My body prickles with heat as my muscles stretch beyond their capacity, like an elastic band ready to snap. My heart pounds furiously like a powerhouse as newfound strength courses through my veins. My fins and tail double in size. My throbbing headache disappears. What is that? I can hear the gentle whispers of the sea and see the tiny sea monkeys floating by. Oh, this is going to be good.
I look down and see my master looking up at me, a smile tugging at his lips, his glistening eyes softening. The divine light explodes and then disappears as I sink back to where he is. I turn my head back; this is great, more range. My fins can't reach my eyes yet. But when I flip it, it feels stronger. I give myself a whirl, swimming around in circles. Yes, I have to be faster. Bouncing with excitement.
I ask him. "So, how do I look? What do you think?"
"You're double the size as what you were."
"Yes, I evolved to be the stronger version of myself. I can't wait to test out the elemental powers I can use in this form."
He immediately summons air and wraps me around a bubble, preventing me from moving.
"Wait, you don't know how your body's going to act yet. Don't even think about trying an elemental blast."
I'm about to retort, but my vision blurs, my head clouds up and the world darkens.
***
I wake up to my surprise, in an opulent room made of coral walls and the aroma of sweet perfume as gentle hands brush through my hair. I look up and see a beautiful woman wearing a crown. In the corner of my eyes, I can see her golden iridescent tail shimmering, reflecting the light. She must be royalty to the Merfolks. She tenderly smiles at me as she brushes my hair. I can get used to this, this feels good. I try to open my mouth, but I can't seem to move or talk either. I thought evolving was supposed to be a good thing. Why am I worse off than before?
She starts humming a sweet melody. "Not to worry, sweet child. You'll be up and about before you know it. Just give it a few hours. You just need to be detoxed."
In this bright opulent chamber, the King of Merfolks is talking to my master, stroking his beard. "Elder, why did you bring her here?"
They must be talking about me. I can feel my ears burning. Or maybe that's just poison.
Elder Long Fei snaps his head back at me, and his eyes soften. "I believe she's awake now. Perhaps it's time you tell her about her history."
The Queen stops humming, then says, "It might be too soon, don't you think? Or maybe we just ask her if she wants to know." She turns to me, giving an encouraging nod.
I tried to answer, but my mouth wasn't responding. Locking my eyes with my master's, he seems to be able to read my mind.
"I believe that she may be still numb from the poison..."
The King asks, "What poison did you give her?"
"I didn't give her any poison, I was training her with leopard pufferfish."
"Leopard pufferfish as training! How many did you have?"
Long Fei remains silent.
The King rubs his temples, saying, "Nobody in this realm trains with them. I don't know how you train in the Celestial Realm, but nobody trains with poison here."
The Queen pats my head, comforting me. "Oh my. You poor child."
The Elder clears his throat. "This one is unique. On her first day here, she attacked a sea monster. And she was only half the size she is now."
The monarchs shake their heads, share a glance, then look at me. Then she darts over to her dressing table, takes a vial out, and pours its contents on my head. Stardust appears and my body cools do
wn as though I'd been washed by the tender soothing of the sea. Ah...
"Thank you," I whisper. The words spill out of my mouth. I can speak now. "Am I in trouble?"
Long Fei shakes his head, his eyes locking with mine, placing a finger on his lips, hushing me.
The King observes me, then says, "Are you sure she came from the egg we gave you?"
"Yes. I watched her hatch."
The Queen gasps, "But it isn't supposed to hatch for another millennia."
"That could explain a lot. She is behaving very differently from what I expected."
"Hey, I'm still in the room, you know."
"As you can see, she is quite an animated character."
The monarchs give a melodic laugh. "Maybe she should start schooling here with the Merfolk children. Although there are not many whales around here."
"Does schooling involve powering up?" I ask.
The Queen replies, "You'll meet other children, and you'll learn how to read and write."
"No thanks. No need to torture me. I get enough of that already."
My master covers his face, his ears reddening.
"Wait, so this is not supposed to happen? I thought evolving meant that I get bigger and stronger. Well, I got bigger, but I can't seem to move."
The Queen patiently answers. "That's because you're still getting detoxed from the poison in you. Pufferfish poison is quite lethal. That's probably why you evolve so quickly. It's an unorthodox method of training, but in your case it was successful."
I try to move my body again, and it does seem to respond now. I start to float, and I flip my fins as fast as possible, and crash into the coral wall, leaving a crack. Oops! I didn't realise that I improved that much.
"Okay, looks like I'm ready for training now. I can't wait to try my elemental air blast. It must have gotten stronger."
The King gives me a puzzled look. "She's not even using elemental water? She's a child of the Sea. It doesn't make any sense."
"I told you she is special. She used an advanced air technique on her first day to fend off a sea monster. She may have inherited some traits from my cultivation."
The King approaches me, raises his hand, and appraises me as he sends water rippling around me. "Her energy is so chaotic." He rubs his temple.
"What would you suggest me to do with her? I can't bring her to the Celestial Realm in that form. She won't be able to survive. She needs the water for now. How long do you expect for her to evolve into her next form?"
"How about you both stay as our guests here? We'll let her rest and we'll come back to this tomorrow. This is unprecedented. I'll have to think about it." The Sovereign of the Sea calls for one of his servants.
We follow the servant to our guest chamber. The palace is extravagant, filled with wonderfully colored corals. The guards bow their heads as Elder Long Fei passes by. This is such a huge upgrade from our gloomy cave.
The servant closes the door behind us.
"Master, I'm dying to know my results. It has to be a huge jump."
He unfurls a parchment in front of me, then heads off to a seat and commences his cultivation.
The parchment read:
Courage: Level 11
Elemental Power: Level 10
Physical Power: Level 12
Strategy: Level 10
Agility: Level 10
Speed: Level 11.
Yes! Poison training was brutal, but the results are undeniable. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.