Daughter Of Atlantis Chapter 3: The Voice Of Atlantis

Listen While Reading:  An ocean in front of you
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It’s been another two years since then, and now I’m around two years old. I know this because my parents celebrated my birthday yesterday. I can barely say a few words at this age, so I don’t seem odd to them, but I made sure to show I was happy to have them with me. Seriously, they’ve been my only emotional support this whole time, and I’m just so grateful to have them in this second life.

For my birthday, there was a little treat—the first sweet I’ve tasted in this world! My father used some of his money to buy a small shortcake. It had a fluffy texture, white cream filling, and strawberries on top. It looked rough, but the sweetness of the strawberries and the creaminess of the filling made it perfect for me—it was already the best birthday ever.

But it didn’t end there. My father gifted me a hairpin made of dried starfish and sea snail conchs, while my mother gave me… something surprising. She called it “Heart of the Ocean”—a tiny blue stone she’d turned into a necklace. I was shocked; it was literally the same thing my mother from my previous life gave me… Could this be a mermaid tradition for their children? But this world and my old one… they’re different, right? With no technology anywhere, there’s no way this is Earth!

…Well, I can’t overthink it—I know I won’t get answers right now.

Anyway, this past year, I’ve been trying to draw magic out of my body, to practice and mold it, to summon some water!

But nothing!

Absolutely nothing!

I can’t… use magic.

At least not yet.

A whole year of trying to sense my Mana, a whole year of attempting to conjure a tiny droplet from my hands… I spent a whole year rolling around in my cradle, crying desperately because I couldn’t do it! It was so painful; it made me cry like the baby I am!

My parents, of course, were confused. At one point, they thought I was sick and even considered taking me to an expensive doctor, so I had to try my hardest to convince them I was fine back then.

Oh well, since then, I’ve been enjoying the little things too. Now that I’m two, I can crawl around! And my mother helps me every day with walking. These baby legs are so weak, it’s extra super hard! But I’m doing my best—especially this morning.

“Come on, Arielle, you can do it…! There! With your two tiny feet… come to Mama!” My gorgeous mother opened her arms, encouraging me to walk straight toward her. I’ll surprise her!

“Maaa… maaaahh!”

I ran toward her with all my might, using my years of walking experience from my previous life. I walked rather impressively! Oh yes, a two-year-old walk! And then…!

Jump!

“Uwah!”

I leapt onto my mother, knocking her to the floor as my face landed on her chest. She burst into cheerful laughter—she was genuinely surprised!

“Hahaha! Arielle! Since when did you know how to jump? You were like a tiny frog!” My mother giggled as she sat up on the wooden floor and kissed my forehead. Her beautiful, bright eyes lit up my life.

“Wah… Guh… Mama!” I said as clearly as I could, pretending I couldn’t talk well. It meant “I wanted to surprise Mama!”

“Oh my! You’re learning a few words already, my baby girl… You’re so brilliant!” my mother giggled, pretending to understand me.

“Hehehe…”

I couldn’t help but giggle proudly as she praised me every time for the simplest of things. Doing such simple things had never felt this satisfying before! Being a baby is honestly amazing—you get praised for the most mundane stuff!

“Huh? A-Arielle…”

But then my mother interrupted our laughter, her face turning serious and shocked as she stared at me.

What’s wrong? Why’s she looking at me like that out of nowhere?!

“Eh?”

Then I noticed it—glowing blue tattoos spreading across my arms and legs. I couldn’t believe it. They were shaped like sea waves, dotted with starfish, clams, conchs, fish, sharks, and… whales?! What’s with this weird magic tattoo?

Wait! Is this magic? A-Am I finally developing it?!

FLASH!

As the tattoos spread over my body, they reached my head, forming a glowing, pristine blue light. Suddenly, I felt a strange… rush of information and knowledge flooding my mind and even… my soul. It was enlightening and soothing. My necklace began to shine too, merging with the blue light.

Then, strange text appeared before me…

[Mana has been successfully awakened.]

[Your Soul Book has been opened.]

[Your latent abilities will now begin to develop.]

[The Sealed Unique Skill [Voice of Atlantis] has been awakened.]

V-Voice of Atlantis? What’s this?

FLASH!

In my mind, I saw it—a book floating in pure darkness. It opened, its pages flickering as light poured out, illuminating the void… Was this the Soul Book?

As I peered into it, a flash of blue light formed sea waves that crashed against my consciousness. I heard the voice of the man who reincarnated me again—calm and wise, like a grandpa.

[So you’ve awakened.]

You’re…?

[Yes, you may remember me as the one who granted your wish for reincarnation.]

Who exactly are you?

[It’s not possible to answer that… because even I don’t fully remember myself.]

You don’t remember yourself?

[Sadly, no. More importantly, how about you look at your Soul Book?]

Soul Book…?

FLASH!

In an instant, a flood of text appeared before me, glowing with blue light. 

[Name]: [Arielle Charybdis]

[Race]: [Lesser Half-Mermaid (Human)] / [???]

[Rank]: [H-]

[Class]: [Fisherwoman: ★]

[Subclass]: [Songstress: ★★]

[Level]: [0/10]

[EXP]: [0/1000]

[HP]: [8/8]

[MP]: [3/22]

[Strength]: [4]

[Agility]: [6]

[Vitality]: [8]

[Intelligence]: [13]

[Dexterity]: [5]

[Charm]: [21]

[Luck]: [15]

{Passive Skills: 5/9}

[Unique Skills]: [Voice of Atlantis: Lv1] [All Language Comprehension: Lv4]

[Body Skills]: [Undersea Transformation: Lv1] [Mana Veins: Lv1]

[Resistance Skills]: [Water Resistance: Lv1]

{Active Skills: 2/6}

[Physical Skills]: [Fish Scales: Lv1]

[Magical Skills]: [Mana Sense: Lv1]

{Title Skills: 2/6}

[Daughter of Atlantis: Lv1] [Half-Mermaid: Lv1]

{Points}

[Available Stat Points]: [0]

[Available Skill Points]: [0]

[Can gain 10 Stat Points and Skill Points with each Level] 

What the…? What’s this jumble of random numbers? Is this… Ah! I remember seeing something like this in those roleplaying games I played a few times… But is it magical somehow? What’s the point—to show my full capabilities? Is all this detail really necessary, though? It looks honestly convoluted.

[Don’t question the Status, my child.]

Eh?

[The Status is everything.]

Is it?

[You’ll learn to like it, whether you want to or not.]

You sound a bit different there…

[Sorry, but it’ll stick with you forever…]

Ah… W-Well, I guess it’ll be helpful—though, what’s with the Class and Subclass? I’m a Fisherwoman with one star? And a Songstress with two stars! D-Does this mean anything…?

[Yes, sadly, you kind of suck.]

Excuse me?

[Not only are you a Lesser Half-Mermaid, but you have a low-star Class and Subclass. Your growth will be full of hardships… but you seem to have the heart to face them.]

I’m a bit concerned by how your tone swings from mocking me to being gentle… You’re an odd grandpa, aren’t you?

[…]

No response, huh? I guess he only speaks when he wants to.

“Arielle!” My mother cried as her eyes widened. “Y-You’ve awakened your Soul Book and Mana at the same time! I-Is anything wrong? Do you feel alright? A bit feverish?”

“Awuh…” I said softly, feeling slightly exhausted… Wait, way too much—I suddenly felt so sleepy…

“A-Arielle!”

And then I fell unconscious.

…

I found myself deep in darkness. This cold void felt so much like the one I saw after dying in my previous life that it was eerily familiar. I hated it. It was so cold, silent, and endless, I couldn’t tell where I was or where to go…

Was I dreaming? Is this not real? Or… did I die? There’s no way I’d die at just two years old, right? Then what… what’s this about? Where am I? Unconscious? Sleeping? But how can I be so aware in this darkness? It feels so real… yet so cold, like a real place somewhere.

Before I knew it, the darkness grew heavier, pressing down on my entire body… I had a small body—smaller than I remembered, even for a two-year-old. As the darkness enveloped me, I realized I was swimming, moving like a tiny fish.

Something was chasing me from behind. I was too scared to look, but the darkness kept pursuing me as countless red lights emerged in the ocean of shadow. As I dove deeper, the gloom grew more sinister. I felt alone, no longer human—just a small creature, prey to the sea’s abyss.

Make it stop…

Please, I don’t want this anymore!

The darkness kept chasing me, the entity drawing closer until I felt enormous jaws open behind me, swallowing me whole. I felt hopeless, weak, small, and pathetic—like no matter what I tried, I could never outrun this predator. I’d never survive; I was… mere prey.

CRUNCH!

…

“AAAAAAH!”

I woke up screaming. Realizing it was just a nightmare, I calmed down, noticing my parents rush to my side.

“Arielle! Are you okay, dear?” My father ran over and hugged me.

“Did you have a nightmare?” My mother reached me too, wrapping me in her arms.

I felt so weak and small, even now, but their warm embrace comforted my frail, pathetic self. I couldn’t help but cry. I sobbed as they held me, crying over my fears and insecurities like the child I was.

What am I? What should I do? What was that darkness? Was it just a dream? A nightmare? I don’t know… but the more I think about it, the more fear wells up in my heart, the more powerless I feel, the smaller I become.

“Don’t cry, we’re here for you…”

“It was just a nightmare, dear… Everything’s alright now.”

“Papa and Mama are here.”

“You don’t have to worry about anything…”

Embraced by my parents, without saying another word, I fell asleep again, nestled between them in the same bed. It felt comfortable, and I felt… protected.

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