He Lies Within the Sea (eremika)

Chapter Thirteen

Water gushing about, the stream of it like a vortex that could never let go, Mikasa was helpless as she was dragged through the see by some unknown force- some force with little mercy. It whipped and tugged at her, pulling her body roughly without any consideration for her health. She felt as though she'd bruise along her arms and her body might even be sore later. She didn't even see what was going on because of the rushing blur of water, so all she could do was endure until it was over.

But when it was over, she wished she'd never jumped in the water just as much as she was glad she did. The sight before her was nothing she could have ever imagined, bu that was why it was terrifying. In a foreign place, she was wanted by someone. She was wanted by a King. But why?

Around her were tall structures made of glittering material, spires towering high in the sky with a turquoise color. They shimmered like glass, as if the sun even reached the dark depths. Lights burst from posts, peaking out from shells as though they were street lights lining the jagged rock fence around where she was.

Outside of the glittering building before her were hundreds- no thousands- of spired and jagged homes, some of them simple and some of them complex, lining the sea floor. Fish fluttered about, swimming with ease, and even beyond, her eyes widened at the side of many mermaids going through the sea as if patrolling, bu there were no streets. The lights were in no particular place, and the homes- she assumed they were- weren't structured normally. Some would have a second floor attached to the main building, but beneath it there would be nothing, almost as if the room was floating albeit not.

Her mouth fell agape, but she could stare long before she finally took notice of the people before her. No, they weren't people. They were mermaids as well, and she stared in shock at the glittering scales of bursting reds and oranges- most of them boasting the beauty of a sunset, similar to her own, although somehow, hers felt more stunning, more extravagant, and that wasn't even Mikasa being arrogant.

One of the mermaids, however, an older woman, her hair running a long blonde that was going silver at the top, had scales of a white color. It wasn't like the shimmering silver of Annie or that eerie mermaid with the red eyes- an odd similarity between that two- but purely white, as if untouched by the smallest speck of dirt. She looked much unlike the man beside her or the few others off to the side.

The man was tall, his scaled tail similar in color scheme as Mikasa's, and his hair was long and flowing of a deep black- like her own, yet again. Narrowed, slant eyes stared back at her, cold and brown- his lips twisted into something of a heartless frown, almost disappointed or disgusted. 

He crossed his arms and cocked his head, staring her down. Beside him, the blonde looked over her warily, almost concerned, but he seemed as though Mikasa was dirt to him. She didn't like the feeling, her stomach turning at it all, and for a moment, she had even forgotten Eren, but when his face appeared in her mind once more, she nearly gasped. The only thing stopping her from exhibiting any sort of reaction was her fear of this man, as well as the two others behind him, their hair as dark as his. It was the blonde who stood out the most, like a stick in the mud, albeit a beautiful stick.

"So that woman failed?" he said, his frown still deep with the wrinkle of his brow. The blonde cast a glance at him, but she kept silent, closing her hazel eyes with the shake of her head. Something was taut in her jaw, like she was pained and holding back.

When Mikasa realized he was looking at her, she glanced around and muttered, "Wh-what?"

"You're here," he said, his accent something that Mikasa couldn't even begin to place. She was utterly confused, but if she truly thought about it, this had to do with her mother. She was a mermaid, too, and she had even lied to Mikasa again. She said that Mikasa was normal, and Mikasa couldn't believe her mother was ignorant on this, either, considering how adamant she was that Mikasa never go into the sea, let alone near it after she passed out that one time.

"Who are you?" she tried again, glancing around. Despite her fear, her voice turned sharp, and her eyes narrowed. She was afraid, but she kept reminding herself that Eren was endangered- and Annie too, if she was truly to be trusted. 

"Oh, did she not tell you?" the man boomed.

"Tell me what?" she tried.

"That I'm the King," he said. "That I'm her father."

"Who's father?!" Mikasa barked.

"Your mother's!" he snapped back, his teeth snarling with a bite. She flinched at that, but her eyes only narrowed further at his.

She knew it then that the story Eren told her one night was true. There was a princess cast out for caring about a human man, and because that was true, she was filled with a sudden bitterness pumping through her blood, speeding with the rapid pace of her heart. He kicked her mother out of the sea- he was the reason she stared longingly out at the lulling waves lapsing against the cliffside. 

He was her grandfather- and perhaps the older woman beside him was her grandmother. She had no idea about the woman, though. She was so different from the others in appearance that it was odd, bu that small, slightly pointed nose of hers reminded Mikasa of her mother. If she watched the man and the two younger mermaids behind him- both men- then she could see the similarities between them and her mother. Except that nose.

"Alright," she drawled, glancing over them all. "Would you mind telling me why I was pulled here?"

"It was a deal I made with your mother," he said sharply, calming the tension in his shoulders now that Mikasa was participating. "If she or any sort of abomination returned to the sea, she- or the abomination- would not be allowed free. You are an abomination, and you're not to go free."

Her eyes widened, heart skipping, and immediately, Mikasa looked around for an escape. Up was always an option, but when she glanced up, she noticed that up was where the black tailed mermaids were descending from, headed straight for her, their arms somehow built. She panicked and swam to the side, only for them to give chase. The King and the others with him did nothing but watch, trusting their guards of sorts.

Mikasa slithered through the water like some sort of snake, dodging the grabbing arms by the skin of her teeth. Black mermaids swarmed her, all grabbing for her, but she swam up or down- from one side to the next- all to avoid getting grabbed.

But then, something surprised her. The white tailed mermaid- the older blonde woman that seemed rather kind, rather worrying- leapt forward, her hazel eyes empty for all save determination. Mikasa gasped at her speed as she was suddenly upon her, gripping her shoulders with something like an iron grip.

Mikasa cried out at the pain of nails digging into her flesh, and when she looked at the woman, her brows drawn and teeth clenched, she saw that the woman had nothing on her features now. She was blank, like a doll, but for a split second- just before she blinked- there was a slight softening of her eyes. It disappeared when she blinked.

"Let me go!" Mikasa cried, squirming beneath the grip. It hurt more when she moved, causing her mouth to fly open with pain, a small squeak escaping her lips. She could flip around without pause, without giving up, but she would always be apprehended.

The black tailed mermaids swarmed her again, and this time, three of them had a tight grip on her- one on her arms and two on her tail. Something was forced into her mouth- it looked and felt like a rock, but certainly wasn't- and almost immediately things blurred and her body went limp.

But she was still awake as they dragged her to the sea, alongside the turquoise palace of beauty. Carefully, she was pulled until there was an odd black door, locked tightly with what looked like an odd underwater form of a lock system. There was even a key, but it was someones finger bone. She didn't want to know. She was drifting too much to think about it more than a second.

Dragged below the seafloor, she felt the pressure throb against her skull, the blood pulse heavy in her veins, but still, she was breathing. Still, she was alive beneath the entirety of the sea. She thought of how alive she was- how alive she felt- until she was tossed into the bars, the door slamming shut. It was a rocky slide of a door, though, like a secret cave closing behind her. Light was cut off from her, and suddenly, the darkness took her consciousness too.

Note: I know it's been a month, but I was rather busy. I can't predict the next update, whether it'll be within days or weeks or another month. I hope sooner, rather than later. I'd like to finish this before summer.