—

Before the students left for the next destination on their field trip, an astonishing news exploded in the Heroic Museum.

The Sunlight Sword suddenly had a scabbard!

It was the caretakers who manage to find out first and then reported it to the directors of the museum. A huge commotion suddenly occured in the museum, many was puzzled about this scenario, for one they received a report that the sword directed killing intent to the students and suddenly this. They can’t wrap their heads about what happened no matter how they investigated.

They tried to get the sword to separate from the scabbard only to be met with a ferocious killing intent which was much stronger than what it shown before. Helpless about the situation, they just concluded that the scabbard magically appeared and left it alone. The next batch of students from the institute were coming to visit after all and they can’t afford to delay it.

Old Lee’s class were mostly ignorant about the event, they only knew that something happened to the museum but can’t really investigate much, they instead focus on their next destination, which is the Grand Serenity Pond.

The Grand Serenity Pond had a mysterious origin, it was said that it’s been here for as long as the kingdom was built. The unique thing about it is that it takes a considerable amount of effort to make the pond ripple. Unlike any other bodies of water, the water in the pond is quite viscous. Some legends said that the pond could allow one’s mind to be calm and focused. There’s also some rumors of it helping against evil spirits and give a blessing to those who are worthy. This is why it was named as such.

The children were excited and discussed amongst themselves. The adults just closed their eyes and relaxed throughout the trip. With the impressive speed of their carriage, they managed to arrive at the place before noon.

Upon arriving, they were greeted by the receptionist and were escorted towards the place.

“Hey…” Paul nudged Raven using his elbow. “Do you think the legends are real about the pond?”

Raven smiled and asked: “Why? You think you’re burdened by an evil spirit?” Paul was gobsmacked and rest giggled. It turns out that Paul was scared of ghosts since according to him, he always waked up hearing strange noises beside him while in reality, he was just waking himself up with how loud he snores.

“Alright everyone here we are!”

The guide caught their attention with her voice, they already arrived at the gates of the pond. “Beyond this gate is the Grand Serenity Pond.”

With that as a cue, the huge wooden gates separated and revealed the Grand Serenity Pond.

It was surrounded by flora and fauna. The water is clear and there are several rock formations within that could be used to sit or do other stuff. Other than that, there is a tall wooden wall that separated genders, a straw hut where people could borrow some bathing stuff and for safekeeping, an Inn where the students are to rest for the night and some other eye treats as well.

The student’s eyes were shining, it was then that the guide said: “Welcome to Grand Serenity Pond. A place that is as old as the kingdom itself. King Harold of the Old Era appointed our clan as caretakers of this place and from our ancestors until me, we all grew up and took care of this place.”

The guide walked and gave the students tour while talking: “Some of you might have heard about the rumors or ‘legends’ of this place, as someone who grew up here, I can guarantee that some rumors that you heard weren’t real.” She chuckled.

“For example. There was a rumor that this pond could give chase evil spirits away and protect those who were worthy. I’m sorry to tell you but that is not real. The source of that rumor was a middle aged man that has a terrible wife. It was said that his wife always berates him and makes him work tirelessly. One day, the man got really tired of it and decided to leave without her knowing, then he came here to relax and soak for a good amount of time. When he left, he found out that his wife was gone and divorced him. Instead of grieving, he was immensely happy instead, saying that ‘the pond was really miraculous! I can’t believe that going there managed to chase that evil woman away!’ And somehow, the rumors went exaggerated.” She laughed while recalling the story.

The students were dumbfounded. Most of them laughed along with the woman, it really was a wonder how things change from one mouth onto another. Such is the power of rumors. The guide them told some other rumors were false which garnered collective expressions to the children.

“As for making one calm and focused, it’s debatable. You see the pond is a creation of mother nature and surrounded by flora and fauna. The environment here is peaceful and serene, which really helps those who are stressed and needed relaxation badly. The water’s temperature is always warm, like a gentle embrace of a love one, and it’s density is quite viscous which accentuates that feeling even more. Collectively, those things allow one to really relax and find peace and calmness in their bodies. So all in all, it’s not just the pond itself that gives one that sort of feeling but the overall environment too.”

The students were enlightened and agreed to whatever she said. It was already late in the afternoon when the guide and the students finished their tour. She then escorted the students in the inn and told them that they are allowed to soak in the pond. The students hurriedly fixed their stuff and went to the straw huts to exchange toiletries.

Raven and his group went as well, as the genders are separated, Raven called for a meeting before they went to the pond.

“I have a task for you guys.” He said with a smile in his face. “When we enter the pond, try your best to sink at the very bottom and meditate in there.”

Everyone’s eyebrows rose from his words. “Is there any specific reason as to why?” This was Mark who asked this question.

“While most of the things that our guide said about the pond were true, there are some things that she omitted or just plainly didn’t know about.” His voice carried a tinge of mystery behind it. “Stress relief isn’t the only thing that this pond is great for. Heck, that’s just a freebie, the real thing is that this water’s origins are extremely formidable.”

“In reality, the reason why this water is viscous is because it’s no mere water but a tear from a Mermaid Princess.” Everyone gasped at this revelation.

“While it maybe hard to believe, it is true. This whole pond was formed from just a tear of a Mermaid Princess. Merfolk are darlings of the sea, ancient creatures that had an upper body of a human and lower half of fish. They are very hard to locate. The waters around them changes depending in their mood. If they are happy, the waves are gentle and the fishes will dance. If they are sad, the waters are still, lifeless and bleak. If they are mad, cyclones and tsunamis will rise and rock the very lands above.”

“Merfolk, specially those formidable ones, could transform their tails to feet and walk amongst humans, the only downside is that they have to soak their bodies in liquid multiple times to keep up their full human form. I don’t know how someone like them managed to find this place but I can’t be mistaken. This is water really is the Mermaid Princess’ tear, which would only be shed when they are subjected to overwhelming emotions”

“Try getting to the bottom of the pond later and sit down to meditate. Don’t worry about breathing, the water’s composition allows you to do that. Calmly breathe and allow the water to engulf you. After which, something magical would happen.”

Raven smiled and walked towards the waters, the group looked at each other and shook their heads. While they were having a hard time believing the stuff he said, they knew that Raven won’t lie at times like this. More informations could’ve been nice but it’s not like he would harm them.

The girls and the boys separated and exchanged for toiletries. Then they arrived at the pond. Raven, Paul and Mark didn’t waste any time and swam quite far away from where the other students are gathered. They nodded to each other and started to swim down towards the bottom of the pond.. It was quite a challenge for them to keep going but it turns out that what Raven said was real, they could breathe underwater here! With that out of the way, the only thing they need to worry about is the pressure, but it turns out that they were worried for nothing since they hardly felt the pressure of the water, only resistance since the viscosity of the water increased as they swam down.