Livia had learned much during her time in the sea. Some lessons had been easy and had taken little time to ingest, but others had been a bit more challenging to overcome. The first thing she learned was how different it felt to be completely immersed in water constantly. She felt lighter, as if she were floating.

  “This is amazing!” Livia excitedly said to the others. “I feel as if I could move for days with no need to rest.”

  “Hmm,” Genno replied. “You might want to wait a bit to see if that is the case or not.”

  Soon she realized what Genno referred to. Unlike moving on land where she only focused on moving her legs, here she had to use her entire body to move. From her head to her toes, she had to use her body as she moved in the water. The result was that she did in fact tire out faster than she initially thought. It did not take long before she lagged significantly behind the others.

  “I think we ought to rest soon.” Leander announced.

  “I’m not tired.” Giocco protested in a confused tone.

  “I’ll find us a place.” Genno replied, ignoring the aloof Giocco.

  Livia was happy to rest. They found an underwater cave that Livia could spread out and walk in. It felt very comforting for her to move with the relative ease that one takes for granted on the surface.

  Soon they departed and Livia focused on an entirely different aspect of their adventure, something she would not have considered earlier. She learned how colorful and diverse the depths of the sea were. She had seen so many creatures unlike any on the surface and some that looked surprisingly similar to land animals. Spiky balls, breathing rocks, underwater insects, massive fish that she mistook for a small Leviathan. Livia panicked when she saw one of the so-called “whales”. Livia never expected so much life to exist beneath the still waters of the sea. She had been in them before, but never had she had the opportunity to study them to such an extent.

  At one point, Livia saw a collection of structures near a lush underwater marsh. They seemed artificial.

  “The remains of a siren village.” Genno told her.

  She was amazed by the various structures. So many times she had met sirens, but never had she seen where they lived. The structures reminded Livia of the seafaring vessels the sirens had given to them in the past. They seemed constructed of the same material as the ship, Quinium, a dark wood-like material. It seemed that this material was ubiquitous in siren crafting. Livia was astounded at how similar the layout of this village was to other settlements she had seen above ground. It let her know that despite how diverse furtives may seem, they had more in common than they realized.

  But beyond all Livia was amazed at the vast size of the sea. It did not matter where she looked; the sea stretched out infinitely in every direction.

  This world had existed all this time under her feet, and she had never once given it a thought. This revelation seemed to unleash a wave of thoughts within her head.

  What else is out there? What else do we not know? What about the stars?! So far above us! What secrets do they hold?

  But the time for such thoughts was short.

  “I’m glad you are enjoying the view here.” Leander told Livia. “It’s hard to describe to those who live on the surface how vibrant and colorful the sea is.”

  “I cannot believe that this entire world exists right beneath us.” She said, “It feels weird that my entire existence has been right above this expansive world. This feels like an entirely different world. It must be strange for you to be able to traverse both the sea and the surface.”

  “Hmm,” Leander said. “That is not something I strongly considered before. It just seemed natural to me.”

  “Really?” Livia asked.

  “Yes, honestly.” Leander replied.

  “Interesting,” Livia replied, ready to get lost in her thoughts again.

  “Very soon we’ll reach a current.” Leander told her before she got too lost in her thoughts. “Once we find it, the journey will become much easier.”

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  “How so?” Livia asked.

  “An ocean current is very much like a strong wind would be for a sparrowling in the sky,” Genno interjected. “Once we find it, we can ride on it until it brings us near our objective.”

  “But how can you see it?” Livia asked.

  “You can’t.” Giocco interjected.

  “What Giocco means is that while you can’t see the current, what you see are the many creatures using it for navigation.” Genno added. “Once we are near it, we will see many animals on it.”

  “Fascinating,” Livia replied.

  It did not take Livia long to see the truth of their statement.

  Far in the distance, she saw a rash of creatures moving in the sea with little effort, as if they were pushed by some invisible force.

  “Do you see it?” Genno asked Livia.

  “It seems impossible, but I believe I do.” Livia replied.

  The creatures ranged from small fish to large shelled creatures, the likes of which Livia had never seen, and they all moved along with the invisible current.

  “Once we are near it, we need to be careful. It is hard to see where the current begins, and once you enter its proximity, you will be swept into it. Once that happens, you can only really go along with it.” Leander told her. “When we are about to go in, take my hand and I’ll guide you in.”

  They continued, and as they neared the current, Livia noticed that they were leaving the relatively shallow depths of the sea. Beneath her, the sea floor went from visible to a large bottomless pit.

  “It’s best if you don’t spend too much time looking at the bottom.” Leander said to her. “There really isn’t much to see.”

  “Right,” Livia replied, trying to take her mind off the deep chasm beneath them.

  Now the floating mass of animals was well within their reach.

  “I’ll go ahead. Come Giocco.” Genno spoke and proceeded forward.

  Upon crossing an invisible boundary, he and Giocco were carried away.

  “Our turn.” Leander said as he held his hand out.

  Livia acquiesced and held the siren’s hand.

  “Just stay next to me.” He said.

  Leander moved, and Livia followed. They moved toward the mass until suddenly Livia was moved by an invisible force.

  She was fascinated by the current. She stayed perfectly still, but still she moved along the sea as if she swam with all her energy.

  “Well, this I can do for days without rest.” She said.

  Leander laughed.

  “This time I’ll agree with you.” He said. “Come, let’s catch up to the others.”

  Livia and Leander swam up the current and met up with Giocco and Leander.

  “So what now?” Livia asked.

  “Now we wait.” Leander said. “We will be on this current for the next day or so. It will bring us close to the underground temple.”

  “And we’ll be safe here?” Livia asked.

  “As safe as we can be.” Genno replied. “Leviathans are always a threat. It’s just the same as it is overland. But at least we only deal with Leviathans here, not Dragons and Giants.”

  “But if they are coming, we will know.” Leander added. “The animals in the current will act accordingly, and we will know that a Leviathan is nearby.”

  “And then?” Livia asked.

  “The standard procedure is to find a place to hide. The blinding canisters you gave us have helped in some of these scenarios. So we would probably resort to using one of those in case we had to.” Leander finished.

  “I guess that is better than having nothing to defend with.” She said.

  This latest revelation did not ease her mind, but Livia trusted Leander and Genno. She knew them to be survivors, and if the situation called for it, she knew they would find a way to escape.

  They rode the current for several hours. Livia spent the time caught up in her own mind. Darting between thoughts of what she might encounter in the underwater palace and what new inventions she could conjure up when she returned to the fortress.

  “Let’s settle in for the night.” Leander said.

  They left the current and looked for a cave. Once Genno found one, Livia and the others followed, and they settled in for the night.

  Despite the unfamiliar terrain, Livia found sleep quickly. The journey so far had sapped more of her energy than she expected.

  In what seemed like an instant, Livia was awakened.

  “Come. If we hurry, we can reach the palace today.” Leander told her.

  Livia was groggy, but the excitement of reaching the underwater palace gave her a rush that prepared her for the day. She prepared herself and was quickly back in the sea.

  This time she felt more natural in her movements. They found their way back to the current and were on the move once more.

  The longer they stayed in the fewer animals she saw in the current.

  “Leander, I am sure we are not in danger, but just to be sure, why are there fewer animals in the current?” she asked.

  “Because we are nearing the Leviathan’s domain.” Leander replied. “It is a place most creatures know to avoid.”

  “Wise choice, I would say.” She said.

  “We’ll be arriving soon.” Genno added. “When I leave the current, follow me, and we’ll then go straight to the palace.”

  Livia understood. Now all the sirens were quiet.

  After some time, Genno exited the current. She, along with the others, followed.

  Genno continued ahead, and they all followed.

  They were all silent as they moved ahead. This part of the ocean seemed so different to everything else she had seen. She could see the ocean floor from here, but beyond that there was nothing she could see. Everywhere she looked, there was just vast nothingness, no color, no animals moving, just vast nothingness.

  “I know you mentioned that animals would avoid Ajan, but this seems extreme. Is this normal?” Livia asked. Despite not seeing anything for leagues under the sea, she was sure to keep her voice quiet.

  “It all depends on the Leviathan. Some seem to have a preference for signs of life near their seats or power in their domain. But that is not the case for Ajan.” Leander spoke to him.

  “Ajan.” Livia repeated. It was not a name she was familiar with. “I assume this is his domain then.”

  “Yes,” Leander said.

  “Have you ever come across Ajan?”

  “No,” he replied. “And may it stay that way.”

  Nothing else was said between them. They continued along their path until Genno stopped and pointed downward.

  “There it is.” He said.

  The group looked to where Genno pointed. Livia did not see anything that stood out; all she saw was the craggy outcrop of the ocean floor.

  “I don’t see anything.” She said.

  “Let’s get closer; you’ll see it,” Genno replied, and they all followed.

  As they neared the ocean floor, Livia noticed something. Unlike other portions of the ocean floor, Livia saw that the rocky bottom was not carved randomly. There were clear delineations cut in the floor that were large enough for creatures to fit through. As she looked now, she saw that these carved entryways extended out almost as far as the eye could see along the ocean floor.

  “I thought this temple would be similar to Arandu’s.” She said.

  “Each Leviathan is a unique being.” Genno replied. “Each of their temples is different.”

  “Interesting.” She replied. “But just how far does this extend?”

  “We don’t know the full extent of this temple.” Genno replied. “We believe this temple was here even before Ajan.”

  They were now above one of the cracks along the ground. From here, Livia could see various entrances.

  “Ready?” Leander asked her.

  Livia stared ahead of her, her heart racing now that they were so close to their goal.

  “Let’s go.” She said.