Long Fei rubs his temple and sighs.
"I am seriously questioning the merfolk now. The ancient scroll that's supposed to be your manual did not mention this. You're supposed to be in a more mature form. I expected you to evolve into a teenager, not a whale."
"That's great and all, but, um... doesn't change the fact that I'm a whale now, I still can't move!"
He looks at me, scratching his chin thoughtfully.
"Since you were able to swim in the air as a three-year-old child, I don't see why you can't do the same now as a whale with air elemental powers."
He turns on his heels, summons air magic with one hand and injects it into a rune, then uses his other hand to inject air magic into another rune. The whole wall opens up, and air rushes into the cramped space. He points out to the vast sky.
"Now try swimming in the air. Your elemental level should allow you to do so."
He can't be serious. Though, he has a fair point. How was I swimming in the air? I wasn't stressed or worried. Deep breath. The air is my ocean. There is water in the air. I can do this.
My body slowly floats. Lurches. Then comes crashing down again.
"Master, I think I gained too much weight."
"You are double the size of the previous whale form. Well, practice makes perfect. I'm going back to my home-brew tea and wait for you there."
I hate to say this, but in my three-year-old human guise, I was able to cover my eyes. Now my fins are not long enough to cover my shame.
I'm all by myself now. I try to roll over, but I'm stuck like a beached whale. This body is a problem. Let's try meditating again. Focus, deep breath. The air is my ocean. I want to return to the Ocean Realm, where I can have air-cooked krill, and life was simple. I start to float. No stress. The air is my ocean. It will guide me. I'm gradually floating again. My body trembles and dips a bit. I can do this. It hovers and moves forward. It's working! I'm swimming again. I flip my tail like a dolphin and shoot through the wall. Yes, I'm swimming in the air. I crash into a nearby crag, leaving a crack, tumbling to the floor. Ouch!
Long Fei pops his head over mine, sipping from a teacup.
"You having fun down there?"
"No. This is a day-mare."
"I see. Enjoy your day-mare."
He turns on his heel, heading back inside.
"Master, can you please help me?"
He pauses. Sips his tea.
"I think this is good training."
I know, I shouldn't be angry at him, but, come on. I let out a sigh. I wonder if this would work. From my blowhole, I shoot a water tendril that wraps around my body to lift me. But all that did was get me wet. It doesn't make sense. I've been flying around in a kid's body. I should be able to fly in this body. Yes, it's heavy. But it shouldn't matter. Should it?
In the deep blue, I used to let the water current guide me. I wonder if the air currents will guide me. I close my eyes, sensing the energy around me. It's not just blue waves. I feel the subtle pull of white swirls of the air current prancing around me. There are small blue waves in the air too, gently nestling within the currents. I take a deep breath of the 'vacuum' technique, sucking in. And I exhale, directing the breath downwards to let the current flow underneath me. As I levitate, I tilt my body as though I'm going to ride the air current. I'm not going to fight it. I'm just going to go with the airflow.
My master clears his throat as he floats beside me.
"Oh, before we leave for the Ocean Realm, we should drop by to bid farewell to the Crown Prince. He did accommodate us at his palace for quite a long time until you evolved."
I nod. That would be nice. I want to show off what I can do now. The wind rushes through my hair as I swim through the sea of clouds toward the Celestial Palace. I'm one with air. This is so much better than flying! I try a twirl. I can do it now without getting dizzy. I try a loop, and I'm looking and feeling fab-u-lous. This body is great!
We reach the courtyard of the Crown Prince. From the air, all the cracks in the ground we made during training are more obvious here. His servants are trying to fix the damage at the moment. He looks up, and his eyes widen.
As we land, I float at eye level. He pats me on the head.
"Wow, Ling Yue, look how you've grown! It was yesterday when you were just a tiny munchkin."
Then he glances at his friend and hands him a cylinder.
"Long Fei, please deliver this to the King of the Merfolk for me. I'm assuming that since she unexpectedly evolved to her whale form, you'll be heading to the Ocean Realm."
My master accepts the cylinder and puts it in his sleeve.
"Yes, this situation is perplexing. Would you know anything about it?"
The Crown Prince shakes his head.
"She seems to enjoy surprising me, as though she evolves according to her mood."
"I doubt that, since human guise would not be in the forefront of her mind. She loves air-cooked krill too much."
Ooh, right. It's been so long since I had my favorite food. I can't wait.
The two good friends exchange a knowing nod. My master turns to me.
"Looks like we're ready to go to the Ocean Realm."
"Farewell, Your Highness. Thanks for having us."
"You're welcome. Don't be a stranger," the Crown Prince pats my head again, then waves to us as we leave.
A devilish grin spreads on my face.
"Race you there!"
I flip my tail like a dolphin as fast as possible, surfing on the air currents. We jump from the Celestial Realm, the wind billowing through our hair as the sea of clouds gives way to clear blue skies, before diving into the deep blue.