View source for Underwater Nonphysics (Takashi Agera)

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2025/04/02
|Location=Panthalassa Castle, Mariana Trench
|Synopsis=Riventon pays a visit to a fallen former coworker.
|Thanks=Coco Kiumi
|Cast of Characters=40
|Tinyplot=A Requiem of Dark Roses
}}
In an underwater castle that has moved from being near the shore to some of the deepest depths of the sea, a shimmering magic circle opens. Device users would be able to determine it was Midchildan in design., but there are no Device Users in this place.

And out of that circle, appears Riventon, labcoat flowing, floating in water, an oxygen mask pressed to his mouth, the line from the mask disappearing into his Device's core. The ocean's pressure was prevented from crushing him by his henshin, but his need to breathe air wasn't recovered from it.

Riventon peers through the clear water to the empty throne in the room he appears in. Well, there wasn't much sense in teleporting anywhere else, not now that he'd finally found the place. All that was left was to find the castle's occupant slash owner slash prisoner. 

It did slightly annoy him how easy it was to walk through the place, how the water was clearly there yet offered him no resistance. But there was still clearly water everywhere, too. Magic. On the other hand, he'd never been the best swimmer, so it was convenient in a way.

The rooms were empty and the castle had a very... abandoned feel to it. Riventon wondered if Gaito had actually ditched it here in the trench and then escaped. It'd make sense, and that situation would make looting the Panthalassan castle easier for him too. But as he opens a door into a room that frankly, defied his mind far more than walking through clear water at the bottom of the ocean, he is able to determine that indeed, Gaito was still here.

His profanity is hidden behind the breathing mask, muffled, but still his intrusion is noticed. Because sitting there in a pool - a pool of water of a different hue than the water he was currently floating in, water pouring from an angry seahorse-dragon's snout and all of this STILL UNDERWATER, sits a shirtless Gaito, being attended to by Yuri - the small red maid-uniform wearing Water Demon in this case attending him by literally feeding him grapes before Gaito stands up and turns around, his eyes narrowing at Riventon's presence. Yuri fetches a fluffy coat and puts it around him.

"Riventon? Why are you here?" Gaito asks, his tone cold. "You cannot bring any worse news than you did the last time you appeared before me." He states. Given that the last time Riventon arrived in his castle it was carrying his beloved's body in his arms, this was a reasonably safe assumption.

Riventon first tries to talk with his breathing mask on before rolling his eyes, taking a deep breath, and taking it off.

"Well, worse news… probably not." He admits. "But you can probably hazard a guess why I'm here." Riventon says before putting the mask on to take another breath, then continuing. "Obsidian is still looking for you."

"Noticed you said Obsidian and not 'we'..." Gaito replies. "But it doesn't matter. I'm done with all of that. I just want to stay down here with my servants. With Sara gone... I've no desire to fight my own war anymore, much less yours." he says. "Plus, I lost much of my powers. I can't even keep my servants around very consistently." At this admission Yuri looks... quite sad.

Riventon looks at him and removes his mask again. "Really? You think you can just walk away? You think they're gonna let you do that?" he asks. "If you're weak that just means they're going to come after you harder. To prove a point." He says, pausing to take a breath. "You know how the Board reacts when somebody pulls the trigger on their plan too early, without permission, starts flooding the coast... they're unhappy."

"Good thing I'm at the bottom of the ocean and nobody knows where I am." he replies. "Except you, but you breathe air, and you won't be able to tell anyone if you're dead." He notes.

Riventon holds up his finger, and takes another deep breath before speaking. "Duskporting works just fine down here, Gaito. You try to drown me and you'll get nothing but turning the only person who can help you against you."

Gaito frowns. "I don't need your help, ''vice-director''." He says, spitting the title out with disdain. "I'm still the heir to Panthalassa's greatness. And you're still a human."

"Not much of an heir if you won't fight." Riventon replies. "Or can't." he follows up. "Not much greatness if this castle is destroyed by Obsidian." he adds, sweeping his arms around. "Whatever your plans are - whether you want to sit in the castle to recover or to mope or to just live out your days - they're not going to happen if this palace is trashed."

Gaito grits his teeth. He raises his hand as if to attack Riventon, and Riventon stares him down. In the end, it's broken by Yuri, who looks at Gaito with a pleading face. "Gaito-sama, please, you have to live. And that means you have to stop fighting. You said the song opened your heart..." she says. And Gaito shoots her ''such'' a look.

And then Gaito sighs. And lowers his hand. "How do you propose to help me... and more importantly... What do you -want-, Riventon." he asks. "Nobody in Obsidian helps anyone for free."

Riventon's smile is visible long before he lowers the breathing mask again. "Well, right now I'm the only one who knows where this castle is, who doesn't live in it. I point Obsidian to some ruins, say I dealt with you, and they stay off your back." he says.

"I notice you didn't answer the second part of the question." Gaito replies.

"Well, I'll need evidence you fell at my hand so they don't look too deeply." Riventon notes. "Something like a badge of office, or a magical artifact." the boy continues.

Gaito snarls a bit. "The same thing people like you always want. Magic for yourself." He notes. "Power."

"And the Panthalassa are any better?" Riventon asks. "Tried to take the seas for yourself, and it was the magic of the Mermaids and their Goddess that stopped you, I do believe." Riventon notes.

"Tch, and look what it lead me to. An empty castle with companions I can only have at my side for the briefest of moments, merely a few hours in many days." Gaito replies. "Even now I count down the moments until Yuri returns to her other form."

"If you show me how your magic works, maybe I can help you." Riventon offers.

"For the small price of more of my people's artifacts, I'm sure." Gaito replies. "Perhaps if I give you enough power you'll destroy your hopes and dreams as I have." 

Gaito sighs and shakes his head, walking over to a wine bottle. Yuri rushes over and uncorks it, pouring it into a glass. Still underwater. Riventon visibly twitches. Gaito takes a drink of the wine. "I sought revenge on Aqua Regina, for my people, Riventon. I destroyed entire Mermaid Kingdoms. I brought ruin to others and ruin was visited on me in return. I lost the most precious thing to me, and in the end? I discovered it wasn't even Aqua Regina who took my people from me. Because I was blinded by hate and anger and Dark Energy, I didn't realize the good things I had." He looks at Riventon, then the wine. "Something wrong? Would you like a glass?"

"Well, good news, I'm not any of those things, my friend." Riventon replies, raising his hand to refuse the underwater-wine-that-wasn't-merging-with-the-water. "I'm just trying to make the world a better place."

"For everyone, or for you?" Gaito asks. 

"Same thing." Riventon replies without missing a beat, and apparently entirely seriously too.

"... I'm tired of conflict." Gaito sighs. "I've been responsible for too much destruction, and it's been visited upon me too." he says. 

"Then let's get Obsidian off your back so you can go back to drinking your weird underwater wine. Hell, once they buy into you being gone for good, you can probably visit the surface world if you want, nobody will be looking for you."

"...these are my people's treasures, Riventon. I don't wish to part with them. However... I do have a couple of things which you might find useful, and aren't true treasures of my people... and... I'll let you access the library. Not take things out, but you can read them here." Gaito begrudgingly allows.

"... I do understand wanting to keep the artifacts of your people. So... this sounds good, depending on what the useful somethings are." Riventon replies.

"Looks like you've helped me again, Yuri." Gaito says to Yuri . "We'll give the boy the Oracle's Pearl you found." 

Just being told she was helpful to Gaito made her hop and squeeze her fists a little in place. "~Gaito-samaaaaa!"

"It can assist you in locating things you seek, and seeing things far away. I'm sure someone like you can find a use for it. Though it's been difficult to make full use of in Tokyo with all of the magic disrupting it, it's still had its uses in pointing us in the right directions." he explains as they arrive in front of a massive open oyster with a gleaming pearl in the center. He had already lost what he sought most, so he had little use for it now.

"That's a pretty good start, my friend." Riventon says.

"Stop calling me that. I'm not your ''friend''. This is practically extortion." Gaito replies quickly. "You'd never come close to speaking to me like this if I had my full power. You're taking advantage of the fact that I lost it to that song..."

"No, this is a mutually beneficial arrangement." Riventon answers. "Just because I'm not pulling a sparkle and helping you for free doesn't mean I don't want to help you. Just putting my neck on the line means I should get something back, you know. I'm going to have to put on a whole show and lie to the rest of Obsidian. There won't be a trench deep enough for me to hide in if I get caught, and I don't have a moving water-physics defying castle to bathe twice over in."

Gaito openly rolled his eyes. "The other  reason I'm giving you access to the library is to make sure you don't screw me over, Riventon. If you want to keep access to my people's lore you'll have to hold up your end of the bargain."

"I noticed that." Riventon replies. "I thought it was pretty clever of you actually. But I always uphold my deals. Otherwise, people would stop dealing with me. It's bad for business." Riventon says, shrugging before taking another breath.

Gaito snorted, which caused water bubbles to flow upwards from it. "Anyways. Second thing I'm giving you is what's left of a Panthalassa staff. It was all but destroyed in the last war - but maybe you can get some magic value out of it, and more importantly, you can say it was my staff you destroyed." he says. 

"Ah, that's good, I was going to ask you to loan me your staff to bring home as a prize and show off before I brought it back, but this works too." Riventon notes.

"Yes, it works better because under no circumstances would I give you the working one." Gaito replies. "How much longer is that air going to last you anyways?"

"Not very, humans don't generally plan for full negotiations in such circumstances." Riventon admits.

"Better take your gains and get out of here and back to land, then." Gaito says, and he's not at all crushed that Riventon will be leaving soon. "Leave the water to those of us born for it."