“What does he mean you feed on humans? Tell me it’s just a figure of speech!” I shouted, my voice trembling. 

“Well,” Lucius said with a wicked grin, circling me like a predator, “You’ve got nowhere to run. You’re trapped, like a mere rat! Who would’ve thought that you, the person I had always admired, is quivering in fear!”

He threw his head back with a cruel laugh. “Oh? Not only that, but this body will soon shatter! What a waste! Hahahaha!”

“Listen closely, human,” Alba said, “I’ll give you two options: One, surrender your soul and the soul of your Narcis friend, and I’ll take full control and rip that bastard apart, limb by limb. Two, you stay in control, and face the consequences. Alone.”

“You mean…if I surrender, we die, right?” I whispered.

“Indeed,” She said simply.

“But why? Why would you even want to help me?”

“Help you?” Alba scoffed. “I wouldn’t call it help. This bastard got on my last nerve, and I shall annihilate him at once. So, what is your decision?”

I looked down at Asher’s still body beside me, still unconscious.

Revenge wouldn’t bring Philamina back. No matter how brutal, no matter how satisfying, it wouldn’t breathe life into her cold, lifeless body. Even if Alba could kill Lucius in a blink, what would be the cost?

She is an immortal that feeds on humans, with limitless powers.

Unleashing such a calamity is far worse than Lucius himself. What if I traded one monster for something more catastrophic?

Would saving myself mean damning everyone else?

“So, that’s your decision?” Alba murmured. “Not bad…Not bad at all.” She added, her voice fading.

Slowly, I felt sensation creeping back into my limbs—my fingers twitched; my legs responded. I was back.

“Finally!” I breathed out with relief.

But the moment I turned; reality crashed over me like a tidal wave.

Philamina’s corpse lay twisted in a pool of dark, congealed blood. The stench—thick and suffocating— curled into my lungs. I was unable to hide my revulsion.

“So, you’re back,” Lucius drawled, his voice slick with mockery. “How unfortunate. Just when things were starting to get interesting.”

He tilted his head, eyes gleaming with cruel curiosity.

“I wonder what went through her clever little mind…to hand the reins back to you.”

I glanced to my right —and there it was. Philamina’s heart, still glistening, laying on the stone floor. It had rolled into the merman’s cell.

He was staring at me deeply, as if he were asking to read his thoughts without words. Perhaps he wanted me to help him out? But how? I am in a dire situation myself!

My gaze followed his, landing on a small, rusted bucket filled with a strange, yellowish liquid near the door of his cell. He nodded once, then made a few vague gestures with his bound hands.

Whatever that is, I am definitely not drinking this!

“Well, let’s resume the fun, shall we?” Lucius said with a voice mad with excitement.

Panic surged.

What should I do? Run? He’ll get me in no time, especially with his flying minions scattered everywhere.

Out of options, I lunged for the bucket and hurled it all over Lucius’s face with no hesitation.

I knew it wouldn’t kill him, but if it bought me a second of distraction, it was worth it.

I bolted, feet pounding the stone floor. Behind me, Lucius’s tall figure let out a twisted groan as his face began to melt. There was no blood. No flesh. Just grotesque bubbles fizzing like a corrosive lab experiment gone wrong.

“Pffft. Hahahaha!” the merman burst into laughter. “Glad you’re clever enough not to drink that stuff!”

“I don’t think this is the time for jokes!” I snapped, gasping for breath.

“Oh, come on, don’t be so coy,” he grinned, sharp teeth gleaming. “Help your savior out of these chains, would you?”

“Don’t expect me to carry you all the way out!”

“Of course not! How would a frail lady drag my majestic tail! That would be impossible!” he mocked. “Now, if there’s any drops left from that miracle juice, splash some on the cell door — then my chains.”

“What is that stuff?” I asked, grimacing as I checked the nearly empty bucket.

“My tears, mostly,” he replied.

Tears huh? Does he think I am stupid enough to believe that?

“I wouldn’t touch that bare-handed if I were you,” he instructed with a sly smile. “Just pour some carefully. It’ll eat through the metal.”

I did as he said, though my stomach churned. “Why is it…yellow?” I asked, wrinkling my nose as I poured.

“My kind is… overly sensitive, you see,” he explained. “A drop of pain in my system and I secrete poison. So imagine what years of torture will create.”

The iron bars began to hiss and corrode under the yellow liquid, smoke curling from the rusted metal.

“That mage is not dead,” he continued. “He always sends an avatar to this basement. A decoy. It’s how he keeps us trapped.”

“But how did he —?”

“Killing that girl was merely a triviality for him.” He cut me off. “It is true that the avatar is less dangerous than the real thing but it still is a menace…”

After the door completely dissolved, I stepped closer to him. The stench inside the cell was morbid. I couldn’t tell what it was since everything was mixed. Blood, flesh, decaying scales, rotting organs…

“Get a hold of yourself, human,” he said coolly. “If you faint here and now, we both die.”

I splashed the chains with the remaining liquid. My hand slipped, brushing against his scales.

“I—I am sorry!”

“It’s fine. Just… a bit faster, please.”

After what felt like forever—fifteen grueling minutes—I was done. The merman collapsed forward, dragging himself with his arms.

“By Atlantis! I thought I’d never feel my arms again!” he said joyfully. Then he looked up at me seriously. “Say, I need another favor from you. I’ll ask you to turn around and not look at me, until I tell you, okay?”

“Umm… Okay?”

“No matter what you hear, no matter what happens stay still, got it?”

“Alright...”

I turned, facing the long row of empty, lifeless cells. Then a strange sound echoed through the air. A sickening wet rip. Like something being torn from the inside. Something organic and raw.

A slow, fleshy schlrrrk, like thick fabric soaked in mucus being torn apart.

I heard his breath hitch then a low, guttural grunt, almost feral, as if he were holding back a scream.

The sound pulsed again—shluck…crack…squelch —each note a nauseating symphony of raw biology unraveling.

The urge to turn around to check on him was unbearable. But was I ready to handle whatever scene may unfold behind me?

I clenched my fists. Just a little longer…Don’t look. Not yet.

Suddenly, a huge shadow loomed behind me. Nevertheless, I remained still, and closed my eyes tightly.

“Hahaha! Would you look at that!” the merman’s voice rang out, “Humans are curious by nature and yet you didn’t spare me a glance!” he said. “You just passed my trust test with flying colors! You can turn around now!”

The merman had now become human —well, quite tall for one but still. His height was not the only strange thing about him. His long hair regained its lustrous and beautiful color, cascading over his shoulders like flowing silk. His skin gleamed with a faint opalescent otherworldly sheen.

His eyes, however, were sharp, glimmering with the knowledge of centuries, yet absurdly playful.

“Umm…Would you mind giving me your cloak? I am a bit too exposed here,” he said, tone half embarrassed, half-teasing, as he shifted awkwardly behind a pillar.

“Oh my God, I am sorry, I —I didn’t notice,” I stammered, quickly pulling off my cloak and handing it to him while avoiding eye contact. “Here!”

He chuckled lightly, wrapping the fabric around himself. “You humans and your modesty. Always entertaining.” He stepped forward, the cloak barely covering his towering frame, but he didn’t seem to mind. “Well then, shall we get out of this rotting hole?”

“What about the other hostages?” I asked, glancing at the cells lining the corridor.

“I might not have mentioned it before,” he said with a low voice, “because you seemed easily swayed, but we only have ten minutes left to leave this place. If we don’t hurry, we might cross paths with him.”

“Ten minutes!” I shouted.