"If you two aren't men, what are you then?" the Siren asked, dark lines marring her beautiful face.
"He's a blob, and I'm an immortal," Aaron replied with a cheeky smile.
The Sirens frowned, dark smoke emanating from their bodies.
"You dare lie to us! There's no way a kid can be an immortal!" the Siren hissed.
Aaron sighed, casually moving his hand downward towards the sea, which split into two, reaching hundreds of miles away.
The Sirens' eyes widened in shock. Without hesitation, they all knelt.
"Please forgive our insolence. We didn't mean to offend an immortal," they said quickly.
Aaron grinned. "If you guys want my forgiveness, you just have to do one thing."
The Sirens looked up at him.
"Immortal, aren't you too young to ask for pleasures? But if that's what you truly want, we'll try our best to pleasure you," one of them said.
"What?!" Aaron was stunned.
"Hahahaha!!!!!"
Protean burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. "Did she just say 'pleasure'? Hahaha!!!"
The Sirens looked at the two in confusion, then turned to Aaron.
"That's not what I want. I'm building a kingdom, and I need allies. That is, I'll be your king and ruler."
The Sirens exchanged glances, and the first one said, "Immortal, we were created to sing for Queen Goddess Persephone for her return. Won't our goal be changed if we join you?"
"Calm down, Elisa. You'll join me, but you can still carry on with whatever task you do. But if this Queen Persephone gets in the way... I'll just have to kill her."
The Sirens frowned. "Don't you know our Queen Persephone?" Elisa asked, unfazed by how he knew her name.
"Do I have to know her before having the right to kill her?" he asked back.
Elisa sighed with a smile. "I guess not."
"So... Are you accepting my offer?"
"What's in it for us?" another Siren asked.
"Protection from me, and peace with the merfolks and sea folks."
"So you're saying those two stubborn beings are under you?" Elisa asked, surprised.
"Yes. The merqueen will have to join me, or I'll destroy their race, and you and Mali will gain their territory."
"Then I hope she refuses. We can have more sea to hunt," Elisa said with a smile.
"If she joins me, you can still use her sea to feed." He drew the Alliance Circle and passed it to her.
"What is this?" Elisa asked, staring at the circle.
"An Alliance Circle. The moment you place your palm on it, you'll never think of betraying me, let alone enter my territory without my permission."
"Where is your territory?" she asked.
"This world," Aaron replied simply.
'Uh? How can we enter this world without your permission when we are already in it?'
Elisa thought for a moment, then nodded and placed her palm on the circle. It moved to her sisters, who also placed their palms on it.
Aaron walked to the still-kneeling Elisa, cupped her chin with his small hand, and smiled at her.
"You are surely beautiful, but not like the girl who has caught my eye." He let go and walked towards Protean.
"You can all rise."
The Sirens stood, staring at Aaron in awe. Even with their beauty, he wasn't moved. Though he was a child, they knew the soul within him was far beyond his years.
A gateway appeared behind Protean. "We'll see you again," Aaron said, the last words the Sirens heard before he walked into the gateway with Protean.
"Are you sure about this, Elisa?"
"Do you want to go against an immortal who could split the sea in two, Becca?" Elisa asked back.
The Sirens remained silent, but Becca asked again, "What if, when he comes of age, he desires our bodies?"
"I'll gladly give him mine," Elisa said with a beautiful smile, and the others nodded.
___
The space distorted and tore open, and Aaron and Protean emerged from the gateway.
"Huh? Are we under the sea?" Protean asked, looking around in shock, seeing countless fish swimming around them.
"Aren't you wondering why you can breathe and speak underwater?" Aaron asked, floating towards the city that stood at the sea's depths.
"You can breathe and speak beneath the sea because of your water resistance, so I can also breathe and speak in it. Don't forget we share the same energy."
Aaron nodded and continued floating towards the depths.
"Stop there!" four merfolks swam up to them, each holding long spears.
Aaron observed them closely. This was his first time seeing a mermaid up close.
"What is your duty here?!"
"How did you get here?!"
"Aren't you just a child?!"
"Go back now, if you don't want us to attack!"
Aaron growled in frustration hearing so many questions.
He calmly waved his finger, throwing the four meters away.
"Your queen is the only one worthy to speak to me."
The four stabilized themselves and stared at Aaron and Protean with murderous intent.
"How dare you! Kill him!" the one in the center yelled, and they all charged at the two.
"Should I kill them?" Protean asked.
"Nope, they're just doing their jobs. I know how to get her attention without causing any damage." He waved his hand again, forming a water cyclone beneath the sea.
The four, who were charging, stopped in shock.
Aaron clenched his fist, and the cyclone increased in speed and exploded, spreading waves across the ocean, frightening all the fish away.
Whoosh!!!!
"She's coming," Aaron said.
"So quick?"
Aaron smiled. "She and my great aunt are best friends. This is how my aunt always called her when she wanted to see her," he explained.
"Is that--"
The two heard a soft but beautiful voice behind them. They turned to see a beautiful mermaid with golden hair and a long silver tail. Her upper body was covered by a silk outfit he hadn't seen before, and a golden crown sat on her head.
"Who are you?" she asked, moving her gaze to her four guards, then to Aaron.
"Don't worry, these fools won't be able to arrest me. I'm here to see you," Aaron said.
"Me? I have one question," the merqueen said with a slight frown.
"Go on."
"How did you know my best friend's calling skill?"
"My name is Emperor Aaron, nephew of the late Princess Anne."
"Nephew? Late? You don't mean--"
"--My aunt is dead for a year now."
The merqueen's face turned solemn. "I thought she abandoned me and broke our friendship. I didn't know..." She paused and stared at Aaron with suspicion.
"If she died a year ago, then how come you know her calling? You might look like a ten-year-old elf, but I know you are only a year old... And how can an elf be the nephew of a demoness who's also a princess?"
"So many questions again," Aaron sighed. With a thought, a screen formed in front of the queen, showing images of his father's memories, then his aunt's with the merqueen, then his mother's, and finally his own.
"Did this answer your questions?" he asked.
She looked at him from head to toe, then sighed. "It seems you are telling the truth."
Aaron nodded and activated his eyes.
{All Seeing Eyes.}
{Name: Heartily (Merqueen). Class: Celestial. Info: Extremely dangerous (powerless against you). Note: Queen of the merfolks and loves her people with her life, trustworthy.}
'This isn't surprising,' he thought.
"Hello, are we going to remain out here? Aren't you inviting us in?" Protean asked with a frown.
"And who are you?" Heartily asked.
"Are you kidding me?! Didn't you see me in those pictures?! For your information, I'm Protean, his subordinate."
Heartily stared at him for a moment, then nodded indifferently, and turned to Aaron.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
"I'm building a kingdom, and I need allies... Let me ask: do you want revenge on those who killed your best friend?"
Heartily thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know them?"
Aaron nodded.
"How?"
"I have all her memories, and the 'things' you two did together."
The queen's cheeks reddened for the first time, but she yelled at him, "What are you saying?! Watch what you say around the queen!"
Aaron just nodded at her. "Can we go somewhere private? We have a lot to discuss, and I have only 30 minutes left."
"Okay, follow me." Heartily turned and swam towards the city below.
Aaron smirked at the four guards and followed her.
"So how long have you guys been living here?" he asked.
"We merfolks have been here for more than five centuries," she answered, not even looking at him.
"Five centuries? That's way beyond the time of the abyssal gate. I thought you came out from the gate?"
"No... Mali and I were once the rulers of the sea, then the sirens appeared, and other things..."
"Other things?" Aaron frowned.
"If you want me to join you... You have to kill at least five of these things and bring their heads to me. Then I'll think about your offer." She swam away, and Aaron and Protean stopped.
"I'm asking nicely because you had a good relationship with my aunt. Although I don't know her, her memories filled in the gap," Aaron muttered to himself.
"What should we do now?" Protean asked.
"Ask her how to find these 'things'," he said, swimming forward, following her.
"Good grief," Protean sighed, following him.