The events of the war were causing anomalies to the fabric of time. Scientists on Salacia and Dryland tried to find out what exactly was causing them, but they were never able to do so. Those anomalies could be the reason why different universes were converging on one; universes where the Salacians were at war with the Drylanders; universes where the princes and princesses had an active role in the war as officers fighting with swords, spears and guns; universes where the princes and princesses fought as masked warriors using card decks or musical instruments; universes where certain kingdoms and royal family members existed or not; and universes where the princes and princesses found love interests amongst each other's companies.
There are an infinite number of universes in the multiverse and with them come infinite possibilities and outcomes. Naturally, certain things go differently depending on the timeline and this story that I am telling you about takes place in one of those timelines.
"Yes, this must be the place," Dinho said as he approached the Octopus Palace. Dinho was the Blowfish Prince and he had just returned from a long trip around Salacia.
Polvina was sitting in the gardens of her palace, meditating and identifying all the fish that swam by her. It was then that she heard the voice of a boy, calling to her.
"Polvina? Polvina!"
"Hmm? Who could that be?" remarked Polvina as she got up. She eventually saw the boy calling to her, who looked a little bit older than any of the boys at school, but still recognised as a prince from the crown on his head.
Dinho was glad to see Polvina. "Oh, Polvina! Long time no see! You look a little different but nice to see not much else has changed!"
Polvina was confused at Dinho's words. "What? I'm sorry… do I know you? I don't think I've seen you before in my life."
"But Polvina, don't you remember me? I'm Dinho, the Blowfish Prince!"
It was then that Polvina heard the voice of her father approaching her. "Polvina? Are you there?"
"Father?" Polvina turned around and went to her father.
"Who were you talking to just then?" the Octopus King asked.
Polvina looked around and saw that Dinho had disappeared, but even if he hadn't, she didn't want to tell her father about him, for this was a mystery that she wanted to solve. "Oh, it was nobody, Father. They were just asking for directions."
"Oh, okay then. Come inside, lunch is almost ready."
"Okay, Father!" Polvina headed back to the Octopus Palace with her father for lunch.
Hidden away from view, Dinho was disappointed that Polvina didn't recognise him, yet he wasn't surprised that this would be the case. In his mind, he recalled a memory of the Polvina he knew; although some details were muddled over time, he remembered that the Polvina he knew had a red crown, skirt and pasties instead of a pink crown, skirt and tube top. "Hi Dinho, it's nice to see you," said the Polvina in his memory.
After lunch, Polvina went up to her room and decided to draw something. It was then that she found, on her table, a note from Dinho:
Meet me at the Grand Library of Salacia tomorrow after school with Ester and Tubarina. We need to see Bia.
Signed: Dinho.
Polvina was surprised. Why did Ester and Tubarina matter to Dinho and how does Bia factor into all this? This mystery was the biggest thing on her mind as she went to sleep that night and got up the next morning.
The next day at school, Polvina talked with Ester and Tubarina about the visit from Dinho and the mystery that resulted. They had met Bia before from their adventures in the Abysmal Kingdom, but like Polvina, Ester and Tubarina never knew that Dinho existed either.
"Hey, do you girls know a Blowfish Prince by the name of Dinho?" Polvina asked.
"Blowfish? Does that mean he's one of the guardians of Salacia?" Ester excitedly replied, almost forgetting the promise they made to keep their revelation a secret.
"This is the first we've ever heard of Dinho," said Tubarina. "I don't think we should trust him just because he says he knows you."
Although logic was Polvina's thing, curiosity, which was usually Ester's thing, gradually took over as she wanted to meet Dinho more and more. "But I want to know why he knows me when I don't know him! This mystery is just too good for me to pass up!"
"You always love a good mystery, don't you, Polvina?" Ester was indeed a curious girl, but there were even times when Polvina could be just as curious, if not more, than she was. "Alright then, we'll head to the library with you after school and see what Dinho and Bia have to say."
Sure enough, the girls went to the Grand Library of Salacia after school that day. After waiting for a little bit, Tubarina began grumbling about having to wait until they heard a voice from nearby.
"Psst! Over here!" It was the voice of Dinho, and the girls quickly went over to meet him. "Oh, it's so good to see you, Polvina, and your friends as well; Ester, the Starfish Princess, and Tubarina, the Shark Princess. I see you haven't changed as well!"
Tubarina was curious to know how Dinho knew her and her friends. "How do you know who we are? How did you meet us?"
Dinho answered, "You met me when you were trying to discover the truth of the guardians of Salacia. The blowfish and I had to protect our secret, which was why we followed you and had you promise not to reveal the secret to anyone."
"But we didn't see you when we were trying to do that, and it wasn't that long ago," Ester pointed out. "Hey, Polvina, Tubarina, doesn't Dinho look older than Marcello? What if he's one of those predators I've heard so much about?"
Polvina reassured, "Calm down Ester. We're all good people here. Look, Dinho, we'll go with you to see Bia and see what she says. There has to be a reason why you're older than us even though you say you've met us."