Near the trade route between the Western Asia Kingdom and Endernd, on a deserted isnd.

  The king leaned against a tree, looking at the drenched soldiers around him, feeling as if everything that had just happened was nothing but a dream.

  The ruler of the Western Asia Kingdom could hardly believe he was still alive.

  The howling winds, the icy rain, the deafening thunder—all those terrifying sights still seemed fresh, pying over and over in his memory.

  "I never expected a group of merfolk to save us. It seems they aren't the disaster-bringing evil creatures from legends."

  The Sea King and his fellow merfolk had rescued the king and everyone aboard the ship—every single person had survived the dreadful storm.

  After bringing them safely ashore, the merfolk struck up conversations with the humans.

  They shared tales of the sea and curiously asked about life on nd.

  It was a fascinating exchange.

  A remarkable scene unfolded along the shore of this deserted isnd—

  Hundreds of humans gathered on the beach, while in the sea before them, hundreds of merfolk floated. They spoke to each other about the wonders of nd and ocean.

  Never before in the history of the ocean kingdom had such a moment occurred.

  Many humans realized for the first time how little they truly understood about the merfolk of the deep.

  Beneath the vast, deep-blue ocean y a dazzling, wondrous, and beautiful realm they knew nothing about.

  These merfolk were creatures much like themselves. They could love, hate, grieve, suffer, and experience joy—just as humans did.

  Aside from legs and tails, aside from their different homes on nd and sea—were they so different?

  The Sea King shared his pn with the human king:

  "We can command great sea beasts. In the ocean, they are much like—what do you call them? Horses? But they are far rger than any steed!"

  "After some time, my servants will summon these giant fish and sea serpents from the ocean kingdom. You can ride upon their backs, and they will carry you home!"

  The king was overjoyed upon hearing this.

  "The people of the sea are truly remarkable! This is far more convenient than any human vessel!"

  In just this short time, the king had come to enjoy talking with the ruler of the sea. Unlike nd kings, who were full of pretension and hypocrisy, this ocean monarch was straightforward and easygoing.

  "By the way, it will take some time to summon the great sea beasts." The Sea King continued.

  "This is such a rare chance to meet a rge gathering of humans. Land king, why not visit my pace as a guest?"

  The Sea King's pace?

  The deep-sea pace, hidden beneath the crashing waves?

  For a moment, the king thought he had misheard. But then he heard the Sea King say:

  "We have a way to bring humans into the sea—though only a dozen or so at a time. Your Majesty, you may choose your most loyal attendants to accompany you to my pace."

  At that moment, a massive fish surfaced, its belly as clear as the purest gss.

  This was an idea the Sea King had come up with after Rhine and Aurora's visit to the deep-sea pace.

  He had searched the ocean for bizarre, never-before-seen fish until he found a species suitable for carrying humans into the sea kingdom.

  "Thank you for your invitation, honorable ruler of the sea!" The king's face lit up with joy.

  He had traveled far and wide across the nd—through Snow White's gciers, into emerald forests, up towering mountain peaks where clouds drifted beneath his feet—but he had never seen the kingdom beneath the waves!

  The king selected a dozen of his most loyal attendants and guards, then stepped into the great fish's transparent belly.

  The fish slowly descended into the sea.

  —

  "Ah!"

  A scream of agony rang out on the streets of Endernd's royal capital.

  The old witch's final desperate struggle had been crushed—one of the massive dogs had bitten her in half, ending her life completely.

  Rhine watched as the severed corpse fell to the ground in two pieces.

  The next moment, the young magician sensed a surge of magic within the city—strange fluctuations rippling through the air.

  A contingency spell the old witch had pced in advance had been triggered.

  From the upper half of her corpse, a ghostly, translucent figure emerged—it was the old witch's image.

  "Even in death, I won't let you go! Just wait! I have become a vengeful spirit, a wandering ghost, and I will kill all of you! That treacherous Emperor of Endernd who abandoned me—I won't spare him either!"

  The old witch howled.

  She was now a drifting ghost, her human memories mostly gone, her emotions all but erased—only obsession and an undying hatred remained.

  "How troublesome," Rhine muttered, hands in his pockets. "Then again, in this world, human souls are immortal."

  The old witch had triggered an enchantment at the moment of her death, preventing her immortal soul from losing all memory, moving on to another world, or reincarnating.

  Her spirit would now remain in this world, forever wandering.

  "I've read about this kind of necromantic magic before," Rhine said coolly. "Do you think you still exist?"

  "You are already dead. What remains is nothing but an echo—a manifestation of lingering hatred, a fixation still bound to this world. You will never again have new desires, never again feel anything other than resentment."

  The old witch, now a vengeful spirit with no human rationality left, couldn't comprehend Rhine's words.

  Her mind was consumed by hatred. She opened her mouth, ready to curse Rhine—

  Suddenly, a swirling bck vortex appeared in her ghostly form. Though it stirred no physical wind, it possessed a strange pull on the soul.

  The old witch's wraith screamed as she was sucked into the vortex, vanishing without a trace.

  Rhine slowly approached her corpse.

  "After death, her soul was carried away by a pre-set spell to… who knows where."

  He watched the old witch's disappearance without a hint of regret. He had yet to master soul-binding magic, so there was little he could do.

  Regardless, as a vengeful spirit, she had lost most of her magic and her ability to think clearly. She could no longer weave conspiracies or influence reality—she would only wander, driven by her final obsession.

  Rhine commanded the smallest of the three dogs to search the old witch's corpse. It retrieved a mirror.

  For a magician, a mirror was often a tool for communication—one that could hide many secrets.

  "Like checking call records…"

  Rhine chuckled at the thought of his past life. He lightly touched the mirror's surface, channeling prophetic and divination magic, and murmured:

  "Show me the st conversation held through this mirror."

  The mirror's surface flickered, revealing the blurry figure of a tall woman in a bck and violet robe.

  Despite the distortion, Rhine instantly recognized her cold expression.

  Bck Witch Maleficent!

  Rhine took out his crystal ball and channeled more prophetic energy into the mirror.

  Maleficent's image moved, and a conversation from the past pyed within the gss:

  "What now? Didn't you just contact me yesterday? I already told you—once you fulfill your goal, I will allow you to join us…

  I was just discussing with my sisters how to kill that Sea Hag we're about to expel from the Coven most spectacurly and amusingly…

  "Honorable Lady Maleficent, I came to remind you about the magicians and warriors of the Rose Kingdom. I believe they are also searching for you—to kill you and break the kingdom's curse…"