A Mermaid for the Lonely

The Calm After the Storm

The storm had finally passed, leaving behind a heavy stillness in the water. The churning fury of the ocean had stilled, yet the air remained thick with the tension of what had just transpired. In the dim glow of the underwater cavern, Sirène floated beside Lyam, her mind in turmoil as she tried to process the strange mixture of sensations coursing through her. She had never felt anything quite like it—fear, worry, something raw and unfamiliar.

Lyam leaned back against the cool stone of the cavern wall, his breath still coming in uneven gasps as he recovered from the ordeal. His hand was pressed against his chest as if he was still trying to convince himself that his lungs could now expand freely. The shadow of death had loomed over him mere moments ago, and yet, here he was, alive—saved by her.

Sirène's silver eyes were wide and reflective, her gaze flicking between Lyam and the surface of the water where faint ripples disturbed the stillness. She could feel something inside her—a tension that had not existed before. She wanted to speak, to ask him if he was alright, to make sense of what had just happened, but words seemed elusive.

Lyam's breathing eventually steadied, though the memory of the panic still lingered in his chest. His gaze shifted from the rocky ceiling of the cavern to Sirène, who was hovering in the water, her dark pink tail swaying ever so slightly in the current. The look on her face was unreadable, but there was a strange intensity in her eyes, as if she was trying to understand something about him, about herself.

"You... you saved me," Lyam said softly, his voice hoarse and weak, but steady enough to convey the weight of his gratitude. He leaned forward, his hand finding the edge of the rock shelf to steady himself. "I thought..."

Sirène tilted her head slightly, her gaze fixed on him with an intensity that made him falter. "You were going to die," she finished for him, her voice soft but certain. Her tone wasn't one of reassurance; it was a statement of fact, as if she had already accepted the truth long before he had.

Lyam nodded slowly, his throat dry. He didn't know how to respond to that. It wasn't the first time he had felt death's cold hand reaching for him, but never before had he been so close—so vulnerable—and never had anyone saved him the way she had. He let out a slow, unsteady breath, his eyes tracing over the glistening sheen of her skin, the way her pink hair floated gently around her face like strands of silk.

For a long while, the only sound was the gentle lapping of water against the rocky walls of the cavern. The stillness should have been comforting after the chaos of the storm, but it wasn't. The weight of what had just happened still hung heavily between them.

"You... gave me your breath," Lyam said, breaking the silence, though his voice was barely above a whisper. He still couldn't quite believe it. "You saved me with your breath."

Sirène nodded, her silver eyes unwavering as they studied his face, searching for something—some hint of understanding. "Yes. It was all I had to give."

The simplicity of her answer took him aback. It was as though, to her, saving him had been the most natural thing in the world. And yet, he could see something deeper in her gaze, a flicker of something she couldn't quite articulate. He had seen it before, the way her expression remained composed, her emotions buried beneath the surface, but this time there was more to it.

Lyam shifted uncomfortably, his heart still pounding from the ordeal. "Why did you do it?" he asked softly, his voice strained with a mix of disbelief and curiosity. "Why save me?"

Sirène blinked, her lips parting slightly as if the question had caught her off guard. For a moment, she didn't know how to answer. Why had she saved him? She had guided souls to their rest for as long as she could remember, but never had she intervened like this. Never had she felt the urge to pull someone back from the edge.