I swam countless leagues, guided only by tales and legends. Until, on the sixth night, I finally found myself before a majestic palace made of massive, jagged stones. It was dark as the night and chilling as the abyssal waters. To the untrained eye, there would be no palace at all, merely a natural rock formation. But that is because magic only reveals itself to the right person at the right moment. That was how I knew I had to go on.

As soon as I ventured inside, lights flared all around me, revealing the main hall of the grand ancestral palace. Intricately carved columns upheld a lofty ceiling. Torches lined the dark rock walls, their magic flames burning under the water. 

A shiver ran through me; I had the eerie sensation that I had been there before. But all I could think of, was how to gain the favor of the sirens. 

The waters began swirling, and an enchanting melody reached my ears. In the distance, sweet laughter drew closer.

At last, I saw them. As beautiful as the stories describe them: vibrantly colored hair adorning their bare torsos, their skin was as pink as that of humans, their fins shimmering with the iridescent hues, and their faces... Oh! Their faces were as radiant as the stars, but their eyes were whirlpools that pulled in my very soul.

I could barely hold my head up, I was crumbling inside.

Queen Xenea sat upon her magnificent throne made of mother-of-pearl. The queen of all the sirens, of indescribable beauty, and immeasurable power. A crown of shells and pearls rested upon her hair of green seaweed. As she beheld me, a sarcastic smile curled her lips. 

I offered a deep bow while the other sirens laughed and whispered.

With a single motion of her hand, Xenea silenced them.

"Today, we have a most important guest," she said, her tone laced with amusement. "Our dear prince, Erunestian!" 

The sirens squealed in delight. 

"To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

"If Your Highness, in all your grace, lets me, I have come to ask for a great favor," I said, maintaining my posture.

"The very prince of Erymannen has come to my home to ask me for a favor. I am honored," she said, delicately placing a hand upon her chest. "And what might we do for you?"

"Fair ladies of the water, you know my people well, who love and respect your waters."

"The folk of the sea... how could we not?" Xenea mused. "They never fail to deliver their offerings. And yet, they fear us so! If only we could be better friends." 

They burst out in mocking laughter.

"Your Majesty! My people suffer!" I exclaimed, indignant. "My greatest wish is to end that suffering, to quell their hunger, to stop their mourning."

Queen Xenea grew serious. The other sirens whispered in astonishment.

"Dear prince, have you come to ask us to save the people of the sea? We cannot interfere with the fate of mortals, nor do we possess enough power to..."

"I know that law," I interrupted. "But as a mortal... I can, at least, try to change the fate of those who depend on me." 

The queen fell silent, looking at me with concern. 

I continued, "It is the men of the land and their ignorance of our existence that cause us the greatest harm." 

The sirens did not speak, for they, too, suffered from the ignorance of humans.

There was a time when men feared and respected them. But now, they believe in nothing, sinking ever deeper into their own reality, oblivious to the destruction they cause. The spirits of nature grow weaker as their homes vanish.

"What do you wish for me to do?" Xenea sighed.

"Give me a human form."

The sirens gasped in shock, 
"What? He has lost his mind! That is impossible!" but the queen merely regarded me with surprise.

"Humans would never listen to me in this form. I cannot appear before them like this. But if I were one of them, at least I would not be killed on sight."

"Erunestian, you have no idea what you're asking for," she said, pausing. "Years ago, on a night like this one, a great king came before me, grief-stricken by the death of his wife, and cradling his newborn son in his arms. The oracle had told the king that the prince would leave this world when he grew up, yet he would never get to see the land. Confused by the prediction, and desperate to secure the prince's fate, he paid a high price in return for our protection, then he vowed to make a great offering to us every year on the prince's birthday."

She came closer to me.

"That king... was my father, wasn't he?" I whispered. "Every year, we offer the spirits of the sea the finest fish, coral, and pearls. Supposedly, to earn their favor, to ensure they let us swim safely in their waters," I said. "But in truth, my father has been repaying the favor you granted him, to guarantee Erymannen a prosperous future. For if I survive and inherit his throne, that future is assured."

"Fate is stronger than the deal your father made. Do you truly wish to take on a human body and leave the sea behind?"

She was imposing, towering over me with an overwhelming gaze. But I did not waver. I met her eyes and nodded.

That wicked smile returned to her lips.

"Erunestian Máfortion! Prince of Erymannen! I was tasked with guarding your fate. If this is your destiny, then I will grant your request. But what will you offer me in return?"

"What is it that your majesty wants?"

She placed her hand on my shoulder and gently grasped my chin. With a delicate motion of her hand, she addressed the other sirens:

"Ladies... I see here a pair of magnificent jewels. Would you care to take these eyes of lapis lazuli as payment for transferring this soul to another body?"

The sirens approached slowly, enthralled. I heard their whispers:

"His eyes," "His eyes," "Erymannen's eyes."

My heart pounded. 

"My... eyes?" I stammered. "I can't give them to you."

"Can you offer me something else in return?" Xenea asked. 

"I have no riches in me, as your majesty can see... but if I were to speak with the humans, and they agreed to live more fish in the sea, the corals will grow, and I can come back with treasure and fish like it has never been seen!"

"I do not care for the catch and the treasures that you don't even own, Erunestian, I want your eyes."

"I need them!" I protested. 

"Your immense blue eyes reflect the wildness of the sea, your rebellious soul. They reflect all the pain you have seen and all the pain you are yet to see. I will place them like gems on my crown! Give me your eyes, and you won't have to witness the horrors of the world. Give me your eyes, and I shall grant you a beautiful body, one worthy of your highness."

All the sirens surrounded me, burying me with their shadows. My hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"But... I need to see..." I begged.

"Erunestian, you are under my protection. I will not allow harm to come to you."

"There must be another way!" 

Xenea glanced at the other sirens. Their beautiful faces had twisted into demented, murderous expressions. I couldn't escape, they would take them either way. Xenea said, impatiently:

"What you're asking for is not cheap magic, I will only perform this exchange if you give me your eyes. That is my final word."

I couldn't believe it. How was I supposed to pay such a price? I had swum so far only to find that I couldn't afford the spell. I would have to go through life blind, and for what? I thought... for what? Was I really exchanging my eyes for a body?

No... I was exchanging them for the salvation of my people.

A pair of eyes, for hundreds of lives...

"Fine, I'll do it..." I said. "I will give you my eyes... for the salvation of my people, I'll do whatever it takes."

That hateful smile returned to her face. The other sirens burst into wicked laughter and gripped me with their cold claws.

"Come forth, ladies of the water!" Xenea sang, rising with supernatural grace. "Dance beneath the powerful light of the full moon that grants us magic! Enchant the wind and the water with your songs!"

The sirens danced around me, and with their exquisite voices in chorus, they wove spells into their chants:

The sirens stirred the waters around me surrounding me by so many sounds and colors that my mind could no longer grasp what was happening. 

Suddenly, everything fell silent.

The sirens looked upward, arms outstretched in silence. 

The queens gaze fell upon me, her eyes looked as large as the moon.

My scream was drowned under the water as an excruciating pain overtook my entire body. My skin was being peeled away from my flesh, my body split in two by a burning blade. My insides were being twisted, and my heart was shrinking, and my lungs became weak.

I was drowning.

The torture lasted an eternity.

I still had my eyes then, and though my vision was blurred and spinning, I could make out what was happening. My skin was now pink, my tail was gone. In its place, I had feet, and small hands.

I exhaled my last breath of air struggling to remain calm. I knew that if I panicked, I would drown even faster.

Xenea delivered her final warning:

"Do not return to the sea before you have fulfilled the mission you set for yourself. If you return before achieving anything, you will never have your body back, and you will die like any other miserable human... Now, I shall take your eyes, and you may leave."

The last thing I saw was her merciless face, her long fingers reaching toward my eyes.

She stroked my eyelids—

And all the lights went out.