Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
David returned home and stashed the shape-shifting Promethium metal he had acquired beneath his bed.
The process of harnessing its power was somewhat bloody and brutal, and it tested one's will, so David, unsure of how to proceed, decided to set it aside for the time being and revisit it when necessary.
After leaving home, David made a trip to Themyscira to check if the Amazonian Warriors were slacking off.
His silent appearance before them served as a silent nudge to keep them on their toes.
Then he began his search for Atlantis, starting from the North Sea.
***
In the cool, azure waters.
David was enveloped in an elliptical gravity field, quietly suspended in the midst of the sea.
Various fish swam past him.
With his eyes closed, he felt the pulse of the planet beneath him and, through the omnipresent force of gravity, sensed the conditions of this vast marine region.
"Atlantis, the seven underwater kingdoms, each located within the seven seas."
Though they were called kingdoms, they were more like cities. Finding a few cities in the planet's waters was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
"Fortunately, I have the ability to manipulate gravity."
Sensing things thousands of miles away through the planet's gravity field saved him a great deal of time.
In his mind, silent and colorless images flashed by like sonar, revealing the landscape as if it were in the palm of his hand.
David searched swiftly for traces of the cities.
Speaking of his newly acquired abilities, he was reminded of an anomaly before the full integration of the Black Emperor template.
"It's really just about today and yesterday, the rate of template integration has exceeded my expectations."
He had thought something had happened on Themyscira, like a secret plot of rebellion or a mass gathering stirring up resentment and hatred against him, but his visit there showed no such thing.
"When did the abnormal increase start?"
Was it when he appeared before the public, stormed the military base outside Metropolis to rescue Clark, causing shock and discussion among the people?
What was the connection between the two?
David had always thought that ordinary people couldn't provide him with any emotional energy, but perhaps that wasn't the case.
Suddenly, the outline of a high-tech underwater city appeared in his mind.
"Found it, the seven kingdoms of the sea!"
David's eyes snapped open, deciding to set aside his doubts for now.
"First, secure what's certain, then think about what's uncertain."
The surrounding water seemed to come alive, propelling his gravity shield, breaking through the water at high speed.
***
"Princess."
In the palace, as beautiful as if it were made of sea crystals.
A middle-aged man with a hooked nose entered and bowed slightly, hand on his chest.
"Vulko, you've come again."
Mera, the princess of the Kingdom of Xebel, dressed in a green, scale-like armor, sat in the room like a beautiful mermaid. She turned her head slightly, her expression weary and unwelcoming of the elder who had once taught her.
"This time it's different, Princess Mera."
Vulko, barely containing his excitement, clutched an ancient scroll.
The last command of the previous queen had finally come within reach of being fulfilled.
"What's different?"
Mera stood up, her fiery red hair floating like beautiful coral in the water.
"Are you here again to persuade me to help the queen's eldest son, Arthur, claim the throne?"
She admitted her feelings for the queen were special.
"When I was young, the queen almost took on the role of my mother, teaching me how to grow and behave. The time I lived in Atlantis was the most carefree of my life.
Even after I became the princess of Xebel with my father establishing the kingdom."
Mera's face showed reminiscence.
"But that doesn't mean I have any special feelings for the queen's eldest son whom I've never met.
So much so that I should help him overthrow my betrothed, the current King of Atlantis, Orm, to assist another to the throne."
"But you don't love him, do you? You and Prince Orm have only met a few times."
Vulko went straight for the heart, appealing to her emotions.
"Your father, in his quest for power over the seven seas, pushed you towards Prince Orm without considering your happiness."
Atlantis was a joint-ruling system; if Mera could become queen, the ambitious King of Xebel, hiding his ambition behind a facade of kindness, would gain supreme power over the seven seas.
"I cannot betray my country and my people."
The struggle flashed in the red-haired princess's eyes as she shook her head.
In terms of ambition, King Orm was the one with boundless ambition, unashamedly so. Without the ancient system to restrain him, he would eventually wage war and annex the Kingdom of Xebel.
"This time is different, Princess.
Arthur's chance to ascend the throne is no longer slim."
Vulko emphasized again, quickly approaching a crystal table and unrolling the ancient scroll.
Seeing her hesitation, he had persuaded Mera several times, but she had always been hesitant. Today, however, was different.
No matter how difficult the queen's last command was, he had to fulfill it.
The Atlanteans despised land dwellers, and with the queen's eldest son, born to a lighthouse keeper on land, having half the blood of a land dweller, he could not ascend the throne without the support of a powerful force.
"Princess, do you remember the lost trident of Atlantis?"
"That legend?"
Mera looked at the scroll in surprise, a radiant golden trident depicted at its center.
It was a mythological scroll, depicting a myth.
"No, not a legend.
Perhaps because it's been so long, our people have come to regard it as a legend.
But in the records of the royal and high-ranking families, it was once real history."
Vulko shook his head excitedly.
"In history, Atlantis's greatest weapon smith forged a trident for the first king of Atlantis using Poseidon's cold iron, said to possess the power to rule the oceans."
Mera recalled the ancient rumors, murmuring softly.
"Whoever gains its recognition will immediately have unrestricted supreme power over the seven seas, and all Atlanteans must bow before him!"
Vulko, a member of the Atlantean royal council, read the latter part with fervor.
It was the undisputed symbol of the seven seas' royal authority!
Mera frowned, looking at him with doubt.
"Whether that's true or not.
Because of the Atlanteans' greedy pursuit, the study of the trident's power led to an accident, and Atlantis sank, our land civilization was destroyed.
The trident disappeared with the self-exile of the first king of Atlantis."
Vulko carefully pulled out a rusty cylindrical object from behind his waist.
"Not long ago, our archaeological team found this at the old site."
"This is an ancient recorder that can be traced back to the first dynasty. It contains the last message the king of Atlantis left for his people, and following it will lead to the supreme trident."
Vulko had just finished speaking.
The room's water flow seemed to turn into a hand, snatching the recorder from his grasp.
He thought Mera was persuaded and looked at her excitedly.
"Princess Mera!"
Controlling water was Mera's innate talent, unique in all of Atlantis.
But the next second, Mera watched the recorder floating between them, grasped by the water, stepped back, her face filled with shock and suspicion.
"This… this isn't my doing!"