The Sigil She Wore

I must've knocked out right after returning to the room after dinner.

The next thing I knew, I wasn't underwater. I wasn't in the inn, not in my bed but I was just… standing near a lake on land. The scenery was breathtaking, so unreal that I almost forgot to breathe when I saw it first.

I didn't panic or think why was this happening. Maybe my brain was too tired for it or I had just accepted that weird was my new normal.

It wasn't dark, not even very bright. It had sunlight just enough to see that something—or someone—was out there.

I saw a woman with long hair of silver which flowed in the fresh breeze and the flower petals stuck in her hair just like a decoration to adorn her beauty. 

She was holding a baby and singing a lullaby to the child. A melody I knew from the dream I had before I died. The last one before the sea claimed me.

But then my eyes got locked on the pendant the woman was wearing — I had seen the exact same pendant in my dreams when I was on Earth. It was a shell with ivy vines on each side.

I wanted to swim closer, to say something. But the whole thing started to blur before I even got close. Her face disappeared first.

Then I felt a sudden pull, like a hand pulling me back to this sea without telling me how I had seen that pendant in my dreams before — or now.

I turned—or maybe the dream turned for me—and that's when I saw it.

A figure. Tall, still, just standing at the edge of whatever space this was.

I couldn't see a face. Just a shape. Dark. Watching me.

My chest got tight. It wasn't because of pain, but it was more like pressure—like something heavy was about to drop.

Then, right in my head, I heard it. Like… thoughts being pushed in.

> "When the sea meets the flame, and wings embrace the tide, a soul of sorrow shall awaken the light."

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

I didn't get to ask anything. The figure just turned away and vanished, like it had never been there.

And then—Knock knock knock.

I woke up instantly. My legs were tangled in the sheets, and Kaelen was nowhere in sight.

The knocking came again. Louder this time.

I jolted up. The dream was already slipping away—but the pendant, that lullaby… it stuck.

The knock came again. Firmer this time.

I stumbled to the door, still half-asleep, and cracked it open.

Two merfolk hovered outside. One looked older, with lines along his jaw like he'd seen a few battles. The other was younger, quiet, with sharp eyes.

The older one nodded. "You've been summoned to the court of salt judgement."

"By who?"

He didn't answer. Just turned and started swimming further.

I looked around the empty room—Kaelen was gone. Figures, he might have left me as soon as more trouble came knocking on the door.

I grabbed my cloak, put it on hurriedly, and followed the two strangers barefoot down the coral steps, still trying to make sense of the dream.

We were halfway down the hall when someone turned the corner holding a plate with food and two wrapped jelly-fruit domes.

Kaelen.

His brows lifted the moment he saw me flanked by strangers. "What's going on?"

I didn't answer. I just walked up and hugged him. 

He froze. "Uh… is this a surface thing?"

"I thought you left," I mumbled into his shoulder. "Didn't even say anything."

He shifted the plate awkwardly. "I went to get food. I didn't want to wake you up."

"Still rude."

"Still dramatic."

The older merfolk beside us cleared his throat. "We were sent to bring her to the court. The elders requested her presence."

"The Court of Salt Judgement?"

The younger one nodded. "The Council wants to speak to her. That's all we know."

Kaelen looked at me, then back at them. "Fine. I'm coming too."

"No objections, but don't interrupt."

Kaelen handed me the jelly-fruit fizz. "Here. Drink something before they drown you in riddles."

We followed the guards past a few alleys and wider public currents until we reached an open stretch.

One of the guards raised a hand and something like electricity shot from his hand — and the water shifted. A spiral current began to form with a solid swirl of movement, wrapping upward like a slide made of water.

Kaelen whispered in my ear, "Sea magic for travelling farther areas. Every merfolk and some creatures can do it. It's like… basic mobility magic."

"So you guys just make water spirals and float around town?"

"Well, we could swim everywhere," he said, grinning. "But this is faster. And cooler, although I can't do it because my magic hasn't manifested yet."

One of the guards held out a hand, and the water around my feet rippled — then pulled upward.

"Wait, am I going to—"

The spiral launched forward before I finished the sentence. 

"I hate this," I said, clutching the swirl as it spun me. Kaelen jumped on it.

"No you don't," he called back. "You just wish you looked smooth like me doing it."

"Where even is this court thing?" I asked, adjusting my balance on the swirl beneath me. It felt like riding a watery hoverboard with a grudge.

He pointed towards a cluster of towering structures in the distance. "That way. Court of Salt Judgement's in the reef district. Kind of tucked behind the tide chambers, near the ridge. You'll know when you see it."

As we coasted past the city, I noticed the shift in design. The shells and coral faded out little by little, replaced by sleeker, flatter buildings that almost looked… elvish? Wide open balconies, tall windows edged with sea-glass frames, floating signs written in glowing calligraphy. It wasn't just sea magic anymore — this part of the realm felt like it had seen humans, elves, and a whole lot of cross-realm trade.

"Why does this area feel so different?" I asked.

"Old part of the capital. It's been like this from ages. My grandmother told me that people from the extinguished race constructed them and now our age just maintains it and rebuilds if needed. The sea is heavily influenced by humans and elves but they don't travel here which is the reason you get noticed everywhere."

"This world is so different from back home," I whispered to myself.

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

A few merfolk swam past us, trailing. Some wore uniforms — guards, maybe — while others were dressed in formal robes or sleeveless sea-weave tunics with lapel pins. Definitely not the same laid-back vibe from the inn.

I was just starting to feel like an awkward tourist when Kaelen spoke again.

"Listen, the elders are gonna ask you questions. Some will be polite. Some… won't."

"Is that a warning?"

He shrugged. "They're old. And scared. They don't like change, and you're kind of a tsunami wrapped in skin. Just don't let them scare you. You're allowed to ask questions too."

Before I could respond, the spiral paths started to converge. Ahead of us, carved into the darker stone of the sea ridge, was a broad set of gates — sleek metal twisted into the shape of open jaws, coral-stained and flanked by armoured merfolk holding tridents.

The swirl beneath my feet slowed to a gentle crawl as we reached the entrance.

"Ready?" Kaelen asked.

"I hope so," I said.

He nodded. "Good. That means you'll survive."

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

We walked into the Court. Honestly, it looked more like a council hall than a court. The room was circular, with simple stone seats arranged in rows around a platform in the centre. No glowing runes or magic symbols floating in the air — just quiet. Watchful.

A few elders were already seated. Most had serious faces, a few looked half-asleep. The whole place smelled like wet stone and salt.

One of the guards pointed. "Stand in the centre."

I walked into the middle of the room. Kaelen stayed close but didn't step into the circle.

"Name?" asked one of the elders, a tall woman with short brown hair and a shell pendant around her neck.

"Elara."

"Origin?"

"Surface. I mean… I think. I drowned. I woke up here. I don't really remember the details."

They didn't look surprised. Just kept staring like they weren't even interested in where I came from.

"And the sigil?"

My hand instinctively touched my shoulder — it was covered by my new outfit.

Kaelen stepped forward. "She's not a threat. She didn't even know she had one until yesterday."

The woman on the left raised her hand. "Show us."

I hesitated. "What?"

"Your sigil. We need to see it for ourselves."

Kaelen stepped closer. "She doesn't have to—"

"It's fine, I'll show it."

I pulled down the fabric over my left shoulder slowly, revealing the tattoo beneath — the same glowing, four-pronged symbol that had been there since I woke up in this world.

For a moment, no one moved.

Then, it hit.

Chairs shifted. A sharp intake of breath. One of the elders actually rose from his seat. Another whispered something under his breath and clutched a sea-stone around his neck like it was some kind of ward.

"She bears all four," someone muttered. "Sea. Fire. Forest. Sky."

"That's not possible."

"The Niraya race were wiped out."

"But this conjoined sigil hasn't even been seen in the Niraya race before—"

"What if he comes looking for her?" someone spoke from the back.

Their voices layered on top of each other like crashing waves.

I pulled the fabric back up over my shoulder.

Kaelen gave me a quick glance. "Well… that went well."

The oldest elder, a man with ridges on his forehead and one cloudy eye, raised a hand. The room fell silent.

"The sigils haven't been seen in centuries. Not since the vanished bloodline."

Another nodded. "It shouldn't exist."

I looked between them. "Okay. Can someone just explain what you're talking about?"

An older woman finally answered. "You carry a mark that belonged to a race believed to be extinct. If that's true, then you shouldn't be here."

"I didn't ask to be here," I said. "I woke up in your world. That's all I know."

There was a beat of silence. No one moved.

Then the woman said, "You'll be tested with the sealorn. We need to confirm if you are who we think you are."

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧