Leo had died... then why was he feeling something soft and fleshy pressing against his lips from time to time?
"Huh?"
Well, no matter how he tried, he felt like it shouldn't end. The material tasted like strawberries and was very tender and soft.
He slowly opened his eyes. Everywhere was blurry at first, but gradually he regained full sight. When he fully saw what was happening, he was left in shock.
Blocking his view and coming towards his face was a pair of soft, tender lips.
"In the name of the creator."
He mustered all his strength to move but couldn't; eventually, the lips pressed against his and tried to suck him back to life. All he could do was groan to alert the owner of the lips.
The owner moved their lips away.
It was a young woman. A bit tall, green sparkling eyes, green long hair like dark seaweed, blue armor, and glowing tracings on her body.
"Lyra?" Leo whispered.
Lyra continued to stare at him as tears, even though they were underwater, began to accumulate in her eyes. The atmosphere around her started boiling and a pale smile appeared on her lips. She immediately ran into his embrace, sobbing.
"Ah, I was so scared, Aquarius. I thought... I thought... Thanks be to the Axioms..."
Leo went numb. "..."
... But then he started to feel a burning sensation.
"Ah, Lyra... I think I'm burning to death."
Lyra immediately freed him from her embrace and clumsily bounced back.
"I'm sorry... Got a bit emotional."
Although Leo was injured and tired, a mischievous smile appeared on his lips, grinning from ear to ear.
Lyra raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Huh, nothing much. You don't have to be sorry if you're in love. Love runs people mad, don't you know?"
Leo was shocked by her expression. He wasn't expecting her cheeks to turn crimson red, her body shaking, and much more changes he couldn't describe. The real Lyra would have punched him or worse, killed him on the spot.
... That was an exaggeration, but still.
He decided to continue teasing her. "Wow! So you're in love with me. Well, that changes a lot of things. Lucky for you, I am also into beautiful warriors, especially the royal lackey types, if you know what I mean."
Lyra's eyes popped and widened. "Really?!"
Leo's grin widened. "In your wildest dreams... And wait, who in the world gives someone mouth-to-mouth resuscitation underwater, klutz?"
Lyra didn't say anything and just swayed in agony, falling on a nearby chair made of rock.
Leo turned away with a confident smile.
They were currently in a small room. The room was a cramped, rectangular box carved out of dull grey stone, barely larger than a prison cell. Water leaked from the cracks in the ceiling edges where jagged, chair-shaped rocks sat near the walls. A single heavy iron door, rusted orange and bolted shut, was the only way out, and the air inside was thick with the smell of wet moss and stale salt. Aside from the faint blue glow from Lyra's skin, the space was dim, lit only by the flickering shadows of their own movements against the cold, damp rock.
"Where are we?" he asked, his voice returning back to seriousness.
Lyra sat upright. "In the basement. It was built beneath the sea whenever we're under attack. I was attacked by a sea monster while we were trailing the shark. I got help from a few soldiers and we killed the sea monster. We then took the rest of the survivors to the basement, alongside the king and his family. I came outside to look for you and thankfully, you sank out of the veil of darkness and were floating underwater. Then I brought you here... And you know the rest of the story."
Leo nodded. 'Hmm... Makes sense.'
He glanced at the ceiling cracks. "So how many survivors? How's the city? How's the ship?"
Lyra's expression darkened as a wave of sadness settled around her. "The ship... We still don't have any idea about its current state. The king had ordered soldiers back to sea to get it back. Yes, there are a lot of survivors. I mean, when humans aren't one or two, we start counting them in numbers. Out of a thousand, close to five hundred survived... And the city..."
She paused and stared at him with a sober expression. "The city is gone."
Leo did not say anything for a while. He looked at his arm; it was wrapped in brown clothing and he could also feel something moving on his back and putting him at ease.
... The city was gone. Just like that.
Leo decided to tell himself these people weren't real. In fact, he doesn't know or share any relationship with any of them except for Lyra and a fragile one with the King. There's no need to feel bad. But wasn't their lives in his hands? He was Aquarius, right? So he had to feel bad.
'No. I'm Leo and I'm just a thirteen-year-old.'
He stared back at the water leaking. "So there's no water beneath the sea?"
Lyra chuckled, which almost felt forced. "No fool, there's a forcefield separating the sea from the dry land... Our realm is quite unique, you know?"
"Forcefield you say? I have been wanting to ask... Why don't you people just leave the realm the same way other people come into your realm? I mean, isn't there a way I also ended up here? Even if I don't remember that, isn't there a way other people enter your realm?"
The darkness dancing in Lyra's eyes did not leave. She sighed.
"Since our forefathers, no one has left the realm. Not because we didn't try. Not because we didn't want to. It's just that... we're fated to never be able to leave the realm. It's a curse we were born with."
A dark smile appeared on her face. "That's why no one believes you can help us escape. They do believe in the Spirit Of Madness but not in leaving this beautiful prison. But I believe you; isn't that enough reason to try and help us?"
A dark smile appeared on Leo's face like a chasm.
"Sure. That's enough reason."
'...and I really want to get back home... this is getting too much for me to handle.'