A Gold-chained, Abyss Pearl

Geale snapped his eyes open.

His heart pounded painfully in his chest. He was gasping for breath as he stared blankly at the dark ceiling in front of him. He turned to his side and found Marnthe sleeping peacefully beside him.

A wave of relief washed over him.

Marnthe was safe. It was all a dream - a nightmare, but where did it come from? Surely, his frustrations about their first date couldn't have brought it out.

He slowly sat up to think. The dream seemed to be from Lapiz' perspective. Could it be from her scale?

Merfolk scales could hold memory imprints. One reason why parents gave their scale to their progenies was for them to feel the love they had for them from the time of their birth. Lapiz' scale must have held memories for Marnthe.

Since Geale wasn't its recipient, he absorbed more than just the feelings of affection she wanted to leave Marnthe behind. He also absorbed some of her memories…probably all her memories of Marnthe.