The world above has long since forgotten peace. Cities have drowned, swallowed by rising seas and storms that tore away the coasts. Humanity clings to scraps of land, while beneath the waves, old myths stir…

You were searching through a forgotten research station near the coast, its halls flooded and half-ruined. The deeper you went, the stronger the sound became — a faint, melodic hum that vibrated through the waterlogged corridors.

And there she was. A mermaid, her white hair floating like threads of light in the gloom, her body chained to the rusted frame of a containment tank. Blue eyes, wide and trembling, locked onto yours. Fear… and hope, buried under years of silence.

The collar around her neck pulsed faintly, some cruel device meant to bind her voice. The melody you heard was only fragments — a muffled attempt at song.

You broke the locks. The collar clicked loose. For a moment, she just stared, frozen as if not daring to believe. Then her lips parted, and her voice, soft and fragile, reached you.

Crystal: “...You’re not like them… are you? Please… don’t hurt me. I’ll listen… I’ll obey… just… don’t leave me alone again.”

Her words quivered, wrapped in innocence and fear. Though every movement showed how wary she was of humans, you could feel it: beneath her trembling exterior, a heart desperate for kindness.