The sun had long since descended for its rest, letting the moon bring its serene shine upon Aegean City. Eila and Tomas awoke from their dinner-induced sleep, stirred by steady knocks on their room's door. His eyelids heavy, Tomas sluggishly opened the door, only for his eyes to shoot open after meeting with the man in green's ever-sharp pupils. Beside him stood a confident Dolce, a slightly disheveled Joanne with a cloth wrapped around her forearm, and a familiar stout man wiping sweat off his forehead. Squinting his eyes, Tomas recognized him as Marco, the owner of the bakery they went to earlier in the day.

The boy watched the grown-ups in confusion, until the man placed a hand on his shoulder, gently urging him to stand aside so they could enter. Joanne and Marco shambled behind the man, with Dolce closing the door with a quick swipe of her tail. Eila and Ari jolted up from the bed as Tomas sat beside them.

"Terribly sorry for waking you, we arrived much later than anticipated," said the man in green as he sat down in front of the mirror. "Our walk by the coast took an unexpected turn."

"No kidding," muttered Eila, her eyes fixed on Joanne's bandage and torn jacket. "What happened, Jo? You, um, don't look so good."

Joanne sighed and smiled at Eila, though the girl could see her weariness through the bags under her eyes. She could not help but lower her gaze as their first meeting with an injured Mr. Green flashed in her mind, with the same tired look as Joanne's.

Marco tapped his foot against the floor, huffing with impatience. After glancing at Dolce, he boisterously asked, "So, Joanne... you gonna explain why you were hollerin' like a banshee at us down the street, lookin' like you'd crawled out of a rat king's cave with that scratch? Definitely made my evening stroll with Dolce here a lot more entertaining though."

Dolce emitted a puff of mist, her head held high with a smug grimace. Ari wagged her tail and purred in return, her eyes glistening with curiosity and slight dismay at missing out on the action.

The man in green glanced at the group and rested his elbow on the desk. Closing his eyes, he said, "There are certain details we would rather not concern you with, but you have my utmost thanks for assisting us. However, I advise you to be careful once Suilah arrives for her performance. There are certain... ruffians of sorts wandering about the city targeting her."

"Tch, so you're sayin' there's some gang after Suilah? Freakin' celebrities can't catch a break," grumbled Marco, "so long as they leave my bakery and my dragons alone, I won't get too involved. But, uh, I could put in a tip for the guards, see if I can sway 'em for extra security. Their boss is one of my top customers, you see."

The man in green eyed him with slight hesitation, but an approving nod from Joanne prompted him to assent, "Thank you."

Marco and Joanne exchanged a few friendly pats and farewells before calling Dolce to leave for the night. Ari huffed and bowed her neck, flaring her frills when Dolce reciprocated. After a few moments of silence, with Marco's heavy steps becoming faint, Eila jumped off her bed and scooted to Joanne's side.

"So... what happened?" she asked with pleading eyes.

"Hoo boy, where to begin," Joanne sighed, taking off her dirty jacket, "Long story short, we thought we found where yer parents were, but instead we barged into Mr. Ugly's shack o' darkness. 'Least we know they used to be there if Mr. Green over there is right."

The man nodded. "I had but mere minutes to examine, but I am sure the Diderots were held in that room until recently. As for where they are now... we can guess they were taken to a location closer to the boardwalk, in preparation for the sea guardian's arrival."

Tomas furrowed his eyebrows while Eila sighed.

"So, what're we going to do tomorrow? Try getting mom and dad back again?" Eila asked, her voice quivering with desperation. "Second time's the charm, right? We could go with you and—"

Joanne wrapped her healthy arm around Eila in a comforting embrace, much like her mother whenever the girl was upset. Eila's eyes slowly became glossy as tears flooded them, threatening to overflow onto her cheeks.

"Sorry hon, I don't think that's a good idea after today," she said in a low, gentle voice.

"I agree, they will most likely move them to another location if we approach at the wrong time. Or worse if the Nether Oracle's patience runs dry," the man in green declared.

Eila crossed her arms in an exaggerated fashion with a pouty face, desperately trying to hold back her frustrated tears. "So, what? We just sit here for a whole day?" she said with a squeaky voice.

Tomas groaned and let his body fall back on the pillow, defeated. Their parents felt just out of their grasp, their impatience growing by the minute.

Joanne glanced at the two, saying, "Say, why not take tomorrow to rest, have fun n' prepare for when you get your parents back? Gotta have a clear head with all the ruckus n' noise at the boardwalk, n' havin' Ari ready to strike would be mighty helpful. 'Course, I need my own rest too, and this arm not gonna be much help if things get ugly."

Ari let out a puff of air in agreement, her wings quivering slightly at the thought of having a rematch against the cloaked monsters. Tomas smiled at her, thinking, "Wish I was as strong as you, Ari. Hmm, guess I could practice flying with her tomorrow. That oughta get us pumped!"

After a moment of idle conversation, with Eila assuring Joanne with her characteristic cheerful grin, the group prepared to part ways until the performance. Joanne planted kisses on the twins' foreheads, earning a rosy-cheeked hug from Eila and a bashful Tomas.

Finally, she gave a short, firm pat on the man's back, whispering, "You better know what you're doin', Mr. Green. I'll help the kids out, but after today, I'd prefer not getting into whatever business you got with those creatures. Hope ya understand."

The man in green glanced at the twins, both having tucked into their bed in a flash. "Of course," he muttered, flashing a determined glare at her. "I have already brought far too many acquaintances into my personal quarrels. Besides, you have provided tremendous help to us already. You deserve rest."

Joanne grinned and turned her head away from him. "Tch, you're always so dang formal," she said with a low groan, "Good night then. And sweet dreams, kiddos."

She waved at the sleepy twins with a warm expression before strolling out of the room. Tomas and Eila shuffled their bodies into the warm blanket, with Nino jumping and curling up below their feet. With such limited space, Ari lazily slid her body off the bed, tucking her head and tail closer to her body beside it.

The man in green shut most of the lights, leaving only the balcony's tiny lamp on with a dim orange glow. As the twins slowly sank into their dreams, the man observed the shining stage near the beach, awaiting the queen's arrival. Glancing back at the twins' serene faces, he sighed and retreated into the room, preparing for the coming trials.

♦♦♦♦♦

Eila's eyes popped open at the first ray of sunshine peeking through the dark. After a day of swimming at the beach, with the concert stage looming in the distance, her heart pumped at the speed of an eight-legged horse. Her hands grasped at the balcony fence with trembling excitement and fear.

"Just hang on a little longer, Mom and Dad," she whispered to the wind.

Nino's meows beckoned Eila, only to find a black fuzzy sphere resting proudly atop Tomas's face. Tomas nudged Nino off, gagging and picking off little hairs from his mouth. Tomas joined Eila in a huff, only for it to dissipate once he took in the view. Ari soon crept up behind the twins, raising her head up into the wind. Her eyes resembled polished emeralds as flecks of sunlight reflected on them.

"So, what do you think she'll be like? Suilah's an ocean guardian, so... what kinda water creature is she?" Tomas asked.

Eila thought back to a photograph she took of Mt. Reilu's temple murals. Though the paint had faded with time, Suilah's appearance stood out in her memory.

"Hmm, maybe a mermaid, or a siren. Or maybe a sea nymph. A lot of people are coming just to hear her sing, so she's probably a creature with a really beautiful voice, right?"

Tomas scratched his head and shrugged. "Makes sense," he said, just before his stomach roared with hunger.

"Sounds like we better eat, it's gonna be a heck of a day," Eila remarked with a sly grin.

"Language!" hissed Tomas, chasing his sister out of the balcony.

"Heck is so not a curse-word!" Eila shouted as she made a beeline for the bathroom.

After the man in green woke up, the group got dressed and had a hefty breakfast at the hotel's diner. Their bright red and sweet ananberry pancakes, accompanied with scrambled cockatrice eggs, made for a delicious meal to start their hectic day. Just as they strolled out of the main entrance, passing by the water orbs, Joanne greeted them with her usual spunk. This time she wore a simple blue top with jeans and boots, coinciding with Tomas' marine blue shirt and Eila's flowery dress. Joanne flinched when she raised her bad arm to wave.

"Hi, Jo!" shouted Eila, "How's the arm?"

Joanne lightly rotated her arm around her shoulder, placing her other hand over a large gauze covering her wounds. "Eh, it's seen better days. Doc said no skiin' or any heavy liftin' for a couple weeks, an' no matter how much the scab itches, absolutely no touchin' it." She began walking alongside the group toward the boardwalk, tilting her head towards the twins. "So, how're you kids feelin' today?"

Tomas squinted his eyes, grimacing with an undecided groan. "I'm... not sure? Part of me's like, wow! We're gonna hear a guardian sing, and there's going to be a lot of people with us, which is, um, awesome. But..."

Eila nodded, gesturing to her brother with her head. "Exactly that, but since our parents are still in danger and we don't know what's gonna happen... it's a little scary."

Joanne sighed, gently putting an arm around each of them. Bringing them closer, she gave them a short pat on the back to put them at ease. "We'll have your parents back and enjoy Suilah' singing with 'em by sundown, you'll see!" she whispered with a bold, confident expression.

The three nodded in unison, heading past the sandy beach with new-found energy. The man in green remained in quiet contemplation, his gaze distant and ignorant of the crowd forming around them. Tomas, however, found himself twisting his head from side to side, astounded by the amount of people surrounding them, all headed toward the same destination. Human couples, friends, and families chattered while a few sprites fluttered past them. Much to his and Eila's surprise, they spotted two Twi'lits ambling about in broad daylight and sharing an umbrella.

"Even night creatures showed up just for her, huh," Eila commented.

The boardwalk seemed to come alive that morning, as the wires above the crowd swung with the ocean winds, various vendors opened their kiosks, and the smell of cooking meat flooded the area. The boardwalk's width allowed for plenty of space, enough for the group to move and breathe comfortably, though Ari grew restless with the amount of food kiosks around her.

Joanne led the twins to a wide pier leading to the ocean. On a different day, small fishing boats would rest there; today, it allowed the crowd a front-seat view of the crystal stage. The man in green crossed his arms, standing still as Joanne left them to buy a few drinks for them. Tomas glanced at him, following the man's gaze onto the ocean. Eila sat on a boulder just off the boardwalk in search of a better view of the stage.

A few moments later, the waters in the distance began stirring and the ocean groaned. A gust of salty wind blew into the coast, swaying the spotted palm trees. Eila placed her hands on the boulder and scooted leaned toward the waters, her eyes growing wide with curiosity. A low, soothing hum echoed from within the ocean, drawing closer to the surface.

The seas broke apart with a thunderous splash, opening its maw in the distance. The twins held their breath. The crystal stage lit up with an icy splendor, shedding tiny flecks of light that the wind spread over frozen onlookers. Tomas opened his palm as one fleck floated to him, it's light fading to reveal a tiny water droplet. It scattered on his hand, leaving a cool and refreshing sensation behind.

As the boy lifted his head, he felt his heart beating with growing excitement.

She arose from the ocean; a refined silhouette standing above the waves. In a flash, she dashed toward Aegean City, her dress blending with the swirling ocean rising beside her.