The coral-glow had dimmed, but not enough to hide the mess Elara had made trying to "awaken her powers." A cracked conch bowl lay sideways, its contents glimmering sadly across the shell-tiled floor. A shimmerfish — tiny, translucent, and grumpy-looking — sulked in a corner bubble like it had witnessed unspeakable trauma.
Elara winced.
"Sorry, little guy. I was aiming for 'ancient chosen one,' not aquatic demolition crew."
Kaelen — smug little creature — was sprawled upside down on her bed like he'd personally defeated gravity.
She stared at the relic, still warm in her hand.
"You could at least come with an instruction manual," she muttered. "Or a tutorial. Or subtitles. Anything."
She narrowed her eyes. "Okay, magic shell. Let's try this again."
She held it up dramatically. "Reveal your secrets!"
Nothing.
"Open sesame?"
Kaelen, curled beside her, peeked open one eye.
"Worth a try," she muttered.
Then, slowly, she pointed the relic forward like a wand. "Aqua Beam!"
Kaelen blinked.
"Fireball?" She paused. "Wait. Waterball?"
He tilted his head, concerned.
"If I were in a novel," she muttered to Kaelen, "this would be the part where I suddenly level up, or a system window tells me what my powers are."
"Or maybe some ancient mentor shows up and says, 'Ah yes, the chosen one must master the Spiral of the Sea,' and boom—training montage."
She snorted, running a hand through her damp hair. "But no. I get relics that glow and no instructions."
Kaelen blinked, tilting his head.
She sighed. "My roommate back home used to binge those fantasy webcomics. Always said I'd be the broody background character, not the heroine. Joke's on her—I'm living the plot twist now. Minus the cheat codes."
Kaelen let out a soft chirp, paddling in a little circle like he approved anyway.
She dropped the relic and flopped backward onto her sea-fern bed.
"Ugh. Why can't I have a status screen like in manhwa? Or a scroll. Or—"
"Try not yelling at it like a deranged octopus."
Elara froze.
"…You…?"
Kaelen blinked. Then, cheekily:
"Oh, great. She finally hears me. Do I get a ribbon?"
She stared. "You can talk?"
"Well, not out loud. But telepathically, yes. I'm evolving. Obviously."
Her jaw slackened. "Why didn't you say anything before?"
"Because someone was busy sulking, talking to furniture, and nearly poking herself in the eye with a magical relic."
Elara gave a breathless laugh, then slumped back into the coral nest.
"…This is insane."
"Took you dying and moving into a mystical underwater realm to figure that out?"
She blinked at him. "…How do you know I died?"
"You mumbled it in your sleep. Also, the way you stare at sea-beds like they're algebra tests gave it away."
Elara gave a small snort.
"…I was in college," she murmured. "Had a dorm, roommates who barely remembered I existed. Then… I drowned. And woke up here. No status window. No helpful tutorial. Just sea monsters, creepy seers, and relics that hum like they know my name."
Kaelen let out a low chirp.
"Definitely not your average manhwa opening."
She laughed again, softer this time.
"You know about manhwa?"
"No clue what that is. But you keep comparing life here to one. So I figured it's either a human myth… or a really bad guidebook."
Elara wiped at her face and smiled faintly.
"You're annoying."
"I'm adorable."
A silence settled, lighter than before. Elara watched the relic's glow pulse between her fingers.
She exhaled slowly. "What do you think this thing even is?"
"I think… it likes you."
Elara tilted her head. "Can relics like people?"
"You tell me. You're the one it sang to."
She waved the relic like a wand again. "Mystic beam… spiral burst… shiny go!" she tried.
Kaelen blinked.
"You're just saying anime move names now."
"Better than accidentally summoning squid."
Kaelen snorted.
"What even was that?"
"Just... spell stuff. You wouldn't get it. You don't have Harry Potter under the sea."
"We have hairy hermit crabs. They bite toes."
She groaned. "Not the same."
The relic gave a faint pulse. She sat upright. "Wait. That's good, right? It pulsed!"
Kaelen leaned over. "Or it's hiccuping from secondhand embarrassment."
She inhaled sharply and held the relic close. "Alright. Focus, Elara. Channel inner fantasy heroine. Maybe… pretend I'm in a novel."
She closed her eyes. "Great Sea Spirit, grant me your power!"
Nothing happened.
She opened one eye. Kaelen was doing the equivalent of an undersea eyebrow raise.
"…Shush."
She tried again.
"Okay. I am the chosen one. The tides bend to my will. May the spiral of truth reveal—"
PLOP.
The relic slid out of her hand and bonked her forehead.
Kaelen actually rolled onto his back laughing.
"Oh yes, you're terrifying. The sea trembles in fear."
"Don't make me turn you into a fried fishstick," she grumbled.
"You'd have to catch me first. Besides, I taste like destiny."
Elara sighed dramatically and flopped back down. "You're annoying little guy. Cute, but annoying."
"I take that as a compliment. Selkyn pride."
She blinked. "Wait… Selkyn?"
Kaelen sat up proudly. "I am a Selkyn."
She squinted. "A what now?"
"Selkyn. My kind are rare. The Sea Goddess made us from coral and songfoam. We used to guard sacred places and relics. Before everything went weird."
Her curiosity sparked. "You have family?"
"Of course I do! I wasn't just born floating in a kelp cradle." He paused. "Though that would've been cool."
Elara leaned forward. "Where are they now?"
Kaelen's voice dimmed slightly. "Gone. Most of them. I got separated while playing near a trench. Then monsters came after me. I ran. I felt something strange… and I followed it. Found you."
Elara's throat tightened. "You followed me all this time?"
Kaelen gave a soft chirp. "You felt… different. Like… the sea remembered you."
She blinked at him. Then burst into a watery laugh.
"That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."
"I can be poetic too, y'know. Just not all the time. Too much poetry makes my fins itch."
Elara clutched the relic again. "Okay. Teach me. How do I magic?"
"Didn't you just try to cast 'Aqua Beam'?"
"That was an experimental phase."
"Try feeling it. Not ordering it. Relics are like seaweed—if you pull too hard, they tangle. Flow with it."
She closed her eyes and took a breath. Beneath her skin, a warm current stirred. Gentle, unfamiliar.
The relic pulsed once.
She focused harder.
It pulsed again.
Kaelen watched, tail twitching. "Hey… you're doing it."
Just as she felt a shimmer of something move up her fingers, her palm heated too fast.
Elara yelped, flinging the relic upward—where it bounced off a coral lamp and landed in her lap.
"…Ow."
Kaelen tried not to laugh. "That's… a start."
Elara groaned, flopping onto the bed again. "Maybe I'm not cut out for sea magic."
"Maybe you're cut out for chaos magic."
She snorted.
Then, turning serious, she looked at him. "Why me, though? Why follow someone who clearly doesn't belong?"
Kaelen tilted his head. "Because you're not just someone. You're… part of the sea's song. I've heard bedtime stories. The Niraya—they were born of tide and spark and my kind only used to bond with them and no else. My grandmother said their presence felt like coming home."
Her breath hitched. "Niraya?"
She shook her head slowly.
"You didn't know?" Kaelen blinked. "You're basically sea-royalty with amnesia. That's, like, peak drama. Your friend would be screaming."
"Guess I ruined the dramatic reveal." He puffed up. "But hey—look at the bright side. You've got a talking Selkyn, a shiny relic, and apparently a forgotten race bloodline. That's worth at least two book deals and a spin-off."
Elara chuckled, eyes misty. "Thank you."
Kaelen leaned forward. "Also… you said you fell into the sea?"
She nodded slowly. "I—was shoved. I think. The memory's blurry. Some people… I trusted them, and they—" She stopped.
Kaelen's voice was soft this time. "Then I'll stay with you. So no one can shove you again."
Her lip trembled. "You're being sweet again. Is this a phase?"
"Only until you make it weird."
They laughed. Then sat quietly, the relic pulsing faintly between them, like a heartbeat shared.
Kaelen climbed onto her lap smugly.
As they both settled, the glow faded again — but this time, Elara didn't feel disappointment.
She felt something stir.
Not power. Not magic.
Hope.
Then, Kaelen twitched.
"…Don't panic," he whispered. "But there's a heavily armored sea guy outside. Pretty sure he's not here for tea. Or hugs."