"I was not expecting you to bring a friend." Safara stepped into their view looking as pristine as ever. "But still, I suppose this is good. She is as much a part of our world as you and I are."

Despite the comments that were clearly about Darya, she never once turned to look at her. Her eyes remained trained on Aerin who bristled at the dismissive behaviour to her friend. "You're being rude."

"She is of little importance to my mission. Just excess baggage, an important one too it would seem." Safara's vision finally went to Darya but she was focused on the dark-skinned girl's neck, where the pendant with her family's crest rested.

Aerin couldn't help but stand protectively in front of her best friend. "What is wrong with you!?"

"Get away from her!" a voice called out. Aerin and Darya turned to the source, shock and confusion appearing on their faces as a second Safara came running into view.

"I— what the fuck is going on here?" Aerin switched her gaze between the two Safaras.

"Duck," one of them called out. It was only Aerin's quick reflexes that had her and Darya down as Safara-newcomer shot at the other Safara, which turned into an amorphous creature that could not keep its face or shape. It turned into the nearby bench then a tree, then a bush, then Darya and so on.

The two friends jumped back. "What the heck is that?"

"That's an Aformus, humans usually call them doppelgänger but they don't just copy appearances of people but anything around them. Once discovered, their instinct is to shift to different things."

Darya looked at her best friend. "You're right. This is crazy."

Safara sent a playful smile her way. "Darya Irving or should I say Lady Adarya A'lli? It is a pleasure to meet you."

"I'm sorry what?"

"You are of the Cast A'lli yes? The crest on your neck says so."

Aerin narrowed her eyes at Darya, body tense and coiled back like a snake, both defensive and ready to attack. "You knew?"

"I have no idea what she's talking about. Honest. You know me Aerin."

"Do I? It seems like there's a lot I don't know these days." The last part was said in a murmur but the other two heard it anyway.

Darya quickly took Aerin's hand. "You have to believe me 'Rin. When have I ever lied to you?"

Aerin's eyes met Darya's brown, searching for the truth, searching for sincerity. She couldn't let herself be hurt. Not again. No, never again.

She searched and searched. All she saw was sincerity, sadness. A silent cry of distress. Please don't leave me. Aerin relaxed, clasping Darya's hand in her own. It was apologetic, a sign. I'm here. I won't leave.

Darya was visibly relieved. It was clear to Aerin that she wanted to break down but a squeeze of her hand. Not yet. Not in front of others, especially not her.

Darya squeezed back in understanding, eyes flicking over to the blonde girl still silently watching them. A new emotion was in her eyes. An emotion Aerin only ever saw directed at the girl's own parents. Mistrust.

Safara did not seem to mind the sudden animosity. That or she was oblivious but Aerin doubted it. The strange girl had a calm smile on her face. "Shall we?"

Aerin and Darya looked at each other before nodding. Safara seemed to have already expected their cooperation because she had already turned around, gliding (because that was the only thing that could describe the grace by which she walked) down the street.

The two followed behind her, steps more hesitant, unsure of their future.

----

"The beach?" Aerin struggled to hold in her excitement. The whole ride in the train, she had struggled with herself not to press her face against the glass. It was her first time out of Rivercastle, and while it was not under the best of circumstances, she was still excited.

Now though, it was harder than ever. She was faced with the vast expanse. Dark blue waters, soft sand beneath her feet, the scent of saltwater in the air. It called to her.

"I thought you were from the Mediterranean? Weren't we heading to the airport?" Darya, always the voice of reason.

"We can reach it from here," Safara replied which had the two of them staring at her.

"I'm not good at Geography but isn't that somewhere in Europe? Greece?" Aerin asked, silently asking Darya if she got it right with a look. The nod she got in return had her satisfied but that expression dissolved into skepticism when she turned to Safara.

The blonde kept her serene smile as she turned. "Trust me."

"Kinda hard to do that when you're being creepy af," Aerin deadpanned but moved to follow Safara anyway.

They had reached waist-deep into the water when Safara suddenly sank down. Alarmed, Aerin dove down, eyes closed so they wouldn't be shocked by the saltwater.

She opened her eyes and looked. The water in front of her was shimmering, like an enchanted mirror, except it didn't show her reflection. It showed a blurry image like you would see through a misty window during chilly mornings. She could see the blurry visage of Safara on the other side, waving and seemingly encouraging her to follow after her.

Aerin hesitated but reached a hand through. It was an odd feeling. Like reaching into slightly viscous water but the other side was lighter. She could move her fingers easily but her wrist took a bit more effort. She could see it too. Unclear, yes but she recognised her own hand.

She felt something take her other hand and she turned to see that Darya had followed her down. Brown eyes lit with wonder and curiosity.

Aerin knew at that moment that there was no turning back. She swam forward, hand in hand with Darya and pushed through.

What lay on the other side, neither of them would expect. The first thing Aerin noticed was the change in pressure. She felt lighter, like she could fly in the air. Her ears had rang when she passed through the portal but when she got through, it was gone.

The second thing was the brightness. She had been forced to close her eyes at the suddenness of it. The water they dove into was not the dirtiest she'd seen but it was definitely not clear either. But this light, it was almost blinding.

She felt Darya squeeze her hand. "Aerin? Are you seeing this?"

Aerin's eyes snapped open. "Did you just—" Her other hand flew to her mouth, expecting water to start flooding her lungs but there was nothing.

"Darya A'lli and Prophesied One, I welcome you to Aul'tan, or as you humans like to call it, Atlantis." Safara waved a hand out to the city before them.

"It's majestic," Darya breathed out. Aerin numbly agreed, staring at the underwater metropolis beneath them.

The buildings were tall, skyscrapers really, but they did not obnoxiously intrude into the environment like the ones on land. They looked alive with various openings that both people and sea creatures swam through and fro easily, with sea plants growing on them as vines would in old buildings. Unlike the skyscrapers in Rivercastle, they weren't angular but curved with hardly any edges until the very top which reaches into a point.

She could see vehicles flying through invisible roads. Odd-shaped metal that left bubbles in their wake. There were sea creatures that she's never seen in any encyclopaedia or in any of the documentaries she's watched before. Most of them looked reptilian but some resembled larger versions of aquatic fish she knew. She estimated their sizes from afar and she guessed that some had to be at least as big as horses for her to see them from this distance.

The tiny people, or rather beings she saw also had her looking in absolute wonder. Beings from mythology, creatures described in fiction, others she's never heard or read of before. She pinched herself.

"It's not a dream," Darya murmured, squeezing her hand once more. Aerin turned to her, the shock from hearing her voice again startling her from the view before then she turned to Safara.

She paused, looking at the other girl from head to toe— or rather tail, then her jaw dropped. "You're a mermaid!"

———
Author's Note

Happy Halloween! How was that first tiny teaser peek into the Realm of the Waterborne? Next chapter should be fun. I'm really hoping to go far with this story, make this into a series even with this first book being in the Realm of the Waterborne but we'll see. I still haven't fixed my commitment issues to hobbies so I'm terribly sorry for that.

Anywayyyy, thank you all for reading. Please vote and comment to help me know what you think. Thank you again and good day!!

Word Count: 1407