“Are you sure you are not imagining things Deya?”, said the Queen coldly.

“No, I saw it, I know what is going to happen, look Queen, we even brought back the carved stone tablet”, replied Deya, handing her the stone tablet for her to read.

“Hm come on dear you can’t really believe this old childish tale is true”, said the Queen.

“If I may, Queen”, a tall sophisticated merman approached them.

“What is it?”, the Queen said, looking at him from head to tail.

“It is not a childish tale, it is indeed a prophecy. As you know Queen I used to belong to another territory, a territory that does not exist any longer… and it was precisely because of that prophecy. When your guards found me on the brink of death I had just barely made it out”, he explained.

“How come I haven't heard of something like that? About this so-called prophecy?”, said the Queen dubiously. 

“It hurts to remember, because everyone I knew and the place where I grew up was erased. I saw it all, the worst part was when the seismic waves hit, we tried to escape but they were so intense the current would divide us and disorient us. At the end, we made a plan to get through the protective barrier we managed to make around our territory, but it was already too late, we must have had to get out earlier. Only my best friend and I were left, when at the border of the barrier a seismic wave hit us and we got sent to different directions, the current took me to a place filled with ancient ruins and I hit my head, my body floated away with the current and that's when your guards found me.”, he continued.

“Okay. Well Deya go to the council and notify them of what you found out in the Archive Caves about this prophecy and this merman's story. I'm still doubtful but let's take precautions just in case. Find out how to make our own protective barrier for the Trident Queendom.”, the Queen ordered.

“Yes, Queen”, Deya replied.

Deya went to the council and explained the situation. After mixed opinions went around the members of the council, they finally told her where to go to find information for making a protective barrier. They gave her two options, go to the Archive Caves again in hopes to find something that mentions them or go to The Wise Crab, an old crab that is rumored to know everything about making magical cures, protection spells and solving riddles. She didn't want to return to the caves so soon and thought it was better to do what was fastest, so she decides they are making a little visit to The Wise Crab.

She asks the council for specific directions to where the crab lives, since she has never seen him before. They give her little to none details though. Just that “from the Plaza you go the opposite direction of when you are going to the caves, go straight, and then you will see his home”. Deya heads out, a little annoyed about not knowing how he looks or how his home is. 

Deya arrives at the underwater sand runes, the Plaza, and starts to analyze the direction she has to go. The young folk swim around in groups and the elderly float swiftly while going about their days. Okay, so the opposite direction of the caves… Deya thinks as she heads in a left direction. Now she just needs to go straight until she sees The Wise Crab’s home, how long will it be? She doesn't know but at least she knows she is on the right path. After ten whole minutes of swimming on a straight path while looking around she doesn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary so she keeps going. 

“Hey you!”,Deya hears a small voice coming from behind.

“Um hello?”, she says as she turns around to see who it is.

“Yes! Slow down please!, a small sea turtle swam until he arrived at the spot where Deya was.

“What are you doing all alone little turtle? Can I help you?”, Deya said to the sea turtle that was clearly a long way from his home.

“I’m on a mission miss, I need to find a crab and ask him to make me a cure for my papa”, said the little turtle with a desperate tone.

“Oh do you mean The Wise Crab?”, Deya asked him.

“Yes that one. Do you know him miss?”, the small sea turtle said.

“It seems we are on the same path little one, I am also looking for The Wise Crab myself”, replied Deya.

“Let’s go together then! My family told me that crab is known for making cures for anything and everything. You see, my papa is very sick. He ingested a transparent looking thing and since then he won’t eat and he won’t swim. He is in pain and I don’t want to lose my papa”, the sea turtle said with cryful eyes.

“Alright, little one let’s find the crab’s home together”, Deya said as they continued swimming on the straight path. 

After a while, they noticed ruins carefully organized in the shape of a 5 feet tall cone. The big cone-shaped tower had a hole right in the middle, like a door. This must be The Wise Crab’s home. The tower seemed to be made of a mix of algae, scraps of metal, shells and parts of broken objects from the world above the water. 

As they came near it, they saw a big and tall crab crawl from behind the tower to the top and stare at them. Deya had never seen such a big crab, his legs could undoubtedly stretch to be a couple of feet long themselves. The Wise Crab opened and closed his claws at his unknown visitors.

“We wish to speak with The Wise Crab. We are in need of your specialties.", said Deya with a formal tone she is used to using in her meetings with the council.

“Hm, is that what they are calling me? The Wise Crab? Oh but I am only a humble Japanese Spider Crab”, the old crab said while giggling clearly acting as if he didn’t know what they called him but indeed was flattered by it.

”I am Deya, mermaid princess of the Trident Queendom and I come to seek your knowledge and expertise to make a protection barrier around my Queendom and save all of my people from certain doom. An ancient prophecy has promised our downfall.”, said Deya to The Wise Crab in a serious tone.

“I am Lucas, a sea turtle and I really need to help my papa, he is sick. Can you make me a cure for him?”, said the small sea turtle evading the crab’s stare that intimidated him because of his enormous size next to him.

“Well, I have some good news and some bad news. Good News I can tell each of you the ingredients needed to make the protection barrier and the cure for all-”, said the crab while coming down his tower.

“That’s perfect!”, the sea turtle interrupted The Wise Crab.

“Let me finish first before getting all excited. To make the Protection Barrier, you need to bring me:

  1 Tear Pearl

  1 Light Coral

  1 Drop of Hippocamp Blood

And to make the Cure For All, you need to bring:

 1 Tear Pearl

 1 Glowing Algae

 1 Anglerfish Scale

The Bad News is that in this moon cycle my connection to the water's magical fluency is unstable, so I can only make one of your requests, the first one to bring me the ingredients will get their request granted.”, said The Wise Crab while moving his claws and legs excitedly.