"We can't thank you enough for everything that you have done for us." Lamia, the current leader of the Undine Clan, addressed the brown-haired dwarf next to her. "And that after we tricked and captured you, even threatened to kill you… How can we make it up to you?"

Alviss of Blackforest coughed into fist a few times, clearing his throat, before saying, almost in a pleading tone. "Don' mention it…"

The two were standing side by side in the central square, overlooking the new atmosphere around the Nimue and Rania statues.

Sirens, tritons, adventurers, children… Everyone was dancing with joy, drinking their fill in SeaSmack or the like, even singing with such ethereal voices that made Alviss' hair stand on end.

It had only been roughly a few hours since the magical wave and the new deity had completely disappeared, but the air of pure glistening humidity still covered everyone on Sweet Scylla as they celebrated.

"..."

Alviss and Lamia looked on, taking in the cheerful scenes with silence.

However, when a hint of a smile began to appear on the leader of the Undine Clan, it had gradually turned into a wince instead.

Despite the joyous occasion, there was still a clear divide between the sirens and the tritons. Their past was still silently weighing on the minds of both parties, neither knowing how to mend the broken trust between them.

Even if the tritons had been controlled by a Hyking creature, their actions and words had made their mark like fresh scar throbbing at the sight of the one who inflicted it.

As for the Hyking creature, Frido, he was still in a deep sleep, unknowingly using an empty fruit basket as his bed. Although the creature stirred something unknown within Alviss, he still took it upon himself to carry the basket.

"What are you going to do now?" Lamia asked, turning to the dwarf next to her.

He was fully clothed again, having recovered most of his belongings from the nearby shore. Unfortunately, the small boat he had been using had fallen victim to the waves that destroyed all of the Golden Garden Guild ships docking on Sweet Scylla or sailing near it.

Since his job as the tritons' blacksmith was likely over, he had no reason to stay on Sweet Scylla any longer. It was time to rejoin the friends he had traveled with to Tartarus.

Only one thing was still eating at him.

"... I-"

"How dare you?!"

Just as the dwarf began to speak, a loud shout interrupted him. It made everyone in the central square turn to face the source.

"Do you know what the Coin Masters will do to you now?! They will completely crush you for what you've done!" A man leaned on his staff with a blue jewel on top of it. His steps were slow as water continuously dripped from his body and clothes.

Despite every other Golden Garden Guild member having disappeared from the island, this one man was seemingly forgotten to be transported through the shadows.

Alviss instantly reached for his legendary hammer, Amphy. However, Lamia's hand stopped him.

"?"

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"I'll give you one last chance! Submit to me and I just might put in a good word for you with the Coin Masters-"

"Sleep~"

"..."

Two sirens had spared no time in appearing at the man's sides, leaning in and whispering in his ear with ethereal voices. The man instantly dropped to the ground, his soaked clothes dragging him down with added weight.

When Alviss turned around, noticing the unusual silence around the central square, he could see the weapons he had forged brandished by the tritons and ready to be used had the man not been dealt with.

"We will be fine." Lamia muttered beneath her breath as she stared at the two statues in front of her. Then turned to Alviss again. This time, she spoke clearly. "The Golden Garden Guild, and whoever else tries to threaten us from now on, won't find it so easy to tame us!"

"T'was me honor to have fought alongside such brave warriors of the sea." The corners of Alviss' lips curled up into a faint smile as he extended his hand to the leader. "May yer deity give ya strength and protect ya."

"There is still a lot to be worked on, we even lost a few precious members of our clan today…" Lamia shook the dwarf's hand briefly, then turned to look at her people resuming their joyous celebrations. "But the Undine Clan has woken up from its deep slumber. A new tide is here, and we will ride the waves of change."

"Of that, I have no doubt." Alviss added, then from the corner of his eye, he caught something he'd been looking for all this time. "!"

It was the friend that he had made on this island, with his gourd in hand, dragging himself away through the festivities, songs and laughter. Every few steps, he bumped into someone, not bothering to stop for an apology.

"Pretty mermaid lass…" Alviss addressed Lamia with slightly narrow eyes, keeping them on his target.

"?"

"I need a favor after all…"

**👑**

The skies above Sweet Scylla were now clear, with only the usual thick mist in the distance. Occasionally, the full moon would appear, shining its bright light on the hidden continent below.

The waves were now calm around the island, most tides ending short of reaching the shore, and those that did, gently brushed the sand and the feet of the one waking person not partaking in the Undine Clan's joy.

Instead, he chugged on his newly filled sake gourd and let the cheap and tasteless drink numb his throat. He hadn't kept count how many times he had filled it by now, but it only cost him a couple of keys for a refill. On the other hand, SeaSmack, the local specialty, although tasted better, was more expensive.

Lawkey was sitting with his back hunched, resting his arms on his knees. Every now and then, when the waters barely reached his feet, his eyes would follow the tide returning back to the calm sea.

"..."

As he gazed into the far distance with his emerald eyes, a silence moment would pass before he chugged more of his drink and lowered his head back down.

Behind him lay a discarded newspaper he had picked up during his last refill journey. On it, he could finally check the date after having been lost at sea with no sense of time. However, in his current state, he had seen double digits, leading him to believe a fantasy.

That it was his birthday, the day he should always celebrate.

He had scoffed at the irony of it all. One of the reasons he had made the journey to Sweet Scylla was to celebrate the day. Now, neither that was possible, nor could he get any information on the Leviathan's whereabouts so far.

To make matters worse, the only two people he had wanted to protect more than anyone on his island were now gone with no chance of seeing them again.

And so, he drank.

"!"

As his gourd reached around half again, he noticed it.

From his shadow, a small distortion gave life to a little companion, dragging itself from the black tentacles still attached to its form. A moment later, the tri-colored butterfly was flapping its wings freely, circling around the drunk swordsman.

A trail of black, green and pinkish purple outlined its path before it stopped in front of Lawkey's face for a moment.

"..."

Looking at it for an instance, likely seeing more than one butterfly, he quickly lowered his head again in an exaggerated sigh.

"!"

"?!"

His action earned him a barrage of gentle wings flapping between his eyes, an attack that seemed to successfully get his attention.

"Ah! Fine, fine! I'll get up soon, just leave me alone for a bit, will you?" With the back of his free hand, he slowly pushed the butterfly away and chugged another mouthful from his gourd. When he was done, he grumbled again. "I can't even drink in peace without getting pestered and annoyed."

"..."

The butterfly looked on in silence for a moment, then, as if unable to keep its current form, it slowly melted back into the shadows, resuming its slumber.

"It's always the same…" Lawkey muttered beneath his breath, raising his head to look towards the calm sea again. "Why do you all ask the same of me? Can't you see there isn't a single promise I can keep…"

He grabbed a handful of sand, clenching fist around them.

"Can't you see I'm not someone who should be trusted with responsibility?"

As he uttered those words, another tide hit the shore, this time, reaching all the way up to him.

"..."

Looking down at the small puddle left behind, the water surface relaxed into images of those he had lost on this day.

Their smiles, their joy, it was all gone now.

Annoyed, he punched the puddle, breaking away the images.

However, in their place, as the split droplets got consumed by the sand, something else appeared in the empty puddle.

"Dammit all…" He clicked his tongue at the sight. "Can you not give me a single break?"

Beneath him lay the playing card which depicted him as a phantom king.

The very one the Undying Elder had bestowed upon him six years ago.

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