Rachelle hovered outside the shimmering barrier of Atlantis, her sharp, pale eyes fixed on the little princess swimming gracefully near the edge. The barrier was a marvel of Atlantean engineering—a semi-permeable, oxygen-rich field that kept the crushing weight of the ocean at bay. To Rachelle, it was an abomination.

Her hand pressed against the translucent wall, and a strange sensation rippled through her palm, almost like it was breathing. It pulsed faintly, responding to her touch. She recoiled, a shiver running down her spine.

"Creepy," she muttered, wiping her hand against her robes. Everything about Atlantis unsettled her. The Atlantean technology wasn't just mechanical—it was alive. The city itself thrummed with energy, like a beating heart.

Rachelle sneered. She didn't care how advanced it was. The whole place was suffocating, unnerving. She couldn't wait to dismantle it piece by piece, sell its wonders for profit, and get as far away as possible. Let the volcano beneath the city's foundation erupt and blast the entire population to hell for all she cared.

Her gaze returned to the young princess, who had unknowingly wandered too far from the safety of the dome. Kia, with her dark hair flowing around her like ink, swam close to the barrier, her movements elegant and deliberate. The girl looked fragile, delicate.

"So," Rachelle mused, her voice low and cold, "she doesn't know what she is, does she?"

Kia's head turned sharply, her emerald eyes locking onto Rachelle's. The witch smirked. She sees me.

Kia froze for a moment before panic set in. She pushed away from the barrier, darting back toward the fissure in the dome she had slipped through. But Rachelle was faster.

The witch's hand shot through the barrier, which shimmered in protest but did not stop her. She grabbed Kia around the waist and yanked her out of the dome, into the open ocean. Kia thrashed, but Rachelle's grip was ironclad. The girl's rebreather was knocked loose, bubbles escaping as she struggled.

"Let me go!" Kia choked out, her voice muffled by the water.

Rachelle sneered, her face inches from Kia's. "The Heart of Atlantis lies within the eyes of her King," she quoted in a sing-song tone, her grip tightening. "Or in this case…her Queen."

Kia's eyes widened in shock. "What are you talking about?"

Rachelle ignored her, reaching for the Medusa device that hung around Kia's neck. The small crystal pulsed faintly, its colors shifting between green and white.

"You don't even know how to use it, do you?" Rachelle hissed. "Pathetic."

She ripped the necklace from Kia's neck, ignoring the girl's cries. The Medusa flared, flashing white, then green, as if in warning.

Kia's screams were drowned out by a sudden, deafening hum. The Medusa activated, sending out a beam of green light so powerful it cut through the water and pierced the surface, shooting into the blue sky above.

Rachelle shielded her eyes as the ocean roared around her. When she looked down again, her lips curled into a triumphant smile. She held the Medusa's crystal in her hand, its glow dimming to a faint flicker.

But Kia was gone.

Xxx

On the deck of the ship, Senku Ishigami froze, his sharp eyes catching the faint flash of green light in the distance. He shoved his goggles down over his eyes, leaning forward to get a better look.

"There!" he shouted, pointing toward the horizon. "Something is there!"

Taiju followed his gaze, his expression equal parts awe and concern. "Do you think someone's really in trouble, Senku?"

"It's a possibility," Senku said, a grin creeping onto his face. "But more importantly, it's evidence. It's ten billion percent a mystery just waiting to be solved!"

Taiju frowned. "Shouldn't we tell someone first? What if this is serious?"

Senku waved him off. "That's exactly why we're going to figure it out ourselves. Evidence first, Taiju. Then we can talk about serious." His smirk widened. "Get excited. This is going to be good."

Xxx

A girl lay sprawled on the sandy shore, her pale skin glistening under the sun. Her long white hair fanned out around her, the waves gently lapping at her legs. Her light blue eyes fluttered open, unfocused and dazed.

Kia struggled to lift herself, but her limbs felt impossibly heavy. The transition from the low gravity and super-oxygenated currents of Atlantis to the surface world had sapped her strength. Each breath came in shuddering, uneven gasps, the air unfamiliar and harsh in her lungs.

Her necklace was gone—the Medusa stolen. But as her trembling fingers brushed her chest, she found the other pendant still around her neck: the locket with Byakuya's portrait.

She tried to cry out, to scream in anguish, but no sound came. Her voice was gone. She was mute. Powerless.

And utterly alone.

The sunlight burned against her skin as she crumpled into the sand. Just before unconsciousness claimed her, she caught sight of a ship pulling into the shallows. Two figures jumped from the deck and ran toward her, their shouts muffled by the pounding of her pulse in her ears.

"Kia!" one of them cried out, though she didn't know how they knew her name.

As their shadows fell over her, Kia's vision blurred, and she fainted, her body sinking into the warm embrace of the sand.