Shrouded Seascape

Charles' peculiarity had attracted the attention of onlookers. It was hard to miss a man accompanied by a group of mice, and soon, a crowd began to gather as they pointed and whispered among themselves.

"Stay calm," Charles said with his brows pressed together. He then led Lily toward the next street.

"Are you sure that's your home? And that girl there is what you used to look like?"

"Of course! That's how I originally looked. And that woman is definitely my mother," Lily answered, her voice tainted with sorrow.

"Tell your mice friends to disperse first. We don't want to cause any trouble."

Lily squeaked twice and the mice around them scattered. A wave of shrieks sounded from the female onlookers.

Charles brought Lily for a brief walk around the streets before they returned to the villa.

Lily's mother was no longer seated in the front yard. Only "Lily" was left there, silently reading a book.

"Don't speak a single word later. Let me handle it," Charles instructed.

After scanning the surroundings and finding nothing unusual, Charles pushed open the wooden gate and walked straight toward the girl.

"Lily?" Charles called out.

The girl reading the book looked up with a puzzled expression. The moment she saw Charles, her expression instantly changed into one of panic. She swiftly placed the book down and ran toward the house.

"Hmm?" Charles lifted his left hand. Three invisible tentacles swiftly coiled around her.

Just when Charles was anticipating that the girl before him would revert to her original form, "Lily" simply struggled and cried out desperately, "Mommy! Mommy! Save me!!"

Witnessing the girl's reactions, Charles was slightly taken aback and doubt crept onto his face. He had encountered a fair share of shapeshifting monsters but he had never seen one that responded this way.

Charles brought "Lily" before him. Taking out his black knife, he made a slash across the girl's arm and crimson blood started to flow. He then brought the blade to his lips and licked it. To his astonishment, it was indeed human blood.

Just then, the villa's door swung open and Lily's mother emerged. Holding a flintlock pistol in her trembling hands, she aimed it at Charles, "Release my daughter this instant! I have already called the police!"

Ignoring the woman's harmless weapon, Charles calmly looked at the girl before him and asked, "Why did you run when you saw me?"

The girl appeared extremely frightened but swiftly answered, "Because you smell of the sea. Daddy said that anyone who smells like the sea is a bad person."

"You liar!! That's my daddy!" Lily, the white mouse, was about to pounce onto the girl.

Charles swiftly caught the white mouse by her tail. He then released the girl and went off with the mouse in his grasp.

Everything about "Lily" appeared perfectly normal and she didn't show any signs of pretense. Charles was feeling rather perplexed at this point.

"Take it easy. Let's investigate first." Charles said as he patted the white mouse's head to soothe her anxiety and restlessness.

Charles brought Lily back to the harbor. They navigated through various turns until they arrived before a secluded storefront.

After confirming that there was no one else around them, Charles knocked on the door and whispered, "I'm looking for you boss, Small Ears."

The door opened silently and Charles entered with Lily.

Inside, it was a disorderly warehouse and a group of tattooed men were playing cards.

When they saw Charles entering with a group of mice, a scar-faced skinny man stood up.

"Aye, Captain Charles. It's been a long while. Are you here to make a cargo deal again? I heard that you got yourself a huge ship. You can probably transport a lot of goods," the scar-faced man said.

Charles couldn't be bothered with pleasantries and handed over a stack of Echo bills.

"I need some information on Doctor Oliver."

Since there were no visible leads he could get from directly approaching the target, Charles thought it was worth a try to ask the local underground figures. They might have useful information.

The scar-faced man flashed a smile and reached out his right hand, which was missing two fingers, to receive the money. "No problem. There's no news on the Coral Archipelago that the Sea Serpent Gang can't find out."

***

Not long after, a piece of paper scribbled full of words was slid through the crack of Charles's door in Bat Tavern. Picking the paper up, he carefully read through the contents before he turned to look at the white mouse on the floor with a complex expression.

"Lily, you said you were on your way to see your grandfather and then turned into a mouse after being caught in a vortex?"

"Yes, that's right," Lily replied.

"But… According to the information gathered by those guys, your parents have been on the island for the past few years and have never been out at sea."

Silence engulfed the room instantly.

Three seconds later, disbelief filled Lily's gaze as she muttered, "So… So that means…"

"That means that the other Lily is real. She is the real daughter of Doctor Oliver and his wife, and not an imposter."

Since Doctor Oliver had never been out at sea, then he couldn't have encountered a maritime disaster, and it was even more unlikely that their daughter would have fallen overboard and got caught in a whirlpool.

"If she is real… then who am I?" Tears flowed down from the white mouse's eyes.

Charles carefully chose his words before replying, "Lily, this might be a little hard to accept, but memories don't always reflect reality."

"No!! I'm Lily! I'm not a mouse! I'm the real Lily!!" the white mouse shouted hysterically.

Hearing Lily's cries, the brown mice swiftly gathered around her, squeaking in concern.

"Get away from me! I'm not of your kind! I'm human! I'm human!" The brown mice reluctantly took a few steps back but still surrounded the bawling white mouse.

Charles was at a loss for words as well. He had imagined many possible scenarios, but he hadn't predicted this particular one.

However, on deeper thought, it seemed strangely fitting in the context of the desperate and desolate situation in the subterranean world.

Half an hour later, Lily lay motionless on the floor with the brown mice still surrounding her.

"Mr. Charles, do you think I am really just a mouse?" Lily asked lifelessly as though her soul had been drained.

Sitting on a stool, Charles remained silent. He didn't know how he should answer in such a situation.

Unable to get any answers, the disheartened white mouse slowly rose to her feet and walked toward the door. The brown mice followed closely behind.

"Where are you going?" Charles asked.

"I don't know… But since I'm a mouse, perhaps I should live in the skewers. Mr. Charles, thank you for taking care of me all this while. You are a good person," Lily answered, her voice carrying a sense of resignation.

The mice surged forward and formed a stack to easily toggle the handle to open the door. They then followed the white mouse into the dimly lit corridor.

Watching the mice depart, an expression of annoyance appeared on Charles' face.

"Are you giving up already? Are you planning to live in the sewers and survive on trash for the rest of your life?"

With her ears dropped, Lily turned around and stared at Charles in a daze.

"Since you believe that you are human and it's the Subterranean Sea that turned you into this form, then you should get into the sea and reclaim everything that's supposedly yours! Don't run away!" Charles' voice grew louder.

"Humans have no say over our destinies, but we can decide our response in the face of adversity. Come back! My ship needs a gunner."

Tears welled up in Lily's eyes once more. Sobbing between nods, the white mouse replied, "Mr. Charles, thank you. Why are you helping me like this?"

Charles wasn't a particularly compassionate person, but when he saw Lily heading out, lifeless and filled with despair, he instinctively felt resistance. As a fellow unfortunate soul who couldn't return home, he feared that her fate could easily become his own in the future.

Cosyjuhye's Thoughts

Any guesses on the background of Lily? No prize for the correct answer though!