Rhys blinked, surprised by her words. "The old sea?" he repeated.

Lyra nodded slowly, her glowing eyes still fixed on him. "Yes. The new seas today feel quiet—their mana is weaker and shallow. But you…" she paused, squinting slightly as if she could see through him, "…you carry the depth of the ancient tides. The kind that once sang to the moons."

Caria frowned in confusion. "The moons?"

Lyra nodded again, her voice soft but sure. "There used to be three moons. Their songs guided the waters, the tides, and even the flow of mana. But now, that melody has been lost."

Sophia folded her arms. "You're saying he's connected to that? To the ancient seas?"

"I don't know for sure," Lyra said, pressing a hand over her heart. "But when I look at him, I feel something familiar. Like the ocean inside him remembers something my own has long forgotten."

Rhys hesitated. He could sense the truth in her words. His [Tamer of Ancients] class and his bond with Puddle did give him ancient mana—but hearing her speak of it made him uneasy.

'So even someone sealed for centuries can sense it,' he thought. 'It seems, I have to be wary of anyone ancient or old from now on.'

"What's she talking about, Rhys?" Aria asked, watching him carefully.

He shrugged lightly. "Beats me. This is the first I've heard of it too." He tried to sound clueless, and for now, the others seemed to accept it.

But Lyra didn't. She kept staring at him, her eyes glowing softly with curiosity and something like respect.

Then she said suddenly, "Can I come with you?"

Rhys blinked. "…What?"

"I want to follow you," Lyra said clearly. "You carry the scent of the sea I once ruled. If I stay here, I'll fade before the next moonrise. But if I travel with you, I can remember who I am—and maybe help the oceans remember too."

Aria raised an eyebrow. "You ruled the sea? You mean—you were royalty?"

Lyra nodded. "Yes. I was the Queen of the Water Elves. Or rather, I will be again once I return to my true form."

Caria's eyes widened. "Wait—you're a queen? But you look like a kid!"

Lyra frowned, a bit offended. "This body is temporary. The seal turned me into this form so I could survive while I slept. In twenty-four hours, it will fade, and I'll return to my true self."

Rhys crouched down, meeting her eyes. "Then why did you call for your mama—if you're really an adult in a child's body?"

She looked at him calmly. "The seal didn't just change my form—it sealed my memories too. That light earlier broke part of the seal, so I'm slowly remembering who I am, even as we speak."

The room fell silent.

Aria muttered under her breath, "No pressure at all, huh?"

Sophia sighed, rubbing her temples. "So now we're guarding an ancient queen trapped in a kid's body for a day. Great."

Lyra puffed out her cheeks. "I'm two thousand and forty years old!"

Caria stared at her. "You're what?!"

Lyra nodded seriously. "Water elves live for ten thousand years. We're considered children until at least a thousand. So by your standards, I'm an adult."

Rhys exhaled, glancing between them. "Right. An adult queen… in a kid's body. Got it."

"Will you let me come with you, then?" Lyra asked again, her voice soft but steady.

Rhys hesitated, then finally nodded. "Alright. But only until your seal resets. After that, you can choose your own path."

Lyra smiled—calm, regal, and just a little mischievous. "Then it's settled."

She stepped closer and extended her hand. "Don't worry," she said with a small grin. "You're not losing anything by taking me along. If anything, you should be happy—" her tone turned teasing, "—I was the most beautiful elf of my time."

Rhys couldn't help a small chuckle. He took her hand and shook it firmly. "Well, then I'll be waiting to see if that's true once your seal breaks."

Lyra's smile brightened, her eyes gleaming like sunlight over calm water. "Then I won't disappoint you."

The faint hum of mana rippled between their joined hands, and for an instant, the air shimmered—like the sea itself recognized their pact.

Puddle rippled from Rhys's shadow, letting out a faint, approving sound. Lyra glanced down and gasped softly. "Oh! That aura… you're bonded to an Ancient?"

Rhys nodded. "Yeah. This is Puddle—my partner."

Lyra knelt slightly, staring with wide-eyed wonder. "How wonderful… the Ancients still live."

Puddle pulsed softly, a sound like gentle laughter in the back of Rhys's mind.

Sophia smiled faintly. "Guess she's got good taste."

Aria folded her arms. "Alright then, royal highness. You said you'll turn back into your true self tomorrow—what happens if we're still in the dungeon when that happens?"

Lyra tilted her head thoughtfully. "Then the dungeon will break before I do."

Caria blinked. "Uh, what?"

Rhys looked at her, brow raised. "Meaning?"

Lyra's tone softened, but her words carried a quiet certainty. "My true self can't exist in a confined space. The sea doesn't fit inside a bottle."

"In simple words," Rhys said, squinting slightly, "you were sealed inside this dungeon—and now that you're awake, the seal will collapse once you leave, right?"

"You don't mean the dungeon will cease to exist!" Aria asked alarmed as her guild half income come from this dungeon, loosing it will be devastating.

"No, what I meant is, if my seal broke here, my vast mana can destroy this small dungeon" She said as Rhys and others sighed in relief hearing it.

Caria let out a low whistle, clutching her staff. "Okay, so… note to self—don't make the queen sneeze while we're still underground."

Lyra blinked, confused. "Sneeze?"

Aria chuckled under her breath. "She means—try not to accidentally destroy the place."

"Oh." Lyra's cheeks flushed slightly, her earlier composure cracking into something almost childlike. "I'll be careful."

Rhys smiled faintly. "That's all we ask."

They continued walking through the long tunnel that led toward the exit. The once-glowing walls were dimming, veins of ancient mana fading with every step they took.

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