Author's Notes: WHAT YEAR IS IT. Good grief, it's been WELL OVER A YEAR since I updated this fic, and I apologize immensely. A lot of shit has happened, I did manage to finish one fic I had been working on... and then followed it up with even more. I'm a mess, my WIP folders are a mess, but I want to write again! This chapter might not be too coherent as it's sat for well over... several months without a solid checkthrough, and my muse for anything has been drier than the Sahara for a long time. I am sorry for my negligence in keeping anyone reading this waiting.

The hotel was closed and empty now. Belongings were thrown away or sold. The school was notified of the changes, and after so long spent in uncertainty, all of the seven kingdoms finally had their princesses back, pearls and all. The merfolk rejoiced in the return of their princesses, but the world seemed so much darker to Lucia now. No one dared to say anything. No apology. No magical trinket to ease her pain. No prayer to Aqua Regina. Nothing could bring Kaito back.

The whole ordeal had been exhausting and numbing for the princess. That evening, Lucia had been brought back to the hotel by a police officer that had been patrolling the area and came across the car accident near the aquarium. Some said it was a crazy driver, maybe they were drunk; others say the car's brakes failed. But it didn't matter the reason; despite his injuries, the driver had hit someone with their car. They killed someone.

Lucia could never doubt what she saw. She could never doubt what happened that day.

At first, she really did try and tell herself that it didn't actually happen. Kaito would be okay. She was sure of it…

That, of course, lasted for a second before reality came crashing down on her. Many people struggled to help, to find out if the young man that had been hit could be saved. But the damage had been too much. Even with a quick response from a medical team, no matter how valiantly anyone could've acted to save him, the injuries received would've undoubtedly led to a slow and painful death in a matter of days.

No… hours, if even that at all. Lucia couldn't even take solace in the comfort of a quick, painless death, and she could only curse whatever god in the heavens above land had taken away what last bit of light could've brightened her life. At least, had she even allowed him to be her light.

That evening, Kaito Doumoto had spent his last moment on Earth chasing after a girl who believed she'd never ever have the chance to see him again. The cold truth had hit just hard enough that Lucia remained in a comatose state of mind well into the early morning hours of the next day. By that time, Nikora and the others had found out about his…. His…

Even now, as Lucia now lingered in the confines of her bedchamber in the North Pacific castle only days later, it was hard for her to come to terms with what happened. The memory of the accident clawed at her heart, and it wrenched and fought in her chest to keep from beating its last beat.

"Lucia, please sto-" The words he tried to say… His last words. Lucia's heart ached; she had denied him what remained of their time together, and he was denied the remainder of his life without her.

"Lucia!" A knock sounded at the door, and it slowly opened. Nikora glided in, her dark purple hair traded in for the ultraviolet shine of her natural lighter shade, the same as the color of her fin that trailed behind her. "Lucia… Tell me you're not still..."

Lucia stayed silent; the mournful look she had been carrying for the past week refused to part from her. She didn't care for it to stay or leave either.

Nikora sighed, not quite sure if she was willing to see more of the princess grieving. "Lucia… I know you must be upset about what happened, but you… There is so much to be done now. You're home. You have duties to perform."

Lucia nodded slowly. "I know..."

Nikora rubbed her hands together in anxiety; this mood wouldn't do well for the situation at hand. "Um… I'm sure Taki has informed you by now about the current state of affairs, yes?"

".. Yes." Lucia had indeed heard of it by now. The kingdoms were gearing up for the revelation of the new successor for Aqua Regina's throne. Each kingdom's oracle was tasked with reading the auras of the kingdom's subjects for any sign that the future goddess was within their kingdom. Taki, the oracle for the North Pacific kingdom, had been keeping a very close watch on the kingdom's auras due to the two-time succession belief, the idea that the successor was chosen from the same kingdom twice, regardless of their rank; because Aqua Regina had placed such high responsibility on Lucia during the task of finding the princesses and bringing Seira to maturity, it was assumed by most that she would be a very likely candidate, if not the only candidate for succession in the kingdom.

But Nikora had a much more pressing reason as to why Lucia needed to be focused on the succession. She never told the princess about it, and neither did Taki, who had revealed this close secret to Nikora the night Lucia had first gone to the surface. Taki foresaw the future of Lucia's pearl at her birth, and was shocked to find that the small pearl carried a brilliant light shining within; one of nobility, courage, determination, and love. But behind that light was a darkness that threatened to overtake the light; one that could devour the virtues Lucia was destined to show in life, and maybe Lucia's entire life before she could even begin her major roles as princess and a savior of the seven seas. The fortune-teller had hoped that the light would shine brilliant without any trouble, but when Lucia had met Kaito all those years ago, Taki warned Nikora that the darkness might not be unavoidable after all, and that the light would only shine brilliantly for so long until the darkness became too much. And now that Lucia was suffering through the loss of her true love, Taki stressed that the darkness was gaining in strength, and Lucia was losing her grip on life far quicker than anyone could help her. If the goddess was found in her kingdom, Lucia would have to be on the front lines to protect her, and her kingdom, and this was no time to lose the heir to the throne. That, of course, was before anyone wanted to consider what would happen if Lucia was revealed as the future goddess….

"Your highness?" The door creaked open, and a handmaiden swam in. Her fin was a dark pink, and an off-white sash was tied around her waist. Brunette hair flowed behind her in a haphazard braid, and coral eyes eyed the princess with concern. "I hate to interrupt your moment of peace, but a message has come in from the Atlantic seas. It appears to be urgent."

Lucia glanced over to the handmaiden and nodded. "Understood. I'll be there in a moment." Nikora couldn't help but feel her heart breaking; Lucia's eyes still bore the unmistakable weight of intense mourning. They would likely never lose that weight until far away from now, either.

"Ah, your highness. You've arrived at last." Lucia had now arrived in the council room. Higher members of the royal court held meetings here in the event of kingdom troubles or management issues. Many decisions were made here in Lucia's absence, and now part of the court had arrived in the news of the North Atlantic kingdom's message. In the event of another kingdom's message arriving, the princess of the kingdom had to be present for its' reading, as the contents could be of major concern to the kingdom that received it. Lucia had now taken seat at the front of a small coral table, not quite focused on either of the two elder mermaids that sat a few seats away. Taki and Nikora had taken their seats beside the princess, and three handmaidens had taken their place against the wall away from the table. "The message arrived moments ago," one of the elder mermaids spoke. "The carrier dolphin stressed its importance as it came from the princess of the North Atlantic."

Lucia furrowed her brows. "North Atlantic… you mean Rina?" It seemed odd for Rina to send an urgent letter so soon after arriving home. She, along with Hanon, had parted ways from the pink mermaid just shortly after they had completed packing up the hotel on land, as the two princesses had farther to travel than Lucia did. It was likely that the letter was to ensure that Hanon and Rina had made it home safely, but still… "Was there any other memo about the note's contents?"

The elder mermaid shook her head, her pale pink tied neatly into a ponytail that floated behind her. "None that we are aware of. It was only noted that you had to read the message as soon as possible." The message was delivered on a scroll, pale in color with a green ribbon tied around it. It looked so innocent sitting on the table, but its presence had drawn a heavy weight of anxiety over the group. It almost looked like it was too big, now that she saw it in person. "You may read it when you are ready."

Lucia picked up the scroll, unsure of whether she wanted to see the contents of it or not. On the one hand, the letter could simply be Rina voicing her concern over Lucia's well-being. But on the other hand, the letter may be regarding the succession of the new goddess of the sea… Maybe she has finally arrived? Lucia nodded and slowly untied the ribbon around the scroll, allowing the scroll to unroll before she began to read:

"To the Princess of the North Pacific Kingdom:"

"I write to you this evening in high hopes that you have arrived home safely and are preparing for the arrival of the succeeding goddess Aqua Regina. Should you receive this letter, I must express concern over the state of affairs that involves the search, specifically around your kingdom's efforts. The new goddess has not shown up in the Atlantic, Arctic, or Antarctic Oceans to our knowledge, and we have feared that your kingdom may be..."

Lucia hesitated unwillingly. "Your highness?" One of the handmaidens had now swam over to Lucia, placing a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "Please, do continue." Lucia gulped quietly, and continued reading:

"… We have feared that your kingdom may indeed be hosting the new goddess; if luck is with us, she will be a wise ruler over the seas."

One of the elder mermaids scoffed. "What is their basis for such an assumption aside from that silly rumor?" The princess read on:

"We've had reports of the currents flowing through the ocean behaving violently for some time now. Travel between kingdoms and regions was near impossible, leading to injury of marine life and the merfolk that dared to attempt passage through them. However, sources from outside the kingdoms are confirming that the currents have calmed as of almost a week ago; the court of my kingdom has made aware that the calm may coincide with your return to your kingdom, as the seas raged on well beyond my return as well as that of the South Atlantic princess's return."

Lucia grew numb as her mind worked to remember the trip back to the kingdom; she didn't recall encountering any harsh currents… Was the sea turbulent when they entered?

"I trust that you may take this as a serious consideration to the fate of the seas and those within. I mean no ill towards you during this time, as I know your return back here is not without heartache to the world we left behind. But we must be ready for the new goddess when she arrives, and I pray that no matter who the fate is bestowed to, you will continue to hold your head high as a proud ruler of your kingdom."

"Take care, Lucia

- Her Royal Highness of the North Atlantic Ocean, Rina"

The room was filled with a tense silence. The elders mumbled over the news, while the handmaidens uneasily looked at each other. Lucia's heart couldn't decide if it wanted to break or flutter. The sea would always welcome Aqua Regina like the last piece of an unending puzzle.

And for a brief moment, Lucia felt leagues away from Nikora or Taki. All she could see was herself and the letter, and there was no one around to hear her cry.

The night was quiet, after the castle had settled and those within had gone to sleep for the evening, but Lucia could not force herself to sleep after that meeting. The elders had decided that maybe preparations for the succession needed to be underway, since it seemed confirmed that the goddess would be of North Pacific descent. But Nikora stressed that it was still uncertain about where the successor would be; the seas were always a bit more wild when one of the princesses was not within the bounds of the sea world, so it could've just been that the waters finally sensed the presence of the last princess coming home; besides that, there hadn't been any word from the Indian or South Pacific kingdoms either. But Lucia couldn't quell that growing fear that she was running out of time somehow. As she sat in that room hearing the court members discuss the pros and cons of starting the preparations, a disturbing feeling had wrapped itself around her heart, and Lucia had to excuse herself to get some hold of herself.

That was hours ago, and she was still stressed. Her blonde hair was scattered about her as she bolted awake from a fitful attempt at sleep to the feeling of disturbance. Where it came from, Lucia didn't know, but there was one thing she knew she had to do. It was the only thing she could allow herself to do. She made not one sound or song as she carefully brought out a woven bag from underneath her vanity. It rattled quietly as she lifted it up and checked inside to see if the contents were okay. Slipping the bag over her shoulder, she swam over to the door of her bedroom and quietly left the bedroom, careful not to get her tail or hair caught as she shut the door again. She locked it with a key upon a ribbon that she stashed into her bag, careful not to make a sound.

Swiftly, Lucia made her way down the halls of the castle, looking down every hall to be sure she wasn't spotted. Soon, she made her way to a massive hall, where a large fountain sat in the middle, and on the end closest to her stood a massive pool holding a large opened clam shell with a pearl in the middle. Even now, this room felt so alien to her; it was the main hall, and this was the prayer fountain she was near, where she and many other mermaids within the kingdom had prayed to Aqua Regina growing up. The idea that soon the kingdoms would be praying to someone else made Lucia ill, and she rushed out from her place towards the front of the castle. It wouldn't be long now…!

"Miss Lucia?" Lucia jumped, and spun around to find Hippo not far behind her, concern pasted on his face. "What are you doing out and about so late at night?"

Lucia could only shake her head as she failed to give a reason in a choked whisper: "Please don't worry about me!" She rushed ahead towards the exit of the castle, Hippo powerless to stop her as she made her way out and away from the castle. From the kingdom. From the worlds below.