Chapter Text
“Remember to be back by dinner!”
Alhaitham looked back and waved at his grandma who had called out to him from their abode’s threshold, before zipping through the calm, morning waters towards the surface.
Today the children had promised to tell him the story about a prince with a pauper. Alhaitham adored listening to mankind’s stories, be it fairytales or actual, legendary encounters by skilled men around the world. The folk tales of the merpeople were comparatively limited and he’d heard of the same tales so many times he could practically recite the entire thing from heart by now. And most of the “legendary encounters” shared by the guards only ranged from pirates to unsuspecting humans trespassing their waters via ships. These encounters always ended with the same conclusion with zero exceptions: with all the humans eaten, and the ships’ wreckage foraged to fortify or beautify the merpeople’s coves.
Alhaitham longed for better tales, tales that did not end in the same predictable outcome, tales that are filled with the most bewitching twists, close calls and drama. But not many merpeople enjoyed conjuring make-believe, preferring to dedicate their time and energy to hunting, playing, gossiping in the case of adult merpeople, sparring, or hitching rides on the larger marine creatures. Alhaitham didn’t particularly enjoy any of these activities — he’d rather be cooped up in his and his grandma’s shared cove, re-reading carved epics on clam shells or else letting his imagination run wild with stories. All the other young merpeople scoffed at his preferences; his glittery, silvery tail adorned with emerald gem-like patterns, a stark anomaly in their pack full of dull green or grey scales, already invited criticism and gossip about his deceased parents’ lineage, and his habits and demeanour only served to complete the image of him as an oddity. Still, at least they had no good reason to chase him or his grandma out of the pack. As a result, Alhaitham had never made a single friend of his age in his entire childhood. He didn’t really mind, though — his grandma’s company was more than enough, and he liked solitude anyway.
The lonely years lasted until he was curious enough to breach the water surface and peek into the human realm above. No other young merperson dared to do it at that time — parents would repeatedly warn their young not to even try. But Alhaitham had the strongest urge to witness the lands above. He had grown into an inquisitive young merman, chasing after new knowledge whenever possible. A little peek wouldn’t hurt.
And that was when he met the three human children. At first, he had panicked; it was his error, he’d unwittingly surfaced close to the shore in order to get a better look. The three kids had gaped at him from where they were building their sandcastles, then at his tail curled up on the sand, clearly putting two and two together. At that time, Alhaitham was still too naive to foresee the dangers of being discovered by humans; it was sheer luck that those kids weren’t malicious and happily accepted him as a new friend.
From then on, Alhaitham had repeatedly sneaked out and breached the surface in order to meet up with his kind and welcoming human friends. His grandma had thought he was finally trying to socialise with the other young merpeople, and welcomed his sudden inclination to go out. And Alhaitham had never been happier in the whole of his childhood when he was with the humans; the joys of sharing, of friendship and companionship, and of mutual understanding within a close-knit group.
Until that day.
Alhaitham really should have known better.
He’d swam fast, knowing that he was cutting it close with their usual meeting time. He popped out of the water excitedly, leaping directly onto the sandy shore as per his usual habit, calling loudly for the children. When they weren’t at their usual spot waiting for him, Alhaitham’s face immediately fell, excitement draining away when he noticed all too late the group of big men just a few feet in front of him, surrounding the usually isolated beach.
The men had acted fast. Before Alhaitham’s stunned brain could even formulate a single thought, three of them had pounced on him, grabbing his tail and arms roughly and pulling him away from the sea. He writhed and thrashed, allowing panic to take over him as he cried out, but he wasn’t strong enough to break free. As they carried him further inland, towards a big white truck, he spotted the three human kids a distance away, watching from behind their whispering parents.
The sharp pang of disbelief and betrayal caused him to go limp for a second. He stared at them blankly, a hint of plead within his confused expression; why are the other adult humans taking him away? Had he done something wrong? He hadn’t hurt any of the children, so why—
An unearthly screech resounded in the vicinity, causing the humans carrying Alhaitham to halt immediately. Alhaitham saw the tense looks of fear on their frozen expressions, and took the chance to wriggle free from their grasp. It wasn’t easy, but as the screech lengthened, soon the humans’ bodies began to relax, reduced to motionless, helpless statues against a siren’s command.
Miraculously, his grandma had been there in time. She lunged towards him, the siren song still pouring from her open mouth as she dragged him back into the waves.
Alhaitham stared without seeing as his grandma bundled him safely into her arms and dived back into the waters. He turned to look back at the children once more.
There was something wrong. Their mouths were open in a silent, agonising scream, their small hands clawing their bright, chubby cheeks, as dark red flowed from their irises and ears, as his grandma continued screeching while they retreated; her binding spell paralysing the adults and no doubt forcing more crimson to spill from the howling children — Alhaitham’s friends — the younger ones who are not developed enough to withstand a full-blown siren call.
Alhaitham’s friends. Red, red trails of blood painting the white sand. Small, limp bodies hitting the shore, never to get up and share their stories with him again.
*
Alhaitham startled awake, too late to suppress the gasp that slipped past his parted lips. He glanced wildly around the half-dark office, illuminated by sunset rays peeking through the shades, relaxing when he realised that it was just a nightmare.
He sighed, somewhat disappointed with himself for not having gotten over that incident. It had been years… no, decades since he was nearly captured, when his trust in humans had crumbled into barren nothingness. Yet, here he was, one of the few specially trained mermen entrusted to investigate the Lazzo Aquariums’ inner dealings and rescuing Collei from their very grasp. And recruiting a human helper to boot.
He was definitely growing soft. No, perhaps he just missed what could have been, chasing after any human that showed a semblance of potential to care and accept.
The damned scientist had lingered longer than he’d bargained for, making sure to explain in detail every single confidential detail and getting him to acknowledge it, as if Alhaitham couldn’t read it by himself. Staying on his guard in the presence of Dottore coupled with the constant magic he was emitting in order to retain his human appearance had sapped his energy at an alarming rate. It was also not improved by the fact that he’d skipped lunch and merely grabbed a small snack at the nearby convenience store to tide him for the rest of the day.
His body perked up as he sensed approaching footsteps from a distance, no doubt from the corridor beyond the door. His sharpened hearing allowed him to confirm that the muffled weight of boots hitting against the carpeted flooring was different from the distinctive clacks of the doctor’s heels. He immediately relaxed, though still on guard with a healthy amount of caution — the enemy’s territory was no place to relax.
A knock sounded on his door, then, without waiting for his consent, it was opened.
A white-haired, dark-skinned man peered inside. “Huh. I thought I was smelling things wrong. What are you doing here at—” His amber eyes glanced at the plastic wrapping around his wrist — a watch device, Alhaitham recalled — “—…one one at night?”
Alhaitham impatiently motioned him to shut the door, shutting his eyes in dismay. No, he was not ready to deal with any more conversations for the day, even if it was with a fellow disguised merman. “It’s been that long?” he muttered, more to himself than anything — this would be his first time staying overtime, albeit unintentionally.
The springs of the couch situated across his desk creaked as Cyno sank into it. Alhaitham opened his eyes to witness Cyno yanking off the black blazer that all the security guards of Lazzo Aquariums were required to don and tossing it onto the sleek marble floor. “Stupid fabrics,” he growled. Clearly, Cyno had not accustomed to wearing human garments like Alhaitham had.
Alhaitham kept silent, so Cyno took it in his stride to begin the gruelling conversation. “So? What’s that manic geezer up to now? Must’ve been something big if it drove you to sleep during work hours.”
“I was just about done with the assignments for the day,” Alhaitham sighed, begrudgingly acceding to the inevitable report. “Anyway, it’s not looking good. You’ll have to report to Lady Kusanali soon, to see if she has ideas on how to thwart the man’s plans. But I believe I’ve delayed Dottore’s progress long enough for the plan to succeed, if we’re lucky enough.”
Cyno raised his eyebrows at his last statement. His face darkened perceptibly as he fixed Alhaitham with a penetrating stare from where he sat massaging his forehead.
“No change in the plan? At all?” Cyno stood up slowly. “Now that Dottore is moving on with his research, it’s even more crucial to stay out of the limelight, isn’t it? Yet you’re doing the opposite here if you follow through with that radical plan of yours. I know your view of humans aren’t the best, but the humans we’re dealing with aren’t ignorant.”
“Well, do you want to prolong Collei’s imprisonment, then?” Alhaitham shot back, perhaps with more fire than he intended. Cyno didn’t reply immediately, letting the tense silence stretch, before Alhaitham visibly deflated. He was so, so tired. Of humans and their grandiose bullshit. “We mustn’t let the humans hurt her even further anymore. For now, you just focus on collecting Collei at the rendezvous point.”
“Of course I want to rescue her. But not at the expense of you,” Cyno’s voice was low as he gritted out the words as if they caused him physical pain. Alhaitham blinked. “You know the media — and no doubt the governments all over the world — are putting higher stakes on the mermen over the mermaids because of the speculated scales durability bullshit or whatever. If your risky plan puts you in suspicion and you slip up somehow, the consequences could be disastrous. That doctor will definitely not let go of you, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to rescue you, nor will Candace authorise any other swordsman to infiltrate Lazzo Aquariums anymore. You’re our only best bet at navigating the human realm, so we should play it safe—”
“Well then, would you care to offer any constructive suggestions, General?” Alhaitham, too, stood up, frustration leaking out of his composure as he marched up towards Cyno’s still figure. “I’ve had enough pressure from Dottore already, and I don’t need you adding more on my plate unless you’ve got a better alternative. Everything is already set and in motion, we can’t just pull out now. Besides, I’ve found some outside help.”
Cyno’s eyes widened. “You what?”
“I deem him trustworthy. He’s… not like the other humans,” Alhaitham quickly said, then turned back to gather his things. He definitely didn’t feel like elaborating.
“Elaborate.”
“Not now. I have to replenish my magic.”
“Alhaitham, are you actually being serious right now—”
Alhaitham made to leave (after unsuccessfully attempting to shut the door on an irate-looking Cyno) as Cyno started haranguing him like a pesky shadow.
“We’re talking about humans here, Alhaitham, you know they can be as trustworthy as a shipwreck’s base! It’s not like you to approach problems with such little delicacy! Your entire freedom and wellbeing rests on the success of your alibi, and if it doesn’t go according to every little detail of your plan you may as well be dooming yourself into human-induced oblivion—”
Alhaitham let him ramble on, tactfully deciding not to point out that the other had left his ID, which also served as the company’s exit pass, back in his office.
Cyno halted his tirade abruptly at the sight of the black barriers guarding the entranceway of the offices. “Shit. I left my card.”
Alhaitham levelled him with an amused gaze. “Frankly, I’m amazed it took you this long to notice you are missing your blazer.”
“You could’ve just told me earlier—” Cyno jabbed an accusatory finger at him. “You better wait right here for me, I’m not done with you yet.”
Alhaitham shrugged as he pressed his own card against the small screen on the surface of the barrier. It let out a small chime, its small glass doors sliding open to admit him. He then made a show of leaning against the other side of the barrier as if to dutifully wait. Cyno glared at him suspiciously as he re-entered the lift, still maintaining his stern eye contact even as he jabbed at the close button.
Right when the doors were about to shut completely, Alhaitham turned to leave.
Finally, some peace and quiet.
*
It was fortunate that Lazzo Aquariums was located at a convenient distance from the nearest water body.
Alhaitham stood still for a moment, allowing the pure, unpolluted essence of nature to wash over his being; judging from the regular swellings of the wind, there was no living creature nearby, not even a nightly critter. After ascertaining this fact, Alhaitham wasted no time in stripping off his suit, clothes and headphones, leaving his upper body exposed, hiding them amongst some dry rock formations, careful not to let any sharp edges scrape the fabric. He’d have some explaining to do to the company if he had to request for a new set of clothes again — his line of work did not usually entail working conditions wherein his outfit was at risk of being dirtied, let alone torn.
Alhaitham walked into the rescinding waves, tracing his hand over the lapping waves as he did so, feeling traces of merman magic within the seawater’s essence return to his fingertips. He submerged himself into the inviting warmth, welcoming the now familiar, numbing sensation of his human legs melding back into his tail. It had taken some time to get used to initially, but with sufficient magic, he could now transform at will without so much as a flinch of discomfort.
He lay on his back, letting himself drift along with the gentle tidal waves, looking up at the boundless night sky, where several stars twinkled faintly. Long ago, he had liked to stargaze by himself on the beach after the children had left for home. That was before humanity had experienced monumental development, sprouting ugly, tall, stone pillars and buildings and products that bellowed smoke and piercing lights into the air, chasing away the natural glimmer of the stars.
His eyebrows furrowed in distaste as he sighed. It was truly harrowing, how far a particular intelligent species will go to conquer the world and reign everything within it. It was Alhaitham’s duty to ensure that the cold, insidious feelers of human greed do not latch onto the merpeople community and drain them dry, like how they mostly did with many other creatures of Earth.
His thoughts turned to the young man he’d hastily roped in as assistance. Of course, he would not be divulging any details of the plan to the fellow, but the old worry of betrayal gnawed at his uncertain heart. He knew that humans could be easily bribed with paper currency, the poverty-stricken ones even more so, but there was always a chance that such a manipulation may still fail. And he may have approached the issue with “little delicacy”, as Cyno had rightly put it — it really wasn’t like him to rush out impromptu collaborations, much less in a high-risk mission.
Still, there was something in the back of his mind, something utterly inexplicable if he was honest with himself, that told him that it would be all right. There was something pure about the man that he couldn’t quite put a finger to; perhaps it was exceptional determination to argue for merpeople’s rights, which bled with a charming, ardent compassion for all creatures alike — an irresistible, gravitational force reeling Alhaitham in. He was an interesting enigma of a human, and Alhaitham found himself longing to know more about him.
Perhaps, despite everything, he had never truly let go of his childish desire for human company. And if he wanted to fulfil a small personal interest whilst carrying out his mission, well, who could blame or stop him? Alhaitham couldn’t help but look forward to seeing Kaveh again.