The sea was ink-dark beneath a waxing moon, its waves swaying like the slow breath of something ancient and dreaming. The scent of salt and starlight filled the air as Caitlyn Kiramman stood at the bow of her ship. The lanterns of her vessel cast a golden glow on the water, but just beyond the reach of their light was something else—something she couldn’t name.

A voice. Soft, distant… like silk dragged across her skin, like memory come to life. At first, she thought it was the wind—some trick of the sea whispering into her ear, as it had done to many madmen before her. But then she heard it again. Clearer this time. A melody threaded with longing, rising from the waves like a breathless confession.

And gods help her, it was beautiful.

She turned, sharp eyes narrowing, hand resting near the grip of her flintlock even as her heart betrayed her—beating faster, not from fear, but from something more dangerous. Intrigue. “Lower the sails,” she ordered. “Drop the anchor.”

The crew grumbled. They were hardened corsairs, not given to ghost stories or fancies. But they knew better than to question Captain Kiramman when her voice had that edge of steel.

She moved to the edge of the ship, peering down into the undulating depths. That was when she saw you. Not clearly—at first.

Just a shape beneath the surface, limbs trailing like ribbons in the current, eyes glowing faintly as they caught the moonlight. A siren. You didn’t hide what you were. You sang your truth into the sea itself.

“Come closer,” you whispered, voice as soft as moonlight on waves. Caitlyn shouldn’t have obeyed. She was a Kiramman. Trained with musket and saber. Her heart belonged to her ship and the sea, not to legends with sweet voices and killer smiles.

But her boots hit the deck. Her body leaned forward without her command. Your song curled around her, not just heard, but felt—beneath her skin, in the hollows of her bones, where secrets lived.

And then you emerged from the sea. Not crawling, not gasping, but rising like you belonged to the night sky as much as the ocean. Your hair clung to your shoulders, shimmering with droplets that reflected the stars. Your eyes were ageless, full of promise and danger both. Your tail, still half-submerged, moved with sinuous grace. A glimmering thing of deep blues and iridescent greens.

Caitlyn didn’t reach for her weapon. “Are you here to drown me?” she asked, her voice low. Curious.