CHAPTER 418: MIRION’S HEART

Asher looked at Marina and opened his mouth. "If you want, you can be my woman—like the others."

Marina looked stunned. "That’s good of you. I was starting to think you might just say it was a one-night stand and nothing else."

"I’m not a one-night stand kind of guy," Asher replied casually.

Marina looked at him, trying to find any hint of deceit or sarcasm—but no, it was a genuine expression. Her heart skipped a beat. Control yourself, Marina. This is totally not like you, she told herself.

"So... now I can be in your harem?" she asked jokingly.

"Yes," Asher replied without hesitation.

She froze for a moment, stunned, then muttered, "I’m not the kind of girl who just falls in love."

"Your loss," Asher shrugged. Then he added while putting on his clothes, "Now that we’ve had sex, I guess we can head to Mirion’s heart dungeon?"

Marina, still recovering from the whirlwind of emotions, nodded and began putting her clothes back on too. After dressing, they exchanged one last look before she said, "Alright then... let’s go."

She took the lead, and Asher followed.

Once they reached the others, Freya raised an eyebrow and asked with a smirk, "You guys done?"

Asher nodded.

"Hmm. I thought you’d be busy with her for the next few days. I guess she wasn’t enough to keep you occupied," Valeris said dryly.

Asher resisted the urge to say that Marina wasn’t like Valeris—she didn’t burn with insatiable lust that took weeks to satisfy.

"well, we are now leaving, so get ready" Asher said as they all just nodded as they are already ready and then the group moved towards the Dungoen location.

Marina led the way with calm assurance, her presence radiating quiet authority as the group followed her to the sea’s edge.

She didn’t speak much—there was no need. Only she knew the true path to the Mirion’s Heart, and the others trusted her enough to follow without question.

At the cliffside, she stopped. The wind was gentle, the waves below lapping against the rocks in soft rhythm. Without hesitation, Marina stepped forward. Her legs shimmered as ancient enchantments activated, transforming her lower half into a sleek, scaled fishtail that glistened like pearls under sunlight.

She glanced back. "Follow me. We’re going straight in. Don’t worry—there are no traps here. The ocean knows your strength."

With that, she dove into the sea.

Asher and the others followed in silence, no dramatics, no hesitation. They were far beyond the level of fear. Even the fierce monsters that lurked in the deep scattered and vanished as the group descended, unwilling to approach. The sheer pressure of Asher’s aura alone sent tremors through the water, warning everything nearby to stay away.

Catherine moved like a spear of light. Freya drifted down with playful ease. Valeris slid through the currents like a phantom, and Veyra cut through the sea in long, graceful strides, her crimson aura shimmering faintly around her.

Asher himself moved with unshakable calm, the sea parting for him as if aware of the being it now cradled.

No sea beasts dared approach.

At a glance, it looked like they were simply swimming through an empty coastal trench, nothing remarkable—until Marina led them to a flat cliff wall of smooth black stone hidden behind a layer of shifting illusion magic.

Without a word, she raised her palm and pressed it to the rock.

Golden runes flickered. The cliff trembled.

A moment later, the stone shimmered and began to shift, folding back like ancient puzzle pieces unlocking. What had once looked like an ordinary cliff transformed into a towering gate, its surface carved with symbols of the old Siren Kingdom.

"This," Marina said softly, turning to face them, "is the entrance to Mirion’s Heart."

She stepped aside, allowing them to take it in.

Asher nodded once. "Let’s go."

Without another word, the group passed through the ancient gate, disappearing into the depths of the forgotten Siren legacy.

As the group passed through the shimmering gate, the sea around them seemed to shift.

What opened before them was breathtaking—an immense, sunken palace nestled within a natural seabed crater, its spires draped in strands of living coral and glowing sea flora. Streams of soft light filtered down from the surface, casting everything in a dreamlike glow. The architecture blended seamlessly into the ocean itself, as if the palace had grown from the sea’s will.

But it wasn’t the palace that caught their attention first.

A massive shape swam ahead, slow and graceful.

It was a whale—but not one born of any ordinary ocean. Its body shimmered with layers of translucent red, its scales like molten gemstone, and its tail left trails of glowing stardust in its wake. The sea responded to its presence like a sacred hymn. Even from a distance, its deep hum vibrated through the water—a sound neither song nor roar, but something ancient, melodic, and resonant with power.

Marina tensed instinctively, her hand tightening around the hilt of her blade. "A beast of the abyss... get ready!"

She raised her hand, preparing to conjure, but—

"Hold," Asher said calmly, raising his arm in front of her.

Marina blinked. "But—"

"He’s not using any killing intent or soul magic," Asher explained, his eyes narrowing. "There’s no threat in his presence. Just... depth."

The red whale swam closer, revealing eyes like twin crimson galaxies. They looked over the group—not with malice, but solemnity.

Then it spoke.

Its voice resonated directly into their minds, powerful yet serene.

"Welcome, travelers. I am the Guardian of this Legacy Trial—keeper of Mirion’s Heart."

The water pulsed around them like a heartbeat.

The whale continued, voice like a timeless bell.

"Among you stands one who seeks the inheritance of the Deep Court. Only those chosen may step beyond this point. Tell me now..."

His gaze sharpened.

"Who among you claims the right to fight for the Legacy?"

The water stilled completely. Even the distant sea currents seemed to pause, waiting for the answer.

Asher’s expression didn’t shift, but his gaze flicked toward Marina.

"Go on and get it," he said casually, giving her a small nod of encouragement.

Marina exhaled slowly, her nerves still fluttering even after everything they’d done together. But she stepped forward confidently. "I am here for the Legacy," she said aloud, addressing the massive whale-like beast looming before them.

The creature, vast as a ship and shimmering with coral-colored runes across its skin, regarded her with ancient, glimmering eyes. Its mouth didn’t move, but a deep melodic voice echoed through the water, as if the sea itself spoke:

"You are the trial-seeker, then. And these are your companions."

The whale turned its gaze toward Asher, studying him with knowing amusement. "You, I sense, are not here to claim legacy. You are just here to accompany her."

It looked once more at the rest of the group—Catherine, Freya, Valeris, and Veyra.

"Only the one chosen may attempt the trial. The others must wait. You may rest within the palace of the former Seduction Empress. It remains untouched and preserved beneath the tides."

With a graceful ripple of its fins, the guardian swam in a slow, spiraling arc, revealing behind it a grand coral archway that pulsed with pale, magical light. Beyond that lay the entrance to the palace.

Asher turned to the others with a smirk. "Well, I guess we’ll get cozy in the Empress’s private palace while Marina plays ’heir to legacy.’"

Valeris raised a brow. "You mean the one where every wall’s probably enchanted to charm clothes off?"

Catherine laughed softly. "Sounds like your kind of place, Asher."

Freya rolled her eyes. "Let’s just hope the beds aren’t cursed."

The group swam together through the archway, guided by the soft glow of enchanted seashells lining the palace walls. The structure ahead was breathtaking—an undersea marvel of pearlescent domes, spiraled towers, and garden balconies growing luminous anemone vines. Gold-framed mosaics lined the halls, and bioluminescent plants flowed like chandeliers above. Despite the depth and silence of the sea around them, the interior felt warm, almost alive, as if the palace itself remembered pleasure.

Asher let out a low whistle. "Damn. For someone who had ’Seduction’ in her title, she sure lived like royalty."

Valeris twirled in the open central chamber, her dark hair flowing like ink in the water. "You think there’s a wine cellar in here?"

Freya smirked. "Or a dungeon."

Catherine, ever curious, floated toward a shelf filled with glass spheres. "Some of these look like memory crystals..."

Meanwhile, Veyra ran her hand along the curve of a coral pillar, her voice quiet. "No blood, no rot. Everything’s been sealed perfectly... This place hasn’t been disturbed in centuries."

Asher took a seat on an opalescent divan, folding his arms behind his head. "Let her handle the trial. We’ll keep this place company."

Just beyond them, the palace shifted subtly, as if acknowledging new visitors. Curtains of jellyfish-light shimmered over doorways. Faint music, like harps played through waves, echoed from the far end of the hall.

And in the distance, Marina stood at the gates of her trial, facing the great whale alone.