Chapter 5 - Of Noodles and Noticed Whispers

My stomach was officially done being polite.

I tried my best to sleep, but I couldn’t. I glanced over. Kaelen was still half-asleep, his tail was coiled like a lazy ribbon near the wall.

I nudged him with my foot.

"Do sea people eat, or just absorb nutrients from the water or something?"

One eye opened. "We eat. There's a mess hall downstairs."

"Thank the god—or goddess—whoever sent me to this world."

He stretched with a yawn. "Don’t be over-dramatic. And the food’s free if you’re a guest."

"Nice. I don’t even have those sea coins you were carrying in that weird shell-wallet thing."

"You look like you'll start chewing coral if we wait any longer."

"Okay, let's go food hunting."

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

The mess hall was small—just a tucked-away space below the inn with the same glowing jelly-light as the room. A few tables, mushroom-shaped seats, and big floating bubbles held plates of food over red stones. Everything was being served by a giant octopus who was casually multitasking like a seasoned waiter.

A few merfolk were already seated, talking in hushed tones. Most didn’t look up. One or two gave me the usual too-long stare.

Kaelen nudged me toward the menu board near the wall.

The dishes were definitely unique—but calling them “otherworldly” felt kind of redundant, considering I was in another world.

Honestly, I had no idea how half of this worked.

Grilled Moonfin Strips (wrapped in saffron kelp)

Saltberry-Stuffed Shellcakes (with seaglass glaze)

Flamevine Noodles (imported from the Fire Realm, served with charred root)

Jellyfruit Fizz (served in a floating jelly dome)

Starcrust Pie (flaky pastry crust filled with sunberries and whipped foam)

Elven Garden Salad (wild leaf blend with citrus-pearl dressing, from Forest traders)

Fire-Roasted Chicken Skewers (seasoned with reef pepper, imported from land)

Braised Reef-Beef Dumplings (stuffed in tidewrap and served with heatbubbles)

I squinted. "What even is reef-beef?"

Kaelen slid up beside me, already rolling his eyes. "Stop reading everything like it’s a threat."

"Moonfin dumplings, bubble-baked chicken, ember-fruit rolls—okay, but do any of these not sound like sea monsters pretending to be food?"

Before I could say more, the octopus waiter came towards us, holding one of those weird leaf-shaped fish—the ones you can write on— with a tiny squid pen in its other hand.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

“What’ll it be?” it asked.

Kaelen leaned in. “Flamevine noodles. Double portion. Jelly-fruit fizz.”

The octopus nodded and scribbled it down like this was totally normal.

"Wait, is that the same writing-fish from before?" I pointed at it.

Kaelen slapped his tail gently across my mouth. “Please stop talking. You’re making us look like tourists.”

The merfolk behind the counter gave us a weird look. Kaelen cleared his throat.

"Flamevine noodles. Double portion. And jelly-fruit fizz."

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

A few minutes later, our food was served by that same octopus waiter, who paused beside us and tapped the table with a tentacle.

"Bon appétentacles," it muttered, then slid away.

There were those same glowing red stones underneath the plate which I saw under plates of other merfolk.

I poked the gem under the plate. “What’s this? Don’t tell me it’s a spicy pearl.”

"Flare gem. Keeps things warm. Don’t lick it."

"Wasn’t planning to."

The noodles looked like strands of glowing coral tangled around some kind of charred root. Kaelen was already eating like he didn’t plan on sharing.

"So… this doesn’t bite back, right?"

"Only if you insult its seasoning."

I gave him a flat look and took a bite. Surprisingly warm. A little spicy. Way better than expected.

Then I tried the jellyfruit fizz. It came in a clear bubble—like someone trapped a drink inside a jellyfish. Sweet, fizzy, and with a hint of something citrusy I couldn’t name.

"Okay, I take it back," I mumbled. "The sea might actually be winning."

Kaelen smirked. "We usually do."

He leaned back. "You’re calmer today."

"Still stuck in a sea kingdom with no clue how anything works. But sure. Calmer."

"Want a quick crash course?"

"Only if it comes with dessert."

"So… why did the menu have different realms' imported dishes?"

Kaelen looked up. "There are three realms. Sea—for merfolk and creatures like that waiter guy, and of course me. Fire—for humans. Forest—for elves. Each is ruled by their own royal families, but all help each other and trade different things across the realms."

"That explains fire in the sea. But how do merfolk even… walk on land?"

Kaelen didn’t look up. "Magic."

"Seriously?"

"Merfolk use Aqualiths—water-holding crystals. Usually embedded in bracelets or charms. Keeps their bodies hydrated enough to shift and stay upright."

"That’s it? No forbidden love? No voice-stealing witches?"

"That’s not walking. That’s a personality crisis."

I grinned. "So all of you can just grow legs and go waltzing into human towns?"

"Technically, yeah. But it depends on your affinity. Some last three days. Others dry out in six hours. You learn your limit the hard way."

"That sounds... risky."

"Most don’t bother unless they’re trading or scouting. The surface isn’t exactly popular with deepwater folk."

"Right. You all seem very attached to, uh, humidity."

"Wouldn’t you be, if your organs dried like kelp without warning?"

I made a face. "Okay, fair."

He leaned back. "We trade often with the land and forest realms. Food, fabric, crystals, relics. That’s why the menu has all kinds of things from everywhere. There’s a peace treaty between them. Has been for decades."

"But?"

Kaelen’s tail flicked. "But lately... things are going wrong."

"Disappearing scouts. Creatures crawling out of places sealed for centuries. Relics going missing. Some say Veland'ir shadows are moving again."

"Veland'ir?"

He didn’t answer for a second. "They’re corrupted. Twisted. They serve someone evil."

"You sound like you’ve seen them."

His jaw tightened, eyes fixed on the table. "Let’s not talk about them. Not here."

I didn’t press for answers. He looked uncomfortable. So I just finished my food quietly.

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

Outside, I was just full and tired.

Inside, something told me the quiet stares weren’t just curiosity.

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

As Elara and Kaelen stepped out, the door to the mess hall swayed closed behind them.

At a nearby table, three merfolk exchanged glances.

"She didn’t look like she was from here."

"New face. But something about her felt… different," the second replied, tapping a fin against the edge of the table.

"Maybe she’s the one they’re whispering about—the girl from the bazaar with a glowing sigil."

"But this one didn’t have any visible sigil."

"Doesn’t mean it’s not there," the second said. "Could be hidden. Doesn’t change the feeling."

For a moment, none of them spoke. Then they returned to their meal—quietly, like people unsure whether they’d just seen a passing guest…

or the beginning of something bigger.

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧