58-Encounter with the Witch

Nexha sat on the fine sand of the old nest, the small orange egg resting in his hands. He placed it in the warm water of one of the natural pools, watching it for a moment. But his mind was restless. Krahs had left in a hurry, taking the barracuda with him, without giving any explanations.

He sighed, looking at the egg. Small, resilient... alive. He didn’t know why, but he felt that this egg was not something ordinary.

— How did you survive inside that thing’s mouth…?

Time passed slowly. The exhaustion from the fight still weighed on his muscles, but the waiting made him uneasy. He lay down on the sand, already dry after being out of the water for so long.

Beside him, Lilay stretched, yawning loudly.

— Ugh… I’m hungry.

Nexha didn’t reply immediately. His eyes were still fixed on the egg.

— Dad is taking too long…

Lilay huffed, crossing his arms.

— I bet he went to eat by himself and forgot about us!

Nexha rolled his eyes.

— Don’t talk nonsense. He knows you’d never let that happen.

— True. — Lilay grinned but soon pouted again. — But seriously, I’m hungry. And I’m not waiting!

Before Nexha could respond, Lilay was already dragging himself toward the nest’s exit. He dived into the water, his tail beating fast as he swam away.

— Where are you going?!

Lilay turned, laughing.

— I’m gonna find Zhaelor! He always knows where to get food!

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— Lilay!

But his brother was already gone, disappearing into the sea.

Nexha let out a heavy sigh, feeling a strange unease in his chest. He liked being alone there. But… more than that, he didn’t like the way Krahs reacted upon seeing the egg.

He looked at it again and poked it lightly.

— What’s so wrong with you…?

The silence around him seemed to grow. The water was too still, the ocean’s sounds distant. His body grew heavy, and his eyes began to close before he even realized it.

Something was wrong.

Exhaustion overtook him with unnatural speed. His body sank into the sand, and the world around him dissolved into shadows.

A large shadow slid through the entrance of the nest. With fluid and graceful movements, the figure emerged from the pool, droplets sliding down her long, lacquered eyelashes.

The mermaid’s low, contained laughter echoed softly—a sound of pure satisfaction. Her plan had worked perfectly.

There, before her, the little one was defenseless.

She had never been happier for wiping out an entire nest of clownfish-tailed mermaids just to cast a spell powerful enough to incapacitate a sperm whale. But nothing compared to the feeling of holding her prize.

The child.

She wrapped Nexha in her arms, and her face twisted into something strange. The happiness she felt was the most genuine she had experienced in a very, very long time. The warmth of the little one against her skin left her dizzy for a moment, almost making her forget why she was there.

Nexha shifted slightly in his sleep, uneasy but not waking. She rocked him gently.

— Shh… you are going to make me a great star, little one.

She improvised a sling with seaweed, fastening him securely against her body. Nexha, even unconscious, seemed to snuggle in, his breathing light and peaceful.

The mermaid shivered in delight.

Her goal was so close to being realized.

Her sharp teeth, long as needles, gleamed as she opened her mouth in a twisted smile.

Before leaving, a faint glow in the water caught her attention.

Her eyes landed on the small orange egg.

She frowned.

— The barracuda should have finished the job. Looks like that incompetent fool who was supposed to distract the shark failed to get rid of all of them…

Her gaze hardened.

She reached out, fingers poised to crush the tiny egg.

That’s when she felt it.

A chill ran down her spine, freezing her in place.

Her eyes widened.

No…

She snapped her head around.

He is here.

The witch rushed out, only to be met with an aura so powerful it made her tremble.

The ocean stirred.

From the shadows of the moray eel kelp forest, a figure emerged.

Krahs.

The shark glided through the water, his eyes glowing with a wild fury. The rage on his face was so intense that the water around him seemed to vibrate.

The witch swallowed hard. Fear crashed over her like a cold wave.

His gaze was lethal. Every line of his tense body, the scars that now seemed to glow a deep red like fresh blood on skin, every fiber of muscle—everything about him radiated absolute threat.

And then, his voice came.

Low. Menacing. Sharp as a blade.

— Give me back my son.