The Merfolk of the Sulani Seas

Chapter 1: The Shadow of the Sea Witches

In a grotto near Ohan'Ali Town, Anas jazzed up the place, flipping his fins as he rocked to the rhythm. His older sister Nalani spun and danced to the beat. From behind, Rio tapped her shoulder. Floating upside down and from above, the young merman looked her in the eyes, his tail curled over her Head.

"How's my girl doing?" Rio said.

"Doing well." Nalani recovered her grove.

Anas looked up at his sister and her partner. "Would you two get a grotto already?!"

With a gentle grasp, Nalani pulled Rio closer before she lifted the merman's chin. 

"It's better now that you are here." Nalani flirted.

The two stared into each other's eyes.

"I love you so much." Rio said, wrapping his arms around Nalani.

Anas turned to his music, trying to ignore the couple. 

'They seriously need to find a grotto.' Anas thought. 'At this rate, we'll be raising a merling in the open ocean.'

Rio rested his hands on Nalani's waste, and she held his back. Their tails curled around each other's as they kissed. The two spun together in the water. Nalani took the lead as she guided their movement.

Rio and Nalani only recently bonded for life and their affection for each other was still strong. Anas was looking forward to them settling down. His close relationship with Nalani helped him tolerate their constant exchange of affection.

"Anas, me and Nalani are going to swim to the shore and bask in the sun." Rio said.

The green tail merman continued his jazzy tune. "Just be careful so close to the Islanders."

"We'll just bask in the sun for a little bit." Nalani said.

"Just don't forget to return to the sea." Anas joked. "Both of you might end up with dried scales if you're in the sun too long."

"Don't worry, we won't be that long." Nalani said. 

Rio and Nalani surfaced in Ohan'Ali Lagoon. The couple pulled themselves on land but stayed close to the water's edge. After turning on their stomachs, the couple got lost in each other's sea green eyes.

For a moment, everything was perfect.

So close to the shore, they were unable to escape their ambushers. An eerie melody resonated over them, and the couple was knocked out cold. When Anas finished playing music, he surfaced and found a human laughing manically with two sea creatures on either side. He watched in horror as the young man ripped Rio's Voice from his throat. Anas wanted to help, but they were too far on land for him to do much. 

"Today is my lucky day." Camilo cackled as Rio's Voice disappeared in a glowing Nautilus Shell.

"He never saw us coming, too distracted by love." Anika said. "What a fool."

"Can't we return her to the sea?" Ronen frowned. "We don't need her."

"I've heard rumors that the Orange and Green Tail Guardians were close." Camilo said. "I'll use her to lure out the Green Tail Guardian. I suspect the rumors were true, but this was not what I expected."

Camilo laughed manically. "You both know where I want them. Let's get going before someone sees us."

Before the human and kelpies noticed him, Anas turned away. There was nothing he could do right now, and he was risking capture by staying.

'I'm sorry Nalani, Rio. I will find a way to help you both.'

Anas held back his emotions and began swimming away as quickly as he could. Anas suspected that this strange human wasn't randomly targeting Rio and Nalani, not after he took Rio's Voice. He was certain that this human had a mastery of sea sorcery, and that gave away his intentions. He cursed himself for being so cowardly, but if his suspicions were right, he couldn't risk getting captured. He needed help, and he didn't know where he might find it. Most of the merfolk left the shores of Sulani a long time ago.

Once Anas made it to the edge of the lagoon, he leapt out of the water and dove under, his tail sliding through the surface. The ocean was big. He could at least hide until he found a way to save his family on land. But to go on land, there was a steep price to pay. He wasn't sure if he could pay it or if he was willing to go to him.

As Anas tail slipped beneath the waves, he made his decision.

'No matter what. I won't go to him. I'll find another way. There has to be.'

He was aware of less permanent sea sorcery that might help, but he didn't know of anyone that practiced it. If he was going to save his family, he needed a temporary solution. He could part with his voice, or even the ability to love, if it meant having one day to save his family. But, he only needed a single day. He wasn't interested in more than that.

Camilo's minions carried the merman and mermaid to the Sea Witch's secret lair. Anika dumped the merman in his tank while Ronen gently dropped the mermaid in hers. Camilo cast a sleeping curse on both of them to ensure they wouldn't wake up.

The Sea Witch took Rio's Necklace to solidify his control over the power that came from the Orange Tail Merman's Voice.

Camilo placed Rio's Voice on the magic circle and commanded his minions to leave. The Sea Witch soaked up the small victory.

'Now, I just need the other five and their voices.' Camilo thought. 'Once I bring them together and complete my collection, I will use their power to rule over the oceans. Everything in the sea will be mine!'

'With all six, I will become the ruler of the seven seas. And once I'm done with the sea, I will take over the land and sky.'

'I hope you enjoy your permanent and silent new home. I'll have your friend in here with you in no time. Your girlfriend will be the perfect bait to catch the fish I want.'

As night began to set in, the local Sulani watering hole began to come alive. Mortimer brought his son, Alexander Goth, with him. When Alexander heard Mortimer talk about going to the Islands. He begged his dad to bring him along. He read so many books about Sulani, the mysterious cryptids that resided there, and the tales of ocean magic. Merfolk, Deep Sea Creatures, and Island Spirits, he wanted to see if any of the tales were true. Mortimer just wanted a moment to escape from life on the mainland and rejuvenate his creativity.

Alexander listened to the island music and swayed to its beat. Kaola Ubuloo started playing and the teen got lost in the hot beat. Mortimer had the bartender prepare his favorite drink. While the Goths enjoyed their time at the Sand Bar, Ronen led Camilo and Anika into the bar. Disguised as humans, no one would know that they were denizens of the deep sea until it was too late.

Camilo wasn't about to let the chance to try out his new power pass. With the power of Rio's Voice, he sang a mesmerizing melody that dazed Alexander and Mortimer. While they were in a trance, Camilo had a few options.

"I'm enjoying this." Camilo said, swaying to the beat of island music.

While Camilo thought about what he would do to Mortimer and Alexander, Anika went to work distracting the Chief of the Islanders, Keala. The presence of the Island Chief was an unfortunate chance encounter, but Camilo adapted his plans.

The Island Chief was an elderly lady. It was easy enough to make it so no one would believe her. If the Island Chief went missing, it would draw more attention than he wanted. However, if he put her under a spell, Camilo figured she wouldn't know if everything was a dream or not.

He knew for certain that the chances of someone believing a scattered account was low. The Bartender saw everything, but Camilo wasn't bothered by it. He wanted rumors to spread around the island. A tall tale would be just enough to lure out other Guardians, but not enough for humans to believe the Merfolk and other Denizens of the Sea were real.

'As the islanders say, cast a wide net to make a big catch.' Camilo thought. 'And I'm looking to make the biggest catch.'

While the humans were dazed, Camilo filled Mortimer and Alexander with such despair that it stopped their hearts.

As soon as Camilo was done with Alexander, the teen was released from the mermadic spell. Alexander scratched his head in confusion before feeling the effects of the Sea Witch's magic. 

As Camilo induced heartbreak in Mortimer, Alexander fell to the floor.

"This is so awesome!" Camilo fist pumped. "And, I did this with the power of one ocean guardian. This. Is. Amazing!"

The death of the two humans brought forth death himself.

"Woah, might've gone a bit too far there, boss." Anika said.

"I was on a power trip. This isn't my fault!" Camilo said.

Ronen was frozen in shock.

Suddenly, humans started to gather in the sand bar to see what was happening. Camilo had a brilliant idea. He decided to create more havoc and stir up more rumors no one would believe. More than anything, he just enjoyed creating chaos because he could. Meager Monsoons floating above people's head was just part of the fun.

The isolated thunderstorms did their job and drove the humans away. Shortly after, the weather over the island turned. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. When the humans talked about storm clouds floating overhead, the truth would be lost in the actual rainstorm.

While Camilo was distracted, Ronen grabbed the urns and went to the ocean.

'How did things get like this?' Ronen thought. 

He used to be a human, Anika too. Both of them were islanders that made a deal with Camilo. Ronen came to regret his decision, but Anika embraced her new, cursed, life. When they couldn't pay their debt, Camilo turned them into monsters and took them instead. If Camilo commanded it, he would have to do as he was told. Fortunately, Camilo was so caught up in the chaos he was creating that he didn't see Ronen grab the Humans' Urns.

'He's taking this too far. Makes us do his bidding. If I could openly disobey him, I would. What is Anika thinking? She follows him so willingly.'

Ronen couldn't get used to the life he was living now. He wanted to become human again. He felt tremendous guilt when they captured the merfolk couple. Camilo's plans just didn't sit well with him.

'None of these humans or merfolk deserve what he is doing.' Ronen thought.

Ronen did learn of another Sea Witch that might be able to undo a bit of what Camilo did to the humans. If there was some way to save the humans, he had to give it a try.

The Sea Witch he planned on visiting was known for his transactional approach to deals, but he only used his magic on other merfolk. When Ronen learned that a couple of merfolk made deals with this sea witch to gain a permanent human form, it resulted in Camilo's current chaos. He made one critical mistake. He told his master about what he learned. And now, two humans paid the price.

It wasn't until after Ronen made his deal with Camilo that he learned the truth about the deep-sea merman. Camilo's hunger for power drove him to the greatest extremes. it wasn't possible for merfolk, any merfolk, to take human form. Shapeshifting was unique to the kelpies. What Camilo did to gain a human form... it always sent chills down Ronen's spine. His master gave up the ability to feel love so that he could lure humans into contracts they couldn't escape from. For many humans, they were lucky to get away alive. And, if they were allowed to live, they suffered from a curse that would ensure that they drowned if they tried to swim. 

As Ronen pushed off the sand, he changed into his kelpie form. He and Anika were different from other humans. Instead of cursing them with a potion, Camilo used the power of the contract to transform them into kelpies. Their contracts ensured that they would have to follow his every command. If Ronen wanted to help the humans, he would need to do it while his master was distracted. Ronen could only imagine what Camilo would do with two human souls.

Ronen swam to the edge of Ohan'Ali's lagoon and dove under the sea. Helping the humans would infuriate Camilo, and he knew that he wouldn't get a second chance.

Ronen swam into the other Sea Witch's lair. 

"I was hoping you could help me with something." Ronen said to the Purple Tail Merman. "I'm looking for a spell that can bring someone back from death."

"I'm sorry to hear about your loss, but my price for such magic is far from cheap. And, you should know that anyone I bring back from death will be reborn as a mer. I can't return them to the way they were. No sea sorcery can undo death, only give new life."

"There's no one else that I can go to."

"I'm often making deals with poor unfortunate souls with nowhere else to turn. What you are saying is no surprise to me. However, the limits of my magic is the truth. One soul in exchange for giving another soul new life. That is the price of that magic. And anyone I bring back will become a mer, gaining all the limitations that come with being one."

"But the people I want to help were humans. If you bring them back as mermen, then they won't be able to go on land."

"Remember, a soul is needed to grant new life. I can only give new life to one of your human friends. The other's soul will be lost in the process. They will cease to exist in both the physical and spiritual plane. The magic requires the entire soul to give new life."

"I don't have two souls to exchange." Ronen sobbed into his claws.

"And besides, I know you were once human yourself. I can sense the other sea witch's magic. Why should I do anything to help you?"

Ronen wanted to help the humans, and he knew this Sea Witch didn't deal with humans. In order to get him to help, he would need to make it worth his time. Ronen dug his claws into his arm and around a scale. After some effort, he pulled it free.

"If you help one of the humans, you can keep my scale."

Damion held out his hand. "Do you have any idea what I could do with such a thing? Your master's magic is woven into this scale. Your life could be in my hands. Kelpies, true Kelpies are never so eager to part with something like this."

"I'm not like normal Kelpies." Ronen said.

"Fair. I will help you in exchange for this," Damion said.

"But, as I said, only one can be reborn as a merman. The other will cease to exist when I use their soul. And, the magic will be bound within a contract. If I, or the contract, perish so will the human I bring back. Do you still wish to seek my help. Don't let me twist your claws."

"This is what I want to do."

"For a former human, you are much more selfless than I expected."

"I didn't seek out a Sea Witch to pursue my own ambitions."

"In my experience, merfolk can be just as selfish as humans, but what I always find curious is a selfless individual seeking out magic for another."

Damion shrugged. "Judging from what this other Sea Witch did to you, I wonder about your true motivations. Surely you must've known what could happen."

"I have no other motivations. I simply wish to undo some of the harm my master caused."

"You are quite unique then. I rarely have a client that wants to help others like you do."

"There's no point in me trying to make a deal for myself."

"I see you are aware of your circumstances then. You are right. The magic from the other Sea Witch makes it impossible for you to make a deal with me. You no longer have the freedom for such things. I would assume that your master wouldn't be too happy with you doing this either."

"Refusing your scale while I have the chance to add it to my own collection would be foolish, as well," Damion said. "This is not how I like to do things though. I prefer to use contracts to bind the terms of all deals I make. However, this will be one of the very few times I make an exception."

"So, what do you need me to do?"

"I need you to place the Urns on the seafloor. Let us bring forth the father. Yes, I know these humans are father and son."

"How?"

"Don't act all surprised. I am a dark sea sorcerer. It comes with the job."

"Are you still sure about this? Once I use the soul of one of them to bring the other back, they will never be able to return to their life on land. No merman or mermaid is capable of taking human form without the help of sea sorcery, and no mer, natural-born or reborn, can become a human themselves."

"I understand. This is the choice I made to help them."

"Very curious, but don't come swimming back to me for another deal. This deal is a one-time exception"

Damion called forth Mortimer's Ghost and Ronen turned to apologize to the human.

"I'm so sorry for what my master did to you. This merman can help if you let him. We can save one of you."

"Something I almost never do for any humans." Damion added.

Mortimer gestured to the Kelpie to calm him down. "I'm sure this young man isn't helping out of the goodness of his heart, but if we are going to save someone, I want my son to be saved."

The Kelpie tapped the tips of his claws together. "Thank you for being so understanding. I couldn't do nothing. Not this time."

"Thank you for caring enough to help. Say, am I under the sea? How am I doing that?"

"For a human, you're pretty dense," Damion added. "A Human Soul doesn't need to be able to breathe underwater."

"This would be an excellent story if I got the chance to share it."

"Our red friend has somewhere else he needs to be. Thanks to him, I'm breaking one of my strictest rules, but even so, my service is not free. It never is for anyone," Damion explained. "This Kelpie convinced me to help you, but you will still need to pay for my magic. Understood."

"If I can save my son, then I will do anything."

"I wouldn't throw that phase out so freely." Damion advised "I haven't told you what it will cost you to save your son."

Ronen wanted to stay until the end, but he knew that Damion was right. If he wanted to get away with what he was doing, he needed to start swimming home.

Damion conjured a contract above his cauldron. 

"That's a neat trick," Mortimer said. "I've never seen real magic."

"Most humans never do," Damion said.

"Now, I'll tell you plain," Damion explained. "To bring your son back, you will cease to exist. No sea sorcery can truly return someone back from the dead, but I can use your soul to grant your son a new life as a merboy. Once I bring him back, he will have no way to return to his life as a human. Merfolk can gain a human form with the help of sea sorcery, but becoming a human is simply impossible. It would be in his best interest to forget about his life as a human."

A fishbone pin appeared, and Mortimer grabbed it. He was uncertain, but after some thought, he decided this was better than him remaining dead. This was his only chance to bring his son back.

'What kind of father would I be if I didn't take this opportunity.' Mortimer signed the contract without reading it.

"It seems we have a deal!" Damion's magic sent the contract into the cauldron. 

"Before I cast my spell, I do have a few questions. I hope you can answer them," Damion said.

"Giving me a chance to say my last words," Mortimer said.

"Sort of, there's very little I care about hearing from a human, but there is something I want to know."

"Go on."

"I find it interesting that you didn't read the contract and just signed it." Damion couldn't help but laugh. "You could have agreed to anything, so why did you give up your own existence to save someone else so readily."

"When you become a father, you'll understand that a parent will do whatever it takes to save their child."

"I'll have to remember that," Damion said. "It seems today has been full of surprises. I never thought a human would say something that could be so useful."

"We humans might be worth giving a chance." Mortimer said.

"I'm moved. Something else I never expected. Well, I will make this promise. Me and my husband will look after your son. At the very least, you can disappear knowing he will be safe."

Before Mortimer could respond, Damion held up a nautilus shell. "Now, goodbye and good riddance."

Damion's magic ensnared Mortimer's Soul and pulled him into the shell.

Shortly after Mortimer was sucked into the shell, Damion called forth Alexander's Soul.

"Young man, today is your lucky day."

Alexander didn't know what to make of what the merman said.

"Where's my dad?"

"Gone, never to return."

Damion cast his magic on the teen. An energy swirled out of the Nautilus Shell and surrounded Alexander. He was lifted up in the water and the energy flowed into him. His ghostly form transformed into something more solid.

"I'm alive!" Alexander exclaimed.

"Where's my shirt?" The merboy asked.

Alexander decided to ignore the wardrobe change for now and turned to the Merman that brought him back.

"Thank you! This feels amazing! I'm a merman! A real merman! Wait until I tell my mom and sister!"

"About that. You won't be seeing anyone from your past life again." Damion said.

Damion held his hands together and materialized a contract. "You see, your dad was in such a hurry to bring you back that he didn't read the fine print."

Damion held the contract Mortimer signed up to the merboy. "You belong to me now. Thanks to your dear old dad, I own you. And you will pay back your debt serving me."

Alexander was speechless.

"I never offer my services for free, and I can't ignore that you were once a human of all things."

Damion looked at the merboy. "Why so surprised? Did you think this was some fairy tale? Did you think I would bring you back only to let you swim free. For Poseidon's Sake, you're a juvenile mer at best. It would be irresponsible to give you freedom after bringing you back to life."

Damion held up a potion and threw it at the seafloor. The potion shattered and floated up and around the merboy. Alexander went from handsome to a sickly green. 

Barnacles grew on his skin. His dorsal fins changed into a spine along his tail. His pectoral fins turned into more spines. He fell to the seafloor, completely transformed into a hideous monster.

"He'll thank me later." Damion said.

'That curse will deter any impulsive attempts to return to his family on land. Most importantly, he won't end up as seafood for another sea creature.' Damion smiled. 'I should let Caleb know that we have a merboy to look after. It's not how he wanted to start our pod, but it is what it is. He will need a home, and I'm not completely heartless.'

Damion looked through the threshold, as if staring into the distance. 'Maybe I'm getting soft. When this necklace turned black, I thought my heart would remain a twisted mess forever, and now, I'm meddling in the affairs of someone worse than me. Fortunately, I have exactly what I need to secure the safety of myself, Caleb, and our pod.'

When Ronen returned to his master's underwater lair, he was greeted by Anika and Camilo.

Anika swam down from above. "I saw him leave with the Urns, master."

"What is wrong with you?" Camilo scolded the Kelpie. "What's broken so I can fix it?" 

"Nothing is wrong with me."

"Then why did you take the human souls," Camilo said. "With a human soul, I can undo death itself for any merman or mermaid. I can't just take the lives of humans any time I feel like it. I can't afford drawing the extra attention."

Camilo materialized the contract Ronen signed. "Did you forget the deal you made with me?"

"You had your chance to get what you wanted." Camilo interrupted before the kelpie could respond. "I own you now. And, I can do what I please with you. I turned you into a kelpie so you can better serve me. I did not give you that form to pursue your own endeavors."

"And the contract clearly says that I can enforce my will whenever you disobey me. So, this is my command to you." Camilo said to the red kelpie.

"You will not do anything to help those affected by my actions. Even if you want to, I forbid it."

Near Ohan'Ali's neighboring island of St. Taz, a pod of merfolk swam into a shallow lagoon to sleep. For the Zalrian Pod, it was a long swim to this island. While at sea, four merlings joined the pod, and it was time to find a better home to raise the young merfolk. Calum and Arihi had identical twin merlings. Reef and Sarah has a son and adopted a second son. Calum and Arihi's oldest son recently became a merboy. Their growing family needed a place to settle down. Kemps, the Patriarch of the Pod, required a great deal of convincing to return to a place so close to humans, but eventually, his younger brothers convinced him. Kemps maintained one condition for the pod. He forbade interacting with any humans. 

While the merfolk used to interact with ancient islanders, Kemps did not trust humans. He blamed them for their destructive pollution and the way they hurt sea life. Often referring to humans as Barbarians. In truth, Kemps, Calum, and Reef were orphaned thanks to humans. Their parents tried to keep the peace when strange humans arrived in Sulani. Unlike the Islanders, they were ruthless as they pillaged the island villages. Ancient Merfolk tried to help the Islanders and perished in the conflict. The pirates pursuing a Human Princess ruined the peace between islanders, island spirits, and the denizens of the sea. The merfolk that survived the conflict ended leaving for the reefs far out at sea. After looking after his younger brothers in their parents' place, Kemps became overbearing and protective of his family.

As was tradition in the Zalrian Pod, Kemps gave Alex the Necklace of the Blue Tail Guardian and passed the Guardian's mantle to his nephew. Kemps shared very little of what it meant to be a Guardian of the Seven Seas with his oldest nephew. For the time being, Kemps wanted the merboy to grow up without the same burdens of responsibility he had at his age. That didn't stop him from being particularly overprotective towards Alex. 

The Zalrian Pod Arrived near the shores of St. Taz at night and gathered in an atoll to sleep. The cover of darkness helped to hide the pod when they arrived. Kemps planned on leading them to a more suitable home before sunset that day. The Patriarch knew of a major grotto near St. Taz that would be an excellent place to raise merlings.

Alex couldn't contain his own excitement. So close to the humans he heard stories about, he wanted to get a closer look. When Alex was a young merling, Calum told him stories about humans before bed. The pod was too far from land to interact with humans when Alex was a merling, and he didn't want to miss his chance to see a human for the first time. Thanks to Calum's stories, he knew that his mother was a human before she became a mermaid. Once Kemps noticed how curious Alex got about the human world from his parents, he forbade Calum and Arihi from sharing the same stories with the twins, hoping to prevent them from growing too curious about the human world. Alex, on the other fin, shared his own version of stories with his cousins and little brothers much to Kemps's disdain. To Kemps's relief, Alex's stories never fostered the same curiosity in the merlings.

While his family slept. Alex used this as a chance to slip away. The cover of night was also a could time to get closer to the shore. Alex only made a few leaps out of the water. He stayed low to the surface as he flicked his tail forward. 

The merboy built momentum as he swam around the reefs and atolls. He leapt out of the water and his tail slid through the sea behind him. Alex felt the rush of excitement and discovery. He was in a new part of the sea he never visited before and wanted to see everything, including the nearby human world.

When he heard a new and different kind of music, his curiosity grew. He turned through the water and slowed himself close to where the sound came from. He slid below the water as he got closer.

Alex peaked above the surface to get a closer look. He could hear the music and the excitement above. He was so close to the human world.

Alex grabbed the handles of the ladder and pulled himself up. His tail flailing and growing heavier as he got further out of the water. Eventually, he managed to get a hold on the floor of the dock, and with a flick of his tail, he maneuvered to the side. The merboy pulled himself up. Despite the weight of his tail, he was able to hold onto the ledge. Crossing his arms, he watched the guy playing music. He saw the lights flashing, listened to the music, and enjoyed every moment.

"This is amazing! I've never heard music like this before."

Alex was so intrigued by the music; he didn't notice that the sun was rising on the horizon. He spotted a human girl and his heart raced.

'Who is she?!' 

The girl watched the human playing music and didn't notice the merboy watching them. Not that he would have looked like a merboy to her.

When the girl left and the human stopped playing the music, Alex leapt off the ledge. "I've never heard stories about anything like this from dad! Tonight was amazing!"

When the merboy surfaced, he came face to face with the last person he wanted to see this close to humans.

"What are you doing?" Kemps inquired.

"Nothing." Alex lied.

"That's a little difficult to believe." Kemps said. "I'm very disappointed in you, young man."

"I was just having a bit of fun." Alex defended.

Kemps softened his stare. "What am I going to do with you? What if someone saw you? Swim back to the pod. I don't want to see you this close to the shore again."

"But Uncle Kemps."

"That wasn't a request."

"Fine."

Alex followed his uncle back to the pod. 

'Tonight was still incredible!' The merboy thought. 'I've never heard music like that before!'