Chapter 4
Espers—beings born with extraordinary powers beyond what ordinary humans could achieve.
Most inherited their abilities from their parents, while only a rare few awakened their powers later in life.
Thus, esper families passed down their knowledge and secret techniques through generations, honing their abilities over time.
But even with the right genes, failing to awaken meant nothing. That’s why awakening one’s power was crucial.
There was even a story about a family throwing their child off a cliff to trigger an awakening. Ever since then, harsh awakening methods had been strictly forbidden.
So, what about me?
My biological father was once called the “Ruler of the Horizon,” a man who could stir the waves beyond the ocean with a mere flick of his hand. I inherited his power.
But I never once received any guidance from him.
“Goodness. A ‘seed that failed to sprout,’ is it?”
“Frankly, that’s a relief. Imagine if she awakened powers as dangerous as his.”
Despite my heritage, I couldn’t control my power properly.
Waves with a flick of a hand? Me? No matter what I did, all I got was a tiny stream of water spurting from my fingertips.
It was honestly a useless ability. If I hadn’t had it, I wouldn’t have been dragged off to Karker Prison in the first place.
As I sank deeper into the ocean, I thought:
Maybe I should’ve jumped into the sea a long time ago.
I could feel the flow of water. My fingertips, my skin—every sensation heightened. I wasn’t breathing, yet I didn’t feel suffocated.
The ocean was peaceful. This warmth wrapping around me—I felt, for the first time, like I could control it.
All that struggling was pointless, huh.
Years of effort just to awaken my ability flashed before my eyes. I had cursed this pathetic power so many times.
But my whole approach had been wrong from the start. Water was always with me. Even the air we breathe, even the human body—was water.
It was so natural that I hadn’t even noticed. But once you become aware of what’s always beside you, the world changes.
I stretched out my hand, slicing through the current.
Shhh—
Bubbles erupted from the path I carved through the water. It moved exactly how I wanted.
I felt like a conductor leading an orchestra. Thrilled by the new sensation, I kept moving the water around me—
—until I realized I had gone too deep.
Overwhelmed by the pressure of the pitch-black abyss, I shot my arm upward.
And that’s when I saw it—something deep below, its eyes glowing.
What… is that?
Our eyes met—ominous, blood-red eyes.
…!
Cough!
A reflexive cough forced seawater down my throat. I couldn’t breathe. I hadn’t yet mastered my power.
Panicked, I flailed, trying to swim upward—but my breath caught, and vision blurred.
The sea that had just held me gently now clung to me like a vengeful spirit.
Damn it. Am I seriously going to die like this? Right after awakening my powers?
…When freedom was finally within reach?
I refused to let it end here. I furrowed my brow and threw my arm up with all my strength—once, twice—until I saw the darkness retreating.
And then, on the third stroke—
Something soft wrapped around my hand.
“Oh, my! What’s a human doing this deep underwater? I’ve never seen one alive down here before… Though not for long.”
It even talked.
“Heh heh. Looks like I’m having a feast today, just sitting still!”
I didn’t know what it was, but I clung to the jelly-like thing like a lifeline.
“H-Huh? Wait, why am I being dragged down with you?! Let go! I said let go!”
Because if I let go, I would die.
“My precious tentacle! Do you know how much effort I put into keeping it firm and springy?! Let go, human!”
“…”
Of course, I couldn’t speak. My mouth just opened and closed as I clung to the squishy, gelatinous thing.
Help me.
* * *
The storm had completely passed.
The howling winds died down, and the dark clouds cleared, revealing a giant sun above.
The harsh light made me squint—I was still alive, apparently.
“…Ma…ster…”
My body felt like it had been stuffed with wet cotton. Just turning over took all my strength. I’d survived that vicious sea with nothing but my bare body—of course I was exhausted.
Honestly, it was a miracle I’d survived. If I hadn’t awakened my powers in the ocean, I’d probably be on my sixth life by now.
Wait… did I have a strange dream?
Dancing hand-in-hand with jellyfish underwater…
Smack!
Something slapped me across the face.
“Wake up, Master!”
I opened my eyes wide. Floating under the bright sky was… a translucent pink jelly blob. I touched my cheek and found it sticky.
“…?”
“Come on! The sun’s already high! Even baby seals are up swimming by now!”
“What…?”
I grabbed the thing wiggling in front of me and lifted it.
Soft texture. Slimy skin. Two little dots under a pink dome that looked like an umbrella.
“A jellyfish?”
“What, never seen one before?”
“And what’s with those awkwardly attached eyes and mouth?”
Two chocolate-like eyes stared at me. Then the mouth opened—and spoke.
“AAAGH, WHAT THE F—?!”
I screamed and flung the jellyfish into the sea.
Splash! It hit the water. That woke me up real fast. I sat up on the raft and peered over the edge.
“…Was I still dreaming?”
Just when I started to calm down—
The jellyfish leapt out of the water and landed right back on the raft.
“How could you, Master?! You start off with a curse? Even hot-tempered pufferfish don’t spray poison to the face like that!”
“…You’re seriously talking?”
“Don’t you remember anything? You begged me to save you, crying your heart out!”
“What the hell are you talking about, jellyfish.”
The jellyfish mimed crying and pressed its dome flat against the raft. But something clicked in my mind.
Help me.
So… the thing I grabbed in desperation was this jellyfish’s tentacle?
I blinked in disbelief and asked,
“…Are there more sea creatures like you down there?”
“Nope. It’s rare for sea life to speak and think like humans.”
“Then how can you talk?”
“Beats me? One day I just could.”
“…”
Why did I expect a logical answer? No—why did I even expect anything after being saved by a jellyfish?
But you know what?
At this point, who cares?
I sprawled back on the raft. The sky above was a perfect, cloudless blue.
“Haha… sure. Jellyfish talking? Why not.”
I couldn’t stop laughing. Just me, a raft barely holding together in the middle of the sea—and a talking, weird jellyfish beside me.
I had nothing. But I felt like I had everything.
“I missed this sunlight and breeze.”
“Really?”
After four deaths, I had finally gained the freedom I’d always dreamed of.
The ocean was vast. The sky was endless. Far greater than any prison that had caged me before.
The warm wind felt like the world pushing me forward, urging me to live freely.
“I like to surface sometimes too. I think I understand how you feel.”
“My God. A jellyfish is empathizing with me.”
“Never seen a jellyfish with high emotional intelligence before? Pretty cool, right?”
Lying side by side on the raft, chatting aimlessly, I eventually asked,
“Hey… why are you suddenly so polite?”
At first, this thing was saying I’d be fish food and today was its feast day.
“Well, I was a wild jellyfish then… But now I have a Master—you gave me a name.”
“A name?”
“Yes. Receiving a name is the same as being acknowledged. It’s usually something the Father of the Sea does… but he’s fallen into a deep sleep. So I’ve wandered alone for a long time…”
The jellyfish, who had just been bragging moments ago, now looked sheepishly up at me.
“If no one remembers me, I’ll eventually disappear like sea foam. But you said you’d remember me forever… wait, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten?”
Its umbrella-like dome sagged. Was it… sulking?
“Well, fine. I chose you, Master, so I’ll hang on through sheer willpower. Even if you don’t remember my name…”
“No, wait! Hold on!”
A flicker of memory stirred at the word name.
When I was on the verge of drowning…
“I don’t listen to humans! Only the Father of the Sea and the Master I’ve yet to meet may command me!”
In that desperate moment, I’d called out—
“Jelly.”
“Yes, Master. Jelly it is.”
Jelly smiled, its eyes forming half-moons.
“For your sake, Master, I’ll do anything.”
A jellyfish that follows only me, huh. I don’t know what it could possibly do with that tiny body…
“You disappoint me, Kanoe.”
…but it was already more dependable than any person I’d met.
“You’re better than people.”
I held out my hand to the squishy blob. Jelly beamed like a stuffed toy and grabbed it tightly.
And so began my journey adrift—together with the strange jellyfish named Jelly.
