Chapter 154
The moment she descended to the ground, the infected pounced, but a powerful gust of wind swept through, hurling them away.
Teeth and claws meant nothing if they couldn’t even get close enough to scratch.
Yasamin silently watched the woman moving ahead of him before turning in a different direction.
The sensation of being able to trust someone—it was strange, and yet, profoundly unique.
His heart pounded for no reason, likely out of excitement.
The woman he had once loved, whom he had respected beyond measure, was gradually returning.
It felt as though he had finally met Aquafuran once more—the one who could command all the waters of the world with the mere flick of her fingers.
His head bowed instinctively, a surge of devotion welling up inside him. He wanted to kneel, to lick her feet, to kiss them.
He wanted her to look at him, to love him—he longed to plead and beg for it.
Ah, at some point, I stopped hearing the voice inside me.
Had he once vowed to tear Aquafuran apart the moment they met again?
How laughable, the years he had spent grinding his teeth over such thoughts.
The moment they met again like this, he knew he would inevitably be bound once more.
He had never truly broken free of the leash, not even once…
“Kyaaa!”
“There you are.”
“Y-Your Majesty…!”
“Come with me.”
Having found a survivor, he grabbed the infected’s head and slammed it against the wall, pinning it in place.
It wasn’t a complete elimination—given time, it would stagger back to life—but that didn’t matter. As long as the path to the audience chamber was safe for now.
Siren commanded. He obeyed.
A happiness so overwhelming, it filled his chest.
The number of survivors they managed to find throughout the royal castle barely reached one hundred and fifty.
Every single one of them was skin and bones, but the most creative ones had survived by crawling into crates or enduring in the depths of a well.
While Siren gave them water to drink, Pamilla quietly raided the kitchen, bringing back whatever food she could find.
It wasn’t much, but it was enough to stave off their hunger.
Since they had gone without food for so long, giving them too much at once could cause them to eat themselves to death. The portions had to be distributed carefully.
“Master. Here, the signs.”
“Put them down.”
By then, Jin had returned, pouring out a heap of wooden signs.
After healing a five-year-old girl who was gasping for breath, Siren stepped forward to examine the wooden plaques.
I am in the place you love so much.
Come find me, beyond the waves.
Discard what is useless.
Build a new kingdom with only the chosen.
When the fragmented phrases were pieced together, they formed these messages.
The first to break the silence was Jin.
“It seems to be somewhere beyond the sea. I am a desert spirit, so I can move freely on land, but I cannot go beyond the waters. I apologize.”
“It’s fine. You’ll need to stay here anyway to protect these people.”
“Understood.”
Jin would have to remain behind.
With the decision made, Siren turned to Pamilla.
“Pamilla, can you go outside and rescue more people? Bring them back to the castle.”
“Yes!”
“Yasamin. Drive the infected out of the castle and send them outside. Then, help Pamilla find more survivors—anyone nearby who might still be alive.”
“Alright.”
If they had set sail and were at sea, then there was no rush.
She was Aquafuran.
The sea was as much her home as the land.
“I’ll stay behind and look for any remaining members of the Aquafuran clan.”
With three people, they could divide their efforts.
‘Once the elite warriors arrive, they can be tasked with protecting the survivors.’
Waiting for them and setting sail together would… take too much time. And this wasn’t a situation where they could afford to be leisurely.
‘Walking on water—I can do it. When I was Aquafuran, my favorite thing was walking barefoot through the waves.’
The soft embrace of water threading between her toes had always filled her with a sense of liberation. That feeling was so intoxicating that she had made a habit of going to the eastern sea at dawn.
And each time, Yasamin had silently approached, keeping watch at her side.
The memories, rising like droplets of water, drenched Siren in a tide of nostalgia.
As the forgotten past resurfaced, so too did her divine nature.
And when time had passed, and the moonlight bathed the shore—
She walked upon the water, without hesitation.
“I’m back.”
“I figured you’d come soon, Yasamin.”
The rippling waves lapped at her ankles.
Droplets, as if in welcome, dampened the hem of her clothes—cleansing her very soul.
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