Now that my debt's been paid off, I can finally leave the Celestial Realm.
"Come on, Master, let's go already."
Long Fei lets out a sigh and scratches his nose. Oh, I don't like where this is going.
The three immortals exchange glances. Long Yan scuffs his boot against the floor. The Crown Prince clears his throat. "My apologies, Ling Yue. Long Fei has quite a task ahead of him. I'm afraid he won't be able to join you."
"What about you, Long Yan? Are you going to join me in his stead?"
His eyes widen. "I thought we were friends. I will die in the Ocean Realm."
That was a silly question—the Dragon of Fire can't live under the sea.
Long Fei places a hand on my shoulder. "Your Highness, I'll be right back. I'm just going to accompany Ling Yue to the Ocean Realm."
"Very well, that is a good idea. Make sure she doesn't cause any trouble on her way out. I'll catch you up when you're back."
The Crown Prince ruffles the top of my head. "Ling Yue, I hope to see you in high spirits the next time you're back in the Celestial Realm. You're the Ocean Realm's problem now."
I scrunch my nose at the royal. "Thanks for having me."
You made me work so hard here. I'll make sure to double the trouble when I come back.
I turn to Long Yan, who's rubbing the back of his neck as he stares at the floor. I give him a crushing hug. "Thank you for everything. It was fun hanging out with you." He awkwardly pats me on the head.
I follow my master out the door, waving to the second and third best people in the world. Outside, Long Fei gives a sideways glance. His long ebony hair starts to billow as a divine light engulfs him, and he transforms into the magnificent silver dragon. His wings snap wide as his pearlescent scales glisten under the sun.
I launch into the sky. A bright light bursts from me as my legs fuse into a tail. My arms grow into fins, and my body stretches out into my whale form.
We fly through the celestial highway. Everybody stops and gapes at us. That's right! I'm with the Dragon of Air!
We dive off the Celestial Realm, past the sea of clouds, and into the Ocean Realm. Splash! We swim past vibrant corals and schools of fish. Turtles glide beside us, and playful pods of dolphins dart around.
Our shadows stretch across the Merfolk Town below. The merfolk pause mid-swim, their eyes following us in awe.
As we reach the Ocean Palace, we both transform back into our human guises, lightly landing on the sand. The guards salute us as we pass.
We enter the throne room where the King of Merfolk is sitting on his throne, stroking his beard. His eyes light up at the sight of us.
"Elder Long Fei. Ling Yue. Welcome back. It's been quite a while."
"Yes, it has been centuries, Your Majesty. My apologies, I'm unable to stay, but I thought you may like to train Ling Yue further."
The King smiles warmly and nods. "Perfect timing, actually. The merprince will be here shortly. You can train with him."
Long Fei gives a courteous nod to the royal, pats me on the head, then vanishes like the wind.
Now I'm left alone. Oh no. Don't tell me they're going to make me babysit the little royal gremlin again.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up as a shadow looms over me. I turn around, looking up at a merman towering over me. His blonde curls rest on broad shoulders, his muscles the size of my head. His golden, iridescent tail glimmers as he stares down at me. OK, I think the little royal gremlin may have had a growth spurt…
I wave my fingers, laughing nervously. I hope he doesn't remember me royal-sitting him when he was three. "Hi… I'm Ling Yue."
His blonde curls start to rise as the water around him churns, his nostrils flaring. Oh tides! I think he does remember me.
"Father, you can't possibly expect me to train with her. She palmed me off on the Kraken while gallivanting to oceans know where!" He points at me.
"Well, technically the Kraken is your family friend. So, yay?" I raise my hand for a high five. He just glares at me, and apparently I'm high-fiving the water instead.
He covers his face, his shoulders shaking as the currents churn violently around him. He extends a hand. A glowing trident zooms into the throne room and points at me. Eep! I'm going to be skewered sashimi.
The King reaches out, and the trident leaps into his hand, humming low with restrained power. A tendril of water coils around the fuming merprince, holding him fast. "Enough, son. You must learn to master your temper."
The merprince stubbornly tries to break free. The tendril tightens around him until he finally exhales a long sigh. The currents around him settle, his curls resting once more on his shoulders. At last, the tendril disperses.
I glance at the King. He strokes his beard, giving a small, decisive nod. "You two will be training together, and that's final."
The merprince crosses his arms with a huff. I run a hand down my face, internally groaning. I want to bury myself in the sand. Is it too late for me to return to the Celestial Realm? Maybe I should've taken the Crown Prince's offer about training to be a guardian.