Sweet Scylla was the home to the Undine Clan.
A clan dominated by Merfolk, such as Mermen and Mermaids. At least, that was what Lawkey believed prior to his arrival on the island.
Still standing around the shore, beside the myriad of different races and adventurers actually overshadowing the sirens milling about, Lawkey’s eyes landed on the unusual houses that he had never seen before.
They were simple in nature, but what stood out the most was that they were elevated, almost combined with the trees that surrounded the island’s edges. It was as if the homes were built as tree houses, to protect them from any rising tides so close to the shore.
While they all had what seemed like a ladder or nets to climb up on, going down was the easier of the two. A slide was built to come out of the bottom of the house to immediately place whoever took it on the ground beneath.
So, one would have to climb up just to get home, but leaving is just sliding down? That would be hell to do if I were tired… Lawkey thought to himself, studying the strange topography, then he realized something, Wait, I guess the ladders are like stairs? Those were annoying on the Kage Castle too.
“Sana! Don’t run!”
“?”
Lawkey was jolted out of his trip down memory lane as Riana tried stopping her little niece from running into the village.
Sana, still holding on to the azure colored flowers she gathered underwater, turned back and called out to them with a mischievous grin and gleaming eyes, “Auntie, Uncle! Let’s go!”
The two adults stood unmoving for a second, made brief eye contact then sighed before following the little girl’s lead into the clan.
Walking a little behind, Lawkey continued to scan the area around him, partly out of excitement to learn about a new clan and how they live, and another part due to the growing curiosity to make sense of what was going on behind the scenes.
He considered asking Riana directly, but he had restrained his urge to pry after noticing the expressions the two girls got when such topics were brought up.
My curiosity can wait, I don’t want to bring the mood down again. Lawkey muttered to himself as he made his way past multiple adventurers.
With a few glances here and there, he saw some sirens reeling in fish nets, cleaning, tending to or entertaining adventurers. He quickly noticed the lack of any male merfolks around, and the ones he did see were small boys doing their part to work or support the adult siren around them.
Being so close to the shore, Lawkey expected more children to be out enjoying themselves, playing around instead of working diligently. He felt like Riana’s words were finally weighing down on him now that he was seeing things himself.
The merfolk race really are on the verge of extinction at this rate…
“Ah!! We’re here!” Sana called out, her arms in the air.
Before they knew, they were already walking into the central square of the village. It wasn’t too big, but it spanned a few dozen meters in radius with the edges covered in what looked like stores for different necessities. They seemed to cater directly to what adventurers usually stoked on before heading out on quests.
Naturally, a Keymen Lock designed to match the merfolk’s aesthetic stood to the side within the central square as well.
From what Lawkey could count, there were four or five different entrances into the central square, almost one for each direction. The gang had come in from the North, it seemed.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
This wasn’t all, the main attraction of the square were the things standing in the very center of it.
Sana ran back and grab Lawkey’s hand, pulling him in, “Let’s go, let’s go!”
Looking at her eyes that were now filled with light and excitement, the corner of Lawkey’s mouth curled up into a slight smile before he surrendered his nerves to her pull.
Riana, although a little hesitant, quickly trotted behind them towards the very center.
“?!”
As soon as they made it closer, Lawkey could finally make everything out clearly.
Before him stood a statue of a mermaid that looked vastly more stunning and beautiful than anything he could imagine. Although he knew it was made of rock and was only clad in one color, he couldn’t help but study its extremely detailed features closely, as if they managed to bring the statue to life.
“Woah…”
Her long silky hair flowed behind her, the simple but unique crown on her head only complimenting it. The ear fins on the sides of her head seemed slightly bigger than usual, and her smooth-looking skin was covered in some occasional scales here and there that somehow still flickered a bit under the moonlight.
Although one would expect a revealing outfit from a mermaid, this one had a simple transparent garment that made sure to cover the entire chest area and leave the transparency strong around the stomach and waist area. Even the lower half had been merged with the designs around it, as if the mermaid’s tail had been made of water.
Unlike the mermaid form Lawkey saw on Riana, this one in front of him looked much more magical. Even her pose was majestic, holding onto a vase to her hip, releasing a constant stream of clear water, whereas the other hand held on to a fierce spear that aimed at the sky.
“Wait… it’s not just a statue, it’s a fountain?” Lawkey mumbled out loud.
“Yes, a fountain and a monument. This is where we get our drinking water.” Riana walked forward, and then bowed to the statue, “This is our eternal guardian, the lady of the lake and sea, Nimue.”
Lawkey watched as Sana followed suit in bowing. It made him finally notice the other sirens around the statue, kneeling, praying or offering something to the monument. Only a handful were collecting water from the fountain.
“...” He had always felt awkward bowing or submitting to an authority such as a King or Queen, but he still slightly brought his head forward out of respect.
“Great Nimue, please look over Uncle and Auntie.” Sana offered the flowers on the edge of the fountain, then clasped her hands together with closed eyes, “Ah, and over me too. May the souls of our ancestors find eternal peace in the sea, under your embracing gaze.”
“...” Lawkey watched the little girl pray, first voicing her own thoughts, then finishing with what seemed like a rehearsed line that she likely didn’t quite understand herself yet.
“Sana…” Riana muttered as she got close to her niece, who still held on to a few of the azure colored flowers.
“It’s okay.” Sana turned around with a smile, but the corner of her eyes clearly showed the formation of tears, “I’m ready.”
“... Okay.” Riana muttered, then joined Sana on her walk around the fountain.
“!”
Before Lawkey could question their intentions, upon stepping a little to the side too, he could finally see the other golden statue that was hidden by the Nimue monument from the side he was standing. It wasn’t exaggerated to say that the entire thing was clad in gold, as if the entire siren statue was bathed in a sea of pure melted gold.
A golden statue? Why is it out of the fountain area on its own? It looks completely out of place… Lawkey commented inwardly as he noticed the placement and color.
The golden statue was of a siren that stood with a stoic expression, holding a spear herself that went perfectly with her proud pose, depicting her with a slightly raised chin and piercing eyes.
With Riana next to her, Sana crouched down and offered the remaining flowers to the golden siren, both of their backs blocking Lawkey from seeing their current expression. Even so, he felt that he was missing something important, something that he couldn’t just let go.
“What is-”
“Ahh!!”
Before Lawkey could inquire about the golden statue and why it looked so out of place, he was interrupted by a sudden shriek from behind.
“?!”
Lawkey and Riana quickly turned to the source. While the foreign swordsman had no idea who it was, Riana’s eyes suddenly constricted into tiny points, finally putting things together.
However, before Riana could do anything, she felt the little girl bury her face into Riana’s leg, making sure to hide her body from the new arrival.
“Y-you! Y-you… you shouldn’t be here!” The middle-age siren stammered and barely formed a sentence while pointing at Sana. Beside the clear bags under her eyes, her outfit seemed rundown, and her hair barely kept together.
Despite her appearance, Riana didn’t feel any remorse or pity for her. Instead, she took a step forward with clenched fists.
Sana quickly switched to hiding behind Lawkey’s leg instead, scared to even peek her eyes out to see what was going to happen next.
“...” Lawkey watched in silence, putting one hand on the back of Sana’s head.
“So, it was you!!” Riana’s light crimson eyes began to take a deeper red glow as she addressed the one in front of her, “You worthless traitor! I don’t care what you went through, I won’t forgive you for what you did!!”
“N-noo! Get away from me!” the middle-aged siren tightened her grip on the basket she was holding and took a few instinctive steps back.
“You gave her away!!!” Riana bellowed, her murderous glare sending cold shivers into the back of the siren, forcing her to stumble backwards and fall on her behind. “Who gave you the right to even come near her!! I’ll kill you!!”
SOB
Lawkey narrowed his eyes as he felt the little girl’s tears sink into his leg.
He finally understood that the one in front of them was the source of Sana’s prior situation.
The very person who betrayed the little girl’s trust and gave her away to be chained on the ship.
An unexplainable feeling rose within him as his brow involuntarily quivered.
----------------------------------------
image [https://i.imgur.com/KQmIY8F.png]