❖

"Oden's what?!" Evan exclaimed. His grip on Kyran's shoulder tightened protectively. Kyran saw the faint change of green to orange on Evan's scales. Lunar chuckled at the motion. The slight movement of her shoulders making her golden medallions chime against her upper stomach.

Kyran flinched and made a slight movement towards his pouch. He touched the outside of the leather and vaguely felt the shape of the gem. Lunars lips curled themselves into a sick smile.

"I see you know what I'm talking about. Here, I'll offer you a deal," Lunar swiped two fingers to a nearby wall and sent Evan crashing into it, releasing Kyran from his hold. Kyran's left arm flinched out in the direction Evan flew but was stopped by Lunar's own hand grabbing it.

"You have something that I want. You, a measly, pathetic, unarmed merman possess something a strong, powerful, and malicious Mystic, like myself, desires. I think you can see who has the upper hand here," Lunar taunted, getting closer to Kyran's face every insult. Her grip on his arm tightened as her other hand wavered its way towards the bag on his side. Her long dark-colored nails dug into Kyran's wrist, leaving painful sharp red indents. Evan had picked his head up and came charging toward Lunar, trying to knock her out of the way. Lunar tilted her head and sent Evan flying back into the wall. He sank and coiled into a ball at the bottom of the wall, his scales turning a fearful white. Kyran took this chance and used his tail to push Lunar off of him. She was sent flying back into a shelve filled with scrolls. Kyran adjusted his bag, rubbed his wrist, then swam over to Evan's slouched body.

Lunar gritted her teeth into a snarl. She sent her hands out towards Kyran and Evan. Both of them stopped in their tracks. Lunar got back up and massaged her temples. Kyran tried to move, but the magic Lunar must've used had too strong of a hold on him. She inhaled softly and let out a slow and controlled breath. "This is why people fear me. You provoke me and I attack. That makes me the bad guy."

Lunar swam over and snatched the bag off of Kyran's tail. Kyran hadn't realized he was holding his breath.

"Wait! Please, don't hurt us! We didn't mean any harm. We're both just tired and scared. We just escaped from pirates who wanted to kill us and we haven't even gotten a decent enough break from it. Please, spare us, Lunar," Kyran plead. His eyes had become shiny from the tears he was trying to hold back. His throat stung and it was hard to speak, but he didn't want to break down. Evan saw the fear and panic on Kyran's face. His scales shifted to the worried green they had been returning to a lot lately.

     Lunar turned away from them both and swam over to a counter. She opened the pouch and pulled out the gem Kyran kept inside. She examined it, her eyes the size of saucers. The gem hadn't faded of its beautiful blue shine. Lunar's long nails made tapping noises as she twirled it around in her hand. Abruptly, she slammed her fist down onto the counter, sending nearby papers and books bouncing up. She gripped her forehead like she had gotten a sudden migraine. Kyran jumped at her sudden motions. They didn't add up. She looked as if she was two people acting at once.

Lunar picked her head up slow and calm, which put both the mermen on edge. She turned her head to face them. A smile spread on her face as she swiped her hand. The invisible bonds that held Kyran and Evan confined vanished, dropping them onto the floor for a brief moment.

"I have an idea. In exchange for this beautiful item you have brought me, I'll give you the thing you desire most," Lunar offered. She swam over and picked both the mermen up and back on their tail fins. The two exchanged a perplexed look before following the lead of the Mystic. Lunar swam backward into a room hidden by a dark curtain. She used her left arm to swipe the curtain open, turning herself around in the process.

     The room was a lot bigger than it seemed from the outside. It was hollowed out and filled with tons of shelves with potions and other small spell ingredients. It was laid out exactly like the room before. Well, except for one small detail.

The roof wasn't as pleasant as the one from the room before. It was covered in sharp spikes that felt like they could fall down and impale any of them any second. In the center was a big black cauldron surrounded by a circle of rock, acting as a counter space for it. Lunar swam to the side where an opening was present, allowing her easy access to the cauldron in the center. Kyran and Evan stayed put on the opposite side, not wanting to aggravate the Mystic more than she had appeared to be just a few minutes ago.

Lunar closed her eyes and placed her finger on the rim of the cauldron, her nail making a small tap sound. Kyran and Evan waited in anticipation at what Lunar was performing. Evan's scales were becoming impatient and were shifting colors like a kaleidoscope. They shifted back and forth from blue to orange to purple to different shades of green. Kyran could tell Evan had no clue what to think of this woman.

     Soon enough, Lunar opened her eyes and a strange liquid filled the cauldron. Kyran stumbled back at the magic. That definitely wasn't what he was expecting to come from it. If she could create stuff like this, what else was she capable of?

     Lunar seemed to smile at Kyran's reaction, pleased by the expression of surprise. Looking back down at the light purple liquid, she pricked her finger into the center of it, sending an eerie ripple all around the cauldron. Kyran peered his head over the counter, the faint glow of the liquid brightening his face. Evan grabbed his shoulder from behind, making sure Kyran didn't overdue yet another action.

     Lunar pinched her fingers and closed her eyes for the second time. She looked as if she was meditating. She stood in the same position unmoving for so long that Evan got curious. He lifted his body up and reached over the cauldron to tap her on the shoulder. In reaction to the touch, Lunar flinched and grabbed Evan harshly on the wrist he tapped her with. Evan quickly yanked his hand back and returned next to Kyran, fearing she was about to send him flying to another wall.  His scales shifted with the shake of his tail.

     Lunar shook off the annoyance and reached into the cauldron. She stuck almost her entire arm inside the liquid, searching for something. Eventually, after a few seconds of searching, she pulled out a piece of orange coral. To Kyran, it just looked like a regular piece of coral, but it was much more than that.

"This is a special type of coral, which's name I will keep secret for... reasons." Lunar speculated. She bent down and picked up a long and thin blue flower and a wooden bowl from underneath the counter. She pricked off one petal from the flower before setting the rest of the stem down. She placed the petal and the coral inside the bowl and started to grind it with a weirdly shaped tool. Kyran and Evan both watched her work in perplexity. What was all this prep for?

"There is one condition to this wish," Lunar spoke out so suddenly, it made Kyran jump. She continued to talk and work at the same time. Kyran assumed she was going to go over terms and stuff of this supposed, 'wish'.

"This spell is a very special one. I've only used it once or twice before." The two mermen tensed up. Lunar put the tool down and swam over to the two. She set the bowl down in front of them. Inside was a smooth orange powder that looked as if it was filled with tiny stars. Even though there was little light inside the cave, the tiny bits of sparkle inside the powder still shined bright.

     Lunar reached into the bowl and pulled out a handful of the powder. It looked so soft. It shifted its way through Lunar's fingers, none of it getting caught on her skin. The three stared at Lunar's hand,  slowly inching closer to it. Out of the blue, Lunar tucked her head down and blew the powder all over Kyran and Evan. It puffed up into a big cloud around them before two thumps were heard and the mermen laid unconscious on the floor.

«««

Kyran's eyes fluttered open. All he saw was white. He opened them more. No, not just white. He saw blue and green and yellow. He opened his eyes fully. Here before him was a scenery from his wildest dreams. The sun was out and shining, sending down just the right amount of heat. The sky was the prettiest shade of baby blue, with small clouds passing by complimenting the sight. Around him was the softest grass he had ever felt. It wasn't dirty or muddy or covered in gross sand. It was out and flourishing. Wait. Where was the water?

     Kyran grabbed at his throat. Why was he still breathing? How was he still breathing? He took in a large breath, still unsure about the entire scenario. He had a small hypothesis about what was happening, but he refused to believe it because it was so absurd. That was until he stumbled across his tail. At least, what used to be his tail.

     Kyran looked down to find two bare legs where his tail should've been. His eyes dilated at the sight. What is this?! What is happening? A million questions ran through Kyran's mind. His breaths started to come and go faster and faster. He had begun to hyperventilate. What is going on? Why is this happening? Why? Why?! Why?!

     "Are you okay!?" Kyran heard from behind him. He turned around to see a familiar face. Well, sort of familiar. The girl with the golden eyes stood hunched over, a hand out to grab onto Kyran's shoulder. Kyran felt a rush of heat to his face at the sight of her. Her beautiful brown hair was tucked into a messy side ponytail thrown over her shoulder. She cocked her head and gave Kyran a friendly smile. "Hey, you alright?" She cooed.

     Kyran didn't know what to say. She wasn't repulsed by his appearance. She didn't look at him and try to attack. She saw him. The true him. Not just scale and fin. Kyran looked down at the hand she still held out. With a shaky breath, he reached out for it. Until the facade melted away.

«««

Kyran woke up abruptly, his hand still out in the way he had it just moments before. He looked around. Everything was back to the way it was. Surrounded by rocks, scrolls, and potions. He saw Evan still passed out next to him, his eyes and fingers twitching. Kyran looked down at himself. He was the same. Same blue scales, same translucent fins, same everything. He heard a scatter of glass up ahead of him and slowly went to go see what made the noise. He swam by the bowl and cauldron Lunar was using not even moments before, both of them empty. They looked just as clean as the way they did when they entered the room.

Kyran swam further and saw Lunar sat on a small stool of rock. She was working on something involving glass and smoke, from what Kyran could see. Before he was even able to enter the room, Lunar spoke out to him.

"I see you're awake. How was the trip?" She beckoned. Kyran just stared. No words were forming. He couldn't speak. Was this another one of her spells? "No, I don't have a spell on you. You're just a little surprised is all." Lunar taunted as she got up from her perch. In her hands was a large vial shaped glass container

     "W-what was that? What did you do to us?" Kyran exclaimed, his voice wavering. Lunar just smiled as she swam closer to the merman.

     "That was just the first part of the spell, you see. It didn't hurt you, but just gave me a bit of... information." Lunar clasped the vial in a pair of makeshift tongs and held it over a small bubbling cauldron. Inside the vial was a thick light red, almost pink, liquid. As Lunar held the vial over the cauldron, the red began to fade into a purple and then to a dark blue. Lunar took the transformed vial away from the heat and held out her hand. She snapped her fingers once and a different vial appeared. It looked identical to the one holding the liquid. She poured the blue liquid into the second vial, not spilling a single drop. Lunar turned her face away from her work to find Kyran's mouth agape at her actions.

     "Does my work really astonish you that much? I didn't know it was that mesmerizing." Lunar chuckled, holding the vial over her head, examining it. Kyran quickly closed his mouth and glanced back towards the entrance. He felt off about this.

     "C'mere, I'll wake up your friend, and then we can discuss this." Lunar hooked the vial onto the side of her skirt and swam away from her work station. Kyran hesitantly followed.

     When they got back to the main potion room, Evan was still passed out on the floor. His face and fingers were twitching like he was stuck in a nightmare. Lunar swam over and tapped his head with a single finger. After releasing, Evan sprang up immediately, his head getting dizzy from the sudden jump. Kyran bent down and held Evan's shoulders, trying to stabilize him. Kyran pinned his eyes on Lunar, making sure she didn't pull anything while he was down. Instead of attacking, she closed her eyes and put her hands together. A faint spark emerged from them and the sapphire appeared in her hands.

"I've already placed the first part of the spell in place. That dream you two had was a hallucination. Nothing out of the ordinary. It's normal, don't worry about it." Lunar swatted her hand. Kyran turned and gave Evan a weird look, but turned back toward the Mystic. Lunar clutched the sapphire in her hands, her nails scraping against the hard mineral.

     "You two should be on your way now." Lunar forced out. She kept her gaze pinned to the floor like she was in pain and didn't want to show it. Evan lifted himself up, Kyran following his motion.

     "Wait a minute, you said you would give us what we want most—or something like that—so where is it?" Evan questioned. Kyran stayed behind him, nodding his head. Lunar let out a forced chuckle.

     "You fool, I've already granted that wish. That's how the spell works. You don't get to chose what you want. Only your heart knows your true desires." Lunar picked up her head and sharply turned it towards the two mermen. Her eyes seemed to glow with some newfound power, as if some side she was trying to suppress was taking over. She threw out her hand that wasn't clenching onto the sapphire and an ominous dark purple sand-like tornado appeared. It started to swirl around and trapped both Kyran and Evan inside of it. It didn't do any harm to either of them, but it made them feel ill and very sleepy. Kyran felt his eyelids becoming heavy, the sand burning his eyes. Evan turned toward Kyran just in time to catch his fall. The dark sand continued to circle around the two, refusing to close in.

     At first, Evan had thought Lunar had tricked them. She lured them in, took what she wanted, and was sending them to their doom. But, instead, this field of sand didn't come closer to them. It was acting as a wall. A cover for something.

     Wrapped up in his thoughts, Evan felt his own eyes becoming tired. He tried to fight against it, but being exhausted from their journey before, he gave in to his urge.

     Just as Evan's and Kyran's bodies fell, the sand formed itself into a soft pillow of some kind to soften the blow. The whirling stopped and the darkness subsided. A few flecks of the dark sand stayed stuck on their skin, while the rest disappeared into the water.

     When the area around them was clear, Lunars cave was nowhere to be seen. Instead of being surrounded by the faint purple painted rocks and potion bottles, they were back to the regular dirty ocean water.

«««

The cave had quieted back down. The only sound was the inhale and exhale of Lunar's own breathing. She gave one flap of her tail fin and swam straight into her bedroom chamber. Inside rested more shelves with bottles and scrolls. Lunar swam around these things and sat on a small woven stool next to a large rectangular glass box on the ground. She grazed her fingers over the glass, outlining the facial features of the human underneath it.

"Can you believe that. A desire to live and love a human? It's absurd." Lunar spoke aloud, not talking to anyone, but speaking to the human in the glass.

"One's wish was to live amongst the people we are to fear, and the other's was to stand by his side and protect him. How cute." Lunar slowly exhaled a breath she had taken in. She placed her hand on the place the heart of the human would be. She closed her eyes and a dim lavender glow emitted out for her palm of her hand. The magic made the glass cold and stung on her hand.

"I got worried for a second. I'm surprised I let your oxygen levels fall that low. I'm deeply sorry." Lunar spoke to the human, who obviously couldn't hear her. The chest of the human rose and fell at more comfortable rates. His jet black hair stuck out in every which direction. Lunar could still see small water droplets on his eyelashes.

Lunar finally removed her hand from the glass and rubbed it a little. She never enjoyed the feel on her hand after that spell. She sat back and just stared at this still life form in her room. Nothing moved except for the small ups and downs of his chest. No nose twitches, lip purses, or eye blinks. At this rate Lunar was becoming bored with him, not knowing how to further expand on her research.

"I will know you. I will understand your kind. Soon. Very soon." Lunar got up and left the room, leaving behind a pungent purple mist to fill the empty space.

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𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘶𝘯𝘦 24, 2020
3250 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴
𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵! 𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵! 𝘪 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵
~𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙖