I had to do final edits and finish adding pictures after posting, but chapter 4 is finally done!

Edit: I'll add chapter links later. It took a lot out of me just to get the chapter posted in a completed state.

Chapter 4: A Change in the Tides

After Alex left the sea witch's lair, Damion swam back to his grotto. When he returned home, Caleb was in the living grotto getting ready to prepare dinner. Damion tackled Caleb, wrapping his arms around his husband. Caleb caught Damion and was greeted with a kiss.

Spinning through the water, Caleb steadied himself and Damion. He returned his husband's kiss. Damion's arms rested on Caleb's shoulders as Caleb pulled him closer. The sudden burst of affection caught Caleb by surprise, but it was a nice surprise.

When Damion was about to pull away, Caleb caught him by the waist and pulled the merman back to him. With his other hand, Caleb lifted Damion's chin and stared deep into his luminous pink eyes.

"To what do I owe such affection," Caleb inquired.

Damion looked back into Caleb's sea green eyes. "Do I need a reason to show my husband affection?"

"No, you don't," Caleb replied. "I just haven't seen you like this in a while."

Caleb released Damion from his embrace.

"I do have some excellent news," Damion said. "I have a new addition to my collection. A merboy's lovely voice."

"I see." Caleb tilted his head. "You were doing that while you were away."

"Don't say it like that. The deal was fair. The merboy wanted to walk on land, and it was the only way I could grant his wish."

"And he came to you for help," Caleb asked.

"Of course," Damion answered. "I never seek out such poor and unfortunate souls."

"You're a bad liar." Caleb frowned.

"Okay, okay, I sent Ukupanipo to find him. But, I didn't twist his fins. He chose to sign the contract on his own. He knew what he was getting himself into."

"Damion, I love you, but you can't keep doing this to other merfolk."

"I just want to complete my collection. You know how much I care about that. I needed a Merman's Voice."

"I know, but you've already got a mermaid and merman's love."

"A human soul too."

Caleb shook his head. "I know this collection is important to you, but I wish it didn't hurt others."

"That merboy won't miss his precious voice. Besides, it turns out that his voice was a Guardian's voice. The merboy was too eager to give something like that up. The Seven Seas are safer this way."

"You sure? What if he needs his voice?" Caleb asked.

"I promise, it's for the best. There's a shadow encroaching on the sea. If he needs his voice, I can lend it back to him, temporarily," Damion explained. "Besides, the moment I return his voice, the spell I cast on him will be undone." 

"But, he'll never be able to say another word, sing another song."

"That merboy wanted something that was impossible. For that, there is a steep price to pay. You know this. For now, he gets to enjoy the human world and return to the sea as he pleases. He's getting everything he wanted."

Caleb looked deep into his husband's eyes and smiled. This time he knew that he was telling the truth.

"If you're going to keep collecting from others, promise me that you will do it for the greater good. I don't like it, but I trust you."

"I promise, I won't collect with malevolent intentions. Caleb, there's something dark beyond the sea... it worries me." Damion's voice started to shake a bit.

Hearing the fear in his husband's voice, Caleb grew a little concerned.

"Besides, I acquired something else. I have him taking care of something right now," Damion added.

"Acquired something, or someone?" Caleb inquired.

"Well, he belongs to me. His life is now bound to mine. While I do own him, I also promised his father that we would look after him."

"What did you do? What are you talking about?"

"Well, you know how we were planning on growing our pod. I acquired a son for us," Damion answered.

"Acquired a son? That's not exactly what I had in mind."

"Whatever is lurking in the shadows had a part to play in his fate. He was a human that perished on land. From the human souls, I could sense the cause of death. That's what has me the most worried."

"I don't understand? Vampires among many other dark forces of the magic realm target humans?"

"A Guardian's Voice was used to take a life. The six guardians couldn't take a life on land because they are all Reef Mermen. None of us are capable of going on land without the help of magic."

"Wait, are you telling me that you're also one of these Guardians?" Caleb chuckled.

Caleb knew his husband cared about the oceans. However, the idea of him being a guardian or protector of the seas was not something he expected. It didn't seem like Damion's nature. Damion had powerful magic, sure, but Caleb thought that was all it was. 

"Yes. I'm a Guardian of the Sea," Damion explained. "And whoever took the life of the merboy and his father, he did something to one of the other Guardians."

Damion's tone was serious, and Caleb never saw him concerned like this.

"I don't know what to say." Caleb turned to begin preparing dinner. "How bad is it?"

"If what I suspect is true, it's worse than anyone can imagine. I think... I think a Guardian has fallen, and someone out there is using the power of his voice." 

"Will he come for you too?"

"I don't know. As close as I am to the Abyssal Seal, I can't foresee what this darkness is plotting, but the more immediate problem is the absence of a guardian. It takes all six of us to maintain the seal."

"I'm not unfamiliar with forces of evil. I was a vampire remember. The Covenant manipulating humans had their own agenda."

"The Oceans are older than the Vampires. The evil sealed in the darkness of the deep is far worse than that Dark Covenant can conceive. Out of the Six, I am the closest to it. And, while I'm often the first of us to see the darkness, my sight is clouded."

"And this darkness, it's the immediate problem? How?"

"Without one of the Guardians, there is a crack in the seal. It won't happen immediately. It might take ages or far less, but over time, the seal will grow weaker. Once the seal breaks, the darkness of the deep will be unleashed on the world."

"Then we have time?"

"Yes, and I think I'll have my hands full keeping things under control. The other guardians, they might've forgotten, or they passed on their powers to new guardians that don't know."

"Damion, I had no idea." 

Caleb wanted to know more, but he also wanted to change the topic. He didn't understand everything about the ocean and merfolk, but he knew that he didn't like seeing his husband so worried.

"You said we have a merboy to look after? Where is he?"

"Oh, I almost forgot," Damion said. "I'll summon him." 

With a flourish of his wrist, a merboy appeared before the mermen.

"This is Alexander."

Damion swam up to Caleb. "I promised his human father that we would look after his son. Like you, he's been reborn as a mer, he will never be able to return to his life on land. Without us, he's got no one."

"Damion, of course he can join our pod," Caleb said. "I am a bit surprised though. I thought you hated humans."

"I do. I still can't forgive what the humans did to you, but he's no longer a human. He's a merboy. He knows nothing about the ocean. He's just like you when I brought you back."

"I remember."

Caleb reflected on his first days of being a merman. When he was first brought back to life, he tried to pull himself on land. He remembered stories about merfolk that only had a tail in water or after getting wet. He dragged himself on land, thinking that he would regain his legs.

He learned the hard way that, merfolk like him and Damion, only had one form. Their tails simply didn't change if they got dry enough or far enough on land. After nearly getting himself stuck on the beach, he almost dried out. It was a harsh truth to accept, but eventually, he learned.

"Just like me, his life on land is over now," Caleb muttered.

"I did everything I could. I can't bring back the life that was. I can only grant a new life," Damion said.

"I understand. Couldn't you, you know, grant him a human form. Let him say goodbye to his family on land... like you did for me."

"You know it's not that simple. I can't just give him a human form. You know that."

"You gave me three days with my sister. Why not do the same for him?"

"You know why. If I give him three days on land, he won't be able to return to the sea until the spell runs its course. He could get stuck on land and dry out. Getting stranded on land, it's not just bad for merfolk like us, it can be fatal."

"Then you could give him the ability permanently. It doesn't come with the same dangers, right?"

"If I grant him the ability permanently, it's much safer, but he would either lose the love he has for his family, be turned so old that they wouldn't recognize him, or be unable to say goodbye. The spell to make it permanent has no exceptions."

"Why not change me so I can go with him? I can look after him, make sure he returns to the sea on time."

"Caleb, you and Lilith. You both were part of the Realm of Magic. He was originally born a human. I brought him back as a merboy, but for a former human, letting him go back could be worse than letting his human family accept his death."

"We should try to do something?" Caleb insisted. "For better or for worse, he deserves a chance to have closure."

"Caleb, humans aren't like the Denizens of the Magic Realm. Their kind almost drove merfolk to extinction. Letting him say goodbye to his family could expose the existence of all merfolk to humans again. Besides, his family is mortal. Alexander is a merboy now. He will never die from old age."

"Then, we should let him see his family before he misses his chance."

"Maybe one day. I sent him to get one last look at his family, but I ordered him to not make contact with them. As he is, he can't disobey me. My biggest concern right now is keeping everyone safe."

"Shouldn't you let me worry about the safety of our pod? Remember, I'm the Patriarch."

"I know." Damion rolled his eyes. "I still don't know why in the seven seas you became the patriarch after our union. It's usually the oldest in a pod."

"Maybe it's because I'm supposed to keep you from going too far with your dark magic."

"Don't remind me. I'm very aware that Patriarch's and Matriarch's have absolute authority over their pods."

"And in our case, that's a good thing. I know you don't like it when someone has power over you, but we agreed that I wouldn't impose my will unless I felt there was a need to draw a line in the seabed."

"And there won't be a need for you to do that," Damion said. 

"I don't know." Caleb looked into his husband's eyes. "I worry. Your collection requires you to use dark magic. Merfolk, all living beings, need the love in their hearts. And now you've taken a merboy's voice. I understand your reasons, but still..."

"My collection is the result of me fulfilling the wishes and desires of those who have no one else to turn to. Everyone that comes to me are poor unfortunate souls I help. While they might be without something for the rest of their very long lives, I never twisted their fins. I never forced them into a deal."

"That look in your eyes. The expression in your smile. That is why your obsession with your collection worries me."

"Caleb, other evil sea witches might consume what they take from others. Use it for nefarious and evil purposes. I protect everything in my collection, preserve it."

"But you never return what you take."

"Never. My deals are always final. What I get from the deals are mine."

Caleb frowned. "And that's why other merfolk call you a Demon, an Evil Witch."

"I'm just misunderstood. Some of the things I've taken... I can't just return them anyways. As I said, it would undo the spell they asked me for."

Damion continued.

"Caleb, I promise, once my collection is complete, I'll stop. And I'm one tide closer to completing my collection. The voice of a merman, any merfolk, is one of the hardest things for me to get my hands on. This is something to celebrate."

"I understand your enthusiasm. I'm just as materialistic. But, at some level, this feels wrong. You are taking a piece of another."

"This collection. It's important to me. I'm collecting things of real value and granting others what they ask of me."

"But you send Ukupanipo out to bring them to you, that merman has a silver tongue."

"If I went to them, they would all swim away. Ukupanipo knows when to go to them. He knows how to get them to come to me."

"And that's why I'm imposing my will with a law I should have given our pod long ago. You, and anyone else in our pod, are forbidden from using Ukupanipo to lure more merfolk into contracts."

"But..." Damion could feel Caleb's influence.

"Damion, this is for the best. I promise."

"Okay, I won't use Ukupanipo to lure more merfolk to me, but how am I supposed to finish my collection without merfolk swimming to my cauldron?"

"I guess you'll have to figure that out. You can continue to collect whatever you want, but I will not change my mind."

"You know as well as I do that I can't disobey your will."

"Exactly, and that's the point. No matter how powerful you are as a sea sorcerer or guardian, my laws for our pod are absolute."

"And I can't persuade you to change your mind?"

"You can try, but it won't work. Ukupanipo will not be used to lure merfolk into more deals."

"Because of the deals you made, there are now three mers that lost something important for a chance to do something they would otherwise be incapable of doing."

"But, Halflings and Kelpies go on land all the time."

"You explained this to me when I tried to go on land. The Kelpies and Halflings didn’t come to be naturally. They are the product of magic."

"So, I'm not the only sea witch in the sea. If I don't make the deals, someone else will."

"Yes, but have you ever stopped to think that maybe the reason merfolk were nearly driven to extinction by humans was because the merfolk going on land exposed them to ancient humans?"

"That's definitely a possibility. But, merfolk around Sulani were known by ancient humans. We met along the shore often."

"And? Vampire covenants do interact with humans too. Most humans don't know they exist, but the humans that did learned to fear vampires, hunt us. Eventually, humans can act on their fears and superstitions."

"The Reef Merfolk aren't malevolent creatures. None of us did anything to the humans that turned on us."

"Well then, tell me, are you going to be a Guardian of the Sea or an Evil Sea Witch? As far as I can tell, one is malevolent and the other is benevolent."

"I'm not a deep-sea merman," Damion defended. "And, I don't want anything to do with humans. Trust me, I won't be the one that creates problems between merfolk and humans."

"But the merfolk you grant a human form could."

"I doubt it. The merfolk I deal with are all Reef Merfolk with tails like us. Most of them are too nice to cause problems."

"Then who created the problems for merfolk in the past."

"Caleb, I've seen and heard the stories. Humans often see merfolk as unpredictable forces of good and evil. The truth is, the merfolk that hurt humans are always the deep-sea merfolk. Dead men tell no tales. And the Deep-Sea Merfolk take that very seriously."

"And Reef Merfolk don't cause problems for humans?"

"Of course, we just want to be left alone these days. We are the merfolk humans see. We are the ones that live in the shallow sea. The merfolk they blame because they have no one else to blame."

Caleb finished preparing dinner. The Patriarch escorted Damion over to the merboy. It didn't escape Caleb's notice that his husband cursed him.

"So, you're telling me it's okay to curse a merboy in our pod? He's not a human you want to avoid anymore. But as a mer, you're content with cursing him after you brought him back to life?"

"I mean, his father signed the contract. I'm free to do what I want with him."

"That's another problem. Did he fail to uphold his end of the bargain? What did he do wrong to violate the terms of your deal? You might own his soul, but what did he do wrong?"

Damion didn't want to lie to Caleb. He couldn't let himself do that.

"He didn't do anything wrong and never violated the terms of our deal. In fact, in some ways, he shares my bloodline now. I didn't use his entire human soul to bring him back."

"So, you essentially did this to your son?"

"I guess you could say that. In a way, my blood runs in his veins. He wasn’t reborn exactly like you were."

"Damion, you already had a human soul in your collection, and you did all that just to keep another human soul?"

"Well, you never know when you might need an extra human soul."

Caleb rubbed his forehead and turned to Alexander.

"Alexander, I'm so incredibly sorry for my husband's irresponsible and greedy behavior. He will make this right, and I promise that he won't do anything like this again."

"Again?" Damion gasped. He knew that Caleb was upset by this, but he didn't think he would be upset enough to impose his will on the pod again.

"Damion, this is wrong, and you know it," Caleb said. "It might not be safe to go on land for now. I can accept that, even if it contradicts giving another merboy the power. I will choose to believe that you have good reasons for it."

Damion was about to defend himself, but Caleb stopped him.

"However, cursing this merboy without a good reason. I can't ignore this. For Poseidon’s sake, he's innocent of wrongdoing. And, because of your own magic, he shares your bloodline now. If we are adopting him into our pod, you need to fix this."

"I'm sorry." Once Caleb laid things out plain, Damion realized his mistake. He went too far.

"Damion, you leave me with no choice. Along with not using Ukupanipo to lure merfolk to your lair, you are forbidden from cursing merfolk without just cause. No one, and I mean no one in this pod will continue to lure merfolk into deals or curse the innocent."

Once again, Damion felt the force behind Caleb's words.

“I didn’t want to do this. I wanted you to choose the right path on your own. But, I can’t allow this to keep going. Not like this. Not when I can put a stop to it. It’s wrong.”

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.”

"I know." Damion looked down, ashamed of what he did. "But, the curse I put on him is what allowed him to get one last look at his family without them recognizing him."

"Even so, there were other ways. You didn't need to put this curse on him."

"Alexander, I'm sorry. It wasn't my intent to use the curse as a punishment."

Alexander looked up at Caleb. "I was listening to everything. I think I understand that this isn't some fairytale. I'm a merboy now. I won't see the family I knew again. This is my new reality."

"We can look after you if you'll let us." Caleb offered.

"I think, my dad would want me to stay. This family, it's not perfect, but I'll have a home."

"Alexander, your dad might not exist, but I made sure that he could live on in your memories." Damion added.

Alexander turned to Damion. "I appreciate that."

"I don't completely understand everything that is happening right now, but I know that you brought me back. Damion, you gave me a second chance at life. Because of you, I know that my mom and siblings are okay. I forgive you."

"Alexander..."

The merboy stopped Damion.

"Call me Xander. I always liked that nickname."

"Okay then, Xander. What we discussed is true. You are as much my son as if you were born into the sea from my song. Normally, the spell to bring a soul back doesn't have anything left over. Your human soul remains because a piece of me took its place."

"So, what does that make me?"

"For all intents and purposes, you are a reef merboy like any other reef merboy born in the sea, with some exceptions."

"And those exceptions are?"

"Xander, you are a Purple Tail Guardian Heir. You have the potential for a lot more power than you know. Carrying my bloodline might be the product of magic, but you are still my son by blood. It's possible that you might develop a talent for sea magic."

"So, I'm a little bit more than just a merman."

"Oh great, I might have two sea witches to worry about." Caleb muttered before smiling.

"Your human soul wasn't used to bring you back, but the memories from your human life were restored with you. The soul in that shell is a blank slate without its own identity."

"How would that affect me?"

"Well, it has the power of a human soul, but the most important parts of you were taken from it to bring you back with your old identity and memories. That shell can only be used for the power and form it has in it."

"Because I'm the product of magic."

"Correct, it's hard to say what I can and can't do. If I cure your curse, there is a chance that you will not go on land again. Are you okay with that?"

"I didn't ask to be cursed. My family would run in terror if they saw me like this. Even if I might never go on land again, I don't want to live like this. I don't want to look like a monster."

"Then, I want you to have this. Xander, welcome to our pod. Consider it a welcome home gift."

Xander reached his hands out to grab the gift. Caleb watched his husband with pride. The merman had renewed hope that he would see the Damion he knew again.

"Thank you. Everything that has happened over the past few days. I died, came back as a merman, was cursed, and found a new home with two dads."

"Xander, you will be safe with us," Caleb said. "I won't let anything happen to this pod."

"I've got my own tricks to keep us safe from the dangers on land," Damion added.

"You know, I've always been drawn to the sea. I remember getting lost in books about ocean myths and legends. If I spend the rest of my life as a merman, I don't think this will be too bad."

"Well, once you get used to swimming with a tail..." Caleb said.

"Don't listen to him, it's in your blood. Life as a mer will come naturally." Damion interrupted. 

"Thank you, this gift is amazing!"

"Well, there's no turning back now." Xander lifted the potion and began to drink it. 

Caleb turned to his husband. "I'm so proud of you Damion." 

"I know that what I did was misguided, and I'm guilty of many things..." Damion began to say.

Caleb stopped Damion. "You never had to explain it to me. I love you no matter what and never stopped seeing the good in you."

"Thank you, I don't know what I would do without you." Damion leaned toward Caleb. "I love you so much."

After Drinking the Water of Cleansing, Xander was lifted by a soothing light. Caleb turned to Damion and reached for his hands. 

"Damion, please," Caleb said. "Stay with me for now. Don't go back to your cauldron. Take a break from the spells, contracts, and potions."

Damion smiled at Caleb. "For you, I can do that."

The Light wrapped around Xander as he felt the curse begin to lift.

"Damion, I promise. I will keep all of us safe. You won't have to turn to your magic. I will protect this pod."

Damion smiled and looked into Caleb's sea green eyes. "You know, I'm more than capable of protecting us too."

"I know. You're one of the strongest mer I know. Still, let me do this for you and Xander."

In a flash, Xander changed back to the form he had when Damion brought him back. Xander's green skin turned back to its former tan. The barnacles vanished in the sea foam. His opaque eyes, green hair, fishy ears, and serrated teeth took a more human form. His eyes shared the same sea green as all other Reef Merfolk. His green spiny tail changed back into a tail that matched Damion's.

"What if there was one more?" Damion asked.

"One more?" Celeb inquired.

"One more to protect."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Caleb looked into Damion's eyes. He didn't see it at first, even after all the time they were looking into each other's eyes. Damion didn't just look different. Caleb felt like something was different, something changed in him.

The white sea foam turned to a green mist as Xander sank. The green mist washed away in the currents and the merboy was free from the curse.

At first, Caleb thought he was only seeing the soft smile he knew before, but the luminous pink of Damion's eyes. They went dim. His eyes had a hint of pink, but it was reduced to a remnant of what it was. Caleb felt the dark influence that gripped Damion fading.

Xander swam off to explore the grotto he would call home. He felt better than he had in ages. Without the curse, a massive weight was lifted off the merboy. It felt like the potion did more than just break the curse. It washed away Damion's dark influence. No one saw it, but somehow Xander knew. He wasn't just free of the curse. Damion set him free from his human father's contract.

Caleb released Damion. Caleb looked over his husband, admiring the merman in front of him.

"What's with that look?" Damion asked.

"Just checking my husband out," Caleb answered. "You're different now."

"I don't know what you mean."

"I think you do." Caleb was lost in Damion's eyes. The Patriarch knew that there was a change in the tides, a good change.

Caleb rushed up to Damion grabbed him by the waist. The sudden movement caught Damion by surprise, but he relaxed in Caleb's arms.

"To what do I owe this affection," Damion said.

Caleb lifted Damion's hand and kissed it, pulling his husband closer. "Do I need a reason to show my husband affection?"

"No, never." Damion smiled.

Caleb wrapped both hands around Damion's waste and pulled the purple tail merman as close as he could against his chest. Damion wrapped his arms around Caleb's neck as they kissed. A pure expression of pure love. 

When they released each other, Damion started with singing a melody from his heart. The notes of his song were carried in the currents. A song born from the love Damion shared with Caleb.

Caleb listened to his husband's song and responded with his own. The currents carried the notes, and the song resonated around the mermen.

From the seafoam, song, and love swirling in the currents, a merling was born. Damion caught the little merboy as he drifted down.

"Lucian, welcome to the sea," Damion said, as if sensing his son's name.

"Hello dad," Lucian said. "Hello father."

Lucian had Damion's blonde hair and shared Caleb's Tail. Caleb swam to the side and danced to the rhythm of a song on the mermadic stereo.

'My husband and sons, I will protect them,' Caleb thought. 'If it's the last thing I do, they will be safe from whatever threatens them.'

Damion pulled Lucian close and spun through the water. Lucian smiled and laughed. Caleb watched with pride.

"You look so much like me, and you have your father's tail!" Damion was lost in joy.

"I am your son!" Lucian smiled. "What did you expect?"

"I know. You're everything I expected," Damion said. 

"Careful, he's just a merling," Caleb said.

"Yeah dad, you're crushing me," Lucian protested with a smile.

"I just don't want to let you go," Damion replied. 

"Well, if I'll be staying here for a while." Damion held Lucian in front of him at eye level. "How about you're first swimming lesson?"

"Yes, let's go!" Lucian enthused.

"Hold on, don't start anything without me," Caleb said. "We should probably introduce Xander to his little brother too."

"Lucian, it's a big ocean, and I'm glad you are here."

Lucian flicked his fluke, ready for his first swim. "I'm glad to be here too."

While Alex was taking his first steps on land and the Vatore Pod celebrated the birth of a new merling, Camilo's minions hung out on a small island. Their scaley skin steamed in the moonlight.

"We've been searching these reefs for ages," Ronen said. "There's no sign of the other guardians."

"Camilo was very clear," Anika advised. "We aren't supposed to disturb him or return until we locate another Guardian. We know the Green Tail Guardian was with the Orange Tail Guardian. He couldn't have gotten very far from the islands."

"Are you okay with this?" Ronen asked. "Once we get our claws on the Green Tail Guardian, we might be eradicating an entire pod, if the rumors are true..."

"It doesn't matter. That Matriarch can just swim off and found another pod. Camilo was very clear. He wants the other five guardians."

"This just doesn't feel right to me."

"It's not for us to decide the morality. Besides, I have no problem ruining the lives of merfolk."

"We will find that green tail minnow, but don't forget about the other four. Do you remember their tail colors?"

"I think."

"We have the Orange Tail Guardian, the other guardians are the Green Tail Guardian, Blue Tail Guardian, Purple Tail Guardian, Red Tail Guardian, and the Yellow Tail Guardian."

"Could you repeat that?"

"I swear. Let's go over this again."

Ronen frowned. "Okay, we have orange, and we need green, blue, purple, red, and yellow."

"I guess that's a simple way to look at it."

"But remember, the tail is very important. We don't want a halfling or pester other deep-sea merfolk. The Guardians are all Reef Mermen."

"So, we are looking for five more mermen. What kind of tails should I look for?"

"Well, you should know what deep-sea mermen look like. If you don't there is no hope for you. Halflings have side fins, leafy and spikey, no dorsal fins. The Reef Mermen can only be found in the sea, and they have wavy dorsal fins."

"Come again?"

"Ronen, this isn't that hard. The mermen we are looking for have the same tail as the merman we already have, just different colors."

"Okay, I'm not sure if I can remember any of this."

"Just follow my instructions, okay. I'll do the thinking. Just do what I tell you to do."

"Will Camilo take their voices too?"

"Well duh, of course he's going to take their voices."

"Can't we just ask them to help us?" Ronen asked. "Instead of capturing them and taking their voices?"

Anika was lost for words. "Do you... honestly believe... that any of these guardians will help our master?"

"Maybe, if we ask them nicely?"

"You are so dense, why am I wasting my time with you? Why is he still involving you?"

"Maybe Camilo just likes having me around?"

"I'm sure he doesn't care for a clown fish."

"Ronen, the Guardians will not help us. If anything, they will try to stop what we are doing? They are not our friends. Camilo needs both them and their voices to access the power he needs."

"And once he gets all six?"

"Well, then he will rule over the seven seas..."

"Anika?"

"And set his eyes on taking over the land...."

"Anika."

"Again, it's not our job to question the morality of what he's doing."

"Anika!"

"What, I think I saw one of them?"

"Well, it seems you have your usefulness after all. I still don't understand why he keeps you around?"

Kemps surfaced and scanned around the gentle ripple of waves. He last saw Alex leaving Zalia Grotto in the morning. Now, the merboy hasn't been seen for almost an entire day.

'Alex, where are you?' Kemps thought. 'You should have been home by now.'

Unaware of Alex's presence on land, Kemps found himself wander the shallows. The merman knew that being near the surface like this was dangerous, but he couldn't imagine finding his nephew anywhere else. If it wasn't for Alex not returning home, he probably wouldn't be here.

While Kemps was distracted looking for Alex, Ronen and Anika ambushed him from behind.

It didn't take long for the cursed humans to sneak up on Kemps and catch him off guard. By the time Kemps noticed them, it was too late. Anika discharged a small shock and knocked the wind out of the merman. From there, the rest was easy.

Ronen didn't want to have any part of this and did his best to contribute as little as he could afford to do. Once he helped Anika pull the merman out of the ocean. He left the rest to his accomplice. Kemps regained his strength when it was too late. On land, he couldn't get away.

Kemps grabbed a rock behind him and braced himself with another rock. He flailed his tail as Anika continued to pull.

"Stop making this difficult." Anika hissed when the merman kicked his tail.

"Why should I make this easy for you?" Kemps knew his chances of getting away were slim, but he wouldn't go down without fighting.

Anika's claws dug into Kemps's tail to tighten her grip. Kemps endured, flailing his tail as much as he could. If he could squirm free, he could at least try to drag himself back into the ocean.

Camilo sensed his minion catch and appeared in a swirl of water. Tired of the merman's struggle. Anika made a strong tug and flung him onto the beach. Kemps hit the sand with a thud. Once again, the wind was knocked out of him. Ronen wanted to help, but he couldn't disobey Camilo. He was a servant of the sea witch whether he wanted to be or not.

"Excellent work," Camilo said. "As a reward, I guess both of you can come back to the grotto for a little rest."

Anika scoffed. She knew they wouldn't get much of a rest before Camilo sent them to look for another. Camilo lifted his hand and stole Kemps's Voice on the spot. Ronen hated every moment of this.

The Sea Witch cast a sleeping curse on the merman, and Kemps fell unconscious on the beach.

"Two down, four more to go. Ronen, carry my catch to his new home."

Unable to disobey the Sea Witch, Ronen lifted Kemps up. The merman slumped over in his arms. Ronen looked down at Kemps.

'I'm so sorry,' Ronen thought.

"Be careful with that one," Anika said as she walked past Ronen. "And try not to mess this up."

Camilo walked from behind. He was thrilled with this catch. Camilo knew Ronen was dense, but he couldn't deny that he was very good at tracking down the guardians. Whether or it was luck or something else, it didn't matter. It produced results.

Anika ran ahead. If she was going to take a short break, she wanted to make the most of it. 

Camilo walked up to the side of Ronen and whispered. "Don't think I didn't notice the regret and remorse you feel. When I'm done, I'll make sure you get a nice long rest in Davy Jones's Locker. That much I can promise."

After Anika and Camilo were gone, Ronen was still lost in his guilt.

'There has to be a way out of this,' Ronen thought. 'I don't want to keep doing this. Had I known, I would have never signed that contract.'

For Ronen, he could feel a change in the tides. A sense of dread washed over him, and he knew things could only get worse from here.

Unaware of what happened to his uncle, Alex continued to enjoy his time at the nearby Karaoke Bar. Being this close to the music he heard over the waves was amazing. The only thing that would make it better would be talking to the girl that caught his eye. She was so close, yet so far. She was lost in the music doing movements the merboy didn't understand. Alex didn't know how he would get her attention without his voice.

As the party died down, humans left. Alex watched the human girl. He didn't know how she moved the way she did. He was so out of his element. Another young man noticed the merboy and approached him.

"What brings a little dude like you here?" The young man asked the merboy.

Alex rolled his shoulders back and smiled. The young man noticed his silence.

"So that was what you paid to be here. I don't think I'll learn your name then. The name is Stevie."

Alex smiled and nodded.

"You like the little lady don't you. That's why you paid that price."

Alex's silent smile confirmed Stevie's suspicion.

"You know that life on land is hard without a voice," Stevie tried to explain. "This isn't the best place for forbidden love."

Alex nodded.

"You understand and still."

Stevie looked into Alex's eyes. He almost saw a tear. The merman couldn't imagine wanting to say so much. He spent enough time as a bartender to know when someone wanted to talk.

"I want to help, but I don't know what will."

Stevie appreciated living without love in his profession. It made it easier to listen other people's sorrows without heartbreak.

"I got it! If you came on land to find love! I'll help you talk to the little lady!"

Alex almost stumbled back from the excitement.

"After all, you gave the guy your voice so you could hold onto love. I never thought another mer would do such a thing!"

'Another mer?' Alex thought. 

The merboy recalled his conversation with him. This must've been one of the mer the Sea Witch gave a human form too. The merboy didn't expect to find a merman on land, and he didn't expect this either. The merman looked like another human. 

"I promise, I'll help you start a conversation. My little dude, I'm super impressed by what you were willing to give up to be here."

'Little dude?' Alex thought. 

"Bro, this is definitely going to be hard, but I'll be your fin-merman all the way."

'Bro? Fin-Merman?' Alex wasn't ready to make the girl his partner yet. She wasn't even his girlfriend. 'I guess I could have worse help.'

"I want to see what you can do my dude. Go on, try to approach her. I'll step in to help."

'My dude?' Again, Alex wasn't sure what to make of this merman. His words were strange.

Stevie stepped out of sight and watched Alex approach the girl. The girl looked up and noticed Alex. Alex opened his mouth to speak, and nothing. Exactly what happened before. Exactly what he expected. He reached his hand up to his neck and frowned.

'This won't work.'

The girl took note of the merboy's appearance. Islander's had similar outfits during certain festivals, but his outfit wasn't the normal island attire for places like this. She had some ideas about what he was, but she assumed it wasn't possible.

Alex turned away in defeat.

'It's useless,' the merboy thought.

Stevie walked up right when Alex was ready to give up. "Little dude, that was a great effort. Super proud of you."

The girl looked at Stevie and smiled. 

'Tonight is full of surprises,' she thought.

"Little lady, mind giving this little dude a chance. I think he really wants to get to know you."

"I don't know," the girl said.

"He won't have much to say. A matter of fact, I wouldn't expect the little dude to say a word or make a sound, but I think he'd be a good friend, you know."

"I'll give him a chance then," she said. 

Alex turned and smiled. With Stevie's help, he might have a chance to get to know her.

Stevie turned back to Alex. "Look at the time, I'll leave you two to get know each other. I'm gonna go crash after catching some waves."

After Stevie left, Alex breathed a sigh to lessen his nerves. 

"Well, you have an interesting friend," the girl said. "My name is Ember. I'd ask your name, but I have a feeling you can't tell me."

'Ember,' Alex thought, returning a soft smile. 'An unusual name for a human.'

"That party was so awesome! We had a really good dj perform for us," Ember enthused.

Ember closed the gap between them. "Can I tell you something?"

Alex smiled and nodded.

"Most of the islanders don't wear outfits like that outside island festivals. Are you from the mainland?"

Alex nodded and smiled.

"I guess you can't answer that. I hope you have other outfits if you are visiting."

Alex smiled and nodded. It was all he could do. His thoughts were different.

'Outfits? Mermen and merboys don't have outfits.'

Alex recalled the appearance of the merman. He didn't understand what was strange. He thought the merman was strange.

"Anyways, I'm a bit tired from dancing, let's go have a seat and talk."

Alex grinned and swayed to the side. He couldn't say it, but he felt a little discomfort on his new human feet. His legs were sore, and his feet ached. But then again, this was his first night standing.

"I'll take that as a yes."

I was doing a pretty good job backing things up and then the darn page appeared to auto-refresh and immediately after I copied over something I copied. The timing could not have been worse.

It bugged right when I couldn't save what I Lost!

The exact moment I would lose significant progress.

I forgot to paste in word and now I lost a chunk of the text I wrote. It's getting super aggravating now. I seriously don't know if I can continue the story here like this. At some point, the auto-save needs to work and I can't keep losing so much. The old forums did not have this issue.

I will try again later. But for right now, the chapter is once again delayed until I can get my nerves under control and redo what I lost.

That's really a problem of the editor. But the editor before in the green forum also had some problems. Therefore I wrote all my stories in word and than put the whole text in the Forum editor to save it. After that step,  i've done the pictures. May be that would bei more sure for your story.

Was halfway through writing the next chapter before the autosave feature bugged and I lost everything I wrote. I feel so defeated. 

Chapter 3: Life's Full of Tough Choices

The next day, Alex snuck off to check out the reefs near Zalia Grottos. When the merboy surfaced, he was greeted by sunshine and calm waters. The reefs in the open ocean had much more turbulent currents. 

'I wonder why so many merfolk left the seas around here?' Alex thought.

Alex started swimming toward the nearby reefs, but to his surprise, humans gathered in the shallows near the shore. He never expected to see so many humans so close to the ocean, much less the Ancestral Home of his kind, Zalia Grottos. As far as Alex knew, Makoa was the only mer that stayed in the grottos after it was abandoned. He recently learned of a merman and mermaid that moved in not long ago. It seemed like his pod wasn't the only pod returning to Sulani, but the bulk of the merfolk remained around open ocean reefs, far away from humans.

While Alex watched the humans, a merman with spine-like dorsal fins slithered through the water toward the merboy. Alex turned his head and saw the merman approaching him. Out of instinct, he wanted to swim away, but his curiosity stayed his fins. Out of all the denizens of the sea, he never encountered a mer that looked like this merman. 

Alex knew of the Deep-Sea Merfolk that lurked in dark caves, and he knew about the Kelpies that dwelled in the deep ocean. While this merman had a similar tail to the Deep-Sea Merfolk, he clearly wasn't one of their kind. His tail was a dead giveaway that he wasn't a Kelpie.

"Might I ask what a young merman such as yourself is doing so close to humans?" the strange merman inquired.

Alex took a closer look at the merman. He had clouded, opaque eyes, green skin with barnacles growing on his shoulder and tail, and his teeth were serrated like a shark's tooth. The merman's ears had a more fish-like appearance. Alex wasn't sure if he should trust him, but he saw no harm in answering his question.

"I was just curious," Alex admitted. "I grew up far away from here, and I've never really had a chance to see humans up close."

"I'm sure you know that humans are dangerous," the merman said.

"My uncle is always telling me that, but from what I've seen, they can't be that dangerous."

"You'd be surprised by what humans are capable of. Although, I must admit that the humans these days aren't the same as they once were."

"What do you mean?"

"Just as I said, they used to be much more violent and destructive. Mua Pel'Am still has its scars from that dark past."

"Dark past? Did that have something to do with merfolk leaving Sulani?"

"Many ages ago, the Merfolk Pods that lived all around Sulani had a terrible conflict with humans. Merchildren were orphaned, and the reefs succumbed to ruin. Are you sure you still want to be this close to those creatures?"

"I won't judge if you still do."

"I still want to learn more about humans," Alex admitted. "Last night, there was such awesome music. I saw this human girl..."

Alex's eyes shifted to the humans in the shallows. His gaze lost in the distance. "There was something about that girl. I never felt like this before."

"Forbidden love," the merman said.

"Maybe. I'm a merboy, and she's a human girl," Alex said, looking back toward the merman. "It's impossible for us to be together."

"I understand your predicament. Believe it or not, there was a mermaid I loved, but she was always beyond my reach. She never noticed me and left for a life on land before I could convince her to stay."

"She... she went to live on land? The Sea Shifter's Charm?"

"She wasn't a mer like you and me. She was a halfling, but that doesn't mean a merman such as yourself wouldn't be able to go on land too."

"I know Sea Witches can make it possible for me to go on land, but it's a temporary spell."

"What if you could change your tail into legs permanently? Why, a merman such as yourself could learn so much about the human world if you went to him."

"Him?"

"My master, he has a way of making the impossible possible. He could give you what you want most."

"Now I know what you are. I should have known." Alex grew angry.

"My friend, I'm just trying to help."

"You're cursed. How can your master help me? Just look at what he did to you. My mom warned me about dark sea sorcery."

"I promise you that he does not curse merfolk. I am cursed, but it was my own fault. I only wish to help other poor and unfortunate merfolk that can't have what they want."

"Help?" Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How could I trust someone like you? Merfolk only end up like you if they fail to pay for a sea witch's spell. If nothing else, you ended up like that because you tried to cheat and lie."

"But..."

"Am I supposed to believe that you are trying to help me? What's your real motivation?"

"It's just as I said. I only want to help."

"I've been in your fins. Trust me, I do not wish you any harm," the merman said. "The way I see it, you can continue to watch the human world from a far, forever beyond your reach."

"Or?"

"Or you could take a chance and go to my master for help. He can do exactly what I said he can. He can grant you the power to go on land and return to the sea."

"But, his magic clearly doesn't come without a price."

"Few things that are worth having are free."

"You aren't wrong."

"Life can be unfair. A merman like you would never be able to see the human world as you are. The alternative comes with many risks and dangers. It's temporary and you won't be able to return to the sea."

"My uncle would never allow it. Contact with humans and the human world is forbidden." Alex closed his eyes and thought about his options. "I know I can't trust you..."

"But, there's no one else that can give you what you want. No one will give you the power to see the human world. The girl you saw will always be beyond your reach. You'll live your life wondering about what could have been, and for a merman like you, an eternity is a very long time."

"I can learn to accept that."

"I guess I'm wasting my time. If you are willing to give up so easily, it probably isn't worth it."

"You said your master can help..."

"For a price, he can grant you the ability to change your tail into legs. You'll be able to return to the sea whenever you like. He can make it permanent. With that power, you could see the human world up close, maybe even get to know the human girl that caught your eye."

"Every part of my being is telling me to swim away, but if your master really can do that..."

"He can do so much to help you. He lives to help the poor unfortunate merfolk swept up in unfair tides."

The merman continued.

"Imagine seeing the human world up close and meeting the girl you fancy. Instead of thinking about what can't be, you should think about what can be. It won't be free, but can you accept things as they are knowing that an alternative exists."

"And your master can really do what you say he can?"

"Of course!"

"Then, I'll go to him." Alex didn't trust this merman, but if this was possible, he wanted to know more.

The merman smiled. "I'll lead the way."

With that, the merman escorted the merboy to a grotto in deeper water. The sun began to set, and Alex knew that he would need to return home soon. But, that could wait. 

After a fairly long swim, the merman brought Alex to his master.

"Let me introduce you to my master," the merman said. "This is Damion Vatore."

"Your friend said that you can give me the ability to change my tail into legs, permanently. How is that possible?"

"Ukupanipo often has a colorful way with words. The Sea Shifters Charm is often used as a temporary spell, but it can be permanent."

"I'll explain the details, but first things first."

Damion's hands glowed as he flicked his wrists. A blue light flowed around Ukupanipo and the merman vanished in a swirl of currents and bubbles.

"What happened to him?"

"I sent him away. I hope that won't be a problem."

"No, it doesn't bother me."

"Follow me, we can sit and talk."

"I still don't understand how you can make that spell permanent. My mom is a Sea Witch, and she can't do what you said you can."

"The Sea Shifters Charm is known for its limitations. Sea Sorcery can accomplish many things, but mermen like you and me, well it simply isn't possible to shapeshift like the Kelpies or Half-Bloods."

"My mom told me stories about this as a merling. The Stories about the Original Merfolk that came before us. Kelpies and Halflings came to be after merfolk mastered Sea Sorcery. They are the product of magic."

"I see you know your history. No force, no magic in existence, can change what we are. We can neither become a human nor walk among them. The Kelpies and Half-Bloods can defy what is natural because they didn't come to be naturally."

"Is that why the Sea Shifter's Charm was created?"

"Sea Witches created the spell after the first Kelpies and before the first Half-Bloods. They saw the power of the Kelpies and created a spell that allowed merfolk to take their first steps on land. I'm sure you know that the spell has many limitations and dangers."

"It only grants the power for three days. A mer is without their tail and we can't breathe underwater until the spell wears off. When the spell wears off, a mer can get stranded on land or worse."

"It's unfortunate, but all magic comes with a price. Some have tried to find a way around that, but no one can make the magic completely free. The Sea Shifter's Charm is one of those spells. A spell to achieve what is impossible."

"Then, what does your spell cost?"

"My magic is never free, but that's not the problem here."

"So, there's a rule or something. Maybe, a condition?"

"Any mer can make the required sacrifice for this spell without much trouble, but the price is not something I ask for on a whim. It is a requirement for the spell to work."

"If the spell is so easy to use, then why don't more sea witches use the spell?"

"The reason other sea witches don't perform this spell is because few are willing to pay the price, and if the spell is done incorrectly, there are severe, irreversible consequences."

"I'll be honest, this almost sounds too good to be true. Are you sure you can actually do this?"

"You aren't the first that's come to me for this spell. There aren't many that will pay the price, but that doesn't mean no one will. I am one of the few that can cast this spell correctly."

"Then what is the price for your spell?"

"You have two options. If you want to permanently gain a human form and be able to return to the sea, you must sacrifice the ability to love or your voice. Your eternal youth is an option, but I wouldn't recommend it."

Damion Continued

"I can settle for a mer's voice or the love in their heart. Both are powerful things. The problem is your willingness to make the necessary sacrifice."

"I can't give up the love in my heart. The human girl I saw, what if I want something more?"

"Then you know what I require."

Alex gasped and held his hands over his mouth. "But, without my voice..."

"That's right handsome. No more talking, singing, zip. If you want this, that is the price you must pay."

"Still, why worry about such a small thing? You won't even miss it. Why a handsome merman like you probably doesn't need to say a word to win the heart of a human girl."

Damion continued.

"All the merfolk that come to me have their own problems. A mermaid wants fame and fortune. A merman wants to escape heartbreak. For them, their price was something I'm certain you won't pay. Because what you want is something different."

Alex frowned.

"Your voice, why that's but a trifle. You'll have the ability to walk, run, stand, and explore the human world. When you get tired of being on land, you get to return to the sea. You'll get the best of both worlds. All it will cost is your pretty voice."

"If I give up my voice, I won't be able to ask humans questions. I won't be able to talk to her. I'll never be able to tell my little brothers stories again..." Alex sobbed in his hands. 

"I guess you'll swim along then. I won't twist your fins over this."

"It really is hopeless." The merboy continued to sob.

"I can only imagine how hard it will be to watch the human world from a distance. I mean, I could just give you three days to see the human world, but I never cast a spell for free. Other than your voice, what else could you possibly offer to pay for my help?"

"I don't have anything else to give."

"Then why not get the best of everything?"

"I'll do it." Alex sat up straight.

"Are you sure? Once the deal has been struck, there will be no going back."

"I said, I'll do it."

"Well then, let's get things started."

Damion smiled and escorted the merboy to his cauldron.

Damion conjured a contract and spun it through the water toward the merboy. "Now, you're probably new to this so let me explain a few things. First, we need to make our deal official. Once you sign this contract, we can proceed. You should know that this contract is binding for all eternity."

"When you sign this contract, your voice will belong to me. In exchange, you will gain the ability to change your tail into legs. Regaining your voice will be a breach of the contract."

"So, no going back after I sign." Alex said.

"Correct. Breaching the contract will invoke the Sea Shifter's Curse and I will take you as collateral. No one will be able to use the Sea Shifter Charm on you again and you will belong to me. I retain the right to dispel the contract without invoking the curse or further consequences."

Alex looked down at the contract. 'Can I go through with this?'

"Additionally, If the contract is breached, dispelled, or destroyed. If something happens to me, the contract will be null and void. My magic will be undone, and you will return to your mermadic form wherever you may be."

"I guess you might consider my terms rather strict," Damion said. "But, a deal is a deal. I always honor my end of a bargain, and I expect the same of those I make deals with. Consider the consequences a bit of insurance for both of us to uphold our end of the deal."

Damion saw the merboy hesitating.

"You can always back out if you want to. However, if you want to make this permanent, you will have to make a choice. For my help, what I want from you will be your pretty voice no matter what."

"If I sign, I lose my voice forever, but I gain the power to take a human form permanently. If I don't sign, I can keep my voice, but I'll never see the human world up close."

"Life's full of tough choices. One door opens while another one closes."

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"Well, there is one thing you should know. Once I cast the spell, stay away from water. Get too wet and your legs will change back into a tail. Just because you look like a human doesn't mean you are being turned into a human. Don't get too carried away on land."

"Good to know."

"I'm a very busy merman." Damion tilted his head to the side of the contract. "Have you made your decision?"

Alex still wasn't sure about this, but it would give him everything he wanted. With this spell, he could see a world beyond the sea. He wouldn't be limited to a life in the ocean. 

'Uncle Kemps would be furious if he knew, but when did that ever stop me,' Alex thought.

"All I need to do is sign?"

"Of course," Damion said. "Nothing more to it."

A fish bone pin appeared in the water next to Alex. He grabbed it and held it above the contract.

Damion made a sinister grin. The merman was so close to getting something he was denied so long ago, a precious addition to his growing collection.

'There's no going back now,' the merboy thought.

The merboy took a deep breath, feeling the sea in his lungs. As he signed, he felt a sudden surge of magic.

"It's been such a pleasure doing business with you."

"And now."

"We."

"Have."

"A Deal."

A nautilus shell materialized above the cauldron, and Alex tensed up. Damion's Magic swirled around them. The merboy fell under its influence, unable to fight what was about to happen.

"Now sing."

Alex couldn't resist the sea witch's command. His being screamed to not do it, but there was no going back.

The merboy started his song with a hum and it grew into a perfect harmony. As Alex began to sing, a light shined from within his throat.

Damion began his chant, and Alex felt the magic's pull grow stronger. 

"Aeolus, Notus, Zephyrus, Come Anemoi and Answer Me!"

The merboy fell completely under the influence of Damion's magic, singing away his voice.

As Alex continued to sing, he felt a force caress his chin.

"Sting of the Corallia Severus Larnyxes. Max Laryngitis onto thee."

Under the force of Damion's Magic, Alex threw his head back, and a current surged into the merboy's throat.

"Keep singing." Damion broke his chant.

Alex closed his eyes and focused on maintaining his perfect pitch. The force of Damion's magic slipped deeper into Alex's throat and tightened around the merboy's voice.

The current flowing into Alex's throat surged in reverse, ripping out the merboy's voice. Above his head, Alex saw a singing light.

"Antillas Cortan La Voz. La Voce to Me!"

Released from Damion's magic, Alex slumped forward and watched his voice float through the water, dancing and singing in the currents.

Alex grasped his neck. 'What have I done?'

"This will be an excellent addition to my collection." With a wave of his hands, Damion guided the light through the water. "Your voice, it's truly a wonder from the sea. The melody is absolutely beautiful."

"Do enjoy your time on land. I'll make sure to keep this safe." Damion grinned and guided the singing light into the nautilus shell.

'Did I make the right choice?' Alex thought. 

The merboy knew there was no going back. Either he would release Alex from the contract, or the merboy would belong to him. His fate and the fate of his voice was sealed.

As soon as Alex's Voice disappeared in the nautilus shell, a surge of magic flowed around the merboy. Alex could feel the magic empower him. It lifted him up and he felt the ability to change his tail into legs. He knew that he could shapeshift now.

Alex didn't waste time swimming out of the Sea Witch's Lair. He wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

After the merboy left his lair, Damion placed Alex's Voice in his collection. On one side, he had a merman's love. On the other side, he had a fragment of Alexander Goth's Human Soul. Adding Alex's Voice to his collection made Damion giddy with joy.

"Such a wonderful addition to my collection. Wouldn't you think it's nearly complete."

The faint echoes of Alex's Song could be heard from within the shell.

"I couldn't keep your voice, but I know what your nephew means to you. My collection is still missing many things."

Damion looked over his collection.

"The complete soul of a human, a mermaid's love, a merman's love, the scale of a cursed human, a fragment of a human soul, and a merman's voice. Now that I have that merboy's voice, how will I acquire a mer's soul? "

Alex flicked his tail as he swam toward the surface. The moonlight shined above the ocean. Regret slipped away, replaced by inspiration and curiosity. Alex looked up to the sky, the stars that could be seen flickered in the sky.

Silently, the merboy swam close to the surface and toward the shore. Alex knew that he probably should return home, but now that he could walk on land, he really wanted to give his new ability a try. It was irresponsible and went against all of his uncle's rules. However, the merboy didn't care.

Alex dragged himself to the edge of the waves. Once he got into fairly shallow water, he slid his tail across the sand and in front of him. He held his hand over it and concentrated. 

He felt the power that flowed into him. He just needed to concentrate on that feeling. Alex lifted his tail and focused his energy. He willed the change. 

Before long, he felt his tail begin to change. He braced himself against the sand and watched his tail transform. 

A white light flashed over his tail and it was soon replaced with a pair of legs. Unsure of how to use these new limbs, Alex used his arms to push himself up. He slid one leg below him as he tried to use it to lift himself up.

After some trial and error, he managed to stand. His back was sore from the effort. The merboy still smiled. He was doing it. He was standing for the first time in his life!

As soon as Alex thought he had standing figured out, he suddenly felt his legs begin to buckle. The merboy lurched forward, swinging his arms to counterbalance himself. As he began to stumble, Alex moved one leg across from the other and caught himself. Legs, they felt strange. He was so used to having one powerful tail propel him through the water. Now, he was trying to steady himself with two legs. 

The merboy prepared to catch himself with his arms outstretched. But as he swung his arms, he began to steady himself.

Alex lifted his arms and took a deep breathe. 'I almost landed on my face. That was close.'

Alex leaned back. His arms at each side trying to balance.

'That was a little embarrassing,' Alex thought.

Alex looked around and listened. He heard the sound of waves against the rocks and shore. He heard the calm breeze.

'No one saw that, right?' He thought.

When he didn't hear anyone, he closed his eyes and breathed. 'Pull yourself together. You can do this.'

The last thing the merboy wanted was to be seen stumbling in front of a human.

Alex lifted one foot and moved it forward. He used that leg to pull himself forward. He then lifted his other foot and used that leg to pull himself a little more forward. Each step started out awkward and took a lot of concentration. Before long, his steps got shorter, his speed increased. His walking picked up pace, progressing to running.

Swimming around the island was very different from running across it. As he ascended the dunes, he saw the place he visited when he first arrived in Sulani. The lights shined in the distance. The land was small. If there weren't volcanic rocks and cliffs along the shore, he could have seen everything here from the ocean. Traveling across land, Zalia Grottos was much closer to the place he heard that music and saw that girl. He didn't know how humans lived in such a small place.

At his current pace, it didn't take him long to get a good look at the human structure. He could hear someone calling out at a stand, like the halflings and merfolk in the markets under the sea. His curiosity soared and he wanted to see more.

'I'll go home soon. I just want to see a little more. Just a little longer.' Alex thought.

If Uncle Kemps learned about this, Alex knew he would be in boiling water. It wasn't like he could explain anything to him now. In the back of his mind, the merboy just didn't want to listen to another lecture.

Alex climbed the stairs and stood in the warm light. He grinned, his confidence building. 'I'm here. I'm actually here, walking among the humans!'

He heard the music that caught his ears and saw the lights flashing. Humans were dancing to the music.

Alex walked toward the music. Humans were coming and going. This strange place was so alive, almost chaotic. There was so much to see and do. He didn't know where to begin.

He saw the girl from the other night and walked up to say hello. Nothing came out of his mouth, not a single sound. The girl continued dancing, oblivious to his presence.

'Right, I forgot.' Alex held his hand up to his neck. 'This won't be easy.'

The music flowed around the pier. The girl danced on the stage.

'How will I get her attention?'

Alex slumped over and looked down. 'Without my voice, this is hopeless.'

He looked at his feet. 'The spirits can be so cruel.'

Alex's gaze shifted toward the human girl. She wasn't like the humans he watched from afar. Being this close to her, he could feel it. She was different, but he couldn't tell what was different. 

'How will I introduce myself? I can't even get her attention.'

Chapter 2: Swimming to Zalia Grottos

The next morning, after the pod arrived in St. Taz, Kemps stopped Alex before he went for an early swim around the reef.

"Alex, we need to talk about last night," Kemps lectured. "What you did was incredibly dangerous."

"But nothing happened," the merboy defended.

"Humans are dangerous. How many times do I need to tell you this?" Kemps said. "As the next in line to be a Guardian of the Seas, you can't be taking risks like this."

Alex frowned. "You've told me a million times that humans are dangerous and can't be trusted. But, mom was a human before she joined dad in the sea. Not all humans can be that dangerous."

"Your mother is an exception, and she was more than just a mortal human too."

"Your mother was an Island Elemental. She chose to be a mermaid because merfolk like us can't live on land. That's not something you can trust a human to do."

Alex smiled and nodded. 'Why does Uncle Kemps always need to get on my case like this.'

"Alex, no matter how curious you get about the human world, it's important to remember that you can never actually be a part of that world. It's impossible. You are a merman and there is simply nothing that can change that."

"And most of all, I don't want you getting hurt looking for something that can never be," Kemps said. 

Alex looked away from his uncle for a moment. "I've never gotten hurt, and I've never been seen by a human."

"That was lucky, but you're pushing your luck. The pod is moving to grottos that are closer to the human world. The shallow reefs are safer for your little brothers and cousins. That doesn't mean there aren't dangers the pod could face here. We need you to be more careful."

"I grew up around reefs far away from the islands. If humans are so bad, why move closer to them?"

"One merling was easy enough for five adult mer to look after. But, we have four merlings now. It's safer for them here. Besides, have you forgotten about what happened to your cousin Rylan."

Alex wasn't convinced, but Rylan's unfortunate passing shook the entire pod.

'If things are safer here for merlings, it can't be that dangerous this close to humans,' Alex thought.

"I wouldn't expose the pod to humans," the merboy said. "I'm always careful, and I care about my brothers' safety as much as you do."

"I know you care about your family," the merman said. "I know you would never put any of us at risk intentionally, but you have a responsibility to be more careful."

'I never take risks that would put my family in harm's way,' Alex thought. 

"Alex, I just want the best for you. The same way I want the best for all my nephews."

"I know." Alex said, rolling his eyes. 

"Trust me when I say that there's nothing you need from the human world. Your entire family is here in the sea. Even your dad understands that, and he shares your curiosity. I know it might be hard to accept now, but I'm asking you to try."

"I'll try," Alex said, hoping to get away from the lecture.

"Thank you," Kemps said. "You're so much like your father."

"And dad never thought about wanting to go on land?"

"Never. As curious as he is about the human world, he's never wanted to give up his life in the ocean. When he met your mother and you were born, he learned that what was most important to him was in the sea."

"Dad told me so many stories about the human world," Alex said "I thought he walked among them." 

"How could he? As I've said many times before, that would be impossible," Kemps said. "He might've gotten close to humans ages ago, but he never left the ocean. None of us can walk on land."

"And why would you want to walk among humans anyways," Kemps asked. 

"We could learn so much if we could."

"Alex, there's nothing we need from the human world, and there's no reason to seek something so far beyond what is possible."

"I've heard stories about merfolk that went to live on land. Is it really that impossible?"

Kemps frowned. "Alex, the price for doing the impossible is something no one should consider."

"So, there's a way, then."

"Alex," Kemps said, picking his words carefully. "The stories of merfolk going on land involve pursuing selfish desires and making a sacrifice that normally can't be undone. The merfolk you hear stories about often don't get what they truly want in the end."

"But the stories are more than stories. There are merfolk that walk among humans."

"Maybe half-merfolk," Kemps corrected. "But, the only half-mer in our pod is your mother, and she lives with us in the sea. Like I said, everything you need is all around you. There's simply no reason to pursue a life on land."

"What about the Sea Shifter's Charm?" Alex asked. "Mom can use that spell. Did dad ask her to use it?"

"Of course not, it's too dangerous."

"So dad was telling mom's stories then," Alex said. "Mom must've gone on land and shared what she learned with him."

"Alex, that's not what..."

"I always wondered how dad knew so much about humans and their world."

"I'll have to ask mom about humans and the human world," Alex continued. "I want to know what humans call that cool music. It was so much fun to listen to!"

"Alex, we have plenty of ways to make music..."

"I wonder if mom would use the Sea Shifter's Charm on me?" Alex said. 

Kemps grew frustrated. A memory from his past surfaced when the merboy expressed the idea. He didn't want a repeat of that.

"That's enough Alex," Kemps said. "Do I need to remind you again?"

"Contact with humans and the human world is forbidden." Alex said, with a frown. "You've told me a million times."

"And that includes the Sea Shifter's Charm. I have good reason for the rules I expect my pod to live by," Kemps said. "As long as you swim with us, you will follow these rules like everyone else does."

Alex frowned. 'But, there's so much I want to learn.'

"Alex, I know this is going to be hard for you. As the Pod's Patriarch, it's my job to keep everyone in the pod safe. I only want what's best for you."

'But no talking about the human world or making contact with humans,' Alex thought. 'I have everything except what I want most.'

"I'll try my best," Alex said. "But, can I ask you something?"

"As long as it doesn't involve humans," Kemps said.

"How long until we get to the grotto? Feels like we've been waiting ages."

"I sent Reef to check out the cave ahead of the pod," Kemps said.

Just as Kemps finished speaking, Reef surfaced near his brother and nephew.

"I hope you aren't giving Alex too hard of a time," Reef said as he nudged his older brother.

Reef could always tell when Kemps was upset about something involving humans. He was also aware of the tension that created between him and Alex.

"I'm not giving him a hard time. I'm just looking out for him." Kemps defended.

"He was lecturing me about humans, actually," Alex said.

"Kemps, you're too hard on him. No harm's been done," Reef said. "Let him have his fun. We'll help him when he needs it."

"I don't know," Kemps said. "He got really close to humans last night, close enough to be seen."

"Nothing happened," Alex defended.

"See, no harm done," Reef said. 

"And Alex, don't worry your uncle," Reef said. "You know what he's like when humans are involved."

"Gee, I thought you were on my side," Alex said.

"I'm still on your side, but I'm also on your uncle's side," Reef said. 

"And, you probably won't like this Kemps," Reef added. "There are quite a few humans hanging near the sea cave. Things have changed since the pod left for the open ocean reef."

"You can't be serious," Kemps said.

"I'm afraid so," Reef continued. "The reef around the entrance to the grottos seems to be a popular place for humans now. I don't think they've found the sea caves though."

"We should hope that they don't," Kemps added. "I don't want to stir up trouble with humans, but I will protect this pod from them if I must. We'll have to wait until night and hope the humans aren't around then."

Sensing that his uncles would be busy discussing their arrival to the grottos, Alex turned and leapt out of the water. He was eager to go for a swim around island reefs.

"Reef, I'm worried that this will be too much temptation for Alex. He's just a merboy. He doesn't understand the danger." Kemps said.

"I know how you feel Kemps. Both me and Calum remember what happened before we left the island reefs."

"He was not happy about how things turned out, and I know he didn't leave the Islands," Kemps said. 

After Alex was gone, Kemps continued.

"Worse yet, she still lives. I hoped that after thousands of years she would be gone, but she's still out there. I don't know how, but she is."

"Kemps, I don't know what to say." Reef closed his eyes and frowned. "Just don't push him to try and prove anything like you did with Calum."

"I'm trying, but I don't think he's listening to me."

"He's a merboy. A little rebellion is to be expected. We all were like him at some point, especially you."

When the sun began to set, the pod began their swim toward the grottos. Alex broke off from the pod. The merboy effortlessly turned through the water and glided toward the reefs on the other side of an atoll. He wanted some space.

'Uncle Kemps can be such a sea-slug, barnacle-brain sometimes.' Alex thought.

As Alex glided through the water, he was stopped by a dolphin. 

"And what's a young merman like you doing this close to humans," the dolphin said.

Alex smiled.

"Fluke, you aren't gonna tell on me, are ya?" Alex grinned and lowered himself in the water.

"Reef was very clear about who I should be looking out for over here," Fluke said. "And he also told me what I should do if you were sneaking off again."

"But you aren't telling on me yet?"

"That depends," Fluke said. "Are you sneaking off to see humans?"

"We both know that I never sneak off to watch humans, explore sunken shipwrecks, or get close to humans and human things in any way." Alex chuckled.

"And why is that?" Fluke asked.

"Because we made a deal silly guppy." Alex petted the dolphin.

"I know," Fluke said. "I'll never forget how you helped me when I got stuck in a fishing net."

"I've done more than that!" Alex said. The merboy chuckled.

"I shall never admit to it!" Fluke pointed his snout upward.

"And that's why I still call you a silly guppy."

Fluke used his fins to splash at the merboy. The merboy ducked and dodged the dolphin.

"Fluke, I just want to listen to some music. I won't try to watch any humans or do anything crazy. Can ya keep this secret for me?"

"Reef won't like it if I keep a secret from him."

"What Reef doesn't know won't hurt him."

"A fair point, but you have to promise me you won't get yourself into trouble."

"I never get myself into trouble. I'm an expert at hiding from humans. No one will notice me."

"You say that, but I've seen your uncle get himself into all kinds of trouble. He says the same thing."

"Well, I'm not my Uncle Reef. It will just be a moment of listening to music, anyways."

"Well then, I'll pretend we never saw each other the next time I see him."

'Thank you, Fluke,' Alex thought as the dolphin dove underwater.

After a short swim, staying low in the water, Alex began treading water near the pier he heard the music from. The merboy took a moment to listen before swaying to the music resonating over the ocean. The fluke of his tail kicked up sand as he flicked his fins to the rhythm.

When the pod made it to another reef, Kemps did a head count.

"Reef, Sarah, Kylen, Lir, Calum, Arihi, Dylan, Zephyr...," Kemps looked around, "Where's Alex?"

"I bet he went close to the shore." Dylan said with a smile.

"I saw him swim that way." Zephyr said with a knowing glance toward his mom. "I'm surprised no one noticed."

"He is our son," Arihi said to Calum.

"And right after the conversation I had with him." Kemps looked up and rolled his eyes.

"Who's going to get him this time." Calum said rubbing his forehead.

Calum waved his hand to the side. "What can we do? He loves seeing the human world, even at a distance."

"I guess I'll have to go get him, again." Kemps said. "I think I know where he swam off to."

"Mom, why is Alex so interested in the human world?" Dylan asked.

"Mom, what's so interesting about the human world?" Zephyr added.

"Boys, you know we don't talk about that."

"Alex is so strange." Dylan said.

"I don't understand it either." Zephyr added.

"Uncle Kemps, we've been swimming for ages." Dylan said. The merling kept himself steady in the water holding onto his dad's arm. "Are we almost there yet?"

"We aren't far from our new home," Kemps said to Dylan.

"Mom, when are we going to get to our new home?" Zephyr asked. "I'm getting really tired from swimming."

"We'll be home soon." Arihi said to Zephyr.

Arihi turned to Calum. "The twins and our nephews will need a break at this rate."

"Well, if he's last to arrive at our new grotto, then me and Dyl get first pick for our grotto," Zephyr said. 

"I thought we were going to have the twins in our grotto." Arihi said to Calum.

"Oh, I'm not letting these two have their own grotto yet." Calum added.

"Might not be a bad idea to keep the twins close for now," Kemps said.

"Before we started our move, I made our grotto the perfect grotto for the twins." Calum said with a grin. "I found the best shells for toys and built them what humans call a "doll house." I've confirmed that it's safe for the twins. I made a table for the twins to create art and carved them their first violins."

"I love the Violin!" Dylan said. "And singing and art and did I mention the Violin! I love it!"

Zephyr turned toward his dad. "Will there be books to read?"

"Only the best books I could find, and I got you a mermadic chess board." Calum answered. "Since we are settling down, I found the best of everything, and the grotto for Alex will be perfect too! I triple checked everything before we made our way here, ensured that the coral beds were ready, and I found a few extra surprises at a merfolk market! There's this place called the Magic Realm and a few half-merfolk sold things from there. An easy exchange of pearls and shells! Of course, I made sure that they wouldn't cause any harm to anyone, but I know everyone will love what I found!"

"As long as the human aspect of things is the bare minimum," Kemps said.

Dylan flicked his tail and pushed up using Kemps's Arm. "I can't wait to see our new grotto!"

Kemps turned and smiled at his nephew. Calum found the perfect words to energize the twins.

"I almost can't wait myself," Arihi said.

"Mom, I'm ready to swim the rest of the way." Zephyr said. 

"We just need to retrieve Alex, and we can head home soon," Calum said.

"Mom, I challenge you to a game of mermadic chess when we get home!"

"Perhaps," Arihi said. "I hope you're up for the challenge."

"Dad, I want to explore the grottos and play the violin!"

"Creative as always," Calum said.

"Exploring the grottos will come after we settle down," Kemps said.

Kemps frowned. "It's getting pretty late. I'll go get Alex. That merboy sometimes..."

"Go easy on him Kemps," Calum said. "It's been a long swim for him too. Besides, I know he's gonna love the grotto I prepared for him!"

"I'm so excited now! I don't know if I can sleep tonight!" Dylan enthused.

"Just watch, I'm gonna beat you in a game of mermadic chess." Zephyr said to Arihi.

Kemps dove underwater and swam to the spot he found Alex the night before. When he surfaced, he found Alex listening to music. 

"What did I tell you about swimming over here?!" Kemps said to the merboy. "The entire pod is waiting for you!"

"I'm sorry Kemps. I lost track of the time," Alex said.

"And after I told you to be more careful too. I'm gonna let this one go, but the next time you sneak off to something like this, you'll be beached for a week."

"I'm sorry."

"You would not believe it Calum," Kemps said. "Your son has been sneaking off to listen to music. He could have been seen by the humans on land!"

"I don't really understand the problem?" Calum said.

"Dylan, you won't believe it. Humans have such amazing music!" Alex said.

"I can't imagine anything better than the music under the sea."

"Wait, Dyl, where's Zeph? You two are always together." Alex continued.

"I got separated from him while we were waiting for you."

"I'm sorry Dyl."

"It's okay. We'll catch up with him."

Alex knew his little brother wasn't okay being separated from Zephyr, and he knew that he would never admit it. The merboy also knew that Zephyr would be worrying about Dylan.

"Well, of course, you don't see the problem." Kemps complained.

"He went to listen to music." Calum rubbed his forehead.

Alex wanted to help Dylan feel better and began telling him about what he saw and heard near the humans.

"There's a dock with spectacular sounds. It's the coolest music I've ever heard, Dyl," Alex said.

"Are we really gonna do this right now," Calum said. "It's already so late. We can't keep the merlings swimming all night."

"Calum, you need to talk to that boy. He's gonna get himself into trouble."

"You should have seen it too. There was this weird rock that was making the music." Alex continued.

Dylan wasn't too impressed. "Rocks aren't that great for making music. Now, tube coral and bubbles can make fun music."

"Kemps, it's been a long swim for all of us."

"I know. I know."

"Dyl, the rock had this mist coming from it and flashing lights, too!"

"Are you sure it wasn't just tube coral and a school of fish that glow in the dark?" Dylan said.

"I'm telling you that the rock made music, lit up, and was surrounded by mist."

"Well, if you could talk to him for me," Kemps said. "You told him those stories when he was a merling."

"I'll do what I can," Calum said.

"Dyl, the music didn't sound anything like tube coral, and there definitely weren't glow fish swimming around."

"What you're describing makes no sense. I know a lot of instruments, but nothing like that."

"I can trust you to say what needs to be said." Kemps said to Calum.

"Of course," Calum reassured his older brother.

"Dyl, it's not just a story. I really saw a rock that could make music."

"I still can't imagine a rock making music. Maybe if we clapped them together, but the sound isn't particularly good."

"Kemps, let's focus on settling down in the grottos. We've been away from the islands for over a thousand years. Whatever we experienced in the past is in the past. We have so much to look forward to."

"You're right, Calum. It's time to look to the future."

"Kemps, I made sure the grotto was perfect for the pod. When we get there, you'll see."

"I much prefer the sound of those brown fuzzy rocks that float in the sea. When I take two halves and clap them together, I can get a solid rhythm going. They're lighter and easier to use as an instrument."

"Dyl, rocks don't float. You're talking about coconuts, silly guppy."

"I could use a rest after the long swim."

"Dyl, we are getting way off topic. Maybe I should be talking to Zeph about how instruments work."

"Possibly," the merling said. "He's always good at understanding how things work. I wonder how he's doing?"

"I need a break," Kemps said. "But there's still so much to do."

"We can look after the pod while you get some rest." Calum said. "Me, Arihi, Reef, and Sarah. We can handle things."

"Kemps, you'll end up over doing it at this rate. You got the pod to islands safely. You deserve a rest."

"Zeph would love to hear more about this," Dylan said. "He always knows the right questions to ask."

Alex sensed that his little brother was still worried about his twin.

"Dyl, the instrument I saw was unlike anything anyone has seen in the sea. I don't know anyone that knows music better than you."

"You're right," Kemps said.

Dylan splashed his brother. "That's right, I'm an expert when it comes to music, and there's no such thing as a musical rock!"

"But I did see one!" Alex shielded himself from the merling.

"Merlings and a Merboy is a lot for anyone to keep up with," Calum said with a smile. "But, sometimes, you just need to let them be themselves. Things will work themselves out along the way."

"I'm not gonna argue with you when it comes to parenting."

"Okay, okay Dyl," Alex pleaded. "I give up. Enough with the splashing."

Alex slid back in the water. When he saw Dylan's smile, he knew he was feeling better.

"Good," Dylan declared triumphantly. "I was about to use my super fin splash if you didn't. Remember, I know music better than Zeph!"

Calum laughed. "Kemps, a merling can easily surprise you, and the same is true for merboys and mergirls. Just have faith in them, and you'll see."

"You don't have to carry the weight of the ocean alone."

"Your super fin splash is nothing compared to my splashtastic attack." Alex said.

"Okay, I give, I give," Dylan said. "I can't beat that. I accept the musical rock is real!"

"I try not to." Kemps said to his brother.

"Calum, thank you," Kemps said.

"For what?" Calum asked.

"Alex, one day, you need to show me that musical rock. It does sound really cool."

"Dyl, you have no idea."

"You know exactly what I'm thanking you for," Kemps said. "Your compassion and love for your family. You're practically the glue holding us together."

"I don't know," Calum said. "I always thought Reef did the best job keeping everyone together."

"He does help, a lot."

"Alex, a musical rock is such an amazing idea, but you know what's more amazing?"

"What?"

"An Octopus Symphony."

"What?!"

"Octopus have eight arms and can play multiple instruments at the same time. I don't know how they do it."

Alex laughed. "Yeah, an octopus band is always fun to watch."

"But, the best band is..." Dylan began to say.

"Inked." Alex said before laughing.

"When he's not getting himself into trouble," Calum said.

"Naturally," Kemps added.

"Let's head home before it gets much later," Kemps said.

"Home sounds good. It's been a long time." Calum said.

"Dyl, Inked is pretty good, but I think Eight Fins Deep is better."

"They make some pretty good music too." Dylan said.

"Let's get going. I'm sure everyone is ready to finally return to the grottos," Kemps said.

Alex finished telling Dylan about what he saw, and they exchanged a few more jokes.

"More than you know!" Calum said.

"Dad, are we finally going to the grottos?!" Dylan asked. "It's felt like ages without Zeph around."

"Home, that does sound nice." Alex thought. "We never had a place to settle down before."

"Took the four of you long enough," Sarah said. "Calum insisted that we had to wait outside until he checked all the grottos. He wanted to make sure everything was perfect."

"We won't be the only ones living in the grottos either," Reef added. "There's another pod and a couple other merfolk living there too. The other pod has triplet merlings and there are other families living there."

"It'll be a good chance for the merlings to make friends their own age," Sarah, continued.

"That's finatastic," Kemps said. "I bet the other pod is the Keahloha Pod."

"Mom, can we go see the grottos?" Lir asked.

"I'm ready to make some new friends," Kylen said.

"Dyl, I was super worried when you stayed behind." Zeph said.

"I wanted to follow, but when I fell behind, dad had me stay close to him."

"Don't do that again," Zeph advised.

"As it turns out, Makoa has been working hard to keep the Grottos in the Sea Cave a secret from humans. He never left the Islands, and he now has triplet merlings."

"Actually, Makoa has done more than keep the grottos safe for his triplets," Sarah added. "He kept the sea caves for other merlings that had nowhere else to go. He didn't adopt, but he kept the grottos safe for merfolk."

"He did say a long time ago that the merfolk would return to Sulani one day," Kemps said. "I'm glad he was able to keep the Zalia Grottos safe."

"He wasn't alone," Reef added. "The Marus Pod also helped. The grottos were protected by at least two Guardians."

"Which ones?"

"I think the Marus and Mahi'Ai Guardians. Before you got here and Calum went to check on the grottos, Makoa swam over and told us about them. Rio and Anas's Sister partnered for life recently. Nalani became the Matriarch of their pod."

"Those two always did things differently," Kemps said. "But, I'm happy for them."

Shortly after, Calum surfaced and told Reef that his grotto was ready. Reef, Sarah, Kylen, and Lir swam over to the sea cave.

"Are you two ready to see your new home," Reef asked.

"I can't wait," Lir said. "Let's go already."

"Patience," Sarah said.

Dylan and Zephyr waved goodbye to their aunt, uncle, and cousins before they disappeared into the sea cave. Calum wanted to make sure everything was still perfect for his family. After some persuasion, Calum and Arihi swam into the grottos to check on things. They left the twins with their uncle and Brother.

It didn't take long for Arihi and Calum to surface and collect the twins.

"We'll see you at home," Zephyr said to Alex.

"I'll see you there," Alex said. "I'll wait for Uncle Kemps."

The twins waved goodbye to their brother and swam into the sea cave with their parents.

"Alex, I want this to be our new home," Kemps said.

"I'm looking forward to a chance to live in one place too," Alex said.

"I need to know that you won't return to that spot," Kemps said. "If something happened to you, I don't know what I would do."

"Uncle Kemps, I didn't mean..."

"Alex, there are many reasons to avoid the humans on land."

"I'm careful, and I've never been seen by humans."

"For now, I'm gonna let you be, but we need to have a serious conversation in the future. There's something I need to explain to you, especially you."

"Can we talk about it later."

"We can, but we will talk about it. We can't put it off forever."

"Sounds good to me."

"Your dad worked really hard to prepare the grottos for us," Kemps said. "I know you'll love this new home."

"Uncle Kemps, I appreciate you looking after us. I know it hasn't been easy."

"Truth be told, I get more worried when Reef goes missing. He's always finding new ways to get in trouble."

"Lately," Alex began to say. He decided against saying what's on his mind.

"I promise, I'll live up to your expectations," Alex said.

"I know you will. As the next Guardian, there's so much to learn, and I look forward to teaching you."

"I don't even know what it means to be a Guardian of the Seas," Alex admitted. "Even after you gave me the pendant, you've always been the one looking after us and protecting the pod."

"I just wanted you to grow up without the burden of being a Guardian," Kemps admitted. "Until you are a merman, I want you to continue to live without that burden."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Well, I'm ready to see the grotto Dad prepared for us."

"I'm a little worried about the things from the Magic Realm your dad bought from Half-Merfolk. He says they are safe, but I don't know."

"Knowing dad, I think we should check on him," Alex said. "I'm also looking forward to a good night's rest and a place to keep this pendant."

"It might be wise to put it somewhere safe for the time being," Kemps advised. "That pendant is one of six magic artifacts given to the original six Guardians of the Seas. The pendants are the Marks of the Guardians and others will know what you are if they see you wearing it."

"Why would it be a problem if others knew I was a guardian?"

"There are dangers in the sea and in the worlds beyond the sea," Kemps explained. "As a Guardian, you have a special power that others might want for themselves. If they don't know what you are, you might avoid certain dangers. I will explain more when we have our talk."

"I can't wait to learn more about what it means to be a Guardian. Am I going to learn any cool powers?"

"Let's swim a little at a time," Kemps advised. "You have a lot to learn before you're ready."

"But the enthusiasm is appreciated." Kemps smiled. "For now, let's head home."

"Finally, I'll have my own grotto." Alex grinned.

"Tired of sharing a grotto with the twins."

"The corals were never big enough for all of us," Alex said. "And we always stayed on the move. We were lucky to find any grottos to stay in."

With that, the merman and merboy swam home after a long swim to the islands.

When Alex and Kemps entered the grotto, Calum was busy swimming after one of the twins. Alex assumed Zeph was playing mermadic chess with their mom, and it was Dylan giving Calum a hard time. The merling was full of energy. While Calum was wrangling the merling, Kemps smiled and started preparing the meals for the next few days. Alex found a journal in his grotto and started writing about the day he had.

"I got'ch ya now." As Dylan swam over his dad, Calum reached up and grabbed the merling.

"Noooooo, Zeph help! The big bad sea monster got me." Dylan laughed. 

Calum pulled Dylan down and spun. The merman looked in the little merlings eyes. "It's time for bed, young man."

"Noooo!" Dylan said, struggling to not laugh. "I want more stories."

"We've talked about this," Calum said. "One story a night."

Calum lifted the merling up. "As much as I love swimming after you, it's time for bed."

"I'm not tired," Dylan protested.

"Now, you're lying. How can you have this much energy after a long swim?"

"It's a gift," Dylan said.

"Well tired or not, it's time for bed," Calum said.

"Noooo!" Dylan squirmed in his dad's arms.

As Calum swam through the grotto, Dylan fell asleep in his arms. After a short swim, Calum laid Dylan on his coral bed and swam back down to the living grotto to retrieve Zephyr.

"Time for bed," Calum said, lifting Zephyr up.

Looking into the merlings eyes, Calum often tried to stay on the same level as the twins, he held Zephyr up. "You aren't gonna give me trouble like Dylan did, right?"

"Are you sure it was Dylan that gave you trouble?"

"Of course, Zephyr," Calum said. "I can always tell the two of you apart."

"It's Zeph!" Zephyr protested.

"Okay Zeph," Calum said. "But, it's still time for bed."

Calum made sure he had a good grip on the merling before he started swimming. Zephyr was quick to fall asleep in his dad's arms just like his twin brother. Zephyr curled his tail up and Calum swam with him to his grotto.

Calum laid Zephyr on a coral bed near his brother. While others might confuse the twins, Calum always could tell them apart. He loved Dylan's creativity and Zephyr's ingenuity. He prepared the grotto with the hopes that they would continue to grow into their own individuals. Across the grotto, Calum went to sleep on his own coral bed. Just like he did with Alex, he wanted to be there with the twins and watch them grow.

After Alex retired to his own grotto to sleep, Kemps swam up to the grotto he shared with his brother, sister-in-law, and the twins. He swam to each twin and kissed them on the forehead. He hoped he made the right choice, he prayed he made the right choice for them and the rest of the pod. He didn't want to ruin things for Alex, but he was also worried. The seas around Sulani looked beautiful, but they had some of the greatest dangers in the ocean. Dangers that existed long before humans proved they couldn't be trusted. He didn't think they would be a risk for most of the pod, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

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 was 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 conch shell. "Now, goodbye and good riddance."

Damion's magic ensnared Mortimer's Soul and pulled him into the conch 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 watched 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!'

After a great deal of trouble getting this transferred over, I think I found what was giving me trouble. First, clearing the formatting for the posts I was copying/pasting helped. I could not publish anything that had incompatible formatting. I recommend going to the 3 dots at the top right and clicking the T with an x in the lower right corner to clear formatting. It's pretty easy to do, and you can do it with a large clump of text if you highlight it.

The second issue is something I can't find a work around. Spoilers come with a "title" and after entering a title, I figured out why text was getting overwrriten when I added text or pictures. The spoilers appear to be broken in multiple different ways. If I add a spoiler, I can't update the post with pictures. If I add multiple spoilers, the text in spoilers that come next will randomly get overwritten with content from another spoiler above. I can't even highlight a section to add spoilers for a portion of the post. While the spoilers are acting up, I won't add spoilers to this topic. I apologize for any inconvenience this causes loading the thread.

After observing the flow of threads here, I'm thinking of posting new chapters on a blog or continuing to share things on the EA Help Site. I feel like it would be easier to add links to the blog and maintain the order of the chapters. I've noticed that likes to replies effect the order of the replies in threads. I am concerned that, over time, the chapters posted as a reply will get out of order. If it was easier to update the main thread post, I would consider adding the chapters there and using spoilers. I'm not convinced that is best either.

Updating the main post is also still giving me trouble, but I was at least able to get group pictures added. I want to do more, but for now, the Meet the MerSims section will be complete on the EA Help Site. I may remove the lore bit in the replies to free up space for other replies. These forums are new so a bit of trouble is to be expected.

It has been a bit of trial and error, and I'm hoping to get a system going.