The Merman's Lament - IvanTill

~07~

Ivan was forced to return to the palace, considering Unsha had ordered him to be locked down. However, in the middle of the night, he found once again the opportunity to escape while everyone slept. He bid farewell to Sua, knowing he would not be able to see her again, and left the palace, heading for Luka's lair.

The farther he went, the more sinister the landscape before him became. It was darker, and the ground was filled with skeletons of both fish and humans that were unfortunate enough to drown. There were also lots of shipwrecks, more than in any other corner of the kingdom.

He continued swimming forward despite the chilling sight until he reached the entrance of a cave. A combination of unpleasant and strong smells emanated from it, almost making Lan Wangji gag. However, he swam in, nothing being strong enough to stop him, as his determination was even stronger.

He took a look at the walls of the cave, trying to find the so-called trophies the wizard kept, but there was nothing there apart from some shells and coral. Still, the aura that place had was as unsettling as everything surrounding it. He got to the center, where there was a giant cauldron, and there were shelves all around holding all sorts of vials filled with liquids that were used in making the potions.

"I know why you are here, Prince Ivan," said a voice that echoed all over the room.

A half-man, half-octopus creature revealed himself before Ivan and stopped right before the cauldron.

He had very pale skin, blond hair, golden eyes, and the tips of his fingers were a purplish hue.

"You are here because you want to become a human so you can live in the world above with that prince you saved from drowning, aren't you?"

Ivan was surprised to hear that the wizard knew everything, as if he had been spying on him or could even read his mind.

"Yes, that's right."

Luka smirked before giggling, leaving Ivan slightly confused.

"You are such a foolish boy for wishing something like that, but regardless of what I think about it, I can help you get what you want."

Ivan could barely contain the excitement he felt when he heard Luka's words. But the wizard quickly stopped him before he could get too hyped.

"However, there are some things that you must consider."

Ivan stopped swimming around, overjoyed, and regained his composure to listen to him.

"The first thing you must know is that this transformation will be very painful. The potion will make you feel as if a sword were splitting your tail in half, and you will even bleed from it."

Ivan wasn't all that excited anymore, but even if it was scary, he was willing to go through all the pain for his beloved's sake.

"The second thing is that every step you take with your new feet will feel as if you were walking on needles. And even then, you will walk and dance more gracefully than any other human."

Once again, Ivan felt terrified about it, but when he thought of Till and imagined how it would be to finally be beside him, it didn't feel as scary anymore, and he thought he would be able to take it.

"And the most important one of them all is that if your prince were to marry another, your heart will break and you will meet a tragic fate."

This time, Ivan did hesitate. While the other ones didn't sound as horrifying, this one was giving him chills.

He now understood why many who had made a deal with the sea wizard had died. They probably didn't get to fully fulfill their wishes in the end because of one of the conditions.

"And what would I have to give you in exchange for it?"

Luka smirked, as if he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He approached the merman and placed a hand on his shoulder while another one lifted his chin so he would look him in the eye.

"Since I would have to use my own blood and other hard-to-find ingredients, I will require your most precious possession," he said, his voice becoming slightly seductive. "Your voice."

Ivan's eyes widened at the mention, and he pulled away from him, scared at the mention of having to give up something as important as his voice.

"But how could I give up something like my voice when I wouldn't be able to tell him anything?"

Luka shrugged, but he looked as if he didn't care about it, nor was it his problem.

"I guess you could write down everything to him or gesture."

Ivan was still feeling slightly indecisive. The price to pay was expensive, and everything he would have to endure for him would be a lot.

Would it be worth it?

Luka saw how he was struggling to decide and approached him once again, trying to help him make up his mind.

"Come on! You will be able to be with your beloved at last and in the world you have always dreamed to explore and be in. Isn't that what you want?" he said, trying to continue using a seductive voice. "You will also finally be free from your royal duties and escape from your abusive father. Remember how he treated you last night and how unfairly he has treated you all these years."

Ivan couldn't help but look back on all those years and think of the way he had been treated by his father, and even last night had been enough for him.

Luka knew everything and knew exactly which buttons to push to get seafolk to make a deal with him and not leave his lair without having given him what he wanted.

This time, he was also right in everything, and he also knew what to do to convince Ivan.

Ivan took a deep breath, having made up his mind after having gone through his entire life and the painful events of last night.

"Let's make the deal. I want to be with him and leave this place."

Luka smirked triumphantly, even though he knew Ivan would have chosen to make the deal with him anyway.

"Splendid! I will get the potion ready!"

The merman watched as the half-octopus creature began adding all kinds of strange ingredients and liquids to the cauldron, which would occasionally explode. At some point, he pulled out a dagger and sliced his palm, letting some of his blood drip into the concoction, just like he had mentioned he would have to do.

Once it was ready, he placed it in a vial and approached the merman while his other hand carried the dagger.

"Now, before I give you the potion, you must give me your voice, so open your mouth."

Ivan was hesitant, but he did as he was told. In the blink of an eye, Luka cut off his tongue, leaving the merman in agony and almost choking on his own blood.

Luka gave him something so he would stop bleeding, and once he had more or less recovered from it, he handed him the vial with the potion.

"Swim to the surface and drink it before the sun rises. And remember, if the prince ever marries another, your heart will break and you will face a tragic fate."

Ivan nodded, taking the vial into his hands. Then, he left Luka's lair, still in pain and slightly saddened over having sacrificed his voice.

He swam to the surface, ending up on the same shore he had carried Till to. The sun was about to rise, so he hurried up and opened the vial, drinking the bitter liquid without leaving a single drop.

In a matter of a few seconds, he had to hold onto the nearest rocks due to the amount of pain he was in. He could feel as if his tail was being split in two with a sword, and he was indeed bleeding from it, the sand underneath turning red, even though it was quickly washed away by the water. The agony he was in was proving to be so much that he was trembling, his eyes were tearing up, and he could feel dark spots covering his vision.

As the pain intensified, Ivan's vision fully went dark.