Sorry about the late update, I'm still continuing the story. I spent some time troubleshooting mods and working with a modder to try and figure out a bug I was experiencing with merfolk. The bug I was dealing with appears to be mostly resolved. However, I still need to do some gameplay to confirm the stability of the resolution. Given that the T.O.O.L mod had the most significant impact on the game glitching, I may need to adjust builds that I shaped around including the mod. I still have a few things I want to try with the T.O.O.L mod. I am not the creator of the mods I use. The only exception being CAS CC items that are more like custom categorization of CAS items rather than original Custom Content. 

It was definitely fun yet a bit time consuming to get the screenshots. I used the T.O.O.L and Poses that weren't intended for the scene. I believe Simmerianne93 created a pose pack using the shipwreck item. It's super awesome, but it's worth mentioning that the screenshots I took used poses from Herecirm, Serenion Animations with his Mermaid Attraction item, and pose packs from the Serenade of Shadows. One item was themed around poses modeled around Mako Mermaids, but I don't recall off the top of my head the original creator. I'll have to check on that.

I think it struggled to load all the images in one go, so I had to do an update to the post to finish the last half of the chapter. Finally, got the second chapter up. Sorry it took so long.

Well done picturing the human ruins. Must have been fascinating place for a curious merboy.

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.”

Lots of things to consider. Currently been digging for inspiration for the scenes. I think my most complex scene for the next chapter will be the grotto clean up. I recently stumbled on the scene from the live action little mermaid that shows the merfolk cleaning up the shipwreck that hurt the reef. That got my ideas for a scene the next chapter flowing. Using the Pose Player and tool to get this right will not be a simple thing I'm sure.

Damion is definitely an interesting character to watch closely. Definitely not a simple character.

And thank you, getting some of these screenshots took me hours if you can believe it.

Difficult decision, the move back.  I hope its the right one.

Damion already saw them and is waiting.

'Lovely pictures🤩

Chapter 1: A Wayward Pod

Displaced from their ancestral waters, coastal reefs offered relative safety for merfolk to raise a family. And yet, settling in a place like this came with many risks. When the sun began to rise over the sea, Kemps called a pod gathering. The Zalrian Pod had been growing for some time, and the Patriarch felt it was time for a change.

“I know this is a lot to ask,” Kemps said. “But, I think it might be time to return to Mua Pel’Am.”

“I don’t know.” Calum said.

“You can’t seriously be suggesting that we move the entire pod to a place like that!” Sarah couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“I understand your reservations, I do.” Kemps turned to face his youngest brother and his younger brother’s partner. “I know what we lost, but with the twins…”

“Kemps,” Sarah said, pausing to choose her words carefully. “Have you forgotten what happened to Rylan last time we swam near that awful place?”

“I do, and I don’t suggest this lightly,” Kemps replied. “However, there’s no denying that staying on the move is hard on all the merlings. We need to find a place to call home.”

“Those waters have been abandoned for a reason,” Arihi said. “You remember, right?”

‘As risky as it might be, the idea does have some merit,’ Reef thought.

“The surrounding sea and reefs are nearly dead.” Calum struggled to understand how such a place would be better. “There’s nothing but ruin.”

Sarah looked down as memories of her son surfaced. Rylan’s death. She never wanted to forget.

“I know how hard it will be to return,” Kemps began to say. “However, it took four of us to look after Alex…”

“There’s no way we could keep four merlings safe there,” Sarah interrupted. “Two were too much for us…”

“Our father gave his life to help us swim away from that place,” Calum added. “And you’re suggesting we raise our children there?”

“He wouldn’t want us to abandon our responsibilities to Mua Pel’Am’s reefs either,” Kemps said, intensity growing in his voice.

Kemps softened his tone; he wasn’t looking to start an argument. “Our father wanted us to get to safety because there was a threat to what our family was protecting. You know this.”

“I know, but let’s be reasonable. After everything, the chances of the reefs recovering are nearly impossible. Many have tried and none have succeeded,” Calum argued. “By staying away and keeping our pod safe, we are protecting what was entrusted to us.”

Arihi thought for a moment. ‘There are many risks for sure, but the problem isn’t if we should return. It’s whether it will be the right time to return.’

Reef tilted his head and crossed his arms. He knew enough about his brothers’ family, and their role in protecting the sea.

‘A reef that ruined isn’t easily revived,’ Reef thought. ‘How in the tides will we make that happen?’

“If you’re serious about this, how do you propose we protect the merlings, especially Alex? Mua Pel’Am is dangerous because of things that go beyond its decay,” Arihi inquired.

“Alex is a capable young man. We will have to look after him, but he’s not defenseless,” Kemps reassured. “The corruption from the abyss hasn’t spread beyond the island. The sea should still be safer than the land. The dangers of the past are no threat to him there.”

Arihi raised her hand. “I suspect that whatever was there might still have a lingering presence. How can you be so certain it will be safe?”

Calum shook his head, stressed by the uncertainty. “Kemps, I don’t feel good about taking those risks with my son. Alex can protect what needs to be protected without moving the entire pod.”

Kemps turned to Arihi and his youngest brother. “I know he can, but I’m saying we should move back so we can settle down in the grottoes. It might be easier to keep the merlings out of danger if they aren’t always in the open.”

“And yet, if we do return, the pod will no doubt face challenges that will threaten everyone,” Arihi added. “We can’t ignore that.”

“Open water exposes merlings to many of the ocean’s dangers,” Sarah said. “We don’t need to go far to find it in the sea, and the grottoes could offer some safety.”

‘We really don’t have anywhere to call home. If we returned to Zalia Grottoes, it would be easier to protect the merlings,’ Reef thought. ‘That alone might make it worth it.’

Kemps held his hand over his heart. “I promise that I will make sure everyone stays safe.”

“It’s not that we doubt you,” Sarah said. “It’s just the idea of settling in a place like that to raise merlings. Open water makes raising merlings difficult, but even if they are more exposed in the open, we’ve managed to keep them safe for a long time.”

“I don’t like this,” Calum admitted. “The twins are too young and haven’t been around as long as Kylen and Lir.”

“But things might be different now,” Kemps said. “A lot has changed since Kylen and Alex were born. Lir was able to survive around Mua Pel’Am’s reefs, conditions might be different enough to try.”

“I’m still not convinced.” Arihi looked to the side. “It’s possible the condition of the reef has improved enough, but who knows. It’s been so long…”

“Even if some life has returned,” Sarah said. “It’s a huge risk to return with the entire pod. If something happened to my sons, or nephews…”

Kemps turned to Sarah. “I understand your concerns. I truly do. I promise that I will do everything in my power to ensure the past does not repeat itself.”

‘Lir did survive alone somehow.’ Reef thought. ‘Maybe something is different. The things humans built near the shoreline don’t look like they used to either. The biggest problem is the reef’s constant decay. It just doesn’t recover.’

Reef had a moment of realization. ‘What if the dangers we are concerned about aren’t there? What if it’s safer than any of us think? What if the reef hasn’t recovered because it needs help to do so?’

“You know, I think we should return to Zalia Grottoes.” Reef waved his hand.

Sarah leaned back in surprise.

Calum turned toward Reef, arms crossed in confusion.

Arihi pressed the palm of her hand against her face. ‘He can’t be serious,’ she thought.

Kemps felt surprised and reassured. He didn’t expect his younger brother to be open to the idea.

“You can’t be serious?!” Calum struggled to understand Reef’s reasoning.

Sarah glared at Reef with arms crossed. Arihi wasn’t excited about the idea, but she withheld her opinion, choosing to listen instead.

“I know it seems crazy, but I realized something. What if it isn’t as dangerous as we think? It’s been so long and so much has changed,” Reef explained. “I think it might be possible that fear keeps us away. I think we are assuming that something that was there is still there.”

‘An interesting idea,’ Arihi thought. ‘It’s possible that whoever wanted to instigate conflict between the land and sea left when there was nothing for them to gain. If only the scars of the past remain...’

Reef continued. “Every passing tide I try to think if there was some way we could have saved Rylan. And yet, the sea led us to Lir, and we adopted him. Maybe the sea was trying to tell us something by leading us to him. Perhaps we misunderstood the situation. What if the only way to change things is to return and try? Lir, a merling survived alone without a pod, that’s no small accomplishment.”

“You make a good point, but don’t you think we could just settle around here.” Calum knew that shallow reefs and open water was less than ideal, but they found somewhere safe. “There’s a lot we can do to build a new home here.”

“Calum, it’s not that much safer here when you think about it,” Kemps said. “We’ve kept storms at bay using our magic. We’ve altered the environment to suit our needs.”

“And? We keep the sea peaceful and cultivate the life that surrounds us,” Calum replied. “We’ve cared for these reefs and ensured they had a chance to thrive.”

“That’s just it,” Kemps said. “We can cultivate new life. We are doing it right now. We have the power to heal the reefs and create a haven for life.”

“You have a point,” Calum said. “Maybe after the merlings are older…”

“By then, humans might find us. They already inhabit the nearby island and their numbers only grow,” Kemps countered. “We cannot risk the exposure.”

“Then why can’t we learn to coexist with humans?” Calum asked.

“You know it’s not that simple,” Kemps argued.

“And you make it more complicated.” Calum retorted.

“Calum, staying hidden from humans is still the right decision,” Reef mediated. “Humans once hunted us. Your father among many others died trying to protect those that fled to safety.”

“I know what they did, but if we never try…” Calum began to say.

“Would it help us to invite another conflict with humans?” Reef asked. “Is it worth not trying to change a part of the sea abandoned and left in ruin? Our pod lives by a law to never openly reveal ourselves to humans for a reason.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that,” Calum said. “We can always return when the merlings are old enough to handle the rough environment better.”

“History has a nasty habit of repeating itself, and humans are still the same greedy and power-hungry creatures they always were,” Kemps said. “We could be putting our pod in greater risk if we stay.”

Sensing a potential escalation, Reef shifted the topic.

“Look, at the very least, we should respect what humans won’t,” Reef said. “We need to stop enforcing unnatural order on the sea. More than anything, what we’ve done here proves that we can bring balance to the sea around Mua Pel’Am if we return.”

“Exactly, because stormy seas are too dangerous for merlings, we’ve stopped the harshest storms from reaching this island,” Kemps added. “We can make things better for the sea around Mua Pel’Am by simply doing what we’ve done here.”

“It’s true that we shaped the waters around us, enforcing control over nature,” Calum admitted. “But what choice do we have? If we don’t the sea will get too rough to live this close to the surface.”

“And that’s why it gets dangerous for us to remain. It’s why pods never stay in one spot as long as we have,” Kemps said. “What we are doing to change nature. It’s not right. If we had a real home, we wouldn’t need to keep interfering with the balance of nature. Instead, we could be fixing something that has fallen out of balance.”

Kemps knew his youngest brother’s feelings about the human world. He knew that simply saying they should move to avoid humans wouldn’t be enough to convince him, but he also knew that his brother cared about the sea. They were disrupting the natural balance to keep the merlings safe. Calum could understand that.

Calum didn’t like it, but his older brothers weren’t wrong. They controlled something that was never meant to be controlled. They had to do it to prevent harsh swells and turbulent weather from endangering the pod. However, this was also proof that they had the power to correct the imbalance in nature around Mua Pel’Am if they did return. The merlings could survive there. This couldn’t be ignored.

“Reef, this is crazy,” Sarah admitted. “Have you fallen under a moonspell or something?”

“Sarah, I know it’s going to be hard to return to the waters where we lost Rylan, but I still think this is the best choice for the pod,” Reef said. “We can’t continue to do things like we have been.”

‘There’s no doubt that something needs to be done about the problems around Mua Pel’Am,’ Arihi thought. ‘Healing the sea is possible if the conditions improved.’

“Calum, we can make things right. We can heal the damage sustained by the reef,” Kemps said. “Don’t you think we’ve neglected our home long enough?”

“It’s been too long. I can’t remember exactly what those reefs used to look like,” Calum admitted. “It’s a risky change. A lot of things could go wrong.”

“Simply living here is risking all kinds of danger. We’ve survived because we’ve changed nature to suit our needs,” Kemps said. “We could make a real difference if we return to our old grottoes.” 

“We can.” Calum agreed.

“Imagine Alex and the twins getting a chance to see our old home like it was before.” Kemps said.

Deep down, Calum wanted his sons to see the splendor of Zalia Grottoes’ true beauty. Given care and time, the grottoes and the surrounding reefs could recover. Life was driven away, but the waters are sick and corrupted now. The reefs weren’t dead. Fixing that wouldn’t be easy, but it was possible.

“I promise, this will be a good change,” Reef reassured Sarah. “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure of that.”

“I’m just so worried about something going wrong.” Sarah didn’t want to risk losing another son.

“Calum, there’s one more important thing we need to consider. What if Alex froze the twins in ice?” Kemps’s words cut into Calum.

“Reef can help him control his power if it gets out of control. And we can help Arihi control her magic…” Calum’s voice shook with uncertainty.

Arihi placed a hand on Calum and leaned in to reassure him.  “Calum, that’s a real concern. The grottoes would be one of the few places where we won’t have to worry about losing control of our powers. If Alex fell under a moonspell, he’d freeze everyone in their sleep. For us, it’s not a matter of if we will lose control under moonlight.”

“Eventually, the twins, will be vulnerable to moonlight,” Kemps added. “We can’t ignore the risk of ice and water magic getting out of control. Even worse than that, an unnatural freeze around the sea could harm the reefs.”

“I never want to see Alex, or the twins, feel guilt for hurting another by accident.” For all of Calum’s hesitations, this one thing was enough to convince him.

“Sarah, are you really willing to risk everything that comes with staying here?” Reef’s tone carried concern and inquiry. “I will always support this pod, but there are limits to our power.”

“I know. I know the risks. I know the dangers. I know that our nephews will face challenges with controlling their magic, but…”

“But most merfolk don’t struggle with moonlight,” Reef continued. “Alex, and eventually the twins, will have to isolate themselves while under a moonspell. You don’t want any of them to be alone when they might need someone.”

“As much as I don’t like the idea of moving the pod, it would be good for our sons. Probably the best thing we could do to help them learn how to control their own power.” Arihi grabbed Calum’s hand. “The grottoes will prevent the unthinkable.”

Calum looked to the side. He knew this was true. There was no counter argument to make. He was proud of his son’s potential for magic, but he also knew it was only a matter of time before an accident could happen.

“Calum, believe me, if there was another option, I would suggest that over this,” Arihi reassured. “But we know that living here can’t be forever.”

Sarah felt uncomfortable with the idea of moving, but she understood the situation well enough. When she thought about it, the risk was the same if they didn’t return, but the risk of staying was a different kind of danger.

“Sarah, I miss Rylan as much as you do, but we need to think of Lir and Kylen,” Reef said. “We can’t let the past stop us from doing the right thing.”

Sarah flicked her tail and leaned into Reef. The embrace caught Reef by surprise. She said nothing, but he knew where her heart was. Reef wanted to stay strong for her, but his own heart wavered a bit with the idea of returning to Mua Pel’Am. Logically, it was the right choice, but he still knew that returning would also mean facing memories of loss.

“Look, I didn’t consider this lightly. We both know that he still lurks in the sea around Mua Pel’Am, and I never forgot what nearly happened the last time I spoke to him.” Kemps said.

“He did almost take your voice.” Calum said. “Permanently.”

“That and more. Fortunately, the deal didn’t work out that way.” Kemps recalled her, and her deception. He would never trust a human again.

“I hope you at least have a plan for dealing with him if he shows himself.” Arihi knew all too well who they were talking about even if no one would say his name. Out of superstition or simple fear, he was someone any mer should avoid.

“So, we either stay here and risk Alex losing control during a moonspell, encounters with humans, and continue disrupting the natural balance of the sea,” Calum said. “Or, we return to Mua Pel’Am where he resides, potential unknown dangers, and the hungry sharks lurking in the depths.”

“That about sums it up,” Kemps said, with one hand resting on his side. “The grottoes are a space that we can defend from underwater predators. Anything we might face will still have a hard time getting through us. We can make it a haven for the pod and the merlings.”

“Are you really still willing to go through with this?” Arihi crossed her arms. “It won’t be easy on any of us.”

“Most things that are worth it are never easy,” Kemps said.

Sarah’s arms wrapped around Reef, and she leaned deeper into him. “I don’t know what I would do if we lost Lir or Kylen.”

Reef felt the same. Lir was no replacement for Rylan, but they both loved him as if he was their own son. The only thing Reef could do was offer his wife as much comfort and reassurance as he could.

“All that being said,” Kemps continued. “We should probably see what we are swimming into first.”

“Not a bad idea. Who’s going to scout ahead?” Calum asked.

“I want the four of you to stay here.” Kemps drifted deep into thought. “The migration was my idea. As the Patriarch and leader of the pod, I should be the one to see what is waiting for us. I can find the safest path to Zalia Grottoes if there is one.”

“No one will be able to help you if you run into trouble,” Arihi said.

“I’m not defenseless,” Kemps answered.

Reef leaned in and embraced Sarah.

“It’s going to be alright,” Reef comforted.

“And if what you find isn’t safe?” Arihi asked.

Calum crossed his arms. Arihi had a good question. He expected a good answer.

“Fair question.” Kemps thought out loud.

“What if something happens to the merlings?” Sarah whispered.

“Nothing will happen,” Reef whispered.

“If it’s too dangerous, then I’ll admit it was a bad idea,” Kemps answered. “But we need a safer place, and we don’t have a lot of options.”

“We really don’t,” Calum admitted. “Me and Reef tried looking for alternatives. We couldn’t find anything.”

“This is such a headache. But, without other options…” Arihi pressed her fingers against her furrowed brow. “We should make a decision before the next full moon.”

Sarah looked up to Reef. Reef caressed her cheek.

“I will not let our worst fears come to pass.” Reef vowed to Sarah.

“I know you won’t,” Sarah said.

“I’ve thought a long time about this,” Kemps admitted. “I’ve weighed all the benefits and risks. But I know in my heart that this is something we need to do. We have a responsibility to the sea that we can’t ignore.”

“I agree,” Arihi crossed her arms. “And I know the elementals that watch over the land would agree with that.”

“I still have many concerns about this,” Calum added. “But we can’t leave things the way they are.”

“It will never get better if we don’t do anything,” Kemps said, fist held over his heart. “If we wait for the ideal time to improve the world we live in, then change will never happen.”

Next to the other three, Sarah placed a hand on Reef’s chest and looked into his eyes. “I know we will be safe with you looking after us. I know you would never let anything happen to our sons or nephews. I trust you.”

Reef smiled. There were no words to say. No need to say more. Both him and her understood everything they needed to know.

“I’m going to scout the waters around Mua Pel’Am,” Kemps decided. “I’ll find the safest way to get everyone to our new home.”

“We’ll prepare for the migration.” Reef treaded water alongside Sarah. “We’ll be ready when you return.”

Sarah turned to look up toward Reef. “We’ve come to an understanding. We will do what’s right for our sons.”

Calum had an arm around Arihi. “Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

“Just be safe,” Arihi smiled.

Kemps lifted his hand, gesturing with his thumb pointing to the side. “I’ll get going. It’s not a short swim.”

With that, Kemps began swimming to Mua Pel’Am. He occasionally leapt out of the water only to dive back under. The flick of his fluke and fluid rolling movement of his tail propelled him forward. Once approaching the edge of the island’s reef, he dove down beneath the waves and swam to the island far away.

Early that same morning, Alex looked after the merlings while their parents began discussing the pod’s future home with Kemps.

“Storytime!” Dylan leapt onto Alex’s back, overflowing with joy.

“So, you want a story?” Alex smiled.

“You guys prepared another story?!” Lir couldn’t contain his enthusiasm.

“It’s going to be so awesome,” Zephyr added. “I saw a bit of what they were practicing.”

“I’m not surprised,” Kylen said. “I never see you without Dyl by your side.”

With a powerful kick of his tail, Alex spun around, wrapping his arms around his little brother. The merboy tilted back and began spinning, lifting himself and Dylan above the water’s surface. The aquabatics caught Zephyr and Kylen by surprise. Lir couldn’t contain his excitement for another one of his cousin’s stories.

Dylan laughed as the merboy spun around.

“The story continues with turbulent tides and swirling currents,” Alex began the story.

Dylan waved a hand in the air and added the sound effects to the performance.

“This is going to be good!” Zephyr exclaimed.

“I remember this!” Kylen added.

“The storm that Kelp got caught in!” Stormy weather scared Lir, especially thunder.

“After spinning through the currents and tumbling in the waves, our hero Kelp leapt out of the water near an island with a huge volcano.”

Alex released Dylan and tossed him up. Dylan stretched his arms wide and curled his tail midair, preparing to dive.

Zephyr rolled his eyes and waved his hand. “I knew he’d get out of that awful storm.”

Kylen looked up. “Did Kelp really leap that high out of the water?”

Lir uncovered his eyes, curiosity turning to surprise.

Dylan continued into his dive above Alex’s head. Alex shifted himself upright, treading water with his tail. He turned his torso and lifted his hand. His expression changed to something sinister, like a villain plotting something.

“The sea witch looked into his magic pearl and didn’t like what he saw. Kelp had the magic shell with the voice of his sister, Selia, in hand,” Alex continued. “Worst of all, Kelp somehow used the storm conjured by the sea witch to get closer to his sister.”

“Of course he did!” Zephyr said, confident in the hero. “He’s a genius like that.”

“Kelp knew what the sea witch was trying to do, so he used the storm to help himself,” Alex said. “It was dangerous and risky, but it worked out. However, he stole from a sea witch.”

“That mean old witch doesn’t like thieves.” Lir pressed his fingers together.

“You’re absolutely right,” Alex said. “That sea witch hated thieves, but even more, he didn’t like his plans to fail or for anyone to get out of a deal with him.”

“Selia! He wanted her voice as part of his plan to get their father’s magic conch shell.” Kylen pulled back in surprise. “Without her voice, the sea witch has nothing to bargain with.”

“Exactly!” Alex said. “But what Kelp didn’t know was that his sister wanted to go on land and see humans up close. Returning her voice would undo the magic and take away her ability to use land fins to swim among humans.”

“Selia really loved the human world,” Lir said.

Dylan continued into his dive while Alex shifted his expression.

“Yes.” Alex held a hand over his heart. “Kelp didn’t know that his sister chose to go to the sea witch. He thought she was tricked. He believed he was helping her.”

“He’s about to put his sister in danger?!” Zephyr couldn’t believe this.

“Kelp, you might be making a huge mistake.” Kylen said.

“This isn’t going to end well,” Lir said.

“When Kelp approached the shore. He heard sounds from a nearby land reef. Something that sounded like music. He swam closer and he heard the tap of land fins. When he was close enough, the tap of land fins seemed to have a rhythm to it. It was nothing like he thought it would be. Above, his sister smiled and twirled with her land fins. Kelp didn’t expect her to be so happy.”

“Kelp! You can figure it out.” Zephyr wanted to try and stop the hero.

“Don’t do it,” Kylen added.

“I can’t look,” Lir said.

“Kelp looked at the glowing shell in his hand. All he had to do was break it and his sister’s voice would be returned to her. She would be able to sing again. She could explain everything. He had her voice. He was so close to returning it.”

 “He’s not going to return her voice, right? Not with so many humans around.” Zephyr said.

“Kelp, your sister wanted to be able to swim on land,” Kylen said.

“Don’t do it.” Lir said.

“Kelp almost broke the shell against the land reef, but he paused before doing it. As he thought about what he saw, he remembered how his sister talked about the human world. He noticed her being quieter than normal at home. He thought she regretted not having her voice. But seeing her so happy, he wondered if he misunderstood the situation.”

“He still stole from the sea witch.” Zephyr said.

“Even if he learns the truth, he can’t exactly let the sea witch have her voice.” Kylen added.

“I have a really bad feeling about this.” Lir said.

“Kelp finally realized his mistake, but he did understand that he couldn’t let the sea witch have his sister’s voice. So, he dove underwater and looked for a place to hide the shell. As long as the sea witch didn’t have it. He could protect his sister’s happiness and thwart the sea witch.”

Dylan slipped into the water, hands returning to his side. Alex continued telling the story.

“After hiding the shell, Kelp thought about how he might explain things to his father. He would not approve of what Selia was doing. He started to worry less about the sea witch and more about his dad. He needed to think of a way to explain things to him without getting his sister into trouble.”

Alex raised a hand to his neck and lifted his other hand.

“Unfortunately, the sea witch found Kelp before he could think of what to say. The sea witch was furious, but he was cunning. Instead of punishing the merboy, the sea witch decided to take a different approach. Selia’s Voice wasn’t the only way he could get to their father.”

“Kelp!” Zephyr said.

“Watch out!” Kylen said.

“This isn’t happening!” Lir said.

“Kelp felt a hand rest on his shoulder, and he turned to see the sea witch. The merboy did his best to contain his fear. He was met with a friendly smile from the sea witch. While Kelp couldn’t simply swim away, he also knew that he couldn’t let his guard down. He found the courage to speak up and confront the witch. He wouldn’t get tricked.”

“You got this kelp!” Zephyr said.

“The sea witch didn’t curse him. That’s a relief.” Kylen said.

“But what is the sea witch planning?” Lir asked.

“The sea witch led the merboy back to his lair, explaining the nature of his deal with Kelp’s sister…”

Without warning, Dylan surfaced and grabbed Alex’s arm. “And that’s when the Kraken rose from the depths and our hero Kelp…”

Dylan noticed that something was off. The merling pulled himself out of the water and over Alex’s outstretched arm.

Alex turned a hand toward Dylan and smiled. “And that’s how Kelp saved the day.”

“So, Kelp escaped the sea witch because of a kraken?” Zephyr asked.

“Well,” Alex said. “I guess that’s one way to think about it.”

 “Naturally.” Dylan sat on Alex’s arm and waved his hand to the side. “What better way to escape an evil sea witch than the sudden appearance of a kraken?”

“It’s certainly a creative way to get out of trouble.” Alex said.

“There’s no way that’s how the story goes.” Zephyr said.

Alex gestured a hand to the merling sitting on his arm. “As you can see, that’s exactly how things play out.”

“It’s really the only way to keep the story going,” Dylan added.

“It’s too random.” Zephyr argued, waving his hand to the side.

“Well, some things are just unpredictable like that. Not everything has to be super logical.” Dylan waved his hand, mirroring his twin.

“I’m just glad Kelp got away from the sea witch,” Lir admitted.

“I’m a bit relieved everything worked out for him too,” Kylen said.

“The sudden appearance of the Kraken was still strange,” Zephyr said.

While Alex continued to look after the merlings, Kemps surfaced to get a look at the conditions of Mua Pel’Am. The sky was filled with a sickly smog choking life on land. The corruption lingered still, and that corruption continued to find its way into the sea.

Kemps recoiled when he saw the water’s surface. A film of slime shifted in the water around him. As the water settled around him, the slime floated towards him. He could feel a bit of it sticking to his skin.

‘This horrible smell.’ Kemps thought.

‘The smell, the slime.’ Kemps shivered. ‘Disgusting. Life isn’t gone, but the level of suffering…’

The smog, the slime on the water’s surface, debris, dying reefs, the sea a sickly green instead of azure sea blue. It was all corrupt.

‘We can’t leave things like this,’ Kemps thought.

‘When I guide the pod, we will need to avoid this area,’ Kemps thought. ‘Aside from avoiding the corruption, I need to figure out if humans have truly abandoned the island.’

He felt the slime sticking to him and was worried about his tail getting tangled in debris. He looked over the horizon. He couldn’t see the sky through the smog. No humans walked on the shore. He scanned around what he could see and focused on a channel of water with rocky cliffs and no shoreline.

All around him, Kemps saw reminders of why pods left, and Mua Pel’Am seemed abandoned by both humans and merfolk. More importantly, the neglected island and abandoned sea proved that Reef was onto something. There was no evidence of active threats from the past as far as he could tell.

Carefully maneuvering through the water with small flicks of his tail, he turned and rested his arms on debris at the surface. After identifying the safest route to the underwater grottoes and assessing the potential danger, he looked around to make certain no humans were around. He could never be too careful around their kind.

Kemps pulled himself out of the water and onto the driftwood. He leaned back and curled his fluke up. Inspecting the condition of his tail. Between the slime, grime, and debris, he wanted to be sure his movement wouldn’t be impaired. More than that, the water felt so repulsive that he wanted to be out of the water no matter how exposed he would be.

After seeing that his tail was fine, he twisted and pulled himself to the edge of the driftwood. Being out of the water like this reminded Kemps of the past, of a betrayal, of a human he thought he could trust.

‘Don’t think about her,’ Kemps thought. ‘What’s important is the pod and their safety. I need to focus.’

He slipped back into the water. As he dove, he felt better in his element. Out of the sea, the limited movement made him anxious.

Kemps dove deeper, gauging how deep he had to go to avoid being exposed to the corrupt surface. Eventually, he reached a depth where he couldn’t see debris, feel the slime, and experience uncomfortable grime.

‘It’s possible to avoid the worst of the surface,’ Kemps thought. ‘This is good.’

He navigated a path underwater until he found the cave that led to the deeper grottoes. He could feel a subtle current flowing into the cavern. He had a safe path for the pod. From his time growing up in the grotto, he knew that once they were in the grottoes, they would be able to avoid the most dangerous things in the sea. While tending to the reefs, they could protect the merlings.

‘We can do this,’ Kemps thought. ‘We can make a sanctuary for the merlings to thrive in.’

Kemps returned to the pod. Energized by what he found, the swim didn’t feel like it took as long. When Kemps surfaced, everyone was caught in a deep discussion. Calum went over how they would look after the merlings and Alex. They considered potential rules that could protect their sons from moonspells. Reef was reassuring Sarah again. Her anxiety returned and he wanted to put her mind at ease.

“I know the grottoes should be safe enough, but I’m not ready to settle away from the others.” Sarah knew that the pod was growing. “I know that it doesn’t mean leaving the pod, but…”

“Then we can stay together until Kylen and Lir are older,” Reef said. “No matter what, this is the pod we will belong to. We can settle in another grotto later.”

Calum and Arihi noticed Kemps surface and turned his way.

“Is it safe?” Calum asked.

“Yes, and I think it’s potentially safer than any of us expected actually,” Kemps said.

“And the corruption, lingering dangers?” Arihi needed confirmation. She knew that Kemps understood what she was asking.

“It looks like humans have completely abandoned the island. I didn’t even see other pods. I couldn’t sense anything to be worried about. There’s corruption near the surface, but the sea hasn’t been completely overtaken by it.”

“I guess I’ll let Alex, the twins, and our nephews know,” Calum said.

“I have our path planned out. We should be able to swim there without any problems.” Kemps said.

“In the meantime, we need to talk about something important Kemps.” Arihi added.

“I don’t see you that concerned often,” Kemps admitted. “Do you think moving might be the wrong idea?”

“No, moving is the best thing, but the elementals of that island have me a bit concerned.” Arihi explained. “I think we should be careful about a few things. We might need a pod law just to be safe.”

Calum wanted to stay and hear Arihi out, but he knew she would fill him in later. The pod needed to rally the merlings before they could move. That would take plenty of time on its own.

While Calum swam towards the merlings to let them know the pod was moving, Alex continued to look after them.

“I want another story!” Lir raised his hand into the air.”

Dylan leaned on Alex’s back, airily looking at his tail. Alex helped to guide Zephyr through the water with his hand.

“You know the rules Lir,” Dylan said.

“Dyl is right,” Kylen said with a lazy glide around Lir. “Only one story a day. We still have to practice swimming.”

Lir jumped toward Alex and grabbed on.

“But I don’t want to practice swimming,” Lir protested.

Alex floated backward, catching the green tail merling. Dylan fell backward into the water without Alex to lean on. Zephyr saw his twin and glided backward, clutching his stomach and laughing. Kylen lost focus mid-glide, caught up in the same laughter.

Dylan arced his back and turned into a dive. His tail curling through the water.

“Oh no! The kraken got me! Someone help!” Lir flailed, reaching forward and kicking his tail.

Alex steadied the merling in the water. “If you don’t practice swimming, how are you going to escape a Kraken or something else?”

Zephyr continued laughing. Kylen was so lost in laughter he sank below the surface.

Dylan glided around Alex underwater towards his twin. Zephyr turned to see Dylan.

“He’s getting pretty good at that,” Zephyr admitted. “Maybe I should practice aquabatics for stories with Alex too?”

Alex grabbed Lir and began spinning like he did with Dylan during the story.

Lir saw his brother surface. “Kylen, it’s got me! Help!”

Kylen regained composure and glided with gentle kicks through the water. “I would, but I don’t think I’d be able to handle a kraken.”

“Traitor!” Lir cried out.

Dylan glided toward Zephyr with ease. Dylan looked up with a smile. Zephyr waved a hand and chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m still the best at a game of Lyrachek though,” Zephyr said, sensing what Dylan felt.

“When I get out of this whirlpool…” Lir said.

“You got this Kraken!” Kylen cheered.

Zephyr chuckled. “That was too funny.”

Dylan laughed. “I know right! I didn’t even see it coming!”

Alex spun with Lir as the merling laughed.

Kylen turned to see his uncle surface.

Calum crossed his arms and frowned when he saw Alex roughhousing with Lir. The twins sensed their father’s presence and turned toward him. The twins paused, gauging Calum’s expression.

Kylen pointed towards Alex and Lir. “I tried to tell them to stop.”

Lir heard his younger brother. “Liar.”

Alex released Lir. Lir glided to the side.

“I thought I told you to look after the merlings,” Calum said, raising an eyebrow with arms crossed.

Alex raised his hand, a bit nervous. “Sorry, we got a little carried away.”

“It was my fault, I started it.” Lir admitted.

Zephyr stabilized himself holding onto Dylan’s shoulder. Dylan crossed his arms and glanced to the side. The twins treaded water together, keeping quiet.

“Uncle Cal, Alex was helping us practice swimming after telling us a story,” Kylen explained.

“We were just having a bit of fun,” Lir added. “Alex never did anything wrong.”

“Well, I guess merlings will be merlings. I couldn’t stay upset if I wanted to,” Calum said. “Thank you for looking after them.”

“Everyone was gone for a while, longer than normal,” Alex said. “What’s going on?”

“Well, we talked about it and the pod will be returning to Mua Pel’Am,” Calum answered. “Actually, we are moving back to Zalia Grottoes.”

“Really?” Alex only heard stories about the grottoes. “Does that mean we won’t be wandering anymore? We’ll have a home to call our own?”

“Yes, it was decided that we will be settling down in a new home,” Calum explained. “Moving forward, we’ll have a place to call home. A safe place for everyone.”

“A safe place!” Lir sank down, still excited despite his past.

“A home!” Kylen remembered the stories but never saw the grottoes.

“I can’t wait!” Dylan enthused.

“So many new things to learn!” Zephyr enthused.

“When are we leaving?” Alex asked.

“Before the sun sets,” Calum answered. “Actually, I came to get all of you because we need to catch up to the rest of the pod. I hope everyone is ready for a long swim.”

Calum paced himself so the merlings could keep up with him. He couldn’t carry all four so whenever a couple of them got tired from swimming, both Alex and Calum carried them before switching with another pair.

When they caught up with the others, each of the adults except Alex and Kemps, held one of the merlings. Alex followed the pod from behind and Kemps took the lead. The pod swam a good distance before finally reaching the grottoes. When they finally made it to their new home, the merlings were asleep holding onto their parents.

Kemps slowed and the pod did the same. Animated fish bones, angler fish, venomous lionfish and other fish from the deep swam around in the cave. The coral was sick and debris from the corruption caught in the current collected in the grotto. Signs of the abyss surrounded them.

“Let’s be careful and find a place for the merlings to rest. Tomorrow, we’ll work on making this a proper home for them,” Kemps said.

Everyone else nodded. The pod swam deeper into the grotto and secured a place to rest before the next day.

From the shadows, a dark figure watched.

In his lair, Damion used his magic above the Cauldron to observe the pod’s return. Behind him, a red tail merman floated in a deep sleep.

‘I see. That’s why I was struggling to find it,’ Damion said. ‘He passed on his power. And to such a naïve merboy no less. No matter, I will have it in time. And when I do, it will be mine.’

Finally! I have my chapter done but I will need some time to get it updated. This was such a long time coming.

Aside from the craziness of life for the last 7-8 months, I also had delays from major game updates that stalled gameplay between working on the next chapter. Time was extremely constrained. I'm hoping to share the new chapter to start my story again later tonight then catch up on everyone else's story. I really don't know if I'll have a lot of time for everything so we will see how far I can get. I plan on trying to share things here and if everything works with uploads like I hope, I'll continue sharing updates moving forward.

Wow, I am loving this. I had no idea people make stories in the forum. This has been very enjoyable and I can't wait to read the rest. Thank you!