Part 1

[ This short story is a prequel that took place 30 years before the main story ]

A long time ago, a boy was left alone in the maze of knowledge—the library. He was named Agustin Maurecio Blanco y Kemanie. Scanning hundreds of texts, page-by-page of a manuscript. A bundle of informative sheets that was bound together by a clipboard folder. Closing all the towering books on the desk, he hurriedly walked across the expansive hallway. Another resounding foot patter followed behind, it was the middle-aged royal adviser who called Agustin "Principe!".

A formal chattering occurred among them as they traversed the stylish floors.

"Su alteza, are you sure about informing your father about this?" the royal adviser asked, accompanied by a low voice as he narrowed his sight consciously.

"Debo, Consejero Lorenzo. Even as a prince I cannot act without consent of the crown. If I can restore my mother's condition… I can restore the world." Agustin expressed his words with a delightful smile. He thumps the paper by the back of his hand while his eyes sparkle towards Adviser Lorenzo. Agustin led the way as they got closer by a pair of 10-foot mahogany doors of the throne hall—opened by the crimson red-uniformed royal guards.

Gathering tremendous air into his lungs, he prepares for a burst of excitement. "Papa! I have a proposición!"

"¡No me llames, Papá!" A reverberating voice as deep and fierce as a lion's roar.

Returning Agutin's foot and pulling down his grin. "S-su majestad, I have un… proposición." uneasiness enveloped Agustin's voice. Handing over the clipboard folder to the King silently. Lowering his head as the King glares. Frowning for each page he reads.

A sudden pound to the lavish carpet caught the miserable attention of Agustin, followed by the words, "Me niego."

"Su majestad, read it again, por favor!" Agustin picks up the clipboard folder and then lends them back to the King. However, the King strikes the clipboard out of Agustin's grip.

"Tus artículos are against the templo thus shall be discarded!" the King argued.

"Won't you try fighting for it?!" Agustin exclaimed "You're the King. You have the crown. You have the power!"

Silence ensued between the father and son. Until the King exposed his palm toward Agustin. Returning the clipboard to the King's grasp. But then… he pulled and tore apart the papers along the clipboard folder. Flabbergasted by what Agustin witnessed, he did not have the words to speak. Leaving the hall aggressively. Bumping the shoulder of Adviser Lorenzo as he was baffled outside the door.

Agustin advanced along the corridors, his footfalls resonating with a palpable intensity. With a forceful push, he propelled the massive doors open at the main entrance. He walked down the stone staircase and spelled "Te invoco, Griss, la Hippogryph!". Illuminating particles came out and summoned his Royal companion, a hippogryph, out of thin air. Agustin mounted the creature and flew away to the blue skies.

"Perdón, su majestad. Pero el Principe had a remarkable idea." Adviser Lorenzo claimed, "Agustin's Programa de Rehabilitación could have benefited those in the same condition as Reina Miguelina."

"Those who were the same as her were said to be endomeniado! Burned alive!" The King asserted.

"It was only said by el frailes. Do you believe that yourself?" Adviser Lorenzo uttered a rhetorical question.

"Debo! Defying the words of el frailes cannot be forgiven. That's what Agustin did!" The King said so.

Adviser Lorenzo could fight the king no more. Insisting would only lead to his public embarrassment. So he just leaned and said, "Lo siento, su majestad." before walking away.

In the meantime, the hippogryph flew up high and Agustin could almost touch the clouds. He whimpers out of disappointment and misery that he doesn't care to wipe his running tears. Then suddenly, the hippogryph stopped and hovered.

"What's the matter, Griss?" Agustin asked.

Griss growled and turned its wings around. Baffled by his companion's fear, he takes a glance behind. There he saw a shock wave of lightning that travelled through the clouds at their trail. Then it strikes Agustin with his wet eyes. Pushing him off from the back of the hippogryph and falling hundreds of feet before splashing into the deep ocean. He lost consciousness as he went farther down to the abyss.

Later, Agustin attempts to slowly open his eyes while his mind gradually starts to function, initiated by an unknown force. As his eyes gained some light, the face of an enchanting beauty shocked Agustin's awakening. His sudden reaction scared the lady and hid behind the boulder. But to his surprise, he lies at the bottom of the sea.

"I am… breathing? I can speak!" Agustin was bewildered.

"I enchanted you to heal your blindness. Which also gave you the ability to survive the water until you return to the surface." The lady swam out of the boulder—a reef. Revealing her majestic fishtail.

"You're a mermaid, right? I thought you drown men like me?" Agustin was strangely curious talking to another race.

"We have no time to talk. We are far from the enchanted waters. Our life is in danger! I'll take you there before a sea monster shows up-" The mermaid sensed rumbling in the water. Turning around to find a giant sea serpent, slithering towards them.

"Hop on my back, now!" the mermaid shouted. Agustin went behind and embraced her tightly. The mermaid swam like a torpedo right when they were almost devoured.

Escaping the deep waters, the sea serpent cannot be near any longer as the enchantment would dissolve creatures like them. Agustin crawled out to the shore. Coughing out seawater from his lungs as the enchantment of water breathing fades out. The mermaid prones in position as her tail prevents her from standing upright. She crawls back to the ocean to leave, but Agustin is curious. "Wait! May I know your name, señorita?"

"I'm Princess Marielle, nice to meet you!" She said before diving into the sea.

"Hey, wait! My name… is… Agustin…" He looked far to the horizon. No sign of her to be followed.

"Did she just drop me at Bosque Dorado? This is going to be a long walk to Ciudad Elmond." A sigh escaped his lips.

A few days later, Agustin sneaked out of the palace and flew with Griss just to come back to the shore where he last saw the mermaid. He tossed rocks at the sea and yelled her name. "Princesa Marielle!"

With no sign of her by the waves, he ended his hopes as soon as he saw the sunset.

A day passed, and Agustin came back. He sat at the rocky seaside beside his resting companion.

"Agustin!"

He heard his name in a feminine voice. Agustin stood up and scanned the shore. "Princesa Marielle!" He called as he ran into the sea. But the strong waves pushed him back to the surface. The second moment he looked at Marielle, she stood on her feet. Agustin was confused, but his eyes sparkled with glee as he saw her adorable image.

Moments after she reunited with Agustin, a group of merman and mermaids surrounded her. "Hey, Marielle! Did you just hang out with that human?!"

"It's not your business!" She responded.

"It's my responsibility to watch over you because I'm your brother!" The merman spoke imitatingly. "I can't tell Father Neptune that her daughter is a traitor!"

"I'm not a traitor!" Marielle exclaimed. "I was just getting his trust as a part of my plan to destroy their mankind!"

"If that's what you propose, we should talk… with the council!" The merman advised. Swimming away while Marielle was left behind. A frown that could scare the innocents.

In the meantime, the King was informed about Agustin's frequent visits to Bosque Dorado without formal consent.

"Consejero Lorenzo! Find Principe Agustin. If he goes for a flight, make sure you follow him." The King commanded.

"Si, su majestad!" Adviser Lorenzo accepted.