Malia didn't actually intend for Beatrice to take her promise seriously. It's not that she doubted Beatrice's sincerity; quite the opposite, in fact. Rather, Malia didn't think that her naive desire to "find the meaning of happiness" was worth wasting time over.
Evidently, Beatrice thought differently.
After their run-in with Malia's immortal enemy, their journey back to Okeanos, now with a furry new water spirit, was quiet. For Malia, her weary mind was empty, solely focused on recovering after the day's tumultuous events. Beatrice, however, was mentally planning, a fact that Malia only realized when they returned to the city.
"You want to do what?" Malia asked, temporarily distracted from the healer's ministrations across her injured back.
"Go on an excursion," Beatrice repeated as she floated before Malia, her eyes watching the dog excitedly zoom around the infirmary. "I've worked out a general plan already, so you don't have to do much—aside from being present, of course."
Malia could only give Beatrice a blank stare, too tired to think of anything else; that is, until she felt a sharp pain at her back.
"Don't move," the healer muttered when Malia flinched, not caring about her yelp of discomfort.
"Where are we going?" Malia asked, hoping to distract herself from the ache. "When?"
Beatrice raised her eyebrows. "Do you have other plans?"
Malia knew she couldn't lie about that, but she still didn't want to answer. "No."
"Then it's settled," Beatrice said smugly. "Don't worry, we can bring the dog too."
"'The dog,' huh?" the healer asked, moving to work on Malia's shoulder. "You two should probably think of a better name for him."
"Him?"
The healer eyed the dog swimming overhead. "Looks like it, yeah."
Malia and Beatrice were likely both exhausted because after a second of exchanging glances, they burst into giggles.
"I'll leave that decision to you," Beatrice said, her smile still wide.
Malia scoured her memory for ocean-related names; she didn't have many. "How about... Sebastian?"
"Sebastian," Beatrice repeated, pondering the suggestion. "That's a very noble name. Is that after a hero of your time?"
"Uh..." Was an animated red crab considered a hero? "Something like that."
Once their important tasks were completed—that is, Malia was healed, Sebastian was named, and Beatrice requested their vacation time—there was nothing for Malia to do but wait and go with the flow of Beatrice's plans. Part of her was nervous to spend time without a clear purpose. Another part was curious about what Beatrice had in mind and was eager to see what they would do.
Malia knew which side she preferred.
About a week later, they headed out in the middle of the night, taking their time swimming through the dark waters with small orbs of light to guide them. Occasionally, Sebastian would prance freely into the shadows, only returning after letting Malia panic for half a minute. Each time, Malia would gently chide him with a tight hug, which Sebastian would return with kisses and Beatrice would observe with unhelpful chuckles.
The journey apparently took hours, but it didn't feel like a chore. Even though Malia had worried about spending time with no purpose, she realized she didn't mind their impromptu races to the nearest seamounts, watching Sebastian chase down thrown orbs of light, or just swimming slowly in silence.
It felt... different. Relaxing.
She was almost disappointed when they stopped hours later—that is, until Beatrice gave her a small smile.
"Go ahead," she said, pointing her chin before them.
Malia belatedly realized she had been staring at the woman, and she hurriedly nodded before looking forward.
There was nothing. Sure, there was a stretch of rugged seamounts, adorned with scraggly seaweed and colorful coral. But other than that, it was no different than the rest of the ocean.
"It's... beautiful," Malia said, trying her best to imitate enthusiasm.
Beatrice chuckled. "Go closer."
Doubtful but curious, Malia did, slowly approaching the dull rocks. She only had to move a few feet before the world transformed before her eyes.
It was a city, but it was nothing like Okeanos. Whereas Okeanos looked like it was carved out of the rocks, this city was seemingly built on top of them, as if it was a technological hub she would see on land.
Glowing skyscrapers towered over them, reaching for the distant sunny waters. Spirits zipped over complex paths in crafts akin to small submarines, the propellers glowing similar to the orb of light in her own hand. A monorail was even intertwined between the buildings; when the vehicle passed by, the free-standing track glowed.
At least a minute probably passed before Malia realized her mouth was hanging open.
Her mind was reeling at the magic surrounding her, and she couldn't decide on what to focus on first. She slowly backed away to analyze everything from afar, and her decision was made for her when the city suddenly disappeared.
She paused, then moved forward; the city instantly emerged from the dark waters. She moved backwards; it vanished.
"No way!" Malia whispered, continuously moving back and forth. "No way, no way, no way!"
At last, she stopped long enough to turn to Beatrice with a wide grin. "It's invisible! This whole place is invisible!"
Beatrice's smile was soft and amused. "It is."
A part of Malia was self-conscious of her childish excitement, but she knew Beatrice wouldn't tease her for it. With that in mind, Malia turned back to the city and ran her hand slowly through the water.
"The energy feels different right here," she said, holding her hand at the place in question. "I know there are theories of using negative refraction to mimic invisibility, but no one's applied it practically yet—not on land, at least. They must be using the energy in the water to change its refraction index. It probably changes the magnetic field too, and that could be like a shield against human sensors."
When Malia realized she was rambling, she turned sheepishly to Beatrice. "Sorry, we probably didn't come here for this."
But Beatrice's smile only grew. "Don't be sorry. In fact, that's exactly why we're here."
She joined Malia's side, her own eyes glowing at the city before them. "Welcome to Atlantis."
With that revelation, Malia was speechless, and she could only stare at the city with wonder.
Eventually, they swam closer, but they couldn't travel far when Malia stopped to inspect everything around them.
"These are powered like the light balls are!" she whispered when she got close to one of the miniature submarines parked in front of a shop. "I wonder how it stores energy so efficiently."
When a line of "pedestrians" zipped by in front of them, she couldn't help but hold her hand out into the path. "There's a current here! Is this generated by the city? It's like the pneumatic tube travel concept!"
She stared up in wonder every time the monorail passed over them. "It's levitating with electromagnets! Well, not exactly electricity because, you know, electricity and water is bad, but it's probably the energy we feel in the water."
Then, she trailed after someone using a phone-like device. "I wonder if the invisibility shield around the city also blocks these communication waves. It must be producing a magnetic field then!"
They joined a crowd watching a show projected onto the water. "Wow. Wow."
It took them ages to travel a few blocks to a vast park of sand. Once they were there, they sat on the side and watched the world around them, vaguely keeping an eye on Sebastian befriending the local spirit canines. Malia was sure she looked like a tourist as her wide eyes continued to survey the city, and more than once, she turned to Beatrice to apologize. But every time, she'd find Beatrice already looking at her with a small smile, and Malia knew that no apologies were needed.
"Who knew that all of this existed down here?" Malia whispered in awe. "That so much innovation was happening just out of sight? And the fact that Atlantis is actually real."
Beatrice chuckled. "I told you when we first met, it's east of Okeanos."
"I thought you were joking."
"Hm."
After a beat of silence, they laughed.
"This is really amazing," Malia continued. "I never thought I'd feel this again—this... wonder for the world, for science." She turned to Beatrice, not caring that her eyes felt warm with emotions. "Thank you."
Beatrice's own eyes twinkled in the glowing lights of Atlantis. "You're most welcome."
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