Arcadia

Nouvelle Luz I : Herald of Justice

Bright light....

That's what Yura saw when her eyes opened. Even greater surprise came to her when she found herself lying on soft sand. The rising sun shone almost directly onto her, who quickly found herself lying prone on the beach.

"Iruka... Island?"

Yura gripped the sand and vigorously shook her head. 

"This isn't a dream?"

"Rise and shine!" 

Isabella's smiling face quickly pressed against the high school girl's, causing her to spring up and slide back in surprise. 

"W-what happened? Where's everyone?"

"Leanne and Amaya were sent back already. They are both safe and unharmed." Isabella put a finger onto her lips and winked. "As for what happened... This is just a one-time thing, okay? I don't think my sisters and I can pull it off again in the near future."

Yura furrowed her eyebrows. Isabella sensed her confusion and chuckled.

"Ripple Resonance. Our ultimate ability in the form of a gentle and soothing song. It is only possible when the four of us siblings are together, and it is an ability whose magical powers can calm the strongest tides and cure even the most grievous wounds. I'm pretty sure you heard it just before falling asleep."

"Hmm?"

"It's... a little complicated. To put it simply, when the four of us come together, we can control even the might of the oceans. With our magical voices, we can channel its energies into a very strong defensive recovery spell. That's beside the point though, because we're not the true heroes in this situation."

She pointed at Yura. "It was the three of you never giving up. It was your determination that we felt as we remained in the darkness. It's a far stronger resonance that exceeds what magic can do."

Isabella was being upbeat, yet Yura can't help but notice something. Around her feet, a faint outline of a fin began appearing. Her facial features changed as well, although in a very discreet manner. Her eyes have already changed, and Yura leaned closer in order to take a look.

Isabella put a hand out to stop her.

"It seems that you have noticed as well," commented Isabella. "I guess this is it. Ripple Resonance took a lot out of us, and we won't be maintain a human form for long."

Isabella looked at the rising sun, then towards the ocean. "I'm sorry, but I can't remain here any longer. We will forever remember this day and what you did for us. I'll make sure to pay you back when we get the chance. Bye!~"

She gave Yura a modest bow, before quickly running back into the ocean. She blew one last kiss towards Yura.

Yura reached out, but the mermaid was quickly gone, having dove into the depths in one fuid and graceful motion. 

"There you are!" 

Yura saw Leanne running towards her from a distance. Behind her was Amaya, who stood still and looked on. Leanne leapt up with arms wide open and tackled her roommate. 

"Glad to see that you're indeed safe, Leanne."

"Thanks for your help too, Amaya!" Yura was quick to follow up, thanking another integral part of their mini-quest's success.

She saw a slight nod from Amaya right before she walked away. With that out of the way, Yura focused her attention on Leanne, who's tightly hugging her as both lay down on the sand. As she looked at her, Leanne did the same.