The Krakens Bride

On Land (Chapter 5): Yuki

I was awakened by the sensation of someone staring at me. It was a strong gaze that was continuous, like whoever it was simply stood above me, staring intensely.

Opening my eyes, I looked up and jumped while I took in Javo's form above me.

He just watched me, with a grimace upon his thin lips.

"It is rude to watch people sleep you know?" I said, as I made my body move to sit up.

"I was told to be sure that you were still breathing for one and check that the symbols had awakened within the presence of incense. I have much better things to do with my time than watch you by choice," his tone was snarky, but I figured if he had wanted to hurt me or something, he could have done it before I woke up.

Going to rub the sleep from my eyes, it was then that I noticed two things.

The first, my skin was faintly glowing. Second, my fingers had somehow fused with some sort of webbing.

To explain, where the paint had been all over my skin, those places now glowed a pretty red upon my pale skin. It was a light I had not noticed before but staring at it now had revealed the second change to my body; my fingers.

They had always been slender and long but now there was a thin translucent webbing connecting my fingers and the nails on my hands had sharpened just a little.

"What happened to my body?!?" I exclaimed, as I flipped my hands back and forth.

"The rituals worked. You are ready to go to the Kraken's cave," Javo said with a smug grin on his mouth.

"What do you mean they worked? What has happened to me? I did not have this webbing before I went to sleep!" I shouted at him and moved to get up from the bed.

Javo watched me stand but my legs buckled when I went to take a step forward.

He caught me by the elbow, none too gently I might add, then pushed me back onto the bed.

"Your body has been changed to allow you to be a proper bride to the beast of the deep. The runes painted along your skin were to begin those changes, while the slumber within the room of incense completes those changes. You are now suited to being underneath the water, not on the surface. This is why you will find walking hard, and you must be dying of thirst, am I right?" It was only after he mentioned it that I realized; it was indeed true that my throat felt extremely dry.

My body also felt heavier than before now that I was taking a full assessment of my extremities.

Looking down, I noticed the thin webbing between my pale toes as well with those glowing red runes standing stark against my skin like a beacon of change.

"Why did you people not say anything about this BEFORE I grew webbing on my skin? Who does that?" I shouted, angrily.

Javo just smirked and said nothing.

The door to the room opened with a heavy slam, making me look past this asshole and towards Darmine who came in with a huge pitcher of water and a bowl of what looked like fish and fruit.

"Darmine! Why did none of you tell me that this would happen to me? Seriously- what is wrong with yall?" My voice raised with each word, until I was completely yelling.

The dryness within my throat persisted while Darmine only looked upon me, with a look of pity within his stormy gray gaze. Walking up to the bed, he held out the pitcher of water and my eyes were drawn to it at once.

The ice within it clinked pleasantly, while condensation slid down its clear surface making me swallow thirstily.

Angry as I was, there was no resisting that pitcher.