/Where are we going?/ Aether asked telepathically, curiosity lacing his voice as Celestia led him through the shifting waters toward the secluded land she had created for the aquatic species.
The place was completely deserted, silent and still—and yet, she kept dragging him forward. It felt a little pointless.
He would’ve actually been happier if she had brought him here during the hours when the fish roamed freely, painting the waters with life and motion.
/Shh… Silent!/ she hushed him firmly, her expression suddenly serious as she tightened her grip on his hand and pulled him deeper into the quiet unknown.
Aether gave a little shrug but let her lead… not that he had much choice. Before long, they arrived at a strange formation—a small, podium-like protrusion of smooth stone rising from the seabed.
A soft light shimmered down through the water… it looked like Moonless night filtering in from the world above, falling in a narrow beam directly onto the stone.
Aether raised an eyebrow in surprise. It genuinely looked like a spotlight—focused and intentional, casting a surreal glow on that single spot.
Celestia turned to him then, pressing her lips to his in a kiss—as she gently fed air into his mouth.
Then she whispered, /Stay here,/
She slowly swam forward, her sleek siren body moving with fluid grace, and settled herself on the stone. Her tail flapped once, settling down beside her like a gown trailing off a throne.
‘What is she trying to do…?’ Aether wondered, brow furrowed slightly as he watched her with focused, curious eyes.
Celestia’s gills fluttered, releasing tiny trails of bubbles before she began to hum. “La~ll~mmm~~llla~”—her voice sank with her, melting deeper into the water.
Was she… singing?
Aether’s eyes widened in stunned awe. Her voice echoed around them in the water, vibrating against his skin.
He didn’t just hear it—he felt it.
The melody was ethereal, woven with emotions he couldn’t quite name.
It was so hauntingly beautiful, so deeply soothing… like it reached inside and smoothed out every knot in his chest.
The heaviness he always carried on his shoulders—the pressure, the burdens—they vanished.
Just like that.
Gone!
He floated there, suspended, hovering silently before her. Watching. Listening. Celestia sang to her heart’s content, her arms spread gracefully, tail flicking with each rising note.
It was like watching a goddess conduct the sea itself. The music she conjured… Aether had never heard anything like it.
Not even close.
“Laa~Laa~~~La~LA~Laaa~”
Aether slowly closed his eyes, surrendering himself to the song. ‘She’s really something else… damn… with a voice like that, she could be a legend on my pervious world…. A goddess among mortals… haha… Maybe… maybe I should talk to her about that. Yeah… I’ll bring it up later,’ he thought, nodding to himself, expression serious despite the softness of the moment.
Even in this world… He hadn’t seen anyone singing like her… maybe she had a bright future here, too.
Then—something gently brushed against his back.
He frowned, lips tightening. ‘Who the hell…? Who is that motherfucker? I’m in the middle of listening to my lovely Celestia’s s—’ His train of thought abruptly derailed as he opened his eyes and saw…
Flickering white lights—soft, radiant, and otherworldly—flowing slowly around them like living stars in the deep.
Swirling around Aether and Celestia like slow-moving comets, their gentle glow refracted in the water as if the stars themselves had descended into the depths.
The water pulsed with soft vibrations… These weren’t just lights… they were alive.
Aether blinked, heart skipping a beat.
They were fish—otherworldly creatures of luminous beauty, translucent bodies woven with glowing filaments.
Their scales shimmered with moonless light hues—silver, azure, and hints of violet.
Their long, ribbon-like fins trailed behind them like celestial veils, trailing sparkles that lingered in the water like dust from fallen stars.
“What are those…..” Aether whispered to himself, breathless.
!~Ding~!
[Those are Lumnaelites… A Kind of Aquatic fish said to dwell in the deepest, untouched corners of the sea, appearing only when summoned by pure song.]
His log answered to him… for whatever reason, all of a sudden.
Celestia’s voice grew stronger, more divine, as if the ocean itself was carrying her melody into eternity.
“La~~haar~aaa~~mmm~~laa~~lale~~iahaa!”
The Lumnaelites danced in response, forming intricate spirals and sacred circles around her. Their glowing trails twisted into elegant patterns, weaving around Aether and climbing into the current above, like water-born auroras.
More fish arrived…. His Log taught him each aquatic organism’s name…
Rainbow-tinted Nymfiras, glimmering like opals, swam in synchronised patterns.
Silvarrows, long and sleek like eels with crystal fins, zipped through the circling dance, adding speed and shimmer.
Even the great slow-swimming Orianbacks, whale-like beings covered in bioluminescent moss, drifted near the outer edge of the underwater stage.
It was doing something he never asked it…
Was it trying to be useful now?
Anyway,
The ocean had gathered to witness.
And in the centre of it all was Celestia.
Her hair floated like a halo, her purple eyes closed, her body still as her tail curled beneath her.
She looked utterly divine.
No—beyond divine.
She looked like a goddess born from the ocean’s soul, singing the stars into motion.
Aether was frozen in place, mouth slightly open, eyes wide in pure disbelief.
He had never—never—seen anything this beautiful…. Not even in dreams.
“~Haaa~li~ya~aliy~aaa~~lae~
Then… her song softened. The final note echoed like a breeze brushing against the skin of the world.
The water stilled.
The Lumnaelites halted in mid-swirl, hovering with their lights dimmed to a warm pulse, like a heartbeat.
Celestia slowly opened her eyes. They glowed faintly, touched by the magic she had summoned… She raised her arms toward the circling ocean spirits. And then… she spoke,
“I, Celestia Nocturne of this Deep Oceanic Valley… call upon the watchers of the tide, the singers of the stream, the keepers of the moonlit trenches…”
Her voice rang like crystal…
For whatever reason, Aether’s heart started to beat faster!
She continued with her melodious tone,
“Bear witness… to my heart.”
She turned toward Aether now, her gaze unflinching, raw, vulnerable—but powerful in its sincerity.
“I am in love with you, Aether. Not just as a companion, not just as a protector or a friend… but as the one who holds my spirit. The one I want beside me for all tides, all storms, all stillness.”
A shimmer passed over her body—silver fractals flowing across her skin like ceremonial markings.
“I offer myself to you… Not as a prize.
But as a partner.
A Queen, to her chosen King.”
The fish around them trembled, their lights flaring brighter in response.
“By the ancient rites of water and song….”
She extended her hand toward him, palm up, open and,
“Aether… will you marry me?”
The ocean exhaled.
The creatures hovered in silence, every single life form watching the moment unfold. The very water around them pulsed with anticipation, holding its breath for the man who had just been proposed to by the goddess of the ocean herself.