the little mermaid | jellal fernandes [discontinued]

Chapter 16- The Sea Witch

I left the heirloom in the cave.

I followed the two eels outside, deep into my troubled thoughts.

I felt betrayed. I felt hurt. With every exploding possession that I had sweated and fought for, it tore open my soul and tears poured from the holes. Who knows if those would ever get patched up.

The water was now much colder- already midnight, but I was wide awake.

*

"Poor (y/n)..." Amica sniffs, wiping her nose with her fin. "she never meant for any of this to happen. She only fell in love..."

The two new friends were on the other side of the cave- depression hanging in the air like pollution. Their sympathy had turned into empathy as the situation became worser than they ever dreamed of.

"I didn't mean to tell!" Kelton cries, stuck in his own heartbreak for the girl he'd known since birth. "it was an accident, I would never..."

A shadow passed over them; and they looked up to see three figures swimming by.

Away from the palace.

"(y/n) where are you going?!" Kelton swims up until he's face to face with the mermaid. "what are you doing here with these disgusting creatures?"

"I'm going to see the Sea Witch," I reply confidently, pushing past the crab. I didn't care for him anymore; I had one goal, and one goal only.

I could hear his gasp from meters away.

"No! (y/n), no! She's a demon, she's a monster!" he grabbed onto my tail.

I snap him off with a flick of my tail. "Why don't you go tell my grandfather that, Kelton? You seem to be good at that."

And that was the end of his vocal pursuit.

Unknowing to me, Kelton and Amica would follow us throughout my trip to her.

We swam farther, deeper into mysterious terrain. Everything darkened- not a single plant or coral was to be spotted, the ground covered in uneven, jagged rocks. Hydrothermal vents spotted the landscape- their hot fumes twirling in the water, a neon purple smoke.

Thank god our skin was thick and used to this kind of heat, or else it would have certainly melted.

And there it was.

Her lair.

It was made up of the exoskeleton of a Megalodon. It's huge ribs covered the walls, it's mouth open as it's entrance. It's eye sockets were empty and hollow, as if sad that his remains was now being used as a home by a witch.

Thicker violet smoke arose from the cracks- more potent than the rest.

It's musky smell hung in the air.

"This way," the eels hiss together. They led me right through the mouth. I shivered as I took in the skeleton's sharp, triangular teeth lining the entrance.

We swam down it's throat.

And then the wailing started.

Thousand of creatures spotted the bottom of the decaying bone- small living things, that would almost fit in the palm of my hand. Their brown skin sagged around their lamp-like eyes, looking at me in dying despair.

I pressed a hand against my mouth to prevent myself from vomiting.

"Come closer..." a voice broke through the silence. A female voice, rough. "Come in, my child. You musn't lurk in doorways... It's rude. One might question your upbringing..."

Oh god, that haunting, haunting voice.

Pink plants hung from the wall, and a huge cone shell stood in the middle of the room.

Blue, glowing eyes stared at me, pushing herself off of the shell. The light caught the scales of her tail, the gold of her headpiece and wristbands.

"Aquarius..." I whisper, finally having gained enough courage to say her cursed name.

She only smirks at me.

The mermaid sits elegantly on the rim, balancing her tail and body in a way only a woman trained in etiquette would. She was as beautiful as I remembered from all those years ago- pastel pink lips, a heart-shaped face, and pale skin that glittered in the dim light.

The usual assortment of jewels decorated her body- the silver and gold headpiece against her forehead, the blue diamonds hanging from her ears, the bold tattoo against her collarbone.

She swam across the room, perching herself on a stool. She took out a square shaped clam, opening it and rubbed the white cream against her face.

"Now then, you're here because you have this... thing for this human, correct?" she looked back at me, not really waiting for any confirmation. She knew the answer well enough. "this prince fellow... Not that I blame you," her lips turned into a wicked grin that did nothing good for the wall-bouncing nerves in my stomach.

"He is quite the charmer, isn't he?" she speaks, a small chuckle to her voice.

She carefully rubs red substance over her lips. It's in fiery contrast with her hair, and only brings out the darkness in her navy orbs.

I nod mutely.

I'm not surprised that she knew.

"Well, angelfish," she pouts her lip in the mirror, eyes on my reflection behind her.

The nickname stings in a bad way.

"Your probably already know, but the only solution to your problem is to become a human..."

I knew it.

"And with your angry Granddaddy on your tail, it's a good way to avoid him, hm?"

I sigh. "I know..."

"Now, why do you look so upset?" she tuts. "I've seen many good things about being a human. First of all, reproducing is easier, and I've heard it's much more enjoyable there..."

My cheeks flush slightly in response to the image. More specifically, Jellal involved in that image.

"And... can you do that?" I ask hesitantly.

"My dear, sweet child, that's what I do..."

She throws her head back and grins.