The Merfolk of the Sulani Seas (Updated 07/01/ 2026)

Chapter 2: A New Home

When the pod arrived, debris filled most of the Zalia Grottoes, and the grotto Kemps and Calum grew up in was no exception. A small area the night before was cleared out so the pod had a place to get some rest after the long swim.

The next morning, the pod began clean up. Calum and Sarah picked through the trash and used the jellyfish-like material to gather things. Arihi used her sea sorcery and magic to illuminate the grotto. Reef lifted a barrel half buried in the sand and lifted it free. The plan was to get everything cleaned up and more suitable for the merlings. When something was ready to get dragged out of the grotto, Kemps either turned on his back to support the weight of the item or dragged it out.

As the cleanup continued, Alex slipped away. He turned his head to see if anyone noticed him. He wanted to see more of the surrounding sea and curiosity got the better of him.

The smaller grotto the pod settled in was part of a maze of tunnels leading to several other smaller grottoes. The tunnels had corruption that settled along the cavern walls throughout it. Alex followed the flow of the current until he found the deepest cavern. It was dark, but noticeably cluttered. The current flowed through this area and didn’t circle back, instead it continued flowing forward. Along with the gathering debris, a structure from the human world collapsed through the cave ceiling, contents spilling out into the cave.

It was still very dark and difficult to see everything clearly, but the wreckage showed the age. The sunken human reef’s relics were older than the more recent corruption caught in the current. Trash and grime flowing into the depths of Zalia Grottoes settled here.

While things from the human world were often unknown and foreign, a few things eventually become claimed as part of the sea. For the ruins of a floating human reef, it held the echoes of the human world while becoming foreign to the reefs on land. Silently, Alex continued exploring, uncertain about what else could be here.

The merboy turned and found an entrance to the interior of the ruins. Alex noted it did not have as much debris inside. It felt like there was a presence of others without anyone being there.

‘Incredible!’ Alex struggled to contain his curiosity. Land reefs claimed by the sea weren’t something he saw everyday, certainly not like this one.

While holding his place in the water, he saw light flickering through cracks in a wall. Alex swam up to the unusual structure. Pressing his hands gently against it, he tried to see if it would move, but it appeared stuck, more durable than expected. On the other side, he could see a way out of the caverns, dim sunlight illuminating the space through holes in the human reef’s ceiling.

‘This must be keeping the debris from flowing out of the grottoes.’ Alex thought.

Alex turned and looked to the side. He saw human clutter stacked in the corner.

‘Are there other pods here, or do other pods swim through here?’ Alex wondered. ‘Maybe a shared space?’

It wasn’t unusual for migrating pods to have reefs maintained enough so another pod swimming through knew it was safe to rest there. Normally, places like that had no claim to ownership for anything. It was only important to keep it maintained so others knew it was a safe resting spot. Sometimes, items would be left by other merfolk to be found and taken.

Alex saw a small land clam and swam over to it. He reached down to grab it. Inside, it was empty, but next to the larger land clams with stacks of land scrolls on top, it appeared to be left for someone else to take. While looking through the land scrolls were tempting, Alex decided to leave them alone for now.

Alex swam out of the interior and around the outside of the land reef. He wanted to find a way to get to the other side of the ruin wall.

He scanned his surroundings as he swam forward. Land reef relics scattered along the outside reinforced what the merboy suspected.

‘It’s not somewhere Uncle Kemps would approve of resting, but the intentions appear clear enough.’

On the other end of the sunken land reef, Alex found an entrance to the other half of the interior. The light filtering through the crevices made it easier to identify.

As Alex swam around the interior of the ruins, he noticed the absence of deepwater fish and living fishbones. It was as if the undead fish simply couldn’t survive in this brighter place, and the sunken land reef didn’t support the conditions needed for deepwater life. A glint of something caught Alex’s eye. The merboy swam over to it and reached out to grab it.

The small object looked like a tiny trident. He didn’t see many of these in the shallow reefs. The old reefs never had so many land items. Alex knew that if Kemps learned about this place, he would probably forbid exploring it. Maybe, his dad could convince his uncle to change his mind eventually. For now, Alex wanted to keep this place a secret.

With his land clam to store his tiny trident, Alex turned and swam around the unusual coral he only saw around sunken land reefs. Why coral would grow like that was beyond him, and yet, he felt like it had some mysterious purpose for humans.

‘Absolutely fascinating,’ Alex thought. ‘Like table coral, but different, not entirely growing from rock.’

He looked up and saw another wall in the reef cave above, but this wall had a familiar object, knock coral. His dad explained to Alex how they work. If turned, the wall could be opened. It was a truly fascinating mechanism. Calum explained that the walls were a special land coral humans grew around the knock coral. Alex once asked his dad why he called it knock coral. Calum raised his fist to a piece of drifting land coral and tapped it in a rhythm. He said because the sound he made was often associated with it, it was named accordingly.

‘This entire place might be the closest I could ever get to the human world.’

Outside the land ruins, the surrounding sea didn’t look well, but the dim light continued filtering in. When the sea claimed the land reef, it somehow got stuck in its own cavern. Rocks from the cliffs settled above the ruins, sealing it off from the rest of the sea.

‘This is the biggest floating coral I’ve ever seen,’ Alex thought. ‘I can’t begin to imagine how long it took for it to grow in the human world.’

He saw how the light filtering through cracks in the cave ceiling illuminated the surroundings.

Unlike the tunnels of Zalia Grottoes, this part of the cavern had signs of life like the smaller grotto his pod chose to settle in. It didn’t look healthy, but it was alive. The fish here also weren’t deepwater fish. Not a single living fishbone could be seen. After all the stories about corruption and dangerous debris from the human world, he expected the sea to be more barren around Mua Pel’Am.

After swimming around, Alex leaned onto land staghorn, coral unique to land reefs. He looked down to where the current flowed.

‘We didn’t swim through here when we arrived, but the current flows through there.’

Alex pushed off the land coral and swam to the tunnel. Drifting on his side, he gazed into the dark cave. It could lead anywhere, but he swam this far already. He wasn’t ready to turn around yet.

The tunnel twisted and turned as Alex swam through it. Eventually, he found the exit, and as he suspected, it led to the surface. The ocean here looked sickly green. A significant contrast with the azure blue of the old shallow reefs.

After breaking through the surface, Alex saw another mer swimming around. Eager to meet another his age, Alex swam up to the merboy.

“Hi,” Alex managed to say. “I wasn’t expecting to see another here.”

The green tail merboy turned and tilted his head.

“I’m guessing that means you’re new around here,” the merboy said.

“You could say that,” Alex replied. “My pod arrived last night. My name is Alex, what’s yours?”

“Anas,” Anas answered.

“Have you seen the sunken land reef?!” Alex enthused. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Anas lowered in the water, trying to hide his laugh. Little bubbles popped at the surface.

Anas raised his head a bit. “That old reef has been there forever, most of my life. My older sister and Rio help Makoa keep up with it.”

“No way! There are more here?” Alex almost couldn’t believe it, mostly because of how many different names were mentioned. Four different merfolk was far more than he could have predicted.

“Well yeah, my sister and Rio are often away with Hawea. Makoa has triplet sons that keep him busy in his own grotto, so he’s not swimming around a lot.”

“I was always told by my dad and uncles that Mua Pel’Am was abandoned,” Alex said.

“I guess it isn’t as abandoned as your pod thought,” Anas said. “My own pod often swims to other parts of the sea. We always return home here, but this isn’t where we swim most of the time.”

“What brought you to the surface then?” Alex asked.

“Well, I don’t know.” Anas paused and thought about his answer. “I’m just curious to see what changes up here.”

“If you’ve seen a lot of the reefs here, do you think you could show me around sometime?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Are there more sunken land reefs?” Alex asked. “I’d love to see more of them!”

“You’re a strange one.” Anas smiled before continuing. “That’s the only sunken land reef I’ve seen. It’s been there a very long time.”

“What about other reefs?” Alex continued.

“Not a lot to see, unfortunately.” Alex saw Anas frown. “We try to do what we can, but…”

“The corruption.” Alex finished for Anas.

Anas nodded.

“The sea rejects it, completely,” Anas added. “It never settles. Doesn’t become part of the sea. It just sits there. Always washing in with the tides from the land.”

“Has it gotten better?” Alex asked.

“Yeah, kinda,” Anas answered. “But it’s hard to keep up with it.”

“I think I understand,” Alex said. “Uncle Kemps wanted us to return so we could make a difference.”

“I think we can,” Anas reassured. “It’s nice to know we might have some help around here.”

“There has to be something fun to do too?” Alex couldn’t imagine there really being nothing to see or do.

“Well, actually, there is something cool I can show you,” Anas offered. “From what I heard, it’s a super old part of the grottoes.”

“Can we go see it now?!”

“I have to swim home soon,” Anas answered. “But, I’ll show it to you another time, promise.”

“I was afraid of that,” Alex turned his head and looked down.

“Don’t worry, it will be worth the wait!” Anas reassured.

“Then it’s a promise,” Alex said.

“It’s a promise,” Anas said.

Anas dove underwater and disappeared into the underwater cave leading into Zalia Grottoes. Alex took a moment to look around. Everything above the sea looked nearly dead. If merfolk didn’t abandon the sea around this land reef, humans likely did.

Alex dove underwater and into the underwater cave. The return home was faster since he knew the way through the tunnels. When he returned to the deeper parts of the grotto. His pod finished clearing out most of the corruption. His mom had the cavern illuminated with spheres of magic. Even his younger brothers and cousins appeared to enjoy the changes.

“That was fintastic!” Dylan broke into laughter.

“Almost genius, Dyl.” Zephyr clutched his stomach and laughed.

“Best reaction ever!” Kylen fell back through the water laughing.

“Hardy-har,” Lir said unimpressed. “Next time I’ll let you wake up to a sea slug staring back at you.”

Kemps shifted to his side with his arms crossed, unimpressed. Alex knew that expression. His uncle’s signature reaction while contemplating how to handle something he didn’t like to see.

Alex felt a shift in the current when Kemps turned toward him. After a slight kick of his fluke, Kemps drifted over to Alex before crossing his arms.

“And where did you swim off to this time?” Kemps asked.

Alex lowered his hands to his side, leaned back, and shifted his gaze down. “No where in particular.”

Kemps knew Alex well enough to catch when he was hiding something. “No where in particular?”

“Okay, I swam to the surface.” Alex didn’t want to mention the sunken land reef.

Kemps pinched the brow of his nose. “I would ask why, but I’m pretty sure I know.”

Alex raised his hand and held one behind his head. “I didn’t swim anywhere close to the land reef, I promise.”

“I hope not, but I’m less worried about humans here.”

“I can’t say there was anything interesting near the surface either.”

“Alex,” Kemps said, choosing his words carefully. “While here, I would appreciate it if you didn’t swim above the surface. It’s not safe. I think we need to sit and talk.”

Kemps and Alex swam into another part of the grotto they cleaned up. They sat on rocks with coral growing from it.

“I don’t understand the problem?” Alex protested. “I met another merboy my age there. He’s going to show me more of the reef.”

“I’m very happy you found another mer your age. That’s wonderful to hear,” Kemps said. “But now that we have a home under the sea, I want you to promise me that you will not swim to the surface. I want the pod to stay beneath the waves.”

“But why? I grew up around the shallow reefs; we were always at the surface.”

“The corruption is at its worst there. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Am I supposed to stay in the grotto and never swim anywhere?!” Alex argued. “What about seeing more of the sea?”

Kemps slumped over, exasperated. “By sea, you mean the land reefs.”

“Well, it would be nice to see that too.”

“Alex, you are a merboy. You know that’s impossible.”

“I could see the land reef from the ocean. I know that swimming on land isn’t possible.”

“Your curiosity worries me the most,” Kemps said. “No matter how much you want to see more of the land reefs, you can never swim beyond the waves. It’s not possible. This fascination with the human world isn’t a good thing.”

“But dad always said…” Alex started to say.

“Your father is too curious, but I know he understands the limitations. I know that his curiosity won’t put him in danger. Besides, he doesn’t seek out humans because he understands that it isn’t safe.”

“What’s so wrong with humans anyways? They have so many incredible things around the sunken land reefs,” Alex said softly.

“That’s the problem,” Kemps lectured. “There are so many things about humans and their world to be wary of, and you still want to dive in to get closer to it. I do not want you to learn just how dangerous humans are the hard way. Please, I just ask that you stay away from the surface and avoid getting close to the land reefs.”

“I understand.” Alex frowned.

“Just remember that you are the one setting an example for your brothers and cousins,” Kemps lectured. “It’s your responsibility to set a good example...”

Alex zoned out while listening. He heard the same lecture a million times. Think about your little brothers and cousins. Remember to avoid moonlight. You have more power than you know. You shouldn’t be so irresponsible. So many things could have gone wrong. You have no idea. Merboys shouldn’t be so reckless. The human world is dangerous. Avoid the land reefs. Alex heard it all.

Kemps leaned in. “I know it’s difficult to understand right now, but it’s important that you don’t put yourself in danger. Your safety is important.”

“I’ll do my best,” Alex said. “I promise that I will not take any unnecessary risks or put myself in danger.”

“Alex, I know you get tired of hearing this, but it’s important,” Kemps said. “I just want you to be safe and happy. I don’t want you making any mistakes you might regret later.”

“I know, but I just,” Alex replied. “I just want to see so much more.”

“Trust me, I understand how you feel, maybe more than you know,” Kemps said.

“How could you understand?!” Alex protested. “You are always arguing with dad about the land reefs and humans.”

“Just trust me, humans are nothing but trouble,” Kemps answered.

“That’s not really an explanation,” Alex said. “There has to be something more.”

“The only thing you need to know is that the price for more isn’t worth it.”

“Sea sorcery?” Alex asked. “Like what mom uses?”

“If only,” Kemps sighed with a slight wave of his hand. “Perhaps I said too much. Don’t get any ideas. Sea sorcery isn’t a toy to play with. I know you know that much.”

Alex knew better than to press for more once his uncle decided to pull back.

“You know, Anas said he would show me another part of the reef. It’s nowhere near the surface. Can I meet up with him?” Alex asked.

“Of course!” Kemps smiled. “I don’t mind you exploring your new home beneath the waves. Just be careful, and don’t stay out too late. Things here aren’t perfectly safe.”

“I promise!” Alex’s face lit up.

“I will hold you to that,” Kemps said “One of these days you should invite your friend over too. I’m sure everyone would like to meet him.”

“I’m certain he’d want to meet everyone too.”

“Now that we have that settled, we prepared a smaller grotto for you. I know you do a lot to look after the merlings, so the pod decided to give you your own space.”

Kemps pushed off the coral he sat on and began turning toward the interior of the grotto.

“Uncle Kemps.” Alex looked toward the merman.

“Yes?” Kemps turned and looked down.

“Thank you for always looking out for me.”

Kemps smiled.

“Alex, I will always be there for you,” Kemps said. “I really worry so much about you sometimes.”

Alex saw Kemps’s gaze trail off. Alex wanted to press for more answers, but he decided against it. Kemps turned back to check on the merlings. As soon as he turned, a blue, green, and orange blur passed by him.

Dylan grabbed Alex’s hand and pulled. “We can’t wait anymore! We have to know what happened next to Kelp after the Kraken appeared!”

Zephyr leaned back and lazily kicked his tail with his head turned toward Alex. “Well, naturally, I still haven’t figured out how the kraken made any sense.”

Kylen drifted to the coral Alex sat on. “There’s no way we can sleep without the next chapter.”

Lir glided forward. “Same, I want to know what happens next too!”

Alex looked at Dylan. “Okay, okay. One story.”

Kemps looked towards his nephews with a warm smile. He turned back to another part of the grotto to tend to other things.

It took a moment to get the merlings settled before starting the next chapter of Kelp’s story. Zephyr sat to Alex’s left, and Dylan sat to Alex’s right. Kylen pushed off the rock Alex sat on and sat on the rock closest to Zephyr. Lir sat on the rock next to his younger brother.

“When the Kraken emerged, Kelp had his chance to get away from the sea witch.” Alex turned to look at Zephyr. “As he tumbled through the rough currents stirred up by the kraken, he saw the sea witch struggle with the sudden disruption to his plans.”

Alex caught Lir and Kylen exchanging looks and turned to Lir.

“Where the kraken came from is still a mystery, but the sea witch struggled with it,” Alex continued. “The witch ended up getting a face full of ink, blinding him when he cast a spell. Kelp steadied himself in the water and turned to swim away. Fortunately, the kraken wasn’t so massive that it disrupted the currents too dramatically.”

Alex turned toward Kylen.

“The kraken did stir up enough for Kelp to lose track of where Selia’s Voice ended up. Whether buried deeper under rocks or tossed into the currents and lost, it was impossible to know. But, looking toward the surface, the struggle between the kraken and sea witch didn’t cause waves to churn too dramatically. His sister would have probably only noticed a moment of waves getting larger before settling down.”

Alex turned back toward Lir. Lir and Dylan leaned in.

“As you know, Kelp is resourceful. After assessing the situation, he took advantage of the opportunity to slip away. He knew the sea witch wasn’t going to give up so easily after he stole from him. He just couldn’t figure out what to do about it.”

“Kelp couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. The sea witch tried casting spells but was blinded by clouds of octopus ink. From Kelp’s perspective, the kraken was just a grumpy cecaelian. A big octopus but not much more.”

“That had to be too funny.” Dylan smiled.

“The sea witch certainly didn’t expect it.” Alex added.

Alex turned to Lir. “As funny as it was, sea witches that start to look harmless can actually be more dangerous. Kelp still had to be careful.”

Alex turned to Dylan.

“Kelp came up with a plan. He knew of a secret place his sister showed him. A place where she kept treasures she found from around the sea. If he went there, he could evade the sea witch and, maybe, find something that could catch the sea witch off guard. His sister had all kinds of strange things stashed away. He was certain he could find a use for something.”

Alex looked toward Lir and gestured.

“Kelp swam toward the deep, confident that he could come up with something to help himself. Suddenly, the sea witch cast a stray spell that stirred up the currents, forming a whirling rush of water. The kraken threw the witch, and Kelp saw the merman glide past him, flailing his tail and trying to rub ink out of his eyes. As quick as a riptide, the sea witch disappeared into the whirlpool portal he created.”

Alex continued.

“Once the sea witch was gone, the cacaelian octopus slipped away. Kelp breathed in the sea water before resolving to find a solution to his predicament in his sister’s grotto. As he swam toward deeper water, he saw his father swimming toward him.”

Lir leaned back in surprise. “Kelp’s father won’t like it if he sees Selia swimming on land.”

Zephyr smiled. He saw that one coming. “So, that’s where the Kraken came from.”

Dylan looked away, uncertain. “Kelp’s father would not be happy about the situation if he learns the truth.”

“Dyl, I’m sure he would be happier to see that Kelp was okay,” Kylen said.

Alex turned back to Dylan and raised his hand. “You’re right Dyl. Kelp’s father was not happy about the situation. However, he did not express anger, but relief. His children meant a lot to him. More than anything, Kelp’s father was upset with the sea witch that wouldn’t let the past go.”

“Kelp’s father struggled with how much he wanted to say. He didn’t like keeping secrets, and yet, he was worried that his past was catching up with him,” Alex said. “The merman simply didn’t know how to tell Selia or Kelp.”

“I’m sure Kelp would understand if his dad explained it,” Dylan said.

Alex turned to Dylan. “Kelp would understand, but understanding was not the problem Kelp’s father was struggling with. After the long-life Kelp’s father already lived, there were many things intertwined around the situation. It couldn’t simply be resolved if Kelp knew or understood. Understanding would help, but it wouldn’t change anything enough to be worth it.”

Zephyr leaned back, speaking as if reading his twin’s mind. “Even if it wouldn’t change the situation, I know Kelp is smart enough to do something with that knowledge.”

Dylan looked back at Alex. “Zeph is right. A lot can be accomplished with a better understanding of things. All kinds of things are possible with a bit of understanding and working together.”

Alex raised his hands. “Okay, settle down. You make some really good points. It’s true that Kelp might be able to respond better to the sea witch if he knew the past. However, Kelp’s father didn’t want his son to worry about that. Think about it. Kelp’s father had to have his own reasons for choosing when to share things. The context matters. Sharing too much at the wrong time, especially after Kelp’s encounter with the sea witch could have created a misunderstanding.”

Lir raised an eyebrow. “What could there be to misunderstand? The sea witch is trying to hurt Selia and Kelp’s father through them. Doesn’t that make the sea witch the bad guy?”

“If only it was that simple,” Alex answered.

“The truth is that Kelp’s father was once good friends with the sea witch, and the two mermen worked together long before Kelp was born.”

“Does that mean they were friends?” Zephyr turned toward Alex and asked.

“Well, that’s a good question,” Alex said. “They were friends once upon a time, but the past is a complex thing. How could Kelp’s father explain to his son that he was once friends with the merman that took his sister’s voice? The merman that has turned his focus towards Kelp himself? For Kelp’s father, it wasn’t an easy thing to talk about.”

“As for what happens next, I guess you’ll just have to wait until next time,” Alex said, concluding this chapter.

“That’s not fair,” Zephyr protested. “How can I sleep with more questions?”

“Bravo! Fintastic!” Dylan clapped.

“What a crazy twist?” Lir said with a tilt of his head.

“You can’t be serious Dyl?” Kylen asked. “That’s a massive drop off.”

“It’s a great drop off, it makes me want to dive deeper into the story.” Dylan defended.

“Now, it’s time for sleep. I’ll be sure to continue the story another time, promise.”