The mont the stranger stepped from the tree line, silence reigned. His presence, although calm, was undeniable, like the sea itself: beautiful, deep, and hiding untold power.
Alex shifted slightly in front of the girls, his hand subtly raised behind him to signal caution.
He was on full alert, and the man could tell that.
He raised both palms slowly, a small, disarming smile on his face. "Please, there is no need for alarm. I an no harm. I was simply... intrigued."
His voice flowed like water, smooth and steady, soothing despite the tension that clung to the air.
His sea-blue robes fluttered lightly in the breeze, and his skin shimred with a faint iridescence, as though kissed by ocean light. The aura he gave off was undeniably powerful, yet restrained.
"Intrigued?" Alex asked coldly, one brow raised.
Did that man co here because he saw them as entertainnt?
The man's next words, however, explained what he ant.
"Yes," the man replied with a nod. "It's not every day we sense soone playing with such an array of elents in harmony. I had to see it for myself."
Alex could tell the man wasn't lying. His pyre of jurisdiction told him it was true, but he still couldn't trust the guy.
Soone with so much power ca here simply because he was intrigued?
Like hell, that was the truth.
Maybe he had so power to fool others' senses.
[Alex, maybe you're being paranoid—]
Before Sophia could complete her sentence, a high-pitched voice rang out from behind the man, carried by the sea breeze.
"Papa! Is it okay if I co out now?!"
The man froze.
Every head turned toward the shore.
A little girl erged from the shallows, water swirling around her bare feet as if reluctant to let her go.
Her long teal hair clung wetly to her fra, and her eyes mirrored the depthless blue of the man—or rather, her father.
Her face was cherubic and beaming with innocent excitent.
The stranger turned swiftly, almost panicked. "Lunaris! I told you to stay hidden!"
"But I wanna et the cool big brother!" She quickly expressed, already halfway across the sands.
In an instant, the man was by her side, kneeling and cupping her shoulders protectively. "You don't know if he's safe yet."
The girl pouted, stamping a foot on the soft beach. "But I do! He's cool! I watched from the sea when he did that lightning spinny thing! And he made the water dance!"
'Ah...'
Alex, looking at the scene play out, suddenly felt the pieces of the puzzle piecing together.
It wasn't the man who was interested in his magic; it was the girl, most likely his daughter.
He ca here because he didn't know if Alex and his group were safe for her daughter to et, and just like he was protecting the girls, the man was protecting his daughter.
Alex glanced over his shoulder, looking at the girls.
Ann gave him a raised brow and a smirk, understanding what he was thinking, while Alice blinked in amusent.
Seraphyra, wide-eyed, let out a small giggle.
Finally, with a sigh that carried the weight of resignation, Alex stepped forward, hands open. "It's fine. We can talk."
The man looked at him for a mont longer, gauging sincerity, before slowly relaxing.
"My apologies," he said with a light bow, still holding the child close. "I am Neris. Protector of the Sea People."
Those words rang in their heads for a while, as they didn't expect to et the protector of the sea people here, especially when it was said that the sea people never interacted with the land people.
The one most shocked was Seraphyra, as she understood she was among the first to ever et soone from the sea—the mysterious protector at that.
Realizing the man's position, Alex gave a polite nod, stepping closer. "Alex. Just a guy flying around."
Neris chuckled softly. "And that," he gestured at the lingering mana still hanging in the air, "is why we noticed you."
Seeing how Alex didn't understand, Neris explained, "We live around here, so when you landed here, it caught our attention. Your magic especially drew my daughter, as she had never seen soone use so many elents."
Lunaris bead and ran up to Alex without hesitation now. "You were so cool! You made the air go zap and then the water go whoosh!"
Alex smiled and knelt down, ruffling her damp hair.
But the mont he did, the face of another little girl he knew flashed before his eyes.
'Lily...'
She was the one who felt close to him despite being a stranger, and now Lunaris was reminding him of her.
But he decided to focus on the little girl before him.
"Thanks, little one. You like magic?"
She nodded rapidly. "Mama says I have talent. But she won't let try the big spells."
Alex chuckled, "Mothers tend to be careful. Co, I will show you so more magic."
With that, the magic show presented by Alex, the demon lord, and the dragon slayer began.
.......................
So ti later.
Alex sat on the sand with Lunaris on his lap, patting her head, which she seed to like a lot.
"Hehe," she giggled continuously.
She was calmly resting on his lap now that her curiosity about the elental magic was satisfied.
Turned out, she had four elental affinities and very good control over them.
That wasn't sothing you would expect from soone her age.
"Speaking of..." Alex turned to Neris, a curious frown playing on his forehead. "Where's her mother?"
Alex recalled Lunaris talking about her mother as if she were the only one she had, but that mother was nowhere to be seen.
Neris's smile twitched at that question, and before he could respond, his daughter piped up with innocent glee, "She is Mom! Not Dad!"
She spoke with her tongue out as if she intentionally revealed sothing she wasn't supposed to.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Ann blinked.
Alice tilted her head.
Seraphyra let out a quiet, startled, "Eh?!"
Alex raised an eyebrow, lips twitching.
Neris sighed like soone who'd been caught skipping a formal ceremony and straightened. "I had heard, on the land, males are treated with more regard, especially when it cos to power. I assud it would be easier if I took this form."
With a wave of her hand, the illusion cracked like mist in sunlight.
The masculine figure dissolved, and standing in its place was a strikingly beautiful woman, her long teal hair tumbling like waves down her back.
Her features were sharp yet elegant, with eyes that shimred like the ocean under moonlight.
Her robes reford around her, flowing like seawater, and it was clear now where Lunaris had gotten her looks.
"Whoa," Ann muttered, breaking the silence. "It would've been better if you had this form from the start."
"For real," Alice nodded. "I don't think Alex would've been as alard as he was if you did."
"You're gorgeous," Seraphyra whispered.
Hearing Ann and Alice's comnts, Alex's face twitched, but he pretended to ignore them, nodding his head. "It's clear who Lunaris takes after."
"My apologies for the deception," Neris said, bowing again with more grace than before. "I simply wanted to avoid... complications."
She heard Ann and Alice's words, but it seed like she would go down a rabbit hole if she asked what they ant by that, so she let it be.
"No harm done," Alex replied smoothly. "You're a parent. I get it."
Neris glanced down at Lunaris, who had made herself quite at ho on Alex's lap, playing with the embroidery on his cloak.
"She's lively," Alice noted, her lips curled into a rare smile.
"And adorable," Seraphyra added, crouching down to talk with the little girl. "Do you like shiny stones? I have so!"
"Yes!" Lunaris bead, hopping in excitent.
Neris watched quietly, arms folded, as her daughter played among the group of strangers as if she'd known them for years.
Ann approached Neris with a casual gait. "You're a good mom."
That surprised her. Neris blinked, then let out a small, honest laugh. "Thank you. I've done my best."
Alex stood up, dusting himself off. "Well, Protector of the Sea People... it seems we dropped in on your territory. I hope we didn't disturb you too much."
"No," Neris replied. "In fact, I believe our eting was fated. My daughter has learned sothing from you already."
Lunaris nodded, grabbing Alex's hand with both of hers. "You're my new big brother!"
That made Ann, Alice, and Alex pause, recalling the scene about Lily saying the sa thing, her smile as infectious as Lunaris.
But before their pause could look suspicious, Alex smiled, patting the little girl's head gently. "Guess that makes part of the sea now, huh?"
"Yup!" She declared proudly. "But you gotta co visit under the water too!"
Neris' eyes twinkled with amusent. "Well, if you can keep up with her requests, you're welco any ti."
With that, the atmosphere turned rry, everyone enjoying the peace while it lasted, unbothered that they were the first to initiate a bond between the sea and land people.
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