Chapter 2

Morning bloomed softly over Solstice City. The golden light of the newly risen sun crept slowly between the tree branches, touching the leaves that were still covered in dew. The air felt fresh, as if this world had just been reborn after a night of darkness.

In the front yard of Lean's house, sat a figure that should not exist in this mortal world. Celestia.

She sat quietly on the grass that was still wet with dew, the soles of her feet touching the ground with a softness that was not traced. Her long hair like a black ocean flowed until it covered her body, covering her pale and pearl-like skin. On her forehead, a diamond shone softly, reflecting the morning light like a star descending to earth.

Celestia smiled. A smile that was so sweet, so gentle, but held a secret that only the deep ocean could understand. She stared at this mortal world with curiosity—a world that she had only seen through Lean's canvas, a world that she had never been able to touch before.

Her slender fingers touched the dew drops on the blades of grass, feeling their refreshing coldness. She laughed softly, her laughter like the sound of small waves washing over the shore, light yet calming.

"Is the world always this beautiful?" she whispered to herself, her eyes shining with wonder.

The morning breeze blew softly, moving the strands of her hair, carrying the salty scent of the ocean not far away. Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, letting herself sink into the sensations of this mortal world—the air that felt real on her skin, the sound of birds singing, and the warm light that touched her without limits.

Behind the open studio door, Lean stood still, watching the scene in front of him with his heart beating faster than usual. His eyes were fixed on a figure that was so foreign yet felt familiar. The figure that had only existed in his paintings last night, was now truly in front of him, as real as the sun shining in the morning.

Celestia turned and looked at Lean, the smile still adorning her face. "Good morning," she greeted softly, her voice like waves greeting the beach.

"Aren't you cold sitting outside like that?"

She chuckled, her laughter like the song of water. "The sea is colder than this. This morning feels so warm and gentle."

Lean rubbed the back of his neck, feeling strange seeing a sea goddess sitting in her yard, enjoying the morning like a normal human. "What do you feel now?"

Her eyes were fixed on the sky that was starting to turn light blue, then looked back at Ilian with a deep gaze. "I feel... alive. Like I'm finally really in this world, not just a reflection in a painting."

Lean fell silent. There was something in Celestia's voice that felt so honest, so sincere, that he couldn't speak.

However, behind all this tranquility, far on the horizon of the sea, the waves rolled in the distance and the beautiful sounds of the morning seemed to respond to the awakening of the goddess. The sky was still blue, the world was still. Lean still stood in the doorway, his eyes never leaving Celestia who was sitting on the grass. There was something so contrasting about her figure—the grace of a sea goddess, but also the innocence of a child who was new to the world.

Celestia reached out her hand, catching a drop of dew on her fingertip. She looked at it in awe, as if the dew was the greatest miracle she had ever seen. "The mortal world is so delicate… so fragile…" she murmured softly.

The man stepped closer. "Aren't you afraid?" she asked.

"Afraid?"

She nodded. "You're in a world that isn't yours. I don't know how you got here, but I'm sure… something big will happen because of this."

Celestia was silent for a moment before smiling faintly. "I've spent so long just being a shadow on a canvas. This world… even though it may be full of dangers, at least I can feel it for real now. That's more than enough."

She looked back at the sky that was slowly changing color, the golden orange hues starting to be replaced by a deeper blue. But as she stared out at the horizon, a strange feeling crept into her heart.

The sea…

From where she sat, she could feel the waves rolling in the distance. Waves that were bigger than usual. As if something was starting to rise from the ocean floor.

Celestia took a deep breath, suppressing the growing unease that was starting to grow inside her. She didn't want to ruin the serenity of this morning. At least, not now.

"Lean, but I am not just a stroke of your brush. I am something more than that. I come from an ocean far greater than you can imagine."

She paused. There was something in Celestia's voice that made her skin crawl, as if the girl next to her wasn't just a creature from legend—she was part of something much bigger, much older, something that perhaps shouldn't even exist in this world.

But the gentle breeze that had been caressing the leaves had now turned into a sharper gust. At the boundary between sea and sky, something began to move. Beautiful waves than usual began to appear, and the clear sky began to fill with slowly creeping clouds.

"Celestia... what's wrong?" Lean said.

Celestia stood slowly, her long black hair fluttering in the increasingly strong wind. Her blue eyes stared intently at the ocean, as if searching for something invisible and smiled sweetly

"It's nothing, just the sound of the waves, don't worry."

Lean chuckled and acted silly in front of Celestia, they spent time together all morning and it was their first meeting.