A Merfolk's Tale

Chapter Ten

A baby cooed in his mother's arms as the mother looked down at him. The moon was shining down, casting a shadow on her face so he couldn't see what his mother looked like, but he knew that she was smiling down at him.

"I will be gone for a while little one," His mother whispered, "I will come back. By then be a good boy and wait for me... okay?"

The baby cooed and tried to reach for his mother but she had given him away to another person and she caressed his face. The moment he was detached from his mother's arms, the baby started crying but his mother caressed his face. "Mama will be back... so dry those tears now. Be brave, my little Izuku..."

She turned and started to swim to the surface, the baby's cries echoing into the night-- the cry of a son longing for his mother to come back.

***

Izuku shivered at the cold wind that passed by them, but he still managed to stay on his ground as he saw Shoto doing last-minute checks with Eiji on the ship. A few more minutes and their voyage will start, leaving Izuku waiting for Shoto's return.

A hand rested on his shoulder and Izuku smiled up at Momo. "Seven days will go by fast, I assure you that," she said with a smile when he saw the longing on Izuku's face.

He nodded in response and looked to see Shoto walking towards them. Momo gave Izuku a light squeeze before moving over and pester her brother and give the couple some space.

"We'll be leaving as soon as the final preparations have been made," Shoto said. "I know you would want to come but... you'll be safer here..."

Izuku nodded and took Shoto's hand, telling him that he understands.

"Promise me you'll wait for me here... alright?" Shoto said and Izuku wrapped his pinky with him-- a wide smile on his face.

With the final preparations set and done, everyone that needed to be on the ship had started filing-- Shoto being the last. Izuku gave him a smile before giving his hand a light squeeze and finally letting go. Shoto returned the smile before turning for the ship and getting aboard. Izuku watched as the huge ship turned smaller as the distance started to become greater until all Izuku could see was a dark spot on the horizon and he found himself praying that Shoto would be back as soon as possible so that he can finally tell him the truth about who he is.

***

"Izuku, I'll go on ahead and start with dinner," Momo called and Izuku nodded with a smile before pointing at the stairs that led to the castle's library.

"Well don't stay too long," Momo said and Izuku nodded in agreement as they both went on their own ways.

During his first few days in Yuei, Shoto had shown Izuku the library and the greenhead was mesmerized at how big the place was. However, he had no knowledge of the alphabet nor did he know how to read or write.

Shoto and the others offered to help him and it had become the norm to see the greenhead in the library in his free time, reading and expanding his knowledge in the human world.

Izuku remembered when he stumbled upon an old book about mermaids where Eiji, Tenya, and Shoto started to have a very heated argument about their legend-- Izuku smiling, internally laughing at the false stories humans made about his kind as generations passed by. Every now and then, he would come by the library and read the book-- correcting the false facts written on it and would put it back again, unaware that someone had been following him and reading what he had written in the book.

Mermaids have an enchanting voice and they often use it to lure their prey into the water and drown it. It is said that once you hear a mermaid's singing voice, you see what your heart desires the most-- thus the stronger the temptation it is and the harder it is to resist. If a man, however, is able to resist such strong temptation they are deemed high knowledge for the rest of their lives and the mermaid's singing would affect them less.