Mina felt a haze clouding her mind while her temperature rose to fatal heights. Her memories blocked her consciousness like rows of corn blocking the exit to a maze.
They made it hard to stay awake, as one could easily get lost in these vivid moments….
"Baba! Baba!" A little mermaid girl called out.
She came from behind a group of very tall anemone clusters. These clusters swayed along with the water just as the fields of corn did with the breeze. It was a sight that had always been calming to Mina, a sight that made her feel safe and secure.
It was home, after all. But it wasn't as safe and secure as they thought.
"Whoa there, Ah-Jin." Her father chuckled as she approached him. "You cannot be out here, sweet pearl. You should stay in the anemone, you're too young to be in open waters."
"But I wanted to see Baba!" She exclaimed. "You promised to play with me and the stingrays today!"
He patted her head. "I know, dear. I will after your Mother comes back with the rest of the scouting group."
And just as he said this, a group of mermaids had arrived, their expressions very grim. They wore helmets that covered their faces, and yet this was also corroded by some kind of black gooey liquid. Mina now knew this was crude oil.
Her mother took off the helmet, and coughed. "Another spill. That is what's causing the black vomit that's been happening recently."
The king of jiaorens frowned. "The gills of our particularly weak civilians must have taken this oil and it now mixes with their lungs and stomachs. If we don't do something, it would kill more of our people."
"And what else can we do but move, Shanhu?" Her mother asked. "We cannot go to the surface as there is a war. They are shooting down large metal objects of sorts, something similar to the metal boats we had seen before but has a different shape. Each time one of those objects falls, there is a large damage that instantly affects our whole community."
"We need to take courage and see what is truly happening, Geli." He patted her shoulder. "Remind humans of the agreement. We could even sell our tears and silk cloth to them like we did before so they would leave our area alone."
Suddenly, the eldest sister, Meizhu, arrived with a sword in hand. She was younger at the time, about Mina's current age now.
"Father, do you truly believe that humans still remember our agreement? You have heard stories of them trying to kill people who have gone to the surface with strange devices made of metal." Princess Meizhu frowned. "And those survivors had said they did not even engage in anything to aggravate the humans. It was like they had forgotten we existed in the first place."
The king shook his head. "Nonsense! I will search for the immortals and ask them to manage the humans for us. Surely, there are still the righteous cultivators who would not allow these detrimental activities to our homes, to our families."
Mina was still a young child back then, and could not understand the severity of the situation. All she knew was that everyone looked anxious and upset, and yet her father's determination would not allow him to lose hope.
That kind of determination that one may even think as naive or suicidal….. She finds it admirable instead.
Even if it's unreasonable, even if it's highly dangerous. That look in her father's eyes was like that of the unwavering flow of water that keeps on moving forward.
However…..
This valiant yet blind determination was also the cause of his death.
And after he died, everything started to fall apart. It came crumbling down slowly and no one would have expected the underwater kingdom of jiaorens to deteriorate this much.
Mina did not even see him die. She was not allowed to join the battle that the humans had waged against them.
The jiaorens were merely defending, and meant no harm. Maybe if they had been more aggressive…. Maybe if they had been less considerate and were possessive over their territory….
It wouldn't be taken from them. Not like this.
She only learned of the news of her father's death as her mother returned with his body laying limp in her arms. Mina could see her features slowly changing as she changed sex after the death of her spouse, turning into more masculine.
"Look at what they have done. They used fire and metal devices to blast my beloved to ruins….. I could barely even recognize his face." She gritted her teeth. "And that man…. I will make him pay tenfold for what he has done."
Princess Jinzhu rushed toward her father's corpse, embracing it and crying. The golden pearl tears had passed through the large holes in his body, which Mina now knew was from machine guns and grenades.
"Sob…. Who did this, Mother?" Her voice quivered. "I…. I want to make him pay too. I want to avenge Baba!"
Her mother, who was getting closer to being her second father, embraced her closely. "As much as I wanted to, I made Shanhu a promise. I cannot let you and any of your sisters engage in this battle. You must escape with the elderly and the children, quickly!"
The transformation was now complete, and he looked even fiercer than he had as a woman. Former Queen Geli was already a vicious and skilled fighter, perhaps even more than her husband. As the new King, he was ruthless, and Mina had heard stories of her feats from soldiers that returned due to injury.
He had just the same determination that Mina had always admired. It was only thanks to her second father that they were able to escape at all, and stay in hiding until this subsides.
However, even his indomitable spirit could not defeat the inevitability of death. Of things coming to an end.
Mina had two fathers, and both of them had abandoned her. She and her sisters were all alone now to take care of their kingdom with no one to guide them. And more importantly….
She lost these people she loved, these people she treasured. The memories she had with them continue to dwindle through the passage of time, and trying to stop herself from forgetting was like fighting the course of the tides itself.
She can barely even remember what their faces looked like. And this was what she most feared.
If she doesn't hold on to vengeance, if she doesn't hold on to the memory of their honor until the very end….
She might end up like another loved one that has abandoned her at a young age. Her grandfather, who she lost not from death, but from time and old age.
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