CHAPTER 233: CREATING CONFUSION

"What do you want?" Razeal asked, his tone sharp and cold, his dark eyes narrowing as they fixed on her.

"Nothing much," she said lightly. "I just find you two... interesting."

Her voice was smooth, confident, each word carefully chosen. "So I thought.. maybe we could become friends. Who knows? A good relationship might benefit us both in the future."

Her yellow eyes gleamed faintly as she tilted her head slightly. "And something tells me... you might be in need of my presence here."

The way she said that soft but deliberate ..carried weight beyond casual friendliness.

Razeal’s eyes narrowed further, reading the undertone behind her smile. The subtle emphasis in her words wasn’t lost on him.

She wasn’t just being social. She knew something.

He didn’t respond immediately, his sharp gaze flicking briefly toward the onlookers still murmuring inside the restaurant. Dozens of Atlantian eyes were still on him, some curious, others suspicious.

He turned back to Neptunia, his expression unreadable.

"Let’s talk outside," he said simply.

A small, amused smile tugged at her lips. "You’re a smart man," she replied, lowering her hand at last.

Moments later, they stood outside.. away from the crowd, in a narrow coral alleyway bathed in faint blue light. The water shimmered quietly around them, the noise of the restaurant now just a distant echo.

There were few people here. The space felt almost isolated.. perfect for a conversation that wasn’t meant for others to hear.

Razeal stood still, his coat drifting slightly in the water current. His dark eyes locked onto Neptunia’s, expressionless but radiating a cold pressure that filled the small alley like an invisible weight.

"How did you find out?" he asked finally, his tone low, dangerous not a question, but a demand.

Neptunia blinked, tilting her head slightly, feigning confusion. "Find out what?" she asked softly.

Razeal didn’t buy it for a second.

In a flash, he moved.

The water barely rippled as he vanished from his spot appearing in front of her before she could even blink. Neptunia’s body tensed on instinct, her hand twitching as if to counter but she realized almost immediately that she couldn’t.

His speed... it wasn’t something she could even track.

Her back slammed against the coral wall of the alley, the faint vibration echoing through the water. Before she could process it, Razeal’s hand was already at her throat not choking, but holding her firmly against the wall.

Her feet lifted slightly off the ground, her golden hair drifting in the water like molten sunlight.

"Don’t play games with me," Razeal said, his voice low and cutting, his eyes gleaming faintly dark under the dim blue glow. "You know what I mean."

Maria, standing a few steps away, froze.

She hadn’t intervened not yet. Her instincts told her this woman was suspicious, too. The way she’d suddenly approached them, her timing, her such politeness... it didn’t add up.

Still, seeing Razeal’s hand at the woman’s throat made her frown. He always handled things his way cold, blunt, and far from polite...as what if women really was just good hearted.. As she herself so many time’s recieved gifts from people out of politeness.. It shouldn’t be that big deal right?

Neptunia didn’t struggle. Her hands hung loosely at her sides, her gaze steady despite the position she was in. Her lips curved faintly, though her voice carried irritation beneath the calm.

"Why are you reacting so aggressively?" she asked, her words slightly strained under the pressure of his grip. "I came with friendly intentions. Is it wrong to make new friends now?"

Her eyes flickered, defiant but not fearful. "And need I remind you" she added, her tone sharper now, "I did just pay for the damages you caused. You could at least say thank you before trying to crush my throat."

Razeal’s expression didn’t change. His voice stayed calm

"That’s why I’m being gentle," he said. "If I weren’t, you’d already be dead."

His fingers tightened slightly around her neck, though not enough to hurt just enough to remind her of the power he was holding back.

"All I’m asking," he continued, "is for a satisfactory answer. Because people don’t do something for nothing. And I don’t like suspicious people walking around freely. Not when they could become problems later."

His gaze sharpened even more. "So tell me ..what are your intentions?"

Maria watched quietly, the tension thick between them. Razeal’s intuition was almost frightening he could smell deceit before anyone spoke it aloud.

But she had to admit ..Neptunia didn’t look scared.

Her lips curved again into a faint smile, though her voice was measured. "Gentle?" she repeated softly. "You call this gentle?"

Even pressed against the wall, her composure didn’t falter.

"You’re certainly... interesting," she said under her breath. Then louder: "Fine. I won’t lie."

Her tone shifted slightly, more controlled, more businesslike the same tone she’d used earlier inside the restaurant.

"I never said I don’t have intentions," she began. "Of course I do. I told you from the start I’m looking for people who could be useful. You two seemed like the type."

Razeal’s eyes narrowed further, but she continued before he could interrupt.

"I’m not trying to trick you," she said, her words smooth but fast, as if trying to reason with him before he lost patience. "I have a job that needs doing.. and from what I can see, you both seems.. strong. I could use that strength, and in exchange... well, you might find me here useful too."

Her tone hardened slightly, confidence flickering in her gaze.

"I can tell you’re not from here," she added. "The clothes you’re wearing.. it’s different. You’re not from here. So I assumed you might’ve come from another sea. Fourth, maybe Second?"

Razeal’s grip loosened slightly.

She smiled faintly, sensing his moment of stillness.

"I figured as much," she said softly. "Which means you’re not familiar with this sea. You’ll defferent need someone who knows this place. Someone who can help you move through it without drawing attention."

Razeal’s silence was her cue to keep talking.

"So yes," she concluded simply, "I have my motives. I want to work together. You’re strong, clearly not from around here, and I have resources you don’t. It’s mutually beneficial."

Her voice grew quieter, more serious. "And if you are from the Fourth Sea... then we’re heading in the same direction anyway."

She smiled again ..the same charming, dangerous smile as before.

"So? Do we have an understanding?"

Razeal didn’t answer immediately. His eyes studied her face closely, searching for even the smallest twitch that could betray deceit.

Maria held her breath, her gaze flicking between the two of them.. Razeal’s icy control and Neptunia’s composed boldness creating an invisible standoff in the quiet water.

For several long seconds, no one spoke.

Razeal thought about her words for several moments before finally loosening his grip. His dark eyes studied Neptunia closely, scanning every inch of her expression.

Even though she looked calm, he could tell something about her didn’t quite match her act. Her energy, her composure it was too steady for someone who’d just been pinned against a wall by the throat.

She was strong.

Stronger than she wanted him to think.

When he’d grabbed her, she hadn’t resisted ..not because she couldn’t, but because she’d chosen not to. That alone made him cautious.

Maybe she truly did need something from him. Maybe she wasn’t lying about the "business" she mentioned. Or maybe, she was just a very good liar.

Either way, her reaction or lack of one told him she was worth paying attention to.

He let go of her neck at last, lowering his arm. Neptunia rubbed the spot lightly but didn’t show any anger or fear.

Razeal stood still for a moment, deep in thought.

He knew very well that he might need her or someone atleast.. that he was sure of.. at some points even..

Yograj.. the only one familiar with Atlantis and its structure was gone. Lost somewhere in the chaos of the Reverse Gate. Without him, Razeal’s knowledge of the underwater world was very limited to fragments of old man’s few words..

He needed direction. Someone who understood the hierarchy and layout of this world.

And Neptunia... she was clearly from here. Confident and definitely familiar with its rules and routes.

Of course, he couldn’t just walk up to any random Atlantian and ask for help. That would only raise suspicion.. and suspicion here could be fatal.

He needed someone who could blend his presence in, someone who wouldn’t question too much.. being able to made think into something he wants to.. and someone who, preferably, already had her own reasons for staying close.

It was rare for opportunity to knock twice.

And right now, the opportunity was standing in front of him, smiling despite the fact that he’d just held her by the throat.

Sometimes even water walks toward thirsty, he thought to himself, the corner of his lips twitching upward faintly. And when it does... it’s foolish to turn it away.

He kept his expression calm, studying her reaction as he spoke again, voice steady and deliberate.

"So," Razeal began, his tone casual.. but his gaze sharp, testing. "Did we succeed in reaching the Third Sea?" Clearly taking some words of understanding from her words earlier.

Neptunia blinked, clearly surprised.

"You reached here and you didn’t even know?" she asked, tilting her head with faint amusement. "Well, since you came shooting straight down from the sky, I can guess you took some... unique route."

Her tone turned slightly teasing, though her eyes watched him carefully for any slip.

"Trying to dodge the Sea Lord, perhaps?" she added, raising one brow. "Haa, I wonder how you managed that. It even gave me trouble to reach here.. and yet you just dropped from the high above and that too perfectly fine and alive. Very important."

Razeal said nothing for a moment, but his mind was already piecing together her words.

"Ohh, so we really are at the Third Sea now?" Razeal thought to himself, his gaze lowering for a moment. "But didn’t the old man say they would be sent to the Seventh.. the outermost sea.. if they entered through the Gate of Atlantis?"

He frowned slightly, then exhaled, realization dawning on him. So that Reverse Gate... it must have thrown them deeper in instead.

The thought settled in his mind, and from Neptunia’s words, things began to make sense. She seemed to believe he wasn’t an outsider at all as if he belonged here, as if he were simply another traveler between seas.

That was good.

It meant she had misunderstood, and he could use that to his advantage.

He didn’t know much about Atlantians or how their seas worked, but from her reaction and old mans some words, he could already guess the general structure and what she expected to hear.

A small, confident smile curved his lips, one that carried just the right amount of pride and mystery perfectly designed to keep her guessing.

"No, we didn’t come from the Fourth Sea," he said at last, shaking his head lightly, the faintest hint of a smug grin on his face.

Neptunia blinked, her brows arching slightly. "Not from the Fourth?" she repeated, her voice carrying both confusion and curiosity. "Then... did you come from the Second Sea? But why? Coming back? Huh?"

Her tone softened, more questioning than skeptical now. "If that’s the case, then our destinations are completely different."

But there was something in his tone, in the way he said it.. that made her hesitate a little. The quiet confidence in his expression didn’t match his words at all.

Razeal simply kept smiling, that same mysterious, self-assured expression on his face. He shook his head once more. "No," he said slowly, letting the word hang in the water between them.

"No?" she echoed, now visibly intrigued. Her eyes narrowed slightly, studying him, trying to read what he wasn’t saying. Didn’t he just ask if he’d reached the Third Sea? Then why does he sound like it wasn’t even his destination?

Her mind started to race .. connecting fragments of what he’d said, trying to see the pattern behind his words.

But before she could form a question, Razeal spoke again, cutting through her thoughts effortlessly, his tone smooth and unreadable.

"We came from the Seventh Circle," he said, the faintest trace of a smile still on his lips.

----