Chapter 12 - Pink Messengers and Hidden Truths

There was a knock at the door.

It woke me up from sleep, then I looked at Kaelen, who was upside down near the ceiling, poking at a floating shell light like he was bored to death.

Another knock.

"Expecting someone?" I asked.

"You're the chosen one," he muttered. "I'm just the sidekick."

I rolled out of bed, pulled the door open.

Outside floated a dolphin.

A pink dolphin.

With a dark pink and glittery fin, a starfish strap across her chest, a squishy jellyfish pouch at her side — and a very dramatic little hat perched between her blowhole and forehead.

I stared, too shocked to speak.

She gasped.

“Oh my bubbles! You’re even prettier than the rumours!”

“…Hi?”

“You’re Elara,” she whispered, as if I might not know. “The Marked Girl. The one with the shiny green hair and—aaah I’m doing it again. I’m talking too much, aren’t I? Breathe, Piphi. Breathe.”

I laughed and stepped aside. “You’re adorable. Come on in!”

She zipped in, her cross-body pouch was bouncing behind her like it had no gravity rules.

Kaelen narrowed his eyes slightly. “Friend of yours?”

“I am now!” Piphi declared proudly, doing a little spin mid-air. “I’m Piphi! Official Pagefin Courier, second class! I deliver summons, secrets, snacks, and sometimes gossip if it’s been a slow day.”

I couldn’t stop smiling. “You’re a talking dolphin.”

Piphi nodded proudly. “Enchanted at birth. Blessed by the Coral Oracle. Able to swim through crowds without saying sorry.”

I giggled, then gently reached forward and patted her head.

She made a happy squeak.

Then I kissed her.

Right on her smooth forehead.

Her whole body wiggled with glee.

“Oh stars above,” she whispered. "That’s my new favourite spot now!"

Kaelen dropped down beside me with a low flick of his tail. “You kissed the dolphin?”

“She’s cute!” I said.

“She’s just a messenger.”

“Jealous... are we?”

“I'm just... cautious.”

Piphi did a twirl and smacked her tail against the floor like applause.

“I love this energy! Anyway—important stuff.” She dug into her jellyfish pouch and pulled out a scroll with a sleek, curved spine.

“The Court asked me to deliver this personally. It’s a big deal. A real big big one. It has a seal. And a threat. And everything.”

She held it out like it was precious. This one was bigger than the usual Pagefins — scroll-shaped, sea-threaded, and clearly looked official.

I took it and opened it gently.

The Pagefin was thick and warm, glowing with sea-light. My name was etched in a shimmering ink across the front, under the heading:

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Summons to the Tidegrove Amphitheatre. Sealorn Trial – 3 Days.

“Trial?” I said aloud. “Wait. Trial trial?”

Piphi nodded like her head might fall off. “Mhm! The one with the water pillars and the memory surge and the part where you either impress the sea or it eats your potential.”

Kaelen groaned. “They’re really doing the Sealorn Trial again?”

Piphi flopped over in mid-water. “Revived just for her. First one in over a hundred years. No pressure.”

I stared at the scroll.

Three days.

Ancient magic.

No instructions.

Just… show up and survive if you can.

"Cool," I muttered. "Just what I needed."

Kaelen sighed. "Better start stretching."

Piphi pointed a fin at him. “That’s the spirit! Oh, I like you two. You two have weird chemistry — I love it.”

I reached forward again and hugged her.

She made another excited squeak.

“I’m never delivering for anyone else again,” she said dramatically. “This is my peak.”

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

Piphi had long since zoomed off with a final flourish and a dolphin-sized salute.

Now, it was just me and Kaelen again.

The scroll lay on the side table, glowing like it wanted to be read again. I wasn’t in the mood. I’d already memorised every word in it. Sealorn Trial. Three days. Survive or drown.

I sank back onto the bed, pulling my knees up to my chest. Kaelen floated near the ceiling, tail curling and uncurling as he watched me in silence.

“Why are you still here?” I asked suddenly.

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

“With me,” I clarified. “Why are you still here? You could’ve swum off days ago.”

He tilted his head. “I live here actually.”

“You know what I mean.”

Kaelen drifted lower, finally settling beside me on the bed. “You think I’d just bail because things are getting serious?”

I gave him a half-shrug. “You barely knew me when I first woke up in this world. You didn’t have to stick around.”

He was quiet for a second.

Then he said, “Do you remember the first time I saw you?”

I glanced at him. “No. I was unconscious and only saw you when you hit me in the gut.”

“Exactly. I was swimming upwards, trying to leave everything behind. Then I saw this glowing figure drifting down through the currents — completely still, completely out of place. I thought you were some kind of spirit. I panicked and charged.”

He let out a slow breath. “Didn’t mean to hit you. I was aiming for... whatever it was pulling me toward you.”

“So you were trying to run away from the sea... and then found me?"

“Or maybe the sea wasn’t done with me yet,” he said quietly. “Maybe it gave me a reason to stay.”

I didn’t say anything.

He looked down at his own tail. “I used to be part of a relic-hunting crew. Not the illegal kind,” he added quickly. “Just... desperate enough to dive too deep.”

“What happened then?”

“We found something we shouldn’t have. An old ruin. The kind the elders say don’t exist anymore. it was filled with a weird kind of energy and whispers, it was like a haunted place. so we just panicked and tried to escape. Everyone scattered after that. Some didn’t make it back. I swam for hours. Thought I was going to be torn apart by something behind me.”

His voice was steady, but a bit softer now.

“I ended up near the surface. I wanted to leave. Leave the sea, the crews, all of it. That’s when I saw you. Floating, glowing. It was like... the sea wanted me to stay.”

I looked down at my hands.

“And since then?” I asked.

Kaelen nudged my shoulder with his fin. “Since then, I’ve been making sure you don’t trip over your own hair and drown in a puddle.”

I laughed under my breath. “Wow. Deep.”

He smirked. “I try.”

We sat there a moment.

“You’re not bound to me, you know,” I said, quieter. “You don’t owe me anything.”

“Yeah,” he replied, “but maybe I want to stay.”

I turned to him. “Even with this trial coming up? Even with... whatever I am?”

Kaelen gave me a look — the kind that felt older than he was.

“You're the first thing the sea's given me that didn’t try to kill me.”

I swallowed.

Then said softly, “Well, I guess I better not die in three days then.”

He grinned. “Exactly. I don’t do tragic backstories twice.”

I leaned my chin on my knees. "Can you ever leave the sea? I mean… go live on land?"

Kaelen stretched out his tail, lazy and elegant.

“I can adapt to the surface. Been there three times. I can breathe fine, walk, and even fly with my wings… but the air smells weird, and the people are worse.”

I got curious. "Worse how?"

He sighed.

“Last time I went topside to buy a few things, someone tried to kidnap me. Thought I was a ‘rare magical pet.’ Wanted to sell me to some noble brat for a pouch of coins."

“That’s horrible.”

"Tied a ribbon on my tail and everything. Even picked a pink one. Said it matched my energy and called it a collector’s touch. So I bit him.”

"Wait, seriously?!"

"Dead serious. I was gonna try the forests next, but then you fell out of nowhere and ruined my plans."

I lowered my gaze and asked. "Didn’t you think I was one of them? You still helped me."

Kaelen snorted. "Of course I thought you were one of them. You smelled like a human disaster, glowed like an eldritch pancake, and had the vibe of someone who lost a cosmic bet."

I opened my mouth with shock from his sarcastic comment. Then shut it. "...Thanks?"

He grinned. "You're welcome."

But then he added, quieter this time: “Still... something told me not to leave. You looked lost. Like the sea didn’t know what to do with you yet. And I guess… I didn’t want to leave until it did. Your sigil—it looked familiar. Made me think of stories my elders used to tell.”

“That’s... actually kind of sweet.”

Kaelen shrugged, suddenly very interested in a loose thread on the pillow. “Don’t get used to it.”

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧