Chapter 10 - It's With You

Finally confident, I decided that I no longer wanted to hide my power from Krahs. As soon as he released us, I bought the moray algae from the system store for just four coins. A small shoot appeared in my hand, and Krahs, seeing that, widened his eyes. The shock was so great that he slipped into the pool, resulting in the curious sight of a mermaid seemingly drowning in shallow water.

Lilay was laughing beside me, and I had to hold back my own laughter. When Krahs finally emerged and stabilized himself, he looked confused at the shoot in my hands and then at me.

— Child... how did you do that?!

It was difficult for me to form coherent sentences, so I pretended to be just a clueless baby. On a silly impulse, I put the bamboo shoot in my mouth, imitating how I bit the crabs. Krahs's eyes widened even more, and without hesitation, he yanked the shoot from my hands.

— Nexha, you can't put everything in your mouth!

He sighed, watching the shoot carefully. His gaze held a mix of surprise and recognition. Without another word, he swam away with the plant in hand. I just hoped he would plant it near the nest, so my money wouldn't go to waste.

While swimming, Krahs kept his eyes fixed on the shoot. His mind seemed distant. Reaching a shallow area near a small island, he sat in the sand and, without hesitation, planted the shoot near the surface.

From a distance, I watched in silence. He stared at the plant as though trying to decipher a riddle.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

— If this plant is here... then we're not so far from my old village.

He let out a long sigh, bubbles dispersing around him.

— I've been weak lately. Too sentimental for thinking I was far from those orcas... But now, it seems I'll have to close my heart again.

His eyes turned toward the nest, and the tenderness in them was palpable.

— The time for hesitation is over. They might come today, tomorrow, or years from now. But I won't allow myself to be weak anymore.

A subtle vibration in the water caught his attention. With a swift motion, he swam silently. The prey didn't even have time to react before his teeth tore into it. The blood stained the water as he devoured the small fish, but something else was happening without him noticing.

The freshly planted shoot, hidden among the currents, pulsed gently. As if it were alive. As if it were hungry. It drank the scattered blood, its color becoming more intense, its structure stronger.

Throughout the day, Krahs hunted near the plant. The more blood stained the water, the more it grew. Its trunk stretched toward the surface, rising like a natural spear.

When the plant finally emerged from the water, a spectral glow traveled along its stem. Krahs swam to it, extending his hand to touch it. Something inside him made him hesitate for a moment, but then he murmured:

— They really are like the plants from my home... A gift from the stars when they fell into the sea.

His claws gently slid over the plant's bark, and he closed his eyes.

— Descendant of the stars... Hear my call.

The current around him seemed to vibrate. A distant sound, an echo lost between the waters.

— I ask for your help. Grant me the strength to protect my new home... My new family.

The trunk cracked in response. As if answering the request, a piece of the plant gently detached, resting in his hands.

Krahs watched it with reverence, feeling the energy pulse in his palm. Something ancient, something deep.

His eyes narrowed.

— Thank you, descendant of the stars.

In the shadows of the ocean, something seemed to respond.