The ninth bell tolled as I stepped onto the weathered dock, looking out across the sea. Hundreds of jellyfish drifted beneath the surface, glowing emerald, sapphire, and violet, their light painting the gentle swells.

  The Manta Moo floated not far offshore, its distinctive silhouette unmistakable against the darkening sky. The floating bar was a marvel of craftsmanship: a massive wooden rectangle crowned with an intricately carved oyster shell. Multiple doorways punctuated its sides, warm light and laughter spilling from each entrance. Strange, how I could read the carved script above them, as if the knowledge had always lived in some quiet corner of my mind.

  Canoes glided back and forth between the dock and the bar, their occupants chatting and calling out greetings. I scanned the crowd, noting with surprise that humans—or something close to human—outnumbered the less friendly fish-folk. Though "human" might be stretching it, given their exotic coloring. Like the girl who'd asked me on this... date?…their hair shimmered with threads of green, brown, or pure viridian, marking them as something more than mere people.

  I watched as a man counted out coins to a ferryman before settling into a canoe. When they launched off, their vessel cut a path through the luminous jellyfish. My eyes swept the scene, searching for the girl whose name I still didn’t know. Awkward enough to forget someone's name after just meeting them, but this was worse—Zale had known her, apparently for quite some time.

  After reaching the end of the dock, and seeing her nowhere, I huffed. Maybe she was waiting on the beach? I turned that way, weaving through the evening crowd.

  "Zale Seacrest!" a melodious voice called out. I froze, turning to find a Skyborn lounging in an oversized canoe, his vibrant plumage catching the moons light. He strummed an instrument that bore only a passing resemblance to a guitar.

  "Rosamae told me to watch for a tall beach strider with turquoise tattoos and raven hair," he said, amber eyes shifting colors like oil on water. His hooked nose gave him an almost avian appearance, looking remarkably beak-like. "Won't you hop aboard? She's waiting for you…” He nodded toward the bar.

  I blinked. She was already there? I waved my hands in polite refusal, though something in his words gave me pause. Had she hired him? And if so… My stomach did an uncomfortable flip. Was this a date, then? Is that why she’d been so eagor to invite me?

  For a moment, doubt paralyzed me. But I shivered, quickly shaking it off. Who cares if she had romantic intentions. Zale was probably a huge flirt! And if he’d done so with Rosamae—thank goodness I knew her name!—well, I'd take any advantage I could get. Still, I didn't want her wasting money on things I didn't need.

  "Quick question,” I said. “Did she already pay you?"

  The Skyborn shook his head, feathers rustling. "As a matter of fact, she did not. But she promised to, should you choose to take a ride with me." He strummed again, words flowing in a bouncing rhythm. Before I could say anything, he threw back his head and burst into song: "Oh, misty spire of the fountain below…”

  I flinched as his impromptu performance drew nearby gazes. Most people carried on their conversations as if this was perfectly normal, but I was already backing away, smirking at his…um…erratic peculiarities. Probably realized I wasn’t going to join him, but why belt out in song? I turned and hurried away. His voice followed me, somehow maintaining its proximity despite the growing distance, until I reached the water's edge.

  Now that I knew Rosamae waited at the Manta Moo, I wasted no time. I stepped out over the dock and plunged into the warm embrace of the sea, letting it swallow me whole. After floating for a moment with eyes closed, I opened them to find myself surrounded by living light. The jellyfish drifted in a loose constellation, spaced far enough apart to prevent any claustrophobia. A few days ago, I would have hesitated to dive into this alien expanse. But I'd learned these creatures weren't like Earth's jellies—they were far more forgiving.

  I spread my limbs wide, extending the webbing between my fingers and toes. With a powerful breaststroke, I shot through the water. Each brush against their trailing tentacles brought only a pleasant tingle. As I swam, I gazed down at the seafloor below, where Tidewalkers with long tails glided alongside manta rays. Others walked through vast kelp fields or tended to creatures I recognized as manta moos—white-and-black spotted beings with multiple tails that produced milk.

  The soothing glow of the jellies and the gentle movements of the moos held me mesmerized until my head bumped against something solid. I blinked, rubbing the spot to find myself facing a wooden hull. Kicking upward, I broke the surface, my hair already beginning to shed water like other beach striders'—a peculiar trait I still hadn't quite gotten used to.

  I hauled myself onto the floating platform, rising to survey my surroundings. Other patrons strolled along the boardwalk, most heading through doors into the bar. A cluster gathered around a notice board, and one posting immediately caught my eye—larger than the rest, impossible to miss.

  WANTED, it declared, featuring an illustration of a cloaked figure in a simple white mask decorated with a sparkling navy swirl. The reward was staggering: one million coins. Unfortunately, Wavehaven's mask-loving culture made finding such a person nearly impossible. Even now, people passed wearing festival masks, likely preparing for the Triple Solstice.

  But this wasn't my world and, frankly, I didn't care about any of their troubles. I had my own mission, and that was to get back home.

  On my way to one of the main entrances, I passed a hooded beggar, his white-silver beard cascading from shadow. He extended a cup toward me, but I hurried past, though not before catching his gaze. The eyes within that hood seemed to shimmer and flicker, widening for just a fraction of a second before dimming again. I quickened my pace, scrunching my nose. Panhandlers. Didn’t like them on Earth, and didn’t like them here.

  Inside, the Manta Moo buzzed with energy. Laughter and shouts rose from packed tables. At the heart of the space, a square pool glowed with soothing blue light that danced across the ceiling. The sight triggered a sudden memory of swimming in my backyard with my siblings—so vivid it nearly knocked me off balance. I pushed past a sudden wave of homesickness, focusing instead on the bar proper.

  Behind the counter stood a peculiar bartender—a Tidewalker with a catfish's face, whiskers trailing down his cheeks as he served frothy drinks to a burly man in what appeared to be a bear pelt. Behind the bar stretched a vast fish tank, alive with bobbing lights and darting shapes.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  "Zale!"

  The call barely carried over the din, but I caught it. Rosamae stood by a table, waving me over. She'd chosen a booth along the wall—bless her. I'd always hated sitting exposed in the middle of restaurants. There was something secure about being tucked away near the walls. The window there offered a spectacular view of the glowing sea stretching to the dark horizon.

  She wore a simple pressed green tunic and brown trousers—nothing fancy enough to suggest a date, though the clothes fit her well enough to make me suddenly self-conscious of my own baggy attire.

  "Have a seat," she said, gesturing to the bench opposite her. As I sat, she continued, "I already ordered food and drinks—I want to get straight into it. We have a lot to talk about."

  I nodded, noticing her little green spirit pulse as it drifted in from the window to stare at me. I offered a small wave, but it maintained its unwavering gaze. Rosamae didn't seem to notice, busy gathering papers from the table and tucking them away.

  "So," she began, "I know I promised to tell you more about the competition, but I've been dying to ask something." She hesitated, glancing out the window. "Okay, I'm not sure how to say this, so please don't take offense. But you seem to have…clammed up lately." She winced slightly. "Not that that's a bad thing! It's just something I've noticed."

  I nodded, fighting a smirk as I realized the old Zale must have been quite the extrovert. "It's my mom," I lied. "She's been working long hours, longer than most, and…well." I shrugged. "It's not that bad. Just wearing on me a little." I waved it away. "Nothing you need to worry about."

  Rosamae nodded quickly. “Well, honestly, if it ever gets too heavy, you can always talk to me. I know what it's like to worry about a family member…” She brightened suddenly. "But! That's a topic for another time. Now that we don't have the guildmaster breathing down our necks, let’s begin our plans. And first off, I need to inform you that I want to be part of the competition."

  I frowned, trying to picture her swimming across miles of ocean to some distant island. The image didn't quite compute.

  She must have read my expression because she pointed at my face, grinning. “I only told you about one part of the race. There's swimming, and then there's running. And if there's one thing I'm good at, it's exactly that.”

  "So does that mean we're going to be facing off against each other?"

  She laughed, shaking her head. "No, the hosts actually encourage teams. Maximum of three people. And I already have someone in mind who could join us, completing our party.”

  "But then who gets to go inside the shrine?" I asked, arms folded on the table.

  "We all do!" Rosamae spread her arms, beaming. "I was reading about this just before you arrived. Last century, a team of two won, and they both got to enter."

  My heart skipped. Right. I think she talked about this…or I read about it. "Did they ever come back out?”

  Her smile faded as she shook her head. "No. They never did."

  I frowned. That wasn’t terribly ominous, considering what I’d read. But still… “The door only opens during the Triple Solstice, yes?”

  "When the sun and both moons align, correct.”

  "Then it seals back up?" I asked. When she nodded, I pressed on. "What if they got trapped inside? What if there was nothing in there, and when they tried to leave, they found themselves locked in?"

  Rosamae shrugged. "Possible, but I doubt it. Acolytes accompany the winners. But you know how that religion is—very tight-lipped about such things."

  I drummed my fingers on the table, but before I could voice any other concerns, a tray of steaming food appeared before us. "Order up!" announced a Tidewalker, his silver scales speckled with green. He bowed slightly before weaving back through the crowd.

  Rosamae attacked a plate of black noodles with gusto. "Sorry," she said between bites. "Haven't eaten all day."

  I waved off her apology and picked up a bowl of soup. Strands of some plant—maybe seaweed—floated in the liquid, making me hesitate. But the first sip widened my eyes. It was sweet and thick like maple syrup, but with an intriguing salty tang.

  “Okay, back to my team-centered plan," Rosamae said, pointing her fork at me. "I know you're getting into more solo hustle mode, especially with what is happening with your mom, so being part of a team might be outside your current comfort zone." She quickly held up her hands. "Not to offend or anything, but some things are better done as a team than alone. Connections give real meaning to life, you know?"

  A warm shiver ran down my spine, raising the hair on my neck. Connections. When was the last time I'd truly had one of those? Plus, when was the last time I’d been part of a team? I'd always hated group projects. Even at NeruoSync, I'd worked alone, discovering things that could have changed not just the medical world, but so many aspects of life for the better.

  And it had all been stripped away in an instant.

  A cheer rose from the crowd, drawing my attention to a new arrival. A Tidewalker in flowing red robes strode in, his chest bare above a wrapped skirt that reminded me of traditional Tongan dress. His fin-like ears stretched back along his skull, his scales gleaming gold while long whiskers drooped from his face. My stomach clenched, hands balling into fists. His entire bearing radiated self-importance. "He's part of the council, isn't he?"

  Rosamae watched him too, smiling softly. "Yeah. I heard he's a good man."

  "None of them are good," I said flatly, making her eyebrows shoot up. "Anyone at the head of anything eventually goes sour, no matter the institution." I thought of our guildmaster, how despite his sometimes relaxed air, even he crossed the line, thinking he could control us, silence us. Why hadn't I been more upset earlier when he'd glared at us for simply having a conversation? Who the hell did he think he was? Who did this councilman think he was?

  Rosamae's jaw was hanging, clearly unsure how to respond to my outburst.

  I let out a shaky breath, running fingers through my hair. "Sorry, I—" A warm hand settled on my forearm, sending my heart racing, my cheeks flushing. Wait—was she making a move? I had no idea how courtship worked in this world. Ugh, crap. I didn't have time for this!

  I focused on my breathing—in through the nose, out through the mouth. I wouldn't push her away, but I wouldn't encourage anything either. I was leaving this illusion soon anyway, and if letting her show affection helped achieve that goal, so be it.

  "You're stressed," she said gently. "I get it. Don't explain. Listen, let's finish up and call it a night. But before heading to the guild tomorrow, meet me at my house. I'll invite our potential third member, too. We'll train and talk masks." She winked. "Those are going to be key to winning this competition.”

  [Quest: Manta Moo (COMPLETE)]

  [This girl, who is still an un-named mystery, has invited you to the Manta Moo. She has more information on the ceremony, and could prove a vital asset.]

  [Objective: Meet her at the Manta Moo tonight at the Ninth Bell.]

  [Reward: Crucial information on how to win the competition.]

  [Bonus Reward: Reputation +15]

  [New Quest: Three’s a Party]

  [Rosamae wants to meet at the 6th chime tomorrow morning. She’ll bring a third alley, and together you’ll practice to win this competition.]

  [Objective: Meet Rosamae at her house at the 6th chime.]

  [Reward: A third alley, and new mask-crafting recipes.]

  [Bonus Reward: +20 Reputation]

  After calming down and finishing our meal, we chatted idly as she paid for dinner, and then a canoe ride back. I walked her home—partly to learn where she lived. I didn’t want to ask. After a quick hug and a reminder to meet at the sixth bell, she hurried into her white adobe house.

  As I strolled away, down the sandy street, a warm glow kindled in my chest. For the first time since arriving in this world, I had a real lead—a real chance to get back home, to make things right, to have my revenge.

  To bring justice to the one who shot me down in cold blood.

  Watch out, you bastards, I thought. I'm coming back.