I lay there, almost purring, while Finnayn and Arbir methodically ran their fingers through my hair. Pure bliss.

  Then the silence shattered with a thunderous удар—someone slammed a palm into the stone wall with all their strength.

  “What’s all this noise in the training hall?!” The voice vibrated with power. “I felt strength that could boil the ocean!”

  I cracked one eye open. In the doorway stood a mountain of muscle in scaled armor. Mana rolled off him heavy as the pressure at ten thousand meters deep.

  “Um… Father?” Finnayn spun around, but didn’t take her hand off my head. “This is Zenhald. We found him on the bottom. He’s alive.”

  King Atlant lifted a thick brow, staring at me. “Arbir—was that you radiating such power?” Without waiting for an answer, he slapped his son on the shoulder so hard Arbir nearly sank into the floor. “I always knew a true titan was hiding in you!”

  “Sorry, Father… that wasn’t me,” Arbir rasped, catching his breath.

  “Then who was it?” The King stared at me in disbelief. “This little one?” He snorted. “A human whelp can’t have that kind of power. And what are you doing with him—petting him like some household suckerfish?”

  “Hey!” I called out, not even opening my second eye. “It just feels good. I’m allowed.”

  The King growled. A massive golden trident flew into his hand at a magic call. He slammed it into the floor—cracks spidered across the stone.

  “STAND UP when the Lord of the Seas speaks to you!”

  I opened my eyes lazily and smirked. “Ha-ha-ha. You look more like the leftovers of an ancient king than an actual ruler. You’re loud, old man.”

  “STAND, HUMAN, AND FIGHT ME!” he roared.

  The kids tried to intervene, but the King was immovable. He narrowed his eyes хитро.

  “Fine. If you beat me—I’ll let you go to the surface. Right now.”

  “Hey, what do you mean?!” I sprang up. “You’re holding me hostage?”

  “And if you lose…” he boomed with laughter, “…you’ll be my son’s personal squire. For the rest of your days!”

  “Yeah… old man,” I rose slowly, rolling my neck. “You’ve lost the shore, I think. Fine. Let’s dance, if you’re that impatient.”

  Finnayn and Arbir immediately pressed into the corners. King Atlant grinned.

  “Before you stands the—”

  I didn’t listen. One sharp flick of my hand—and a bolt of lightning shot at him. The King barely rolled away in time, breathing hard.

  “You… you’re fast!” he bared his teeth in a grin.

  He charged. His thrusts were monstrously powerful. I dodged within centimeters of the tip, and wherever the trident passed, floor and walls exploded into rubble.

  “Why are you scuttling around like a sea cockroach?!” he shouted. “Fight!”

  I raised three stone golems and sent them head-on. With one wide swing the King turned them to dust—but I was ready. Slick ice instantly grew under his feet. The old man smirked and drove the trident into the floor with all his strength—the ice shattered.

  Tough nut, I thought.

  I slammed a powerful stream of water at him, but he spun his trident before him, forming an impenetrable shield. So I released tiny fire golems—little bombs scampered toward him while I kept the water pressure up. The King jumped back in настоящем ужасе.

  “Ha-ha! What’s wrong—King of the Seas afraid of a little flame?”

  He snarled, surged at me—then forcibly reined himself in, smothering the anger. I peppered him with small lightning strikes—some hit. It clearly hurt, but he kept coming like a tank.

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  “DON’T MOVE!” he shouted, using a siren’s voice.

  I didn’t even blink. “You seriously think that works on me?”

  He froze, staring at me, and… hurled the trident.

  Yeah, I thought. Father and son make the same mistakes.

  I dodged easily, and the King rushed me barehanded. I sprang back, forming droplets of water in the air.

  Crystallize.

  They clung to his armor, multiplying its weight десятки раз. But the old man just flexed—and shattered the ice bonds.

  What a machine, I admired.

  He was close. I could’ve ended it with point-blank lightning, but then I felt his trident—after its arc—coming back toward my back.

  A sly smile touched my lips. Beating a king in his own home meant problems for the rest of my life. What I needed was freedom.

  I hopped, letting the trident pass under me—and then… deliberately let myself get clipped by the pommel as it returned to its owner. The King, seeing I wasn’t dodging, fought the inertia with wild effort, almost wrenching his shoulder, and stumbled past me.

  “Are you an idiot?!” the King barked, breathing hard. “Why did you step into that? I could’ve taken your head off!”

  I put on the most innocent face possible. “Sorry, old man. Didn’t react in time. Guess I’m getting old. You win.”

  King Atlant froze. He looked at me, then at his children—then his face split into a huge grin. He stepped closer and dropped his massive hand on my shoulder.

  “You’re brave! And strong!” His laughter shook the hall. “I like you! I grant you permission to marry Finnayn!”

  “FATHER!” Finnayn shrieked, turning red.

  “Uh, no.” I politely removed his hand. “With all respect, I don’t have feelings, so I’ll pass on the wedding. But the scratching—never.”

  The King stared at me like I was a miracle of nature. Then he put his hand on my head again and started scratching my scalp грубовато, but unbelievably приятно—like I was a little boy.

  “You’re a weird one, kid,” he rumbled. “But scratching? That we can do.”

  I closed my eyes, sinking into bliss again. The underwater world wasn’t so bad—if you knew how to lose to a king at the right time.

  “Well then—now that we’ve sorted everything out, it’s time to show proper hospitality!” King Atlant clapped loudly. “A guest in the house is joy in the sea! Let’s eat!”

  We entered a huge hall whose walls were decorated with living bioluminescent coral. The King snapped his fingers, and chaos began: fish-servants and Atlanteans carried in tray after tray. There wasn’t just a lot of food—there was food everywhere.

  My appetite died the moment I noticed most of the “delicacies” were still actively moving on the plates. Tentacles writhed, some mollusks tried to escape the sauce, and Atlanteans ate it all with delight—alive.

  I sat with the sourest face in the world, prodding something that wasn’t moving with my fork.

  Half an hour passed. Then fast footsteps echoed down the corridor.

  Riza, Elvindor, and Lucida burst into the hall. The instant Riza saw me, she broke into a run.

  “Zenhald! Are you okay?! You’re not hurt?” She circled me, checking for extra holes.

  “I’m fine, Riza,” I smirked. “Just a very long tour.”

  Finnayn swam up gracefully. Ignoring the frightened girl, she—by habit—slid her fingers into my hair. I immediately went limp, nearly sliding under the table from pleasure.

  “Oh? And who are you?” the princess smiled at Riza.

  Riza straightened her shoulders and, with dignity, extended a hand. “I’m Riza. Zenhald’s student.”

  “No way!” Finnayn laughed. “Our little mage already has a student? Amazing!”

  Elvindor and Lucida greeted the hosts politely and took seats. The elf leaned toward me.

  “Riza couldn’t sit still the whole way, Zenhald. She was ready to evaporate the ocean to find you.”

  King Atlant roared with satisfied laughter. “I ordered your friends brought here! A guest shouldn’t sulk alone—even in our прекрасное окружение.”

  The King turned cheerfully toward Riza, about to offer her food—when his laughter died mid-breath. A chunk of fish crashed from his hand to the floor. The monarch’s face turned to stone.

  “Oh gods…” he growled. “She’s a DEMON.”

  A golden trident materialized in his hand. The King leapt up, aiming the point straight at Riza’s chest. The hall filled with humming mana.

  “SHE IS A DEMON—IN MY CASTLE?!”

  I didn’t even move. I just lazily snapped my fingers.

  A sharp sound rang out—like glass shattering. A deep, ragged crack appeared in the golden shaft of the royal trident, right beneath the spearhead.

  “King of the Seas,” my voice was quiet, but there was an abyssal rumble beneath it. “She’s with me. I know what she is, and she’s not dangerous. Lower your fork—before it falls apart in your hands.”

  The King froze. He stared at the crack in his sacred weapon, then at my calm black eyes. The tension in the hall hung thick.

  Slowly—very slowly—Atlant lowered the trident and sat back down.

  “A-ha-ha-ha!” he suddenly bellowed again, trying to hide the shock. “Alright! Why mope! Sit here, Riza—on my right. I’ve got a lot of questions for you.”

  I let the girl go, and she—wary—sat down by his right hand. The King, instantly turning into a kindly grandfather, began asking her things: where she was from, how old she was, how she met me…

  After a while he fell silent and sighed heavily, looking at her dark wings.

  “Forgive my reaction, child,” he said quietly. “Demons… left deep scars on my people.”

  “How did it happen?” Riza asked softly.

  “Three centuries ago,” the King began, his eyes clouding with memory. “When the Demon King was destroying humans on the surface, he didn’t forget us. He poisoned the currents, turning clean water into venom. He sent horrific deep-sea monsters against our cities. Those were dark times.”

  He carefully—almost gently—placed his huge palm on Riza’s head and stroked her hair.

  “But those times have passed. And I can see you’re different, Riza. Come here. I can see you’re a good girl.”

  Riza froze, staring at this sea giant who had wanted to kill her a moment ago, and now looked at her with such sad tenderness.

  It seemed the underwater kingdom had decided to smash every stereotype today.