After a many hours of sailing, it seemed the crew had reached to the point on Sailornyan's map.
"I think we've found the spot, guys." Snow Rabby commented, looking over the map.
"The less we have to listen to Sailornyan singing about how she would never turn her back on a friend, always being there to defend, and being the one we can depend on the better." Venoct muttered.
"Wow, rude." Sailornyan said. "Don't you ever insult my singing ability, snake boy."
"Sorry...I wasn't expecting him to be so mean at times..." Seanoct murmured, apologizing for his counterpart.
Without much other words, the group found their ship to be sinking. And rapidly too. Yet it felt more like a slow descent, and they were still able to breathe. Had the gate to the sea palace opened without much word or fanfare?!
"For a gate to an ancient undersea kingdom, I was expecting things to be just a little more dramatic." Sailornyan commented, scurrying off as the rest of her crew followed.
"You've been awfully quiet Lucas. Is something wrong?" Snow Rabby asked sweetly.
"No, I don't know what to really think of all this to be honest." Lucas shrugged, a bit embarrassed.
"We should hurry, Mama's bound to be somewhere..." Seanoct said, leading the charge. Everyone was scrambling behind the child to catch up.
The undersea palace was a beautiful thing to look at. It was made of coral and shells, seemed almost undisturbed for eons. Several carvings of sea creatures from the smallest of fish to the largest of whales decorated the entrance garden. In the center was a stature of a great dragon, that seemed to have ruled over them all. The gates to the main entrance had nobody guarding them...Was everyone being held hostage?
"This isn't looking so good...nobody is around..." Seanoct piped up fearful. He was walking a bit more slowly this time, trying not to trip over his large robes. This was so odd, nothing else was in the way to stop the gang from pursuing their goal in finding whoever is responsible for this one man takeover of the undersea palace.
Though, the answers became more and more clearer as the troupe entered into the palace's throne room. The throne was empty, but standing in front of it was an armored eel yokai.
"Well well, seems the prince had brought a few of his land friends along." The eel yokai spoke up, seeming rather casual about everything. "I thought I could have threw you out of here and our of my nonexistent hair."
"Just who are you, exactly?" Snow Rabby asked, while normally sweet she wasn't one to let down without a fight with people like this guy.
"Call me Time Keeler. I was one of lady Otohime's body guards before pursuing bigger and better things." The eel yokai, Time Keeler, introduced himself. This only caused the other side to get more and more infuriated with the guy.
"Well what is a creep-o like you doing here!?" Sailornyan asked, wanting answers out of the eel. Time Keeler only looked down rather displeased.
"You see, I was always kind of the low end on the high end. I was then approached by a lovely maiden, telling me that if I broke a seal down here, I'd be granted great power, and be able to set everything right." Time Keeler explained, aggravating the other side more and more. "Of course, I accepted, and I have just what to break said seal with right here."
Time Keeler proceeded to present a small jar tightly sealed up. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, but something seemed sinister and evil about it.
"In here, is the very thing that will break the seal in this part of the yokai world. Not only that, but it has none other than the great destructive yokai, Watasumi!" Time Keeler yelled, ready to open the sealed up jar. Even Venoct looked shocked at what this eel had to say.
"Watasumi, you don't mean..." Venoct said, almost stuttering at the statement made by Time Keeler.
"The extremely unruly and fearsome yokai that caused massive undersea destruction that nearly spread to many corners of the Yokai World?" Time Keeler asked, laughing. "Why yes I do mean them!"
"You wouldn't dare think about summoning them!" Draggie piped up, trying to say something in the midsts of all of this.
"But I do, foolish children. That queen of the sea can't do anything right!" Time Keeler barked up, trying to pry off the seal on the jar.
Everyone was frozen in place, only knowing to anticipate the worst.
But one of them was not having any of that.
"Don't you insult Mama like that!" Seanoct yelled as loud as he could. Which wasn't very loud, but making the kid angry was something nobody thought was possible. He wasn't the strongest around, but he did manage to tackle Time Keeler, keeping him distracted to a degree.
"Hey watch it you brat! You're wasting time here!" Time Keeler hissed at Seanoct, trying to pry the angry kid off.
"You aren't going to say things like that about my Mama around me!" Senoct yelled as angrily as he could. "Now where is she?"
"Annoying brat, I won't tell you where Otohime or everyone else is ever!" Time Keeler snapped back at Seanoct, starting to loose grip on the jar as the small prince kept whacking away best he could at his arms.
Eventually, Seanoct conjured enough strength in him to punch Time Keeler square in the jaw. The recoil of this was pretty strong, causing him to loosen the grip on the jar as it slipped right out of the eel's hands.
Seanoct tried his best to try and dive in after the jar, but Time Keeler was rather swift and recovered just in time to throw the startle the kid just enough.
"Oh no...Oh no!" Seanoct cried, watching as the jar slowly but surely began it's descent to the ground.
"Oh yes! Oh yes!" Time Keeler cackled in response, excited about the fall of the jar onto the floor.
However, due to underwater physics, the jar didn't make as much as a loud crash, but rather a gentle descent to the ground.
"...I thought it was going in slow motion for special effect." Venoct commented.
Time Keeler sighed, approaching the jar that had fallen to the ground.
"Oh come on! This is wasting much precious time!" Time Keeler sneered, raising one of his blades. "Let's crack this thing open at long last!"
Before anyone could think about stopping Time Keeler, the blade was already swung at the jar, shattering it right on open. A dark, sinister power began to spill out, filling the entire room.
Once it seemed to have finally stopped, somehow crammed into a small jar was a massive, almost hideous looking eel yokai. He had a long, crazy tongue that flickered in and out, and sharp dragon like fangs. Time Keeler looked at the eel dead in the eye.
"Now, Watasumi! Destroy these pests once and for all!" Time Keeler commanded, the massive eel, Watasumi, looking only displeased by the smaller eel.
Watasumi, not being very pleased with the other eel, used his tail to grab Time Keeler and simply put, throw him out the window quite hard and violently too. The massive, monstrous eel looked down at the group remaining before him.
The massive eel was not one to speak, but rather let out a horrifyingly screeching hiss.
"I don't think it's on either of our sides..." Lucas commented, nervous about the massive beast.
"It would be best to stand back now." Venoct said, as his summoner stepped back a bit, trying to get away from the loud and hissing eel yokai.
"Yeah, let's get this creepy bozo!" Sailornyan added to Venoct's statement, she and the other yokai all taking their stances.
Though while things seemed successful at keeping Watasumi occupied, he didn't seem to be taking any damage, constantly thrashing everyone about with nary a scratch on him.
Seanoct was able to not be seen by the horrifying eel with a quick sneak around, approaching Lucas quietly.
"From what Mama told me, only she can defeat someone like Watasumi..." Seanoct explained, shrugging a bit. "Though...I'm not sure where Mama could possibly be...but..."
"But what?" Lucas asked to Seanoct's question.
"I think I have a sense of instinct. We may need to try and find her somewhere..." Seanoct answered, looking frantically back and forth at the ongoing battle between the four other yokai and the massive eel.
"We should probably hurry and find her already!" Seanoct shouted, dragging Lucas along, in hopes to find Otohime and hopefully defeat this monster of a yokai!
First the two went to the left side of the throne room, checking any doors they could open. In the midsts of opening each door, Seanoct would always pipe up and call out by saying "Mama?".
Most of the doors being opened didn't garner much success in finding Otohime. Though, along the way, they finally encountered someone else in the midsts of all this. That being a sole trapped Mermaidyn.
"Seanoct, your highness!" The Mermaidyn chirped behind the strange glowing bars of her prison. "I thought Time Keeler made you a goner when he flung you out of the sea."
"I'm alright, I even made some new friends but uhh..." Seanoct pondered, looking at the bars. "I dunno how to get you out..."
"Time Keeler put a curse on the palace to where me and the other maidens are trapped." Mermaidyn explained to Seanoct. "However, Otohime can reverse the effects but she's also trapped somewhere..."
"Do you have any clue where we could possibly fine Otohime?" Lucas asked Mermaidyn. The small mermaid looked around and handed something to Lucas through the strange cursed bars.
"Not really, but I know this key was used to seal her. I think it might break her free." Mermaidyn responded, having handed over the key. "Time Keeler didn't seem to take the key with him after trapping Otohime."
"Thank you, now we should get a move on to finding Otohime, right?" Lucas said, as Seanoct and Mermaidyn nodded.
"Yeah, let's go and find Mama!" Seanoct responded, being startled by the sound of something in the throne room breaking. "And fast too!"
The two quickly scrambled off, not finding much of anything in terms of stairs or secret passages, so it was off to the right side of the throne room.
Watasumi was still angrily fighting off Venoct, Draggie, Sailornyan, and Snow Rabby, the four of them getting less and less successful at keeping Watasumi at bay and from attacking either Lucas, Seanoct, or the worst outcome, both.
The duo was able to rush off to the right side, checking every single door as usual.
However, things didn't go as easily as expected.
Crashing their way through the hallway was Watasumi, the other four yokai slowly chasing after it.
As usual with the angered sea eel, he let out another roar, but Seanoct was shocked to hear at it.
"I can understand what Watasumi is saying and it's...oh..." Seanoct commented, his tone quickly dropping off.
"What is he saying?" Lucas asked, being a bit caught off guard by the massive eel trying to home in after the both of them. Despite being rather small, Seanoct was able to drag Lucas by the arm and was rather quick about it too.
"Quickly, let's go down these stairs! I'll tell you once we're down them!" Seanoct yelled, having Lucas be dragged with him.
Once the two were out of the eyes of the enraged Watasumi, they both caught their breaths and Seanoct began to explain.
"So when he was roaring and screeching and stuff, he was actually saying 'Idiots! My name is Mizuchi! Get it right!' from what I could understand..." Seanoct explained his translation.
"That means that eel isn't Watasumi?" Lucas answered, a bit fearful with his tone.
"Yes, but I dunno, something feels like both are connected somehow..." Seanoct explained his translation of Watasumi, or now revealed to be Mizuchi. "There isn't time to think right now...I think Mama is really close..."
The two looked around frantically, only to find another set of bars with a keyhole by them. What was behind those bars made Seanoct yelp with the greatest most joy.
"Mama! You're here!" Seanoct chirped happily, trying to reach for Otohime behind the bars.
"Seanoct...You're alive!" Otohime gasped in shock, noticing her baby trying to reach out for her. Seanoct looked back at Lucas briefly.
"Do you have the key still? Seanoct asked, as Lucas nodded, presenting the key. It wasn't long before the lock on the bars was broken and Otohime was freed.
"You're one of Seanoct's new friends, right?" Otohime asked Lucas, whom nodded in response.
"Yes, my name's Lucas. I wasn't expecting to meet such a powerful yokai in my life..." Lucas answered to Otohime.
"Thank you very much for looking after my little Seanoct. I'm beyond overjoyed that he's even alive..." Otohime thanked, before noticing Venoct, Draggie, Snow Rabby, and Sailornyan all had found the other two. But, Mizuchi wasn't far behind them.
Otohime instantly noticed the monstrous eel. Her kind and gentle look became one that was much more serious.
"Mizuchi, one half of Watasumi, it seems we've encountered once more." Otohime confronted the beast, keeping her focused look.
Mizuchi only screeched loudly at the ocean's queen.
"Like all those years ago, I will not let you destroy anything again, and I will especially not let you harm my child." Otohime responded to the beast, focusing intensely into the watery gem she kept by her side.
Mizuchi kept on approaching faster and faster, the other yokai not being able to do much. In fact, the others were barely able to stand right.
"Now begone! Dragon Palace Hospitality!" Otohime announced, unleashing a massive, sparkling vortex of water. As Mizuchi was disintegrated by the water with a loud, horrid screech, a healing aura filled the room. Seals were broken, the yokai were healed, things started to go back to normal at long last.
"That was...anticlimactic." Sailornyan sassily said. "But I'm glad everything is over, yeeesh what a wild ride."
"To be fair, I was not expecting things to end as quickly as they did." Otohime commented. "Then again, one half of a fearsome beast isn't as powerful as when they were one."
"Speaking of which...I'm still confused about the connection between Mizuchi and Watasumi...Why did Time Keeler mistake Mizuchi for Watasumi?" Lucas asked, as Otohime took a deep breath. Somehow, this was a heavy topic.
"You see, Mizuchi was merely only half of Watasumi." Otohime said, a heavy tone in her voice.
"So wait, there's another half?" Venoct interjected. "Do we have to dispose of that, if it's even around here?"
"Allow me to continue." Otohime shushed the snake yokai from interrupting her further. Everyone stayed silent, letting the queen of the sea continue.
"Watasumi was a horrible beast that ravaged the seas, with eight horrifying heads, much destruction was caused in it's wake. Soon, Watasumi's destruction kept getting closer and closer to the shores of the Yokai World, and many prayed to me to put an end to the beast. I was able to defeat it, but something very odd happened." Otohime added to her story, looking down as she tried to recall all that had happened that day. "Six of the heads rolled into Mizuchi, which I had then sealed away..."
"What happened to the other two heads of Watasumi, then?" Snow Rabby politely asked.
"Well...the remaining two heads ended up manifesting into a newborn yokai. However, this yokai was beyond weak and feeble, even having trouble breathing, almost as if it was very premature." Otohime kept going. "It was a miracle that child ended up surviving, and is still alive to this day."
There was a bit of silence, before Otohime spoke up, hopefully to conclude her story.
"That child was none other than Seanoct, who stands here with us." Otohime finished her tale at long last.
More silence soon followed, with a few murmurs from Seanoct.
"So...you aren't really my Mama, are you? I was just found from some ugly horrible monster...that makes me and Watasumi one in the same...right?" Seanoct piped up, choking back on his tears to prevent himself into going into a huge blubbering mess. Otohime gently approached the small child, wiping away what tears began to fall.
"Heavens no. I would never think of you as such a horrible thing." Otohime responded soothingly, slowly drawing Seanoct into her lap. "Simply because you aren't my child by blood, doesn't make you my child me me your mother. You are my most precious child, I would give so much to see you stay happy."
"Really?" Seanoct said, still crying quite a bit.
"Yes, you have no idea how much I worried about you when I was imprisoned and you were flung out of the sea, out of my safety." Otohime tried her best to soothe, Seanoct only getting closer to hug Otohime.
"Mama...Mama...I love you so much..." Seanoct cried, but in a happy sense. "Thank you so much...!"
"I love you too, my child. I would never trade you for another child, you mean so much to me with all the joy you bring." Otohime sweetly finished things off, hugging her child so closely and dearly. Seanoct may have not been Otohime's child by blood, but no matter what, he was Otohime's most precious child in the whole word, across all seven seas.
Both sides were about ready to bid their farewells, but before the group from the land could leave, Seanoct came rushing up to Lucas and the other four yokai.
"Wait! Wait Lucas!" Seanoct chirped, handing the young boy something.
"Is this your medal?" Lucas asked, analyzing the small green framed disc like object he was handed. Seanoct quickly and happily nodded.
"Yes it is! I really wanted to give you it...Yokai are supposed to give humans medals as a sign of friendship, right?" Seanoct answered, as Lucas exchanged a smile to Seanoct.
"Thank you, I'll be sure to have you visit sometime." Lucas happily said in response.
"Please do! I'm really curious about the surface world, I didn't get much exposure to it. I wanna know more!" Seanoct finished, excited to see what the land world was like when he could.
After that, both sides waved goodbye, bidding farewell to one another before returning to the land.
It was very late by the time Lucas got home, though not late enough for his father to notice he had been out for so long. Right now, he was more focused on going to sleep, today was pretty long and eventful. Plus going to an undersea kingdom takes a lot out of a person, even if this time a day didn't equate to a hundred years like in some tales.
Slowly the young boy drifted off to sleep, without much of anything else to it.
Except...something seemed to have clicked to his mind as he slept...
...It was back to the same palace garden with the lilly flowers. That was odd, dreams didn't usually continue themselves like this.
It seemed some time had passed since the last dream, as most of the yokai that were once children had all grown up. Though, the Fronstina now all grown up into Blizzaria, still stood close to Yami.
"Lady Yami? Is it alright if I introduce you to someone?" Blizzaria asked to the older yokai.
"Why yes, I don't see why you would be so shy about such a thing, dearie." Yami responded, smiling a little.
Blizzaria gave a small cue, as soon walking into the field was a blue cape clad samurai-like yokai with a blade sheathed to one side.
"Yami, this is Sheen. I apologize that I never really gave a proper introduction of him prior." Blizzaria introduced, as the yokai by her side, Sheen, gave a simple but brief bow.
"It's a pleasure to finally have met you, Lady Yami."
"So, is he your boyfriend?" Yami playfully asked, as Blizzaria blushed and looked off.
"He's actually my fiance..." Blizzaria corrected Yami, quite nervous and embarrassed. "Again, I truly apologize for not telling you any sooner."
"Aww, but that's so sweet of you two, though." Yami smiled. "In fact there's a secret I have yet to tell anyone else."
"Are you getting married as well, Lady Yami?" Sheen asked, as Yami shook her head.
"No no, I am already married myself, but there's a step after that I am both joyous and fearful of." Yami explained, trying her best to smile a bit.
"Are you...you know?" Blizzaria asked, as Yami nodded.
"Yes, I will be having a child soon but..." Yami began. "I'm fearful it may cause conflict within my family. My father has been trying years to have a son to inherit his place, so I fear I may interrupt the flow of things..."
"Well, I don't think your child would mess things up." Sheen reassured, Blizzaria nodding.
"Lady Yami, don't worry. We only hope for the absolute best for you." Blizzaria added in, Yami giving a calm, yet very sincere smile.
"Thank you two very much, I'm happy for you two having found love together." Yami responded, having a bit of a small laugh at the end.
"We're just as happy for you as you are for us." Blizzaria finished, smiling just as brightly as well.
The next morning had arrived, Lucas rubbing his eyes as he woke up.
"I wasn't expecting a second part of that weird dream from last time..." Lucas commented to himself. Hopefully he would be able to shrug everything off. Yet something still seemed to linger about everything. He would have to go on with today as per usual and not let it bother him too much.
However, elsewhere, deep within the yokai world, things were looking much different.
"So..." A yokai with magenta hair and an eye patch spoke to a duo of yokai in the shadows. "Did you manage to get rid of that pest trying to spy on our plans?"
"Yes we did, we even managed to nab a sweet place in a world of treasures!" One of the voices said.
"That pesky little brat won't be able to speak anything, we didn't bother making them one of those magical two tailed cats!" The other voice cackled. The eyepatch wearing yokai looked pleased.
"Very good, very good. I can now focus on my phase of the plan." The shady magenta haired yokai said to themselves, turning around backwards. "I have connections deep within the Oni clan, after all."