It Was Like a Fish
“For some reason, the moment those salamanders locked eyes with Lady Heungmi, they froze right there on the spot!”
“And then, when Lady Heungmi said, ‘Come here,’ they came rushing in, wagging their tails and all!”
“……”
It wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Succubi had the natural charm of dream demons, and kitsune like her could bewitch humans too.
‘Plus, her fire affinity must make it hit the salamanders even harder.’
Mental abilities were tricky to deal with.
Charm was a useful power, sure.
But the problem was that Heungmi was still too young.
Telling her not to use a hard-earned ability would just stifle her talent.
Rune rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
‘Hmm. Maybe I should set some ground rules first.’
It was still a beginner-level skill, but unchecked use would turn everything into chaos.
That was when Heungmi clasped her hands together and looked up at Rune.
“Rune! Rune! Can Heungmi raise these kids?”
She looked just like a child begging to keep a stray cat she’d found on the street.
The five fire lizards eyed Rune hopefully, their yellow eyes wide and sparkling.
“Sure. Just be careful with fire, always.”
“Yay!”
“Whoa, congrats, Lady Heungmi!”
The moment permission was granted, Heungmi bounced in place and scooped up one salamander in her hands.
Jed clapped beside her, grinning wide.
Rune waited until their excitement died down before calling Heungmi over.
“Hey, do you even know what power you just used on those fire lizards?”
Heungmi shook her head vigorously.
“I just figured it out now!”
‘Good. At least she’s aware she activated it consciously.’
It was a relief it wasn’t some unconscious, always-on effect she couldn’t control.
Rune relaxed a bit and spoke to her in a serious tone.
“Charm… no, your ability to make friends—use it only after getting permission from now on.”
“Why? Heungmi wants lots of friends!”
Her fox ears drooped sadly as she gazed up at him.
Rune paused, wondering how to explain.
“Hmm… Abilities come with responsibilities, you know.”
“Responsibilities?”
“Yeah. Imagine if I took in a ton of other familiars besides you. If I spent all my time caring for them and barely saw you anymore—how would that feel?”
“……It’d feel a little lonely.”
Heungmi’s ears sagged even more, her head dipping low.
‘As expected from her loyal nature.’
Rune nodded in satisfaction and continued.
“Those five salamanders you chose would feel the same.”
“……!”
Heungmi peered into each salamander’s face, then clenched her tiny fists with resolve.
“Heungmi will love and cherish all of them equally!”
“Good. Train them well so they obey you.”
“Yes! Got it!”
The gloom was gone; Heungmi beamed with energy.
“Kids! Attention!”
Shok!
Shok!
Shok!
Shok!
Shok!
The salamanders lined up at her command.
Heungmi’s eyes scanned them seriously, one by one.
“Everyone, follow Heungmi!”
They scampered after her.
“Ppi-yak!”
For some reason, Baekya fluttered over and perched on Heungmi’s head.
“Lady Heungmi’s future looks bright, doesn’t it?”
Jed grinned slyly.
Rune shot him a glance and tossed out casually.
“You just gonna stand there all warm and fuzzy? Hurry up and go with them.”
“Oh! Coming, Lady Heungmi!”
Jed bolted out in a fluster, and the room fell quiet again.
‘She’s got her mother’s knack for being loved by nature, that’s for sure.’
Bloodlines can’t be denied, Rune mused inwardly.
With the Heungmi incident chasing away any lingering sleepiness, he recalled something he’d pushed to the back of his mind.
‘Perfect timing now.’
Rune summoned the Mana Key he’d copied last time onto his palm.
Heungmi, Baekya, and Jed wouldn’t be back for a while, and Perdikion had taken the dungeon scouting team out.
Scouting prioritized info over speed, so they’d take at least half a day.
Ideal moment to test the key in secret.
Wooong!
Lying on the bed, Rune infused mana into the glowing white key in his hand.
A translucent door formed in the air, ancient runes shimmering faintly.
He turned his hand rightward, like turning a key in a lock.
Click!
The door swung open.
‘……Not connected to the black market.’
The view through the open door was nothing like the mana passage Jed had shown.
But it felt oddly familiar.
Deep darkness.
The pitch-black void ahead was strangely comforting, not a hint of light.
As he reached in, a mystical sensation welcomed him like an old master returning home.
‘Going in.’
In an instant, Rune and the airborne door vanished without a sound.
***
Darkness enveloped him.
Unlike teleportation, a mana passage stretched ahead, demanding he walk on foot.
‘Definitely not the black market. Where does this lead?’
Rune tapped the floor with his toes a few times, then proceeded down the straight path.
A chill lingered, sharper after his time in the hot Red Dragon Lair.
How long had he walked?
He reached a pitch-black exit.
‘Out this way, I guess.’
He extended a hand beyond the threshold.
Splash.
“?”
He pulled back a soaked hand.
The salty tang hit him immediately.
‘Seawater?’
Beyond the mana-bordered door: endless ocean.
Deep abyss sea, black as ink, visibility near zero.
‘How’d I end up here?’
Rune pulled a mana stone from his leather pouch—a yellow diamond, perfect for light mana.
He channeled Christina’s light mana from the Transmission into it.
It bloomed into a warm, rosy yellow glow.
That’s when it happened.
[……!]
Blub.
Something zipped past the barrier—fast.
‘What was that? Fish fin… but with human hair?’
He leaned close for a better look, but the darkness swallowed details.
Rune pushed the glowing diamond through the barrier.
Plop.
As it drifted with the current.
“……?”
[……!]
Blue eyes.
Long hair adorned with red coral and white pearls.
Pale fingers with thin, translucent webbing.
A mermaid girl, startled, fled from the shining stone, tail flashing.
“Hey!”
He shouted at her retreating form, but she didn’t look back, fin whipping as she vanished.
‘What the…?’
Rune waited a while for her return.
But she didn’t reappear, so he gave up and headed back.
After Rune left and the passage faded.
Only much later did the deep-sea mermaid peek from behind a rock, eyes cautious.
She couldn’t tear her gaze from the sparkling yellow diamond.
Too scared to approach, she watched as its mana waned, glow dimming.
[……!]
Finally, she reached out and clutched it gently.
But the light mana flickered out completely, leaving her hand empty.
Alone once more in the dark abyss.
[…….]
Tears welled in her blue eyes, dissolving into the sea.
[Sob…… It hurts…….]
Squeeze.
Her pale hand clutched the now-dark yellow stone tightly.
[Hurts…… It hurts…….]
Her halting murmurs faded into silence in the lightless depths.
Her long, water-blue hair blackened from the tips upward.
Her voice, hiding the darkness in her heart, sank into the abyss unheard.
***
‘What was that? A mermaid, of all things?’
Back in his room, Rune wiped the seawater from his hand.
He reabsorbed the key into his body and mulled over the questions.
‘And for that brief moment, I felt darkness mana just like mine……?’
Pure shadow essence, like a Black Dragon’s.
No mistaking it—kin.
But hadn’t Black Dragons gone extinct?
After much fruitless pondering, Rune decided to consult Christina.
He pulled the communication mana stone she’d given him from his pouch and activated it.
— Oh my, Rune! It’s been a while. Are you doing well?
“Yeah, I’m good. Is Rai there too?”
— Of course. She’s buzzing around excitedly just hearing your voice.
It had been a while since he’d heard Christina’s voice.
Hard to believe he already missed the forest-filled lair brimming with light mana.
After a quick exchange of greetings, Rune got to the point.
“Are there any other Black Dragons besides me? Or maybe some race with similar dark mana?”
— A being with dark-attribute mana like Black Dragons?
The gentle voice paused over the stone.
— Are you talking about the Blue Dragon hatchling ‘Amelia’?
“Amelia?”
Rune echoed, and a sigh mingled in Christina’s reply.
— Yes. You must have sensed it through mana resonance, but some attributes harmonize well with others.
“Yeah, I know.”
— Before you were born, when the Black Dragons were wiped out, darkness mana began fading from the world. Facing an unprecedented crisis, we decided the ‘water’ dragons—most compatible with ‘darkness’—would bear it in their stead.
The ancient tale unfolded through Christina.
By her account, that mermaid was Amelia.
A Blue Dragon hatchling.
— I don’t know how you found out, but it’s too early for a young one like you. Don’t worry about it.
Her caring tone was soft, but it only made Rune more suspicious.
‘If so, she should be the Water Clan’s most protected hatchling. But she bolted in fear the second she saw me—no guardians in sight.’
Startled by the sudden intruder? Fair enough.
But no protectors around? Suspicious.
And she wielded both water and darkness mana—a powerhouse.
A predator fleeing an invader in her own territory?
She should’ve been furious, demanding how he’d gotten in.
‘Even if she’s a young hatchling short on power, there should be at least one adult Blue Dragon guarding her, right?’