The Mafia Boss's Mermaid

At Its Own Time

THE PAIN AND COLD mixing together put me in a deeper agony as my body thrashed on the wet, hard floor. There was a strange sound nearby, like there was water trickling from the ceiling to the ground, which was impossible to hear in the ocean.

I heaved a deep breath, but instead of water, I was surprised at the sudden intrusion of air into my lungs. I abruptly opened my eyes and was greeted by one of the dark caves that my mother uses to imprison humans.

Wait. I thought I was going to be thrown into the dungeons.

Why am I not on the water? And why do I feel cold, especially in the lower part of my body?

I looked toward my lower body only to find my tail no longer there; it was replaced by a pair of long, slender legs. My once impenetrable skin became soft and seemed easy to tear. Even my bluish skin was no longer to be seen, instead, it was replaced by a pallid color.

Mother turned me into a human.

For so long, I had wished to become one. But why does she have to turn me into one now, when Kressa’s in danger?

Only those who can wield the ocean’s power in our pod can turn mermaids into humans. And the only mermaids with that ability are me and my mother.

Although I can wield the ocean’s power, I still don’t know how to use it yet. My mother refused to teach me anything because she said I was too young.

So, I have no way of turning back into a mermaid unless my mother turns me back to her own volition.

I relaxed my tense body, trying to get accustomed to the dwindling pain from my Mother’s poison.

The pain was now a bit bearable. Usually, it takes about two to three days for the poison to subdue, but why do I feel a bit better now?

How long was I out for?

“Kressa.”

What about Kressa? Did Mother change her mind and rescue her?

That was the most unlikely thing to happen. But still, there’s a tiny chance that she might have changed her mind. After all, she and the previous queens tried to hide our existence for years, so she won’t let Kressa be in the hands of those group of evil humans…right?

I know it was only wishful thinking, but all I can do now is hope for that to have happened while I passed out.

Kressa and I aren’t that close; we’re not even related. But I’m dead set on rescuing her because I felt guilty and responsible for what happened.

I need to know what happened while I was unconscious.

I stood up, my new pair of legs wobbling as I tried my best to walk to the entrance of the cave.

Thank the siren queen I can still see in the dark. I thought turning into a human meant that I no longer had the abilities I possessed as a mermaid, but it turns out, I still retained some of them.

Because this is an underwater cave filled with air, the entrance is located on the ground to prevent air from escaping. I doubt humans could survive here for a long time due to what humans call carbon die—something.

I reached out to the water below me, hesitating whether I should jump in, but before I could make a decision, the water in the pool rose. I hadn’t gotten used to my human legs yet, so my attempt to evade it was futile. The water swallowed me whole in an instant.

A chilling sensation went up my spine when the water touched my bare skin. I’ve always loved the feeling of being submerged in the icy depths of the ocean, but this time, the feeling was unbearable—painful even.

I held my breath, trying not to struggle anymore as I knew that it was my mother’s doing. The water’s current pulled me downwards and stopped when my feet touched the seafloor.

“Erina of the Eastern Seas," an elder called out to me in agualis tongue, the language of the mermaids.

Every mermaid in our pond was present. They all surrounded me, each filled with vicious expressions on their faces.

“That’s our future queen?”

“Why is she a human?”

The whole place was filled with various murmurs in agualis tongue. Every mermaid from our pod was confused about why I was in such a state.

"We were expecting great things from you." She swam towards me, the two other elders following behind her. At this time, I'm slowly losing air in my lungs. I forgot to hold my breath earlier. I don’t think I can hold on for much longer. "But you proved us wrong."

When I could no longer hold it in, I released all the air in my lungs with one breath, which I regretted because now I was struggling to gasp for some air. I flailed my arms before me, hoping to save myself from drowning.

If only I could use my powers. But I’ve already lost too much air. I can’t even hum a short song to try and command the ocean. If only I’d done that earlier.

“I think she’s drowning,” one of the elders told my mother. Despite being in this predicament, I can still recognize that the one who spoke was Kyrene, the elder from the Southern Seas.

I’m even more surprised that I can still understand what they were talking about. In the state I’m in, I’m surprised I can even think rationally!

“If she dies from drowning, that’ll prove she’s not a worthy heir. All the more reason for us to not send her to the humans.”

“Iredesa, even though you’re the queen, you don’t have the right to make decisions on your own. Especially when the whole ocean and the safety of the mermaids are at stake.”

Mother hissed. She stared at me for a few seconds, looking as if she was taking her time to enjoy seeing me suffer. I didn’t expect her to be lenient towards me, but I still hoped that she’d show me a little mercy now that I was in my most vulnerable state.

“Fine.” A soothing melody thrummed throughout the depths of the ocean. Mother hummed a song, still in the language of the mermaids, her voice creating blue lights that illuminated the dark place. It danced around me, turning into a bubble big enough to contain my whole body. I quickly took consecutive deep breaths, gasping like a fish out of water.

“Now let’s get on with the discussion.”

Despite my mother being queen, she still had to obey the decisions of the elders, after all, they were the rulers of different oceans in the world. They may not have the abilities I and my mother possess, but their authority and the agreement between our pods were enough for them to make my mother obey their will.

“We came all the way from our territories because the number of mermaids going missing has increased for the past month,” Sera, the elder from the Western Seas announced. “And recently, your future queen, Erina, witnessed the humans capture one of our kin.”

“I knew it was the humans doing!”

“I should have killed them with every chance I got.”

“How can my sister be captured by those weaklings?”

Comments from several mermaids once again filled the place, but with one look from my mother, the place became silent again.

“How disappointing that must have been for all of you,” Ageha, the elder from the Northern Seas, commented. Out of all the elders, she was the one who hated me and my mother the most. Not only because we possess the ability to harness the ocean’s power, but also because my mother was better at her in everything: be it looks or strength.

“You can really relate to how my subjects are feeling, can’t you Ageha?” Mother said with a smile. “I don’t blame you, you have lived as a disappointment your whole life, after all.”

Ageha hissed, almost attacking my mother with her sharp nails. Mother looked happy with how she stirred the elder of the Northern Seas, she was even prepared to strike back.

“Ageha, calm yourself. We’re in the middle of a trial.”

“Trial?” I spoke. “What did I do to be in a trial?”

“You don’t know what you have done wrong?” It was Ageha. She’s going to take her anger out on me for sure. “The crime you have committed is not being able to protect a single mermaid from the humans! You were blessed by the ocean’s power, yet you can’t even use it for the sake of your kind!”

“Ageha, it’s not really her fault.”

“Shut up, Kyrene,” Ageha sneered at the Southern Seas elder. “Her weakness is a sin! If she can’t protect a single mermaid from those weak land dwellers, then it’s her fault! She’s even blessed by the ocean!”

She’s right. If only I’d been better at wielding the ocean’s power, then Kressa wouldn’t have been captured.

“Enough!” Sera’s voice boomed throughout the entire seafloor. “Erina wasn’t able to protect a mermaid of her pod from the humans so she will be stripped of her title as the future queen of the Eastern Seas.”

What? That’s no different from being banished.

I looked in my mother’s direction, but she turned her gaze away from me.

“However, she can still redeem herself if, and only if, she fixes her mistake.”

What? How can I do that? The humans who captured Kressa were dangerous—even for someone like me! Their inventions are far more advanced that they can overpower a mermaid like me.

“First, Iredesa will find out more about the humans who kidnapped the members of your pod. And in three days' time, we will send Erina to the humans’ territory.” Mother doesn’t seem to agree with their idea. Her forehead creased as she narrowed her eyes at the elders. She finally turned her attention to me, her face turning into a scowl like she was telling me how this wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for me. “In the meantime, Erina is to be imprisoned in one of the caves. No one is allowed to go far from their pods.”

I sat there in silence, wallowing in shame and guilt as the rest of the mermaids looked at me in contempt before they finally take me back to the cave.