The six of them swam to the square in front of the Royal Palace.

The venue was packed with merfolks gathering in the water above a sea floor carving in the middle of the cleared area that looks like a big whale. It is said to be the Mother Sea manifestation before Mother Sea fall into a deep slumber and gone from sight thousands of years ago.

In front of the whale structure, Lys saw six other coming of age mers floating stiffly with nerves and his father not far from them. Lys wasn’t the only one to go to the Surface. Every year, there will be a few mers that will go to the surface of the sea and visited the Land. It is merely a coincidence that his birthday is the day of the summer where the weather is usually perfect for a long journey aside from some random storm. They usually will receive the blessings of the others and the King will broke the restrictions magic for young merfolks that let them go past the barrier that’s surrounded the whole area of their kingdom. They will separated afterwards and go to the predestined location alone after that.

Three of his sisters looked at him with a pitying expression when they saw their father were giving instructions to the soldiers that’s floating solemnly in front of him that he assumed will be his ‘watcher' during the one week trip to the Surface, while Sort snickered at him. Lys sulkily followed his grandmother and sisters to greet his father while he racked his brain to get the soldiers off of him for the entire week.

The mer-king was a middle aged merman, and the only thing that defines his status as the ruler was the moderately decorative crown on top of his long blond hair, and he flicked his gray tail swiftly as his also gray eyes spotted the group. He was a lot more bigger and muscular than his youngest son, but if he were a lot more younger, he might looks more like Lys almost twin brother.

“Finally. What takes you this long? We’ve been waiting for you to start the ceremony,” said the mer-king to his son, sighing.

“Don’t blame me. They’ve decided to give me more lectures just now, so I’m also the victim here. By the way, these soldiers are...” he dragged the last word, waiting for his father to finish it for him.

The mer-king sighed again, “What do you think they’re here for? Of course it’s to guard you along the way to the Surface.”

Hearing the predicted answer, Lys floated calmly in front of his father, his face showed a firm expression.

“Father, as far as I know, everyone whom going to the Surface doesn’t need the guard of the soldiers, as the purpose of the journey is to test the oncoming of age mers tenacity, wisdom, courage and knowledge. If I were to be guarded by these soldiers on my coming of age journey, won’t I be the the whole kingdom laughing stock, then?” Lys said with a look of total seriousness on his face.

His sisters that’s listening on the side could only gasped, feeling like spurting a huge amount of blood from their mouth. They sighed and shakes their head. The four of them giving Lys a look that said, “How can you have that kind of rebuttal when you’re usually just as stupid as a little shrimp? And when do you ever use that kind of polite speech? That’s too fake!” They all sighed again and Lys that’s watching them on his peripheral vision floating straight in front of his father, his face never losing its serious facade.

“Because it is you that I’m worried. You know why I’m feeling like this, don’t you?” his father said with a sour face, but Lys wouldn’t gave up.

“Father, I am very much an adult right now. I know I’ve been acting childish for the longest time, but I promise you I’ll follow the rules and will keep out from any danger and trouble. Father, don’t you think it is very embarrassing for a Royal Prince to be guarded by those soldiers when everyone else is doing their best alone? Please retract these soldiers. I will be fine by myself.”

His father sighed again, and said, “Alright, I’ll send them back, BUT,” he said when he saw that Lys almost broke his serious face and almost grinning like his usual self when he won something, “one soldier will stay with you. The other citizens will understand the need of the soldier to protect you because you are a Royal Prince and my heir. Do you understand?”

Lys knitted his eyebrows, wanted to refuse, but then he nodded. “Alright, one soldier, and I will be the one to pick them. Deal? I have no other bargain after this,” he said hurriedly.

His father sighed for the nth time, and tell him to pick the soldier. After a glanced at the row of soldiers, Lys choose the most timid looking one from the soldiers and earned a displeased look from his father, but he didn’t say anything about it. Seeing that, Lys only shrugged.

Lys followed his father to grouped together with the other mers that’s have been waiting in the mostly empty square.

The citizens said their greetings to the Royal Families, and they greet them back accordingly. Although they are royalties, they’ve been living together with their subjects closely, and formalities was never really something that is hard pressed to the citizens. Not to mention the five royal siblings that’s been known for being a trouble makers all around the kingdom. They hunt, play and talk with the citizens without much thought, and they love them for it.

Aside for the troubles they made there and here.

The other citizens floated together with the others and made a walls of mers that’s looped to a circle. The mer-king that’s positioned in the middle of it swam around the row of the young merfolks while singing the song of blessings. His deep voice penetrated one’s hearts and a sense of calmness rising on their hearts, including Lys’s.

The words they used for their songs are very different from the language they use for their everyday life. It was said to be the universal language if the worlds in the ancient time before it keep on evolving and changing throughout the years and now they have the same language as the humans. The songs were ancient and mythical, as it originated from the early existence of the mers, but they keep their songs heard and leant by the youngs as it’s not forgotten by the time.

After the mer-king sang a few lines, the other merfolks that’s floating around them following suit, as well as Lys’s sisters and grandmother.

Singing in harmony, they swam atop the circle of the almost reaching adulthood mers and performing a folk dance with the others. They twirled around, then diving down to the ocean floor and rose up seconds before touching it. While high on top of them again, they somersaulted, then taking the hands of the other mers and bobble up and down, and letting go of the hands they’re holding, they swam to the middle part with a force that made Lys think they’ll collides, but before that happens, thy dove up and spun before grabbing the hand of the mers beside them again as they swam back down, more slowly this time. The lights were still bright enough on the water from the afternoon sun, and the colorful scales of the mers glittering under it, reflecting the lights whenever they moves, giving the one below them a spectacular show.

Lys couldn’t lie and said that he doesn’t like the shows. He felt the excitement bubbling up within him, and heat filled his whole body as his heart pumped in the bloods with a dash of adrenaline. As someone whom only been able to watch the shows from the sidelines for forever, he’s now close and personal in the middle of the dance and singing that’s filled with a surging magic that’ll eventually let him go out of the restraining area very soon, and thinking that he’ll be one of the mers to do the blessing rituals with the adults next year make him exited more and more.

A bright smile rose on his face, as well as on the every mers around him.

The show ends with them ceased their voice when the last line of the song is sung, and they slowly float and made a few layered circle above Lys and the others younger mers that’s been waiting for the magic to be lifted.

The blessings ceremony for the coming of age mers then came to the end after the mer-king raised his index and middle finger to his lips and then patted his chest with his closed hand, before putting his open palm to the first young mermaid chest before him. Her body was rigid for a split second before relaxing as a soft lights radiating from the King’s palm before it dimmed a moments later.

He repeated the same process to the young mers that’s making a circle on the ground, until he reached Lys who were the last one he have to gave the blessing gesture and to lift his restrictions magic. Lys floated with excitement, he tried to suppress his wide smile but he almost failed. His eyes shone and widen as his father put his palm on his chest, and he felt the warmth of the magic inside his body, his blood, before it found the restriction magic inside him and took it from him. There’s a sense of loss when the magic flows back to his father’s hand as it have been part of him for the last twenty five years, but there’s also a sense of lightness that filled its place, as if a heavy shackles has been lifted from his whole body and he was able to stretch his body and really moves again, and it was a very good feeling.

After his father took his hand away and the warmth were gone, he sighed and beckon Lys to hug him, which he did without hesitation.

Afterwards, his grandmother and sisters coming to him and hug him one by one. The other mers that’s going to set out to the Surface also receive hugs and encouraging words from their friends and family, making the whole scene bubbling with warmth.

After they said their goodbyes and with some soft mocking from Sort, Lys and the soldier he picked were ready to take off from the square.

He waved his hand to the mers left on the square and saw them waves back before looking straight in front of him, and as he swam further away to the open seas, his smile brightens as he didn’t felt the restrictions that’s keep him confined on their territory anymore, and he laughed when he swam past the barrier, and he never felt more free than he did at this moment.

Truly.