X : Under the Sea

July 20th

I took the little boat to Kastos…

A small island just across from our beaches, with only a handful of inhabitants.

When I arrived, it wasn’t hard to find the cave —

tucked away at the edge of a quiet little beach.

I walked through it until I reached the place Sandra had told me about…

but there was no dolphin waiting.

The sun was beginning to set —

the golden hour.

I sat on the rocks by the cave and simply watched it happen.

The sky burned orange-gold, and the sea below lay still, mirroring the fading sun.

The only sound was the soft murmur of the waves brushing the shore.

The sun, a ball of fire, sank slowly into the horizon,

and the heavens blushed in its light.

I thought of Margery… and all the sunsets we had watched together.

And the times I watched alone, headphones in,

with a song from my favorite series carrying me through the dusk.

Then, suddenly, a voice broke the silence.

“Beautiful sunset today, isn’t it?”

Startled, I turned to see a blue dolphin by the rocks —

a marking carved on its snout.

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“Hey! You’re the dolphin! How long have you been here?”

“Haha! Long enough,” it chuckled.

“But I didn’t want to interrupt your moment. Now come — it’s time to begin. Just follow the sandy path inside the cave. I’ll be right beside you, in the water.”

I did as he said.

The sandy trail wove alongside the shoreline and curved deeper into the sea.

I walked beside it, and the dolphin swam just off the edge.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Marco,” he replied, diving with a smooth arc beneath the waves.

After a short while, we reached the end of the path.

Marco pointed to a plant growing on a rock.

“Eat that,” he said. “It’ll give you the gift of underwater sight and breath — for one hour.”

I plucked it, chewed the bitter leaves, and felt a strange sensation fill my lungs.

Then, I climbed onto Marco’s back — and we dove.

He led the way, fast and fluid through the deep.

Everything was crystal clear —

no blurring, no fog.

I could see it all.

The fish. The coral. The world beneath the waves…

It was the most breathtaking moment of my life.

After some time, we reached a grand gate.

We passed through it into an enormous chamber —

and there, towering before us, stood a statue of the Tritons.

“They were once rulers of the oceans,” Marco said.

“They lived in harmony with sea creatures, but now… they are gone.”

Then Marco began to change —

his form shifting to something more humanlike.

He had gills on his neck.

Pointed ears.

“What… What’s happening to you?”

He smiled.

“The Oceanic Creatures carry Triton DNA.

Long ago, the Tritons experimented, fusing part of themselves into us.

That’s how hybrid species like me came to be.”

As he spoke, my eyes caught something enormous behind him —

a prison made of crystal bars.

Inside, a giant being lay dormant.

“That,” Marco said, his tone low,

“is the last surviving Megalodon.

He’s been held here ever since the Tritons captured him.

Together with the Great Whites, they tried to destroy the Ocean Kingdoms.

Now, the Great Whites are hunting for the gemstones,

so they can dominate once more.

If they awaken the Megalodon, they’ll possess the ultimate weapon…

and unleash the Freezing of the World.”

Then he turned to me and said:

“It’s time to choose. Pick one — the DNA of a sea creature. Drink it, and take its gifts as your own.”

I didn’t hesitate.

I chose the Great White Shark.

I needed its power, its speed, its presence —

the very image of a predator.

And besides — taking the form of the enemy might be my best advantage.

“Marco,” I said, as he handed me a small vial, “I want to do this part alone.”

He nodded silently and disappeared into the water.

I held the bottle in my hands.

This is where it all begins, I thought.

I drank it.

And suddenly — I felt it.

A pulse.

A surge.

The instincts of the Great White roaring through my blood.

But then…

A voice echoed from the shadows.

“Boy… Even if you gather the gemstones, don’t think you will ever rule me.

Once you have them, come back — face me.

If you win, I will stand beside you.

If you lose… I’ll take the stones, and the end will begin.

Until then, remember this:

You are merely a contender of the Sea — nothing more.”

He tossed something at my feet:

a Megalodon tooth…

and a vial of Mako shark DNA.

“Use them wisely.”

“What do you mean, ‘contender’? What is all this? Tell me!”

I shouted — but there was no reply.

After a moment, I emerged and found Marco waiting.

He handed me a coral blade and a leather pouch for the gemstones.

“I’m ready, Marco,” I said.

And just like that…

The great adventure began to take shape.