Early the next morning, Lucian and Hysilens finally departed for Styxia, and after a brief journey, the two of them soon arrived at a desolate beach washed by the restless waves of the sea.
As they arrived, Lucian stepped onto the beach first, his feet sinking slightly into the soft white sand, while Hysilens remained standing quietly in the shallow water behind him, her expression looking a little nervous and uncertain.
It was understandable, considering this was her very first time stepping onto land.
Sea sirens who lived underwater year-round did not know how to walk, nor could they naturally speak human language, since in their ears, the language of humans sounded noisy and jagged, unlike their own unique language that resembled beautiful singing flowing through the sea itself, so everything had to be learned slowly from scratch.
Lucian had already spent quite a bit of time teaching Hysilens human language, and now he was personally teaching her how to walk on land the same way humans did.
"...I'm starting."
Gazing quietly at the glittering white sand of the beach illuminated by the morning sunlight, Hysilens spoke softly, though her slender body was visibly tense from nervousness.
"Go on. Don't worry. I'm here."
Lucian, standing at the edge of the beach with his arms folded across his chest, nodded and reassured her gently in a calm voice.
Hysilens nodded back in response, then slowly sat down on a nearby reef half-submerged in seawater before taking a deep breath to calm her nervous, pounding heart.
In the next moment, she slowly closed her eyes and focused her mind, and soon enough, the fish tail below her waist began to emit a gentle pale-blue glow, while soft seafoam started enveloping her lower body layer by layer.
Before long, the scales covering her fish tail gradually seemed to soften and deform, and when the seafoam slowly dispersed and the glowing light gradually faded away, the beautiful fish tail was already gone, completely replaced by a pair of straight, fair, smooth human legs.
Not only were the toes round and delicate, with the toenails carrying a healthy pink sheen, but the proportions of the legs were also perfectly balanced and exceptionally alluring, striking Lucian straight in the heart the moment he saw them.
Needless to say, they were an exceptionally beautiful pair of legs—an S-tier pair of legs.
Personally witnessing Hysilens's fish tail transforming into human legs right before his eyes, Lucian could not help but be reminded of an old cartoon he had watched back in his original world—The Little Mermaid.
Wasn't the young woman standing before him exactly like that mermaid princess?
Meanwhile, having human legs for the very first time, Hysilens carefully tried moving her toes one by one, and a strange yet novel sensation gradually filled her mind.
Carefully, she supported herself against the reef, then slowly tried lifting one foot and placing it onto the damp sand beneath her. In that instant, she clearly felt the soft and comfortable sensation of the fine sand enveloping her toes, though the unfamiliar texture also made them feel slightly itchy.
As the cool seawater washed across her ankles and the moist grains of sand gently sank beneath her feet, every sensation she felt appeared vivid and unfamiliar to her.
"Try taking a couple of steps."
Lucian, seeing the transformation succeed without any problems at all, spoke with a faint smile as he watched her reaction with interest.
Hysilens looked at him, who stood only a few steps away from her, for a brief moment before finally gathering her courage and taking her very first step.
Her left foot slowly lifted from the ground and stepped forward onto the sand, then planted itself firmly as she carefully shifted her center of gravity forward little by little.
'Good!'
Hysilens inwardly cheered for herself, her heart immediately filling with delight and excitement, then she quickly attempted to take her second step by lifting her right foot forward, but—
"Ah!"
Hysilens suddenly cried out as she accidentally stepped onto a slick patch of seaweed hidden beneath the wet sand, causing her foot to abruptly lose traction and slip out from under her!
In an instant, her body completely lost balance and helplessly pitched forward.
*Swish!*
Seeing the sudden accident, Lucian reacted extremely quickly as he immediately dashed forward and caught Hysilens around the waist before she could completely lose her balance.
Hysilens instantly fell straight into his arms, causing her nose to bump lightly against his solid chest and sting slightly from the impact.
However, more than that faint pain, it was the pleasant masculine scent lingering on him that made her feel an unexpected sense of ease, making her arms instinctively wrap tightly around his waist, like she was desperately clutching onto a lifeline.
At this moment, her heart pounded wildly and uncontrollably inside her chest, not knowing whether it was from the sudden fright or something else entirely.
"Thank you... It's a good thing you were here..."
Hysilens lifted her head slightly and looked up into Lucian's eyes, revealing a grateful yet somewhat shy expression as a faint trace of embarrassment appeared on her face.
"It's alright. Just take it slow."
Lucian lightly patted her back in reassurance, then carefully helped her stand upright with a gentle movement, though he still did not fully let go, as one hand continued steadily supporting one of her arms to keep her from losing balance again.
"Ugh!"
Hysilens suddenly groaned painfully and frowned deeply as she tried to put weight on her foot and stand properly.
"I think… I twisted my ankle…"
Hearing this, Lucian immediately lowered his gaze and looked down, only to see that her right ankle had already reddened slightly and was beginning to swell a little.
"Hahh... I figured this would happen," Lucian sighed helplessly before turning his gaze toward a large dry reef nearby. "C'mon, sit down first."
Truth be told, when Hysilens told him that she wanted to turn her fish tail into human legs on her own, Lucian had already guessed that she would end up spraining something while trying to walk for the first time.
In the original story, no one knew exactly how long it had taken her, after fighting against black tide creatures and personally slaughtering her own kind, to finally learn how to walk steadily on land, nor how many times she had twisted her ankles and fallen throughout the painful process.
No wonder she wanted a bright lamp, a flame that could illuminate the path ahead and guide her through the darkness.
Remembering Hysilens's fate in the original story, Lucian let out a soft sigh before carefully lifting her into a princess carry and placing her onto the large, dry reef nearby. Right after, he crouched down in front of her and gently held her injured right ankle in his hands.
He had to admit that the sensation of her skin was exceptionally good.
It was delicate, smooth, and slightly cool to the touch, and there were even still faint traces of scales left behind along her skin, giving it a uniquely beautiful and almost enchanting appearance that made him want to touch it a little longer.
At the same time, feeling Lucian's long, warm fingers wrapped around her ankle and seeing how focused his gaze was as he stared at it as though he wanted to pierce a hole through it, Hysilens's face gradually flushed red, and she instinctively wanted to pull her foot back in embarrassment.
However...
"Alright, don't move."
Noticing Hysilens's embarrassment, Lucian spoke quietly while carefully beginning to examine her slightly red and swollen ankle.
Even though the injury itself was not particularly serious, for a sea siren using human legs to walk for the very first time, it was definitely painful enough to make her suffer.
*Zing—*
A gentle emerald-green glow lit up at Lucian's fingertips—a clear sign that the power of Abundance was flowing forth—then it softly spread over the swollen ankle, wrapping around it like a warm current of water.
Warm.
Very comfortable.
Hysilens dazedly looked at Lucian's focused side profile from up close.
His head was slightly lowered.
His long eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath his eyes.
His expression was serious and attentive.
His fingers were extremely gentle as they lightly massaged her ankle, carefully controlling the flow of healing energy while making sure not to hurt her again.
As the warm power of Abundance gradually seeped into her skin, the redness visibly faded little by little, and the throbbing pain quickly disappeared along with it.
In just a few moments, Hysilens felt warm inside, and a little... embarrassed.
Having her foot held so gently like this, she didn't know why, but it felt incredibly strange and embarrassing, making her heart feel mushy and tingly at the same time. Especially as the warmth spreading through her ankle slowly traveled throughout her entire body, it caused her breathing to become slightly uneven.
Unconsciously, her heartbeat began to speed up again.
"Okay, all done," Lucian said with a faint smile as he slowly released Hysilens's right leg. "Try moving it around a little, see if it still hurts."
"It..." Hysilens paused for a moment before carefully rotating her ankle as instructed, only to realize she could move it completely freely. "It doesn't hurt anymore... it actually feels... like it never hurt at all..."
"Good..." Lucian nodded in relief, the tension in his expression easing slightly, then extended both of his hands toward her. "C'mon, this time I'll hold you."
"Mm!"
Hysilens smiled and nodded energetically, then placed both her hands into Lucian's warm palms.
As soon as she felt his firm, strong grasp, she instantly felt very safe, her anxiety disappearing as her smile unconsciously widened.
In the next moment, after taking a deep breath, she carefully stood up, and with Lucian walking beside her while steadily supporting her two arms, she slowly stepped forward.
*Tap—* *Tap—* *Tap—* *Tap—*
Even though she looked a bit clumsy, like a duckling that had only just learned how to walk, Hysilens's progress was extremely fast.
"I can walk!"
After not even a minute of trying, Hysilens laughed happily as she finally managed to walk steadily without Lucian supporting her body anymore. Although her steps were still somewhat unsteady, she could already maintain her balance on her own.
Lucian looked at Hysilens's radiant smile and smiled as well, his gaze carrying a faint trace of admiration.
"Umu, you're learning real fast. You're crazy smart. One day, you'll definitely make it out among the stars."
After praising Hysilens, Lucian released his right hand that had been supporting her left arm, then began leading her forward step by step from the side while holding her right hand with his left.
Along the way, the two of them gradually left behind two neat lines of footprints on the soft white sand of the beach—one large and one small.
Soon, a gentle sea breeze drifted across the shore, slightly fluttering Hysilens's long black hair and lightly brushing against her fair cheeks, while the warm sunlight poured down from above, quietly gilding her figure with a soft golden outline.
In that moment, she truly looked exceptionally beautiful.
Hysilens lifted her head and looked at the white clouds slowly drifting across the vast blue sky, then turned to look at Lucian beside her, who was still quietly holding her right hand as he guided her forward.
Feeling the warmth coming from his palm, her already joyful heart instantly became filled with another wave of happiness.
As they continued walking together along the beach, she gradually noticed that his hand was large and very warm, completely enveloping her slightly cool palm as though he was afraid she might suddenly lose her balance again.
A bold thought suddenly surfaced in her mind.
'If only I could be led by his hand forever, moving forward like this…'
'No need to think about a goal, no need to search for a path, no need to fear danger.'
'As long as I hold Lucian's hand and stay by his side, wherever he goes, I will go too…'
'How wonderful that would be...'
===
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the coastal city-state known as Styxia, a land encircled by brilliant rainbows and ever-flowing ocean currents, the massive corpse of a white dragon had completely blocked the entrance to the city-state, preventing anyone from leaving or entering.
At this moment, the soldiers of Styxia had already sealed off the entire area, forbidding anyone from approaching recklessly.
Aside from the Queen of Styxia herself, along with the soldiers and elders from Styxia's Council of Elders, the ordinary civilians could only stand far away in anxiety as they watched the terrifying scene from a distance.
In their eyes, the enormous dragon corpse lay motionless across the entrance like a mountain of pale scales and shattered flesh, its lingering pressure still enough to make people instinctively tremble with fear.
"Your Majesty, the female infant brought by the dragon is by no means an ordinary being, since she possesses the power to bring death. Moreover, that dragon should also be a creature from the nether realm, so it must be related to the Death Titan."
"Mm, that's precisely why that infant is our salvation. She must be allowed to grow up safely, no matter what."
"But the River of Souls keeps rising, and the rate of increase has been accelerating lately. If this continues, we may soon be forced to relocate."
"Relocate where? We can't leave with this dragon here blocking the path. Even if we somehow manage to leave, where would we settle when wars are raging everywhere outside?"
"At this point, we can only seek help from Phagousa… We can only pray that they will save us, save this city-state that now believes in 'Death'…"
Hearing the increasingly heated discussion among the elders, the queen couldn't help but let out a helpless sigh, a faint trace of exhaustion appearing in her eyes.
Styxia had originally been a city-state that worshipped the Ocean Titan, Phagousa, but now they had gained another belief, becoming the first city-state in Amphoreus to believe in 'Death.'
Along with the impulses and desires born from their limited lives, the people of Styxia gradually became intoxicated by and obsessed with the concept itself, unable to free themselves from its influence, no matter how hard they struggled.
To them, death was no longer merely the end of life, but a sacred and inevitable truth that gave meaning to existence itself.
In their eyes, only death could truly teach people what 'cherishing' meant, because only those who understood loss would desperately cling to the things they loved, treasuring every fleeting moment before it disappeared forever.
However, the problem lay precisely here.
What they desired was that sense of 'cherishing,' a death that came with the natural end of one's lifespan, a death filled with meaning and acceptance, not the miserable and senseless death brought by 'the annihilation of an entire city due to a disaster.'
And now, with the waters of the River of Souls continuing to rise without any sign of stopping, it would soon swallow their home whole and, along with it, kill everyone living within Styxia.
However, that was not the 'Death' they wanted, nor was it the ending they were willing to accept, so they could only place their hopes upon the Ocean Titan, praying that they would answer their desperate pleas and be willing to save this city-state that stood on the brink of collapse.
===
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