith called out as she swam around the castle. Hidden behind the statue of the Great King of Askia Kingdom, Aleena, and her pet seal, Toki, peeked and observed the Queen, accompanied by servant mermaids and mermen guards, as they departed from the area. Aleena carefully emerged and let out a snicker.

"Come on, Toki! Let's leave before they find us," she said. Her pet seal nodded and happily followed the mermaid princess, who sneaked out of the castle.

"How are we going to pass by the sharkmen guarding the gates?" Aleena whispered worriedly. Toki looked at her master's face and whined. Aleena looked at her pet seal and smiled.

"But, of course, I will figure out a way, Toki! It's me, after all," she said and grinned. Aleena swam and hid among the stone blocks as she watched the sharkmen going back and forth in their positions, ensuring that no unwanted visitors would pass by. Aleena bit her lower lip, her lengthy, black hair waving in the water. Suddenly, a light bulb lit up inside her head.

"I have an idea!" she said. Toki was startled by her sudden outburst, but Aleena held him.

"Do you see the garden my mother tends to every day, Toki? I need you to go there and make as much noise as possible, okay?" Aleena said as Toki listened intently. "I'll sneak out after the guards come after you, and when they are near, come out of the gates," she added. Toki nodded his head as Aleena patted him.

"On the count of three, Toki. One… Two… Three!" Toki swam to the garden, where various sea flowers bloomed. Aleena waited for Toki to act, and when the seal did, she watched the guards swim in his direction. With the opportunity provided by her pet seal, Aleena swam with all her might and left the castle, hiding among the statues of the heroes of Askia Kingdom. She waited for her seal, and when Toki found her, Aleena smiled gleefully.

Success!

Aleena swam with her pet seal in the direction of the land above where humans lived. Aleena liked to explore the land, but she was afraid of the humans, as she remembered her mother, the Queen's, story of how vicious they could be. Despite that, her curiosity always prevailed. Aleena wanted to see the world, not just the ocean floor beneath. The King and the Queen were against the idea because the land was dangerous for sea creatures like them, but Aleena broke the Kingdom's rule and was grounded for a month after they found out about her exploration.

The soft, ethereal glow of bioluminescent creatures lit up Aleena's path, casting mesmerizing colors across her beautiful tail, which glistened like a jewel.

Aleena heaved a sigh of contentment and played with the bioluminescent creatures before continuing her swim toward the land. She emerged from the water, her lower body still soaked. Aleena carefully observed her surroundings. It was already nighttime, and she noticed a few people setting up their boats for fishing meters away from them. She waited for at least half an hour to make sure that the fishermen were out of sight as she swam to her favorite cave with Toki, where she had hidden some of her collection of human clothes.

Aleena took a deep breath and touched the sand. She dragged herself until she was out of the water, and her beautiful iridescent blue lagoon tail sprawled on the ground. After a few seconds, her tail began to disappear and was replaced by human legs. Aleena could transform when she was dry, and when exposed to water, she would turn back into a mermaid.

Excitedly, Aleena immediately changed into her human clothes and stood up. She had done the transformation so many times that she was already accustomed to having human legs. Aleena squatted and patted her pet's head.

"Toki, I'll leave you here, okay? Make sure to hide when humans come around. I'll be right back," Aleena said. Obediently, Toki nodded his head. Aleena trusted that nobody would go to the cave because it was hidden from people. She left and was careful not to touch the water, as she would immediately turn back into a mermaid. Aleena walked towards the exit and climbed a few rocks until she was safely out of the cave without transforming into a mermaid. She walked barefoot and enjoyed the night breeze blowing past her.

Aleena didn't realize she had already walked far from the cave when she heard people laughing nearby. She immediately hid behind a tree and watched a group emerge. The group laid out a mat on the ground and dropped their belongings before going swimming and yelling in the sea. Aleena silently watched them enjoy themselves, and she felt envious. She had a few friends in the Kingdom, but none of them were as close to her as these people seemed to be. Being the only daughter and the future Queen of the Askia Kingdom, Aleena had grown up with strict rules. She wasn't allowed to do many things, but her grandmother was the only one who sided with her. Her grandmother spoiled her, and she loved to listen to her grandmother's stories about humans, though she had no idea whether they were true or made up for her sake.

"Jacques! Dude, where were you earlier?" Aleena heard the man ask another man sitting on the sand.

"I had to pick up Nana Annabelle's grandson at the airport," Aleena heard the man named Jacques reply.

"And? How is he? We should invite him to play basketball tomorrow!" The man next to him said.

"Nah, I doubt he would join us. He's a 'rich kid.' I don't think he would want to hang out with us," Jacques said. "And he's aloof," he added.

"You're right, but Nana is a kind person. Maybe he's just jetlagged from the long flight. Just try to befriend him."

Aleena waited for them to leave and emerged from her hiding place. She sat on the white sand and played with it. She didn't want to return to the Kingdom just yet. She wanted to explore and see where humans lived, like the stories she had heard from her grandmother, but she didn't know how. With a sigh, Aleena walked back to where the cave was and brought a few human items with her.