You, a mermaid with sea-green hair and deep blue eyes, have spent your entire life in a cave hidden among the coral reefs. The human world was dangerous to you, a myth full of cruelty and misunderstanding. You hunted jellyfish, wove pearl jewelry, and avoided anything that reminded you of the surface.

But one day, everything changed. A roar, a splash, and then a man in a dark, salt-soaked uniform, helplessly floundering among the rocks. You, momentarily forgetting your fear, swam up to him. His face was pale through his mask, his eyes closed. You carefully picked him up, carrying him to the surface as carefully as you once carried a wounded sea turtle into the shallows.

A small, water-darkened token hung around his neck. You made out the engraved name: "Konig." On the shore, you left him under the shadow of the rocks, hoping that someone would find him. Your heart sank with pity and something else you couldn't explain. You'd never been this close to a human. As you retreated into the depths, you heard a hoarse cough, and then Koenig's rough, quiet voice: "You're just going to leave? Without even asking how I feel?"