If only I wasn't a mermaid ~a NaLu fanfic~

Chapter 28: What seems like a cycle

Lucy's P.O.V

But one who has true courage ,
One who has true courage,
True courage shall.
The words kept echoing in my mind like a disc playing on a recorder.
For some odd reason I felt like I was floating in the sky, the cotton-like clouds whisking past me as I closed my eyes apart from the world. Every time I exhaled, it felt like a short whisper escaped my mouth. The air was cool and just a touch of my skin felt as soft as ever.

Then suddenly reality shot in and I was drowning in salt water, the salt piercing my eyes and the water threatening my throat. Every time I exhaled I inhaled water. The touch of my skin felt more of silk than a fluffy pillow.
I looked around to see I was swimming around the deep blue sea. I looked down and saw the most painful sight in my eyes.

There, the kingdom I once lived in, the place I once grew up in, was crumbling into pieces below me. It wasn't just the kingdom itself-- the council nearby was crumbling, the other kingdoms were crumbling, all the homes of every Mer-person was being torn apart. Mer-people were screaming and panicking, swimming as far as they could from their homes. Some screamed for help as they hugged their kids for dear life, guards guiding them outside the kingdom. Others picked up some of their most important things and just started to swim-- swim like there was no end, hoping that there were no problem happening in their lives.

What caught me most off guard was that none of the Mer-people, none of them, swam upwards. None of them tried to go beyond the border, none of them tried to use the opportunity of saving their lives. Just what is holding them back?

I swam my way down the sea and passed the red line that traveled throughout the whole ocean. As I swam down I felt that something about my body was amiss. I realized the second I had a suspicion about it.
How am I breathing...?

I panicked and held my breath, even though it was no use then. I looked down at my body and lifted the skirt of my dress. What I had expected to happen, didn't happen. I have no tail... So I'm not a mermaid? Then how am I breathing? How...?

I shook my head and kept swimming downwards. No. I shouldn't be thinking of that... The kingdom, I need to check it... I just know it!
It was hard to swim that deep since buoyancy took over. If I had my tail, things would be so much easier...

I finally entered the kingdom and went straight to our castle, since I knew the mer-people would freak out if they saw my legs. I checked around my sisters' rooms. No-one's here...

"H-hello...?" I stuttered. No reply. I swam over to Levy's room. "Levy-chan? Are you here?" As far as I know, Juvia and Erza are up there fighting. So I assumed Levy was here somewhere...

I checked around her desks while the floor beneath me continued to rumble. Mirrors... Bandanas she never uses... Hair Clips... Bookmarks made out of shells... Books....

"Ugh, there isn't any clues here!" I banged the shivering shelf with my fist. A book fell off of it and landed of the soft sand. I picked it up and looked at its cover, "Revolution II: The Prophesy of a New Age...? What is this?" Then I noticed that this wasn't the only strange book she had here. There were many books, mostly all of them related to one another, "The Definition of War? A New Beginning..? Water VS Land...?" I was as puzzled as ever. What had Levy been reading?
Those weren't the only types of books in the shelfs. There was also books called, A Breath in Life or A Touch of Skin and there was even a book called,
A mermaid's tale.

It may have sounded like a pun to others, but I knew what it meant. I dove outside and swam full speed toward the gate of the Kingdom. Suddenly my body stopped and I turned and looked back. Then what about Father...?
The sight of the castle only pained me more.
"No," I said aloud, "I can't.. I can't because... Because..."