By the time they reached the surface, they were hit with extreme heat.
Looking at their side, Henry found the reason why. The ship was in flames. Large enough to engulf everything.
"Prince Henry! Captain Liam!"
Hearing the yells and shouts, the two turned their heads and saw the last remaining boat not far from them.
A tacit understanding flashed between the two of them and they quickly swam towards it.
Unfortunately, as if fate itself hated them to the core, the main mast of the burning ship suddenly snapped in half, and the top half slowly fell towards the two of them.
Seeing this, Henry's eyes widened in surprise and he tried to cast the Wind Barrier spell. Too bad, the difference between the mass combined with the velocity of the mast far outweighs his mastery over the spell.
Not only did it fail to protect him but as soon as the mast hit him, he fell back under the sea, the blood on his head mixing in with the salty water of the ocean.
With no strength left and no longer able to cast the Water Bubble spell with his current state, Henry could only watch with his blurry vision as Sir Liam's figure tried to swim back down to rescue him.
But the gap between Sir Liam's speed was largely lacking compared to Henry's descent which is also being aided by the sheer weight of the mast on top of his chest.
While on the verge of passing out, Henry's mind couldn't help but wander to what his life has been like ever since his reincarnation.
Loving parents and a cute little sister were the reasons why he found his purpose and place in this new unfamiliar world.
Yet all of it is about to fade away. Was everything he did until now worth it?
Was he a good man? A good son? A good brother?
Was he a good prince to his people?
Just as his vision slowly faded, he noticed something red in front of him. It was flowing like it was part of the sea.
'How beautiful…' He managed to utter in his mind before darkness took over his vision.
———
With a blink, Henry found himself standing at the familiar kitchen back in the ship, dizzy and confused.
What is he doing back here? Was it all a dream? But it all felt too real to be a dream?
As he was deep in thought and confusion, a loud banging and crashing snapped him out of his thoughts.
In the corner of his eyes, he saw the familiar back of old John. The old man looked as if he were confronting someone.
And that particular someone was wearing a sailor's uniform but holding a hammer in his left hand. The wall behind him had a small hole where the seawater was gushing in. That's when he noticed that there were several more holes all over the kitchen.
Henry squinted his eyes and tried to make out the face of the perpetrator however, the sailor is unfortunately wearing a white and blue cap that shadows his upper face, showing only his quivering lips.
He tried to move forward, to intercept whatever was about to happen when he noticed that he was unable to move, not even an inch.
'What the—? What's going on?!' Henry tried to stay calm, assessing his current situation.
Eventually, his attention was brought back to the two men in the kitchen. Old John seemed to be talking to the sailor, speaking words that Henry was unable to fathom.
Before he could react, Old John lunged forward all of a sudden, grabbing the hammer from the sailor's hand. The two made a struggle for strength for a few seconds before the sailor eventually won thanks to Old John's frail and aging body.
That's when he witnessed with his very own eyes as the sailor grabbed a kitchen knife and raised it above his head, clearly attempting to stab Old John to death.
'Move!' Henry's body shivered, fighting against himself, to move his body and save the old baker from his fate.
Unfortunately, no matter what he did, he could only watch as the knife was brought down to Old John's chest, piercing straight to his heart.
As the old man fell, the sailor seemed to panic and quickly made a run for it, heading towards one of the exit doors.
At the same time, Henry realized that he could finally move his body again. Without hesitation, he bolted forward, trying to catch old John before he fell to the ground.
As he did so, he was helpless. His very own arms became transparent as old John's body simply phased through him.
"No! John! Stay with me!" A few seconds passed before he realized that Old John was already gone, the light from his pupils disappearing before his very own eyes.
Clenching his fists, he released a howl of both pain and anger. He was mad at himself, for not being able to move and make a difference. And last but not least, he's angry at the perpetrator.
With gritted teeth, Henry pulled himself up and ran towards the door where he last saw the sailor exit. Just as he used his shoulder to barge inside, instead of a room, there was nothing but pitch darkness. He tried to pull himself back but alas, it was already too late. He can only helplessly fall towards the dark abyss.
Splash!
Once again, the feeling of coldness enveloped him, embracing him like death herself.
There was nothing in front of him. Only darkness.
Just then, his ears picked up the sound of singing. It was soft and warm, he couldn't tell where he was hearing it.
Was it to the right side? Or maybe the left? Or perhaps the back and front? He doesn't know.
Slowly, his vision starts to gain color. At first, the darkness gained a single color, scarlet red. Before it eventually spread and revealed the back of a red-haired woman with her hair cascading past her shoulders and reaching almost her lower back.
Even though he couldn't clearly see her, he could slightly see her side profile. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be singing a familiar tune.
A tune that he once heard being sung by a familiar character in his past life, "…Part of your world~"
Despite his groginess, a familiar name appeared in his mind, it was one of the oldest Disney films that he watched when he was a child, "…A-Ariel?"
The singing suddenly stopped and the red-haired girl immediately turned around, finally showing her full face to Henry. Her expression was that of shock and disbelief.
She stuttered, a faint tinge of red appearing on her cheeks, "Y-Y-You know me?!"
Rubbing his head, Henry nodded his head and was about to reply when he realized that he was practically a stranger to her. It would be creepy of him and might even risk my own safety, so I made up an excuse.
"I'm sorry. I must've mistaken you for someone else. You look familiar like the girl in my dreams."
His words quickly piqued her interest, she quickly swam towards him, using her hands to drag herself across the sand, "Dreams? I-I was in your dreams? Do I look like her? Does she have a red hair like me?"
Barraged with questions while pushing her face too close to him, Henry was about to answer her when all of a sudden, they heard shouts from a distance behind them.
"It's over there! I'm telling the truth, I really saw a body, mister!" It was a faint voice of a child, eager and excited.
"Oh no." Ariel looked up from Henry's face, concern plastered on her face, Scuttle had already left with a short warning to Ariel. Just as she was about to jump back into the water, Henry stopped her.
"Wait!"
Ariel quickly turned around, her expression showing expectation and happiness. Not wanting to miss this chance, Henry asked her, "Will I see you again?"
She didn't even take her time to contemplate as she meekly nodded her head while filled to the brim with happiness, "Y-Yes!"
And then she was gone, jumping headfirst into the water. Her fish tail was the last thing that he saw.
He was mesmerized. That was his first time meeting a mermaid, not to mention Ariel herself. It was also his first time seeing someone he had only used to watch from an animated film.
Eventually, Henry had to snap out of it as the footsteps behind him got closer and closer until two figures and an animal were now closing in on him.
"There he is! Oh look, he's already awake! He's actually alive, I thought he was dead earlier!"
Henry chuckled because he also thought the same thing.
A man, clearly older than the kid considering the gap in their height approached him cautiously.
"Are you okay, mister?"
Once again, that familiar face and voice that he's going to try and recall.
Crouching in front of him, the man's eyes wandered around his body, checking for any signs of injuries or whatsoever.
Once he's clear, the man sighed in relief, "Thank god you're alright. Hey, can you stand? Do you need help?"
Faced with his questions, Henry nodded his head. He indeed needs help, not only can he not feel his legs, but he can also feel a stinging pain in his right shoulder.
"Yes, please. Thank you, mister?" Henry accepted the help while fluently asking for the man's name at the same time.
"Name's Kristoff. We should get you checked by a doctor."
———
{An hour earlier}
—{Ariel}—
"Ariel! There's a storm on the surface. We shouldn't head out!" As always, Flounder would find a way to ruin the fun of exploring.
"Oh, don't be such a guppy, Flounder. I just saw a huge ship pass by and I'm curious to see it!" I giggled at Flounder's scaredy face before ignoring him.
As I swam to the surface with Flounder following behind me as usual, my eyes immediately caught the sight of a lone man dropping one of the small boats attached to the side of the ship.
"What's he doing out here alone?" I couldn't help but frown. Maybe the man is going out to explore, just like her.
"Quick, Ariel! He's heading this way! Hide!"
This time, I followed his words and swam back under the sea, letting the small boat harmlessly pass us by beneath.
When we surfaced, I stared at the man's back for a few good seconds before my attention was brought back to the large ship when my ears picked up the sound of yelling.
It's not the usual singing that I used to hear. Instead, their voices carried a hint of panic and alarm.
For a brief moment, I faltered. Did they catch me? Maybe the man from earlier saw me and told them?
Once again, fear took over my entire being, freezing up on the spot.
Thankfully, Flounder soon cleared my doubts, "Ariel, the ship seems to be sinking! Look!"
Looking at where his fin was pointing, I quickly noticed that the ship had gotten a few holes on the sides where the seawater was slipping inside.
"There's a leak!"
"The ship is going to sink! Quick! Use the boats!"
"Everyone, drop everything you can and get off this ship! I'll go inform the Prince!"
Oh my gosh, I'm witnessing a ship literally sink before my very own eyes!
This is my first time!
I quickly grabbed Flounder and we both swam a bit further away. Witnessing everything happening in and out of the ship.
At first, everything was fine until the storm surges and a bolt of lightning from the sky struck the deck, throwing someone in a silver-looking metal towards the sea.
At first, I was about to swim and try to help when all of a sudden, my gaze was caught by another man. He wasn't wearing anything on his top like what I usually see humans wear.
Not to mention, the man just jumped straight into the sea with no hesitation.
Both Flounder and I immediately sank back under the sea. I wanted to see how humans swim again using only their…what was that called again?
Ah right! With their feet!
As I watched what I thought was normal at first, it suddenly took a sharp turn when a mysterious bubble appeared around the man's face, drawing a gasp from both me and Flounder.
Soon, much to my surprised gaze, the bubble switched back and forth between the two men until they reached back to the surface.
Just when I thought everything was finally fine. A large piece originating from the ship suddenly fell and hit one of them.
"Oh no! Is he dead?" Flounder worriedly murmured beside me.
That can't be the end of him, is it? After everything he did, rescuing his friend, it should be a happy ending, right?
For a brief moment, I was still beside Flounder and in the blink of an eye, I was already gone—swimming as fast as I could towards the man. The large piece of the ship was weighing down on his chest.
This time, there's no bubble around his head and as far as I know, humans can't breathe under the water like us.
As soon as I arrived in front of him, I tried to push the heavy thing away from him but my strength is lacking and the man is losing his consciousness, worst, his life!
So I can only call my trusty friend for assistance, "Flounder, help!"
"On it!"
Together, we successfully pulled the man out to the side instead of pushing the heavy object away from his chest. Circling my hands around his chest, I drag him back to the surface.
There's no sign of the boats or the man from earlier. Leaving only a burning ship and a heavy storm that is constantly raining down lightning strikes everywhere. Were the gods angered perhaps?
It's just that I've never seen a storm this strong before.
"Ariel!" I heard Scuttle's cry up in the skies and I quickly turned to him.
"Scuttle! Land, quick!"
He immediately understood and nodded his head, "Follow me!"
Together, with Flounder and Scuttle. We successfully found the nearest land he could find and brought him to the ground.
"Is he alive?" I couldn't help but worry. Now that I'm looking at his face this close, I couldn't help but find him handsome.
His tousled blond hair and the heavy lines on his body immediately attracted my gaze. He looks so…familiar and what did they call it again? Lovely?
While I was admiring him, Scuttle rubbed his wings together and steadily approached the unconscious human. He grabbed the man's right foot and pressed it on the side of his face.
"Let's see here…Yup, he's dead, can't hear any heartbeat."
"Oh no. We were too late." Grief immediately overwhelmed me. Such a magnificent and…lovely human was gone, just like that.
It's all because of me. I was too late!
For that reason, I couldn't help but drag myself back to the sea. Whenever I feel sad, there's one thing that I always do, which my mother taught me.
If I'm sad. I just need to sing. To let it all out in the form of a song.
With a deep breath, I stared at the sky and the graceful words carried by my soft voice escaped through my lips.
"Up where they walk, up where they run~
Up where they stay all day in the sun~
Wanderin' free~
Wish I could be…
Part of your world~"