trouvaille | bl | wmmap

7: curiosity is a cute thing

7: curiosity is a cute thing

In the time when all races lived in peace, there were two types of sea creature who stood above the rest.

The merpeople and the sirens.

They were indistinguishable from each other in appearance and many mistook one with the other.

Merpeople liked solitude and rarely conversed with other races. But they were a little biased towards humans who they deemed as their brothers and sisters. Merpeople were generous and honest creatures. This was why some humans often swindled them of treasures.

Nonetheless, these merpeople did not mind. The sea was filled with countless priceless treasures that other races would love to covet. To them, they were common items and nothing more.

But sirens?

Sirens loved to trick other races and treat them like toys. Sometimes, they would use their enchanting voice to lure them into the sea and drag one down to the bottom. Sirens liked solitude as well and that includes not associating with other sirens.

They liked to move alone, venturing the vast sea.

A siren is born when a merfolk dies.

Because of this, there was an irreconcilable hatred between them. The merpeople hated the fact that sirens made a mess in their wake and caused other races to mistake them for a merfolk. It was good that merpeople didn't mind being hated by other races but they minded that sins they did not commit were labelled upon their own.

Why did sirens have to be born when the merpeople died? For merpeople, this odd exchange of death and birth filled them with unwillingness.

Nereus was a merfolk.

Anastacius wasn't surprised.

But for Cordelia to be born out of a merfolk and a siren?

This, he could not believe his ears. The hatred between the merpeople and the sirens seemed irreversible. Then, how come a merfolk and a siren gave birth to Cordelia?

"Wait," it dawned on Anastacius what Nereus just said. "Is Cordelia not your daughter?"

"No, no, he's my—" Nereus clamped his mouth shut in an instant.

However, Anastacius clearly heard what he had just said. His dark ominous eyes bored into the nervous Nereus, who avoided looking straight at him. "Nereus," said man fiddled with his fingers. Anastacius didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

This man, who was taller than him by a few, appeared afraid of him.

How ridiculous was this?!

"Cordelia... is your son?"

"No, he's my nephew—"

Two single fathers stared at each other in awkward silence. Nereus parted his lips, wanting to explain his side of the story but the stern gaze penetrating right through his heart caused him to choke back his words. The quiet between them deepened.

"Anastacius," Nereus spoke after a handful of minutes. "No one other than you knows Cordelia's condition. It is not because I am distrustful of you and your daughter but Cordelia's circumstances... are a little bit difficult to explain.

"Ever since the merpeople went into hiding, humans believed that we were made up by their ancestors. The Sea King once said that since they chose to believe that we did not exist, then us merpeople would vanish from human eyes. From many years ago, humans believed that only they alone existed in this world.

"If our existence were to come to light, what would happen to Cordelia? I alone can't protect her in these lands."

"Then, why," Anastacius narrowed his eyes. "Why are you living away from the sea?"