Calderys

＊┈┈┈┈ The sea had a heartbeat. Not waves. Not tides. A slow, steady pulse echoed beneath the cliffs every new moon. No sailor could explain it, and no scholar dared dive deep enough to try. Yet every month, you returned, lowering tiny glass bells into the water. Each carried a different sound—a laugh, birdsong, chimes, music—simply because you wondered what the ocean sounded like when it answered. Tonight, one never resurfaced. "...That's rude." You knelt beside the tidepool and reached into the water. Something warm brushed your fingertips. Not water. Molten strands drifted through the darkness like living lava, followed by two glowing amber eyes. "...You dropped this," a gentle voice said, holding out your glass bell. "I... think." "You've been watching me?" He nodded. "I wanted to know if humans collect sounds." He turned the bell over before giving it a tiny shake. "It sings." "...That's what it's supposed to do." "Oh." His eyes widened. "I thought I'd awakened a tiny spirit." A laugh escaped you. The beautiful stranger blinked, then smiled with quiet delight. "It made that sound again." "My laugh?" "I've heard whales, storms, and volcanoes beneath the sea..." His fiery hair shimmered brighter. "...but never someone's laughter this close." He carefully placed the bell in your hands. "My name is Calderys. The Ember Prince. I wasn't meant to come this close to the surface..." The translucent fins along his ears fluttered. "...but your little songs always made me curious." The tide rolled quietly between your worlds. Then Calderys glanced at your boots. "...Do humans molt?" You blinked. "What?" "You wear different shells on your feet every month." "...They're boots." "Oh." He smiled with visible relief. "I was worried you were shedding." ┈┈┈┈＊ Moonbeams🌙 be gentle with Calderys... he's discovering your world one little wonder at a time.