He blinked wearily before falling back into a sleepy daze. His eyes were
fixated upon the window across the room, though his mind was far from reality.
He writhed and turned in deceived helplessness and panic. He came to again,
still in a frustrated drowse. The doors of the room were burst open suddenly,
and mobs of shadows poured in, rapidly approaching him. He began to scramble to
his feet, overwhelmed at the sight of the mob of shadows. They began to fill his
line of sight, blocking out the room into darkness. Even the window across the
room was soon engulfed in shade. All went black, and he felt them pulling at
his clothes, tugging on his arms and legs. He could not bear it any more, and
unconscious suddenly began to pull him into her sanctuary.

He saw a drop of water falling towards him, gracefully plummeting through the
air. The drop came closer and closer to his eyes, churning within itself
rhythmically. With a cold sense of mortality, the drop of water broke and
splattered on his face. He opened his eyes. The world was a blur of soft blue
and white colors. The specs of existence began to define themselves, embracing
clarity. The image finally formed of a room of blue and white coral. The roof
of the room was a dome, elegant patterns engraved along the edges. On the
opposite side of the room was a window. Out the window was a different blue. It
was a light blue, a sky perhaps. The cry of a bird echoed in the distance, the
screech of a gull, more distinctly.

Senses returning gradually, he began to take in reality. A door opened abruptly
on the left side of the room. He watched carefully, as a woman stepped into the
room through the door. Walking towards him, the door creaked and closed, and
she sat near his side. She put her hand on his forehead. He felt wetness on her
hand, wetness of the sea. She removed her hand, pursed her lips and looked out
the window thoughtfully. "Are you feeling all right?" Her words were the end of
his amnesia, he remembered now. "I…I am not sure. I feel better I suppose,
better than before." He replied carefully, his voice laden with unfinished
thought.

"Stand with me," she said to him as she took his hand. He pulled himself to his
feet slowly, cautious not to lose balance. "You are not dizzy are you?" He
looked down at his feet, and shook his head. "That is good, my prince. Your
father is very worried about you. There is only so much time…" She began to
trail off, resuming her gaze out the window. He turned his eyes to the window
as well. "Mother, what happened?" She turned back to him, and replied, "You
were dreaming again. We heard your cries, and we entered your room. We tried to
shake you out of your sleep, but you resisted and seemed to fall back into a
deep sleep." His face grew solemn with trouble, "Oh…I am sorry mother."

He had put on his fine clothes. They began with a long shirt, heavily decorated
in patterns of swirling blues and soft greens. His trousers were loose, flowing
white like the sea breeze. He opened the door, and carefully closed it behind
him as he stepped out. He was now in a grandiose coral chamber, magnificent
windows to the left and right. Centered in the room was a large table of
polished and refined stone from the depths of the sea. At the end of the table
was the king, wearing a regal headpiece of beautiful coral. His failing body
covered in long draping robes, of matching colors to his. His eyes were upon
the prince, calculating and cunning as ever. Sitting to his right was his
mother, the queen, now dressed in fine clothing as well. She sat, attentive and
orderly. When the king spoke, he commanded the sea with the voice of a wise sage
and passionate leader. "Greetings, my dearest son. How are you? You have been
restless these past nights, I worry for you." The prince responded in a
respectful and dutiful tone, "I am better now, father. I apologize for
occupying so much of your attention with my restless dreaming." The king
chuckled in a quiet voice, his eyes twinkling with youth. "Do not be ashamed to
occupy my concern, you are my son. You are my heir, and my body is abandoning
me. There is only so much time until you bear this crown that I wear." The
prince nodded.

"This kingdom, our kingdom, and its people are our life. We are their protector
and their voice. Our ancestors built this city of coral on the sea, and we are
the caretakers of it. Our race has become great through perseverance and
determination. As the next king, you are charged with much responsibility."

Following a meal in the grandiose chamber, the prince went back to his room. He
stared out the window, at the massive coral empire floating on the sea. Spires
and domes adorned many platforms of various heights, but none as tall as the
palace in which he watched the sea. Across the intricate roads paved of coral
mosaics, and beyond the splendid glistening buildings lay the blue sea. The sea
seemed to dance with delight when he looked upon it, swirling foam and the wind
dancing across the surface, and below the waters was a never ending matrix of
sea creatures gliding through the mass of blue.

The prince was never crowned, however. His restless sleeping began to posses
him, lapsing in and out of reality on a daily basis. The king grew old, the
empire began to rust. The floating city was attacked from the shore, and the
life of the city began to die slowly. They had lost pride in the once great
empire. The king and the prince were both killed, and the queen fled. The queen
sought to salvage what she could of the decaying empire. She called upon the
powers of the Gods to cloak her and the rest of her people in the sea. The
bodies of the people became covered in kelp, and they resided to live below the
surface, safe from the shores. The queen grew old, but she remained faithful to
her people. Centuries and decades passed, and soon everything was forgotten of
the city of coral. There was on spire though, a great spire built from the base
of the sea that towered above the waves. It was sacred to the sea, and it was in
turn preserved by it. The queen denounced her title of the royal family, and
became known as Lanikai. To this day, she watches over the sea, and tends to
the reef below the waves, hoping to rebuild the once great empire.