Kai's olive eyes wobbled to gain focus on the the most beautiful face he had ever seen, "hey, easy easy. You are hurt." Sheila sat him up. He glanced over his shoulder to observe the place, the shiny wall beside curved upwards into a spirally ceiling.

"Where are we?" He spoke in a groggy  voice, tiredness weighing his ever word down.

"We are home." Sheila grinned and bent over to retrieve a drink from the table behind.

"Did we transform?" Kai uncovered the blanket, his face wilted as a chitinous fish tail still lay there, glued to his waist. He suddenly became aware of a dozen of legs and a pair of claws sticking out of his back.

"Noo..." Sheila shook her head sideways, her face glowing with playful intent, "but..."

"But? What?" Kai grew impatient with every new word. Sheila beamed a heart felt smile, followed by a happy sigh.

"We can transform anytime we want." She said handing him a jar of gooey soup, "eat. You need it."

"Bleck!" Kai's throat constricted to gag, "it's bitter."

"I said you need it." Saying that she headed towards the door, "and oh...get ready for the ceremony."

"Ceremony?"

"You'll see."

************************************

Kai wore a royal blue cape, with a symbol of trident sequinned on it with golden threads and rubies. He took a deep breath and ventured to face his people, the civilisation he saved from extinction, the friends he had made in this beautiful journey.

A golden chariot, in the shape of conch was waiting for him in front of the porch. Sheila and Zaren were waiting for his arrival, standing on either side of the door. Zaren bowed holding his clenched fist on his chest as a token of respect to the unsung hero. Sheila held his hand as they  swam into the chariot. An expression of surprise washed over his face. 'why would he do that...to 'me'?

"Sheila. What's all this? Did the high priestess grant us a huge prize or something? That's wicked. We are rich!" He ushered a breathless speech, as Sheila settled in with him.

The chaperone signalled the sea horses, with a click of his tongue and the chariot took off.

"Kai...shsh...listen to me! Stop blabbering the gibberish." Sheila cupped his face with her petite hands and brushed his chin with her thumb. "Just have some patience, alright? I want it to be a surprise."

After a ride of barely few minutes, the chariot pulled over. Sheila glided the screen aside and welcomed him out along with her.

The bright light of the orb blinded him, he turned his face away squeezing his eyes. But, soon as he adapted, he noticed the five of priestesses standing at a distance to welcome him.
Thousands of people had gathered to welcome the prodigal children who slayed the witch. Gabby, Sal and kids stood in the front line; Gabby shedding buckets of tears, snorting into her white laced hand kerchief. Sal nodded to him holding chip in his arms. Chip waved a blue flag of trident in her hands, "Kai! Kai! I am here!"

Kai waved his hands at them, his lips tugged up in a proud smile. As he waded slowly along the aisle, people cheered by throwing confetti up into the water. "Whoohoo!"

The high priestess came into the spot light and cleared her throat, "only love can fight the hatred, only sacrifice can undo the selfishness, that's what these kids have shown us today. It is the day of celebration, my children. As once again, honesty, bravery, and truthfulness has ended the dark days. We shall now celebrate the triumph of victory." She paused welcoming Kai, Sheila and Zaren into the stage.

"I shall now announce the Orcan soldier, Zaren, as the 'chief admiral of the fleet'." saying that, the high priestess looped a military sash along his shoulders and then handed him a spear made of a narwhal's tusk and gold. He bowed gracefully and moved aside, his lips widened in a proud grin.

"I shall now announce Sheila as the priestess of honour to this temple," saying that she gave her a small hug and handed her a certificate of honour, with a blue ribbon adorning it in a beautiful bow. Sheila traced her eyes until Kai stood in front of the high priestess.

"I knew it," the high priestess whispered into Kai's ears. A look of shock twinkled his eyes, "because, I chose you."

"A moment of pride, my children. The city of lights shall now be named the sovereign kingdom of 'Meroghnia', and shall be ruled by the first king ever," announcing that the high priestess placed a crown of jewel on his head and winked at him playfully.

Kai sucked in a long breath as the sense of responsibility weighed his shoulders down, but he straightened his back and said, "we shall forever be the children of sea."

Zaren raised his spear up and searched for one particular face, and there he saw it. Ava smiled waving her hands, his mom, dad and her brother standing beside her as a complete family.

"Let the celebration begin." The high priestess retreated with her court of priestesses.

At the very place where the witch had died, there was a sapling finding a new life. It's vines were encroaching the orb of life, as if the witch decided to become one with the goddess.
'Deep down, all of us are evil. But, somewhere down there, there is also a real you, the good you,' Kai thought, 'only thing is we need to find that perfect balance.'

Sheila jolted him back to the scene, "look! It's Wonderpus." She pointed her index towards a tentacled person with clown face approaching the stage.

"For my king," Wonderpus winked at the trio, "I am the Wonderpus of wonder land. I am a clown, or should I say -the best clown, as people like to call it?" Wonderpus began a show of juggling a dozen of colourful balls.

"Yes!" A chorus of voices echoed across the valley. Kai watched Chuchip giggle in Sal's arms, enjoying the clown show. He remembered that he had promised to bring her toys from the market. He swam over to them in anticipation.

"Hello, my son." Sal chirped, his voice sounded a little sober for some reason.

"Hi dad." Reluctantly greeting him, Kai took Chip from his dad's hands and transferred her into his, "you sound sober."

Sal chuckled, "I plan to be sober all the time starting from now."

"Good."

"And we have something to confess."

"And what would that be?"

Sal swallowed looking into Chip's face and cleared his throat. "It was Chip, who blew up the RMZ."

"What?" Kai's eyes popped out of his sockets, "don't you dare lie to me again."

"Kai." Chip guided his face towards herself by turning his chin, "mom was there in my dreams. She said if I light the bad water's barrel, dad would never drink again."

Kai kept silent mulling over the enormous revelation he was witnessing, if this much wasn't enough, Sal cleared his throat to continue again.

"And I too hear those weird voices. Well, not now though."

Kai's face turned red in anger, then slowly turned impassively pale and finally regained its colour with realisation. He proceeded to give Chip a pearly hair pin, like nothing has happened. "Here."

"Weee..."

Tibby and Bo Criss crossed in between his and Sal's tails, giggling and playing.

"Thanks Kai!" Chip squealed, and joined with Tibby and Bo to play around.

"I understand," Kai nodded, "you didn't want me to become you."

Sal pursed his lips and then went on to pat on his son's shoulder, "and I don't regret it."

Gabby walked on her tentacles toward them and hugged Kai, squeezing him in her plump arms. "I knew it, I knew it all along."

As Beluga boys played a song of celebration, Ava couldn't help but hit the dancefloor, with admiral Zaren as her partner of course. As they did a couple dance of 'happily ever after' kind, the lady lieutenant's sad face reminded Ava that there is no 'happily ever after' in everyone's life.

"What's​ wrong?" Zaren pressed his brows into each other.

"Nothing," Ava said, as he rotated her in swirls. Flaps hanging on either side of her waist whooshed and spiralled with the speed she was spinning.

Watching them hop and dance, Sheila let a soft sigh escape her lips. "Care for a dance?"

Kai shook his head briskly, in disagreement. "I won't. Besides, it would be embarrassing for a king."

"Oh come on!"

"Nope." He denied blatantly, sipping a drink out of a conch like container.
A pair of hands nudged and pushed him, making him tumble into the dancefloor. "Who the hell was that?"

A person, perfectly in human form with a bubble of air around his head to breathe into and a seagull perched on his shoulder was standing on the sea floor, "oops!"

"Uncle Jay! That was so mean." Kai yelped.

"I told you not to call me 'uncle,' it makes me feel old." Jay shook his index in a not-so-serious warning.

Mrs. Jay who was perching on his shoulder, leaned and rubbed her feathery head onto his cheek, "it's good to be young and in love. Hmph..." She sighed.

Sheila dragged Kai to the centre, she wrapped her arms around his back, awkwardly trying to figure out a proper place to keep her hand in between his claws and legs.

Kai guided her hands down to his waist and pulled her closer to his heart. "So, you are fine with being a jelly mermaid, all your life?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded as she swirled holding his finger. Purple and green frills of her mane spread out as a ball gown and returned to their position. "Besides, we can transform anytime we want, you see I have a legal permission to use them now."

"What about the aphantasia or something you kept nagging about?" Kai lifted her off in the air, doing a complicated acrobatic dance step.

"Put me down," Sheila gasped, "you said you can't dance."

"I said I won't," Kai slowly planted her down, until her skirt like mane touched the floor. 

"A flying elephant would have cured my aphantasia, but fins, claws and this hood work just fine." The shimmery hood glowed from within as she caressed it.

Kai kneeled in front of her, his eyes so full of appreciation for her beauty, her wit and her tender heart."Sheila, will you be my queen?"

Sheila gasped, her petite hand stretched out to brush and softly land on his. Her vocal ability was next to nil, but she managed to hush, "yess! Forever and more."

Collective chorus of "Awe!" echoed around the aisle, confetti crackers bursted to celebrate the day. They rose up hand in hand, watching everything that felt a thousand times better than it used to be.

"My king!" Zaren stepped beside him and raised his hand for a fist bump.

"Captain... Just call me Kai. And I thought you didn't like that fist thingy." Saying that Kai comically stuck his tongue out, but buried him in a tight hug. Ava and Sheila hugged each other, a sense of fullness brimming their eyes.

"They are my family, y'all." Gabby waved her scarf at Sheila, Kai and Zaren, now standing in their rightful throne.

________________________________________________

WC - 1910