The water stirred.
Gasps echoed down the tunnel as a ripple of magic suddenly passed through the dome. Bubbles had stopped circling the trench and was now swimming directly toward the tunnel, her massive form cutting through the shimmering saltwater like a comet in slow motion. Light refracted off her scales, casting iridescent hues across the transparent dome like a living kaleidoscope.
Vastarael smiled.
He raised his right hand, gently placing his palm on the reinforced glass of the tunnel. A quiet hum began to vibrate through the air.
From his hand, sapphire concentric waves began to radiate outward into the water. They spread like blooming circles of light, dancing across the aquatic landscape. Each pulse of his Water Divinity resonated with a frequency.
The water answered.
Bubbles' glowing skin pulsed brighter, echoing the rhythm of his divinity with her own frequency, her colors intensifying until she was a living aurora inside the water.
Then she sang.
The sound was beautiful, high and melodic, but with an undercurrent of power that stirred something primal in the hearts of everyone watching. And she wasn't alone.
The baby whales rushed forward, circling the tunnel's glass and releasing high-pitched chirps and clicks. They bounced around like happy stars, dancing in rhythm with their mother's harmonics.
Children pressed their faces to the glass, mesmerized. Elders whispered reverently. A few tourists even cried openly at the scene.
And through it all, Vastarael stood perfectly still, smiling gently.
He placed his other hand over his chest and spoke to her through his divinity. Sapphire pulses flared in response. The whales all froze mid-motion before chirping back at him, this time in unison. The entire tunnel lit up in brilliant light.
"He's speaking to her..." someone whispered behind them.
"Through Water Divinity... That's the son of the Ocean Nexus, isn't it?"
"I've never seen anything like this..."
Narisva stood beside him, speechless. She'd witnessed battles between gods. She'd walked through hellish places. But this?
Vastarael leaned in slightly and whispered to the glass with a tone so soft even Narisva couldn't make it out.
Bubbles chirped again and her voice carried a sense of happiness. The babies swirled around her as she turned, her glowing mate drifting beside her.
Together, the family dove deeper into the aquatic abyss, disappearing into the blue with one last shimmer of multicolored light.
It was over.
The crowd slowly began to stir again, still wrapped in the reverent silence of what they had just witnessed. Some clapped. Others just stared, trying to take in what had just happened.
Narisva finally turned to him, her eyes still wide.
"What did she say?"
Vastarael's lips curled upward.
"She sensed my presence. That's why she came."
"And? What else?"
He chuckled, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"That part's a secret."
Narisva raised an eyebrow. "You're not serious."
"I am."
Narisva sighed, cheeks slightly flushed as she followed him. "Fine."
--------
After spending all morning in the mesmerizing depths of the Aquatunnel, Vastarael and Narisva found themselves seated at a gorgeous seaside restaurant, a place built literally over the water. The walls were made of shimmering glass that gave a perfect panoramic view of the coast, the waves crashing gently against the enchanted stone supports beneath them.
They were led to a private booth because of his status.
Narisva opened the menu, eyebrows raising as she scrolled through the options projected on the crystal interface. The list was long; kelp-infused dumplings, scallop mousse, crab stew, leviathan caviar, it was practically a seafood paradise.
"Wow. Almost everything here is ocean-based. Any recommendations?"
Vastarael looked up from his glass of glistening mineral water and shook his head.
"I don't eat seafood."
"Wait. Why not—"
But halfway through the question, realization flickered across her face. "...Oh. Never mind."
"Oh it's not just because I feel connected to aquatic life though, trust me, I do, it's... something deeper. I literally can't taste seafood. It tastes like absolutely nothing to me."
Narisva tilted her head. "That's... oddly specific."
Vastarael chuckled. "It's not when you're at a banquet surrounded by dignitaries praising the 'delicately smoked jellyfish heart' and all you're thinking is... 'This tastes like wet paper.'"
"Why does it taste like that though?"
"I asked my mother once," he said, his voice dropping slightly. "Turns out it's a trait passed through the Asmaphaeri royal bloodline. We're deeply attuned to oceanic nature, so much that our bodies refuse to break down seafood as food. It registers as... elemental water. There is no sustenance or pleasure in it."
"Wait so the Hydroborn can eat seafood but you can't?"
"Yep. They're part of the ocean. I'm... of the ocean. Apparently, that's a difference."
Narisva shook her head, grinning, and closed the menu.
"Fine. No seafood. Steak it is out of consideration, Your Majesty."
She tapped the crystal twice and ordered flame-grilled star-steak.
"That's considerate of you."
"Well," she said, smirking. "I could have ordered abyssal eel just to see your reaction."
"You're mean."
The server arrived with their food astonishingly fast within five minutes. Divine-grade restaurants were enchanted to prepare meals instantly and perfectly. As the plates were set before them, Narisva looked up at him over her plate.
"So... is there anything else I don't know about you?"
Vastarael, already slicing into his steak, paused and looked up at her.
"I should be asking you that."
"What?"
"You're the one I don't know that well, Narisva. You were a wanderer. You never joined your Dynasty's core leadership. You're not tied to tradition, you don't talk much about your past, and let's be honest, you don't have hobbies."
Narisva stared at him for a second, then puffed her cheeks out and crossed her arms.
"I do so have hobbies."
He raised an eyebrow.
"...Okay, fine, I don't."
"Exactly."
"I was busy surviving, thank you very much."
Vastarael chuckled as he popped a slice of steak into his mouth.
"That's not a hobby. That's trauma management."
Narisva grinned, biting into her own food.
"Well... maybe I'll develop one. Maybe I'll become an ocean nerd like you."
"You're already halfway there."
"Hmm. Do you have any other weird food quirks?"
"I don't like sweet things," he admitted. "Not really. Except maybe... anything with honey on it. That's about it."
She gasped. "You don't like sweets? That's... that's diabolical."
"You're dramatic."
"And you're a steak-loving ocean being who can't taste fish and doesn't like cake. You're not allowed to judge me."