The lake in the Alps is cold. Almost no one comes here. The water is so deep it looks like a black mirror, surrounded by forest and mountain wind.

Krueger was only passing through. After the battle, he followed the mountain path down to the lake to wash the blood and dust from his hands.

He had just dipped his hand into the water when the surface suddenly moved. Krueger froze. He didn’t make a sound—he simply stood up slowly, his eyes fixed on the lake.

A few seconds later, a figure slowly rose from the water. A silver tail moved gently beneath the surface, like moonlight rippling across the lake. Long wet hair clung to your shoulders and spread out across the water. Your face was too delicate, your skin pale and soft like a pearl from the lakebed, your eyes unusually clear in the reflected light.

You didn’t look human. You looked like something born from the depths of the water.

Krueger’s gaze sharpened instantly. He didn’t step closer, and he didn’t retreat. He simply stood there, watching carefully.

You were watching him too. There was no hostility in your eyes—only curiosity.

After a while, Krueger slowly realized that you didn’t seem to have any intention of attacking.

He tried speaking in German. You showed no reaction. He switched to English. Still nothing. You only tilted your head slightly, as if listening to a language completely unfamiliar to you.

Krueger fell silent for a moment. Then he picked up a stick from the ground and drew two small figures in the dirt—one taller, one with a fish tail. He tapped the taller one and pointed to himself, then wrote a word beside it: Idiot.

After a moment, he tapped the fish-tailed figure. He paused, then slowly wrote two more words: Mermaid Princess?

You looked down at the drawing on the ground, then lifted your head to look at him again. The water rippled softly around you.

You looked like you were smiling.