Chapter 127 - The Little Mermaid

"This seems so surreal," said Christopher. His head rested on Amanda's belly as they lay at night in the bed of his chamber. 

He could feel the baby moving from time to time, especially when Amanda would lie on her back. "So he turned six months after a day of lovemaking?" 

Amanda was resting on several pillows. She had her tunic pulled up, uncovering her belly when he asked. She pouted her lips and said, "Well, I had that dream weeks ago, but we have been having sex a lot, Chris."

With a flushing face, she said, "Even before I came here. I already had the sword inside me."

"Well, that's true. We don't know when exactly you got pregnant," Christopher admitted, sitting up and pecking on her lips before lying on his back. "We could only assume it started when you had that dream."

"Right," said Amanda. 

Recalling how her son earlier told her that her conceiving through the Venusian sword was a secret, she told, "Chris, you may think I am crazy, but our son could speak to me - literally - not just in a dream."

"Really?" He asked. 

She nodded and repeated herself, "Please don't think I'm crazy."

He looked down on her belly and said, "That should not shock me anymore. Many unusual things have happened since you came into my life - rather, I crashed into yours."

"You got that right," she said, scoffing at his words. 

"But Chris, our baby actually spoke to me earlier when we were discussing. He said, not to tell anyone that he grew up because of the sword. It just makes me wonder why and he told me to let you know not to tell anyone about it," revealed Amanda. 

Christopher stared at her for seconds. He turned sideways and said, "We should try to ask him." He touched Amanda's belly and said, "Son, can you talk to me?"

Amanda also closed her eyes and concentrated, hoping to get an answer from her little boy. She asked, "Can you hear me?"

They tried several times but to no avail. The baby did not speak to them. 

Christopher sighed and said, "Maybe he is sleeping."

"Maybe."

Days passed again, and the masters resumed in search of power, hoping to strengthen their forces. The next to seek more power was Christopher. Almost everyone came to the world of Solaris. Only Amanda stayed behind, for they feared the safety of her baby. 

Amanda naturally insisted to come along, saying she was strong enough. 

There was no doubt in the masters' mind that Amanda was strong, but to Christopher's point of view, there was no need to add unnecessary stress to his wife, especially since she was carrying a baby who was growing up so fast. 

Solaris was a world covered in water. There were little peaks now and then, reflecting land underneath, but the world was completely covered in water. Also, it was obvious that the land on which they stood was sometimes submerged in water. 

The water only retreated from the small piece of land momentarily. Thus, the masters need to act fast before the water would rise again. 

All five masters stood on an elevated ground which only covered forty feet wide and two feet above the sea. The rest of the land was miles and miles away from their line of sight. 

"We don't have much knowledge about Solaris, except for the fact that it is protected by five sea serpents and, of course, that it is surrounded by water," said Trisha. She walked closer to the sea and raised her hand. 

She revealed the yellow crystal. Her eyes and her hand lighted in the same shade. She said, "Let us speak to an ancient creature who could tell us more."

With the power of the heart, she tried to will a being in Solaris to help them in their search. 

After minutes of trying, Trisha closed her palm and said, "It's strange. It's not working."

"What?" Abbasi asked. 

"What do you mean, Trisha?" Taara probed. 

"Maybe our powers are limited in other worlds," suggested Christopher as he shrugged. 

"No, Chris," replied Trisha. "It's more like... depending on how powerful the being is. If the person is too strong, I am unable to control its heart. The same is true for gigantic creatures. For sure, the serpents of this world - the spirits are out of my reach."

"I see,' replied Christopher, surprised to learn how limited Trisha's power was. Then again, they were supposed to be protectors of the earth. Their powers were designed to guard human life and not the others.

"This is my second world to visit," remarked Brody. "You would know best, Trisha."

"Try again, Trisha. You have to try. We can't keep searching under the waters, especially with the kind of monstrous mermaids that are out here," told Abasi. 

"And here I am, thinking that mermaids are kindhearted," added Christopher. 

When the masters told him that Solaris had a billion of these monstrous mermaids, it shocked him. The earth gave a dainty perception of mermaids who could sing beautiful melodies, but their description was absolutely scary. 

"We will get an encounter with a mermaid for sure," said Abasi. "They like to eat earthlings."

Christopher, "..."

"Thank goodness, I am not human," he added at the end, making the four masters glare at him. 

Trisha tried again. She raised her hand and revealed the yellow crystal. She put her energy into pleading the spirit of the heart, Kardia. "Kardia, please speak to an ancient creature of this world. Help us understand the spirits protecting Solaris."

She pleaded for more than a minute, but still, nothing happened. 

Trisha put her hands down and said, "This is disappointing. Why do I feel like Kardia is not helping recently?"

Abasi walked over to Trisha and put a hand on her shoulder. He said, "Don't blame yourself nor Kardia."

"Then, I suppose we have to jump under the water. We can never see the serpents from up here," Abasi announced. His words made the masters gulp down their fluid. 

Taking a deep breath, Taara said, "Just when you need Amanda."

"We can do this without Amanda," assured Brody. "Let the preggy rest and grow her baby."

There was no problem with Christopher. He learned just recently that he could breathe underwater. Only he and Amanda could do that. 

Amanda could create a bubble of oxygen, combining water and fire so for the rest of the masters to breathe underwater, they needed Taara's help. With this in mind, Trisha said, "Return me to earth, Abasi. Taara will have too many of us to give air too."

Abasi did as Trisha requested. He returned to earth with her and came back to Solaris after some time. Only then did the remaining four masters jumped into the water. 

It was dark. They did not think the deep sea could be such an abyss. 

The masters had to illuminate their crystals as they swam deeper into the waters. They went past fishes and other sea creatures as they descend. Whenever they would come across a ravenous sea creature, it was Brody's job to knock it out. 

Abasi tried to speed up the search, bringing the masters in between sea spaces, but it was also difficult, not with the weight of all the surrounding water. 

Going two thousand feet down, their fears came to reality. They saw one mermaid from afar and she was quick to find them. 

Being inexperienced, Christopher was the one caught in a deception. He was immediately awed by the mermaid's grace and beauty. It was quite the opposite of what the other masters have told them. 

For some reason, he found himself swimming closer to the mermaid.

The mermaid was exactly as Christopher expected it; beautiful with a long silvery tale. Her skin was pale and her hair was long. The mermaid had a beautiful face, or so he thought. 

"Brother, don't go near that bitch!" Warned Brody. 

"Chris! Wake up!" Called Abasi in his head. "Mermaids, they create an illusion! Look closely and you will see the creature's real face!"

"Chris! Don't!" Taara called. 

All the masters could only speak in their heads from under the water. 

"Chris, are you cheating on me with a mermaid!" He heard Amanda's voice. Abasi had to call for Amanda and ask her to speak to Chris for he was already absorbed into the mermaids ' illusion. 

Thankfully, the voice of his wife was enough to wake him up. He shook his head slowly while getting a clear vision of the creature before him. 

What was earlier a beautiful mermaid was apparently a monster! It had sharp, pointed teeth, its eyes were completely black and its face had protruding cheekbones. Its neck had several cuts, seemingly like its gills. Its hands were long and its fingernails were formed of lizard claws. 

Its tail was quite long, almost ten feet long, but what frightened him was how long and sharp were its fins. He could tell the mermaid's tail was dangerous. 

"Whatever happens, Chris. Don't get struck by its fins," warned Abasi. That practically confirmed his suspicions. 

Taking a deep breath, Christopher said, "So much for the little mermaid. Thanks for waking me up, my love."

"Be careful, my love," said Amanda in his head.. "We will be waiting for you when you return."