"Didn't you once see the human form of the Titan of Strife?"
Queen Fagina looked at the Sirens gathered around her, her frail voice filled with reluctance and grief:
"My little fish, the way you swim... is still so joyful and lively."
"It makes me... so unwilling to announce the misfortune soon to befall our kingdom..."
"I once believed... that with my authority, I could drink dry the Black Tide that eroded the world..."
"But even the deepest wine cup will one day overflow... My body... my soul... can no longer contain any more mud and filth..."
Hysilens gently shook her head, tears glistening in her eyes, yet she tried to make her voice sound strong:
"My mother, do not worry. We are all children of the Ocean, inheritors of your strength and will. We will share this heavy fate for you."
The young Sirens beside her also chimed in, their voices childish but resolute:
"We will take up your duties, work together, and drive away those black tides!"
"We will mend the holy chalice that bears the filth and take on the curse's corruption!"
Listening to their innocent yet courageous voices, the Queen could not help letting out a long, mournful sigh:
"My little fish, when Strife's spear descends, you may retreat into hiding..."
"I promise you, the city-states upon the land... will hold for you an endless feast of eternal joy..."
"This is the final grace that I... your incapable mother... can grant you..."
Then, the scene within the palace blurred and stuttered violently, like footage with a bad signal.
Afterward, the Queen, Hysilens, and every Siren vanished in an instant, as if wiped away by an eraser.
Only the empty palace remained, now beginning to look dilapidated.
Laigushi's cold addition sounded at just the right moment, bringing