The second night they spent on Kelahili island went by a lot smoother than the first. Everybody was a little calmer about the volcano but the prospect of meeting with the Empress of the merfolk did bring with it some anxieties. As such, when Dawnyte came to greet them the following morning, she encountered the members of the church as a bunch of nervous wrecks. Even Lavini appeared a little shaken. As big of a part as she was of the nobility, she had never met an Empress before.

Dawnyte led them all towards the beach where they saw quite a scene. There was what looked like a dry circle that the water of the ocean did not appear to touch at all. Around it were several heads poking out of the water and one particularly tall mermaid was floating on the beach inside of a conjured up pool of water. She was clad in military armour and held a trident as her weapon. Bridget felt her courage leave her for just a moment. This was becoming so real all of a sudden…

The soldier waited for everyone to gather around her before she finally spoke up. “Greetings. I am captain Ael of the second legion. We have been tasked with escorting you to the royal palace,” she said while bowing her head. Her tone of voice was resolute and to the point. She was someone not to be trifled with.

“Good morning, captain,” Lavini started, nodding back. “My name is Lavini, a Bishop of Alinavious, and these are my fellow members of our church.”

Captain Ael looked each of them over and raised an eyebrow. “My reports spoke of two more members of your church. Could they not make it?” she asked.

“I’m… sorry. High Priestess Akita was unable to come due to the nature of her body, it makes her somewhat allergic to water,” Bridget explained. It felt a little strange to say such an easy-to-understand line for something that was a little more complex than that to this stern captain but it was the truth.

“Magitech doesn’t mix,” “well,” “with water,” Zexa and Xeza joined in.

Lavini nodded. “And our nun Cassiopeiah stayed behind as well to aid in the maintenance of the church,” she added.

Captain Ael gave an understanding nod. She then made a gesture to one of the mermaids behind her. In response, she dove underwater, likely to send this information ahead. It only dawned on Bridget now that they were in fact all mermaids.

“Please step into the circle so we can create an air bubble for you. It will ensure that you are able to breathe underwater,” the captain spoke.

As the members of the church stepped inside, Dawnyte waved them off. “Well, I guess I’ll see you guys again later!”

“Cya soon, Dawnyte!” Estella said. “Don’t forget about our deal, alright?”

“Of course not!” Dawnyte said excitedly.

It was then that a barrier of sorts started forming around the group that filled each of their lungs with fresh air. Captain Ael had already left the barrier and was now floating in the water in front of their bubble.

“Please, follow me,” she stated as they descended. 

The trip through Listanta proper was vastly different from walking through the streets of New Stepolis. The merfolk weren’t bound to the floor by gravity and so they swam all around them like a bird would fly. Most of them eyed the group curiously as they walked past. There was also a lot of people working hard, making last minute preparations for the festival. The doors to most buildings weren’t on the ground at all and instead of trees and bushes, there were structures of coral and seaweed.

Lavini and Xeza eagerly asked questions about everything they saw. Questions that captain Ael eagerly and proudly answered. It seemed that she enjoyed the reverence these land dwellers had for her city.

When they eventually crossed a bridge that stretched across a large ravine, Bridget couldn’t help but peek down over the railing. The trench was so deep that she couldn’t even see the bottom, for the light of the sun and the city simply did not reach that far.

“What’s down there?” she asked.

Ael swam over and floated in front of Bridget, on the opposite side of the railing. “This trench has developed due to earthquakes and volcanic activity. At first, there was nothing down there but since then, we’ve learned that several deep sea creatures make it their home. However, we generally don’t go there. It’s simply not worth the danger for most of us,” she explained.

“Meaning you had best not get too close to the edge. Your metal body would cause you to sink all the way down,” Lavini pointed out.

Bridget gulped and took a few steps back again. “Right…” she stammered.

“Wait… you merfolk can just swim,” “across,” “the trench. Why do,” “you,” “need a bridge?” Xeza remarked when she noticed that the captain was indeed floating over the railing.

Captain Ael chuckled. It was the first time they had heard her express an emotion other than duty bound devotion. “It is for your benefit. Land dwellers occasionally visit our city and so we have made accommodations for them. Though this is not the case for the entire city, there is enough infrastructure for you to reach the palace and, as I’m sure would interest you, the Temple of Eternal Currents,” she said.

“Dawnyte did say that she often visits Listanta,” Estella pointed out.

“In any case, let us keep going. The Empress is waiting,” captain Ael said and she began moving forwards again, with the members of the church in tow.

The rest of the trip through Listanta went by fairly uneventfully. As they approached the royal palace, the buildings became more and more lavish. The merfolk here, too, wore fancier clothing. It was clearly the richer part of town. At least, one of the richer parts of town. With a city this big, Bridget wouldn’t be surprised if there were multiple.

The palace itself was gigantic. There were many spires that almost reached up to the surface of the ocean. The main building looked like a huge oyster clam. According to captain Ael, this was intentional for, just like an oyster holds a pearl, the palace holds the monarch. 

    There was an entire legion of mermaids and mermen patrolling along the outer walls, all carrying tridents and wearing similar uniforms. When Ael approached the main gate, several of the guards saluted her and bowed their heads. It spoke of how much respect the captain demanded of her subordinates.

    For Bridget, though, it made her feel all the more squeamish. She had demanded respect for her ballet performance and of course as a High Priestess of Time but this was on a whole other level. There was something just so surreal about it all and she really wished that Akita was by her side at that moment.

    Next to her, Lavini was going through similar emotions as she began walking a little closer to Bridget. The two women wordlessly grabbed each-other’s hands to imbue themselves with a little bit of courage. No matter how scary and nerve-wracking this all was, they were going to get through it together. Estella, too, began walking next to her mother while Julia wrapped her arms around Zexa’s and Xeza’s waists.

The interior of the church was devoid of guards, though Bridget could still feel many eyes upon her. Perhaps they were all hidden somewhere, ready to jump out at any moment in case of an emergency. Eventually, the group walked through what had to be an underwater garden of sorts that led them towards a set of doors that were somehow even bigger than the great clockwork doors of their church. It was here that captain Ael turned around to address the group again. She gave them as warm a smile as she could muster.

“It is time. Once inside, walk with me until I halt, where you may kneel before Her Majesty. From there, the Empress will decide the nature of this audience. I ask that you remain respectful. Meeting with the Empress is an honour. Most merfolk could only ever dream of such an event,” she explained.

Lavini took a step forward. “We understand,” she said.

“Excellent. I would suggest that the priestesses among you will be at the front of the group,” Ael said.

Bridget nodded. She bit her lip and went to stand to the right of Lavini. To Lavini’s left, Zexa and Xeza stood. They were both clutching their staff tightly. They must have been even more nervous than Bridget was herself. Estella and Julia took their places behind them.

With that, Captain Ael raised her trident, after which the great doors began moving. They opened slowly, giving the members of the church their first look at the throne room.

And at the Empress.

Captain Ael began moving forwards and the members of the church followed closely behind. As they approached the throne, the Empress became a little more distinguishable. She was wearing a large crown and the polished scales of her tail fin reflected the lights of the great chandelier around the room, making it look like it held every colour imaginable. She simply sat there and watched the group approach without moving herself.

When Captain Ael halted again, the group found themselves in a circular area close to the throne. Here, the captain bowed deeply which prompted the members of the church to do the same. Bridget gulped as she knelt down on one knee and remained in that position alongside the others.

“Please, rise, my friends,” the Empress spoke. Her voice was melodious and almost enchanting.

Naturally, the members of the church obeyed the command. As Bridget stood back up on her feet, she could see that the Empress had risen from her own throne as well and was swimming forwards. Captain Ael appeared to have disappeared. She likely got out of the way the moment her duties had ended.

The Empress scanned her eyes over each of the time elementals. “Incredible. I welcome you all to Listanta and it pleases me to meet with you all,” she spoke.

Lavini took a minor step forward. “It is a great honour to meet with you as well, Lady Empress,” she said.

The Empress smiled approvingly. “I am Nerissa the Fourth, Empress of the Seven Currents. However, I want us to speak as equals so please, you may address me as Nerissa,” she said.

The members of the church didn’t really know what to do with this. All except Lavini of course, who was very well-versed in the language of nobility. She bowed her head and smiled. “Very well, Nerissa. Then allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Lavini Providence, I act as our bishop and I am the Keeper of the Sands,” she said.

Bridget gulped as she could feel some of the clockwork within her body twitch involuntarily as if something was jamming. She had felt this way when approaching Edwin Thamos back in the day but this was way bigger than that. However, she had to do this right, for the sake of the church and everything they stood for. “I am Bridget Harrison. High Priestess and Keeper of Gears,” she managed to say. She was pretty sure her voice was trembling noticeably however.

“We are Zexa,” “and Xeza Lagrange. High,” “Priestesses and Keepers,” “of the Dials,” the twins said. Funnily enough, they actually didn’t sound all that scared anymore at all. Of course, as the daughters of a very rich mother, they must have met with their fair share of important people and so they were a little bit better off speaking to them.

“I’m… Es-Estella Providence. Lavini’s… uh, daughter,” Estella managed to say eventually. Bridget guessed that the girl probably wouldn’t have as much trouble talking like this before her transformation. It spoke of how much she had truly changed.

“The name’s Julia… Julia Hart. I… come as Zexa’s and Xeza’s second… err… third, I mean,” Julia said awkwardly.

The Empress listened to all of their introductions intently and nodded at each of them. “I was told of the absence of the Keeper of Atomics, Akita Hirano, and the nun Cassiopeiah Providence. It is a shame they could not make it but an understandable one,” she said. She then clapped her hands together and swam back to her throne. Though she had allowed the members of the church to speak freely, she still wanted to assert her dominance within these halls it seemed. “When I heard about the appearance of new time elementals, I had attributed it to mere rumour and speculation. Now that I can meet you in person, I feel rejoiced,” she said.

“You are familiar with time elementals like us?” Bridget asked.

“Yes, for you see, my ancestors have had dealings with your predecessors,” Nerissa replied.

The whole group was a little shocked to hear this. No-one on land had ever heard of time elementals, let alone written about their existence. It was as if the first six had never even existed at all. To finally hear someone speak of them felt like a breath of fresh air. Well, as much air as they could get down here in the ocean.

“I see this is new information for you?” Nerissa asked upon noticing their confusion.

“We don’t know much,” “about,” “the old church,” Zexa said.

“All we know is that there,” “was,” “one, and that there were,” “six,” “other time elementals,” Xeza continued.

“Who the old members were, what they represented, what they looked like, and even their names are, ironically, lost to time,” Lavini added.

“How intriguing. It would seem that the people of the land are unskilled in the art of preservation,” Nerissa said.

It was a jab at non-merfolk but Bridget couldn’t deny the fact that it was true in this case. If only there were better records kept, they would have been able to learn so much more about the old church.

“Am I to understand, then, that you do have extensive knowledge of that era?” Lavini asked.

Nerissa grinned from ear to ear. She had them wrapped all around her little finger. “Over a thousand years ago, the War of Chaos and the resulting timestorm destroyed much of what once was and, unfortunately, there is little information about the event itself. However, we have plenty of historical records about what came before it. Most of it of course only regards us merfolk but there were many dealings and correspondences with the members of the old church,” she said.

“That is incredible!” Bridget said excitedly. “Such knowledge would be invaluable to us. We can finally learn more about our heritage.”

“We could learn,” “so much from them!” Zexa and Xeza said.

“... However… Nothing comes for free,” ” Nerissa said.

And there it was. Of course there was a catch to all of this.

“Naturally. What are your terms?” Lavini asked.

Nerissa rose from her throne again and began swimming around the air bubble. “As you are no doubt aware, there exists a church of time within our great city as well,” she said.

“The Temple of,” “Eternal Currents,” the twins said.

“Correct. We have maintained it for centuries. Our annual festival commemorates it and the blessings of your goddess that we have received as well. Within this church, there exists a well that has been dormant since the timestorm. As payment for our knowledge of the past, I ask that you reactivate the Spring of Aeons,” Nerissa stated.

Only when Captain Ael had led the whole group back outside of the palace did Bridget start feeling a little more at ease again. Though they had spoken to Empress Nerissa as a friend, they all still felt the incredible tension going on in the background. There was that constant nagging feeling in the back of her mind that figured that one wrong move could have had serious consequences.

“It is all a part of the game of politics,” Lavini said when Ael left them momentarily to gain clearance for the trip to the temple. “The many guards around the temple, the lavish decorations, and of course the Empress herself. It is all a display of power and wealth.”

“We definitely felt,” “intimidated by it all…” Zexa and Xeza muttered.

“You handled yourselves really well in there though,” Julia said.

“Much better than I did… I felt like a fish out of water!” Estella complained.

“So, why this display then?” Bridget asked.

“She wants to let us know that she is in charge here. This is her domain. However, we must not be deterred. After all, she requires our help. Do not forget that we are participants of this game as well,” Lavini said.

“I see… but what can we do? She asked us to reactivate this spring but we don’t know how to do that,” Bridget said.

“I am certain we can figure something out. It is true that we do not have all the knowledge but perhaps that is not necessary,” Lavini said.

“You think our presence,” “will,” “just activate it on its own?” Zexa asked.

“Perhaps. We will find out soon enough,” Lavini said.

Bridget sighed. “I don’t really understand why we have to play these intriguing and complicated games…” she said.

Lavini chuckled. “You get used to it. I have been playing them for most of my life,” she said.

The Temple of Eternal Currents was situated deeper into the city, and into the water as well. As such, there were a lot more lanterns, or more correctly, luminescent corals to light up the area. Just as with the palace, there were a large number of soldiers in the area, though not as many. The temple itself looked significantly older than the rest of the city that they had seen so far. It was made out of stone and just as their own church back in New Stepolis, it was shaped like a dodecagon with twelve spires on the corners. The fact that it still stood spoke of how skillful the merfolk really were at preservation, especially down here under the sea.

The group approached the great front doors where captain Ael indicated for the doors to be opened. The pattern on the door actually reminded everyone of an hourglass, only it involved what looked like tubes all merging together into a singular point, after which it spread out into multiple tubes again. 

    When it opened, the group saw that the interior of the temple was actually well-lit. The walls, floor, and ceiling were reflecting light coming from the various lanterns and luminous anemone. There were many branching pathways that likely led somewhere into the church, though it was hard to tell exactly where. Just as the door had suggested, there were also a great many tubes lining the ceilings. They were large enough to fit a person.

    “You are free to explore the church to your heart’s content, though you must be careful about what you touch and you will also need our guidance. Not because of a lack of trust but simply to maintain your air bubble,” captain Ael said while calling over five other merfolk from the various guards around.

    “We understand,” Lavini nodded before turning to the rest of the group. “Well then. Shall we?” she asked.

    Bridget nodded. “This sure brings back memories, doesn’t it?”

    Lavini chuckled. “It certainly does,” she said.

    “Can you feel,” “it too?” the twins asked.

    “Feel what?” Julia asked.

    “There’s an influx,” “of magic in here,” the twins replied.

    “You are correct. It would seem that the magic has not left this temple,” Lavini said.

    Bridget closed her eyes. She had never really been all that magically inclined. Since her transformation, that did improve somewhat but only really when applied to chronomancy. Here, she thought she could feel something faint but that could also just have been the lingering tensions of meeting with the Empress.

    “If you say so…” Estella said. It seemed that she and Julia both had just as much trouble feeling it.

    “Regardless. Let us go and see this spring for ourselves first,” Lavini proposed.

    With that, the group entered the temple and took in all of the various sights. The rooms and hallways that led off elsewhere all seemed interesting enough on their own but the most important part of the church, for now, was of course the well in the central chamber. Luckily, captain Ael knew the way there through this maze of hallways. It actually took a decent amount of walking before they got there but when they did, they were all in awe at the sight.

    There were countless glass and metal tubes of varying sizes that seemed to come from all over the church along the ceiling. They all came together in the center of the room and pointed downwards there, directly over what looked to be a gear-shaped pool with a hole in the middle. Below that pool was what had to be yet another tube, though this extended somewhere below the temple and so it was hard to tell where it would lead exactly. It had to be the Spring of Aeons.

    “It looks,” “so pretty,” Zexa and Xeza said in awe.

    “And we must reactivate this somehow?” Estella asked.

    “How?” Julia asked.

    “Well, I think it’s safe to assume that the original six had the ability to do so. Maybe that means that we do as well,” Bridget proposed.

    Lavini nodded and placed her hand on her chin while approaching the pool to inspect it further. “Where does that bottom tube lead, captain?” she asked.

    “This is merely the top floor of the church. There is an extensive network of tubes and chambers below. You can reach it by using the stairs elsewhere in the temple,” the captain replied.

    “Hmmm, I see,” Lavini mused. She then looked up at the many tubes along the ceiling. There appeared to be twelve main tubes and various smaller ones that led off elsewhere.

    “The magic is strongest,” “somewhere,” “below us,” Xeza said.

    “That would be correct. There is a mana vein at the lowest level,” Ael said.

    “It feels… chaotic. Can we go there to see it?” Lavini asked.

    Ael nodded. “Of course. I must warn you though that it can surge out randomly causing… unforeseen side effects,” she said.

    “Hmm… Estella, Julia, maybe it would be best for you to stay up here then. This mana vein must have some temporal attributes and if that is the case, our time elemental bodies can withstand that better than your human ones,” Bridget proposed.

    “That’s a,” “good,” “idea, Bridget!” Zexa said while Xeza merely nodded.

    Captain Ael nodded towards her fellow merfolk who each began chanting in order to adjust the air bubble that surrounded them all. Soon enough, the bubble split up into two smaller ones. “Two of you will remain here. That way, they can send one of you down in case something happens up here,” she said, addressing the other guards.

    “We’ll be back shortly!” Bridget said.

Reaching the lower levels actually took quite a long time. It must have been a lot faster to simply use the tube system to swim down but that wasn’t exactly possible for the time elementals. Bridget’s own body would be too heavy and she worried that she might accidentally crack the glass tubes. Lavini’s body, on the other hand, was too fragile for the trip. Only the twins might be able to navigate the tubes, but their poofy dresses might cause them to get stuck.

The lower floors were all structured similarly to the ground floor with the only difference being that the tubes were not lining the ceiling. Instead, they appeared all over the place going either up or down. It was a very complicated maze and if the group didn’t have guides with them, they would surely have gotten lost. It really makes one wonder why things would be built this way.

    As they descended further and further, even Bridget could feel the mana vein up ahead and when they finally reached the bottom, everyone could see why. The final stairway opened up to a massive cavern. The ceiling was dotted with tubes that all opened up here, though it was unclear if all of them reached up all the way to the Spring. The room stretched deep into the earth. Thankfully for the land dwellers, there were also some pathways built here to get around at least.

    But the most striking feature was the swirling mass of rainbow-coloured water that surged throughout the room like a whirlpool. It was hard to make sense of the chaotic mess and Bridget was getting dizzy just looking at it.

    “By Alinavious,” Lavini mused.

    Just as she said that, a stream of coloured water suddenly shot out from the whirlpool and crashed into one of the walls, only for it to scatter into several smaller streams that all dove back in. This process repeated a few times, once even almost hitting the members of the church, before it finally calmed down again somewhat.

    “We must be careful here. Those currents can knock you off your feet,” captain Ael said.

    “And down into,” “the abyss,” the twins muttered.

    “This must have been the reason for the temple’s location,” Lavini said.

    “But why would they,” “build,” “a church over something,” “so,” volatile?” Zexa yammered.

    Xeza puffed up her cheeks. “It’s that volcano,” “up,” “on the island all over again,” she grunted.

    Bridget gasped. “Wait… say that again,” she said.

    “It’s… just like,” “the volcano,” “up on the island… with,” “the,” “village under it,” Xeza repeated, confused.

    “That’s it!” Bridget cheered.

    Lavini chuckled. “Are you going to explain yourself or are we supposed to make guesses as to your brilliant plan?” she asked.

    “Remember how Dawnyte showed us those lava channels? They were made specifically to direct the flows of lava and ash down certain pathways. Just like those tubes up there,” Bridget explained while pointing up.

    “You want to direct the mana through the tubes? That could be disastrous! The whole temple would become unstable!” Captain Ael protested.

    “Not through all of the tubes. Remember how there were twelve big tubes that all come together over the spring upstairs? If my hunch is correct, then those twelve tubes must originate from here. They’ve gotta be among the tubes up on the ceiling,” Bridget said.

    “I see… so if we direct the mana through only those twelve tubes, then it would go back up directly into the Spring of Aeons,” Lavini said.

    “That… might just work,” Ael said while placing her hand under her chin.

    “But how will we,” “maintain,” “the flow?” Zexa asked.

    “Hmm… seeing as it must have flown just like this once, I believe it might stabilise itself. At least, I hope it will,” Lavini said.

    “And how will we know,” “which,” “tubes are the right ones,” Xeza asked.

    “Leave that to us. We can navigate these tubes easily,” Ael proposed.

“Sending the currents up might not be enough. We will also have to imbue the mana with time,” Lavini said.

“That’s where we come in,” Bridget said. They were going to reactivate the Spring of Aeons yet.

As the merfolk went off to investigate the tube system, Zexa and Xeza had started practising to direct the flow of mana in small ways. Meanwhile, Bridget asked Lavini to help her work on her chronomancy.

The clockwork woman sighed. “I didn’t think we’d end up here when Akita and I found that gear. This has become so much bigger than I thought it would be,” she said while practising.

Lavini nodded. “Indeed. And our exploits may only get bigger as time goes on,” she said.

“Do you think that one day, we might be interacting with the gods themselves?” Bridget asked.

“Perhaps we will. Do not forget that we are time. We are here to help maintain its flow, making the five of us some of the most important inhabitants of this world,” Lavini said.

“Right…” Bridget said. Of course, they had all accepted the burden to help lift it off the original six. Perhaps restoring this spring might give them some insight into them. Who they were and where they could be.

Lavini looked off to where the twins were practising together. “They are doing very well,” she mused.

Bridget nodded. “I can hardly believe how much they’ve changed. They seem truly committed just like us,” she said.

“Well, I believe they have been chosen for a reason, after all,” Lavini said.

“Right. I just… hope Akita will see it that way too soon,” Bridget said.

Lavini nodded. “Unless we do something about it, that may take some time yet,” she said.

Bridget got flashbacks to the time of their break-up and grunted. “You’re right,” she muttered.

“For now, though, I do believe that they are ready to hold their own mass once we return from this trip,” Lavini proposed.

Bridget smiled and nodded. “Agreed! It’ll be a nice surprise for them later.”

That is when the merfolk guards returned. They had marked twelve tubes to be the main ones with the others being fast travel tubes to get from one floor to another. “We are ready,” Captain Ael said.

“As are,” “we,” the twins said resolutely when they joined back with the party as well.

“Bridget?” Lavini asked.

Bridget looked at her hands. She was a time elemental. She had to be able to do this. She clenched her fists and nodded. “Let’s do it,” she said.

With that, the group got to work. Zexa and Xeza split up to stand on either side of the whirlpool in separate air bubbles. Lavini and Bridget did the same but at a 90 degree angle.

“Three… two… one… go!” Bridget shouted.

“We can…” “... do this!” the twins shouted in unison while focusing all of their magic into the whirlpool. Bridget and Lavini did their best to infuse the flow with as much time as possible. Lavini of course had a much easier time of it than Bridget did but she managed.

However, this also had the side effect that the whirlpool got even more unstable than it had already been which strained the twins quite a bit. Some more sudden surges burst out of the swirling mass, barely missing the people there. This was quite possibly one of the most challenging things they had done so far.

“... One!” Zexa shouted.

“Huh?” Bridget pondered. She looked up and sure enough, she saw that the twins had managed to direct some of the mana flow into one of the designated tubes. It was working!

“... Two!” Xeza shouted.

“... Three!” “... Four!” “... Five!” “... Six!” they continued.

“Halfway there!” Lavini shouted.

“It’s working!” Captain Ael said. It was strange to hear the otherwise stern captain act so excitedly but it truly was a breathtaking sight to behold. Slowly, the whirlpool became less chaotic as more and more of its mana was being redirected into the tubes.

“... Seven!” “... Eight!” “... Nine!” “... Ten!” the twins shouted.

“Almost there!” Bridget shouted. She was truly straining herself. It took all of her effort to maintain her concentration. To imbue the mana with time. She was not looking forward to the long walk back up the stairs after this…

“... Eleven…” Zexa yammered. She was beginning to lose energy too it seemed. This had to work, for if it didn’t, who knows what could happen.

“One more…” Lavini struggled to say.

“And… Twelve!” Xeza shouted. As the last of the mana flows connected with the last tube. However, they could not rest just yet. They had to wait for the mana to flow all the way up to the spring and then back down through the big tube in the centre of the ceiling.

Bridget closed her eyes while giving it her all and she knew that the others were doing the same. They simply kept going until finally, captain Ael shouted out again.

“It’s working!” she shouted.

The twins collapsed upon hearing the words. Bridget, too, fell backwards and looked up to see that the mana was indeed flowing back down through the big tube. It was just as they had predicted. There was no longer any chaos as all of the mana that flowed down instantly started flowing back up through one of the twelve side tubes without requiring any help.

Lavini leaned on her staff and barely held herself together. “We have done it…” she said. She was very much out of breath just like the rest of them.

The merfolk went over to each of the time elementals. “Are you okay?” Captain Ael asked Bridget.

“Just… tired,” she said.

“Captain! Lady Xeza has passed out!” one of the mermen said.

“As has Lady Zexa!” a mermaid said on the other side.

Lavini stumbled over to Zexa with the help of her own merman guard. “This… was exhausting. It is… no wonder they passed out,” she said.

Bridget moved on over to Xeza herself to check on her. “You did well… rest as much as you want,” she mused softly.

“Captain! Captain Ael!” came a male voice from up above them.

“What is it, soldier?” Ael asked, snapping to attention again.

“We… have a situation upstairs!” the guard said.

Bridget looked from Ael to the guard. “We’ve just activated the Spring of Aeons. Did… Did something go wrong after all?” she asked.

“Well…” the guard said.

“There you a- WHAT HAPPENED?!” Julia gasped when she spotted that the twins, her twins, were being carried limply by the merfolk.

“It’s okay, Julia! They’re just passed out from exhaustion,” Bridget said before Julia could do something rash.

“What took you so long?” Estella asked.

Lavini was very tired and decided to just sit down on the floor. “Stairs…” she mumbled while catching her breath.

“What in the name of the Empress…” Captain Ael said when she finally saw what the Spring was now looked like. There was a clear outline of a mermaid in there, swimming around in circles. Only, she wasn’t actually there. It was as if she was invisible, yet the water was still being dispersed and she was surrounded by the colourful mana flowing through the Spring. Watching the figure swimming in circles was almost a little mesmerising.

“She’s only gotten clearer since she first appeared, captain,” the mermaid guard that had lingered with Estella and Julia said.

“Then… perhaps it is only a matter of time before she fully forms,” Ael mused.

“Who could it be though?” Bridget asked.

“I wouldn’t know…” Ael said while placing her hand on her chin.

Meanwhile, Estella went over to her mother to make sure she was alright. “Why didn’t you use a sand portal, mother?”

“I am afraid I could not manage such a feat while underwater. Plus, I can only do so when I am intimately familiar with the place, and if it is not too far away,” Lavini explained.

“...Ju...lia?” came the meek voices of the twins.

“Zexa! Xeza! You’re okay!” Julia cheered. She had quickly embraced both twins in her arms and placed them on the ground to rest.

Slowly, the twins snuggled up to Julia. “We’re tired,” Zexa said softly.

“Carry us?” Xeza asked.

Julia giggled. “Of course,” she said.

Meanwhile, Bridget approached the spring carefully. “Do you think she can hear or see us?” she pondered out loud.

“She doesn’t appear to be reacting to our voices at all. She just keeps swimming in circles,” Estella said.

“Could it be,” “one of the old,” “Keepers of Time?” the twins asked.

“The previous keepers were time elementals like us. But this is a mermaid,” Lavini said.

“Maybe it’s a mermaid time elemental?” Julia proposed.

“Perhaps…” Bridget mused. Sure, one of the six markings had resembled the ocean but could it really have been that simple? Was this really… one of the six? Perhaps only time would tell.

…. Flowing….

……… 

… Currents… 

………

… Voices…

… who are they?...

… For that matter… who am I?...

………

… Voices… who are… wait, I just asked that…

… Think… think hard…

… Who am I?

“Just as the water of this river, time flows ever onwards,” the priestess of time spoke to the visitors of her shrine. It was a modest gathering of land dwellers that sat on the riverbank, watching the priestess that was actually standing on top of the water. Unbeknownst to any of them, however, there was one other visitor, eagerly watching the show.

From below the surface of the water, a mermaid eyed it all curiously. She had swam upstream in this river on several occasions to watch the goings-on of land dwellers but this shrine was by far the most fascinating. The priestess here had a particular affinity for water and the teachings of time that she taught were actually quite interesting. How time was like a river, ever flowing on. It reminded the mermaid a lot of the currents of the ocean.

As the show ended, the land dwellers started going about their way again. The mermaid, too, was about to start swimming back towards the sea when a voice called out to her.

“I know you’re there.” It was the priestess.

The mermaid blushed and turned around. She had been spotted?! This could be bad. She had often been told not to mingle with land dwellers but her curiosity had always gotten the better of her. Maybe she had gone too far this time…

“Don’t worry. I am not going to hurt you,” the priestess said. Her voice was kind. She walked over the surface of the river with grace, as if it was ice. She bent down to where the mermaid had been watching and looked into the water.

The mermaid gulped. She truly had been caught red-handed. Bashfully, she slowly rose up above the surface. This land dweller wasn’t like the others at all. Her body wasn’t made of flesh and blood and was there water flowing through her?

The priestess smiled. “What’s your name?” she asked.

The mermaid’s eyes darted around herself. The fact that this priestess had spotted her was one thing but if those other land dwellers saw her, she’d be in really deep trouble back home in Listanta… This lady, however, seemed kind enough. “... Rylla,” she said.

“You’ve been watching me more often, haven’t you?” the priestess asked.

Rylla’s eyes went wide. “You’ve… seen me before?” she asked softly.

The priestess laughed. “The scales of your tail. The light of the sun reflects off of them,” she said.

Rylla facepalmed. “I’m so dumb!” she yammered while burying her head back down underwater.

“Wait, come back. It’s okay,” the priestess said.

Rylla rose up again but only up to her nose. “You’re… not like I was told,” she said. Even though she spoke underwater, her voice still sounded clear as day to anyone nearby.

“Huh?” the priestess asked.

“I get told often that land dwellers are dangerous… that we can’t trust you. We’re not allowed to go up to the surface, let alone swim up rivers,” Rylla said.

“Hmmm… maybe some of us are but definitely not all of us. The Goddess Alinavious gave us the gift of time and we are free to do with that gift as we please. So, if you ask me, if you want to come up to the surface with the time that you have been given, you should feel free to do so,” the priestess said.

“Huh… that’s nice… Uhm… What else are you teaching these people?” Rylla asked.

“Simply all of the teachings of our goddess, Alinavious,” the priestess said.

“Can… can you tell me more?” Rylla asked.