The Merman's Lament - IvanTill

~06~

During the following days, Ivan fell into a depression. He couldn't stop thinking about Till, and the more he did, the more his heart felt like it was being stabbed by needles, and he was drowning in sorrow.

The prince thought that the girl had saved his life, and on top of that, there was no way for Ivan to even be with him because of his tail.

Why did everything have to be so unfair?

Why couldn't he just be with his beloved in that wonderful world where he surely did belong?

Both Unsha and Sua noticed the sudden change in the mood of the merman, but while Unsha didn't really show any concern, Sua was full of worry, especially when Ivan was getting worse the more time went by.

"Ivan, what happened? You are making me so worried..." voiced Sua one day, when she went to find him at the secret hideout.

Ivan didn't know if it would be a good idea to tell his sister about what had happened. Even if Sua didn't hold any grudge towards humans, he still didn't know if it would be a good idea to tell her he had saved one from drowning and was in love with him.

"Sua, is there any way for humans and merfolk to ever be together?"

Sua was slightly taken aback by his question, but at the same time, she also wasn't considering that her brother was obsessed with the human world.

"I don't think it's possible, unfortunately," answered Sua, being as honest as she could be yet being careful at the same time, considering she might hurt her brother's feelings with her response. "Humans would be scared of our tails and reject us because of them. They would only be with those who have legs like they do. And even then, they don't live as many years as we do. While we live three hundred years, they barely even live a hundred..."

Ivan was already expecting that kind of answer, and even though it hurt hearing it, he didn't want to give up yet. Sua pulled him into her arms, seeing how he seemed to be feeling even more down, even if he still refused to be crushed by it.

"Do you think there is a way for merfolk to exchange their soul for legs and a human soul?"

Sua didn't see that coming and was shocked, but she answered his question, trying not to lose her cool.

"It's impossible. I don't even think the sea wizard would be able to do something like it. Seems like such a pretty difficult wish to be granted."

Right. He had forgotten about Luka. Now he couldn't help wanting to search for him.

What if there was a possibility his wish could come true?

He didn't want to discard it right away as impossible. He wanted to be with Till and live in the human world, and he would do anything to get what he wanted. Nothing mattered more to him than the prince he had always wanted to be with and that wonderful world that held everything he loved.

He held hope within himself that it was indeed possible to become human, only that no one would want to tell him about it, so that he wouldn't get what he wanted. He could understand it, though, knowing well that his father and sister would probably be heartbroken if he were to become human, but it was what he desired the most.

'If they love me, they will understand.'

What he didn't expect was for Unsha to barge into the secret hideout, fuming in anger, surprising both of them. They didn't think about the possibility of Unsha ever finding out about both the secret hideout and also finding out that he still was pretty much obsessed with the human world to the point he would be willing to go to the sea wizard to become human.

"Father!"

Unsha swam towards Ivan and grabbed him by the neck, his left hand wrapping firmly against it and bringing him close to his eye level. The young merman was terrified, never expecting his father to treat him like that. He tried to free himself, but he was losing strength due to being unable to breathe properly.

"I knew you were playing with me when all your trash disappeared from the garden out of the blue!" he yelled, making both brothers flinch. "Did you think I would fall for it and think that you stopped with your little obsession?!"

"I-I..."

"Father, please, stop!" begged Sua, who grabbed his arm to get him to release his brother.

However, Unsha pushed her away harshly, making her fall to the ground. Ivan could feel dark spots slowly fill his vision as the pressure on his neck didn't decrease at all.

"I followed Sua all the way here and overheard your little conversation," he said, trying to act calm, only to then yell again right in Ivan's face. "What's all that about going to the sea wizard and becoming a human, huh?!"

Ivan was left trembling as he tried weakly to free himself once again, but he could barely even see.

"You are such a disgrace, Ivan! That's not the way I raised you! You are a merman prince, and you should behave like so! Forget about that barbaric world from above already! You are a merman!"

Ivan tried to shake his head, still not wanting to give up. This only made Unsha even angrier, and with his free hand, he slapped him, leaving a red mark on his cheek.

"How dare you still defy me?! I'm the king and you must obey my orders!" he continued yelling, leaving Ivan in tears. "I guess you deserve more punishment then!"

Unsha threw Ivan against the wall of the cave while he started to break everything he could find. Ivan, who had no strength and was still trying to catch his breath, had no choice but to watch in horror as everything he had collected over the years was destroyed until only shards were left. Unsha had vented his anger on all those objects, not caring about how precious they could be to his son at all, and how devastated he would be if they were to be broken.

"You should have listened to me earlier when I told you to forget about the human world. Now I do hope you will think twice before defying me. You will be unable to leave the palace for a whole month until you learn your lesson, understood?"

With that, he left, leaving a devastated Ivan crying on the floor of the cave as he clutched the remains of one of his favorite books and his favorite vases.

Instead of making him forget about the human world, he managed to make him want even more to leave behind the sea world and leave to be with his beloved, whom he was confident would understand him more than his sister or father ever would.

He had made up his mind. He would go to the sea wizard's lair to become human.