Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 144 - 139: The Song of the Mermaid (Two in One)

Mr. Scholar crafted a floating massive orb of water, and Vena dove into it. She clearly recognized the man with the blue, peculiar mask and felt as comfortable in Mr. Scholar’s spell as if she were in her own home. Vena enjoyed the chill of the water flowing around her, savoring the long-missed ease of no longer having to worry about her life. Her purple eyes opened once again, looking at Lyle through the veil of water.

The arm that reached out from the orb bore delicate, oval scales shining with a rainbow’s glow in the night. Just like when she swam in deep waters, Vena’s hand cradled Lyle’s cheek, and that pleasing voice, along with the rush of joy and gratitude flooding his mind, flowed like water through Lyle’s thoughts.

"Thank you, Plague Doctor."

"I promised you, and I delivered."

Sliding like a snake, Vena’s arm wrapped around Lyle’s neck. Suddenly, the distance between them narrowed. On either side of the thin walls of the water orb, Vena in the water and Lyle in the air—their eyes admired each other’s souls. Between their minds, a river connected the two.

"I’ll be returning home soon, Plague Doctor, back to Mosue. When that time comes, can you promise me something?"

"What do you want?"

"Do not refuse me."

"?"

Before Lyle could make any response or inquiry, Mr. Scholar interrupted the two.

"Vena needs to rest properly; her body must be well attuned to seamlessly blend into the deep sea. You too, Plague Doctor, with your advanced modifications, also need to rest well. Go back now. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow towards Moshul."

"Yes, Teacher."

Lyle and Vena said goodbye, and Nia reached into the water orb with two tentacles, gently touching Vena’s cheek.

"See you, sister."

...

The next day, at noon, as agreed upon with Mr. Scholar, Lyle activated the blue stripe on his ring. The light flickered, and Lyle’s body twisted in the void like a noodle before vanishing without a trace.

When Lyle saw the light again, he was kneeling in a wilderness, his insides felt like they had been thrown into a blender running at full power. He badly wanted to vomit. But he held back, because his beak mask would definitely force the vomit back into his mouth or smear it on his face. Nia was in similar distress; her body lay flat on the ground like a dehydrated jellyfish, one tentacle listlessly patting her own body.

"Plague Doctor, you’re dizzy from the teleportation. That’s unfortunate news." Mr. Scholar stood by his side, and Vena’s water orb floated nearby in the shade of trees, her cheek pressed against the orb, eyes gazing at Lyle’s discomfort.

Clearly, the sensation of reverse teleportation initiated by Mr. Scholar was far from pleasant.

Lyle took several deep breaths, and the air filled with the scent of herbs cooled his waterlogged brain a fair bit.

"I suppose so, Teacher. Is it serious?"

"Not really, it’s a normal phenomenon that varies from person to person. Just as some people are naturally averse to traveling by transport, a portal might be a bit worse since the distortion of space can interfere with the stability of the soul. Even some of the dead exhibit symptoms of portal dizziness. What I meant by unfortunate is that, on our journey to Moshul, we’ll likely go through one thousand five hundred and nine spatial teleports. Yes, for you, the upcoming travel will be torture."

Lyle shuddered, with Nia completely leaning on him, her trembling transmitted to Lyle through her tentacles.

If only he’d known not to eat lunch.

"Let’s get started, Teacher. I’m okay."

"Then I’ll cast the spell a bit slower. Are you ready?"

Just as Lyle was about to reply, Vena’s bubble drifted over, enveloping Nia into the water orb. Vena and Nia embraced each other, their arms wrapped around Lyle’s neck.

"Ready."

The three became a flash of light and disappeared. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

In the passageway of teleportation, Lyle’s surroundings were filled with many points of light, which under the effect of high speed, stretched into lines. His body was dragged forward by a powerful force as if he was in a straw, being pushed from one end to another. That nauseating dizziness approached, but just as Lyle braced himself for it, the usually heavy sensation was surprisingly light this time, like fine raindrops hitting his skin. His mind conjured the tranquility of the deep sea, as if he were sitting at the ocean floor, gazing at the luminous water surface above. Despite the turbulence, there was only immovable tranquility here.

"Vena."

"I can help you share this strange sensation."

Their thoughts merged as one, and so did their feelings and sensations. In a world of silent solitude, all they could perceive was each other’s heartbeat.

It was as if they’d boarded a train to a distant land, with those lines of light being the beautiful views outside the windows. But none of it belonged to you, only the travel companion you’re with, the person sitting across from you, is a true part of you, and the far-off destination.

The feeling of stepping on solid ground was so relieving that Lyle almost cried with joy when his boots touched the soft earth. Even though Vena had shared the burden of the dizziness, the cumulative effect of the long-distance teleportation nearly made him vomit.

Taking deep breaths, Lyle smelled something different.

The waves crashing on the shore, the salty, damp sea breeze that came with the spray, and the calls of seagulls flying in the wind.