The Girl by the Water
"The Harmonizer of the Natural World. That role isn't reserved for spirits alone. Spirit users like you—long ago, they had duties of their own. The duty to aid the spirits and bring good to the world."
A duty to bring good to the world...?
Perhaps it was that word—duty—but all at once, Bayul's chest grew heavy. To Bayul, who had regarded spirits with nothing but fear, Quinn's words were deeply disorienting.
A duty meant something one was obligated to do, didn't it? It came bundled with responsibility. He had merely wanted to keep his distance from spirits—how had that become an act of shirking his duty? He didn't want to become that kind of person.
Someone who could be of help somewhere, to someone. If he could, Bayul wanted to be that kind of person. Like his father.
How much time had passed? As if deliberately granting him space to think, no one spoke to Bayul.
"...What should I do?"
Quinn, who had been quietly finishing his meal, looked up and met Bayul's eyes.
"Call a spirit."
"Bayul, you—!"
"Yeah, Aidan. I want to try. I don't know whether I'll be any good at it, but I thought I'd at least give it a shot."
Bayul had lived his whole life believing himself worthless. He was still afraid, still anxious—but if this was something he could do, something he had to do, then he wanted to try. Even if he failed.
"You made the right choice, Bayul."
Eli greeted his decision with a bright smile.
"I knew you'd come around!"
Aidan clapped his hands in delight.
"It's thanks to Quinn. What you said really got through to me. If you'll help, I'll give it everything I have."
"Then let's head to the water."
"...Huh?"
Quinn's sudden proposal left them all gaping.
"The water? Why there?"
"Because it's where the power of water is strongest."
"Oh!"
"If we go there, the odds of a spirit appearing will be much higher."
As if he had only been waiting for Bayul's decision, Quinn rose and took the lead.
"Hey, Quinn! Wait up!"
He looked like a man who had spent his whole life longing for this day to come. The three of them hurried after Quinn, leaving their meals half-finished.
"Where are we?"
Despite saying they were headed for the water, Quinn had led them to—of all things—a thicket of tall grass. Slender trees rose in dense clusters, in a spot quite far removed from the center of the city.
"Where I live."
"...You live here?"
Leaving his friends' bewildered echoes behind, Quinn strode confidently into the undergrowth. The lush trees swallowed his figure almost instantly, and the three scrambled after him, terrified of losing sight of him.
Then, a moment later, all four of them—as if by prior agreement—stared blankly ahead.
Paradise? An earthly Eden? Another world entirely?
Nothing else came to mind.
Blue skies, cascading sunlight, a stream winding lazily through the landscape, and a sprawling meadow of wildflowers in full bloom. At the very heart of that breathtaking scene sat a single white house, elegant curves gracing every line of it.
A secret space—neither large nor small. Quinn ushered his friends inside.
"So a place like this was hidden in the world all along."
"Quinn, you spend every weekend here?"
"I'm so jealous. This is amazing!"
The fragrance of flowers and grass, the fresh rush of the current, the bees and butterflies dancing above it all. It was truly like stepping into a painting.
Ppyok!
"Ingrid?"
It was then that Aidan's cap, quiet until now, suddenly stirred. As if waking from a nap, Ingrid let out its signature adorable chirp and poked its head out of the cap.
"Why are you awake? It's still naptime for you."
When Aidan took the cap off entirely, Ingrid straightened up and gave its wings a good shake. At that endearing little display, a smile spread across Bayul's face without his meaning for it to.
"Hello, Ingrid. It's been a while."
Whether it remembered Bayul or not, Ingrid tilted its head and let out a soft ppyok.
"What? You've met Ingrid before?"
"Yeah."
At Bayul's guileless answer, Eli's expression turned mischievous.
"Wow, Aidan. You are such a hypocrite. You told me it was absolutely impossible, and then you showed Bayul? When exactly did this happen? Isn't this blatant favoritism?"
"Favoritism, my foot. Ingrid was asleep at the time, remember?"
"This thing sleeps every time I see it, though."
"It usually does, during the day. It's nocturnal."
When Aidan held out his hand, Ingrid hopped nimbly up onto it.
"And it's not like I showed Bayul anything either. Ingrid came out on its own, just like now. Right, Ingrid?"
Looking like he might die of cuteness overload, Aidan rubbed his cheek against Ingrid's feathers.
"Ugh, fine, whatever."
The instant Eli scowled and ribbed Aidan, Ingrid abruptly spread its wings and whooshed off into the air.
"Huh? I-Ingrid!"
Aidan cried out in alarm, but the little thing was already tiny to begin with, and it shrank to a distant dot in no time.
"Where's it going without a word?"
"It's a bird—birds fly. It'll poke around and come back."
"No, you don't understand. It's scared of unfamiliar places. And in broad daylight like this, it can barely be seen."
Anxiety washed over Aidan's face.
"That's it. I'm going after it."
There was no time to stop him. Aidan took off running in the direction Ingrid had vanished.
"Let's go too."
"Yeah!"
Bayul was just as worried. Eli and Bayul kicked off the ground almost simultaneously.
"......"
Quinn was the only one who found the whole situation absurd. They had come here to summon a spirit. He had thoughtfully brought them to a place he had never revealed to another soul. Not to chase after the tail feathers of a bird the size of an acorn.
Did I do something reckless after all?
He had simply wanted to confirm with his own eyes once more. Whether what he had seen truly was a spirit—whether spirits had truly returned. That was all Quinn wanted to know.
And the weather was turning hot these days; the riversides and beaches of Carrington were always packed with people. It wasn't as though he could summon a spirit in a place like that, was it?
This was a strictly guarded secret known only to Quinn, prince of the Mermaid Kingdom, and a handful of his most trusted retainers. A flicker of regret crept in—had he let his fascination with spirits' existence make him careless?
"Ingrid! Ingrid!"
But the deed was done, and regret came too late. He was the master of this place; finding a runaway (?) owl was his responsibility now too.
Look at me, running around doing the strangest things.
Brows knitted tight, Quinn belatedly followed the sound of the voices and set off after them.
"Quinn! The path's cut off! Can we get past behind the waterfall?"
Somehow they had ended up at a dead end. A steep rocky slope, thorny brambles, and a small waterfall about two meters high blocked the way. Beneath the falls, a pool of comfortable swimming depth had formed, charmingly framed by the scenery.
"No, this is the end. We can't go any farther."
"It definitely flew this way, right?"
"Yeah, somewhere around here for sure. Ugh, where did it go? Ingrid! Ingrid!"
Terrified that Ingrid might have hurt itself, Aidan shouted itself hoarse with worry. Then they heard it—a shrill, ringing cry.
"Aidan, over there!"
Eli spotted it first. From behind the waterfall, Ingrid burst through the curtain of water and soared powerfully into the air. Whatever the reason, the little creature looked absolutely delighted. It let out a high-pitched sound none of them had ever heard from it before, and began twirling gleefully through the air—or rather, above the pool.
"...It made a bird friend?"
Relieved by Ingrid's appearance, Aidan tilted his head and muttered.
"A friend?"
Could it really understand something like that, just because it was a pet?
Bayul simply found it fascinating.
"Probably spotted another owl nearby. It must've been lonely, all by itself. Aww, good for you, buddy. Good for you."
After all that hopping and bouncing under the blazing sun, Eli was drenched in sweat. Glaring sourly at Ingrid, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he began stripping off his uniform.
"What are you doing?"
"Aren't you hot?"
"...Yeah, actually. I am."
The moment his worry for Ingrid lifted, the sweltering heat crashed down on Aidan. Sweat was already beading on his forehead and neck.
"Nothing beats a swim when it's hot. Right, Quinn?"
Asking Quinn was pointless. For a merman like him, swimming was simply life, hot or cold.
"Bayul, what are you doing? Hurry up and get changed."
Perhaps because he'd grown up roaming free as a commoner, Eli didn't look the least bit awkward undressing outdoors in broad daylight. After a moment's hesitation, Aidan shrugged and tossed his jacket aside as well.
"I'm fine, really......"
"Aw, come on, nobody sits out. Don't tell me you're embarrassed?"
"What's there to be embarrassed about between guys!"
Aidan smacked Bayul's shoulder and undid his shirt buttons.
"Don't regret it later—just strip and get in. When's the next time you'll get to swim somewhere like this?"
"He's right. There's no guarantee Quinn will bring us here again. Quinn! You swim here every weekend, don't you?"
Quinn neither confirmed nor denied it, but Eli took that as a yes.
"Come on, lend it to us just for today. We'll use it respectfully and give it right back. Hey, Bayul! Hurry up and change already! Are you seriously not swimming?"
"Seriously, what's with the wiggling? You want me to shove you in for real?"
"No! It's just that I can't swim!"
Bayul cried out, startled by Aidan's threat.
"You can't swim?"
"Yeah, so you three just......"
"Oh please, so what if you're bad at swimming! Everyone starts somewhere. Right, Eli?"
"Exactly! That's how it always starts."
Something about the mood felt off. Shooting each other sly glances behind Bayul's back, Eli and Aidan lunged at him at the same moment—and before he could put up any resistance, they shoved him hard into the pool.
"Uwaaah—!"
It was a secret he had never told anyone. Since the day he was fourteen—the day Bail, his twin brother, had died—Bayul had feared water. Eating and bathing posed no problem, but immersing himself the way he just had dredged up a nightmare he wanted never to remember.
A terrible accident from a day he could barely recall. Everything had begun with Bayul falling into the water. Just like right now.
Brother!
Help me!
Somebody, please help!
He flailed his arms and legs desperately, but his body wouldn't obey. He kept being dragged down, down into the dark, deep water.
"Hey, something's actually wrong."
The laughter faded bit by bit from Aidan's and Eli's faces as they high-fived over the shove. Bayul, who had been thrashing at the surface in and out of the water, had gone suddenly still—and was slowly beginning to sink.
"I think he really can't swim!"
"Look at it—it's barely up to our waists. He's gotta be joking around."
"Bayul! Your feet will touch the bottom! Just stand up straight!"
Eli shouted, but nothing improved. In his current state, Bayul couldn't have heard any voice at all.
"That's it. I'm going in."
The moment Eli, unable to watch any longer, made to dive in—
"Hold on."
Quinn, silent until now, seized his wrist.
"Quinn, what are you doing? Let go!"
He tried to shake him off, but Quinn's grip was remarkably strong.
"Aidan, you wait too!"
With his free hand, Quinn blocked Aidan as well.
"Any later and it'll be too late! Something terrible's going to happen!"
"Come on, Quinn! Let go of me, now!"
"No. That won't happen."
Quinn's tone was unnervingly resolute.
"What exactly are you banking on here? Have you lost your mind?"
Just as Eli, frantic, was about to tear himself free even if it meant striking Quinn—Bayul, still sinking, suddenly shot up toward the sky.
WHOOOOSH!
A colossal pillar of water rose out of nowhere. And at its very summit sat Bayul.
"B-Bayul!"
At the impossible sight, Aidan let out a shrill shriek. Eli, equally stunned, could only stammer without managing a single full sentence. The only one smiling was Quinn.
Wh-what? Why am I—?
Bayul couldn't make head or tail of what had just happened. He had definitely fallen into the water. And then everything had blurred, as if he were about to black out.
So why was I floating in the air?
And in one piece, no less?
Only his clothes and hair were wet—everything else was perfectly fine. The agonizing suffocation that had felt like his throat was being crushed no longer troubled him at all. No—in fact, his body felt lighter than air.
What in the world is happening to me?
It was then that someone suddenly spoke to him.
―Hello?
A voice he had heard somewhere before. Bayul's head whipped around.
"You—you're...!"
It was that girl. The little girl who had appeared during class and made him collapse. As if pleased to see him again, she flashed Bayul a bright smile. Still floating in midair.
The difference this time was that Bayul hadn't fainted. It was terrifying, frightening—but there was so much he wanted to ask her. Gathering his courage, Bayul spoke.
"H-hello. It's nice to see you."
Her name was Innocent.
Thus appeared Bayul's first contracted spirit—and the future queen who would one day become the Spirit King of Water.