The water pressure, as the carriage descended deeper, seemed to have no effect on the vehicle or the people inside.
Xana kept jumping with excitement at every new thing that passed before her eyes, to the point where even Cassian started glancing sporadically whenever she pointed something out. Thalassa's initial excitement, on the other hand, had diminished; the nerves of returning home rose once again, uncertain of how much things might have changed in Azure.
One thousand, two thousand meters deep, and finally the carriage stopped descending.
Although sirens were creatures of the ocean, they also couldn't live coherently in the abyssal zone; it was already a rarity that they could have so many external physical similarities with humans and still inhabit that place.
The light stopped reaching through the window and Xana slowly retreated, scared.
"So much water…" she whispered, uneasy.
Xana turned her eyes toward Cassian, showing more intelligence in them than usual. "Owner, Xana can't withstand so much water on top."
He knew this.
Although he could feel that she had an eighth-level aura, it was possible she wouldn't be able to resist for too long without breathing and enduring all the water pressure with her human-like organs. Thalassa seemed to understand this as well and said, "The city has areas without water, but it's true that the vast majority isn't adapted for land beings."
"We'll go with the carriage until we're as close as possible. Either way, I'll cover you if something happens, Xana. Don't overthink it."
The wolf woman's eyes lit up again. "Owner, can we light up the outside? I can't see anything."
An intense light surrounded the vehicle at those words, extending for a few meters and revealing the surroundings. But something like that drew too much attention, and as they approached the area where the sirens were established, they were soon "stopped."
Cassian shifted his gaze toward Thalassa.
"Remember not to explain too much, or I'll consider it your loss immediately," a crooked smile appeared when he finished.
The blue-haired woman frowned in confusion, but a familiar voice drew all her attention before she could reply.
"It stopped!"
"What a strange thing…" mentioned another voice.
"I've never seen a creature like that," added another.
"Is it a sea beast?" one of them asked again, but the others shook their heads and the leader of the tritons spoke with an authoritative voice:
"Silence!"
The general approached with a frown; upon noticing what appeared to be a door like those in their homes, his intrigue grew even more, but the shape then reminded him of the vehicles that surface beings used.
Doubtful and about to open the door by force, Thalassa stepped out of it.
The instant her skin made contact with the water, her body transformed completely, revealing her true nature.
"Woah!" Xana was heard saying upon seeing it.
Cassian also looked at her with curiosity.
He had bet with her partly to witness that change, not only for his twisted entertainment, so he made sure to observe it closely.
Thalassa, however, was not focused on the impact she had caused on her two companions; instead, she fixed her gaze on the man in front of her. "Ereon!" her excited voice came out uncontrollably.
"Thalassa?" He looked between her and the strange carriage. He also subtly scanned the two people inside, lingering particularly on the man within.
"Ereon!" she said again. "It's good to see you're okay! I was so worried… But if you're here, it means nothing has happened in Azure yet."
Cassian raised his eyebrows slightly in annoyance upon hearing what she said. Clearly I told her… he whispered in his mind; but the change went unnoticed on his indifferent face.
"We thought you wouldn't return. We heard what happened in Hidria from Nereon."
"Huh? Nereon?" Thalassa's expression showed surprise and confusion. "You mean he's in Azure?"
"Mmm. Thanks to him we learned about the atrocity that wiped out part of our people. But you don't have to worry, I won't let the same thing happen here," he puffed out his chest with pride while looking at her with a particular gleam in his eyes, his voice now softer. "Thalassa, about th—"
But she didn't let him finish. "I have to see it for myself. There's no time to waste, Ereon."
The man showed a disappointed expression; he lowered his shoulders in resignation and spoke in a resentful tone: "You don't have to worry, Thalassa. As I told you, everything is under control. The king also obtained help to respond to the threat Nereon spoke of. There's no need for you to get anxious. Besides…" he now focused his attention on the people accompanying her, "who are they?"
"Help…" Thalassa murmured, but she snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the question. "Them!?" She looked toward Xana and then toward Cassian.
Her tense face softened; as if simply seeing him cleared all her worries from her head, she whispered, "Right… them…"
For Ereon, that detail did not go unnoticed.
His eyes looked toward Cassian with not a hint of kindness.
"We are in tense times, Thalassa. Bringing guests is not a very good idea, especially considering their 'weaknesses.' You know Azure isn't adapted for savage races like theirs."
"Ereon!"
But she couldn't blame him; there had been incidents in the past that served as proof of why it wasn't a good idea.
Her gaze shifted toward Cassian again. Upon observing his cold eyes, she remembered what they had talked about; she firmly believed that no one from her race would bother him enough for him to decide to act against them, but now… it seemed she already knew she had lost and they hadn't even arrived yet. Why did she think she had any chance of winning anyway? Maybe she didn't even want to win; she had already promised him after all…
A defeated sigh escaped her lips.
Ereon looked completely lost.
His anger at having been ignored—now or in the past—diminished; he approached her and for a moment it seemed like he was going to try to hug her to console her, but his arm stayed stiff in the air.
He swallowed nervously and spoke in an apologetic tone:
"I'm sorry for sounding too harsh. If they are important to you, no one will say anything. But make sure they are not a nuisance; even if they are strong on the surface, down here they aren't."
In reality, he had only been able to faintly sense an aura coming from the wolf woman, which told him she could at least manage in the depths.
As for the man, he didn't think he was weak either, because following Thalassa—even with whatever unknown technology they used—could always fail them.
But Cassian didn't seem to care about anyone's doubts.
A loud yawn completely broke the tension, or any thought or concern that anyone present might have had.
Cassian simply blinked, bored, and asked wearily, "Can we keep going?"