Ch#40
In her half-asleep daze, Tiye's first thought upon seeing Seradin was simple.
‘……P-princess!’
Seradin looked just like the little mermaid from a fairy tale.
With her lilac hair cascading to the floor, matching eyes, and even a splendid crown.
Seradin smiled at Tiye.
[Sorry for disturbing your sleep. But before entering dormancy, I wanted to give my thanks…….]
Tiye gaped wide-eyed, mouth hanging open.
Then she pressed both hands to her cheeks to snap herself awake.
She was a little startled by Seradin's sudden appearance, but confident she could handle it calmly.
‘Bone friends and subordinates pop out all the time anyway.’
The skeletons from graves and spirits from the shipwreck always startled her by jumping out from everywhere.
It used to be scary at first, but now she just snorted.
Meaning Tiye had grown used to things popping up out of nowhere.
Tiye pondered Seradin's words carefully, then first pushed off the blanket and sat up politely.
After that, she bowed her head deeply in greeting.
“Princess, hewwow."
Because Seradin was an adult.
Then she asked the wide-eyed Seradin,
“But what're shackwes……?”
Seradin had said after waking Tiye,
‘You freed me from my shackles.’
Tiye knew what a lifesaver meant, but had no clue what shackles were…….
[A good question.]
Seradin laughed in a voice like tinkling water droplets.
[Shackles aren't birds. They mean restraints put on a person's ankles to limit movement. Restraints are…….]
“Ahh, Tiye knows that!”
Seradin paused and gazed warmly at Tiye.
Tiye met her eyes, then tilted her head.
‘But…… if shackles are on ankles…….’
Tiye had never freed any princess's shackles?
Seradin was the first person Tiye had met since coming to this world.
Wondering if she'd met her before and forgotten, Tiye quickly raised one hand and asked.
“But when did Tiye free Princess from the shackwes?”
Seradin smiled gently.
[You freed me last night.]
“Wast night? Tiye did?”
[Yes. You pulled me out when I was trapped in the Mana Stone.]
Tiye's mouth slowly fell open.
‘Twapped in a Mana Stone? Princess was?’
She'd subjugated two Mana Stones so far, but had no idea.
That people could be trapped inside.
But something felt off.
‘When I wooked, there was no one inside the Mana Stone.’
Last night, Tiye had peered closely at the Mana Stone's structure.
Basto had kindly explained while she looked down at it.
‘Tiye, do you know that Mana Stones all look different? Some are building-shaped, others like simple tombstones. This one's weirdly shaped like a temple.’
As Basto said, the Mana Stone that rose in Pearl City's sea was a large temple shape with four pillars.
Tiye had thought it looked like the Athens temple from a documentary long ago.
Either way, the important thing was that Tiye had clearly looked inside the Mana Stone and found nothing.
“Weird, therw was defnitely no one inside…….”
If Seradin had really been trapped inside, Tiye would've seen her.
Seradin's body was still emitting dazzling rainbow light even now.
Seradin answered.
[You couldn't have seen me. I was the Mana Stone itself.]
Tiye blanked out for a moment.
She needed time to process Seradin's words.
A few seconds later, Tiye's eyes went round as she asked back.
“Princess was the Mana Stone?”
Seradin nodded.
[Precisely, I was ‘Mana Stoned.’]
“…….”
[Originally, I'm the sea god ruling the western sea. Simply put…… think of me as a spirit.]
* * *
Spirit.
Tiye's mouth fell half-open in shock.
‘Spirits are fwom Hyunwoo's game?’
Hyunwoo was one of the few kids in Quail Class with a kids' phone.
His was some special edition, yellow with cute Kiki O Friends drawn on it.
But what Tiye envied more was the game installed on it.
Tiye still remembered the game's name.
‘Spirit Raising Stars…….’
That game had tons of spirit characters.
Hyunwoo always bragged to Tiye whenever he upgraded one.
She had no choice but to clap and cheer each time.
Since Hyunwoo had practically every spirit.
And his big brother even bought him in-app purchases sometimes, so he had loads of skins too.
Yet spirits actually existed.
Tiye's gaze turned back to Seradin.
“Weal…… spiwit…….”
No wonder she'd thought that lilac hair and rainbow eyes were super pretty from the start.
‘So coow!’
But Tiye, who'd been staring with her mouth open, quickly pulled herself together.
She still had questions for Seradin.
“But why'd the spiwit become a Mana Stone?”
According to Seradin, she was a sea god and spirit ruling the ocean. Tiye was curious how that happened.
Seradin let out an ‘ah’ and cast her eyes down as if it was complicated.
[……Let's say I lost my power for certain reasons.]
“Wost powew?”
[Yes. A tree with rotten roots withers from the leaves first.]
As Tiye's face grew puzzled, Seradin continued.
[We have something called the ‘Mother Tree.’]
“Mommy Tree……?”
[Yes. That tree has long governed life, nature, purity, and such. The source of us spirits' power comes from there too. But…….]
Seradin, mid-sentence, suddenly closed her mouth.
She gazed silently down at her own body.
Tiye's mouth fell slightly open following her gaze.
Seradin's fingertips were, for some reason, gradually growing cloudy.
[I've tarried too long. I might vanish before showing my gratitude.]
Seradin suddenly approached Tiye.
Startled by the cool aura spreading around her for a moment.
Seradin extended her hand before Tiye's eyes.
A cluster of unfamiliar light gathered in her palm.
Soon, the light formed something.
A bracelet woven from small shells and rainbow pearls.
“Wh-what's this?”
Seradin smiled at Tiye.
[Repayment for the favor you bestowed. An item I, sea god Seradin, can make only with my essence. Ancient humans called it Oblivion's Sanctity.]
“Obwivion's Sanctity……?”
[Touching a target with the hand wearing Purity Bracelet should let you erase any memory you desire from them.]
Tiye's mouth gaped wide.
A bracelet that erases memories.
It was practically a legendary item.
But Seradin casually slipped it onto Tiye's wrist herself, as if it were nothing.
[It will surely help you. I wish we could meet again…….]
Tiye stared blankly at Seradin, who was growing transparent as if about to vanish any second.
She wanted to say thanks, but no words came easily.
[Oh, one more thing. The person you're seeking is closer than you think.]
Seradin said then.
Her rainbow eyes alone faintly glowed in the air.
[The young spirit in your bag might show you the way. It's lost now, but if it's by your side, Lucarion will someday…….]
Seradin's words ended there.
Tiye gaped as Seradin vanished, staring blankly at the empty air.
Something had swirled in the final moment, so complicated her head spun.
But one thing was clear.
“Kkamangi…….”
[The young spirit in your bag will show you the way.]
Tiye stared at her bag on the nightstand, then muttered in disbelief.
“Kkamangi wasn't a puppetmon……?”
According to Seradin, Kkamangi seemed to be a spirit.
“K-Kkamangi was a spiwit too……?”
One that could lead Tiye to Dad.
