Siveth and I reminisced about the concealed cave beneath the waterfall further down the river. It was distinct from the one near the lake, our current location. She revealed her discovery to the group, hoping to pique their interest. The majority were unfamiliar with the existence of such a place, but Hydra perked up. “I’ve heard legends about a secret chamber beneath the falls. Perhaps it’s the one you stumbled upon. We should investigate,” she suggested, seeking my approval. I nodded in agreement. Before we departed from the lake, I made my farewells to Erebus, expressing regret over our previous misunderstanding. He dismissed it casually, wishing me good luck.

We traced the river's path until we reached the divergence point marked by the waterfalls. I plunged into the water first, gesturing for the others to follow. Once they were all submerged, I instructed, “Follow my lead. The entrance is at the base of the waterfall, quite deep, and there’s a tunnel that leads to the cave. You can’t possibly miss it.”

Siveth hesitated, requesting, “Could you provide me with some air, as you did before?” I surveyed the group, asking, “Is anyone willing to share some oxygen with her? Don't worry, she won't bite.” A male water dragon volunteered enthusiastically, “I’ll do it,” he declared, swimming closer to Siveth. She frowned, expressing, “But I wanted it from Nox.” I rolled my eyes, responding, “You’ve had enough from me. Come on, he’s a good guy. Look at how eager he is to assist you.” She eyed him suspiciously, questioning, “Are you sure you can handle this?” He reassured her confidently, “Of course. I’ve done this before. I can assist you.” Sighing, she relented, “Whatever you say. Fine then, let’s go,” and we dived deeper into the water. I stayed close to Siveth, watching her struggle to keep up and ultimately run out of breath. The Water dragon reached her in time and supplied her with air through his mouth. She reacted with surprise at first, but the second time he did it, she blushed. So did he. Perhaps she was beginning to develop feelings for him.

Upon reaching our destination, we ventured into the cave once more, marveling at the intricate carvings and symbols on the walls. The water dragons examined them with a combination of curiosity and awe. One of them turned to me, asking, “You’ve been here before?” I nodded, confirming, “Yeah, we have.” She smiled, expressing, “It’s beautiful. Thank you for bringing us here.” Then someone pointed out the depictions of the Earth and Water dragons together. One of them was the male water dragon who had just assisted Siveth with breathing underwater. He remarked, “So what I did was nothing new.”

Hydra spotted something and exclaimed, “Guys, you have to see this.” A drawing of a Water dragon glowed as she approached it. I queried, “Is it reacting to your presence?” She shrugged, responding, “I don’t know. It just glows when I get close.” The same phenomenon occurred with each of us. We studied the glowing drawing more closely. It depicted a Water dragon next to an Earth dragon, touching it under one of her wings. Siveth wondered aloud, “What does it signify? Why is the Earth dragon glowing?” Hydra suggested, “I believe it has something to do with the contact between the Earth and the Water dragon.” Siveth examined it and extended her wing, then confessed, “I don’t understand.” I observed, “Is it me, or are there no scales in that spot?” She clarified, “There are. They’re just thin.” A water dragon asked politely, “May I please inspect something?” Siveth hesitated, inquiring, “What are you planning to do?” The water dragon positioned himself next to her as depicted in the picture, then said, “Just checking,” and touched under her wing. Siveth began to glow faintly, exclaiming, “Oh, it tickles, and wow, I’m glowing!” The water dragon ceased touching her, and the glow faded. She said eagerly, “Do it again.” This time, he stroked the area gently, and she glowed again. She said blissfully, “This feels so good. And cool at the same time.” Of course, of all the Water dragons, the one who stroked her had to be the same male Water dragon who had just provided her with oxygen underwater. Hydra asked with concern, “Siveth, are you okay?” She replied happily, “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just so good.” I added jokingly, “It’s like watching an owner petting his animal. It’s adorable.” She said contentedly, “I don’t care. Keep going. I love it.” The male Water dragon began to whisper softly to her.

My attention was drawn to the drawing depicting the Kraken. I pointed it out to Hydra, "Look at that. It's the legend of the Kraken." She nodded, "I know. I've heard stories about it, but I've never seen it in person." She studied its markings and questioned me, “Is that similar to one of your marks?” I replied, “It seems so.” She continued, “There's an old tale that says whoever bears the mark of the Kraken can communicate with it and command it. Could you be the one?” I shrugged and said, “I doubt it. I’m not even a true Water dragon.” Looking at my hand, she sighed, "You're not the only one with that mark," she revealed, showing me hers. I gasped, "No way, it's identical. Maybe you're the chosen one." She was uncertain, "I don’t know about that, but I’ve never found the Kraken. I don’t even know if it's real." I reassured her, “We’ll find it someday.” The other Water dragons, excluding Siveth and her newfound companion, pledged, “We’ll help you find the Kraken.” Hydra smiled gratefully, "Thank you. Let's go and search for it then." As she was about to leave, Siveth interrupted, “Wait, what about me?” The male Water dragon reassured her, “You can come with us.” She expressed her doubt, “But I can’t breathe underwater. It's impossible.” He comforted her, “But I’m here, sweetie. I can help you.” I sensed an imbalance. He was smitten, but her feelings didn't seem to reciprocate. She retorted, “Yeah, but I can’t rely on someone else’s air all the time. There’s a limit to that.” He teased, “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy that. I could feel it, Mistress.” After he said that, I suggested to Hydra, “Maybe we should give them some privacy.” She agreed, and we departed while he was still trying to persuade her.

We swam out, through the underwater tunnel, and surfaced next to the waterfall. The sound of rushing water filled our ears as we waited for the others to join us. After half an hour, they finally emerged: Siveth and her new companion. They were nuzzling and playing with each other like smitten lovers. I couldn't resist teasing them a little.

“So it’s official then? Are you two soulmates?” I asked with a mischievous grin.

Blushing, she nodded. “You could say that.”

He jumped on her back, proudly declaring, “I never thought I would meet such a wonderful Earth dragon. She’s amazing.”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever you say. Hydra, what are your plans now?”

She glanced at him and then at me. “We’re returning to the ocean and then starting our search for the Kraken in unexplored territories. We want to uncover the truth about this legend.”

Excitement surged within me. “That sounds like an adventure! I can’t wait to join you.”

She raised an eyebrow. “My king, are you sure you can afford that? I mean, this could take months. What about your kingdom?”

I waved dismissively. “Don’t worry about that. I have everything under control. Come on, let’s go.”

We bid the waterfall goodbye and navigated back to the river. We followed it until we reached the sea, then turned southwest, away from my domain, and into uncharted waters. We stayed underwater most of the time, except when Siveth needed to breathe. She had forgotten to inform Erebus about her departure, so I made a vision connection to relay the news. He was taken aback.

“Did she really fall in love with a Water dragon? I can't believe it. It’s like the old times,” he remarked.

“I hope she informs her brothers too. They might miss her a bit. Or maybe not."

Siveth never strayed from her soulmate's side, and gradually, she learned to hold her breath longer and longer until she could manage fifteen minutes without any trouble while swimming. That also meant that she received more kisses from him, which I tried to ignore. It was still awkward, but if they were happy, who was I to judge? It was their romance. I had no part in it.