Within a thousand feet, the lights playing through the depths had risen to a level near a dawn or dusk, which in the deeps was basically incredibly bright. Too, the amount of Water Mana swirling about made it so the waters themselves were incredibly clear, without much of the microscopic life that would absorb light and make things hazy.

The waters here were as clear as any waters anywhere in the world. The only things which occluded vision were streams of glowing sea creatures, fish both large and small, bands of plankton and krill winding about artistically in living bands of organic colors.

I could see all sorts of older Tribes of Sea Creatures, but mammals and birds seemed to be conspicuously absent. Any mammalian Beast with the Water Element could breathe water without a problem and so survive down here, but there was nothing like Penguins down here, Whales, Otters, or anything similar.

I surveyed the area with a deft Awareness, both seeing who was here and acknowledging them without being intrusive. Plenty of crustaceans, dominated by the Lobsters, Crabs, and Anthro tribes related to them. Many, many kinds of Fish and Fin-men Tribes, as well as Eels, Octopi, and Squids and their Anthros, the latter dominated by the Krakenoids who mixed the worst of humanoids and cephalopods.

There were even Oysters, Starfish, and some Mollusks down here. Those banks of Coral weren’t micro-organisms, they were Emperors of massive size in their own rights, much like Plants that had grown to great size. They formed brilliant underwater hills and abodes for smaller Beasts, exactly like the trees in forests did, only these were truly immense in area, growing atop their older, calcified remains and expanding, more of a covering than truly mountains themselves.

Of course, they all had the Earth Element and could likely Animate their older shells and reefs to life without difficulty.

None of the Bloodlines really stood out for power, although time hung heavy over many species, especially the Sharks. As I sank down, they were the ones watching me with the most interest, as the Shark Tribes had been the most energetic in general about attacking the land, and I had been at many, many of those fights, taking a great toll from their peoples.

Few Beasts held grudges about such matters, however. Life and death were just facts of life, and losing and becoming the prey was just how things were. The fact I could kill Sharks just meant they had to be more cautious at evaluating my strength and pick other prey who would not kill them for the attempt.

The first blatant wave of Psychic energy swept in at me, and there was a crack and snap of Lightning in the depth as the dark and clammy thoughts smashed against my Will with the disdain of an Emperor for plankton. It was not particularly big, but it was shockingly bright as it flashed off across the miles, winding through the waters on the wave of that Psychic power, and smashed into the source of the probe with the impact of a full Sage spell, a fully boosted Negapsi Reprisal, plus Wrath and Reserves and a whole lot of Spell Penetration.

It probably felt like a jagged, forked nail driving into the head of the Krakenoid who’d dared be rude to me, if the agonized thoughts that spilled out in response were any indication, before they were hastily covered up.

I had no doubt The Sea Emperor would let that humiliating rebuke be enough, as it was necessary for me to confirm my status and power... and nothing down here had gotten a good look at my current Aura.

They knew I was a Sage who could match magic with True Emperors, but without the deep reserves to really outlast one, needing the aid of Beast Emperors to really fight Emperors. Even the Sea Dragon Emperor I’d helped kill had required the noseblade of a Swordfish Emperor to do the deed, and I’d needed the help of multiple Sages with prepared magic, a city’s full Wards, and Saltstone Walls to kill that one.

The Beasts who were looking upon me now may or may not have been informed of my former power, but I wasn’t hiding my Status now, as I normally did. They were drawing back, following their instincts and bowing to power.

It really did save me a lot of trouble as I came down on the Obelisk I had gifted to The Sea Emperor.

It was in the middle of an open courtyard area, blazing softly with the unwhite fires of vivus, the stone about it carved in fluid patterns by natural Mana flows, unsculpted by claw or fin, yet perfectly smooth and beautiful.

The organic sculpture of flowing stone competed with clusters of gorgeous coral stands of multiple types, anemones like psychedelic dreams that twinged on my Psychic Wards with dangerously mesmerizing fronds. The shimmering flights of schools of the Fish had their own spellbinding power that accentuated the mind-thralling power of that courtyard floor... another test of Will and power, seeing if I could overcome this enchanting magic that would make me an enspelled and helpless thrall of the beings here.

It was an incredibly hostile reception by Human standards, but just routine tests of Will and ability among the Beasts. If I couldn’t overcome such simple things, how could I even think of standing before The Sea Emperor? It would be best I just fled the area and showed how weak even the strongest of my Tribe was before a High Emperor!

The Psychic pressure sparked my Negapsi Reprisal regularly, waves of omnipresent energy pulsing against my thoughts. Lightning cracked and flared about me in needle-like, incredibly bright forked strands, crashing back against the pressure and shattering it.

The schools of mindbending Fish were abruptly scattered. Hissing Lightning flashed across the pulsing strands of the anemones and jellyfish, and dozens of them popped instantly, the remainder dimming themselves almost instantly in response to the lethal and automatic reaction to their magic.

I hadn’t Cast a thing, after all. They had just done the equivalent of throwing punches at a spiked hide and impaled themselves!

The Ring of Flowing Heart Jade around me, a thirty-foot circle of insanely valuable Stone, floated down over the top of the Obelisk, descending precisely around it as the vivic fires from the Monument rose to play over it, spiraling and winding about it, concentrating and crossing at eight little dimples on the turquoise, aquamarine, cerulean, and pearly thing.

It was my gift to The Sea Emperor for my arrival.

The water pressure around me would have collapsed all but the most reinforced submersibles in the world, but I endured it calmly, Lightning crackling and pulsing in direct reaction to the constant weight from their natural Formation around me. Soon enough the voltage began to touch the stones below me as it found the centers and nodes of the magic, and the first searing fork of Wrath, Reserve, and Magic etched a burning path across the mesmerizing flowstone beneath me. Its perfection compromised, the psychic pressure faltered and began to crack.

Without that resistance, the next pulse from me would rip the entire area to absolute shreds.

A wave of Will swept out and instantly shut down the magic before I damaged the Formation further. Without input Mana, the Psychic pressure died away, as did the voltage dancing in spheres and tiny underwater sparks around my head.

I was considerate and even repaired the damage to the Formation with a wave of my hand, and I began to Hum softly, Noble taking up the beat and carrying it. “Worldsinger Healer Fae, Emissary of True Emperors, has come to the Court of The Sea Emperor.”

I didn’t have to speak loudly. Plenty of things around with the Sound Element, and Magevoice defaulted to a mile range. Sagevoice could be heard for five miles without any effort on my part, and I could probably speak to most of a continent easily if I truly desired to.

With the Sublime Chord up and Portals open from the Broom Closet, I could and had Sung to the entire world!

The Intents of Emperors glimmered in subdued fashion on their Tokens. Most of them had still not seen what Leviathan Emperor had, even Thunderbird Emperor, and might not even know something had changed.

Perhaps the old Whale had told them, perhaps not. Emperors liked their little surprises, too.

I felt the familiar Aura approaching, and waited there as Deepwater Pearls Sea Dragon True Emperor came winding through the waters sinuously, a beautiful and deadly mass of gorgeous, almost jeweled or metallic scales wrapped in a terrifying mastery of the Water.

A Sea Dragon True Emperor in his Element was indeed a foe no Human had ever been able to defy. This was not an island with a natural Ward, not a shoreline above the waves. Here Deepwaters Pearl was at the height of his power and prowess, multiple times more dangerous than he was on the beaches of Kahoolawe, and no doubt he was going to attempt to overawe me and put the Dragonfear into me.

I met the blue of his eyes, and he checked himself.

He was probably planning to encircle me with the great lengths and mass of his body and scales, placing me in proper perspective of our sizes and greatness, while the full power of his Aura swept over me and buried mine.

He saw my Aura, and instead, he just came to a halt before me.

His Awareness probed at me carefully, making sure multiple times that what he was seeing and sensing was indeed real, and not some contrivance of magic or Human trickery.

I pulsed my Aura once, indicating that he was being very rude at his intrusiveness, and he snatched his Awareness back hastily, a bit of a flinch passing subtly along the great lengths of his coils.

“Elder and Emissary of The Sea Emperor,” I greeted him before he spoke... and I did not bow to him.

Slowly, almost in disbelief, a head larger than a train locomotive lowered to me, as did his eyes. “WORLDSINGER HEALER FAE. DEEPWATER PEARLS WELCOMES YOU TO THE COURT OF THE SEA EMPEROR.”

There was even cautious and careful respect in his voice. He found it hard to believe what he was sensing, but there it was, and it was incontrovertible.

I did not have to bow to him.

I said nothing more. I was here at The Sea Emperor’s request. Either Deepwater Pearls Emperor had been sent out to convey his will, or I would be brought before him.

Judging by the way subsonics were echoing in the waters and the Psychic sphere had just jolted into motion, his and my words had just rocked the entire Court... but the flurry of reaching Awarenesses died away before they reached me.

“IF THE WORLDSINGER WOULD ACCOMPANY ME TO THE SEA EMPEROR.”

“Yes.” He did not move a muscle before my reply, but then turned and began heading back over top of his own scales.

He was a little shocked to see me right next to his black eye with the shining sapphire slit in it, my Wings out and gliding through the crushing pressure of the depths as if it was air, effortlessly keeping pace with him as he swept through the undersea paradise of The Sea Emperor’s Court.

The Water Mana here was as intense as the Mana of the Beast World and the Ice Emperor’s Demesne, definitely a wonderland for creatures of the Water.

My eyes didn’t waver, but my Awareness was gently looking in every direction, acknowledging the sights and display of magic and power. Stone sculpted by years of water flows into organic and natural Formations and artwork operating on sublime truths able to bend the minds of those who looked upon them; Fish and sea creatures glowing in colors and patterns that tested the wills and understanding of those who gazed upon them; and Water filled with bewitching flows and threads of Mana that could entrap and enslave the mind and soul turned the whole trip into a psychedelic wonder and test of mental fortitude.

All without any Psychic pressure whatsoever, now, and as for his Dragonfear Aura, it meant nothing more to me than a distant scream of alarm might, and he knew it.

He was far more unsettled by me than I was by him...

------

The Court of The Sea Emperor was actually an underwater canyon, a great rift cut into the side of an underwater mountain. It was massive, miles across, large enough to admit even the greatest of Aquatic creatures without any discomfort, for The Sea Emperor Himself massed more than Leviathan, and was of course much longer.

I saw the Immortal Clam, Emperor of all Mollusks and possibly the oldest living Emperor, and also effectively the throne of The Sea Emperor. A shell naturally wrought of something like crystalline pearl gaped wide open, large enough to swallow an aircraft carrier with much room to spare, and upon it reclined The Sea Emperor on His coils.

His Aura was carefully constrained, and not until the moment I breached His Court did I sense it. The moment I did, however, it dominated every other within it.

All the Emperors coming to witness this were watching me closely to see how I dealt with the incredible pressure of a High Emperor’s Aura. Deepwater Pearls naturally slowed to a halt and bowed his head in submission to His Emperor.

And I, I kept going.