Saga of Atlantis

*Rumble*

Her hand, which was drying her hair, stopped as we both looked at the body of the monster.

The colossal body shifted ever so slightly, a ripple coursing through its massive form as the chains that bound it held it firmly in place, while the runes shined a little bit.

"AHHHH!" Almost immediately, Aeloria’s shout resonated throughout the cave.

"If there is mana in the liquid form then..." Grace mumbled as she passed the towel towards me.

What do I look like to her, a hanger?

"That means they are also present here." Taking the towel from her, I replied, "Mana nymphs."

"Stay here, I will check on her." Saying so, Grace moved towards where Aeloria had gone to change.

"Can’t I come?"

"She was changing her clothes, pervert!"

"Again, why am I a pervert?" Mumbling, I looked at her departing figure in solitude.

"ARGHH... fuck..." grumbling, I sat beside the lake as I looked at the body of the creature that had moved just a while ago.

"Can I tame it?" Rubbing my chin with my palm, I mumbled as I tried to plan what I should do in case things go out of hand.

It might be hard, as this thing is fucking huge, but at least I can try.

"But still, how is this snake connected to the Human God?" I couldn’t help but ask myself.

Is there some kind of deal that both of them have made?

What is the purpose of sealing a monster like this beneath a city?

"Come to think of it, it did say that I had strength akin to God’s."

Remembering the things that it told me before, I mumbled.

If this thing is as strong as a god, then why is it still in a place like this?

"Eden!" Grace shouted, and I quickly stood up, making my way towards them.

"What the..." I mumbled as I looked at the small creatures that were around the place.

"Mana nymphs." I immediately recognized them as I came closer to Grace and Aeloria.

They were ethereal beings that are born from the pure essence of mana. Mana is the life force for them.

They were delicate, luminous beings, with slender, translucent bodies that shimmered with iridescent hues of blue.

"Eden?" I looked towards Grace as I heard her voice, she stood the closest to me.

And right beside her was Aeloria.

Her clothes were disheveled, while her cheeks flushed from anger and embarrassment.

She looked angrily at the small mana nymphs.

"Calm down, they are harmless," I said as I looked at Aeloria shivering.

"T-they j-just stood there watching me change," she stuttered angrily, "how the fuck am I supposed to calm down after that!"

"They don’t have any gender," I replied as I watched the nymphs slowly move back at Aeloria’s outburst.

"That doesn’t change the fact that they were peeping on me," she said as she stood up, starting to use spirit energy to strengthen her body.

"Woah! Woah! Calm down, Aeloria," I quickly blocked her way as the nymphs, startled by her aggressive behavior, started to run away.

"Eden, move!" She looked at me threateningly as she tried to get past me.

"Why are you being so hot-headed right now?" I said, looking at her in frustration.

"And why are you trying to protect them?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Well, I’m not trying to protect them, but they are just too valuable to kill off.

Not to mention it will affect the liquid mana if they are not present here.

"Can you stop whining like a baby and be quiet for a while," I said as I grabbed her by the hand. "And if you want to get out of this place, be quiet."

Saying so, I pointed at the monster’s body, which was just beside us.

At the mention of getting out of here, she calmed down a lot as she took deep breaths to compose herself.

"Argh... I hate this place." She jerked her hand away as she started to rearrange her disheveled clothes.

As she calmed down, I looked at the mana nymphs that were hiding inside the lake.

"What are you looking at, Eden?" Grace, who had been quietly enjoying the scene for a while, said as she noticed me looking in the lake.

"You know, elves like to eat mana nymphs," I said, and immediately her face turned uncomfortable. "They say it’s delicious and it increases there overall mana."

"But they just look like humans," she replied with an uncomfortable look.

And as she said, they almost looked like humans.

"But they aren’t humans," I replied as I looked back at Aeloria.

"Have you tasted them?" She asked looking at me no, she was ready to hit me if I said yes.

"No, why would I do that." I replied with a light chuckle.

I am not that desperate to eat something like that.

After cleaning herself, she arrived towards us.

"So, how are we going out?" she asked as she folded her hands.

"Well, that’s easy. We just need to move to either side of the labyrinth cave," I replied nonchalantly as I kept my gaze on her.

Her behavior right now was quite suspicious. Why was she being so aggressive just because of the nymphs?

"Is that your master plan?" She replied, looking at me as if I am some kind of idiot.

"What’s wrong with it?" I asked, tilting my head a little, even though I knew the answer.

"If we choose the wrong direction, we can end up in the mouth of this fucking snake. Can’t you understand that much?" She explained, tapping her feet on the ground in anger.

"Well, at least we have a fifty percent chance of not ending up in its mouth," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

"Are you seriously saying that, Eden?"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"..."

"You don’t? Good, now follow me." Having enough of her, I quickly chose a direction as I started to move.

"And why are you following him like a lost puppy, Grace?" Aeloria asked as she watched Grace following right behind me without asking any questions.

"We don’t have many options, Miss Aeloria," Grace replied without looking at her.

Debating in herself Aeloria stood alone for some time until she made up her mind.

"Is something going on between you two? You look quite comfortable in each other’s company," Aeloria asked as she started to follow behind us.

"Grace, answer her," I pushed the responsibility towards her, not wanting to admit that there was nothing between us. I had a feeling that would make Grace angry.

"And why should I answer that?" She rebuked, dodging the question.

’Why are you doing this, lady? Answer her properly; you’re making her even more suspicious.’

"Anyway, what is this creature?" Changing the subject, Grace asked.

"I don’t know, maybe a dragon?" Aeloria replied, sounding unsure.

"Or a snake," I replied, and both of them looked at me strangely.

"What?"

"Snakes don’t grow this big, Eden," Aeloria replied.

"Then maybe a water dragon," I suggested, because even I knew that a snake of this size sounded unrealistic.

"Eden?" Aeloria mumbled, arriving beside me and making me look at her.

"What?" I asked, seeing her frowning.

"After we get out of here, we need to talk," she replied, looking into my eyes.

"Hmmm," I hummed in response.

"Is Ivy still not available?" I asked, as I still hadn’t seen her contract fairy.

"No," she replied, shaking her head.

"Something important must be going on in the spirit realm, then," I replied, remembering her saying it.

"She told you about your talent, right?" Aeloria asked softly, as she came a little closer.

"Yeah, she even told me you can help with it," I replied.

"I will..."

But before she could reply properly, Grace came between us.

"Keep your distance when you are talking," she said, looking at Aeloria.

She exchanged glances with me as she looked at me and then Grace.

After doing it for some time she replied looking at me.

She exchanged glances with me, looking at me and then at Grace.

After doing it for some time, she replied while looking at me.

"Seriously, is she your secret girlfriend or something?" She asked, ignoring the glare she was receiving from Grace.

I didn’t replied but looked at her deeply.

"You are playing with fire, Eden," she said, looking at me seriously. "Don’t burn yourself in it."

Saying so, she increased her pace, overtaking us.

"What did she mean by those words?" Grace asked, frowning as she didn’t understand her words.

"Beats me," I replied, shrugging my shoulders.

"Move faster, guys!" Aeloria shouted as she moved faster, calling us. "Hopefully, we aren’t going in the wrong direction."

Ah...

She just jinxed it, didn’t she?

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