After Zeir agreed to help them, he led Azul and Roxanna to a quiet corner of the cave, far away from the others. Since they would need both hands free, they left Azura with Calen for a while.
At first glance, Calen might not seem like the most reliable babysitter in the world. He was playful, impulsive, and often acted before thinking, but Roxanna knew him better than anyone.
When it came to protecting his family, there was no one more dependable than Calen. Because of that, she didn’t hesitate to leave Azura in his care.
Helga then guided them deeper into the cave. "We’ll wait for you near the entrance," she said.
Her eyes lingered on the crown in Azul’s hands. "Your Highness, I hope you find the answers you’re looking for."
With that, she swam away, leaving the three of them alone.
Zeir folded his arms across his chest. "Actually, what we’re about to do isn’t that different from what you did when entering Calen’s dream," he admitted. "And just like Aelin, I’ll be guiding you through it."
"Since it’s difficult to create sounds underwater, I’ll touch your hands if something goes wrong," Zeir explained. His gaze moved between Roxanna and Azul. "Do you understand?"
Both of them nodded.
"Good." Zeir looked down at the crown for a few seconds, studying it carefully. "This artifact already contains protective magic, so I don’t think you’ll be in much danger. If you want to leave the memories, just scream my name. I’ll pull you out immediately."
Roxanna nodded once more. "I understand."
To her surprise, she felt much calmer knowing Zeir would be their guide.
Maybe it was because he was her husband, or maybe it was because she knew Zeir would never allow anything bad to happen to the people he cared about.
"Alright," Zeir said. "Now, Your Highness, put the crown on."
Azul immediately frowned. "Don’t call me that." There was a hint of embarrassment in his voice.
Zeir looked completely unbothered. "I’m simply respecting your title."
"You don’t have to respect it that much," Azul replied.
After everything they had been through together, being called "Your Highness" felt strange.
They had suffered side by side, traveled together, and faced danger together, so hearing such a formal title from Zeir felt oddly distant.
For a moment, Zeir stared at him, and then he shrugged. The gesture clearly said that he would stop using the title.
Only then did Azul finally place the crown on his head. The moment it settled there, he felt a slight weight pressing down on him.
Maybe it was simply the crown itself or maybe it was the burden that came with wearing it.
After all, a crown was never just a piece of metal. It also carried responsibilities, expectations, and an entire kingdom on its shoulders.
For a few moments, nothing happened.
The cave remained quiet except for the distant sounds of water moving through the tunnels. Roxanna stared at Azul, waiting for some kind of reaction.
"Just close your eyes first," Zeir instructed. "Take a few deep breaths, relax your body, and don’t think about anything else."
Roxanna and Azul did as they were told.
The crown rested firmly on Azul’s head as he slowly closed his eyes. Beside him, Roxanna tightened her grip on his hand.
One breath, then another.
The water around them felt calm and still. The distant sounds of the cave gradually faded from Roxanna’s awareness until all she could hear was the steady rhythm of her own breathing.
"Good," Zeir said softly. "Now focus on the crown. Don’t resist the magic. Let it guide you."
Roxanna nodded slightly. At first, nothing happened, but then a faint warmth spread from Azul’s hand into hers.
The feeling was gentle, almost comforting. It slowly traveled up her arm and through the rest of her body.
As the warmth grew stronger, the darkness behind her closed eyelids seemed to deepen, pulling her farther and farther away from reality.
For a brief moment, Roxanna felt weightless, as though she were floating in an endless ocean with no beginning and no end.
Moments later, the cave disappeared, even the feeling of her own body began to fade. The only thing anchoring her was Azul’s hand.
A bright light suddenly appeared in the darkness. At that moment, Roxanna instinctively squeezed Azul’s hand as the light grew larger and closer and in the next instant, it swallowed them whole.
"Wait, wait, wait," Roxanna almost screamed as she felt like her body was being dragged into the front at such terrifying speed.
"It’s alright. Calm yourself down." Zeir’s voice reached her from somewhere far away, distant yet familiar. For some reason, hearing it immediately helped her relax.
Roxanna took several deep breaths. Beside her, Azul did the same. The strange pulling sensation was still there, but it no longer felt frightening.
This time, she stopped fighting it. She allowed the light to carry her wherever it wanted to take her.
For some reason, time seemed to lose all meaning. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours.
And then, just when it felt as though they had been drifting forever, a loud voice suddenly echoed from somewhere nearby.
"My Prince! You can’t run away again! Lady Helga will be here soon!" The voice was so clear that Roxanna almost jumped.
Her eyes flew open and to her surprise, the ocean before her looked completely different.
The gloomy ocean had gone, and in its place stood a magnificent underwater kingdom. Massive coral towers stretched toward the surface. Buildings made from white stone and giant shells lined wide pathways filled with sea beastkins swimming in every direction.
Colorful fish darted between the structures, while glowing pearls illuminated every corner of the city.
Roxanna heard a lot of laughter, conversation, life, and even music! Was that even possible?!
Roxanna held her breath because what stood in front of her was truly beautiful, more beautiful than anything she had imagined.
As she turned to the side, Roxanna froze.
Azul had gone completely still and tears were silently streaming down his face.
His eyes remained fixed on the bustling kingdom before them, as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
"I..." His voice trembled. He swallowed hard. "So I’m not just some fish living in a slum this whole time?"
Another tear rolled down his cheek. "I thought..." He lowered his head slightly. "I thought I didn’t even have a home."
Roxanna’s heart tightened. Without thinking, she squeezed his hand gently.
"You do," she said softly.
Azul looked back at the underwater kingdom. For the first time, the loneliness he had carried for years felt a little lighter.
The familiar voice echoed through the memory again, much louder this time. Both Roxanna and Azul turned around, and there he was, Orion, but he looked younger.
At the moment, he was desperately chasing after the youngest prince through the crowded water of the kingdom.
"Your Highness!" Orion shouted. "Please come back!"
"Never!" The young prince laughed and swam even faster.
Roxanna blinked several times because the prince was beautiful. His long blue hair flowed behind him like silk as he moved through the water.
Below his waist was a magnificent mermaid tail with scales that shifted between shades of blue and purple whenever the sunlight touched them, making it impossible not to stare.
The colors were so vibrant that they almost seemed unreal. Besides that, the prince looked carefree, happy, and completely different from the Azul standing beside her.
This prince had never known a life filled with pain and hardship.
Back then, his world was bright and peaceful. He had a family, a home, and people who cared about him.
He had no way of knowing that one day, he would learn it was far better to marry someone he didn’t love than to end up with a villainous fox who would make his life miserable for an entire year.
He had no way of knowing that the beautiful kingdom around him would disappear. That the lively ocean filled with laughter and light would one day be replaced by cold waters, ruins, and silence.
Back then, he was only a carefree prince. A prince who still believed that tomorrow would be just as happy as today.
A prince who had no idea how much he was about to lose.
"I looked so stupid," Azul whispered and tried to laugh. His eyes never left the younger version of himself playing in the distance.
"No, you didn’t look stupid," Roxanna corrected gently. "You looked happy."
Azul only responded with a half-hearted laugh before turning his attention back to the young prince, who was probably only three or four years younger than him.
"Azul! Stop running away!"
Another man finally emerged from the bustling crowd. He grabbed the prince’s hand and said, "It’s fine if you don’t want to meet Lady Helga, but you need to return to the palace now. We have to discuss something important."
The young Azul finally looked at the man in front of him seriously and asked, "What happened, Brother Mera?"
Mera shook his head. "You’re asking the wrong question. It’s not about what happened." His expression turned gloomy. "It’s about what’s going to happen."