Marius lifted the piece of the wall that had fallen on top of him and tossed it to the side. It crushed one of the nearby, unoccupied cages strewn about the yard. As he rose to his feet, he glimpsed curious, stunned servants and guards watching their king take hit after hit from the suddenly-powerful Astrian prince. Uncaring, he brushed the dust off him. The King's Tailor would have a fit at the sight of the precious black adamantine suit so dirtied. He couldn't recall ever getting this dirty in a fight in recent memory, nor had he had to exert this much energy in a fight in a long, long time.

The part of him that lived for exhilarating battle and prized difficult conquests was enjoying this.

Alas, he was going to have to put a stop to this bit of unexpected fun. He'd drawn too many eyes. Soon, his people would start talking about the mysterious Astrian half-breed and his strange powers, and such talk would reach his enemies.

"Have you had enough playing around?" Marius said to the Golden Merman, who stood hovering just a few inches off the ground like a floating deity.

Sometime during their fight, the powerful Spirit had gained the ability of hovering, possibly even flight.

Seeing its endless, haughty power had made his skin crawl with barely-kept desire. His heart within his chest had made itself known, its beat increasing exponentially. Never had Marius wanted to possess something more.

"Are you not enjoying our squabble, oh mighty king?" The Golden Merman purred, cocking his head to the side ever so slightly. He'd said it as if it were a genuine mystery why Marius was not relishing being tossed around like a dead jellyfish in the current.

"Hmm, I must say I'm curious to see what you're truly capable of, but I'm afraid we've attracted too much unwanted attention and must now bring this little 'squabble' of ours to an end."

"You say it as you, a mere king, are capable of drawing out my true power. Do not be so full of yourself, false king."

Marius' jaw ticked as rage suddenly exploded within him like an erupting volcano. He felt its lava, hot and burning, course through his veins. He very nearly lost control.

It took every ounce of willpower in him to quell his fury.

So, the golden merman was all-knowing as well despite occupying the body of a clueless half-breed who'd spent his life living out of the sea. Or, at the very least, the Spirit knew Marius.

"What's the matter, usurper? Is this perhaps a sour spot for you? Have I struck a chord?" A slow, wicked smile stretched the Golden Merman's lips, and his eyes glittered with amusement.

His loins stirred.

Marius cracked an ugly smile of his own.

The Golden Merman thought himself in a position of power. He thought to bait Marius into losing control and doing something foolish.

Did he really think him so hot-headed and foolish as to be driven into a frenzy by the truth?

Marius was an usurper.

"I'm afraid my skin is thicker than that."

The sound of metal being ripped apart made him glance over his shoulder. One of the cages was being magically dismantled as if by an invisible hand. One of the poles forming the cage floated to the Spirit's side, one side of it looking particularly sharp.

"Shall we test it, then?"

With a flick of his hand, he sent the makeshift spear hurtling through the air straight to his head.

Marius simply tilted his head effortlessly and ever so slightly to the side, and the spear shot past him.

The Golden Merman flicked his wrist again.

Marius evaded the spear yet again.

The Golden Merman flung the spear at him another four times, hellbent on spearing him through. Every time, Marius moved out of the way at the last possible second, skillfully dodged attack after attack even when the speed and ferocity increased.

Without ever breaking a sweat, he drawled disdainfully, "Are you finished?"

The Golden Merman's eyebrow ticked almost imperceptibly, but Marius detected it nevertheless. Blackly, the Golden Merman said in an ancient, ear-grating voice that sounded as if ten druids had spoken, "I can fold the sea on this very empire of yours, make it as if it never existed."

Marius drew his sword.

"You will regret saying that," he promised, his hand tightening around the golden, jewel-encrusted hilt.

"For damaging my vessel, you deserve no less," the Golden Merman growled, his eyes flashing an impossible golden.

"He hurt himself, the fool."

"Lies."

An entire cage containing none other than Shtara came flying his way. He jumped out of the way.

The sea monster Shtara was not so lucky. Marius glanced to see that the wreckage of the cage that once contained him now impaled his body in multiple places, instantly killing him.

If Marius didn't stop the Golden Merman soon, it would be him in Shtara's place next.

As if reading his mind, the Golden Merman threatened, a dangerous promise lacing his words, "You will be next."

"If you truly had it in you to kill me, you would have done so already." Marius began. He took a step toward the Spirit, who was hovering about twenty feet away, followed by another. "Your vessel is an inexperienced half-breed with barely any magical powers. I wager it will take you decades, if not centuries, to summon the kind of power you are talking about."

"Have you already forgotten how full of surprises my Prince can be?"

No, indeed he hadn't.

He vividly recalled the first time he'd met the Astrian half-breed. The last thing he'd expected was to clash swords with him, and he'd expected the prince to be an adept fighter even less. And he'd been surprised -and even caught off guard- when he'd slit his own wrist in a clever ploy to summon his dormant powers.

Never one to shy away from the uncomfortable truth, Marius admitted to himself that the half-breed certainly had a few tricks up his sleeve, especially when he was cornered. That being said, did that mean that he possessed the necessary magical energy to power the Spirit of the Sea's true power and abilities?

He frowned at the mere thought of it, for if that were true...

They'd talked enough.

"Let's end this."

"Yes, let us."

Marius quickly closed the distance between them in a matter of one second, and just as he swung his sword-

The Golden Merman teleported away in a brilliant flash of gold.

He'd escaped.

The servants and guards peeking through windows and watching the battle could have sworn that their king let out a bloodcurdling, furious roar that resembled a dragon's that chilled every last one of them to the bone.

****

General Ryodan could hardly believe the telepathic message he'd received only moments ago.

What do you mean he's in the Kingdom? He sent out an incredulous message of his own through the telepathic link shared with his agents.

How was it that he'd managed to escape King Marius' grasp, get out of the dome, flee Nostraza, and find Astria in less than ten minutes?

The answer stared him right in the face. What his king and his advisors had suspected all along was true: Prince Kai did possess the Spirit of the Sea.

This unexpected development opened up a whole new array of fears and concerns. Quickly, Ryodan demanded: Where is he now?

The response was quick: He's with our King.

Ryodan cursed, "Shit!"

*~~~~~~~~~~~~*

You may comment your speculations below <3



Can't wait for the next chapter? Then consider joining my Patreon for early access to chapters for as little as $1! Also, there's now a tier dedicated to giving patrons double updates of Abyssal!