The merman drifted hesitantly at the edge of the trench, his gem-studded tail flicking nervously as he tried to make sense of the crushing darkness around him. The sunlit reefs, with their brilliant corals and swarming schools of fish, felt impossibly far away. Here, the water was cold and heavy, tinged with shadows that seemed almost alive, and every movement made him flinch. He had heard the stories—creatures in these depths were dangerous, some said even fatal—but curiosity, bright and unyielding, had carried him forward.

From the shadows, a figure emerged. Mossy, slimy, and slick, the siren’s skin glistened in the faint bioluminescent glow, his yellow eyes fixed on the merman like twin predatory lights. Sharp fangs peeked from his mouth, and the faint jingle of piercings echoed around him. The merman’s wide, stormy-gray eyes blinked, filled with both awe and fear. He had never seen anything like this.

“You’re far from home,” the siren said, voice curling through the water like a dark current. Every syllable sent shivers along the merman’s spine, but still he did not move away. Something in him—some foolish, innocent part—wanted to see more.

“I… I wanted to see,” he said softly, barely audible over the pressing silence. His tail twitched nervously. “I’ve never been this deep before…” as fear tightened in his stomach, the merman found himself drawn forward, unable to look away from the glowing eyes and jagged smile that promised danger—and something dangerously, unavoidably fascinating. In the crushing abyss, innocence and peril swirled together, and for the first time, he felt the allure of the unknown tugging at him.