MASG chapter 25

 

They’re like ghosts!

Xia Yu and Mi Dou were startled, and their instinctive fear rose. The deep sea was already dangerous, and now, with these strange sea creatures gathering before them, they were practically prey. They swam silently beneath the reef, there were so many of them!

The humans at the research institute were ridiculous! They thought they had to capture a single mermaid to confirm the existence of the species, but there were actually many of them in the ocean.

In the face of nature, human ignorance is as terrifying as it is vast. To bring Mo An’s egg ashore, they destroyed an entire hatching ground.

Xia Yu was captivated by Meng Qingqing’s sisters and couldn’t take his eyes or attention away from them. How had they gotten there? Why was there no sound? How long had they been gathering?

“There are so many of them… Xia Yu, I’m a little scared.” Mi Dou quietly grasped his finger.

Real mermaids were nothing like they’d imagined. No melodious voices or gentle dispositions. They broke through the waves, their fingers like sharp blades. They whispered to each other from the depths. Rubbing their tails together was a form of communication, and if one was injured, the whole group would attack.

Their black scales rubbed and collided against the reef, making a terrifying sound. Their waist-length black hair seemed to dye the seawater black, obscuring their pale cheeks, but their whispers could still be heard.

“Xtellar,” said Meng Qingqing, her eyes turning completely black and covered by tear membranes.

“What does Xtellar mean?” Xia Yu asked. He was starting to feel afraid, too. Standing on the reef and looking down, he could only see the fish’s tails, but he was sure that if the mermaids wanted to, they could easily capture him.

“Siren,” Meng Qingqing said. Then, she leaped down.

A massive wave crashed before them, threatening to sweep Xia Yu and Mi Dou away. The people who had stood beside them moments before vanished completely into the swirling vortex, leaving no trace behind.

Mo An was carried far down by the swirling current beneath the waves, his body seemingly torn apart by the force of the sea. Real seawater was fresher, colder, and more unforgiving than the artificial water at the research institute. It wouldn’t show him any mercy just because he was small.

It tore him up and down and back and forth, making it difficult for him to maintain his balance while simply drifting with the current. However, his eyes felt much more comfortable than on shore. The water didn’t obstruct his vision, it made it clearer.

A snowy-white beach, uneven gravel, and schools of fish… Mo An really wanted to reach out and catch one to eat. But at that moment, he realized that he couldn’t keep up with them at all.

As a mermaid, he couldn’t actually… catch a fish! The waves were alive, unlike the stagnant water of a cooling pool.

Not only could he not catch any fish, but he also struggled to maintain his balance in the water. He waited for the waves to subside before swimming with the current. However, when a wave crashed in his direction, Mo An flipped over and landed on his belly once again.

His asymmetrical tail fin made it difficult to exert force. The harder he tried, the more he lost his balance and the more pain he felt. As Mo An swung his tail in an attempt to catch a small fish, he veered off course once more.

He could only swim in an arc, unconsciously heading to the right. Then, a huge wave crashed over his head. The current surged, and he was swept from the surface to the bottom. The undercurrent felt like a boulder pressing down on his back. He swung his tail again, but he couldn’t get up. He could still see the reef, but then it vanished as if being sucked deeper into the ocean, farther from the shore.

So this was the sea—his true home—beautiful yet dangerous.

The ocean was merciless, offering no chance of escape—not even for one born of the sea. Mo An attempted to swim toward the reef, gradually adjusting to the rapid swing of his tail. His beautiful tail swung out in undulating waves, and his pelvic fins helped him maintain his balance. His arms clung to his body. Mo An only wanted to go back.

He couldn’t let the waves carry him away like this. He hadn’t spoken enough with the little jellyfish. His xla, his treasure.

He had to go back and find Xia Yu. Xia Yu was the only one who had been with him all these years. He couldn’t just return to the deep sea for no apparent reason. Mo An gritted his teeth, but he was still too weak. The more he swam, the farther he drifted.

Suddenly, he collided with someone at his back.

The person blocked his path, pressing their hands firmly against his shoulders and digging their sharp nails into his skin.

Mo An turned and saw a familiar face.

Meng Qingqing was there, swaying her black tail—which was several times longer than his—in the middle layer of the sea, impervious to any wave. Her black elbow fins were like triumphant sails. Her long black hair pointed upward and swayed with the ripples in the water.

The waves were silent, the sirens did not sing.

Then, Mo An saw a second, a third, a fourth… countless black mermaids swimming behind Meng Qingqing. If you didn’t look closely, you’d mistake them for shadows.

Without exception, they all had long black hair, black elbow fins, and completely black tails. Their broad tail fins were soft and intact.

Are these his own kind? Are they sirens? Mo An tried to approach them, wanting to speak with them up close. Even though he was different—a male siren who couldn’t fit in and would never be able to defeat them—he wanted to speak with them.

Seeing one of his own kind for the first time overwhelmed Mo An with joy. But as he approached, Meng Qingqing pushed him back.

“Enno…” Mo An called out again.

It was a longing cry for intimacy, trembling slightly as it left his lips. But Meng Qingqing, with her double ear fins, refused to let him approach. Instead, she grabbed him by the waist and rushed toward the reef.

Xia Yu and Mi Dou, who were standing on the reef path, kept retreating as if they had seen a group of sea monsters.

Finally, he understood why mermaids were considered ‘monsters’. Beneath every wave, he saw a ferocious mermaid. Their tails arched as they cut through the waves, making no sound yet inspiring deep fear and awe. These were sea sirens without a song. It was hard to imagine what would happen if a hunting ship encountered them at sea.

They could easily destroy a warship!

For now, he could only see a white wave bearing down on them. He had no idea what lay beneath it. After a few blinks, the wave crashed before his eyes and something was thrown aloft.

It was a bright white light, instantly recognizable. Xia Yu and Mi Dou recognized Mo An immediately and tried to reach him, but they were too late.

Mo An crashed directly onto the reef. He couldn’t catch any fish and couldn’t swim out of his path, so he was thrown hard onto the reef. His tail ached, and pale blue blood flowed from it. He could only watch his fellow fish dart through the sea, unable to get any closer.

“Mo An! Are you okay?” In Xia Yu’s heart, Mo An was the best fish in the world — his only fish. Others ignored him, but he didn’t have another Mo An.

He and Mi Dou ran to Mo An’s side, hugged him, and checked his wounds. “Don’t be afraid. We won’t swim in the sea anymore.”

“Right, no more swimming!” Mi Dou patted his chest. “I’ll take you to the mine to find work. We can live on land too.”

“Does it hurt? Come, I’ll carry you back.” Xia Yu thought he had stopped crying after so many days of trying to survive, but now tears were streaming down his face. “How could she do this to you … You were just a newly hatched fish. How could she do this to you?”

Afraid his nails might scratch Xia Yu, Mo An wiped his tears with the back of his hand as he looked at it. “Xla, my treasure, don’t cry.”

“Huh?” Xia Yu suddenly raised his tear-stained face, too shocked to speak. Even though Meng Qingqing had mentioned mermaids’ natural talent for language, this was still too fast.

“Don’t cry for me.” Mo An’s pronunciation was still a bit unclear, but he spoke fluently. He didn’t want the little jellyfish to cry, and human tears looked strange.

A drop landed right next to his pelvic fin. Mo An reached out a finger, picked it up, and carefully placed it in his mouth.

Taste, taste.

“It’s salty.” He suddenly smiled at Xia Yu. It was strange that human tears turned into seawater instead of gems.

Xia Yu and Mi Dou were speechless at Mo An’s rapid improvement in language skills. Within ten minutes, they could communicate smoothly. The two men carried him back up to the lighthouse and laid him on the bed. A sea breeze streamed in through the window. Xia Yu walked to the window and looked out at the water, but the mermaid was no longer visible.

“Xia Yu! Come on! Come on!” Mi Dou suddenly called out to him.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Yu ran to the bed.

“Look at this!” Mi Dou pointed at Mo An’s fishtail.

Startled, Xia Yu thought the fishtail had more wounds. Surprisingly, there were no new wounds. Instead, a new dent could be seen along the centerline of the tail. He immediately remembered what Meng Qingqing had said about “mimicry.” Since Mo An had interacted with them so often, he was now trying to mimic a human form.

“My legs are itchy.” Clearly aware of what was about to happen, Mo An reached out to Xia Yu. “Hold me.”

“Okay, I’ll hold you.” Xia Yu bent down and embraced the chubby Mo An with his frail frame. Mo An wasn’t exactly thin. He had been on constant nutritional supplements at the research institute, and though he had starved a little since escaping, he had never truly gone hungry. His arms were round, a stark contrast to Xia Yu’s. Xia Yu’s wrists were pitifully thin, while the backs of Mo An’s hands were dotted with small dents.

“They won’t talk to me, and they won’t let me get close. My heart is broken.” Mo An’s words grew thicker as he poured out all his frustrations. He knew who would feel sorry for him. He was smart enough to see through Meng Qingqing’s coldness. But the little jellyfish were different.

“Don’t worry. They’ll definitely talk to you. Don’t worry,” said Xia Yu, rubbing Mo An’s back as he looked down at his underdeveloped ear fins. “Mo An, remember: although you may be different among sirens, you must be a good one. You can do it.”

“A good siren, a man among mermaids.” Mo An imitated them, but the thought of their indifference still made him sad.

After resting for a while, Mo An’s body began to change, just as Xia Yu had predicted. First, the scales on his tail faded, blending perfectly into his skin. The dent in the central line deepened, forming a groove, and soon the shape of two legs appeared.

His tail fin flipped upward and became his legs. However, because of the wound on the left, his left leg was injured as well. Finally, the thin crack suddenly severed, leaving a dark red, line-shaped wound on his inner thighs.

“Ah! You have legs!” Xia Yu stayed with Mo An.

“I have legs!” Mo An mimicked his tone. “Xia Yu, I have legs.”

“Then can you stand up? Come, I’ll help you.” Xia Yu wanted Mo An to learn to walk as quickly as possible because the faster he learned, the safer he would be. If anything dangerous happened again, they wouldn’t have to carry him. Mo An could run away on his own.

But before they could help Mo An stand up, footsteps echoed down the spiral staircase again.

“It seems he’s already learned mimicry.” Meng Qingqing appeared, followed by Talos.

“You’re growing up so fast! You’re truly a monster,” Talos was still holding a cigarette.

“You’re back! That’s great.” Xia Yu had been worried about this, too. “Is Leviathan gone? Will he come back to harm Mo An? Can I learn from you how to defeat him?”

“You want to learn from me? Don’t dream. He’ll definitely come back. This is a feud between the Leviathan and the mermaids. They’ll hunt down young mermaids. Unless Mo An survives to adulthood, Leviathan will hunt him day and night.” Talos slumped down in an unkempt chair.

“Did you fight him? Were you injured?” Xia Yu asked worriedly.

“No, he’s still quite reasonable, even after becoming human. Leviathans have their own principles. They don’t kill innocent people—only underage fish,” Talos said.

Xia Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This news was not good. Mo An was still young. He’d have to flee for more than a decade before he’d be safe.

“However, with so many sirens gathered at the Black Sea port, he won’t be able to defeat them easily. Sirens are the most ferocious of the mermaids. Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Talos snorted while glancing at Meng Qingqing.

“Are you implying something about me?” Meng Qingqing opened the wardrobe beside her.

“No.” Talos averted his gaze.

“Hmph.” Meng Qingqing rummaged through the closet and pulled a long black skirt from a pile of tangled leather jackets. She tore it open and casually tossed it to Mo An, who was still lying on the bed. “Wear my clothes first. If you were a girl, we could take you with us.”

“Can’t you take a boy?” Mi Dou asked.

“We don’t have experience raising a male mermaid, and he won’t be recognized by us for now,” Meng Qingqing said.

“He…he will. He will be recognized.” Xia Yu couldn’t stand hearing her talk about Mo An like that. Mo An is still young. Don’t talk about him like that. “I’ll help him get dressed first.”

“Okay, I’ll get dressed.” Mo An held out his arms, and with Xia Yu’s help, he put on the dress. The hem of the dress covered his knees, revealing only his calves. Mo An stood up unsteadily. “Do I look good?”

“You know what? He looks good in a skirt! He really does look like a siren.” Talos applauded.

Meng Qingqing ignored him and walked straight to Mo An. “Listen carefully. No fish would raise useless children. If you want to follow us back to the deep sea, you must prove yourself.”

“Oh, prove myself?” Mo An nodded, seemingly understanding, yet not quite. He turned to Xia Yu with a smile. “Do I look good?”

Meng Qingqing covered her eyes helplessly. This fish was beyond hope.

What others saw as trash was a precious treasure to Xia Yu. They settled down at the lighthouse for the night and simply slept on the floor. At night, the lighthouse’s beams became a guiding star in the foggy sea, leading sailors home. The roar of the waves was even more terrifying than during the day, as if threatening to knock the lighthouse over.

But Xia Yu’s heart was at peace.

Mi Dou had fallen asleep a while ago, lying on his left side. But Mo An lingered, examining Xia Yu constantly, stroking his fingers and calves as if he were particularly interested in human limbs.

“Treasure’s little hands—no webbed fingers,” he whispered, perched on Xia Yu’s shoulder.

“Yes, because I’m a genetically modified being,
, not a mermaid.” Xia Yu laughed at his words. “I’m a blue jellyfish.”

“Blue jellyfish can sing.” Mo An rolled over and pressed on Xia Yu. Then he took his little hand and stuffed it into his mouth. He hadn’t yet learned to control his strength. Mermaids learn from a young age to give it their all.

They chase and bite with all their might. Once they’ve bitten something, they can’t let go. Their fangs easily bit through Xia Yu’s finger, leaving a bloody mark.

“Ah! It’s broken!” Xia Yu stared blankly at his bleeding finger.

“It’s broken.” Mo An imitated him, biting one finger and then switching to another. In less than half a minute, all ten of Xia Yu’s fingers were bleeding and covered in teeth marks.

“Stop biting me! I’m so…sleepy! I want to sleep.” Xia Yu couldn’t bear it any longer. With Talos and Meng Qingqing around, Leviathan wouldn’t dare mess around. The sleep bug found him, but his fingers tingled slightly. Suddenly, Mo An leaned in close, and the two of them stared at each other.

“What are you doing? I want to sleep. Children need more sleep,” Xia Yu whispered.

Mo An pressed down silently and bit Xia Yu’s cheek, leaving a bleeding tooth mark.

“Ouch! It itches. Stop biting me.” Xia Yu pushed him away. “Why did you have to bite me?” Was Mo An hungry again? But he didn’t have any nutrition shots, so he couldn’t feed him.

In his daze, he didn’t realize where Mo An had bitten him. When Talos returned, he saw Xia Yu’s bare shoulder covered in bleeding teeth marks. At first glance, it looked terrifying, like a mermaid devouring a human.

“Hey! What are you doing, little brat?” Talos stepped forward and pulled him to his feet.

“Man, you’re provoking me! Let me go! Get down!” Mo An’s mouth was covered in blood.

“Can you speak normally? It’s just a tiny thing, yet you speak with such a big temper. I might as well throw you out and let you see for yourself what’s outside.” Talos didn’t have Xia Yu’s good temper, he kept chasing this ferocious fry. He was a male siren, who knew what he would become?

“Let go of me! Put me down!” Mo An struggled, but no matter how he kicked, his short legs couldn’t reach Talos. Hehe, tomorrow I’ll trick you into the sea. In the sea, you won’t be able to beat me.

Talos wasn’t angry, nor did he fall for it. When a small creature is angry, it’s just funny. He carried the little mermaid in a skirt to the window. In the light of the lighthouse, he could clearly see something in the thick fog outside.

“Man, tell me, what is that?” Mo An stopped struggling and stared silently outside.

Within that thick fog, all the returning fishing boats and cargo ships had lost their way.

Talos slapped Mo An’s butt. “Don’t act like an adult! Those terrifying creatures in the fog are coming for you. Look at the trouble you’ve caused.”

“I am an adult.” Mo An glared at him, unconvinced. “What’s the matter?”