Cordelia uses the Pearl to drain Oceana’s energy and transfer it to a forgotten undersea kingdom called , where rejected sea creatures and banished mermaids live. She promises them strength, but instead turns them into emotionless guardians of the Trench.
Cordelia hesitates. But when a giant trench beast (awakened by the Pearl’s misuse) attacks, Merliah saves Cordelia’s life. Moved, Cordelia returns the Pearl, and the two combine their magic to calm the beast—turning it into a gentle guardian. barbie in a mermaid tale 2
Merliah learns that Cordelia isn’t purely evil. Long ago, Cordelia’s family was exiled from Oceana for using wild magic to heal sick reefs. Cordelia doesn’t want to destroy Oceana—she wants to prove that “flawed magic” can be just as powerful as royal magic. But her bitterness has twisted her mission. Cordelia uses the Pearl to drain Oceana’s energy