Chapter XXXIII: Impossible
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HER EYES WERE WIDENED in horror, unable to process and believe what Coral had said to her. The Kingdom of Aquarius was known to be one of the most open and benevolent kingdoms in Glamoura. Its reputation wasn't befouled even once and they had the cleanest reputation unlike the Kingdom of Llumina's dark past and current situation. She refused to bring herself to believe what her old friend told her but, Coral had no reason to lie to her. "What about you, your highness? What brings you here?" Coral asked the girl, in hopes of helping her with her problem if there were any.
"Coral, you see... I am dealing with an identity problem once again," Y/n confessed to the delphini as she nervously chuckled in the process. "That must mean that you are hiding your identity again? To whom? It seems like we just have to do what we do best like the old times, you did not change a tad bit Prinsesa," the Aquatic creature stated in amusement. "Uh... I have joined a rescue mission while I was hoaxing my identity. It is a long story, I had a problem with Lunos; he apparently thinks that I will commit treason against him!" Y/n began.
"Of course, that is false! I would not dare to try and overthrow him. He is my brother and I love him."
"Well.... I think I did.."
Coral noticed the change of the atmosphere around the both of them. This matter was quite sensitive but, Y/n wanted to pour it all out and he won't stop her if she wants to. "That is why I am away from Lluminaria, I hid my true self away so that they will not find me and now, here I am. This mission is urgent, it regards the seven artefacts of Glamoura. I was appointed to protect them from the dark magic that is suddenly infecting them, I am afraid that perchance the dark elves are the reason for this," Y/n explained.
"But the dark elves were banished thousands of vintajas ago. Also, your current situation is quite similar to Eros' story, that is quite astonishing. It is like your are the Eros of our generation but, you are his descendant after all, perhaps you really are," Coral commented in amazement. "I am not sure about that, but I understand. About the dark elves, I know they have been banished a long time ago but, it can only lead to that, yes? Dark magic is included after all," Y/n answered. "You are right, it is not wrong to have suspicions against them," The delphini agreed.
"In that case, does that mean you seek for my aid?" Coral asked for confirmation. "Yes, I am actually not alone when I came here in Planet Agua, my comrades are on the surface. They are waiting for me, I am quite sure they are worried that I am taking a long time here," Y/n admitted sheepishly, almost forgetting about her friends. "But, are you not drenched by ocean water still? I cannot perform the charm if you are still soaked," Coral reasoned, looking at her bedraggled figure. "I know, that is why I came prepared as always," Y/n proudly spoke.
Coral could only blink, beyond bewildered at her plans. Y/n's soaked bandana began glowing out of nowhere, surprising the delphini. "Eros' paradise! Why did that glow!?" The Aquatic creature shrieked in surprise. Y/n smiled at him, her right hand brushing the wet fabric of her bandana. "This.... is what I have prepared," she casually answered the delphini on the water.
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"He's taking too long down there, what if something happened to him?" Yaya began, nervously clutching her hand while staring at the water. "He did take an awful lot of time underwater, that may be possible," Fang joined in. "C'mon guys, stop being so negative. Maybe he found the creature that he was looking for, Boboiboy did mention that it'll take a while," Ying sighed, thinking of the bright side instead. "I sure do hope so," Yaya frowned.
"Eh, he'll be fine. He's been here like 20% of his life, F/n is used to it," Gopal shrugged his shoulders out. "Don't be so sure about that," Fang blankly responded to the molecular hero. "What's that on your hand, Boboiboy? You've been holding that for quite a while now," Gopal turned to the elemental hero. Boboiboy perked his head at the mention of his name, the look on his face looking like he's almost lost. "Hm? What?" He managed to let out in confusion.
"What are you holding?" Gopal repeated for the boy. The elemental hero glanced on his hand to look at what his best friend was talking about. It was the gloves that Y/n gave him before she succumbed deeper into the ocean, he silently managed to dry it earlier using his wind powers. "Oh, this? It's just F/n's gloves. He gave it to me earlier before going down into the ocean," he casually answered without a problem. "Eh? Why would he do that?" The Indian boy wondered.
"I don't know," The elemental hero truthfully answered. With a worried look on her face, Ying stepped in. "You do know that he wouldn't do that without a reason, right?" She tilted her head to the side. "Huh-uh, as far as I know, anyone who usually leaves things behind before doing something dangerous knows that there is a possibility they can't go back. F/n must've known that he's doing something risky and left us something in advance just in case something happens to him, "Yaya explained, receiving silent stares from everyone.
"Wait, so you're saying that he could really die? He left us his gloves because he knew of this possibility?" Fang repeated, turning to both Yaya and Ying.
"That seems like something F/n would do."
Everyone slightly jumped at the new and unfamiliar voice joining their conversation out of nowhere. "Who's that!?" Gopal shrieked loudly, grabbing Boboiboy in fear. They couldn't see anything around them on the ice. They couldn't even sense a presence. Or perhaps it was on the─
Boboiboy approached the edge of the ice towards the ocean water which made everyone else tense. Gopal who was holding Boboiboy earlier, let go of the elemental hero while shifting his way towards Fang instead. Boboiboy could've sworn he heard it from the direction of the ocean. His eyes darted towards the water, he could see the water moving unusually unlike previously. "Hello?" He started out. A few seconds passed, they received an answer from the mysterious voice. "Why are you all so tense? Now F/n is scolding me for scaring you all," the voice added.
Everyone perked their heads at the mention of the Lluminarian elf. They walked closer to Boboiboy in curiosity, wanting to know what was going on. Out of nowhere, two arms ascended out from the water, holding the edge of the ice. The familiar mask of their friend appeared, bringing them to release a deep sigh of relief. They didn't mean to think ahead for her, they just got too worried. "F/n! Here, grab my hand," Yaya kindly offered to the elf who soon accepted her hand. Y/n positioned herself on the ice with her feet on the water still. She was now on a sitting position.
"You're dry?" Fang questioned the elf, noticing the fact that she's still dry despite the fact that she came from the water. Y/n didn't remove her feet from the water and looked up to them. "The special charm helped me," she answered shortly with her scroll. "Charm?" They managed to repeat in unison, bewildered upon what she was talking about. Y/n didn't answer and turned her head back on the water, waiting for her friend to reveal himself. A certain delphini rose from the water, swimming closely to the royal elf. "Whoa," Gopal commented at the sight.
It's not everyday you get to see a cyan coloured delphini, or dolphin─in Earth. The delphini gave them a look before speaking which definitely made everyone jump once again. This day was surely weird. "Qué? You have never seen a magical delphini before?" Coral asked them with a slight sass on his voice. "Of course, we've never even seen a dolphin talk before," Gopal answered with a blink. "A dolphin? Is that what outlanders call creatures such as myself?" Coral questioned them.
"Well, in our planet, yes. Although the only difference is that they can't talk like you," Boboiboy responded to the dolphin with a smile. "Are you F/n's other friend?" Yaya asked the delphini. "Sí, cómo estás? I am preferably known as Coral, creatures from Agua call me the 'Miracle Blessing'," the polite delphini answered in a proper manner. "Miracle Blessing? That name sounds so interesting, beautiful too," Ying commented, crouching beside the elf who listened to their conversation. "Thank you, I appreciate your kind statement," The delphini replied.
"Eh? A spanish-speaking dolphin?" Gopal knitted his eyebrows in confusion. "I guess so," Boboiboy muttered while scratching his cheek in uncertainty. "Back to the main conversation, someone have mentioned that F/n left his gloves before diving in the ocean?" The delphini shifted the topic in curiosity. "Well, yeah. He gave me his gloves before doing that, was it really because he knew the possibility of himself dying?" Boboiboy asked the delphini. The cyan dolphin turned to Y/n with a look, it seems to be that Coral was giving the elf a glare.
"You have done that?! F/n, I am disappointed to hear this. You are doing it again and I told you, I dislike it when you are being stubborn,," Coral scolded the elf who just stared at the delphini in silence. "I know but, it is the only way to call you. You did arrive just in time before I could drown, I had no other choice too," Y/n defended herself almost immediately. "DROWN!?" Everyone yelled simultaneously in horror. Was this elf seriously trying to kill herself? Probably, she have done this four times in their mission now. It's probably her nature.
She walked right into that one.
"Why did I even say anything?" Y/n regretted what she have done, she was now earning looks from her friends. "You have never changed," Coral sighed at the Lluminarian elf. "Coral, shall we proceed?" Y/n tried to switch the topic to the important part. "Oh, right. That is the main reason I am here, thank you for reminding me," The delphini nodded his head at the girl, completely forgetting the conversation about her gloves to Y/n's relief. "To continue, I am not only here to help you with your non-aquatic problem but, I am also here to provide information concerning the Kingdom of Aquarius," Coral started.
"Thank you for your willingness to cooperate with us," Y/n thanked the delphini in front of her. "I am but a mere creation of the Gem of Water and it is my duty to serve the royal and the bearer of all artefacts, "Coral humbly answered her nonverbal gratitude. "Creation of the Gem of Water? And what do you mean by royal?" Yaya questioned the delphini too sentiently. This made Y/n stare at Coral with an alarmed look on her face, he better not mess this up. His slip up about serving the royal was quite random for the others.
Coral noticed his mistake but he was rather too stealthy and witty for that.
"Oh, my apologies for saying that without any context. I was speaking about a certain friend of both F/n and I, she is a blue blood and is the princess of Aquarius. She has not been outside of her home for a quite a while and I am worried that something may have happened to her since the kingdom had a lot of changes with the King's reign and way of ruling. Also, yes I am a creation of the Gem of Water that is why I serve the royal, they are main figures who protect the artefact of Agua," Coral answered smoothly, carefully eyeing Y/n's reaction.
She almost wanted to hug the delphini and thank him once again for that answer. Internally, she was so proud to have Coral as one of the few friends that she has. Not only Coral was good at deception, he was also very loyal and smart. "Now, we must start with the ritual for the Delphini's Blessing," Coral started out of nowhere, making everyone look at each other. "Delphini's Blessing?" Everyone except the Glamourans repeated out of pure bewilderment. "Yes, this charm can help you swim easily underwater, additionally, by the use of this charm, you will not be needing oxygen unless you get out of the water," the delphini explained.
"Is that why F/n's feet is still in the water?" Ying asked the Glamouran creature. "Most definitely, the only way to break the charm is by getting out of the water fully. This charm also protects you from the water, so do not be confused when you will notice you are not soaked, after getting out," Coral added. "That explains why F/n's not wet!" Gopal let out in awe, his eyes darted towards the elf. "Shall we start?" Coral asked everyone. He received multiple nods, signalling him that he can start doing his thing.
"Right."
"Audi aquse serenitatem tuam."
Patiently, they waited for something to happen bit only they could see Coral's forehead which was glowing abnormally. Once he opened his eyes, one particle of light turned into a small bubble. As seconds passed, the bubble became bigger and bigger. It floated towards them. They could notice the abnormal glow the bubble emitted, the light which reflected the bubble made it show various of colours from a certain part despite the fact that it was transparent and colorless.
"Please, step into the glowing bubble," Coral commanded the confused set of foreigners. Reluctantly, they obediently followed him and walked forwards towards the bubble. To their surprise, it didn't pop when they went through it. Oh how weird it was to be standing inside a bubble for the first time. "So, what now?" Gopal suddenly asked. "For now, check your right wrists to see if there are any symbols that represents water magic," Coral told them.
Boboiboy and the others followed his command, taking off their gloves to see if there are any symbols on their wrists. "They give you the sign that you are now under its charm," the delphini elaborated. "Woah, I have one," Boboiboy spoke, admiring the water-like symbol that suddenly appeared on his wrist. "Oh! Me too!" Gopal rambled out while the others nodded their heads in confirmation. "If that is the case, you can now burst the bubble. Once you do, I suggest to submerge yourselves immediately in the ocean water," Coral finished."
Together, they used their fingers to burst the bubble. A loud pop was heard, magic particles were falling down due to that and the bubble was seen no more. "That's all? Then, we should follow Coral's orders," Yaya turned to the others. Boboiboy walked towards Y/n while his friends listened to Coral's confirmation about going into the water immediately. He crouched beside her, making sure that she noticed his presence. "Hey, uh... Before you forget, you gave me your gloves earlier," he started.
"I almost did, thank you for that," Y/n could only nod her head, her scroll suddenly appearing from beside her. "Next time, please don't do that. You nearly scared me to death when you jumped in the water out of nowhere," he told her, a frown making its way towards his face. "Well, I shall try. Although I doubt that I cannot do that anymore, it is something I am quite used to," Y/n responded while taking her gloves from his hold. "Is it safe to say that you have no stunts similar to that?" He questioned her. "I am afraid I have to disconfirm that," Y/n began wearing the gloves slowly.
"Who knew you could do that, I thought you were the type who always tries to avoid trouble," He chuckled out. "Well, you clearly do not know me," Y/n nonverbally told him while dusting herself. "Literally and personally," she finished before pushing herself back into the ocean, similar as to how she has done it previously. The elemental hero slowly stood properly, confusingly blinking on his spot. This made him realise how little he knows about their elf companion, he almost forgot that she is still a stranger.
"You're right. I still don't."
"But I'll make sure that I will earn that trust."
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"Woah!"
"Isn't it amazing how we can talk underwater!?" Gopal asked his friends, swimming down to them. "I agree, it's even easier to swim," Fang nodded his head, the water not bothering his weight at all. "Look at F/n, he's sensational!" Ying pointed out as Y/n was swimming like she owns the whole ocean. "Wooh! Way to go, F/n!" Gopal cheered out to the elf who paid no attention to the cheers that she received from him. "Why is he making it sound like we're watching a show?" Yaya sweatdropped at the molecular hero's behaviour.
"Because basically, he is," Fang commented blankly. "Hey, where do we go now? F/n can't summon Echo underwater," Boboiboy questioned, swimming down towards them. "Worry not, he left that job for me," a familiar voice interrupted them out of nowhere. The gang turned to Coral, who seemed to be following everywhere they go. "That is correct, Coral is the only one who knows about the Kingdom of Aquarius' current state so I have figured out that it would be safer for him to lead us," Y/n caught up from behind her dolphin friend, her scroll working just fine.
"I am quite certain that I can lead you all to a secret path towards the castle, that way, we can swim our way in without getting caught. The kingdom does not let foreigners explore the whole kingdom, I heard that they imprison them instead," Coral began, making everyone gasp in horror. Y/n gritted her teeth, knowing this wasn't something the king would order out of nowhere. It was too way out-of-chracter for him to do. Plus, she knew that Serena wouldn't let him do that on her watch. Something weird and unusual was indeed happening there.
"So the missing creatures Ochobot was talking about were all imprisoned?" Yaya questioned, a worried face making its way towards her face. "I am afraid so," Y/n turned her head away. "We'll find and save them, there's no one else here besides us who can do that," Boboiboy closed his fist in determination. "Your positive thinking is quite a good attitude, F/n, I like him," Coral turned to the elf as if telling her that he was satisfied that she had a friend like him. Y/n sighed at his comment. "Of course you would," Y/n whispered lightly for Coral to hear.
"Since everything else is settled, please follow me. I know a way towards a secret passage where we can sneak in without getting caught by the guards," Coral spoke before swimming away. Without saying a word, everyone followed the delphini and swam from far behind. Y/n caught up with the delphini, to accompany him. Luckily, it's harder to eavesdrop underwater which gave the two an advantage. "Oh? How nice of you to join me, a penny for your thoughts?" Coral questioned the troubled elf from beside him.
"Nothing, I am just thinking of what might happen after I finish my mission here," Y/n mumbled, frowning slightly. "Hm? Why would you think of that?" The delphini questioned her in curiosity. "Coral... is it right for me to hide who I truly am from my friends?" Y/n whispered, her eyes nervously shifting towards him. "Y/n..." he started in a mumble. "What do you think? Harmless it may be for you but it if you hid the truth from me, I would think the opposite. Are you sure you are not hurting someone with that risk?" The Glamouran continued.
Y/n took the information in, pursing her lips in slight regret. That question made her feel uneasy because she doesn't know exactly how to answer. "No... I am not sure," she answered in truth, letting out a sigh. "What you are doing may be risky but a little too selfish, you are just afraid that they might now who you really are. Are you really that contented with hiding behind a mask your entire life?" Coral shot again. "If I were you, I would tell them about it. They seem like creatures who are really loyal and trustworthy, you should take this advice, this way no one will get hurt with your ruckus," he added.
"Did you just call my situation a ruckus?" She blankly asked him.
"Yes, what you are doing is chaotic. Due to your stubbornness, you are now in a tight situation. I would not try to get in between of that, the choice is up to you. If you want to stay cautious then stay as one, but if you want to be right.... then do the right thing," Coral responded. "Up to me..." Y/n trailed off, a sad tone laced upon her voice. Coral didn't say anything and let the elf have her time to think of the things and mistakes that she have done. Did she truly make a mistake? If she wasn't so scared then she would've been in a better situation.
But, thinking of her past decisions is useless. She can't change the past but she can make a new future. If she wants to take the bright and right path then she haves to change her decisions starting on the present. If she was truly smart then she would do the right thing from now on. "Coral... what you said made me think of my decisions," She spoke lightly again. Coral side eyed her, listening to her talk.
"I shall tell them everything after this mission, that is the only right thing to do for now."
"Are you just deciding that because I said so?" Coral narrowed his eye at her, testing if she has understood his main point. "No, I am deciding this because what you said made me realise something that I should have thought of doing before. Now and without hesitation, I will do it because it is the right thing," Y/n responded immediately. "Not because I was forced to agree with an individual's opinion. Why think of the possibilities when there can also be the impossibilities?" Y/n continued.
"The impossible can be possible. I will make it."
"I understand now."
"Y/n, I am so glad to see how you have grown this much but, please do still remain true to your heart and desires," Coral commented with smile.
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|Translations|
Audi aquse serenitatem tuam - |Listen to thy serenade of the water| [Latin]
Disclaimer: The illustrations above aren't mine. They belong to their original artists.