HOLO-LIFE MYTH

Chapter 4: Stranger on the Beach

"How much is the salmon?" I hastily ask. I got here as fast as I can to get this fish, and I'm not wasting any more time.

"A fresh salmon like this costs around…" The vendor's eyes wandered, "Fifty silver pieces."

"Fifty! How about half?!"

"No can do little miss, this salmon is freshly exported from Northern Unylia this morning, and is quite big for it's kind too."

I grit my teeth, the word "little" triggered something within me like a spark.

Not now, not now…

I release my anger with a low growl, suppressing this boiling pot of water that's about to overflow.

"How about thirty?" I quickly propose.

"Fifty."

"Thirty-five!" The vendor shook his head.

"Forty" Still not budging.

My tail aggressively waves as I release my burning rage through it. My hand clenches as another low growl is released from my vocal cords.

Chill, just chill…

"Fine! Fifty!" I throw the silver pieces on the counter. The vendor snarkily smiles as he collects the silver currency. In turn, I grabbed the cold salmon from the top and place it in my already full basket. It took a while before I finally forced it in a spot.

Ffffucking spent all my weekly budget on this stoopid salmon. It better be worth it!

I turn my back and venture off into the now busy streets of the marketplace. Where the heck did all these folks come from? Could've swore it was still early in the morning.

The people already almost flooded the place to the brim. It was a huge struggle even passing through them. The sounds of footsteps and chatter rattle my head like some kind of baby toy. The smell of sweat from people and stink from "who knows where?" permeates the air

Yup, that's the marketplace that I fondly remember.

Lucky for me I'm already on my way out of this stinky sweat hole before things got very messy, in one way or the other. I carry the basket full of goods—vegetables, meats, fruits, the whole shebang—at a price of smelling like fish and sweat, bleh! Definitely gonna change my tunic when I get back. It's already late in the morning, and people are beginning to funnel in the oh so tight pathways. Maybe being small isn't all that bad after all. Squeezing through tiny gaps with people barely noticing, it's like a superpower of some sort.

Finally reaching the outskirts of the marketplace my feet can finally set foot on the main road. I finally set my sight back home as I carry the fresh pickings within this woven basket, though heavy, it's nothing that I can't handle. I'm a big girl after all, well uh… not physically big but uh, umm… you know what? forget it, I can take care of myself just fine and dandy.

The white stone road matches the marble columns that flanked the path creating a sense of grandness and purity within the city that lays on the ocean. Speaking of the ocean, the breeze can be felt even in the deepest parts of the city, tingling my senses as my tail wags from left to right and my pigtails sway in the wind like the waves would. Up above in the apartment complexes I see people relaxing in the balconies, stretching their arms out in the sky and taking in the morning air as they awake from their nighttime slumbers. City life may not be for me, but seeing the lively road bustling is a sight to behold that never gets old.

Dozens of people roam the streets from little kids recklessly causing a ruckus, adults doing their daily duties, or the elderly with their usual stroll in the streets and yet, here I am feeling isolated from the rest.

I try to mind my own business, avoid any contact as I walk alone in this crowded brickroad. Murmurs and chatter containing rough and coarse words makes me anxious and nervous. I try my hardest to filter out the voices as nothing more than background noise.

Words can't hurt, words can't hurt…

I suddenly feel something collide with me.

"A!" My trance breaks as I frantically look around to see what I bumped into. I look downwards and see a kid recovering from his fall.

I'm so stoopid! I should've looked where I was going! Great, now I have to draw people's attention and apologize to this shorty.

"H-hey, sorry about th-"

"A shark!" He exclaims suddenly, my mind frantically tries to apologize as quickly as I can before a crowd forms.

"Woah, c-chill out! I'm just here to-"

"Get out of the way, she might bite you!"

"Wa-wait, I uh-" I back away as eyes stare down at me like arrows, piercing skin and stroking my soul directly.

Hyperventilating, I try to keep my cool in a situation that's gone out of control. No, please no. I want to hide, away from the dagger-like eyes attempting to stab me. I then take a stepback almost freezing in place in terror, frantically turning my head left and right to find relief.

"It's that troublemaker again."

"She never changes, does she?"

I quickly bolt away from the scene, my sandal clacking on the stone street.

"Careful! She's dangerous."

But I changed… I promise…

Harsh words reach my ears as I try my best to ignore them, burying the discomfort and tears deep within me, fighting back my urge to lash out. I don't want to be that kind person anymore. I quicken my pace, trying to get away from the stabbing stares that were directed at me, avoiding eye contact as much as possible. My sandals graze the stone path as my walk turns into a jog avoiding as much contact as possible in hopes of reaching home.

Just ignore them, just ignore them, just ignore them.

I repeat these words to myself. Losing my temper won't help the situation and will most certainly destroy the miniscule goodwill that I have built up. My eyes stare downwards, I know the way good enough I can certainly find my way without looking straight ahead.

After what I can assume as several minutes pass by, I finally take all the courage I have and look up. A sigh of relief escapes, I'm away from any eyes that stare at me like daggers. I resume my steps with a slightly quicker pace as I make my way to the Outer Rim of Atlantis. Some might even say it's the poor man's region, but to me? It's home sweet home. Being located on a small island adjacent to the main city, greenery is a common sight to see compared to most parts. As much as I want to smile for being back, I can't help but sense something cracked within me today.

The Outer Rim is a quieter and more peaceful place compared to the bustling and crowded inner city. It isn't long before I see a glimpse of a familiar house in the distance, my eyes glimmer as I jog my way to the old dusty structure. Arriving at the door, I followed with a knock alerting everyone in the house of my presence before turning the creaky door before shutting it with my tail.

"Oh, sweetie~ you're home quick" I hear the voice of my mom, greeting me as she cleans the kitchen counter top. Her graying blue hair showed signs of aging and her stature similar to mine, so much so that one might mistake her as the same age as me.

"Oh it's uh nothing, mom. Just a quick day at the market, that's all." I give a small, hollow laugh as I place the basketful of assorted vegetables and meat. The wooden table is just small

enough for me and my mom to use comfortably.

She approaches me as she takes the items out of the basket.

"Ah, fresh salmon; these are usually sold out almost instantly" She examines the said fish, observing its skin and fins. She even goes as far as smelling it, sensing any spoilage that might've occurred not visible to the naked eye, "seems to be in good condition too."

"This must've been expensive. Say sweetie, how much did you spend on this fine beaut!" She asks the question as she continues to empty the container.

"A solid fifty silver pieces." I answer back. I see my mom's tail stop moving, processing the information I've given to her.

"Fifty silver! That's outrageous!" She yelled, but not directed at me, "Those darn stinkin' theives, back in my days those were as cheap and common as cod!"

"I tell ya sweetie, if these prices continue to go up Atlantis is going under! I swear, those…"

I sigh listening to her rants, though my mom may be small she ain't afraid to speak her heart out. I would be lying if I said it didn't make me laugh sometimes. I can see her fume in anger as she continue to ramble, letting out anger like how volcanoes erupt

In the end my mom let out a sigh as she places her head on her forehead.

"Apologies, dear; I didn't mean to ramble on like that, it really got to my nerves. Anyways, how's your morning been, sweetie?"

"Oh uhh…" I angle my head slightly, as my pupils avoid eye contact, "It's been okay so far." I told her with a smile.

She raised an eyebrow, skeptical with my answer, "You sure?" She turns her head back to the woven basket as she unloads goods, "You don't sound too good, sweetie."

"Oh no no no," I put my hand in front, "Everything's alright, I promise."

She stops as looks at me again, "Sweetie, You can tell-"

"I'll be going to my room now." I said. I didn't even hesitate and just left altogether, I just turned around and started walking upstairs.

Our house wasn't big or luxurious by any means, it's one might consider a standard house; two stories, enough room to accommodate the household, and extra space for storage. Walking to my room I close the door shut and face plant my head into the pile of pillows on my bed and groan, letting out all the stress that have been building up a few moments ago. I hope mom didn't hear that.

My tail wags as the muffled sounds escape my mouth, frantically swaying from left to right.

I turn my head from the soft fabric as I lay belly down on the bed, staring blankly all over my room. The lower part of the wall is painted ultramarine in a wave-like fashion, mimicking the ocean. In the corner I see handprints; a small one, and a big one. Dad… he's busy these days, adventuring the world beyond the azure horizon on a cargo ship. He left port a two weeks ago, and slated to be back in another three weeks. Old memories flood back like a broken dam. Though dad has always been a part of a cargo crew, the growing economy of Atlantis means more trade; in-turn means he's busier than normal.

Change, something that I will never like. Change doesn't care and just happens.

Mindlessly looking around I see my old toy box is left open for how many days. Lazily, I stand up and approach the box, but rather closing it; I spot an old small wooden toy. It's vibrant paint is almost chipped away by the passage of time and use.

Four of these four-legged animals were brought home by dad, two of them are what he called a "dog", while the other two are called "cats"; he said it's a commonly seen animal in land-dweller countries that he visited in his job. There were also these "pigs" and a type of bird called "chickens". He bought these for me as gifts and toys to play with, along with big bro who always joins me in the fun.

But… sigh.

I can't even hang out with big bro these days, one reason being… well, us growing out of it and the other being that he's too busy. Busy following our dad's footsteps in the cargo trade industry. Sometimes, no, I want to turn back time and go back to those days.

I can feel the corner of my eyes start to wet. I fight the urge to cry, but I can already feel the dam breaking. Just why? Why me? I already changed! I grit my teeth as I clench the wooden toy, but I can't, my anger quickly turning into tears as I barely try to seal the crack forming within me. I want to punch something, but I just can't; I want to shout; but my throat wouldn't let me; I want to run away, but my heart won't let me.

My breathing stammered and tears finally drip down my cheeks like a relentless current.

"Why…?"

I try to say something, but through my hics and tears nothing is coming out.

I try to control my breathing in an attempt to regain composure as well as wiping the tears away with one of my arms to suppress my erupting emotions. The other arm is busy gripping my cloth, letting out the stress.

I can feel the fins of my tail slamming the wooden flooring, acting as another funnel to let my frustrations out.

Eventually, this short burst of emotion finally ends as silence fills the soundless void.

knock knock…

A creaking noise followed.

"Gura, sweetie…"

A familiar voice called out to me, and yet I lay in bothered. Soon, footsteps carefully make their way towards me.

"What's the matter?" She asked with her somber and calm voice. The voice that was ingrained in my brain since my childhood, the voice that I always relied on during tough times and yet, today it feels so foreign.

Rather than facing her head on I look away instead, "I-it's nothing, mom. I'm doing okay." I say as I stumble on a few words, all the while I wipe off the remaining tears off my face.

I hear a small "hmph" as I imagine her crossing her arms behind me.

"Lying only makes whatever problem you have even worse, sweetie," She said with a stern yet caring voice, "best to let it out or it'll get all rotten inside of you."

Yet I feel reluctant, stubborn. I remain in my position, hoping that maybe she'll be convinced and leave me alone.

But that time didn't come…

The scene is getting awkward for me as seconds pass. The pair of eyes that lay upon is never wavering. I feel myself getting more and more pressured as this feeling didn't go away as I hoped.

I hear my mom inhale a deep breath before exhaling, "Sweetie, I'm all ears," She said to me, "that's what a mom is supposed to do, listen to their daughters."

My heart begins to beat faster and faster, part of me just wants to let it all out, but the other just wants to bury it deep. I don't want to do and I don't know what to say. The pressure building up pressing onto me is suffocating me and the only way to alleviate it is to tell the truth. I slightly glance behind me to see a graying shark tail and the washed out blue hair of my mom, leaning right behind me.

"Come on, sweetie, it's just the two of us here."

"Just… leave me alone for a moment, mom." I said out of pure desperation. I didn't even think, that's just what came out of my mouth, "please, I need it."

I can feel a pause in the air, as if time just stopped.

What followed was a disappointed sigh. Did I do the right thing? Did I mess up? I don't know!? It was the heat of the moment! If I did that right thing then why do I feel… guilty? Like I just committed a crime. I'm scared, I can't even look behind me.

I hear the wooden floor creak, "Well, if that's what my daughter needs, that's what I'll give her." A defeated voice which is followed by footsteps, "just make sure you come down by noon for lunch, okay?"

I nod, though I don't know if she saw it or not. Soon the door was shut and I am once again alone.

Lunch is uh, awkward to say the least. Today's meal is pan seared salmon with cooked vegetables on the side. It was just us two on the dining table with two other vacant chairs around. I don't even have the energy to enjoy my food, salmon is my favorite but it's not stimulating me in any way. Despite the well-seasoned, perfectly golden brown sear on the fish; I didn't enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, I still like it, but I'm just not in the mood right now.

An uncomfortable aura spread across the dining table. The subtle noise of me chewing and terracotta plates being moved as we eat are the only things occupying my hearing. We… I didn't make any eye contact, owing to the pit that lay in my stomach. All the while I can feel the worrying glances my mom would take as I sit here noiseless.

I don't know if that makes it more awkward or what, but what I do know is that it's not helping the situation.

Taking bite after bite, I didn't realize that I was already finished before my mother was even halfway. Once again, my chest tightens. Should I say something? Should I tell her the truth? My thoughts quickly become a jumbled mess of conflicting answers.

Without a word, I stand up and head towards the kitchen counter as I leave my empty plate on the table. Washing my hands and then drying it with a cloth, I now head to the door in a silent and rushing state. With a hand on the metal handle I had a short pause before turning towards my mom and uttering a few words before going out.

"I'm going outside, mom. I just need some time for myself" I say.

"Just stay safe, sweetie." She replies with a soft and mellow voice. The tone of worry isn't even subtle and it's not helping with my growing guilt.

I nod my head, "I'll make sure to be back at sundown." And with that, I head outside.

Walking out our property and beyond the wooden fence, I take a deep breath and sigh. Feeling the pressure just letting go of my body. I stood for a few seconds to compose myself before finally making my first step.

Rather than going inwards towards the big city, I instead face the outskirts, the place where land-dwellers call home. Like I said, I want some time alone for myself, especially after that happened earlier in the morning. I've been doing this for a few years now from time to time as a means to just let loose without eyes judging me. I follow the semi-paved path as I absorb the fresh ocean scent once more, really taking it in as it soothes my stressed mind. I follow the path until I decide to take a turn towards the beach. As I feel sand beneath my soles I immediately jog towards the waterline with seagull scattering as I pass through them.

The water beneath my feet feels good and liberating as the wind blows my hair and clothes backwards. With each step I go deeper and deeper into the sapphire-like ocean before me. Taking one step back I charge for a dive and plunge myself into the water.

With my shark tail I effortlessly swim, piercing through the water like a javelin would mid flight. The beauty of the colorful coral reef hidden beneath the waves is certainly a sight I would never stop admiring, but this isn't the place I want to go and for that I must swim beyond and towards the other side.

Although it is advised to remain close to main roads or bridges to avoid getting lost in the vast ocean, civilization isn't exactly where I'm heading. Far from it.

Sea creatures of many shapes and sizes; from parrotfishes, to clownfishes, Seahorses, and even occasional eels. Sometimes even sea turtles come around here to feed on the seagrass, though I haven't found one today yet, probably feeding on some grass somewhere else.

Many times I have been to this place, I know the quickest route and its unique landmarks that I use to just in case I lost my way.

I reach the edge of the reef and I'm met with an empty sea bed. Nothing but barren sand and a few scattered rocks inhabit this area of the sea, but occasionally I see a few crabs, sea urchins, starfishes, and lobsters laying on the floor, in a few cases you might even see a school of fishes run by. You can get easily lost in this place if it's your first time here, but as a frequent visitor of this place I'm able to spot some landmarks to help my navigation like, for example, that deep crevice over there or that weird rock formation over there. As long as I see those I know I'm heading in the right direction.

With how quiet this part of the ocean is, it's not a problem picking up the most subtle of sounds like the one I'm hearing right now. Turning around I see a group of shrimps following my lead, easily about two dozen… I think. I don't know why they keep following me, but they like to.

"Oi! Shoo! Move on with your own business!" I yell while pointing to the right.

"HEY!" Suddenly and without warning, they swim around me before going away.

With that taken care of, I immediately carried on with my trip and it didn't take much longer either. The seabed begins to slope upwards, a sign that means dryland is up ahead. Eagerly and excitingly picking up speed and I race up the rising seafloor.

As I get closer to my destination I see the light from the surface illuminating the sand beneath me grow brighter and brighter. A few seconds later, I finally reached it and I very much can't wait to breach the surface. As the water begins to get shallower I quickly change directions and swim towards the light. My head breaks the surface tension of the water and I'm met with the beautiful sight of the cove.

I found this place by accident when I was young and I immediately fell in love with it when I first lay my eyes upon it. Its white sands and blue water makes it look like paradise. The bay is surrounded by steep cliffs, thick forests, and harsh rock formations. A perfectly secluded place for a person like me. Beneath is also just as lovely and above as under the water lay quite unique terrain which is filled with tunnels and underpasses making it a fun playground for me to test my swimming skills.

Taking in the sight for the nth time, my eyes spot something out of place in the sand. It was a little too far but I can still roughly make out a figure; it has a uh… yellow thing on top, and um… beige-ish cloth… no it's more on the brownish side. Maybe getting closer would help. I swim towards the shore and stand up once it's shallow enough and steadily make my way towards this mysterious person. Being nearer definitely helps a lot and I now have a clearer image.

It's a girl who, with the lack of any sea-folk characteristics, seems to be a land-dweller with blonde hair wearing some kind of sand colored cloak, a hat with the same sandy color is also nearby which is most likely hers too; underneath I see she's wearing a white top emphasizing her uhh… mamary parts, and a brown skirt with unusual patterns below; on her legs are these clear tubes with blue liquid in it and on her lower legs are these black things, cloth mayhaps? But they're too thin and tight to be one; and on her feet are these leather sandals, though I haven't seen anyone with these designs, maybe it's those land-dweller things that my dad used to tell me about?

My eyes then shift to both her hands, she wields two strange objects, on her right is a silver box thing with a metal tube attached to it and a handle which she is gripping. On the other hand she holds this circular gold object, at first glance it looks like a disk of pure gold, but closer inspection seems to reveal a mechanism whereby long black rectangles move in a circular motion pointing at one of the twelve numbers.

With curiosity getting the better of me, I search for a stick to which I immediately find close to the edge of the beach and forest. With a tool at hand I carefully poke its face.

"Hey… hey… you alive?" I speak in a whispering tone as I continue to poke.

"You alive, dude?" The poking stops as I'm now gliding the stick around her cheeks.

It was silent for a moment.

Please don't be a dead person, please don't be a dead person, please don't be a dead person.

…

"Hic!"

I jump back in surprise as I throw the stick to the ground. I wasn't expecting her to make a sound, but at the same time I'm glad that it's not a corpse. The trauma that would inflict would definitely take years to heal.

She groans as she slowly picks herself up from the sand, "Uhhh, my head hurts fffuck. Hic!"

I'm currently in a defensive stance, with my sharp teeth showing and limbs winding up in case of a nasty surprise that this woman might have. With all that preparation, I'm met with the blue colored eyes of the once unconscious girl. Our eyes lock for a second or two before the girl reacts to my presence.

She kicks the sand at her feet, trying to drag herself away from me as she subsequently points that silver object at me. Tensions were clearly high.

"Who are you?" She said to me with a voice filled with suspicion and caution. Taken aback by this sudden development I yell back at her with a loud voice.

"ME!?" I pointed to myself, "I should be the one asking you! What are you doing here, ya weirdo!?"

"How the fuck should I know!?"

We are at a standstill, I grit my teeth and she tightens her grip at her weird thingamajig. My breath slowly hikes and I can tell that she is doing the same. My body is ready to fight, shark instincts kicking in full speed as I decide whether to jump her first or let her make the first move.

Suddenly, she dropped the silver object to the ground.

"I think we started off on the wrong foot." She slowly stands up all the while on breaking eye contact with me, "Let's do this again."

"The name's Amelia Watson."

I relaxed a bit as the situation simmered down, but I was still hesitant. Stranger danger after all that's what mom told me. I can tell that she's waiting for me to answer back, leaving her hanging is kinda awkward. Out of good will I return the favor, "I'm Gura, of the Gawr clan."

She nods her head, "Hm, now that formalities are over." She stores that silver thing in her cloak and leans down to grab her hat, "Where the hell am I?"

"You're a good few miles off of Atlantis," I tell her as I observe and take note of her body, "and judging by your looks you're more of a land-dweller."

The girl named Amelia looks confused, what's so confusing about what I said? Did I say something wrong? Something weird? I sure hope not! I look at her again and I see her mumble something, but it's too low for me to audibly hear a word she's saying.

To decide to break the silence, "I-is something wrong?"

I seemingly startled her as she looked at me again, she still hesitated to reply or say anything.

"Oh uhh, it's nothing." She laughed but it felt a little forced to me, "I'm just uhh… y'know, a lone traveler making a transit through this area."

Suspicious, that's the word that I'd describe this girl, "That doesn't really explain why I saw you were knocked out cold on the beach." I raise an eyebrow.

"Uhmmm… my memory is kinda blurry, you see." She answered, "The last thing I remembered was me being chased down by a big wild animal and me tripping on something… yeah."

Oh wow, wasn't expecting that, "Jeez, must've been one hell of a chase. Is land really that dangerous?"

"If you're not careful, that is." She pats her attire down, removing sand or dirt. Suddenly, she grips her head with slight discomfort in her face, "Hic!"

She then regains her composure and immediately turns her back on me, "Anyways, I should be going now."

She took a few steps as I stood here, my worried mind can't help but think of the worst possible outcome. A trait that I picked up from my mom. It's clear as the sky above that she's not well and it would make traveling more difficult and dangerous, especially if the wild animal she talked about is still hunting for prey.

"Wait!" I shout, making her freeze in place, "You're clearly still hurt and not fit to travel yet."

"Oh don't worry I can handle-"

"No." I asserted, "You should stay at Atlantis for a while to heal before heading out again." Mom always told me to always be kind to strangers, though it's a bit contradictory to the whole stranger danger thing, my guts tells me that I can trust her.

"Do you think it's okay?" She looks at me, "I mean, I'm not really familiar with Atlantis' culture as a whole."

"I can help you!" I yelled unintentionally as words came out faster than my brain could process, "I could be… I could be some kind of uh, guide." I eagerly told her, "I can show you around and help you familiarize with the place."

Amelia thought for a second, standing still in front of me while stroking her chin, "Well, I can't really turn down an offer like that." She walks forwards a few steps towards me, "So how are we going to get there?"

My entire body suddenly froze.

Shit…

Then suddenly, everything started breaking down.

My heart pumps faster and faster, anxiety and nervousness are through the roof. I can feel the sweat fall from my forehead to my chin as I try my best to salvage whatever's left of my stability. I tried my best to hide it all with a smile, lips curving upwards and a face of hollow confidence.

Fuck this stoopid mouth of mine, now I've condemned myself the responsibility of showing this stranger around Atlantis. Should've kept my yapper shut and moved on with my day but no, instead I had to do the complete opposite like the idiot I am!

Okay, Gura, just calm down for a second. Maybe I'm just overthinking all of this. I mean, it's just one person, it shouldn't be that hard to give her a tour of Atlantis, right? Plus, she's a

complete stranger, afterall; new people means new impressions. It's not like she automatically has a tainted impression of me from the get-go, it's like a blank canvas, fresh and new.

"You still there?"

My soul suddenly burst through my body.

"Are ya gonna show me the way to Atlantis or what?"

Like a projectile from a sling, it shot through my inner monologue and shattered my thoughts. The whiplash from mind to reality made me dazed for a hot second, not knowing what to answer or say anything. Without giving a second thought, I opened my mouth, letting out a few words without processing the situation.

"Uhhh…" My mind is still frozen, trying to find its ground, "s-sure, just follow me."

Without any second thought, I awkwardly rush towards the waterline, deeper and deeper into the ocean blue. As I'm shoulder deep into the water I look back to see Amelia still standing on the white sand with a dumbfounded look. A sudden sense of confusion made me stop. We stare at each other, waiting for one to move and get this over with.

"So? Aren't you gonna come with me?" I questioned.

She looks flabbergasted, shocked at my statement. I return with a dumbfounded look as I wait for a response, "D'you expect me to swim out into open water!?"

…

Oh right.

"Whoops, sorry… hehe." I let out an embarrassed, awkward laugh. My face feels red as it slowly settles in the fact that I'm an absolute bone head.

I then got out of the water in the same fashion as I did going into it. I just hope my beet red face has faded away already. What was I thinking!? She's a land-dweller, why the fuck did I think that she can swim across the ocean? I mentally facepalm as I made my way back to where I was a few seconds ago. I can't even maintain proper eye contact after that embarrassing mistake. That's definitely gonna be stuck in the crevices of my mind forever, ughhh.

"Uhm," I meekly utter, still embarrassed with the whole thing.

I breathe in, gathering up all the remaining confidence I have to form a cohesive answer, "F-follow me, there's a uhh… bridge in this direction that connects Atlantis to dry land." I turn around and start walking. Amelia follows shortly behind before she picks up speed until we walk side-by-side at the same pace.

"It'll take us about fifteen to twenty minutes to get there with another uhh… fifty minutes to an hour to cross it by foot." I continued.

Saying all of that was a lot harder than it should've been. Almost stumbling on words, a voice probably too low on her end, and the horrible pacing on the sentence did not help at all in conveying a confident facade. She's gonna think I'm some kind of dork now, great.

The sound of the grainy smooth sand on my sandals and the crashing waves at the very least soothes my mind with the occasional squawk of seagulls. I haven't actually gone down this route very much, only once did I travel this path when a storm caught me in the middle of singing while I was at the cove. Even for the adventurous seafolks, the raging ocean is to be feared, afraid of the fierce maelstroms that could drag ones to depth of the oceans, and unrelenting currents that can carry you away to distant unknown lands; if you're lucky, you might end up in shallow water, if not, in the middle of ocean with no land in sight.

The trip remains silent for what feels like a good few minutes, nothing but the sea breeze to keep our ears busy as we walk down this path. Maybe I should try to spark up a conversation?

"Sooo, what does Atlantis look like? I'm quite curious." Amelia asked me. It's a question that I should've seen coming miles away ever since I mentioned my home kingdom.

"It's a beautiful place, surrounded by the ocean." I answered, struggling to find words to better describe the details of my own home, "Lots of boats, people, and such…"

Jeez, for being the place that I grew up in I fail to even say something unique about it. Over twenty years of living in Atlantis and almost nothing came out of my mouth. Is it anxiety trying to dissuade me from saying too much? Afraid of potentially disappointing this stranger too big of an expectation? Probably…

"How about you? Where did you come from?" I pass the question to her, attempting to put the ball in her court this time.

"Oh umm… I come from… from up north, in a humble small village." She answers with a lot of hesitation, but I brush it aside as she's probably still recovering from that headache, "I forgot to mention that I was traveling through here to visit my… uncle who's in another village down south."

"Family matters, huh?" I replied.

"Yyyyeah, something like that." She answered.

The conversation pauses for a moment. We already gained a few distance from the cove as we trek this route at slightly faster speeds. Slower than jogging but faster than walking. I took a quick glance at her again, noting the weird gold disk thing that she keeps fumbling with her fingers ever so often. Wanting answers, I decided to ask her about it.

"Hey uh, Amelia," I started, "Would you mind telling me what that thing you're holding is?"

Her body immediately stiffen, followed by frantically hiding the gold disk behind her back. She acts like nothing happened as she smiles back at me, "Oh that thing? It's nothing of interest, just a uh… family heirloom, nothing much of interest."

I raised my eyebrow as curiosity took the front seat. Family heirlooms have been fascinating to me since I was a young shark. A piece of family history being kept alive by their descendants? That's cool! A great way to keep tradition alive and well despite the changing times because, what else is stronger than family bonds?

"So what is this family heirloom of yours?" I ask her, "Is it some kind of rare gold coin? Jewelry? Maybe even an item belonging to some kind of higher being that your family has been keeping safe?"

She stays silent as I wait for an answer. She turns her back on me as she presumably looks at the strange heirloom of hers before looking back at me, "It's called a pocket watch, it's used to tell time."

"A time keeping device?" My eyes suddenly light up, "Is it like those clepsydra thingies or those sundials where it tells you what time of day it is?"

"Uh, yeah."

Without wasting a second, I quickly lean in to take a closer look at this so-called pocket watch. As I get closer to her, she stretches her arms away from me while the other arm is used to keep me at bay. I feel so giddy and intrigued by this unique gold shelled device. You don't see fancy new devices everyday, especially as shiny and eye-catching as this one.

"Hey! Shouldn't we be going to Atlantis?" She said as she struggled to hold me off. I eventually backed off and gave up the effort after realizing that I'm more of an annoyance than anything. The feeling of remorse replaced curiosity almost immediately.

"Oh… sorry." I mutter as I shyly scratch the back of my head, "You don't really see stuff like that pocket watch of yours everyday."

She realigns her hat on her head, puts the time device in her cloak, and ends it with a sigh, "Quite understandable, especially for…" The other half of her sentence became too low to hear audibly.

"What was that last part?"

"Nothing!" She immediately replied, "Anyways we should continue walking now." She started walking at a faster pace, almost leaving me.

"Oi! Shouldn't I be the one in the lead?" I instantly picked up the pace, eventually catching up to her.

Out of everything, I certainly wasn't expecting my day to go like this.

Author's Note:

There's a little reference to a certain HoloJP member in the beginning part of the story that I'm certain would make lore enthusiast smile.

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