The Girl With No Magic

The mirror was a curved panel of pearl-glass. It shimmered slightly when I touched it, showing both reflection and energy. I wasn't sure which one looked worse, my seaweed-mangled hair or my soul.

"Stop fidgeting," one of the mermaids said, tapping my wrist with the brush.

The taller mermaid whose name I think was Ethari, was braiding strands of my hair with silver-flecked ribbons. She was humming as she worked, completely unbothered by my discomfort.

I glanced at Kaelen through the mirror. He was perched upside down near the corner, with barely restrained laughter.

"Don't say it," I warned him.

"I wasn't gonna say anything." He grinned. "But if I did, it'd probably start with barnacle chic and end with washed-up royal bait."

I threw a shell comb at him which he dodged effortlessly.

"I swear, if I trip at that council thing and plant my face on the ground in front of the queen, I'm dragging you down with me."

He floated closer and shrugged. "At least you'll look good doing it."

The mermaids finished fussing with my outfit which was a deep sea-blue wrap stitched with shimmering lines that caught the light like waves and then they handed me a delicate, filigreed crest shaped like a cresting tide.

"This represents your provisional status," Ethari explained. "You're not officially part of the court, but you're recognised. It shows you're under the protection of the sea's will."

"Cool," I said. "So basically… a VIP with training wheels."

"Essentially," she replied with a patient smile.

Kaelen swam a little closer, eyes more serious now. "You ready for this?"

No. Not even a little bit. But I gave a slow nod.

"Then let's go meet the people who get to decide whether you're a symbol… or a threat."

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧

Kaelen said this place was built inside a drowned titan's ribcage. I thought he was just being dramatic, until I saw it with my own eyes. It was exactly how he described it.

Voices hushed as I entered.

I did not float this time, just drifted with caution, like someone who knew they didn't belong but had no choice but to show up anyway.

Kaelen swam beside me like a living shadow, part support and part guard dog with a fin.

At the far end of the chamber, I spotted Dravion.

He was sitting near the royal dais, his posture was tense but not unfriendly. When our eyes met, his shoulders dropped slightly, and he gave me a tiny wave. I smiled and waved back to him. It was small, but it steadied something in my chest.

Queen Thalindra and King Tiravis were already seated, flanked by advisers and nobles. Beside them were two more figures.

One was Arc Seer Sareth from the trial. His face was the same as that day- unreadable. The other was wearing a mantle stitched with three colours which were flame red, forest green, and ocean blue. The Elder Representative of the Tri-Realm Committee. Her expression was more curious than stern, but I didn't trust that smile.

As we approached, a herald's voice echoed:

"Presenting the marked girl… and the Abyssari group."

I almost flinched at marked girl. But I held still.

The Queen gestured gracefully. "You may come forward."

We stopped at a respectful distance from the dais.

The Arc-Seer was the first to speak.

"You fell into the sea. Yet you survived what should not have been survived. And the guardian of the trial turned against the rite."

He tilted his head slightly, as if seeing something around me, not just me.

"It was not chaos," said the Tri-Realm Elder, adjusting her bracelets. "It was corruption. The guardian must've been touched by some dark current. We suspect it to be… the workings of Vaelros."

There it was. The name which gave me chills every time I heard.

A few gasps rippled through the nobles like a sudden drop in pressure. The Arc-Seer nodded grimly. "If Vaelros has begun to reach into the sacred rites, then our realms are in deeper danger than we knew."

I kept quiet but Kaelen didn't. He let out a noise halfway between a sigh and a snort which made the heads turn.

 "Sorry," he said sweetly. "Just clearing my throat."

They looked away. But I saw the stiff shoulders of the Abyssari group. No one corrected the assumption. No one mentioned that the guardian was following the orders of the Tidefather and not corrupted.

I leaned towards Kaelen and whispered, "You're thinking what I'm thinking?"

"That they're either afraid or pretending to be blind?"

"Exactly."

The King spoke next. "Regardless of what tainted the guardian, the girl has survived. That cannot be ignored. And she bears the marks, four of them."

Whispers rose like bubbles through water. Then it happened.

The Arc-Seer jerked back. His eyes got clouded completely. He began to speak but it felt like it wasn't him anymore.

"Beneath wave and wing, when the marks align…" His voice deepened, layered like three tides speaking together.

"One shall rise with all gifts entwined.

Yet locked they remain, as curse and seal bind —

Find the keys, one after one,

Or else all realms shall come undone."

The room fell deathly silent. Even the currents were stilled.

The Tri-Realm Elder looked pale. "Was that…"

The Arc-Seer collapsed into his seat, breathing hard. "That... wasn't me."

No one dared to speak at first.

Then the Queen turned, her voice was low and sure. "There is only one in these waters who bears all four marks."

Her eyes landed on me. And just like that, I was back under a microscope. Again.

The Tri-Realm Elder stepped forward, folding her hands. "You are the one who survived the sea's choosing. You carry the legacy of the Niraya. And yet... not once have you demonstrated a single trace of divine magic."

Wow.

"Okay, that is a bit rude," I said before I could stop myself. "I'm literally standing right here."

A few nobles blinked in surprise. Kaelen grinned.

The Elder arched a brow. "We do not mean offense."

"Well, it does feel like one."

The Arc-Seer chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No… she's right. The tone was unkind."

The Queen pressed, "Elara, have you felt anything since the trial? Any flickers of power? A calling or anything of sort?"

I hesitated. Should I mention the dreams? The whispers I kept trying to brush off as my own thoughts? That strange warmth in my chest whenever Kaelen was near, or when I was afraid?

"I… don't know. Maybe?" I admitted. "It's like something's there, but I can't reach it."

"Sealed," murmured the Arc-Seer. "As the prophecy said."

The Elder from the Tri-Realm Committee looked thoughtful. "Then we must not delay. The first key must be found. But to do that, the realms must be informed. And aligned."

The Queen nodded. "Send word to the royals of Sylvaria and Norvainth. If this truly concerns the curse of Vaelros, we cannot handle it alone."

At that exact moment, as if the sea itself had been listening, a knock echoed against the doors of the chamber.

A breathless attendant peeked in. "Messages have arrived, Your Majesty. From the Land and Forest Realms."

The King exchanged a look with the Arc-Seer, who rose again from his seat but was calmer now.

"Well. It seems the sea isn't the only one stirring."

✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧✧𓂃⋆༶⋆𓂃✧