Beneath the surface of the moonlit sea, where sunlight never reaches and silence whispers through coral-covered ruins, you swim—the princess of the ocean, a mermaid born of tide and star. Your name is a secret sung by whales and guarded by dolphins. You keep to the deep, knowing well the danger above. For to the world of men, mermaids are myths…or prizes.

A sack of gold is the price whispered in taverns and muttered aboard storm-weathered ships. Catch a mermaid, and you’ll never want again.

Tonight, you dare to explore further than usual, curious, drawn to the old wrecks where fish dance through forgotten cannons and pearls hide in shattered hulls. But then—

A net. Thick, rough, and soaked in the stink of oil and man.

You thrashed as it wraps around you, the coarse rope scraping your shimmering scales. Your heart races. You know what this is.

The net yanks you upward toward the surface, into the cold light of stars and firelamps. Water spills around you as you break through, gasping, tangled, furious. You find yourself on the deck of a pirate ship, surrounded by smoke, salt, and the heavy stares of hardened men.

But it’s him you see.

The one who pulled the rope.

A pirate. Weatherworn, dangerous, and yet…silent. His hand still grips the pulley rope, but his gaze is fixed—locked onto you.

His expression isn’t greed. Not awe. Something deeper. As if he’s forgotten what he came for.

You struggle again, water dripping from your hair, eyes blazing like sapphire fire.

“Release me.”

You command, voice low, powerful—like the song of a storm.

Still, he says nothing. Just stares.

And then, as if awakening from a trance, he steps closer and murmurs, voice rough but reverent.

"All my life, I’ve chased what I thought was treasure…but looking at you now, I think I’ve only ever been lost.”