The porcelain submarine drilled deeper into the stone ocean, shaking violently. Sounds of the working crew were drowned out by the unbearable noise of ground rocks, clanking machinery, and beeping alarms.

"WE ARE DR-R-R-RILLING FOR TWO HUND-D-D-DRED HOURS." - A walrus spoke as loud as he could, interrupted by chattering of his teeth. - "IT ASKS FOR CELEB-R-R-R-RATION"

"WHAT!?" - A mermaid yelled while looking at the instruments.

"CELEBR-R-R-RATION!" - Walrus shouted. - "SCOTTY, BRING CHAMPAGNE!"

"YES-SIR" - A three-legged green monster in a sailor uniform answered while it cleaned its monocle. It put it on its eye, then jumped on a stool, then on a shaking table and opened a locker under the ceiling. It grabbed a bottle with its middle leg, but lost its balance and let it go, while falling himself.

"SYLVIA!!!" - The walrus warned a mermaid, who propelled herself into the air and caught the bottle. Next to her, Scotty hit the floor, humiliated and in pain.

"Thanks." - The green sailor uttered sarcastically while moving his hand over his bruised skull.

"WHAT IS IT, SCOTTY?" - The mermaid answered, not hearing him.

"NOTHING! NOTHING!!!" - Scotty yelled, pretty angrily, then limped over to a glass cabinet and brought the glasses.

"ONE – TWO – THREE!" - The Walrus popped the Champagne cork, launching it right at the ceiling. There was a loud sound of crashing glass and wailing of alarms stopped. All lights went out and the drilling stopped.

"Great." - Scotty rolled his eyes.

"SCOTTY! POWER TO THE AUXILIARY GENERATORS!" - Walrus ordered as loud as he could.

"DON'T YELL, WE CAN HEAR YOU!" - Scotty answered.

"Oh." - Walrus fixed his suspenders. - "Splendid! A moment of peace."

The power returned, although it were only the secondary lights at the moment.

"Sir! Any orders!?" - The mermaid stood at attention.

"Of course! Orders! Assess the damage!" - The walrus requested, then rested on a stool, still holding the champagne.

The mermaid turned on her heel, with a big smile, then narrowed her eyes. She looked at the roof, there was a cracked hole in the porcelain, and dust leaking through it.

"Sir! The hull is broken!" - Mermaid spoke. - "The submarine can't function until it's fixed!"

"Of course, of courrrrse!" - The walrus moved its fin under his chin, then looked at the opened bottle of champagne. - "...but first, we toast!"

Scotty returned from the generator room, his uniform and face covered in soot. He took his glass and lifted it, tired of all this.

The walrus poured champagne and the mermaid joined the toast with him.

"To the future..." - The Walrus spoke.

"To the friendship..." - Scotty grunted.

"To the stars." - The mermaid finished their motto, her eyes sparkled with joy.

After gulping his drink in one go, the Walrus moved to the maps and pondered. The mermaid enjoyed her champagne, while Scotty just stared at the bubbles.

"Ahh!" - Sylvia emptied her glass, then leaned over the maps. - "Where are we?" - She asked curiously.

"Underneath the path of the travelers." - The Walrus answered.

"Ohh.." - The mermaid sighed in disappointment. - "...so we still have to drill."

Walrus lifted its impressive mustache. - "Nonsense!"

"...but ...we are still at the mapped regions." - The mermaid spoke, with an expression of not understanding.

"We're UNDERGROUND!" - Walrus explained. - "Nobody, before us, ventured this far."

"There's nothing here, though." - Scotty commented as he sipped his champagne.

Walrus rolled his map and puffed madly. - "You lack faith! I assure you, we must be above a cave complex."

"Nothing indicates that..." - Scotty replied and continued to drink.

"Humpf!" - The Walrus averted his gaze.

"...but ...but we followed the path. It must be here." - The Mermaid added.

"Of course it is!" - The walrus lifted his arms. - "Sylvia!"

"Yes, Sir!?" - The mermaid awaited a command.

"How long will it take for the ship to be fixed?" - The walrus asked.

"Two to four hours."

"Good... let's not wait!" - Walrus nodded. - "Prepare subterranean armors, pickaxes, and glue gun!"

"Yes, sir!" - The mermaid ran to the back of the submarine.

"Oh, no..." - Scotty complained.

[ . . . ]

Sylvia and Scotty exited the submarine in their subterranean hardsuits. If to ignore golden pieces of fallen starlike objects, protruding here and there, the tunnel appeared ordinary.

Sylvia lifted her pickaxe and struck the stone that blocked the access to cracks on the outer surface of the ship, while Scotty stood aside, just leaning on his digging tool and watching.

Thirty minutes passed, and although the Mermaid barely progressed a few inches, there was still a wide, bright smile on her face. Her pickaxe struck one more time and there was a loud clang.

Sylvia's eyes gleamed. - "Captain! Captain!!!" - She shouted and ran to the submarine.

Scotty was shocked that Sylvia found something, he curiously approached, knelt, then started to move the dirt above him aside. Soon, in front of him, were white roots of a tree, but like made out of steel.

"Is that... a point of worship?" - Scotty muttered quietly.

Sylvia and the Walrus climbed on top of a ship, both stared at their discovery in disbelief.

"Sylvia, Scotty! Do you know what it means!?" - The walrus exclaimed.

"Yes!!" - Sylvia hopped happily, albeit clumsily, due to the armor.

"We might be close to the soul shard of the first astronaut." - Walrus explained. - "If we get it, we can bargain with the monster."

Sylvia suddenly lost her joy. - "Bargain? With the monster? I thought, our sole mission was to discover the unknown..."

"Of course, of courrrrrse!" - Walrus reassured. - "It still is!"

Scotty moved closer to the Walrus, he was full of suspicions. - "I heard the monster can grant wishes. Do you plan to trade one for the shard?"

Walrus snorted disapprovingly. - "Of courrrse not!"

"Then what's your interest with that cursed soul?" - Scotty doubted him.

"We can form a contract, a shard for leaving the outer worlds alone." - The Walrus explained.

"You would... do that?" - Sylvia's heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, our people will be safe!" - The Walrus said.

"What about the inner worlds?" - Scotty was skeptical. - "The monster needs somewhere to go."

"Exactly! You're only moving the problems of our people elsewhere!" - Sylvia protested. - "We can't... just do that and let others suffer in our place."

The Walrus looked at his crew and worried. - "It's the best outcome for our people."

"It's unjust!" - The mermaid exclaimed.

"Yeah, she's right. I don't think I can live with being partially guilty of what would happen." - Scotty added.

The Walrus sighed. - "You might be right..."

Scotty uttered. - "Let's just ignore the shard, it could lure the monster."

Mermaid was unsure. - "I think... it'll be safer with us, than in there."

Mermaid and Scotty looked at each other, then at the captain, knowing that his vote would be binding.

Walrus, however, temporarily abstained. - "We have plenty of time to come to a consensus! What we should focus on now, is repairing the ship and finding the divine tree."

Scotty and Sylvia nodded, acknowledging the order, then lifted their pickaxes and continued work, until the ship was repaired.

[ . . . ]

The Porcelain Submarine broke through the outer crust of the underworld, to a bed of an ocean of yellow slime. The heavy sludge pushed against the submarine, but the magic, that powered the submarine's turbines, was stronger. With great effort, the ship emerged from the ocean, after following the roots.

Above the surface, towered a white, steel willow with indigo leaves in the shape of long stripes.

The hatch of the submarine opened and the captain, the mermaid, and Scotty climbed out.

"Only one of us can go." - The walrus spoke. - "Any volunteers?"

Scotty shook his head. Sylvia was like paralyzed.

"...and you call yourselves explorers!?" - The walrus blurted out then fixed his hat.- "Fine. I'll go."

"No, wait!" - The mermaid interrupted.

"Would you like to go, Sylvia?" - The walrus spoke, with his back turned to her.

"No... but I thought... it's too dangerous." - Sylvia anxiously mumbled out. - "Could we... come back here, later?"

"No such option!" - The walrus declared and resumed to walk.

Sylvia nervously shifted her intertwined fingers back and forth, when the Walrus was about to touch the tree, she shouted. - "Fine, I'll go!"

"Are you surrrrrre?" - The walrus asked, and the mermaid nodded silently.

She approached the tree, then took out a small pocket knife and stabbed the trunk. A lot of sap began to leak out, forming a pool of blood in the slime.

"What... what should I carve?" - Sylvia asked in a shaking voice.

"Anything, but don't hesitate!" - The walrus warned.

Sylvia understood and traced the lines until they formed an image of a flower.

"Now, push it." - The walrus commanded.

With sweaty palms, Sylvia pressed against the bark. Her body collapsed, lifeless.

[ . . . ]

Everything around Sylvia disappeared, replaced by a meadow full of white, steel flowers. The mermaid opened her palm, there was a shard inside. She hid it in her shirt, then observed her surroundings. Among the flowers, lived fairies made of pink steel. They traveled from flower to flower, pollinating them and gathering nectar into small jars. They seemed to pay no attention to a stranger.

"Excuse me?" - Sylvia shyly called the nearest fairy.

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me, where am I?"

The fairy tilted her head. - "In the garden ."

"The garden?"

The fairy just nodded.

"How... how do I go back?"

"Go back, where?"

"To my friends, Scotty, and the Captain. I was with them, just a few seconds ago."

"Oh, really? I don't know anyone with such names... Amanda, Phoebe!" - The fairy called to two of her friends, closest to them. - "Do you know anyone named Scotty or Captain?"

Amanda and Phoebe looked at each other, then shook their heads. Phoebe, however, stroked her chin and pondered for a short while. - "Captain, captain... maybe the queen will know?"

"Oh!" - The first fairy clapped her hands. - "The queen will surely know!"

Hearing this, Amanda swirled in the air. - "Of course! I can arrange an audience!" - She then flew close to the mermaid's face. - "Would you like an audience!?"

The mermaid shyly scratched her elbow. - "Uh... I wouldn't mind it... but does your green really have time for someone as average as me?"

Amanda was confused. - "Average?" - She inspected the mermaid from the head to toes. - "No, no... she isn't average, is she?" - The fairy asked Phoebe.

"Of course not!" - Phoebe replied. - "Look, she's taller than a sunflower and her skin shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow."

Hearing these words, Sylvia blushed.

Amanda nodded her head, agreeing with Phoebe. - "Indeed! Although, I find her clothes... inadequate."

Phoebe flew around the mermaid, to carefully examine her sailor uniform. - "Perhaps, but what can we do!?"

The first fairy flew next to Sylvia's ear and whispered. - "Trust these two, they are the royal fashion advisors."

Amanda looked at Syliva one last time. - "Perhaps, a wreath headband... and a bit of magic would help."

Phoebe and Amanda nodded to each other, then whistled to other fairies and explained what they need. Soon, an entire team of fairies began to weave flowers into a beautiful crown, while Phoebe and Amanda began to pray.

"Oh, the crescent moon! May your light come down upon the morning dew and wake the festival spirits. May they cheer and dance to our music, for the spring has come..."

After these words, all the fairies sang a choral piece and tiny droplets of water began to float up, in the air, surrounding the mermaid, until they solidified into a long dress made of silver scales.

"Pretty!" - The first fairy clapped.

"Pretty pretty!" - Phoebe added.

"Now, to the castle!" - Amanda informed and flew ahead, leading the way

[ . . . ]

"Here we are!" - Amanda announced, bowing before the Mermaid and pointing the direction.

Sylvia examined a pearl staircase in front of her, it had a nice balustrade topped with steel rose flowers and led underground. On the walls, there were glass candles that disappeared behind the curvature of the tunnel.

The mermaid wasn't sure If she should walk in there. - "Can I kindly ask you to escort me?" - She asked the three fairies.

"We have to politely deny your request." - The first fairy replied. - "No guests are allowed during the audience."

"Okay." - The mermaid answered. - "Thank you for all the help and see you again."

"Goodbye." - Three fairies waved their hands and replied almost simultaneously.

Sylvia moved down the staircase. As she walked, she could spot large paintings between the candles, they depicted humanoids made of black substance, all with a large hole in place of their face, which emanated with white light. Silver stars were falling out of the holes, like small pieces of snow.

Sylvia arrived at a large hall, with three columns on each side. There was a small platform, and on the platform, there was a throne. On the throne, sat a black figure, with her head low, hidden beneath long, white hair.

"Hello?" - Mermaid uttered shyly. Her voice echoed throughout the room.

The figure lifted its bony hand, then pointed it at the door behind the mermaid. They shut in an instant, with a loud thud.

Sylvia was like paralyzed.

"Welcome to my domain, foreigner." - The figure replied, then twirled her finger. - "Make yourself comfortable, you won't be here for long." - Another throne formed out of pearl matter, behind the mermaid.

Not wanting to provoke the queen, Sylvia sat on the chair.

"I assume you already have the shard." - The queen spoke. - "Good, we don't want it here. Now, be so kind, and explain... why did you seek me?"

"I need... to find a way back." - Sylvia uttered, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Ohh... we have a first-timer here." - Sylvia could bet that under the shadow, the queen smiled evilly. - "Do you know the true nature of this place?"

"..n...no."

"There is always two. That's the answer."

"I don't understand."

"You will, in time."

Sylvia clutched the armrests uncomfortably. - "Uhm... so how do I get out of here?"

"You, my child? You don't."

"...but!" - Sylvia almost raised from her throne.

"Shhh!!! Accept the way it is!" - The queen requested. - "Only then, you'll be ready."

"Ready!? Ready for what!?" - Sylvia almost cried.

"To wake up, once there is a call."

"I... I don't understand! Speak clearly!"

The queen raised from her throne, then moved her hair aside, revealing a white hole in her dark face. - "What do you see?" - She approached the mermaid.

The light was intense, so Sylvia covered her eyes, but when the queen moved closer, she forced herself to take a peek. Inside the light, she saw the Captain and Scotty, standing on top of the submarine, over her unconscious body.

"Captain! Scotty!" - The mermaid shouted, at this point, the two of them turned around, like If they were hearing her call, although there was not a hearable sound in their world.

"Look deeper." - The queen requested.

Sylvia stared in the white abyss, until she saw her own face, sleeping on the pearl throne. The mermaid touched a cheek of her motionless body, but her hand just passed through it, like it was transparent...

[ . . . ]

"Sylvia! Sylvia, ohhh... we were so worried!" - The walrus spoke, seeing how the mermaid's eyes open. - "Sylvia, are you okay? Sylvia?"

Sylvia's head felt dizzy. - "I... I think so... I had this weird dream..." - Syndra opened her palm, the shard was still there. - "Oh, so it wasn't a dream..."

"Of courrrrse it wasn't!" - The walrus brushed his mustache. - "Once we're on the ship, you have to tell us everything."

"It was... really weird. I thought I'll never get out..." - Sylvia had a sad smile. - "...but then I fell asleep, staring at the vast white... and heard your call... but..." - Sylvia paused.

"...but?" - Scotty lifted a corner of his eyebrow.

"...but still... I feel, like some part of me, is missing."