Blood!
Blood was everywhere. The whole train coach where Esdeath and the others were sitting was filled with blood. The windows were painted a deep, dark red, and blood splattered across the walls and ceiling. The organs and limbs of neatly cut corpses were scattered around. All the passengers were killed.
Esdeath was standing quietly, looking at them with a blank expression on her face. Her weapon, ZK-20, was in her hand, transformed into a sword and covered with blood. Esdeath's palm was also covered in deep blood, and there were even small spatters of blood on her face.
"There was no need to go so overboard!" Lortell sighed, as if Esdeath hadn't just caused a massacre but had just made a small, casual mistake.
"Yeah, the ones at the back seat didn't even do anything!" Alice shook her head and sighed, looking at the bodies with a disappointed frown.
Everyone else was sitting down quietly, like nothing much had happened at all, acting completely normal. Except for Brenna, of course.
She had her palms pressed against her eyes, covering them shut. "Why did you do this? What did they do?" she asked, her voice trembling, both scared and shocked by the situation.
"Wow, I knew she was insane in our first meeting, but she exceeded my expectations!" Kailith thought to herself, remembering the time when Esdeath had called her 'Lizard'.
Esdeath didn't say anything. She turned ZK-20 into a single-hand glove and walked towards Lortell. She sat down beside her and then hugged Lortell's left arm, acting all cute and pookie, like a kitten.
Lortell looked at Brenna's scared expression and sighed slightly. "Open your eyes. I'll clean everything!" she said, and then flickered her fingers.
At once, the whole blood started to tremble and flew into the air. The blood inside the organs and limbs also squeezed out, and all of it combined and condensed into a small sphere, the same size as a golf ball. It casually flew over and rested in Lortell's palm.
Lortell then casually threw the blood ball outside the window. All that was left were dried corpses. But they looked way less scary than before, like they were some kind of marionettes.
"Fable said about her being obsessed over Lortell. I finally got an example as well," Maruti thought to herself, and she gulped her saliva. "I should make sure to not make jokes on Lortell from now on."
She looked at Brenna and tapped her back lightly. "Open your eyes. What's there to be scared of when I'm here!" she said in a motivating voice, trying to sound brave.
"Are you directly going to Marina beach?" Esdeath finally spoke, her voice calm and clear, as if nothing had happened.
"Yes, why?" Maruti asked back, trying to keep her own voice steady.
"We'll first visit the aquarium and then go to the beach!" Esdeath replied, a small smile on her face.
Maruti thought for a few seconds and then nodded. "Then we should visit the aquarium too and then go to the beach together. You already booked the hotel rooms, right?"
"Yes!" Esdeath answered.
With that decided, the group headed off to visit the aquarium together.
The train soon started moving, faster than usual since it had already been delayed earlier. The rhythmic clatter of the wheels echoed softly through the carriage as they watched the scenery outside blur past. Brenna sat quietly the whole time, her hands folded neatly in her lap, doing her best not to make eye contact with Esdeath. She simply stared out the window, waiting patiently for the journey to end.
After about half an hour, the train slowed down and finally came to a stop at their destination. One by one, everyone got off, stretching their legs after the ride. The station was small but tidy, and since it was built near the coast, they could already smell the faint scent of the sea in the air. The aquarium and beach were both close by, so they didn't bother hiring any transport and decided to walk instead.
"I wonder what people will think if they see all those corpses lying around back there?" Maruti said out loud, swinging her bag casually over her shoulder.
"You shouldn't worry about such things," Lortell replied with a small chuckle, brushing a few strands of her silver white hair aside.
After a short fifteen-minute walk, they finally arrived near the coast. The streets were clean and smooth, lined with tall white lamps and palm trees that swayed gently in the ocean breeze. In the distance, they could see the wide stretch of sand and the glimmering blue waves rolling under the orange evening sun. It really looked like the perfect place to relax.
But there was one problem—they were late.
The sun was already sinking lower into the horizon, its warm light turning soft and golden. Shadows grew longer, and the beach began to glow under the orange sky.
"It seems we'll have to wait a bit," Esdeath said with a sigh, her red eyes reflecting the fading light. "But it's not bad. Seeing the beach view at night might be even better."
No one disagreed, so they decided to head to the aquarium first.
The entrance was shaped like a large seashell, and the building itself was made of light blue glass that shimmered faintly under the setting sun. Inside, the aquarium was peaceful and cool, the floor slightly damp from the humidity.
Dim lights and glowing water tanks created a soft blue glow that made everything look magical.
Unlike aquariums on Earth, this one was much more unique. The ocean creatures here weren't ordinary—this was a world filled with strange and powerful beings. Huge tanks displayed creatures that looked half-animal, half-monster: glowing fish with too many fins, giant crabs with gemstone shells, and plants that moved slowly like they had limbs.
"Woahh! So amazing!" Maruti and Selene exclaimed together as soon as they walked in. Their voices echoed off the glass walls as they ran from one tank to another, completely fascinated.
There weren't many visitors inside. A few employees were cleaning the tanks or wiping the glass walls, but otherwise, the place was quiet—just the soft sound of water and the hum of the filters.
Maruti pressed her face right up against one of the largest tanks, staring wide-eyed at a strange fish with no pupils floating near the glass. "Hey! Is that a pupil-less cosmic tuna fish? Your wedding ring is made of it's eyeballs, right?" she asked loudly, turning toward Esdeath.
Esdeath sighed deeply and pressed her fingers to her forehead. "That's just a normal pupil-less tuna fish,. Cosmic tuna fish are S-rank sea monsters."
"Whatever, whatever. Not much difference anyway," Maruti said dismissively, waving her hand.
"Come on, Selene! Let's check the deeper section!" Maruti shouted, grabbing Selene's hand and running off toward the next hall.
"They both are kids," Brenna said with a small laugh, her voice warm and amused.
Kailith nodded and looked around. "Well, the place isn't bad. Let's have a look around together."
Brenna, Alice, Ravenna, and Kailith formed a small group and wandered off, leaving Esdeath and Lortell alone on purpose. It wasn't hard to guess why—they wanted to give the two some private time.
Watching them go, Lortell smirked faintly. "At least she knows a bit of basic manners," she muttered under her breath, referring to Kailith.
Then she turned to Esdeath, her expression softening. She stepped closer and gently extended her hand. "Come with me, my love," she said playfully, her voice smooth and teasing like a charming gentleman. "I'll show you the most unique sea creatures here."
Esdeath looked at her for a moment, her red eyes catching the soft blue glow from the tanks. A small smile tugged at her lips as she took Lortell's hand.
"I'm glad to," she said softly, her tone calm but full of quiet warmth.
***
All of them spent a long time inside the aquarium, walking through the glowing halls filled with tanks of every color and size. Selene was the most excited of all—she stopped at every tank they passed, her eyes wide with curiosity, asking about each creature she saw.
Maruti tried to answer, but her knowledge about sea creatures wasn't great either. Thankfully, there were small notice boards beside each tank, with names and short descriptions written on them. Whenever the information was missing, Maruti would simply call one of the aquarium workers and ask, never shy about it.
Kailith's group was enjoying themselves too. Brenna, especially, was amazed by everything she saw. Being from a small village, she had never been inside a place like this before. The soft blue lights, the glass tunnels, the gentle sound of flowing water—it all felt very advanced to her. She kept turning in circles, trying to take it all in.
Kailith and Ravenna, being the most knowledgeable in that group, explained different sea creatures to Brenna and Alice, pointing things out and answering their questions.
Alice and Brenna listened quitely as they moved from one tank to another. Everything felt peaceful. For once, there was no chaos, no danger—just quiet joy.
"It really feels good to see all these fishes I read about in books!" Selene said with a bright smile.
Maruti nodded, stretching her arms lazily. "It's my first time seeing most of them too. I've only fought earth-type monsters before this."
Kailith and the others soon joined them. "Did you see everything?" Kailith asked, her tone calm but cheerful.
"Yeah, we did!" Maruti replied. "Let's find Esdeath and Lortell now. It's time for the beach!"
Kailith nodded, and they all turned back to look for the two.
After a few minutes of walking through the dim blue-lit corridors, they finally spotted Esdeath and Lortell standing quietly near one of the larger tanks.
The water inside shimmered like liquid gold. Swimming gracefully within was a single beautiful fish—its body golden with a faint rainbow shimmer along its scales. It looked almost unreal, glowing like a piece of sunlight in the water.
Lortell smiled softly. "That's the Golden Rainbow Fish. They say it's the most beautiful fish in the sea and the ancestor of mermaids."
Esdeath's red eyes softened as she watched it swim. "Beautiful, isn't it?" she said quietly.
Lortell turned her gaze toward Esdeath. She reached out gently, placing a finger under Esdeath's chin and lifting it slightly. "Yes," she whispered, her voice low and affectionate. "But not more beautiful than you."
Esdeath smiled, her cheeks warming slightly. "You're more beautiful than me," she replied with a rare tenderness.
Their words lingered in the quiet glow of the tank. Lortell leaned closer, her silver-white hair catching the light from the water, and slowly pressed her lips against Esdeath's. It was a soft, unhurried kiss—filled with warmth and quiet affection.
A few meters away, Brenna quickly covered her eyes with her palms—but still she peeked through her fingers, her face red as a tomato.
Maruti and Kailith, on the other hand, just stared blankly. "There's a kid here, you know," Maruti said in a tired voice, sighing deeply.
"Hmph! All they know is kissing to show love," Kailith said, crossing her arms with a faint pout. "Can't they find another way? We're in public, for heaven's sake." Her voice carried a faint edge of jealousy—probably because Maruti never allowed her to kiss so openly in front of others.
Esdeath and Lortell knew the others were there, but they didn't seem to care at all. They continued for a moment longer before slowly pulling apart, still smiling at each other.
Kailith's eyes flicked back and forth between them—and then at Maruti.
"Ugh, screw it," she muttered suddenly. Without warning, she turned toward Maruti, grabbed her by the collar, and kissed her right on the lips.
Maruti froze completely, her golden brown eyes wide in shock. Before she could even react, Alice, Brenna, and Ravenna followed suit, each taking their turn to quickly kiss her too.
"I didn't see anything at all!" Selene squeaked, covering her face with both hands like a child, her cheeks puffed up.
"Oh, you guys are done?" came Lortell's playful voice as she turned around, her expression perfectly calm—as if nothing had happened.
Everyone immediately went silent.
Maruti looked away, "You're saying it like you didn't sense our presence earlier at all…" she muttered under her breath, but didn't dare to say it louder.
Lortell looked at selene. "So, Selene," she said kindly, "did you have fun?"
Selene nodded eagerly. "Yes! But I didn't see any mermaids," she said with a pout, clearly disappointed.
Lortell and Esdeath both chuckled softly.
"Maybe next time, we'll find one," Esdeath said, taking Selene's small hand gently in hers. "Now come on—it's already night. Let's go and rest in the hotel, we'll enjoy our beach time tomorrow."
No one objected to anything. They all walked towards the exit quietly, the sound of their footsteps echoing softly in the now-empty halls of the aquarium.
"Does our hotel room will provide a good look of the beach?" Selene asked, her voice full of hope as she looked up at Esdeath, her small hand held tightly in hers.
"Of course, but why?" Esdeath asked, looking down at the little girl with a curious smile.
"Because I read in a book that if you have a good look around the beach at night, you can actually find mermaids washing their clothes!" Selene replied.
Esdeath immediately chuckled. "What nonsense! Don't just blindly believe in everything you read and hear!" she said, ruffling Selene's hair playfully, her voice filled with affection.