Volume IV of Legacy: Quest for the Cosmic Cores, Part 1
Copyright© 2025 by Uruks
Chapter 23
Shadow Claw told Lexandar of the Orb of Destiny and its secret hiding place near his prison at the planet’s core. If the Orb was used with selfish intentions, Shadow Claw could feed off its negative energies and bestow his strength upon a worthy Vessel. The Orb was protected by Maranu’s power and by legions of Guardian Spirits that now served the Elementals. Not even Shadow Claw with all his strange powers could reach the Orb. Only Maranu or perhaps those he trusted had a chance of obtaining it. And thus did Lexandar realize that the key to his freedom lay with Sifa, the one whom Maranu trusted most. During his imprisonment, Sifa would visit Lexandar often as the two were good friends before their political disputes. Sifa felt conflicted about jailing Lexandar and hoped that she might reform him so that he may return to Elemental society one day. As the years passed, the two spent more and more time together ... and Lexandar began to worm his way into poor Sifa’s heart.
Éclair had to admit, she deeply admired the aesthetics of Atlantean craft. The curve of the bows. The streamlined silver-blue hulls. The way they captured both the essence of the sea and of water-dwelling creatures in general. Watching the fish-like vessels floating in space above the pristine blue planet, one could almost imagine that they weren’t ships at all, but massive, ancient sea creatures swimming through a dark ocean.
The Venture now hovered just above the planet’s atmosphere as the Atlantean fleet surrounded them. The lead capital ship, a long, cone-shaped vessel with a smooth, blue hull and a long spike in its front to make the craft resemble a narwhale, was called the Odyssey. After they hailed the Atlanteans and explained their presence, the Merfolk soldiers had been more than accommodating. In fact, Éclair got the sense of relief in the air. It was refreshing to get a warm welcome for a change given much of the public’s general disdain for Elementals. Leon, Erica, and Victor discussed the occupation with the Merman Captain while the others busied themselves with standard ship maintenance in the lower decks.
Éclair would’ve helped as well, but something caught her attention as they neared the planet. Her sensory abilities had been improving dramatically since Black Star. She wondered if she could someday sense things on a planetary level as high-level Werewolves like Mozar could. What concerned her most was the general feeling of dread she sensed from the surrounding Atlantean ships. It concerned her because her abilities were not usually empathic. But that wasn’t all. The sensation she got as she focused on the planet was entirely unpleasant. It felt familiar, like an old childhood nightmare that she had difficulty recalling. There was another feeling, less familiar, but infinitely more dangerous. Though the planet of Atlantis looked serene and beautiful as she knew it would, the sixth sense she got conveyed a feeling of taint. It was like something was poisoning the ocean planet. Not the superficial kind of poisoning like mere pollution, but a supernatural influence that was more difficult to diagnose. A presence of immeasurable malice that could somehow twist nature itself to serve its will. It seemed similar to the Horde Mother’s corruption of Black Star, and at the same time, exponentially worse. She didn’t know if it was simply due to the lingering turbulence of recent events or maybe even the doings of an unknown entity of comparable strength to the Horde Mother. Whatever it was, this disquieting notion would not abate as Éclair studied the Atlantean Fleet and the blue planet below through a porthole on the bridge. She tried to pinpoint a more precise location for the source of the disturbance as she focused her psions, though with little success as it remained only an ambiguous awareness. She would’ve told someone, but she feared losing the signal if she let up her concentration for even an instant. Eclair only halfway listened to her companions’ conversation with the Merman Captain as she continued her fruitless search.
“Tell me more about this craft your fleet encountered. Are you certain it is of Sharkfolk design?” asked Victor as he, Erica, and Leon stood in front of the holoscreen near the front of the bridge.
The Merman Captain, his human half that of a young, clean-shaven man with dark, curly hair, seemed decidedly uneasy and maybe a little pale. Éclair was surprised to find someone so young commanding the Atlantean Fleet, that is until she heard that most of the veteran commanders had died in the brief battle with the alien craft that now occupied Nepton. She had heard that the Merfolk had been downsizing their military, but it was disconcerting to know that they had grown so drastically shorthanded after losing only one battle. As the Merman spoke, his long hair undulated rhythmically around his head, and his voice sounded strangely echoey as bubbles sprang from his mouth. Éclair had to remind herself of the fact that Merfolk vessels were filled with water even after leaving the planet. They would only drain the seawater in certain sections of their vessels if they were accommodating land-dwellers. In some ways, it really wasn’t that much stranger than how most sentient lifeforms filled their space crafts with oxygen. Exploring space required bringing a little bit of home with you.
“We don’t know for sure if it is a Sharkman vessel,” he answered nervously. “Its weaponry and shielding system seemed too advanced for the skills of their scientists. But the Sharkmen are the only ones sending messages to the Palace, and our intelligence units have seen them patrolling the perimeter of the forcefield around Nepton. We have ... we have speculated that it might be a Siren craft as less is known of their military capabilities. They have come out in heavy support of the Sharkfolk as the two races are close allies, but I must reiterate that this is only speculation.”
Éclair paused her own ponderings to look once more at a schematic of the enemy vessel that floated to the side of the holoscreen. A ghastly design. A bloodred hull with wings shaped like a bird of prey. But in place of a bird’s head was a white bow at its front that resembled a human-like skull, though a human-like skull with sharp teeth and a crown of spikes growing out of its head. Various readouts and displays showed the vessel’s relative firepower and shield matrix, or at least what the Atlantean ships were able to record before they were blown to smithereens. From what she could tell, this was perhaps one of the most advanced military vessels ever conceived, rivaling (if not outright surpassing) even the best that the Fire Ministry had to offer in terms of energy capacity. The macabre nature of the craft gave credence to a singular function; to bring death. It seemed doubtful that the Sharkmen could have conceived of such a machine given the generally underdeveloped aspects of their society.
“And you say this ship has submerged itself into the seas around Nepton?” asked Leon.
The Merman gave a frantic nod. “That’s right, Sir Elemental. Before the jamming signal was fully implemented, scans showed the alien vessel diving into the ocean in a controlled flight path. However, we have reason to believe that much of the shield matrix surrounding Nepton is originating from that craft ... or at least in part. We can still detect several generators throughout the city powering the forcefield, but the bulk of the energy is coming from the ship itself.”
Leon rubbed his chin as he considered. “Hmm. The fact that it has such advanced aquatic functions renders some credibility to the theory of it being of Siren design. Their scientists have long shadowed Atlantean technicians. But still, the sheer firepower it is capable of seems too proficient for Siren craftsmen. If this readout is correct, then the vessel could render an entire planet uninhabitable in a matter of minutes.”
“It really grinds my gears,” said Victor slowly as he observed the vessel with what seemed to be a trace amount of admiration. “The fact that there is a ship like this in the universe that the Ministries had no idea even existed. Not one of our adversaries is reported to have weapons of this caliber. At least, none in the civilized universe.”
If no one in the known galaxies can create a weapon system of this scale, thought Éclair with a growing sense of apprehension. Then could it have come from the Forbidden Galaxies?
“There are many questions left unanswered,” mused Leon. “Foremost among them would be why? If they have this much power, why did they stop? If conquest was their aim, why didn’t they simply take the whole planet.”
Victor shrugged. “Perhaps they lacked the resources. Perhaps they didn’t have enough ammunition in reserve to break through the shields protecting the other larger cities. Maybe they weren’t even equipped to take the underwater cities. It’s probably not coincidence that they targeted the only landmass on Atlantis.”
“Sound reasoning, and it might have played a part, but I doubt that logistics were the only factors. If they simply wanted to hurt the Atlanteans, they could’ve caused irreparable damage to the planet’s ecosystem and warped away. There’s something more. Either taking the city and the two royals was their objective ... or there’s something inside that city that they need. Whatever the truth may be, we won’t find out unless we get in there. Though I doubt we’ll like what we find.”
Before anyone could speculate upon Leon’s foreboding portent, Erica suddenly asked, “What is the status of the inhabitants in the city? Has there been any reports on their general wellbeing?”
The Merman seemed taken aback by Erica’s question, lowering his eyes in resignation. “We ... we don’t know how the people of Nepton are faring. None of our scanners can penetrate the shield, and it obscures direct line of sight as well. No communication frequencies within or outside the city can circumvent their jammers. Nothing in and nothing out without the Sharkfolk’s approval. The ... the Sharkfolk have repeatedly stated that the hostages are being treated well. However, once when our patrols tried to get closer to the shield’s perimeter to find a weakness, the Sharkfolk briefly opened one section and let the corpses of several Mermaids float out into the sea. Autopsies revealed prolonged torment before death. The Sharkfolk claimed that they only killed those Mermaids because of us prying too close to their shield, but I have my doubts. Whatever it is they’re doing, they don’t want anyone seeing it. I think they’re trying to hide the scale of the atrocities being committed behind that shield. They’re obviously still hoping to retain some support from their sympathizers throughout the Aquatic Alliance.”
Erica paused a moment before asking, “How many are reported missing?”
The Merman seemed to choke on the answer as he said slowly, “N-Nepton is the only island on our planet, and as such, it is our largest city. The center of all trade and travel. Including the land-dwelling immigrants, it has a population of roughly a hundred million.”
It was the first time that a bit of hatred seeped into the voice of the melancholy Merman. Éclair felt her heart go out to him. Merfolk were peaceful by nature. Drawing the ire of the longsuffering Merfolk usually required a special kind of cruelty. For a moment, Éclair just let that sink in; a hundred million souls now in the grips of terror and perhaps enduring all manner of torture. She would use that as motivation to do what needed to be done when the time came. Éclair briefly grew startled when she realized that something was off. In her brief lapse in concentration, she had lost that foreboding feeling from earlier. Staring down at the water planet, she flared her psions to try and sense the malevolent presence once more, but it was as if it had never existed in the first place. A question came to mind as Éclair moved from the porthole to stand at Leon’s side in front of the holoscreen.
“Tell me something. When you engaged the enemy, did you notice any Psionic Users among their ranks?”
“Ps-Psionic Users, ma’am?” repeated the captain.
It wasn’t a very common term among Atlanteans, so Éclair wasn’t all that surprised that the young Merman didn’t know it. “Individuals with special powers like us Elementals, or those among the Merfolk who can manipulate water. I believe you call them Gifted.”
The Merman brightened up with recognition. “Oh, yes! Of course! The Princess...” The Merman cleared his throat, speaking more mournfully as he said, “Princess Thazia was Gifted in Water Elemency. Her older sister who taught her much more so. I can only imagine what the Royal Family is going through right now.”
He looked away briefly before shaking his head. “The only battle was fought in the skies with the enemy ship. It only took them less than an hour to completely decimate our forces. After more than a third of our fleet was lost, command ordered our remaining ships to stand down. We received a message from the Sharkfolk telling all Defenders to withdraw from the city or watch it be destroyed completely, and that order was carried out. As I said earlier, we’ve had brief encounters with Sharkmen soldiers near the forcefield, but no violent confrontations. We have no way of knowing if they have their own Gifted or not. Although, Sharkmen are usually not talented with Water Elemency, not to the same extent as us Merfolk where the trait is quite common.”
“Why do you ask?” inquired Erica.
Éclair gave her companions a furtive glance. “I ... I’m not certain. When we came near the planet, I ... I thought I felt the presence of ... something. It’s similar to the feeling I get when confronted by a powerful Elemental like yourself, Lady Konamay.”
Erica regarded Éclair incredulously. “If you are sensing something, then you would have to have greater perception than our scanners which are designed to detect Psionic Users. I wasn’t aware that your sensory abilities were so acute, Young Second.”
Éclair gave an uncomfortable chuckle. “Neither was I. My range is usually limited to a few miles at most.”
Erica looked skeptical, but Leon was more supportive as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “Do you still sense that presence?”
Éclair squinted as she looked over at the porthole, concentrating her psions once more. When she felt nothing, she turned back and shook her head. “No. But I’m sure it was there. If it was a Psionic User, they might have noticed me sensing them and dowsed their psions to remain undetected.”
Erica still looked doubtful, but Victor looked troubled as he commented, “If that’s true, then the Psionic User would have to be powerful indeed to be able to notice you only vaguely scoping them out from thousands of miles away. And to be able to fool our sensors on top of this. High Tier Fourth Level at the very least. Of course, the shield surrounding Nepton could be hiding their presence, but that doesn’t explain how you were able to find them where our scanners failed.”
Leon studied Éclair, as if looking for any signs of doubt. He closed his eyes, and Éclair knew that he was using his own sensory abilities, though his powers were telepathic in nature. After a moment, Leon gave a brief shake of his head. “The only thing I can sense is the general anxiety and fear of the Atlanteans in the surrounding fleet.”
Éclair nodded. “Yes, I thought I could feel that as...”
Éclair looked down and quickly went silent before she revealed too much. If she was exhibiting empathic abilities that lay outside her psionic spectrum, it could only be due to her nature as a Child of Destiny, the same affliction that Ryan endured. That was a secret that she definitely wouldn’t be trusting to Erica or a random Merman officer anytime soon.
Thankfully, no one seemed to notice her comment as Leon turned back to the Merman on the viewscreen. “From what I can tell of the minds manning this fleet, most of the officers are quite young and inexperienced. Are there really no seasoned combatants left on Atlantis?”
The young officer now seemed close to blushing as he adjusted the collar of his uniform. “Like-like I said earlier. Most of our senior command structure perished in the battle. We-we know we’re low on manpower, but we’ve never encountered a threat this severe before. The Aquatic Alliance has largely been moving towards demilitarization since the end of the Dark Dragon Wars nearly a millennia ago. We just haven’t had many largescale conflicts since then. What tested warriors we do have ... most of them are patrolling the borders of Atlantean Space since the Parasite Resurgence. We have requested reinforcements from the border, of course, but the representatives on the Emergency Council have refused, saying that they don’t wish to antagonize the Sharkmen further. They say the Sharkmen should be treated in accordance with Aquatic Alliance Laws of Decorum.”
Leon gave a small sigh. By his bearing, Éclair could tell he was getting frustrated. Nothing annoyed Leon more than blatant stupidity. “What about your Gifted? How many among you can use Water Elemency?”
The officer shrugged. “Well, I’m not sure. I’d have to take a tally. I’d say maybe one in five soldiers. But it’s not like we’ve been trained to use it combatively. Only the older Defenders along the border would know how to do that, and maybe a few members of the Royal Family. Water Elemency is mostly just used for recreation on Atlantis. It’s a way of expressing ourselves. At any rate, it’s usually seen as taboo to use the power of water, the power of life itself, as a means of bringing death. At least, that’s what the Aquatic Alliance has always taught us.”