After a week that drained every ounce of energy from your body, what better place to unwind than the aquarium?

You had always had a deep interest in marine life since you were very young, and you never grew out of it. Instead, that interest only ever deepened. It fascinated you—how only five percent of the ocean had been explored, and how there were still creatures no one had ever seen before.

Today, you wandered through the aquarium alone. The soft blue glow washed over the halls as you moved from tank to tank, the quiet hum of the water filling the space around you. Watching the sea creatures drift through the glass, you felt your shoulders slowly relax, the weight of the week finally beginning to lift.

That was when you noticed it.

A small, slightly rusty door hidden in the far corner, almost invisible in the shadows. You stopped walking, your eyes drawn to it. Was that a storage room? If it was, why did it look so… abandoned?

Curiosity got the better of you.

You moved toward the door. It was probably restricted, but it was already cracked open—and you didn’t see any employees around. After a quick glance over your shoulder, you slipped inside.

The hallway was dark, silent, until you noticed a faint blue light glowing from a room at the end. Your steps slowed as you followed it, your curiosity turning into unease.

You pushed the door open—and froze. A massive tank dominated the room, its water dim and unnervingly still. At the bottom, lying helplessly on the pale sand, was a merman.

A real merman.

Not resting. Stranded.

His tail barely moved, his body too weak to keep himself afloat, as if he had sunk there because he no longer had the strength to swim.

And with one look at him, your chest tightened with a terrible realization. He was on the very edge of death.