Before Lukey was an enormous hallway, lit from above by a light that shined from the surface of the ocean high above them, like rays being refracted through water. When the light reached the floor, it created the effect of shifting cracks and lines. The shimmering lines moved across the glass pathway, which stretched all the way down through the hall.

  To the sides of the hallway, the marine blue walls stretched for an eternity, high and far. As Lukey gazed down the hall, he could also see murals along the wall, mosaics created from sea glass depicting various sea creatures. Some were familiar to him—fish, turtles, and dolphins—whereas others were completely foreign to him. One mural depicted not a creature, but a tower composed of white intersecting threads that reach up to the sky.

  None of these things, however, were the centerpiece of this place.

  Along the side of the hallway, there were what looked like extremely large artifacts. Some looked like statues, but many took the form of tablets or what looked like paintings. Each of these works was placed upon its own coral pedestal, with its very own spotlight shining down from the heavenly ocean above.

  Lukey spent a good long while taking in the sights, and it wasn’t until he received a nudge from the side that he eventually regained his composure.

  “Impressive, right?” Blustag commented. “This is where we keep all the things Neptune left behind.”

  Lukey nodded dumbly, continuing to gawk at each of the exhibits and their magnificence.

  “Uh, no offense, but I seem to be a bit lost here.” Lukey stated in overwhelming confusion. “Who exactly is Neptune? From the way you described him earlier, you made him sound like a tyrant.”

  Blustag was taking in the surroundings as well; however, he immediately stopped upon hearing Lukeys question.

  “You mean you haven’t heard the story? I would’ve assumed it had been retold to you islanders by each generation.” Blustag stated. Then, he set his head down, shaking it in disappointment. “I guess over millions of years, the details get a little murky. Very well, I will retell it for you.”

  Blustag walked down the hallway and gestured for Lukey to follow. He then began recounting the tale as they passed each of the grandiose pedestals, using each artifact to tell a piece of the story. The first exhibit they stopped at was a large piece of staghorn coral, which glowed in a myriad of colors, continuously shifting and changing. Lukey became entranced by the colors, but he was quickly broken out of it once Blustag began speaking.

  “Billions of years ago, Eterna was a much different place. Far more aether permeated the air, which led to many strange and, often, powerful creatures being born. What you see here is a piece of Mystic Coral, which has long since gone extinct. This coral had the power to shift its shape and color, in addition to protecting itself by manipulating the ocean around it. The reefs it created used to be as large as continents. Now? All that remains are dead husks that have been swallowed up by time.”

  Lukey was forced to tear his gaze away for the second time as he was led somewhere else. Then, Blustag continued.

  “Many creatures chose overwhelming size and strength as a way to survive. This led to Eterna being overrun with overwhelmingly powerful beings, each one vying for their own territory. Titans walked upon the land and clashed with behemoths, megaflora grew into sentient forests and fought with megafungi for territory, and warlike insect queens bred massive armies that fought back against them all and claimed territory for themselves.”

  Lukey listened intently with wide eyes. He simply let Blustag do the explaining as he was led to another exhibit. This one seemed to be a statue carved out of a large piece of deep blue brain coral. It depicted a large whale-like creature with a powerful head, a flat vertical horn, and serene eyes that gazed towards eternity.

  “The ocean was no different; krakens prowled the waters, Charybdis stirred up whirlpools to entrap and devour prey, and the mollusks developed an extreme intelligence that helped them stay away from these monsters. One creature would eventually rise to surmount all the beings in the ocean, but instead of conquering the ocean with brute force, this being took a different approach.”

  Then, Blustag gestured toward the statue.

  “Before he was known as the Tranquil Voyager, Neptune was an ordinary whale. The horn he had was a rare mutation he was born with. Unfortunately, due to this mutation, he was deemed a defect and, therefore, abandoned by his entire pod.”

  Lukey continued to stare at the massive whale before giving a sympathetic look.

  It’s sad, but that’s the way nature works. The pod can’t feed everyone, so they chose to abandon what they saw as a defect to focus on the other young whales. It’s cruel, but given the period, I guess it was the only way to survive.

  Blustag continued.

  “Despite being all alone, however, Neptune still managed to survive. You see, his horn wasn’t just for looks; it was also a sensory organ, allowing him to feel out the water currents to sense his nearby surroundings. By focusing on the signals given by his horn, he could hunt for food, avoid danger, and even navigate the ocean with ease. As time went on, however, his horn began to show him something much deeper.”

  Blustag stopped, then gestured for Lukey to follow him somewhere else.

  “Wait! You didn’t finish!” Lukey cried. “What did Neptune see?”

  Blustag stopped walking, then turned his head slightly to side-eye Lukey.

  “Do you know what the difference between a monster and a sapient being is, Lukey?” He asked.

  Lukey replied with silence, which prompted Blustag to speak up.

  “Instinct. Monsters are reliant entirely on instinct. It’s why they have no control over the traits and evolutions they get. Meanwhile, what you call tyrants can exert some control but lack greater finesse. Sapients, meanwhile, have something that runs far deeper than mere instinct. This is what allows you to utilize arts. That was what Neptune discovered.”

  Blustag seemed unwilling to divulge any more, so Lukey chose to fall in behind him, albeit in frustration. Eventually, he was led to another set of pedestals. These ones seemed to have tablets, with strange text and pictures etched into them. There were lines of symbols etched into each of the tablets, along with pictures of waving lines scratched across the length, before returning to more symbolled text. The symbols all consisted of short, curved lines scratched next to or on top of one another.

  “Here we have some of the first arts Neptune ever created. To your left, an art not unlike your [Ripple Sense], albeit far more powerful. Next to that, an art that utilizes sound to knock out opponents, and here, an art that propels you through the water. By utilizing arts, Neptune was able to stand unmatched against any creature that came his way.”

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  Originally, Lukey had no idea what these tablets were written in, but after Blustag’s explanation, he gradually began to figure it out.

  “These arts… They’re written using a script! Did Neptune write these? Or maybe you guys?” Lukey asked excitedly.

  “Neither! Stop jumping ahead!” Blustag chastised. “I’m almost finished with the story.”

  Lukey quickly shut his mouth, and then he was led to another pedestal. This one contained a statue carved from bleached coral. It depicted a large individual, twice the size of Lukey, with white armor plates and a flat, vertical horn. Based on the muscular physique, Lukey assumed it was a man, though he did not look like any species he had ever seen. The only visible feature on the face was a large, prominent mouth, with the area where the eyes were covered up with an armored plate.

  Before Lukey could interrupt, Blustag began speaking again.

  “As Neptune conquered the ocean, he eventually came upon a very strange group of creatures. These beings were tiny, miniscule in fact, in comparison to him and the many titans that ruled the world. They once lived across Eterna in large tribes and were forced to migrate constantly to avoid being crushed by the other lifeforms. However, despite being weak, Neptune could sense that they were like him, that they held a feeling beyond mere instinct.”

  Wait a sec… This story is starting to sound kind of familiar.

  “Neptune took pity on these creatures, which we now call the Neptunians. After figuring out how to relay his feelings through sound, he showed them how to utilize aether the way he did. Unfortunately, the Neptunians struggled to understand how the arts worked because Neptune made them based on pure feelings, rather than utilizing any type of codified language. Fortunately, the Neptunians were smart; eventually, they figured out a way to codify the arts and create a language based on their various functions.”

  Lukey became a bit calmer as he was led to one final exhibit. It was a giant tablet, not unlike the arts that were shown before. However, this tablet didn’t have any repeating symbols. It was an entire set, one of every symbol from before arranged in a linear fashion.

  This must be what I think it is.

  “This,” Blustag gestured, “is the language, the script, that was devised by the Neptunians, aptly named Neptunian Script.”

  “Incredible,” Lukey gawked. “But wait, the story isn’t finished, right? What happened to Neptune after that? How did he create this place? What about the Neptunians?”

  Lukey was already getting a sense for how this story was going to go, but it was far better to hear it from a source that could recount the story from memory. Unfortunately, his request was promptly ignored.

  “I’m starting to get tired.” Blustag answered. “Perhaps I’ll tell you the rest when you return to the Mystic Reef. For now, you should start studying the Neptunian Script.”

  Lukey relented and sat down in front of the massive blue tablet. His eyes scanned over each of the etchings, but his mind turned up nothing as he tried to decipher them. His face gradually contorted into one of confusion before stretching into one of frustration.

  “What am I supposed to do here? Am I supposed to just stare at it until it makes sense?” Lukey asked. Then he remembered something critically important. “Wait a second, before any of that, what does this script specialize in? Every script has upsides and downsides, so I assume this is no different.”

  Blustag tumbled side to side as he tried to think of an answer.

  “Well, let’s see,” Blustag contemplated. “The script was developed using each of Neptune’s arts as a basis. Considering that most of his art utilized either movement or sound, it should be safe to assume that is the script's specialty. As for the downsides…” Blustag paused, then seemed to mull over his next words. “Direct blows.”

  “Direct blows…?” Lukey repeated. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

  Blustag sighed, then began mulling over his thoughts once more.

  “Many of the characters you can see here emphasize movement and continuous motion. Instead of simple attacks, each motion flows into the next as a way to constantly conserve stamina. You can't simply thrust at your opponent; instead, you'll be performing sweeping blows and circular motions."

  Lukey immediately fell into thought, and for once in his life he seriously considered his future.

  Okay, so Neptunian Script specializes in dealing with arts that involve movement or sound. If I learn it, any arts that involve movement should be much more fluid, allowing me to run, jump, or even swim easier. As for sound, if I remember right, Roman said that there were many possibilities with [Ripple Sense], so this script might be able to help me make those changes.

  Then, Lukey grimaced.

  The downside though… constant motion? That completely removes being able to use a spear or any other piercing weapon for that matter. I would need to completely shift how I fight to account for this script. Am I willing to do that?

  Lukey recounted his experiences up until now. In Claw Cove, he killed the stalker by removing its limbs before whaling on its immobile body. In Bum’s Break, he killed many of the snails simply by using a lure and hauling them onto shore. Even in the case of Norman, he relied mostly on his mobility, dodging attacks with the hopes of getting up close so he could do what was the functional equivalent of a mosquito bite.

  The fact was that being in constant motion was far more suited to someone like him, who constantly looked for new opportunities. Maybe embracing a new type of weapon will open a path to future possibilities? There was only one way to know for sure.

  Still though, would I really want to potentially axe off an entire part of my toolset just to maximize my movement and future potential?

  It only took a millisecond to arrive at the answer.

  Yes, yes, I would.

  “Alright, whatever happens, I’ll deal with it in the future,” Lukey relented. “Now how does this script work?”

  “It’s actually fairly simple,” Blustag explained. “Each character represents a simple movement. Chain them together, and you get more complex movements. There are characters that dictate aether flow, allowing you to control how it moves both in and around your body, in addition to characters that dictate physical movements.”

  “Interesting,” Lukey mused. “So that’s what the characters do, but what is this wavy line down at the bottom of the tablet? It doesn’t look like a character for something.”

  “No, it’s not. That wavy line represents sound, and it’s probably the most ingenious portion of this script.” Blustag explained. “You’ll see when you start modifying your arts, but that line is very flexible, allowing you to change the sound any way you want. Stretching it out or contracting it will allow you to fine-tune the sound to what you need, so it’s extremely flexible.”

  “That explains why it’s so useful for addressing sound,” Lukey said thoughtfully. “I can also see that all the characters show rounded motions. Why is that? How come there are no straight movements?”

  The entire script was as if someone took a circle and then cut it into fourths. Every motion was a line going round, as if the entire basis for the script was the principle of spinning.

  “Think about it. When you move your body, do you just push yourself forward? No. Instead, you lift your leg and plant it forward. Then, when it's behind you, you lift it back up and pull it forward once again. Motion is rarely a simple straight movement, so the script just skips them entirely.” Blustag explains.

  Lukey gave a slight grimace but continued memorizing the script before him.

  It looks like I’ll have to get creative if I want to do something simple, like propel myself forward. Still, considering what this script can do, it really isn’t all that bad.

  “By the way, Lukey, if you don’t mind me asking, can you do me a favor?” Blustag interrupted. “Once you get back to the real world, I would ask that you do two things.”

  Lukey turned to Blustag in confusion but nonetheless decided to hear him out since the attendant had been so helpful up until now.

  Blustag began to explain.

  “First, do not tell anyone about the Mystic Reef. We only allow a few people from the island to come here, and we don’t need people investigating this place seeking power or treasure.”

  Lukey agreed, then Blustag stated his second request.

  “Second, in return for learning Neptunian Script, I want you to teach it to others on your island, along with the history I’ve just relayed to you. This place was created to uphold Neptune’s legacy, and many of us here would agree that it deserves to be remembered, especially by the people of your island.”

  Lukey gave a determined look toward Blustag before giving him a slight bow.

  “I will, and thanks.” Lukey said. “Without your guidance, I would’ve been lost here, wasting my time until I wake up.”

  “Think nothing of it,” Blustag said. “This benefits us both, so please don’t think you owe me anything. Now, here, let me show you how to apply this script meaningfully. Let me get something to write with.”

  Under Blustag’s tutelage, Lukey continued to memorize the script, making every effort to internalize it before he eventually had to leave the Mystic Reef.