The Storm Through The Tide

The heavy coral doors burst open.

Shui Yi's father stood at the entrance of her chamber, the golden markings on his armor gleaming under bioluminescence. His nostrils flared, and his sharp gaze locked onto her.

The deafening silence was the cue for the subordinates to flee from the scene. The King wanted to have a private conversation with the Princess.

Shui Yi had never feared her father, but tonight was the most furious she had seen him.

"Tell me," the King finally spoke. "Who did you give your sacred pearl to?"

Shui Yi's hands balled into fists at her sides.

"I didn't give my sacred pearl to anyone… I don't carry it with me," Shui Yi said, forcing herself to meet his gaze.

The King took a deep breath, nostrils still flaring, hands curling into a tight fist.

"Do you know where you keep your sacred pearl?"

"Yes," she said quickly, a nervous lump forming in her throat.

"In my jewelry box…"

The King shook his head in disbelief. "Child, do you even know what a sacred pearl is?"

Shui Yi stared at the floor. She could no longer keep up the facade.

"I… I don't..."

Her father exhaled, briefly closing his eyes. When he reopened them, the storm in his gaze had not faded, but it had stirred into something far more dangerous—disappointment.

"Your white hair is a sign that you no longer have the sacred pearl within you."

"What?"

Her fingers instinctively reached for her hair. The truth settled uneasily in her chest, but still, she clung to any excuse she could grasp.

The King cleared his throat. "Shui Yi, did you give someone something precious to you?"

Trying to follow his prompt, Shui Yi muttered, "I gave it to a wounded merfolk."

The room darkened.

"Child, do not lie to me."

His words cracked through the chamber like a whip.

Shui Yi flinched.

"I—I only wanted to help—"

"Help?" His voice rose, and this time, the atmosphere trembled with the force of his fury.

The corals around them dimmed. The currents rippled.

"You are a princess of the sea," the King growled, stepping closer, his towering form casting a long shadow over her. "Your sacred pearl is not something you give away like a trinket."

Shui Yi swallowed, her voice small."Then… tell me."

A long silence.

Then, with a sigh, the King pinched the bridge of his nose, his anger simmering.

"The sacred pearl is not just a symbol of your lineage. It is not just a part of you." His voice lowered, tinged with concern. "It is you. Your very essence. Your life force."

Shui Yi's lips parted, but no sound came out.

"You did not help a wounded merfolk," the King continued. "You have tied your life to theirs."

Shui Yi felt the blood drain from her face. Tied… her life?

She recalled the strange encounter with the handsome stranger before he turned into an eel. The way her own body had weakened after she tried to resuscitate him…

It wasn't just a simple act of kindness.

It had changed everything.

The King studied her reaction carefully. For the first time, she looked truly shaken.

His expression slightly softened.

His gaze saddened."If your mother were here…" His voice briefly faltered, then steadied. "She would have taught you these things."

Shui Yi's shoulders slumped. She wished she had the chance to meet her mother. That longing ached in her chest—a void she had never known how to fill.

"Father, I'm sorry… I didn't know," she whispered.

"No," the King said, his tone resigned. "You wouldn't have known."

He took a step back, his regal posture returning - the ruler of the sea once more.

"That is why you must fix this."

"Fix…?"

The King met her gaze.

"We must get your sacred pearl back."

Then he lifted his trident. The ancient weapon, engraved with symbols of their lineage, pulsed with a deep, ominous glow.

Shui Yi's stomach churned as the King's trident trembled, its energy expanding. A low hum resounded throughout the chamber.

Her father lifted his arm.

"Let the ocean guide me to what was lost."

A pulse of power surged from the trident.

Shui Yi gasped as the currents stirred, twisting and spiraling outward from the golden tip.

The King's eyes glowed as the trident slowly levitated from his grip.

"The bond that has been forged. Lead me to the carrier of my daughter's sacred pearl."

"No…" she whispered, shaking her head. "Please, Father, I beg you—don't do this."

But her father had made his decision.

The trident hovered away, its energy stretching out beyond the chamber, searching—

Then, it stopped.

The tip lowered slowly, pointing at the eel resting by her bedside.