Rick’s hands wrapped around the shaft of the trident, and right away he felt power flowing through it... but it wasn’t just his strength. His bond with Nerissa was a creative force instead of a destructive one.
The trident sent out five streams of golden light that shot into the water. The ocean itself seed to hold its breath as the light ca together to make shapes.
The first Guardian to show up was a huge sea serpent with scales that sparkled like gold and sapphire. It had smart and purposeful eyes, and when it spoke, everyone heard it.
"I am Tideborn, the Guardian of Prosperity. Life thrives where I swim."
The second Guardian was a huge sea turtle with a shell covered in living coral that had flowers that glowed in the dark.
"I am Coralkeeper, the Guardian of Growth. I take care of what keeps us alive."
The third was a group of dolphins, but each one was as big as a whale and gave off protective energy.
"We are the Swiftcurrent, Guardians of Communication. We carry ssages across the ocean."
The fourth Guardian looked like a huge manta ray with wings that seed to go on forever.
"I am Depthglider, the Guardian of Exploration. I lead those who want to go to new places."
The fifth and last Guardian was the most shocking. It looked almost like a person, a beautiful woman who lived in the ocean with long, flowing hair and eyes that held the wisdom of the ages.
"I am moria, the Guardian of History. I keep the stories that must never be forgotten."
As the five Guardians walked around the plaza, the crowd cheered. Each one gave off the hope and positive energy that had gone into making them.
Rick said, "Goddayyuumm...! These are amazing," as he watched them move.
"They’re not like the Leviathan and Kraken at all."
Nerissa explained, "We created them out of love and hope, not out of duty and need."
"Think about what they stand for: prosperity, growth, communication, exploration, and history."
"These are values that will help a society thrive, not just protect it from threats."
Sebastian floated down next to Rick, his monocle shining. "Not bad, gooner... not bad at all."
"You made five Guardians who make the world better instead of just destroying things that threaten it. It really is character developnt for the win."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever floats your boat, like always, Sebastian."
...
The party that followed the coronation went on until late at night. Rick was still getting used to the ocean food that was on tables all over the plaza.
There was music, dancing, and a general sense of happiness that made everyone forget, at least for a little while, about corruption and threats to the world.
Rick was pulled into dances with different ocean dwellers, all of whom wanted to congratulate their new emperor. "Whoa! Hahaha... sorry, I’m not very good at this thing."
"Don’t worry, just dance it all out!"
He was bad at the traditional ocean dances, which had a lot of spinning and flowing movents that he couldn’t quite get right, but everyone seed to find his awkwardness cute instead of annoying.
Sebastian said, "You know... you’ve got quite a few titles now if you think about it."
"Hero of Mature Hearts, Dragon King consort to Sylvia, Demon King to Zara, and now Ocean Emperor."
"At this rate, you’ll run out of kingdoms to rule before you’re thirty."
"Please don’t jinx it," Rick said. "I already have too much to do with two Major Powers."
"I don’t need any more."
"That’s too bad... you need to make three more Spirit Bonds to bring all Seven Major Powers together."
"That ans you need to get the Elf Matriarch and probably the leader of the Witch Covens, and also don’t forget about Zephyra as well, even though she’s carrying her baby everywhere."
"You know what that ans, right...? More titles~! They are coming your way, whether you like it or not."
Rick groaned. "Why the fuck do I have to do so much paperwork and take on so much responsibility to save the world...?"
"That’s how societies work, you beautiful disaster... Fighting is easy, but of course, running a society is hard!"
After that small talk with Sebastian, Rick made sure to spend ti with each of his bonded partners as the party went on. They had all been to the ceremony and were now all over the plaza, having a good ti.
He first saw Carmilla standing near the edge of the plaza, looking at the ocean currents that were moving past the city’s new wards.
Rick ca over and said, "Carmilla! Are you having fun?"
"Ah, Rick..." Carmilla smiled and turned. "Of course I’m having fun! It’s beautiful what you’ve built here."
"A city that is ant to be lived in, not just defended. It’s very different from the Demon Kingdom’s fortifications."
"By the way... how are things back there? Is everything okay with Sylvia gone to help here?"
"So of the help are doing a great job," Carmilla told him. "And I heard soone sent a ssage earlier saying that monster attacks have actually gone down since news spread about Cthulhu’s defeat."
"It seems that defeating a god-level being in one-on-one combat has made most potential threats think twice about attacking."
Rick chuckled. "I guess being scary has its perks, huh?"
Carmilla moved closer, and her face got serious. "Rick, I need to say sothing..."
"The three seconds I felt you die through the Unbreakable Bond were the scariest of my life!"
"I’ve fought in many battles and faced death more tis than I can count, but nothing prepared for feeling you slip away, you know that, right?"
"I’m sorry," Rick said softly. "I didn’t an to frighten you like that..."
"I know you didn’t... I know that’s what being bonded to a hero ans."
"You’re going to put yourself in danger because that’s who you are... and I don’t know how many tis I’ve said this, but please... promise sothing again!"
"Of course. Promise anything, and I’ll work hard to fulfill it!"
"Promise you’ll always co back, no matter what! I don’t think I can live without you."
Rick smiled and hugged Carmilla. "I promise!"
"I’ve already died alone once, and I’m not going to do it again because I have too much to live for now."
For a long ti, they just stood there holding each other while the party went on around them.
Next, Rick found Natasha, who was at a party but sitting at a table full of papers and charts.
Rick asked her, "Are you working during the celebration?"
With a slight blush, Natasha looked up. "I’m figuring out the best way to use resources to keep the new city’s infrastructure up and running."
"The ward system you ca up with needs to have the right amount of mana spread out evenly, or it will stop working in six months."
Rick said with love, "That’s a very Natasha way of you, but how about you take a break once in a while?"
"Like... having fun at the party for an hour or two?"
"I honestly like this more than the party," Natasha said, but her tone was defensive. "Optimization problems are calming."
"No, no, no!" Rick carefully pushed the papers aside and took her hands. "Co on now, Natasha, you don’t have to work all the ti to prove you’re worth sothing!"
"You’re allowed to just exist and be happy."
Her analytical front broke down a little. "Statistical analysis shows that my value in our relationship network is mostly practical..."
"I help with tactics and logical problem-solving. Without that, what good am I?"
"Natasha, you’re not a tool! You’re a person I care about deeply, and of course... your worth isn’t based on how useful you are."
Rick held her hands tightly. "I love you for who you are, not what you do."
"Yes, your tactical genius is impressive, but so is your dedication, your hidden kindness, and the way you act like you don’t care about emotions when you really do care deeply about everyone around you.
Natasha’s eyes looked suspiciously wet. "That kind of reasoning... that doesn’t make sense statistically but makes feel better."
"Well... at least that’s good enough," Rick said with a smile as he hugged her.
And then after spending ti with Natasha, Rick found Liora was in one of the smaller plazas, leading an unplanned blessing ceremony for ocean dwellers who wanted God’s protection for their families.
Rick waited until she was done before going up to her. "You know you should be having fun at the party, not working."
Liora smiled with warmth. "Bringing the gods’ blessings to those who want them is a pleasure, not work... but I appreciate your concern."
"Co, let’s have a walk." Rick lent his hand to her.
"Understood." Liora nodded and held his hand.
They walked together through the less busy streets, away from the main party.
Liora suddenly said, "The gods are happy with you."
"They’ve been following your journey, and today’s ceremony with the Guardians really impressed them."
"Making guardians out of love and hope instead of need shows that you have grown spiritually."
Rick said, "I just did what felt right, and... I didn’t know the gods were judging , though?! Hello?!"
"They’re always watching, but don’t worry... you’re doing great." Liora stopped for a mont, then spoke again, more slowly. "Rick, I have to ask you sothing."
"Yeah?"
"Do you ever wish you hadn’t ford a Spirit Bond with ? I know my devotion to the divine can be... strong."
Rick said firmly, "W-Why did you say that?! Of course not."
"Your faith is a part of who you are, Liora! It’s beautiful and inspiring, so I would never want you to be anyone other than who you are."
Liora’s smile could have lit up the whole ocean. "Thanks... that ans a lot to ."
After spending ti with Liora, it’s ti to et Sylvia, and it was easy to find her because she was in her dragon form, giving rides to happy ocean-dwelling kids who squealed with joy as they flew through the water.
Rick waited until she got the current group before he called out. "Are you having fun playing with the kids even though you’re scared of the ocean?"
Sylvia changed into a human form right away after safely landing the kids on the ground, and her face showed how pleased she was. "They’re so cute~!"
"Their parents are very happy that the Dragon Queen would spend ti with them. It makes it easier for our kingdoms to work together.
Rick smiled and said, "Always the diplomat."
"Soone has to be, because my partner is terrible at formal events," Sylvia said with a laugh.
She pulled Rick close and wrapped her tail around his waist. "I’m proud of you, my partner!"
"Not just for beating Cthulhu or becoming Ocean Emperor, but also for how you handled the rebuilding."
"You could have just made things the way they were before, but you really thought about how to improve them."
Rick said, "Well... I really learned from the best."
"You’ve taught a lot about being a responsible leader."
"And you’ve taught how to take risks for the right reasons."
"Like always... we’re good for each other." Sylvia smiles and holds his face. "C’re, my love..."
Both of them start to kiss.
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