"Attention all passengers, we will shortly arrive at Atlantis," blared the speakers on the subway. Only the dim electrical lights installed on the car ceiling lit the ocean outside the window; however, I could make out a baby squid following an octopus. I watched them gracefully swim around in circles, a sublime ritual that fascinated me as I pressed my face close to the window. With better visibility, I made out tens . . . hundreds . . . no, there must have been thousands of squids surrounding the train. A deep, gnawing fear settled in the depths of my stomach as I realized that the submerged railway passed through an octopus nesting ground . . . and it was mating season. The youngest squids, defiant in proving themselves better than the other competitors, liked to brandish their freezing capabilities on the biggest fish. And to them, this aqua-train was nothing but a very, very big fish.
“Attention all passengers, we advise you to prepare for some minor tubule—-" came out through the speakers before degenerating into ominous static. Suddenly, the train lurched forward, and the lights started flickering, and the train became cold, so very cold, as cracks formed on the edge of the windows. My ears perked at a shrill cry of fright resounding from the car behind me. I ran to the source of the scream and was brought face-to-face with a girl, sitting on the ground, doe eyes staring into my soul. Bright, ruby-red doe eyes. She got up and ran towards me, embracing me with a tight hug.
“Who are you . . . ?” I said, right before the windows broke, flooding the train with water. My last memory, before blacking out, was being swept around the car, holding only her warm, tender hand.
“Are you awake, Prince?” A man dressed in an Atlantis Retrieval Squad uniform was looking down at me. I slowly got up and looked around. We were in the Royal Infirmary of Atlantis.
"The lights . . . The squids . . . " I tried to form coherent sentences, to no avail. My head was pounding.
"Prince, I think you should lie back down. You suffered some serious head trauma during your incident."
“And . . . the girl?”
“What girl?” the man replied, confused.
“The girl . . . girl who was on the train with me.”
“Prince . . . you may have hit your head too hard. You were the only passenger on the train."
"No . . . there was a girl . . . a red girl . . . very red . . . " I placed my hand on my forehead, trying to think.
"Prince, we didn't find anyone else at the wreckage. Try to rest."
His voice was calm and soothing, I couldn't help but comply. I lay back down, and let my heavy eyelids close.
"And..what day is it?" I mumbled, half-asleep.
"The second day of the eighth month."
"What?" My eyes shot open, and I abruptly rose, causing another shot of pain into my temple. "I have to go back home soon. I promised Julia I would be home for our anniversary."
My companion chuckled. "Oh, it's in two days, isn't it? How's the young one?"
"Young ones, you mean. She bore me a second son just last year. The first one's going into first grade the coming autumn." I noticed my mistake: the warrior didn't know what "first grade" meant.
"Lucky you, you know how it is in Atlantis. Unless you're royalty, you are not allowed to have more than one child per mate. Of course, in your father's case . . . " He trailed off, noticing my discomfort. "Sorry, I forgot that it was a sensitive subject."
"Never mind that, I must see my father now. Is he in the throne room?" I climbed off the bed, noticing that my right ankle was sprained.
"Yes, but I suggest you don't move around so soon. You're still--" he said, stopping in front of me.
"I don't think you understood me. I must see my see my father now, and finish what he called me here to do so that I can go home." He backed away, startled.
“In two days, you will reach Pyras. There, you will honor the ancient vow with the princess.” my father said, his back facing me. This was how it always was, with him staring out the window. If I asked why, he would only tell me that he was looking out for the horizon, for that was where my future lay. When I was young, I would scream at him, begging me to look at the present me, not at some figment of his imagination.
“For the last time, I refuse. Is that the only reason you dragged me to Atlantis? I almost died on that train, and is that all you wanted to say to me?”
“The Ruby Dragons have revolted against the king of Pyras, killing him to ascend the throne. They have taken his daughter and imprisoned her on the central mountain. That is the reason I have brought you here. Only you can save her.”
“They’re only Ruby Dragons, a single Ice Lance can kill one. Can’t the Atlantis Retrieval Squad do it?"
"The Council has promised to erase your insolence from The Record if you single-handedly rescue the princess. If you prove your worth, The Council shall allow you to honor the ancient vow."
"How many times have I told you? I don’t care about her! I only care about Julia!” My father turned around to face me, but I only saw a silhouette of his aged figure, surrounded by the blinding sunlight outside the window. I could not see his face, but I knew he was enraged.
“There is more on the line here than some petty promise you made to some mortal child . . . "
"She is not just any mortal, father. She is my wife!"
" . . . in a building built for an entity that does not even exist! None of this is in any way over or above the most respected tradition of Atlantis!” He strode over to my right and opened a chest, taking out a staff and a shield, dropping them at my feet. The light from the hallway shone onto his face, and for the very first time I saw those disgusting wrinkles and sunken eyes. I heard that, in his prime, those eyes were a beautiful sapphire color, but age had degenerated them into murky fogs of grey. He was blind. With a soft, croaked voice, he said, "Poseidon and the Permafrost Shield . . . family heirlooms, as you must know. Take them, and save the girl."
"Father, no matter what you offer, I still refuse!"
He leaned over and placed his lips next to my ear, whispering--no, pleading, "Don't you understand? If you honor the tradition, The Council can make you a god. You know . . . You know that I do not have much time. And you know . . . Your mother . . . She gave me only you. I am . . . I am begging you.” I bent down to pick up the shield, and upon touching it, tore my hand away. It was cold, very cold. My father, somehow noticing my difficulty, explained, "The Permafrost Shield recognizes its master only if its master recognizes himself. You are its master. You have the royal blood of Atlantis flowing through your veins. Never forget this, Neptune." I reached down, and placed a firm grip on the shield. It was still cold, but not a hostile temperature that would freeze upon contact. It felt cool, yet reassuring, like a refreshing glass of lemonade. It felt . . . right.
And that’s how I ended up deep within this forsaken mountain cave, battling these dragons. "Ice Lance!" I shout, and a stream of ice erupts from my hand and pierces the chest of the eleventh one I've encountered. I know I only have one more Lance, but I also know that the only dragons I've seen have been part of the 12 Rubies that gained influence in the southern region of Pyras. From that, I can conclude that there is only one dragon left--their leader. I wander only a few more steps before the I see the entrance of some form of chamber. The dragon in the chamber has dark, chaotic aura surrounding it, and I know I do not have enough quanta left to defeat it with just one lance. A few meters ahead, I spy a small pool of water. As I notice the water, the dragon spots me and lunges towards me with an intensity so feral it's scary. Instinctively, I bring my Permafrost Shield up and end up having it knock into my chest. I don’t have enough time to check how many ribs just got cracked, as the dragon lifts its foot for another blow. I pray to the gods as its foot connects with my Permafrost Shield, freezing the dragon right above the water, but sending me tumbling across the floor. After using Poseidon to help myself up, I slowly stumble towards the pool and place my hand in it, regenerating quanta at what seemed like too slow a rate. Once I regenerate just enough quanta, I calmly rise and place my hand on the dragon’s chest. I can feel its frozen heart beating at chaotic intervals. With a whispered “Ice Lance”, I knock it back a few meters behind the pool. It doesn’t get up.
Suddenly, Poseidon disappears from my grasp. “I knew you’d come to save me!” a childish voice squeals from behind me. I turn around, and out of the darkness emerges two glowing spheres of deep scarlet, as shiny as ruby gems. I bring my shield up as the girl from the subway comes into view, sensually caressing Poseidon’s shaft. “Don’t hide your face from me,” she giggles, and, with a wave of her hand, my Permafrost Shield erupts into flames. I drop it onto the ground and try to save it by stamping the fire out, but with the fire goes the shield. I am unarmed and out of lances.
“Who are you?” I shout at my enemy. “How did you survive the crash by yourself?”
“Me? Oh, I’m but a harmless princess from Pyras. How did I survive? Well . . . Me and the squids go way back. I would’ve taken you too, if not for the Atlantis Retrieval Squad arriving so quickly.” Why did the squids attack the train? Her answers only leave me with more questions.
“Didn’t the dragons kidnap you?”
“These cute little things?” She snickers. “No, they were following my orders! They barely weigh a penny, did you seriously expect them to have the brains to plan out a coup?”
“Then . . . Your father . . . ” She is insane. Very, very insane. I take a step back, aiming to replenish my quanta from the pool. If I could only summon a dragon. . . .
“Yes, I killed him. And I’ll kill you too, unless you join me, of course.”
“And if I refuse?” I ask, taking another step back.
“I have Poseidon now. I’ll become the new queen of Atlantis . . . with or without your help.”
“You’re crazy!” I cry, inching closer and closer to the pool.
Then, I see her eyes squint. She had noticed my movement, and her gaze previously fixed on my face wanders to the pool behind me. “Oh, I won’t let you do that” she says, tapping Poseidon into the ground. I turn and sprint toward the pool as the cave’s ceiling cracks open and dirt and debris rain into the water, obstructing me from my only source of quanta. From the sheer helplessness of my situation, I drop into a kneeling position, breathing heavily. If only I had shockwaves. I am out of quanta and out of time, but most of all, the wounds from the battle with the chaotic ruby dragon have become excruciatingly painful. I can do nothing but stare at the ground and hear her footsteps grow louder and louder. She kneels down beside me, places her baby-soft hand on my cheek, and lifts my head up so I can stare into those ruby-red eyes one last time.
“It’s a shame that the valiant hero gave his life to rescue the helpless princess. I thought you were pretty cute, too. No matter. Goodnight, sweet prince.” Her hand becomes a hot-iron, pressing into my cindering flesh. Embers erupt around me, and soon I am consumed with the flame of a thousand suns. “Fire Lance,” she whispers. I open my mouth to let out a scream, but it was too late. I was gone.
