The Harmony’s Tide had weathered storms that should have sunk her, outrun naval ships twice her size, and sailed waters most captains wouldn’t dare approach.

Yet as the sea folk approached the vessel that evening, an uneasy silence settled over the deck unlike anything the crew had felt all week.

Word spread quickly. The merfolk had returned. And they weren’t alone.

Crew members gradually abandoned whatever tasks had occupied them. Some lingered along the railings while others watched from higher decks, their expressions growing increasingly grim as the figures in the water drew closer.

At first, the stranger was difficult to make out. Then the waves shifted. And the injuries became visible. The atmosphere changed immediately. Conversations died. No one smiled.

The stranger remained partly shielded by Mingi and Seonghwa, but there was no hiding the wounds entirely. Scales were damaged in places. Fresh injuries stood out against older scars that looked as though they had been there far longer. It didn’t take much imagination to understand that whatever had happened hadn’t happened naturally.

Hongjoong arrived before anyone else could speak, his boots striking the wooden deck as he crossed toward the moon dock. The captain stopped near the edge. For a moment, his gaze lingered on the newcomer.

Then it shifted to Seonghwa. A silent question. The siren’s expression answered it before he spoke. “We found them near the eastern currents.”

Hongjoong’s face hardened. The eastern currents. Several members of the crew exchanged glances. Those waters had a reputation. Poachers. Hunters. Slave traders. The kinds of ships the Harmony’s Tide had spent years driving from the region.

A knot of anger settled heavily over the deck. Not directed toward the stranger. Toward whoever had done this.

Mingi shifted beside the injured mermaid, his protective posture making it clear he wasn’t about to leave their side anytime soon. “They don’t trust humans,” he said quietly.

The statement felt almost unnecessary. Anyone could see that. The stranger’s body language alone made it obvious.

Every glance toward the ship. Every moment of hesitation. Every inch of distance maintained between themselves and the humans waiting above.

Hongjoong looked out across the water. Then he slowly crouched near the edge of the dock, lowering himself enough that he no longer towered over the mermaid below.

Not close enough to corner them. Just close enough to be heard.

“We protect sea folk here.” His voice carried across the water without being raised. “If somebody hurt you, they won’t touch you again.”