Lansi had a dream.
He didn't become a mermaid in the dream.
Everything that became a mermaid—encountering massive tentacles, rescuing the elf-like black-tailed mermaid trapped within coral bones, chatting with a foolish giant jellyfish—vanished when he awoke.
It had all been a muddled dream brought on by drunkenness.
When he woke, Lansi rubbed his sore temples and sat up in a daze. Remembering the strange creatures and bizarre adventures from his sleep, he could only sigh at his own wild imagination.
Still groggy, he stumbled toward the door, intending to clear his head in the sea breeze. He opened it.
Outside, the sky above the cruise ship was heavy with dark clouds and torrential rain. The whole scene looked as though it had been painted in blood.
Screams and howls filled the air.
A massive black shape stood before the cruise ship. As Lansi stared at it, the creature slowly turned, revealing a gaping mouth lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth. The sea monster bit into the cruise ship's bow, tearing through the so-called indestructible steel as if it were paper. The sound of the metal being ripped apart was shrill and horrifying.
Lansi lost his footing, slipped on the deck, and plunged into the sea.
Saltwater filled his mouth and nose, flooding his lungs. He struggled upward, desperate for air, but something caught his foot and pulled him down.
He looked down—and froze.
The black-tailed mermaid emerged from the shadows of the deep sea like a ghost. His tail fin drifted in the water like swirling ink. Smiling at Lansi with vivid red lips, the mermaid gripped his ankle and dragged him downward, ignoring Lansi's cries.
Lansi jolted awake, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. As his surroundings came into focus, he realized the cause of his nightmare.
He was lying on a stone bed, held tightly in Winsor's arms. Their tails were entangled.
This explained the strange sensation of being pulled in the dream.
Lansi looked at the arm around his waist and sighed. This lair was something Winsor had found for them the day before. A flat stone had been turned into a crude bed using seaweed. Winsor said that since there were no sea anemones to anchor them, he had to hold Lansi to prevent him from drifting away while he slept.
Although it sounded questionable, Lansi eventually agreed.
To some extent, it was true. The stone bed was hard and the lack of stability in the water made it difficult to fall asleep. But in Winsor's arms, despite the awkward posture, Lansi had managed to sleep deeply.
"Mm?"
Winsor stirred, tightening his arms instinctively. Lansi let out a muffled noise, nearly suffocated.
"Ai... ya..."
Winsor immediately loosened his grip and kissed Lansi on the cheek.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked.
Lansi glared at him, clearly displeased.
Winsor looked guilty. "Did you have a nightmare?"
Something felt off.
Since they had left the coral bones, Winsor had become increasingly anxious. These past few days, he often looked distant, distracted, as if something were troubling him.
He sat up, pressed a hand to his forehead, and closed his eyes.
"They've started again," he said quietly.
"Who?" Lansi asked.
"It's nothing," Winsor replied after a long pause. Then he resumed his usual composure and swam ahead. "Come on. If we keep going, we should reach Sunset Bay in two days."
Lansi quickly followed, his tail swishing through the water. "Really? We'll be there in two days? Will there be humans?"
Winsor stopped abruptly, turned, and grabbed Lansi's arm. His expression was dark.
"Why do you want to go to Sunset Bay?"
Lansi was taken aback by Winsor's sudden anger. It was the first time he had seen him like this.
"I... I don't like the deep sea," Lansi stammered.
"You lied to me."
The coldness in Winsor's voice made Lansi fall silent.
He had been lying. The relationship between humans and sea monsters was hostile. He couldn't explain that he was a human trapped in a mermaid's body, yearning for the surface and answers. But he had no ill will toward Winsor, and he knew Winsor felt the same.
"I just want to find something in the shipwreck near Sunset Bay," Lansi said weakly. "If you don't want to come, we can part ways."
"No."
Winsor rejected the idea immediately. He frowned and repeated himself.
"No."
After that, he said nothing more and swam west.
Lansi stayed behind, confused. Winsor's behavior felt like a child sulking after a fight.
Their journey, originally supposed to last two days, stretched out. Winsor became sluggish, falling into sudden comas. Every time it happened, Lansi had to drag him to shelter and wait.
Without Winsor, Lansi realized how lost he was. He didn't know how to hunt, what to eat, or what was dangerous.
He tried various strange sea creatures—odd-looking fish and unpleasant jellyfish—but none tasted as good as the blue flame fish. Sometimes, when he had no appetite, he chewed on seaweed and discovered to his surprise that mermaids could digest it.
Maybe he'd need a balanced diet of fish and greens.
"What's wrong with you?" Lansi asked during one of Winsor's unconscious spells.
He floated beside him, gently stroking Winsor's long hair with his pale fingers, humming a lullaby he made up on the spot. The soft, ethereal tune drifted through the water.
Somehow, the song seemed to calm Winsor. His tense brows relaxed.
Lansi kissed his forehead and whispered a sincere wish for his recovery.
Days passed. Lansi grew thinner, his scales dimmer. He blamed himself for dragging Winsor to the shallows, knowing he was a creature of the deep.
Winsor woke up suddenly one day and smiled faintly at Lansi.
"Don't fall asleep again," Lansi said, handing him a fillet of fish.
Winsor accepted it, touched Lansi's head, and said, "Thank you."
Lansi nodded but asked with concern, "Do you keep fainting because you're not used to the shallow sea?"
Winsor choked on the fish, then nodded seriously.
"Yes."
He hesitated before adding, "Let's go back to the deep sea."
Lansi didn't reply. As a former human, he craved sunlight. He couldn't bear the eternal darkness of the deep sea.
After eating, Winsor fell asleep again—and this time, he didn't wake for an entire day and night. When he did, it was only for a second before slipping back into unconsciousness.
Lansi was panicked. He hadn't eaten all day. With no choice, he left Winsor safely hidden and went searching for food.
And that was when he stumbled across the giant jellyfish.
It was coiling around a red jellyfish, the two of them floating dreamily past.
Lansi stared.
[Is that you, Jellyfish?]
The giant jellyfish paused, then rushed over with the red jellyfish in tow.
[Ahhh, cutie, what a coincidence~]
Lansi was stunned. [You escaped on your own?]
[Yep!] the jellyfish replied proudly, pulling the red one closer. [This is the jellyfish who wants to have my babies.]
Lansi froze, then forced a smile.
[I thought the tentacle had caught you.]
[Thanks to it, I met this beauty.]
Apparently, Lansi was no longer important now that the jellyfish had a partner.
[Jealous?] the jellyfish teased, stroking Lansi's head with a tentacle. [You have a partner who wants to have babies with you. Why can't I?]
Lansi flushed. [We can't have babies!]
[Oh?] the jellyfish blinked, confused.
[Forget it,] Lansi said, giving up. [Can you help me with something?]
[Okay, okay, touch me~]
Lansi ignored that and continued.
[My friend Winsor can't handle the shallow sea. Can you take him back to the deep sea?]
The jellyfish fell quiet. It turned to the red jellyfish, and the two communicated silently.
Finally, the giant jellyfish turned back.
[Alright. Styx agrees the deep sea is better. If I take her back, I'll take your friend too. But that means you'll be alone.]
Lansi forced a smile.
[That's fine. I can handle it.]
He couldn't let Winsor die.