As the leviathan landed on the coral reefs below, Nova turned to his companions. Their expressions held both awe and concern. He conjured the Mermaid's Echo again, no longer able to speak freely underwater. "I could not take the chance, Anny. You lost your protection."

(It's fine, it was the safe choice. But now we will be much weaker for an entire week…)

(Better than dead. But I don't know if we can wait that long…)

Princess Naia swam over to them with her eyes wide with wonder. "That was... I have never seen such power!" Her voice was filled with reverence. "You fought like the ocean kings of legend."

Nova nodded, wiping away blood that had already been healed. "It is a limited power. You can probably feel how my power has become even weaker than usual."

"Yes. Now you seem weaker than when we first met."

(Are you alright?) Anny asked through their connection, swimming closer. The concern was clear on her face.

(All wounds were healed once I used the trait. But I feel weak, so I'll stop using the fragment until it charges back up…What about your wounds?)

(Mostly external, and closing fast. I lost a fair bit of blood, though…)

(Yeah, we'll fix that later. For now, we should just focus on getting into the city peacefully.)

Princess Naia gestured toward a passage that stretched beyond the fallen leviathan. The creature's massive form had blocked their view until now, but with it dead, they could see the tunnel continued deeper into the dungeon's depths.

"The city lies just ahead," she said, moving toward the passage while looking back at them. "But we should be careful. I'm not completely confident I can get you through without some opposition. But they will appreciate how you killed one of the leviathans."

Nova glanced back at the leviathan's corpse. The frozen flesh chilled the surrounding water, creating cloudy streams of tiny crystals. "Good. We didn't want to cause any trouble."

"Quite the opposite. You've done us a great service." Princess Naia's expression brightened. "The guards will hopefully escort us to my brother immediately. Such a deed must be reported to Prince Nereon."

The passage they entered was unlike anything Nova had seen in the dungeon so far. Where other floors had been crude stone corridors, this tunnel was a work of art. The walls were lined with polished white rocks that reflected their movements in shimmering patterns. Delicate sea anemones swayed from carefully maintained gardens. Their tentacles created gentle currents that guided them forward.

Schools of luminescent fish moved in precise formations through the water. Their scales caught and scattered the light from overhead crystals. The effect was mesmerizing—like swimming through liquid starlight.

"It's beautiful," Nova said, borrowing the princess's voice again, genuinely impressed despite their urgent situation.

"My people have had centuries to perfect our craft," Princess Naia replied with obvious pride. But then her expression shifted dramatically. "Though… I guess this is just a reconstruction of what a real mermaid city would look like."

Nova felt her sorrow deep in his chest. Knowing that your entire life was just a creation for the sake of hindering dungeon divers, that all your knowledge and history was likely just a fabrication, he couldn't even imagine it.

"I'm sorry the world is like this."

"...It is… hard, not feeling hatred for those who created us. And, the same goes for you two, if I'm being honest. I envy you both so much."

"Don't feel bad about that. A desire for freedom is only natural, so when seeing people who have it, it's normal to feel envy."

"I suppose…"

(At least tell her the world is far more cruel than she thinks,) Anny projected, staring at Nova while moving around a school of fish gently swimming by.

(That wouldn't make her feel better. As long as she will be trapped here, let her dream of the wonderful outside world.)

They swam for several minutes through increasingly grand passages. The walls began to show scenes of underwater battles, great migrations of sea creatures, and figures that looked like gods of the ocean depths. The artistry was breathtaking. Each detail was carved with loving precision.

(This doesn't feel like a dungeon anymore,) Anny observed.

(No, it feels like we're visiting an actual civilization. It's very detailed, considering its only purpose is to exist for us dungeon divers...)

The passage suddenly opened into a vast underwater cavern, and Nova's breath caught in his throat—or would have, if he still breathed air.

The mermaid city spread before them in impossible grandeur. Towering spires of living coral twisted upward toward the cavern's ceiling. Their surfaces were covered in bioluminescent patterns that pulsed like heartbeats. Each building seemed grown rather than built, with organic curves and flowing lines that moved with the gentle currents.

Streets paved with crushed pearls wound between the structures, glowing with their own inner light. Gardens of sea anemones and kelp forests created parks and gathering spaces, where merfolk could be seen going about their daily lives. Fish of every color imaginable swam through the water. Some were clearly pets or companions to the city's inhabitants.

At the city's heart stood a palace that defied description. It rose from the seafloor like a mountain of crystal and coral. Its multiple levels were connected by spiraling ramps and bridges.

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"Welcome to Pelagios," Princess Naia said. Her voice was filled with bittersweet pride. "The Jewel of the Deep."

(It's incredible,) Anny projected. Her mental voice was filled with wonder. (I've never seen anything like it.)

(Wow… It really is incredible.)

Nova found himself wondering why anyone would go through so much effort to create this place. Was it perhaps a copy of some real-world equivalent?

'Or perhaps even from another world?'

The city seemed alive, breathing with the rhythm of the ocean itself. Every surface caught and reflected light in different ways, creating a constantly shifting display of color and brilliance.

As they approached the city's outskirts, a patrol of mermaid guards emerged from behind a coral formation. They moved with the same mechanical precision Nova had observed in other dungeon creatures, though their forms were more elegant. The leader was an imposing figure with midnight-blue scales and a trident that crackled with chilling energy. She swam directly toward them.

Princess Naia moved protectively in front of Nova and Anny. She raised her own staff in a gesture of peaceful greeting. "Captain Thalassa," she called out. "I have returned with guests."

The captain's silver eyes studied Nova and Anny without obvious emotion. Her gaze lingered on the blood still staining their clothes and the weapons at their sides. "Princess. We felt tremors from the nearby chambers. Is the leviathan active?"

"It's dead," Princess Naia said, gesturing to Nova and Anny. "Slain by these two warriors."

The patrol shifted slightly, but showed no particular reaction to the news. The guards waited for orders with the patient stillness of well-trained soldiers.

Captain Thalassa nodded once. "Then they must be brought before Prince Nereon immediately. Such an accomplishment warrants the Prince's attention."

"Of course," Princess Naia agreed. "They come in peace, seeking audience with our father."

"That is for the Prince to decide." Captain Thalassa gestured to her patrol. They formed an escort formation around the trio. The arrangement wasn't quite threatening, but it was clear they had no choice but to comply.

(Looks like we're getting the royal treatment,) Anny observed wryly.

(Better than being attacked on sight,) Nova replied. (Let's see what this prince is like.)

As they were escorted deeper into the city, Nova marveled at the details around them. Mermaid children played in the currents created by the architecture. They chased schools of tiny fish through elaborate games. Merchants sold wares from stalls made of shaped coral. Their goods ranged from weapons crafted from sea creature bones to jewelry that seemed to capture and hold light.

The water carried sounds differently here. Conversations became musical, and laughter turned into something like whale song. It was hauntingly beautiful. Nova found himself wondering if he could bring these items out of the dungeon, but he assumed there would be some rule preventing it.

'Surely they wouldn't give away anything outside of the rewards…'

They passed through several districts, each with its own character. One area seemed dedicated to craftsmanship, with smiths working at forges that somehow burned underwater. They shaped metal with tools Nova couldn't identify. Another district appeared to be residential, with family groups gathered around formations that might have been dining areas.

All of it felt vibrantly alive and real. These weren't dungeon monsters following simple behavioral patterns—they were people living complex lives in an impossible underwater civilization. Or, at least, that's what the architecture and city told him. The people themselves seemed less alive in comparison.

'No wonder Naia is going mad here. Anyone would around these robotic beings.'

Finally, they reached the palace itself. Up close, it was even more magnificent than it had appeared from a distance. The entrance was guarded by massive statues of sea creatures. Krakens, leviathans, and beings Nova couldn't identify stood in silent watch. Each statue's eyes followed their movement, suggesting they were more than mere decoration.

Captain Thalassa led them through corridors that grew progressively more ornate. The walls here were covered in murals depicting the history of the mermaid kingdom. Great battles, the founding of the city, and scenes of daily life stretched back what must have been millennia.

"The Prince holds court in the War Chamber," Captain Thalassa explained as they swam. "He has been expecting challengers, though none like you have appeared before."

(Challengers? Will we have to fight him?) Anny looked worried, glancing at Nova. Their fighting power was strongly reduced.

(It might just be a standard introduction. We will have to meet him to know anything for sure, and Naia says he will be similar to her.)

They passed through a set of massive doors carved from some kind of black coral, each one easily four meters tall. Beyond lay a circular chamber with a domed ceiling that showed the surface world far above—sunlight filtering down through impossible depths.

At the chamber's center, on a raised dais made of polished shell, sat a figure that could only be Prince Nereon.

He was larger than his sister, with the powerful build of a warrior. His lower body was that of a great shark, sleek and predatory. His upper torso showed the scars of countless battles. A crown of coral and pearls sat on his brow, and the weight of centuries showed in his eyes.

When he spoke, his voice carried the authority of someone accustomed to absolute obedience.

"Guards, leave us."

"At once, your highness!" Captain Thalassa bowed and quickly left the room, bringing with her the rest of the guards and closing the door.

"So," Prince Nereon said. His gaze fixed on Nova and Anny with penetrating intensity. "You are the ones who slew the leviathan." It wasn't a question.

"Nero!" Princess Naia swam straight into her borther's arms, giving him a warm hug. The force made the chair fall over backwards, leaving them floating in the water above it. "It's been so long!"

"Ahh, in front of our guests?! Naia, please explain what's going on."

"Oh, apologies!" Princess Naia released him and swam back to the two others, bowing gracefully before her brother. "Brother, I present Nova and Anny, surface dwellers who seek an audience with our father. They need our hearts!"

'...This feels awkward.'

"Oh? You're here to kill us?" Just like his sister, Prince Nero seemed almost hopeful at the prospect of dying. "Can we do it in battle?!"

Nova stepped forward with the Mermaid's Echo floating beside him. "We would prefer to find a peaceful solution to this quest. If the two of you really wish to die, we can help you. But first, we need to find a way to beat this level."

"The dungeon's trial speaks of bringing our hearts to father," Princess Naia explained to Nero. "But there are two ways to interpret this. The first is literal—to kill us and take our physical hearts. The second is to… to make us love him again."

(Ah,) Nova projected, finally seeing what should be the true meaning of the objective. (That makes much more sense.)

The prince scoffed. "Well, you might as well kill us right now, then. The only way I will ever love that man… I can't even think of one."

'Ah, well… That option probably takes time.'

"There is another option," Nova said, looking between the two of them. "Or two, possibly. Just bringing the two of you to him could work."

"...And the last one?"

"I am a very good doctor. I can take your hearts out of your chests and present them while still keeping the two of you alive."

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