𝔐EMORANDUM

𝔏ETTER ONE

 "Thanks, [Y/N] [L/N]"

 That should be good enough, you concluded. You folded the paper into an envelope and sealed it. Then, you realized something crucial.

 If you had no idea where this so-called 'Atlantis' was, how could you send it to 'Adrien?' And how did he send this to you in the first place?

 Oh. You shook your head at your idiocy. Magic, of course! If this 'merman'—who presumably lived underwater—truly was who he claimed to be, then unless he grew legs and crawled his way onto land, he'd have to have some sort of magic source to communicate. All you had to do was use your own magic, and you were all set!

 This particular spell you'd need was perhaps one of the most simple. So simple, in fact, that you didn't need to check your spell book. Just press a wand to the envelope, say a few words, think of where it should send, and then you're done. Of course, there was the issue of not knowing the exact location. But it typically seemed to work, no matter how vague, so it should at least end up somewhere within 'Atlantis.'

 Your worries were soon quelled when, in the blink of an eye, another letter appeared. Its appearance was almost instantaneous. You had only sent your letter a few moments ago, and you already had a—what you assumed to be—reply?

 The letter, unlike the previous one, was written on purple-blue stationary. It wasn't decorated with oceanic things either, and the handwriting looked almost nothing like it had on the other letter. Though the first one's handwriting seemed to imply that the writer wasn't fluent in English, or writing in general—despite the elegance of the cursive writing—this new one's handwriting seemed to imply the exact opposite. It was also in cursive, but there were no errors whatsoever. It was almost sloppy, in a sense, like it was written in a haste, yet somehow it remained easier to read than the ocean themed letter.

 Your first guess was that this was something completely unrelated to 'Prince Adrien.' The writing was far too different to be the same person, so you assumed it was someone else, perhaps another new request.

 But as you skimmed through the contents, you realized something: this was the same person. Or, at least, they claimed to be.

 They elaborated on the meeting location and detailed more about their situation. While that information was exactly what you were looking for, a part of you still felt like there was something off about this. Rereading the letter only helped to further your suspicions.

 "Dear [Y/N],

 "I want to become human."

 To call that an interesting start to a message would be an understatement. But what was even weirder was the way they ended.

 "Sincerely, A."

 'A?' Why sign off with an initial if they had already told you that their name was Adrien? That, paired with the other inconsistencies, painted a very odd picture in your mind.

 If the original message wasn't enough to pique your curiosity, this one certainly was. It was settled, then. You'd help this 'prince' out.

---

 "Narcissus," the male turned around in his chair, cobalt blue eyes piercing into you. He looked totally bothered by your mere presence—an uncomfortably familiar look. "I...need your help."

 His eyes crinkled, a smirk forming at his lips. "Oh, do you now?"

 You grumbled, giving him an irritated eye roll.

 "Weren't you the one who said you'd never be caught dead asking for my assistance?" He chuckled at the furrowing of your brows.

 "I know what I said, and I still stand by it." You took a deep breath, trying to prevent yourself from smacking the smug look off his face. "But...I don't exactly have the...skills to complete my commission."

 He nodded. "I suppose that makes sense. But," he rose from his desk, standing in front of you. "what's in it for me?"

 "If you help me out, just this once, I'll help you out with your little...problem."

 He stared blankly at you, as if contemplating the deal. Then, he smiled, extending his hand to you. "Alright then, I accept."

 Shaking his hand, the deal was sealed.

 "Ah, but if you don't follow up on your end...well, nevermind. I'm sure that won't happen. You've always been a rather reliable business partner—so, don't screw it up, okay?" He winked.

 Could you call you and Narcissus childhood friends? No, not really. While you had known each other for most of your lives, you two had always shared a mutual disdain for one another. The moment you met, your rivalry was etched in stone.

 He seemed to copy everything you did.

 In preschool, you announced your plans for world domination—only for Narcissus to push you off the step-stool and declare that he would conquer the world, while you'd grovel at his feet.

 In elementary, you had perfect scores on every test, the best in your class! And then Narcissus came along and brought his grades up to tie with you.

I n middle school, you ran for class president. You ran your own campaign, passionately announcing what you would do should they choose to elect you. It was going well, until he decided to run as well. He won.

 In highschool, you joined the student council, intent on taking the spot as leader when the current one graduated. And of course, Narcissus took that spot from you.

 And then, after your school had ended, you decided to learn magic. You hadn't even seen your rival for months after graduation, and you assumed you'd never cross paths again—until word of a great magician by the name Narcissus started to spread.

 You bumped into him one day. He seemed almost amused to see you again, the total opposite of how you felt. He bragged to you about his status, while you glared.

 Black magic, you decided, would be your only choice to break away from him. He wouldn't copy you if you chose to take up a very taboo magic, right? You were wrong. He was even better than you at it.

 To add insult to injury, he even took up the same business as you—helping others with their problems. Eventually, you just...gave up. You stopped trying to differentiate yourself from him.

 Now, he worked alongside you, as your business partner, in a sense. He was mainly just dead weight, though.

 "I don't plan on it."

 "Good. Now, what do you need?"

 You headed him the letters, letting him inspect them. "So...you need to go...underwater?"

 "Yes, now do the spell already." There was an unspoken 'because I don't know how to' in there, but Narcissus didn't comment on it.

 "Fine, fine."

---

 "...Are you sure this will work?"

 He clicked his tongue, pushing you closer to the water. "I already said it will. Stop stalling, or I'll push you in myself."

 "Fine, but if I drown, I'm haunting you." Steadying your breath, you lowered yourself into the water, slowly but surely. When you were fully submerged, you stayed in place for a bit, just waiting. You felt nothing out of the ordinary—no shortness of breath, no irregular coughing.

 You were fine.

 The water couldn't hurt you—at least not for another...three days, was it? Surely, this job shouldn't take any longer than that.

 Tiny fish swarmed around you as you started to swim. They peered at you in what you assumed to be a curious manner. You, a human with no diving equipment, swimming and breathing without a problem. Maybe they found it weird.

 You tried communicating to them. You asked to be taken to Atlantis, but of course, the fish couldn't understand.

 You couldn't blame them, but that didn't mean you weren't disappointed. You'd have to find another way, then.

 Ah, the lengths you'd go to for your job.