The Tides of Fate || Yizhan Fanfic || Mermen AU

CHAPTER 005.

"You are back sooner than expected," Lingyu grinned as soon as Zhan swam into her abode. She enveloped him in a hug, promptly detecting his hangdog mood at his foul pheromones. "What's bothering you?"

Zhan pouted as he made his way down to her seaweed bed, lying on his back with his tail fluttering. Shutting his eyes, he sighed, "I have a lot of issues."

With a snarl, Lingyu lay next to him. "Does this involve your betrothed? Has he declared his unwavering love for you, and you now see how foolish you were to reject him?"

Zhan's eyes opened instantly, and he gave her a stern look, but she laughed, her eyes shining with playfulness.

"I jest." she quickly added when the hard stare in Zhan's eyes did not soften. "What troubles you, merman Zhan? Are you perhaps tired of living in the sea?"

"I need to break off Yibo and my engagement, but the queen would not listen to my explanations. She plans to push our engagement forward," he spoke.

"Perhaps you can turn this to your advantage. Being the commander's mate, you can simply pass through the gate and head to the shore without raising any red flags with the soldiers. On the other hand, it has drawbacks. Yibo would become aware of your stealthy moves, and you would be able to glimpse the coast."

In other terms, he could bid farewell to his freedom. "I want to run away."

Lingyu hissed. "I would not advocate that. Problems do not get solved by fleeing. It is like swimming in circles—no matter how far you go, you always end up back where you started.

Zhan abruptly stood up straight, clamped his palm over Lingyu's mouth, and she looked at him bewildered, her brows arched. Zhan kept her quiet by pressing his finger to his lips, trying to listen to the sound that suddenly came to him like a passing breeze.

He listened intently until he heard it clearly, and his eyes widened as his brain understood what was going on. "It's the guards. I think they must have followed me here."

Lingyu's eyes widened, but they reacted too late, as their sole escape route was blocked by a throng of guards crashing into the shattered ship, their rifles pointing at the two.

Lingyu hissed like a snake, her eyes flashed a dark, keen crimson, her teeth transformed into fangs, and her fingers into claws. Xiao Zhan gasped at the rapid transformation of his friend but didn't get the time to react when the skilled guards held Lingyu down with kelp whips and let her sink to the sea floor, kneeling and struggling to be set free.

"Let go of her. You are hurting her!" Zhan screamed but they fell on deaf ears as the guards surrounded Lingyu like a monster because, in their eyes, what was what every sea witch was; monsters that were meant to be killed at first sight.