treasure hunt with a big fish??!! 🐟✨

AHEm!

Previously on 'I'm the protagonist!' ----

   Blackflame who walked on the shore to relieve the boredom got invited to a treasure hunt by Zona and Pun-Hmog. After a long journey, even Zona kept saying we got stalked by someone. They finally reached the location marked in red 'X' on the map, where the pirate treasure was hidden! However, their adventure wasn't over yet. Pun-Hmorg discovered that they didn’t have the key to open the treasure chest. To find the key, they needed to solve a mysterious and unknown language, and their next destination was the right eye of the island.

   So they all decided to go to that place to find the key to reach the treasure...

" That's not going to be easy... "

   Three of them stare at the skull's eye lake. Pun-Hmorg leaps up into a tall palm tree nearby and peers down, The lake is so huge and deep down that the light might not reach the bottom of the lake floor. It will not be too much trouble for Phosray like Zona but we can't let him go to strange places alone and further than that we need to nightfall so Phosray's power will be strongest to shine in the dark to guide us.

" So, for now... let's figure out a plan first "

" I agree! Let's give it our best shot! "

" Hmm, So where should look around? "

" How about left eye??"

   After some discussion, they walk to the island’s left eye. The large bay is almost eye-shaped similar to the right side, but the top is open and connects to the open sea. This bay features clear water and tall palm trees lining the shore, although there aren't many like the first island that Blackflame walked at the first of everything. Gentle waves lap at the smooth white sand, where shells are scattered.

Up in the sky, Blackflame saw a bright red shooting star cross the sunset. Along with it, blue and magenta shooting stars followed. The second and last star appeared smaller than the first one. As they passed by, they left behind a shimmering sparkle that decorated the sky, matching the reflection of light on the sea. He noticed it immediately.

' Look like they come back from soul-guiding now '

' And I didn't notice the time pass too '

   He keeps thinking before something destroys the silence... It's a turtle constellation that slowly emerges from the sea! They greet the turtle. It turns its head to look at you all and slowly opens its mouth to greet back. We talk for a while, I MEANS A WHILE!! Since he's an elderly turtle taking some minutes to talk is no surprise.

" We’re looking for a way to go underwater, but we can breathe down there "

" except this tiny one-- "

The turtle said it has seaweed on the nose of the island that can grant you the ability to breathe under the water for a while and we need to collect it in the specific order that will give us the best result.

" He said we need to collect from the youngest stalk to the oldest one, right Pun-Hmorg? "

" Yeah, that was what I remember from sloooow conversation "

" Don't be sour, at least he helps us "

" FINEEEE "

" Short one must be the youngest stalk and longest be oldest one " Blackflame suggested

" Roger that! "

   We headed toward a location that resembled the nostrils of Skull Island—two pools side by side, one on the left and one on the right. The water here was not too deep like the eye one and much warmer, almost as if it were heated by something other than sunlight. It glowed a blue-greenish hue and was thick with swaying algae. Zona drove down onto the right pool and collected seaweed as instructed by the old turtle. Time passed, and the sun had set. Pun-Hmrog and Blackflame eat some seaweed and now time for you to dive underwater in search of the key.

   We returned to the right eye of skull island. The sun had already set beyond the horizon, and at the tip of Zona’s tail, a bright glow began to shine visibility underwater. One by one, the team dove into the water. Unlike Zona, the light on the Stelciar's body dimmed almost immediately. The rising tide at night made it harder for Pun-Hmorg to swim. You struggled to keep up with Zona, but when you glanced back, you realized that Zona had already swum far ahead.

   Zona had led us, there seemed to be a large underwater hole where glowing plants scattered around. Pun-Hmorg proposes to be the entrance of the hole to see if nothing weird happens. Both of us agreed and continuously drove down the hole. Not too long, Zona pointed towards the bottom of the deep hole. There is something shiny reflected at you...

...THAT MUST BE  THE KEY!

“ We found it! ”

“ Wait, hold on.. ”

  Before he could say anything, Pun-Hmorg let out a scream. Was he being attacked? Without thinking, Zona dashed forward to investigate and left Blackflame behind. The fish now agitated by the light from Zona’s tail, charged at him and nipped aggressively. Blackflame attempted to escape by using his flamethrower ability but then he remembered that he was underwater and all that came out of his mouth was a stream of bubbles. Just then, a sweet voice rang out and a sleek, gray-white figure darted through the water, swiftly pushing the fish away from them. She looks like Stelciar but without wings. Instead, she has... a fishtail??

" That's fish that I saw when we were on the raft and the shore!!?? " Zona said

" Is this real!? "

The blue spark that shimmers on her fins is beautiful, and dazzling, and never fades beneath the water’s surface. As Zona mentioned, he had never seen anything like it before; she has a colorful body, a large fin tail, and exquisite scales that shine in the dark. She gently swings her tail to push the fish away from you. Once everything settles, we introduce ourselves and learn that her name is Navee the Mercier. She is a mermaid-like Stelciar with two front legs and a fish-like lower body.

To be honest, she is also looking for a key. Specifically, she is searching for a sparkling pearl-adorned wooden frame that holds a locked box. The box itself has a three-digit code and a clue engraved on its surface. So, we sit down to tackle another puzzle together.

We quickly solve the puzzle, and with a soft click, the box unlocks. Carefully, Pun-Hmorg reaches in and lifts out the glittering key, its surface shimmering under the light. We swim back to the surface and head straight to the pirate treasure chest.

" We're finally going to get the treasure! "

" Such a long extreme journey"

" ... "

" What's wrong? "

Blackflame said while he poured flame from his mouth to check if it still worked before Zona asked Pun-Hmorg who loops around in the air, tilting his head at Blackflame in confusion.

" I was just... thinking about Nevy. She helped us so much... I feel like we should do something for her "

All of us agree and head back to Navee. On the other side, The young Merciar girl gazed up at the sky watching as her three new friends soared into the distance...

" There she is! "

" Navee!! "

Before she decided to slip back into the depths, The three of them rushed toward her, carrying the treasure chest together. She's so delighted and slowly rose out of the water. Her shimmering fishtail began to shrink, transforming before everyone's eyes. Two glittering back legs, still adorned with delicate, sparkling scales.

" WOAHH "

The treasure chest was carefully set down near the water’s edge. The three explorers—no, now four gathered around it, their faces glowing with excitement. But the joy in the air wasn’t just because of the treasure waiting inside...

Click!

The lock popped open with a satisfying sound. The adventure had finally come to an end—

but perhaps the real treasure wasn’t inside the chest at all....

Maybe it was the journey you shared and the friendships you found along the way <3

= THE END =