[Third Person's PoV]
Stephen's eyes widened as he heard the name. 'What the hell did he just say?'
"What's Atlantis? Why are you all so scared? And why are they here?!" Asta demanded, confused by the High Priest's reactions.
The High Priest glanced outside, where the city had descended into chaos. People scrambled anxiously, their fear palpable. Turning back to the group, he spoke in a hurried tone.
"Atlantis is the Kingdom that rules the ocean—the water, the animals, the plants... even us. They rule everything under the sea. All of it is theirs to command," he explained, his eyes darting nervously back to the window.
"They… aren't merciful rulers like you'd expect or hope. They're tyrants—" Kaito began, but Kohono quickly clamped her hand over his mouth.
"Shhh! You can't speak ill of them! They'll know," she whispered urgently, her gaze filled with worry.
The High Priest looked at the group with a weary expression. "They are here because of the Immortal Kraken."
"That beast? What does it have to do with them?" Magna asked curiously. "Didn't you say you were grateful it was gone? Something about it terrorizing your city?"
"I wasn't lying," the High Priest said, his face etched with exhaustion. "That beast… it was placed here by them. It's one of the royal family's pets. Its purpose was to keep us in check, to prevent rebellion or escape. It tormented us, keeping us frightened. Anyone who got too close or tried to leave would be devoured."
"What?!" the group exclaimed in unison, their disbelief evident.
"But why? Aren't you part of the people they rule? Why would they do this to you?" Noelle asked.
"Because we're lessers to them—" Kohono began, but Kaito cut her off.
"—And because they're cruel monsters who delight in tormenting others," he spat, his voice dripping with hatred.
"Kaito," Kohono hissed, her teeth clenched in frustration.
Noelle furrowed her brows. "But that doesn't make sense. If no one's allowed to leave, how were we able to meet Kohono on the surface?"
"It's because of my magic," Kohono explained. "I was able to calm its aggressive behavior and put it to sleep—"
"There's no time for this!" the High Priest interrupted. "You need to leave now. Teleport out while you can. We'll distract them and buy you enough time. Go!" He ushered them urgently, then turned to his grandchildren. "Come on, quickly!"
Before anyone could reply, the High Priest and his grandchildren rushed out of the room, leaving the group behind.
As silence fell, the group exchanged confused glances. Even Grey, usually too shy to speak, had lowered her hands, her expression bewildered.
Everyone turned to Yami, awaiting his orders. Noelle, seeing Yami deep in thought, broke the silence.
"We can't just leave, can we? Something is definitely wrong here," she said firmly.
"I'm with Noelle on this," Wanda added, nodding. "Leaving isn't an option."
Asta clenched his fists and looked at Yami with determination. "We might've been the ones to cause this. They're here because of us!"
Stephen nodded in agreement. "It would be irresponsible to leave now, especially if we're responsible for their arrival."
Yami glanced at their determined faces and allowed himself a brief smile before frowning again.
"You have to understand," he began, his tone serious, "this is more complicated than it seems. We're delving into politics now. We're Clover Kingdom mages—our actions represent the Clover Kingdom. If we engage with another kingdom, it could be seen as an act of war."
His expression grew more somber. "Our personal feelings don't matter in this situation. We are under the direct orders of the Wizard King. Starting a conflict with a kingdom we know nothing about would be no different than bringing an unwanted war to our kingdom's doorstep."
The others wore wry expressions, realizing Yami had a valid point—one they couldn't argue with.
Noticing their downcast expressions, Yami smirked and reassured them. "But that doesn't mean we can't stick around and see how things unfold. Think of it as a recon mission for the Wizard King. We've stumbled across a new kingdom, one we've never heard of before. It's our duty as Magic Knights to observe and report anything that could pose a threat to the Clover Kingdom."
Yami inwardly chuckled as their eyes lit up with excitement, their heads nodding in enthusiastic agreement.
"Alright," Yami continued, his tone turning serious. "Suppress your magic power and presence. Stay quiet. For now, we're only here to observe."
The team nodded, falling into line and following Yami's instructions. Moving carefully, they peeked out of the window to watch the scene outside—and what they saw left them stunned.
All the city's civilians were lined up in two neat rows along the main road, forming a path. Each person was kowtowing, their foreheads pressed against the backs of their trembling hands as they visibly shook in fear.
At the temple's entrance, Kaito, Kohono, Gio, and the High Priest were on their knees, bowing in submission.
"What the hell?" Magna growled through gritted teeth. "What are they doing?" His tone dripped with anger.
Vanessa and Gauche dropped their usual carefree attitudes, their gazes sharpening as they assessed the scene.
"They're greeting royalty…" Vanessa muttered apprehensively.
Suddenly, some of their expressions froze in shock, disbelief clear on their faces. Even Luck, usually the most carefree among them, was sweating nervously despite his ever-present grin.
"Please tell me you can all feel it too…" Luck asked, his voice unusually strained.
"Feel what?" Grey squeaked, barely able to speak.
Stephen answered, his tone grave. "There are about fifty people out there with magic power equal to or greater than Vetto's. And one… one of them has more than double—almost triple—his power."
The group turned to Stephen, their disbelief palpable.
"What?!" they hissed softly in unison.
"That many?!" Noelle muttered, her voice trembling. "One Vetto was enough trouble… and you're saying there are fifty of them? And one who's triple his strength?"
The group fell silent, their breaths caught in their throats as the sun vanished, plunging the city into darkness. A massive shadow passed overhead, blotting out the light.
Looking up, they saw the source—a colossal whale shark-like creature swimming above the city. Atop the beast rested what appeared to be a large, ornate carriage. Surrounding the carriage were majestic, white hippocampi—creatures with the upper half of a stallion and the lower half of a fish, exuding a regal, almost divine presence.
Riding the hippocampi were some of the most beautiful beings they had ever seen. Their skin was a striking shade of blue, their ears pointed and elegant. They were clad in armor crafted from shimmering blue scales, and powerful weapons rested on their backs.
The sheer aura of the newcomers was overwhelming, leaving the group awestruck and deeply uneasy.
(A/N: To gain a better visual they appear like the blue People from the Avatar movie but more fish like)
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