“Wah… wow…”

Treading softly, Merka followed Turing to the tavern entrance.

The tavern’s delicate little door eased open, and the salty sea breeze rushed in from outside.

Merka stepped through the doorway and froze at the beautiful sight before him. Without even realizing it, he took a few more steps forward.

Stars filled the sky above Merka, spilling their light across the sea and stamping it with countless brilliant specks.

The dark seawater, held at the edge of the harbor by the seawall, lapped gently beneath Merka’s feet.

A vast city at night, gleaming gold and clear as crystal, unfolded before Merka.

The city leaned over the sea like a gentle, tender girl nestled against her mother; like a loyal, stubborn knight kneeling at his queen’s feet—

Merka gazed as far as he could, out toward the sea.

He saw waterway after waterway reaching inland from the sea, crisscrossing and dividing the city.

The refreshing waterways wound through every corner of the city. Like a strand of black gemstones around a beautiful woman’s neck, they shimmered beneath the night sky with a dark, rippling brilliance.

A little boat with no one aboard was tied to the embankment before Merka, drifting there all alone.

Stubbornly tethered to a steel-and-concrete pillar, it was like a young, determined bargee trying to drag the weight of an entire city.

“Is this… Venice?”

Merka exclaimed.

Venice was a city born from the sea.

It was deep and vibrant. Like the ebb and flow of the tides, like the seaweed and oysters growing in the ocean, it shared in the sea’s fortunes and misfortunes, its rise and fall.

It was born in the glow that best represented all of maritime civilization, like Venus, who legend said was born from a clamshell in the bountiful sea. All the beauty the ocean possessed was there for it to command.

…But.

Merka stole another glance at Turing beside him, dressed in an evening gown, and sighed inwardly.

Even a view this dazzling, Merka felt, couldn’t match even a tenth or two of Turing’s beauty.

“Merka… could we stay in this world for a while?”

“I’m just so, so tired… I’ve been tired my whole life.”

“I know we’re in a hurry because of what happened to Mom, but think about it… will we ever get another chance to live together like this?”

“Maybe… we won’t ever get another one.”

“This machine doesn’t have much power left, so the illusion won’t last long.”

“How about we live in here until the power runs out? What do you think?”

“And don’t worry about the danger outside the machine. If anything happens, my tentacles will wake us both up.”

“Besides, I’ve got a surprise ready for you. If you say yes, I’ll show it to you early…”

Turing lowered her head slightly, one hand curled around a lock of hair by her cheek. She spoke in a soft, quiet voice.

For some reason, Turing seemed unusually shy.

“Hmm… is that so?”

Merka smiled.

He propped his chin on one hand, put on a show of hesitation, and thought it over for a moment.

The evening breeze played with his short, tousled hair and tugged lightly at the narrow front of his clothes.

Then he turned his head toward Turing and suddenly said,

“This is such a tough choice. We’re still in the middle of a tense battle, after all.”

“How about you show me the surprise first? Then I’ll decide.”

“Hey! You’re pushing your luck!”

Turing’s lips curled into a small smile, and she gave Merka’s arm a light punch.

“Well, my surprise is waiting at the end of this waterway right in front of us.”

“Since you want to see it, why don’t you row us there, Mr. Merka?”