Nerine waited outside the passageway for what seemed like hours. She knew Aleiia had to get one of her many guardians off her fins, but this was taking too long. Nerine sighed and looked at the magical barrier that covered the entrance. Slowly, she raised her hand and used her ice magic to freeze the water barrier in front of her. Using watery force, the ice broke, opening the tunnel. Suddenly, she heard a noise. Swimming quickly, she hid in a dark corner inside the cave. From what she could see in the darkness, it was a merman, probably one of the guards who occasionally peruse the area, making sure the barrier is still up.
"Down again" she heard the merman said. She could hear about two others swim over.
"I suppose we should fix it." another said. Within a few moments, the barrier was back in place and the mermen swam away. From inside the cavern, she could see a small hole above her. Using her animal speak, she summoned an octopus. It sat before her as she spoke.
"Okay, I need you to go out that hole up there and bring a message to Princess Aleiia. I need you to tell her that I got inside the barrier, but they shut it behind me. I'll be back soon." Nerine said. The octopus waved it's tentacles in response and squeezed through the hole and swam off. With that, Nerine swam down the dark path.
Maedwen cleaned her face off and looked at the young man before her.
"You're...you're a human...?" she crawled backward with fear and her bright blue eyes trembled. She began to reach for her bow and arrow slowly as she backed away further. Her white hair stuck to her face because of it being wet.
After swimming for what seemed like hours, she finally saw a dim light. Swimming up to the surface, she saw the dark castle of Liridale. It was intimidating. There was no city, just the remains of one. However, it felt familiar. Swimming quietly, the cold waters felt natural on her skin, calming even. Suddenly, she noticed a silhouette in the distance. She swam closer, making sure to keep silent. Ducking behind a rock, she could faintly see Kabal and Lucius.