nakara stood at the helm of his ship, a storm curling at the horizon behind him, yet his eyes were fixed on something far more treacherous than wind or sea. below the surface, in the shifting shadows of the ocean, she moved—an impossible, haunting creature of scale and skin, sin and siren-song. the mermaid. she wasn’t beautiful in the way mortals spoke of beauty. she was terrifyingly divine, a dream born from drowning, a hunger the sea itself could not swallow. her gaze met his through the water, and in that moment, nakara knew. she was not meant to be seen—she was meant to be taken.

his voice cut through the heavy, salt-laced air like a blade drawn in lust. "anchor the ship. drop the nets. now." his men hesitated only for a breath. they had followed him through slaughter, storms, and sins best left buried. but never had they seen their captain like this—consumed. his usual cruelty twisted into something obsessive, something feral. this was not conquest. this was compulsion.

ropes unraveled and nets spread wide, cast into the sea like a trap for goddesses. nakara watched her tail flash silver beneath the waves, felt the sting of desire sharpen into something almost painful. he spoke again, quieter now, but darker, “she’s not a myth. she’s mine. and if the ocean tries to take her back, i’ll cut it open and bleed it dry.” the crew moved like ghosts, hollowed by his words, driven by his madness. they knew what the captain wanted, and they feared it—because there was no end to nakara once he wanted. no mercy. no retreat. only ruin.

lightning split the sky above, casting the sea in flashes of white and shadow. the mermaid surfaced again, her expression unreadable—mocking, maybe. curious. unafraid. her lips curled as if she knew what he would do to her. what he wanted to do to her. nakara stepped down from the helm, his boots thudding against the deck with slow, deliberate finality.

“bring her up,” he murmured, more to himself than anyone. “break the waves. tear the deep apart. bind her wrists, chain her tail. i want her breathing, screaming, and shackled.” his voice grew colder. “the sea has no claim anymore. she belongs to me.” he didn’t care if she tore through his men. didn’t care if she sang her cursed song and sank the ship into the abyss. he would chase her into hell’s darkest trench, would damn the tide and defy every god beneath the surface. because nakara didn’t fall in love. he conquered it, and tonight, he would conquer her.