The Marine Kingdom was an entirely different world!
I expanded my perception with God Wolf Eye, stretching my senses as far as they would go. Only then did I see the true scale of this place.
Lush greenery blanketed most of the land, rolling hills and mountains rising in the distance like gentle waves frozen in ti. It was vast—almost as large as Gihon itself.
If real estate developers saw this untouched paradise, they'd probably start drooling.
Above us, impossibly high in the sky, a mbrane shimred—a translucent do of pure water.
The entire kingdom was encased in a gigantic, spherical ocean.
Yet, despite being underwater, the lighting was perfect. Either magic was at work, or sunlight was sohow filtering through the watery barrier, casting a soft, natural glow across the landscape.
A thick forest stood not far from where we arrived, deep erald trees swaying gently despite the absence of wind. Lakes, glistening like polished sapphires, dotted the terrain, reflecting the strange, aquatic sky above.
"This place is wonderful..." I said.
"Yes. It's all so surreal—I was shocked myself." Levi placed a hand on her cheek, her expression visibly stunned.
"You an when you first obtained this ability?" I asked.
"No. I an right now. This place used to be nothing but water. It wasn't this vast, and it definitely didn't have air."
I frowned. "So... did your ability upgrade or sothing?"
I an, even my Shadow Wolf Summon evolved into Specter Wolf Summon recently. Maybe sothing similar happened to her?
Levi humd, her fingers grazing her lips thoughtfully. "I believe this is a response to the covenant between myself and my Master."
Huh. That could make sense.
But I needed a second opinion.
Platform!
{You called, Master.}
Yes. Explain this realm to .
{Understood. This is the Marine Kingdom—a realm originally composed entirely of water, and a Special Gift of Leviathan, now known as Levina.}
...Platform.
Didn't you think I already knew that?
{You asked to explain the realm, and I did... Master.}
Why are you sound angry?!
I'm the one supposed to be mad here!
Ugh, whatever. I'm not talking to you anymore!
{Likewise.}
...Hmph.
...Eh?
Platform... I'm sorry.
If she decided to shut out, my lazy existence wouldn't survive.
A gentle breeze rolled through the landscape, cool and refreshing.
Wait.
A breeze?
In a world that was supposed to be subrged in water?
There were too many mysteries surrounding this place. If it weren't for Pluto's accursed Pact of Suicide, I'd have spent my days here, happily hiding from reality.
But for now, we had exploring to do.
We moved toward the massive forest nearby, eager to take in our surroundings firsthand. The trees were absurdly large—the smallest of them easily towering twenty feet high, their trunks four feet thick at least. Their roots twisted and intertwined like veins of marble, their intricate patterns almost too perfect to be natural.
It was as if the forest itself had been designed.
I plucked a strange fruit from one of the branches—about the size of a human head—and took a careful bite.
It was... fairly sweet.
Okay, no. this was too delicious!
I'd eaten fruits from both Gihon and Asgard, and none of them tasted quite like this.
After verifying that it wasn't poisonous, I handed so to Alicia.
She took one bite—then imdiately began stuffing herself.
...Heh. Cute.
I reached out and patted her head, and she grinned at , cheeks full like a chipmunk.
As we continued forward, we spotted small, mythical-looking creatures darting between the trees. They were beautiful, but rare—almost like the forest itself was keeping them hidden.
Eventually, we erged from the forest's embrace.
I looked up.
The sky was still as strange as ever. Light flooded the land naturally, yet... I couldn't find the sun.
There wasn't really any sunlight in Asgard, but that place was whack—physical laws barely functioned there.
...Which made think.
Was the Marine Kingdom the sa?
A realm where the laws of nature didn't quite work as expected?
I tucked that thought away for later.
For now, we had seen enough.
"Alright, let's get back to the surface," I said, stretching.
"As you will, Master Raven."
Levi bowed, then by her will, summoned a ripple in the air. And just like that, we left Coastelle behind.
Yes, I renad it.
Marine Kingdom was too long, and Coastelle sounded better.
Levi and Alicia both agreed—or maybe they were just pretending to like it because I ca up with it.
Either way, it was sticking.
*
The mont we stepped out of the ripple gate, I noticed sothing off.
Pison was dark.
Night had already fallen.
Wait. What?!
I can't believe it; does ti run differently in there?!
{No, you just spent that much ti eating strange fruits.}
...Whoa, you say that like sothing bad is going to happen for eating it!
Alicia yawned, drawing my attention.
Ah, Of course.
I, and definitely Levi, could go without sleep for long periods of ti, but Alicia couldn't.
"Alright, nap ti," I announced, clapping my hands together.
"Splendid!" Levi bead. "I shall find sothing for you to rest your head on, Master Raven."
Now that's more like it. That's a great servant!
"Thanks," I said, then added, "Make sure Alicia has sothing too."
The mont I said it, Levi's expression shifted—her gaze wandered elsewhere, her smile faltering into sothing lancholic.
...What was that about?
I wondered when this rivalry of theirs even began.
But hold on.
Why were we about to sleep out here, in the middle of Pison's vast wilderness... When we could sleep in Coastelle's vast wilderness instead?
"Hey, Levi, can't we just rest at Coastelle?"
It was far more comfortable there—softer grasses, a refreshing breeze.
Though, I couldn't shake the feeling that sothing about sleeping under a night sky in Pison would feel different. Maybe it was the sense of ti passing, the natural rhythm of things.
Either way, Levi opened the ripple gate once more.
Tsk. I really needed to learn how to do this myself soon. I felt like I was bothering her, even if she didn't seem to mind.
Stepping through the gate, I froze.
Darkness.
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