A room, a friend, and something watching.

The cloak helped. Sort of.

At least they weren't gawking at my shoulder anymore. Now it was my legs. My completely normal, perfectly average, definitely-not-criminal legs.

Apparently, walking on two limbs was enough to make me public enemy number one.

Kaelen let out a low sigh. "We need to find an inn before someone throws a barnacle or reports you for existing."

"Yes please. Bonus points for food. And maybe walls."

He glanced around, then leaned closer. "Okay, time to vanish. Somewhere with fewer eyes."

We swam—well, more like hurriedly drifted—into a narrower alley between two glowing buildings. The signs above shimmered in language I could actually read just like the damn whale pass, "We Don't Serve Strangers" or "No Humans Unless You're Royalty or On Fire."

The first place looked promising—until the mermaid behind the big stone built counter caught sight of me. Her smile disappeared like a bubble popping.

"No vacancies," she said flat out.

Kaelen raised a brow. "That fast?"

She crossed her arms. "House rules. No land-walkers. No exceptions and this one doesn't even seem to be using magic or any precious crystals."

I stepped back. "Great hospitality. Ten out of ten. Okay. Next."

The second inn had shimmering curtains and floating lights shaped like sea moths, but the reception was colder than the last. The young merman behind the desk gave us a look that said : why are you breathing my air?

He didn't even speak. Just pointed at the exit like we were stray eels.

Kaelen muttered something under his breath and grabbed my wrist with his tail. "Come on."

By the time we reached the edge of the other quarter, I was ready to sleep in a coral gutter.

"This is ridiculous, I haven't even done anything."

"You're different, and different makes people twitchy."

We headed deeper into the city, where the buildings were older. Not run-down — just... less polished. The kind that whispered stories instead of shouting wealth.

Kaelen stopped outside a rounded structure shaped like a conch shell cut in half. A plaque above the door read:

"The Low Tide Rest."

Classy.

"Could be worse."

Famous last words.

He pushed the door open. Inside, it was dim and warm. Soft jellyfish lamps hung low, and the floor was textured like sand. A merman innkeeper—older, eyes sharp, scars across his fin-tail.

He lounged behind the coral counter, half-asleep. His eyes snapped open when he saw me — or more likely, the legs I was walking on.

"Human?"

 Kaelen slid in front of me like a shield with opinions.

"Visitor. Quiet. Doesn't bite. Probably."

The innkeeper didn't look convinced. His gaze slid to me, then to Kaelen. "Saelkyn, huh? Long way from home."

Kaelen offered a dry smile. "Yeah. Blame politics."

"Politics makes everything worse." He scratched his chin, clearly debating whether turning us away would be worth the effort. "We don't usually host… legged folk."

"She won't drip on the rugs, she's wearing a cloak."

I elbowed him. "That's not how water works."

The innkeeper sighed and reached into a bowl behind the counter. Out came a long, leaf-like creature, pale blue, sleepy and had tiny fins on its edges and yawning. 

He shoved what looked like a dried tentacle next to it. 

"What is that?" I whispered.

"Pagefin," Kaelen whispered in my ear. "Ledger fish. They record everything."

The innkeeper handed the creature to me. "Log your name and duration of stay."

"Do I talk to it?"

Kaelen leaned in. "You write with that squid pen — sea version of pen, filled with octopus ink. It won't fade unless the creature sheds its outer layer of skin. And don't press too hard, or it'll slap you."

With an awkward sigh, I scribbled my name near the edge: Elara. The pagefin wiggled slightly under my touch and the ink shimmered as it soaked in — not smudging at all, even underwater.

"Duration?" the innkeeper asked, not looking up.

I glanced at Kaelen. "Uh, how long?"

"Three nights", flicking a brine coin onto the counter. 

"Noted," the innkeeper stroked the underside of the pagefin. A soft click sounded when he pinched a small scale on its lower end, locking the text, though it looked a bit cruel. "There. Permanently sealed. Won't fade unless it molts — and that only happens when it's good and ready. Usually with a dramatic squeak."

The pagefin wiggled once, curled into itself like a scroll, and slipped back into the bowl.

The innkeeper then held his hand out. "Tidepass?"

I gave him a wide-eyed look that screamed what was that?

"Identification," the innkeeper said, dragging out the word like it pained him. "No Tidepass, no stay."

Kaelen cleared his throat. "She's, uh, with me. Lost hers. I can vouch."

The guy gave him the look that said 'you better not be dragging some deep-trench scam artist into my inn.'

Kaelen pulled out another brine and slid it across the shell counter. "And I'm sure this place isn't that picky with paperwork… right?"

The innkeeper grunted. "Fine. But if she causes a ripple, I'll report it."

Kaelen gave a quick nod.

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

We followed the guy down a narrow hall lit by soft sea-glow bulbs embedded in coral sconces and hung on walls. I noticed the way the walls were polished shell, like giant clam layers fused together.

We stopped at a rounded door. The innkeeper pressed his finger to a swirl beside it. It clicked open, and he handed Kaelen a small token. "Room seal. Don't lose it."

"Thanks," Kaelen said.

I mumbled something that vaguely sounded like thanks but probably came out more like a grunt.

The door slid shut behind us.

The room was… round. Shell walls. A bed made of woven kelp sheets and soft coral padding and mushroom shaped seats to sit near the window. A floating globe light hovered near the ceiling, flickering like it had stage fright.

I hopped onto the bed. He shrugged and flopped onto the floor like it was normal.

I rolled onto my side, squinting at him. "So what even is a Tidepass?"

"It's a pearl but connected to your aura. Not your face or your name but your essence, or whatever. Everyone's got one. Well, except people not from here."

"So… it's like a magical fingerprint?"

"Sure. If fingerprints glowed and judged you.

Most inns won't accept you without one unless you're vouched for. He probably thinks you're a runaway or a thief."

"Charming."

"How does it even work?"

"The pearl reads your aura the first time. Once it binds, it keeps the information. You don't need to carry anything after that—just walk past a detector, and it recognises you. No Tidepass, and people start asking questions."

"Why didn't he ask you for one?"

"I'm not a person," he said with a grin. "Creature status. Different rules."

"Convenient."

He smirked. "Perks of being adorable and terrifying."

I sat up slowly, brushing hair out of my face. "So if I want one, I have to… what? Go to an office? Fill out forms?"

"More like stand in a room and let a glowing orb stare into your soul. It's painless. Mostly."

I made a face. "You're terrible at comforting people."

"You're terrible at pretending you're not human."

"Fair point."

I leaned back again, staring up at the sea bulb above.

The room smelled like sea moss. Not unpleasant. Just… different.

Weirdest part? I could smell it. The water felt like air, moved like it too — like the sea was trying to fool me into forgetting I'd drowned.

"This place is insane."

"Yeah," he said. "But at least it's not boring."

I couldn't argue with that.

I didn't know what tomorrow looked like. But for tonight, at least I had a bed. And a friend.

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

Outside their window, something small hovered in the water.

Fist-sized. Jet black. It flickered once—then vanished, like it had never been there at all.

The creature could turn invisible while tracking.

Its teeth were needle-sharp. One bite. No blood, no pain, no visible mark. But it left something behind — an invisible tag only it could detect.

It had already bitten her. Back when she first arrived, dazed and trying to make sense of it all.

Now it floated near the glass. Unseen. Unnoticed. A smooth bump on its head twitched — the source of its link.

It was transmitting.

And far from the inn, someone was watching everything the Scrythborn sent into his vision shell.

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧