The Jellyfish Messenger

Chapter One: Sanctuary of the Deep

The Jellyfish Messenger

By Alexandria Francetic

Chapter One: Sanctuary of the Deep

It is said that all life on Earth originated from the oceans. In a way, they are like the remnants of the primordial soup. Much of the world's surface is cloaked by this unfathomable watery realm and in one way or another, all of Earth's life depends on it. Despite the importance of the oceans, humanity knows so little about them that it borders on ignorance. But just as humans rule the land...there had to be another race to rule the seas.

Deep beneath the waves, there exists an elusive race of people known as the Seafolk. They came into being long before humanity's existence, and will likely outlive our kind by a thousand years as well. Confined to the oceans of the Earth, the Seafolk take after the forms of various sea creatures, giving rise to a diverse array of unique and unusual beings unlike anything found on land. Perfectly adapted to their environment, this race of waterbound humanoids lives in seclusion within the remote depths of the sea. Their kingdoms, though loosely held together by questionable political power, are not unlike the noble monarchies seen among humans in the distant past. They know little about the realm of dry land, just as little as we know about them, with the knowledge of their existence held by only a small few.

But this tale focuses on a particularly small and unassuming Seafolk- Kurage, a pink jellyfish girl with ironclad devotion and unflinching persistence in spite of her meager size. So, let us take a journey into the deep, and have a peek into the secret world of the people of the sea...

Current Location: Sea of Japan

Current Depth: 500 ft.

My day began early. While us Seafolk had no concept of time, our biological clocks told us when to sleep and when to awaken. I stirred awake at the first few rays of sunlight penetrating the waves. Slowly, cautiously, I peered out of my cave, a tiny hole carved into an enormous tower of coral, where all of Princess Tamayori's servants retreated to rest during the moonlight hours. I eased my light pink body out of the hole. First my head and torso, then the lower half with all my tentacles came spilling out next. I reached out and broke off a nearby stalk of seaweed, using it to tie back the messy, unruly tentacles on my head into a tight bun.

Though it was still the wee hours of the morning, the sea was already coming to life. The other servants crawled out of their caves, an array of Seafolk accompanied by wayward fish and shrimp. We didn't pay them much mind. Most of the feral sea creatures didn't bother us, and we regularly used the small fish as livestock. The flowing, ribbon-like stinging tentacles bloomed from the lower section of my body like a ballgown as I swam. I made my way toward the immense, ancient coral palace that Princess Tamayori called home.