She saw the remains of Merfolk scattered about the murky water. Tails and scales floated up to the ceiling, and the armored bodies of pirates sank to the rocky floor. As an apprentice [Alchemist], Vivianne was quite used to see rather disgusting sights before. However, she had never seen a massacre like this.
“They were pirates— they deserved it,” Wilmorn snorted as he swam beside her, a glowing bubble covering his face like a mask.
Captain Raen shook his head, leading the way for them. “They might have been pirates, but no one deserves a fate like this. Who could have done this?”
His question echoed down the corridor as his guards swept past him to clear each room. Vivianne pursed her lips, before glancing back at a group of little fish accompanying them.
“Don’t look,” she said as she tried to raise a protective arm over the Lophis. “It’s not something you should see.”
Most of them shrank back, taking in the sight in horror. But one of them swam on, unafraid and unperturbed by the corpses. Renatus nodded at the Mermaid as he scanned the corridor, searching for someone.
And a voice called out.
“Over here! I think we found it!”
Captain Raen nodded at Vivianne and Wilmorn. They quickly swam up to a guard floating right before a broken room. It looked like it could have been a workshop once. But the tables were destroyed, and there was a crater full of dead bodies at the very center.
A circular figure floated at the ceiling, surrounded by a pair of guards. Vivianne’s eyes grew wide as she opened her mouth.
“Thera—” she started.
But Renatus exclaimed, interrupting her.
“Gnah!”
He rushed to the baby Mystic Turtle’s side as his fins shone with a golden light. He cried out, clinging onto Thera’s side. And the other Lophis came swimming after him. Vivianne sighed in relief as she stared at this sight.
However, Thera didn’t move. She remained perfectly still as the cries of the group of fish grew louder. Captain Raen frowned, and Vivianne narrowed her eyes.
“What’s going on?” the Mermaid asked, and her master shook his head.
“She’s drowning— we need to get her air.”
Wilmorn spun around as the guards just stared. They exchanged a confused glance. His brows snapped together, and he gestured towards Thera.
“Now!”
And they finally moved.
* * *
Thera gasped as she sucked in a deep breath. Her eyes opened wide, and she sat up in a familiar room. She was back in Wilmorn’s workshop. She stared for a moment, remembering the events that had transpired— everything from Renatus and Vigil disappearing to Isra’s attempt to murder her.
She rubbed her head with her flippers as she tried to steel herself and recall what happened after that. She had… flown into a rage? Her shell was bulkier now too. With little holes that could lead inside. But why? When did this happen?
“I—” she started, trying to recall the rest of the events.
And a squeak interrupted her.
“Gnah!”
A Lophis shot up towards her, crashing into her face. Thera blinked as she heard the excited squeaks of the other Lophis. All dozen of them rushed up to her, swimming up the table as they cried out for her.
“Gnah!”
“Gnah, gnah, gnah!”
“Gnaaaaaaah!”
…
Thera paused. She stared at the group of them. They huddled up close to the baby Mystic Turtle as she tilted her head in a daze. And her eyes went wide when she saw both Renatus and Vigil amongst the group.
“Renatus! Vigil!” she exclaimed as she raised her flippers, grabbing them tightly.
“Gnah!” Renatus said in return.
“Gnah…” Vigil whispered softly.
The baby Mystic Turtle didn’t let go of either of them. She squeezed them tight, holding this embrace for a long moment. The other Lophis tried to join the hug. And Thera let them. She loosened her hug, before clutching onto all twelve of the fish.
Renatus, Vigil, Filius, Dux, Gnav, Remige, Vit, Vex, Tonsa, Rota, Molarius, and Prae. They were all safe and sound right with Thera. She sighed in relief, and a chuckle came from the open doorway. Thera raised her head to see a pair of figures waiting there.
“Vivianne, Wilmorn?” she said as she stared at the Mermaid and the Gnome.
They entered the room as Thera swam forward to greet them. But the Lophis refused to leave her side. Vivianne giggled, seeing this sight. And Wilmorn just rolled his eyes.
“How did you find me?” the baby Mystic Turtle asked. “I was… in a rock…? No— where was I?”
“It was a pirate’s den— Captain Raen has been trying to track them down for years now. And thanks to your help, they found it.” The Gnome shook his head as he explained.
Thera cocked her head. “Thanks to my help…?”
“Well, you are a Mystic Turtle,” Vivianne said as she smiled. “A handful of passersby saw you leaving through the west gate. And from there, all we needed was to get a [Tracker] to follow your trail. Which isn’t hard, considering that you have a unique aura. And that is how we found you.”
“Oh.”
The baby Mystic Turtle stared at the Mermaid, before glancing back at the group of little Lophis. A sigh of relief left her beak-like mouth as she hugged them again.
“Thank you— I’m glad you found me. And I’m glad you found them.”
Her gaze landed on both Renatus and Vigil. Both the Lophis shrank back, pulling away from the hug, but then they exchanged a glance. Renatus pushed Vigil with his fin, forcing her forward. Thera stared at them curiously, and Vigil closed her eyes.
“Gnah…” the little Lophis said as she lowered her head. “Gn-sahry…”
Renatus nodded and joined her. He bowed his head too, echoing the warbled word. “Gn-sahry…”
“Sorry?” Thera blinked. Then her eyes grew wide as she glanced between them. “Wait— were those your first words?!”
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Vivianne was taken aback too. She placed a hand on her chin, wearing an impressed look on her face. “Huh. They’re faster learners, aren’t they?”
The baby Mystic Turtle shook her head and grabbed them again. She hugged the group of Lophis tightly, feeling a comforting warmth in her chest. And they echoed after Renatus and Vigil.
“Gn-sahry…”
“Gn-sahry… Gn-sahry… Gn-sahry”
“Gn-sahry!”
…
Vivianne smiled as she watched this scene. She held her hands over her mouth, letting out a soft sigh. Wilmorn just scoffed and hopped onto a table.
“We didn’t even the missing Lophis,” he said dismissively. “They found us themselves. They were fine the entire time— you needn’t worry about them so much.”
Thera blinked as she slowly let go of Renatus and the others. She stared at Wilmorn, and Vivianne scowled.
“Master! You can’t just—” the Mermaid started.
But the baby Mystic Turtle spoke over her.
“I know,” Thera said as she drew back. “I… should have given them more freedom. But I was just so worried— I was afraid they’d be hurt.”
She closed her eyes. Her mind flashed with a memory. A time that was not so long ago, but seemed so distant now. The moments she spent with Mors… it would never be forgotten.
Mors had been a Luminant Lophis. A fish that could have eaten the baby Mystic Turtle at the bottom of the ocean. But instead, she became Thera’s savior. She became Thera’s mother.
That was why the pain of losing Mors had hurt so much.
And Thera thought of her siblings— she remembered those who died at the beach, and she wondered about what happened to those who survived. They were important to her. They were her family too. Even if she had hardly known them, losing them weighed heavily in her heart.
She sighed as she opened her eyes. Bubbles left her shell, and she glanced over at the group of Lophis. They stared back at her, before she shook her head.
“I just didn’t want to lose them too,” she said simply.
Vivianne and Wilmorn exchanged a glance. They knew that there was a story there. But neither pressed the issue. Instead, the Gnome reached for his bag, producing a letter.
“Here.”
“What’s that?” Thera asked, accepting the piece of paper.
He explained. “An official letter of apology from King Marius. And a declaration that you are a friend to Nephleus, so if you ever visit any other underwater city, you’d be treated well too.”
“Treated… well?” She frowned as the little Lophis looked over her shell.
Vivianne also wore a dubious look on her face. “Won’t most cities treat Thera well because she’s a Mystic Turtle?”
“Not unless they want to do what Isra did and harvest her for parts.” Wilmorn shook his head. “Which is why this letter also means that if another city tries to hunt her down, it would be an official declaration of war on us.”
“Oh…” The Mermaid’s eyes went wide.
Thera just stared at the letter, then she looked back up to the Gnome. He crossed his arms.
“So now that you’ve found Renatus and Vigil, what will you do?” he asked as he peered at her. “Will you still try to find a safe place here for them to stay, or will you leave the city with them instead?”
That made her hesitate. She looked at the group of little Lophis as they peered back at her curiously, and she opened her mouth.
“I…”
But she didn’t have an answer. Vivianne noticed this, so she swam up to the turtle and patted her on the shell reassuringly.
“We’d be happy to take care of the Lophis for you, Thera,” the Mermaid said. But then she glanced towards Renatus, Vigil, and the others. And she shook her head. “But is that even what you want now?”
Thera followed Vivianne’s gaze. She stared at the little Lophis, before slowly shaking her head.
“It’s not what I want— it’s what do they want?” she said as she swam up to Renatus and Vigil. “Do you want to follow me? Or do you want to stay here with Vivianne and Wilmorn?”
The two Lophis exchanged a glance. Then they looked back at the others. They nodded at each other, smiling. And they turned back to Thera, cheering happily.
“Gn-fallow!”
Thera stared at them with round eyes, and she nodded. She turned to face Vivianne who was chuckling at this scene.
“There you have it,” the Mermaid said.
“Right,” Thera agreed. “I’m glad…”
With that decided, they spent one final day together, bidding their final farewells before they separated for now.
* * *
“...because of your actions against the daughter of a Warden, you are hereby expelled—”
The words rang around Luna as she stood before a high table. Five shrouded figures stared down at her, and she closed her eyes.
Expelled. She had been expelled from the academy.
After everything her mother had been through to enroll her here, Luna had let her emotions get the better of her, and she had nearly murdered Aurelia. Now, as a consequence, she was forced to shamefully leave the campus premises.
Aurelia sneered at her as she slowly stalked down the halls, carrying the letter of her expulsion in her hands. Miles, Olivia, and Julia tried to speak with her, but she ignored them.
Luna didn’t care. Not anymore. She didn’t even look up when she passed by Marcus. He opened his mouth, lifting an arm.
And she continued past him.
Her eyes were fixed on the letter of expulsion. Even as she walked on, and the sun set over the horizon. If her mother heard about this… if her mother—
Luna cursed and tore the piece of paper in half.
“I will learn magic no matter what,” she said as she glanced back at the school. A giant tree that protruded from the center of the forest. It was where [Archmages] were made. “[Archmages]? I will go beyond an [Archmage] without them! I will become—”
The young Elf girl raised her head as tears of anger and hatred streamed down her cheeks. She gritted her teeth, vowing to herself.
“I will become a [Herald Of Magic].”
* * *
The very next day, the baby Mystic Turtle and the group of Lophis prepared to depart from Nephleus. Thanks to Thera’s new Skill— [Fortress Shell]— Renatus, Vigil, Filius, Dux, Gnav, Remige, Vit, Vex, Tonsa, Rota, Molarius, and Prae all found a home in her shell. They stuck their little heads out of the holes, waving at Vivianne and Wilmorn as they cried out.
“Gn-bya!” they said.
“Goodbye,” Vivianne replied, patting every single one of them on the head. “I’ll miss you all…”
Meanwhile, Wilmorn approached Thera with a small box. He proffered it to her, opening the hatch to reveal three empty shells— but she shut the box and pushed it back to him.
“Keep them,” Thera said. “I’ll come back one day to collect them. But for now, please protect them for me.”
Wilmorn grinned in response. “Will do.”
“Thank you.” She drew back, and Vivianne turned to face her.
“What will you do now?” the Mermaid asked.
Thera raised her head. She glanced over at the Gnome, eyeing the box he carried.
“Who knows?” the baby Mystic Turtle replied. “Maybe I’ll search for my surviving siblings. Or maybe I’ll search for some place to settle down.”
She shook her head as she drew back with the little Lophis in her shell. A smile slipped onto her face, and she nodded at both Vivianne and Wilmorn.
“All I know is that— I’ll live.”
The two of them blinked. And they smiled in return. With that, they watched as Thera left. A child. A worried mother. A Vanima Testudine.
A Mystic Turtle.
A legendary creature that stood alongside the Elder Dragons and the Spirit Dryads. Timeless. Immortal. They lived solitary lives, drawing power from their own soul. They are the hermits of the sea, their power unmatched in the ocean. And yet, Thera wasn’t alone.
She waved back at both the Mermaid and the Gnome. The group of little Lophis poked their heads out, copying Thera’s gesture as they bade their farewells too. Together, they swam through the streets of Nephleus, and crowds gathered to watch their departure.
They passed by the Pearl Palace as King Marius stood atop a balcony, getting hounded by dozens of nobles. He shifted back with a disgruntled look on his face, before he raised his head and blinked. He took a moment to stare at her as she swam to the gates of the city. He gave her a small nod, then returned to placating the nobles.
Captain Raen and a handful of city guards waited at the walls, looking up as Thera swam over them. She looked back down at him and smiled gratefully for helping save her. He removed his helmet and saluted her as she crossed the dome leading out of the city.
With that, she left the Gulf of Nephlene behind, seeking adventure somewhere beyond. The city of Nephleus disappeared into the distance as she looked back towards her shell. Renatus grinned back at her, and she nodded at herself, continuing into the depths of the sea.
And perhaps one day, together with the little Lophis, Thera would surpass even legend.
The End?
Author's Notes
So when I started writing Thera back in June of 2022, I was quite excited for the idea. I wanted to write about a character that lives through the passage of time. Unfortunately, while I was in the middle of writing the chapters with Mors, my grandmother passed away, and I kind of dropped the story briefly because every time I tried to write Thera, I'd remember my grandmother and get kinda depressed about it.
I still feel that way, even now. It was really difficult to write this series. It really fucked with my headspace when I tried to think or brainstorm about the story. But I pushed on, trying to finish at least one book to publish just so I can publish it in the memory of my grandmother. And that's what I'll be doing with this story.
I gave it an open-ended ending so that I could maybe pick it up again one day when I am... mentally in a better place. But until then, I hope you guys enjoyed reading Thera for now.
The book will be left up for one week before chapters are removed and the book is published onto Amazon. If you know anyone who may enjoy this story, you should get them to read it for free while they can.
As always, thanks for reading <3