Poor Unfortunate Soul

Gateway

Emlyn opened a portal to his abode, leading (Y/n) right through and into his lair of miracles. The portal quickly closed behind them.

"Now then, based on your size and shape, I'll need..."

The merman watched as Emlyn rummaged through multiple containers, grabbing various bottles with his tentacles and either putting them back after looking at them or holding on to them.

This gave (Y/n) time to observe the space around him. Emlyn's home seemed to be made from a crystal cave of some kind, lined with plenty of shiny geodes.

There wasn't much in terms of decoration, but there were a few rocks adorned with soft padding to sit on. In the center of the main space was a large iron cauldron.

(Y/n) jumped when Emlyn rushed over to the cauldron, dumping some thick substance right in.

"Bleak bearberry base, then... satyr fat..."

The cecaelia continued to mumble to himself, uncorking a bottle of what appeared to be chunky lard. He dumped half of it into the cauldron before placing the bottle back down.

"Next, I need... hold on."

Emlyn quickly grabbed a note from a table beside one of the sitting rocks and skimmed over it.

"Serving size, amount of transmutation... so, about... what's your waist size?"

"Uh, (w/s)... I think."

Emlyn nodded.

"Five grams of spriggon bark... and two Leviathan barbs. One lake betty should deal with the gills, and a ground kraken tooth will ensure a clean split... and a single blood bloom."

(Y/n) watched in awe as Emlyn used his tentacles to expertly sort through the ingredients he had grabbed and skillfully add the exact amounts he needed right into the cauldron.

The moment the petals of the blood bloom, a bioluminescent sea flower that glowed an ominous red hue, touched the concoction, the liquid began to boil and steam.

It was a pastel purple in color, but the steam was tinted slightly pink. It smelled horrific, like a decaying fish too close to the surface.

"Half a cup. No more, no less. The transformation will be quick but uncomfortable. The blood bloom I added isn't part of the original recipe, but it will both remove your voice so that I may collect it and transport you to dry land. Are you ready?"

"I was born ready."

The confidence in his tone was hopelessly synthetic. Emlyn's responding expression was comforting nonetheless.

The cecaelia scooped some of that purple goo into a cup, filling it exactly halfway, and presented it to (Y/n). He took it into his hand, admiring the fine china that housed the key to his wish. His eyes were burning from the rancid smell.

With a deep breath of courage, he began to chug the potion. To his surprise, the only taste was that of the sweet sap from the blood bloom.

Once the last drop slid down his throat, the porcelain cup slipped from his hands.

(Y/n) screamed, pain unlike any other tingling down his spine in waves. Even powerful claws of chitin ripping through his skin had been a less painful experience than this. It felt like he was being ripped in half... it didn't take very long for him to realize he wasn't that far off.

A mix of horror and amazement washed over him as he watched his tail split, pulling apart until the separation reached his pelvis. He could see his fucked up spine, dislocated and fractured in multiple places.

The bones quickly began to re-arrange as his scales became skin, wrapping all the way around his new legs. (Y/n) shivered when he felt his gills seal themselves, disappearing as if they were never there to begin with.

He opened his mouth as if to say something but promptly choked on a mix of sea water and the glowing representation of his voice being sucked into an empty bottle Emlyn was holding.

"When the time is up, you'll automatically be sent back here. Enjoy your visit to the surface."

Emlyn's smile was the last thing (Y/n) saw before he was transported away.
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When (Y/n) awoke, he felt pleasantly warm. He was... he was on dry land. A beach, something he hadn't seen in years.

His eyes quickly filled with tears, and he rejoiced when he could really feel them run down his cheeks. The sand, rough and coarse as it was, felt like heaven beneath his skin.

With a deep breath, something (Y/n) was savoring despite the salty air, he pushed himself onto his new legs. The left one immediately began to tremble and throb, a pinching pain running up the length of it.

His injury had indeed carried over to his human legs... but he was keeping his balance despite it. He took a nearby branch into his hand to help him along and began to wander, basking under the warm sun.
_______________________________________

Emlyn was enjoying a nice bowl of scallops when the merman he had assisted the previous day appeared before him.

"Ah, welcome back! Hold on a moment while I grab your voice."

With a big stretch, the cecaelia swam over to his alchemy table and grabbed the bottle that was housing (Y/n)'s voice. As soon as the cork had been removed, the glowing orb returned to the merman.

That was when Emlyn realized the strange look in the smaller male's eyes.

"Is... is something bothering you? Was it not what you were expecting?"

Faster than he could perceive, (Y/n) was crushing him in a hug.

"P-please... please give me another dose! I need to go back!"

The merman was ranting, shivers running all along his body as he begged Emlyn to allow him another trip.

"I... I can't just..."

But the adorable male was staring up at him with the biggest, most innocent eyes he had ever seen.

"Ehh... o-ok. I'll give you one more dose. But that's it, ok? It puts your body under a lot of stress, and I don't want to ruin what's left of your movement."

(Y/n)'s responding smile made all three of his hearts skip a beat. He tried not to think about the situation he was in as he handed the merman another half cup of the bubbling potion.