Chapter Text
The shark’s jaw closed in on the icicle snapping it in two. Chongyun gritted his teeth as he let an ice cold pain surge through his body and into the palm of his hands. The icicle grew back in an instant, sharper and more deadlier than before. Mustering up all the force he could, Chongyun gave a powerful jolt with his tail and rammed the icicle straight into the reef shark’s beady eyes. The creature was dead in mere seconds as the blue water around them turned a dark red.
Chongyun was an Orcan merfolk, they took on the traits of the killer whale, black and white tail and keen senses. His own tail swirled in a pattern at the side which closely resembled the Yin Yang symbol, which may explain his weird abundance of uncontrollable Yang energy. Orcan merfolk were renown shark hunters. Able to create weapons made of piercing ice using their Yang energy. They swam in pods and trained their youth together. If one was to separate from its pod, well, well… they would not survive for very long. And Chongyun was, very conveniently, lost. He had been chasing down a lone reef shark and ended up miles away from his pod. Chongyun kept his cool though, panicking would not help in this situation. Panic alerted predators and that was the last thing he needed.
His light skin and light blue hair and eyes certainly blended well with the surface of the clear ocean but his tail was quite noticeable. He took the kelp rope that was tied around his waist and tied it around the end of the dead shark’s tail. It took him a few tries due to the slight shaking of his hands. Chongyun then set off in the direction in which he thought he came from, dragging the shark which still had a spear lodged into its skull to prevent further bleeding. Blood attracted predators. Other larger sharks, other Orcan pods, and Sharkin merfolk too, all people who wouldn’t mind either eating Chongyun alive or having his head as a trophy.
After some time of cautious swimming he finally spotted a noticeable landmark in the distance. Hints of pinks, reds, greens, and yellows spotted the distant seabed. The signs of a flourishing colony of coral reef. Many other kinds of merfolk lived amongst the sea creatures of reefs. Reef merfolk were usually much gentler than most in Chongyun’s experience, perhaps he could ask for directions.
As the little Orcan swam closer and closer he realized that this reef wasn’t some small colony, it was a growing metropolis. Coral grew so large that it towered overhead, making miniature archways here and there. Clouds of tiny silver fish swam overhead, eels slithered through nooks and crannies of the coral, and sea slugs trudged through the sandy floors. It was a mesmerizing sight. Chongyun couldn’t help but want to stay here forever.
His attention was shortly averted from the reef though, as a familiar voice rang through the waters.
“State your purpose.” A jade spear materialized from nowhere, it’s stunning green blade was pointed at Chongyun. His blue eyes met Xiao’s stern golden eyes. Xiao’s ferocious gaze calmed down when he recognized that it was only Chongyun. He lowered his spear to his side. “Oh. It’s you. What do you need.”
Chongyun has met Xiao a variety of times through his travels with his pod. The betta fish migrated around quite a lot. It certainly wasn’t to do with the seasons or food. One could only make an educated guess about what the mysterious Xiao was up to. His travels made him greatly knowledgeable about most everything though.
Many of the elders in Chongyun’s pod have spoken highly of Xiao, praising his abilities in martial arts and the usage of his energy. Much like Chongyun, Xiao had an abundance of energy flowing inside him. Though it is quite the opposite of the positive Yang energy in Chongyun. The betta’s control over that energy was a beam of light to Chongyun. He was what his family could’ve ever wanted in a son.
“Sorry to disturb you, Xiao 前辈 [Qiánbèi=Senior],” Chongyun signed with a nervous look at the deadly weapon at Xiao’s side. “I was passing through and I seem to have lost my pod. Again. Could you help me?”
Xiao gave an annoyed sigh. “I was on my way to meet someone. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to help you again.”
The betta fish took a moment of silence. His eyes shut and his energy concentrated. Chongyun could feel the dense rippling aura surrounding Xiao. It was quite unpleasant and in a very different way from the bitter chill of Chongyun’s own energy. In a couple seconds Xiao had located Chongyun’s pod. He swiftly swam past Chongyun, gesturing for him to follow.
He swam a little ways behind him, giving him a good view of the betta’s intricate tail. Xiao’s tail had streaks of purple and blue with the occasional pink and turquoise spotted around. It was a beautiful sight especially amongst the coral reefs of the vast ocean. Chongyun couldn’t help but feel vastly below the betta fish. He fiddled with the rope around his waist. The dead reef shark drifted idly behind him, attracting a couple scavengers that skittishly swam around.
They swam idly across the vast blue sea. An awkward silence hung in the water. Xiao was certainly not the type to make conversation and Chongyun was too scared that he might say something out of hand. But the tension grew almost unbearable for the poor orca, they are social creatures after all. Chongyun gave a quick tap on Xiao’s shoulder.
“Who are you meeting with, 前辈[Qiánbèi]?” He signed.
Xiao’s fins ruffled a little by the sudden contact but he quickly settled them down.
“It’s no one special.” He replied, though the way his eyes glittered disagreed with his words.
“Oh. Then why are you visiting them?”
“Are orcas all this invasive.” Xiao muttered, tilting his spear so it gleamed in the sunlight. Chongyun decided it was a good time to shut up. He kept his hands busy trying to fetch pieces of kelp in the currents, maybe the occasional fish or shrimp. It started out as just for fun before he started growing hungry, then he started eating the fish which was received poorly by the very half fish Xiao. Chongyun was surprised that Xiao had yet to dump him in the middle of the ocean to die.
They keep swimming for what felt like centuries. The awkwardness between them was ever growing just like the emptiness in Chongyun’s stomach as the orca did not have the confidence to eat another fish in front of his livid companion. The orca was also growing increasingly bored and was now spending his time making circles and loops around Xiao, which didn’t bother him as much as literally anything else Chongyun has done. Though he came to a quick stop (to the relief of Xiao who was getting a mild seizure from all the twirling and swirling) when something caught his gaze.
Just at the surface of the water was a strange brown hunk of something. It had skin that’d probably be rough to the touch. It’s shape was long, wide in the center and thinner at the two ends. One end was significantly longer and pointier. In Chongyun’s mind the closest thing he could match it too was a shark. A very deformed and large shark, but Chongyun wasn’t going to judge. A shark is a shark, as long as he can harpoon it with a chunk of ice, he didn’t care.
The little orca tugged at the tired betta’s arm.
“Xiao, look, it’s like some sort of weird brown shark. I’ve never seen something like that! Maybe I should bring it home to my pod!” Chongyun’s hand moves too fast for Xiao to even understand half his sentence. And he doesn’t get the chance to ask for it again as the orca promptly whisked away to what Xiao sees is very obviously not a shark.
The orca approached the abnormal creature with caution. It barely acknowledged him as he approached and moved at the pace of a sea snail. Chongyun didn’t bother questioning it. All this meant to him was easy prey and that was never something you should forfeit. He feels the tingling stinging sensation growing in his hand as a hefty ice sword formed in his hand. Gripping the sword tightly he readied himself for a forceful plunge. In seconds the sword penetrated the brown “shark”.
Chongyun recoiled in surprise, leaving the sword stuck in the clearly not a shark. Its skin was hard very much unlike the soft flesh of the teethy fish he was used to killing. His weapon soon dissolved leaving a gaping whole in the thing. Then the thing started sinking. And then he heard voices.
Above the waters of the ocean several people screamed in terror as the icy cold water swallowed the boat. Chongyun remained still, watching the giant brown creature slowly plummet. His attention is finally drawn away when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“You’ve really done it this time kid.” Xiao grunted. “That is a boat. It’s what humans use so they don’t die.”
“What? Die? How would they die?”
Xiao gave him a look.
“For an orca who migrates across the world each year, you sure are oblivious to the world around you.” Xiao sighed. “Look.”
He pointed at the boat, now very visible since it was completely submerged. It was quite a curious thing. Shaped like a seashell almost, it had several long pointy shafts sticking out of it and attached to the shafts were giant sheets of white.
“You see those idiot creatures, that look like us but with a different bottom half, that are thrashing around inside that thing? They cannot breathe underwater and they cannot hold their breath for as long as you so they drown and die.”
Now that Xiao pointed them out, Chongyun could indeed see the struggling humans. Then Xiao’s words actually processed.
“Wait, THEY’RE DYING!” He signed with panic.
“Yeah. Good,” Xiao deadpanned.
“Xiao 前辈, we have to go help them.”
“There is no ‘we’ in this situation.”
“Fine, I’ll do it by myself.” Chongyun gave a pout. He was about to swim off until he realized he had no idea how to stop them from drowning. “Uhm, how do I help them?”
Xiao sighed and simply pointed up.
“So they go to the surface and breath like me?”
“They live on the surface.”
“Fascinating.”
For a second Xiao had him distracted from the fact that the humans were drowning, but he quickly turned his attention back and darted towards the sinking boat. From Chongyun’s view he could make out at least four figures, it seems they weren’t struggling anymore and were most likely unconscious, which was probably not a good sign. He lurched forward and sought out the nearest one. The one closest to him was significantly smaller than the others, maybe he was a calf like Chongyun. His fascination grew as he came closer. These humans lacked tails and instead had two weird appendages that seemed very unpractical for swimming. Their upper half looked almost identical to the merfolk though.
He finally reached the young human, letting them drift softly into his arms. One look at this human and he was even more mesmerized than before. They had soft blue hair that looked ethereal as it gently swayed in the waters. Their features were soft and delicate, skin fair and white. And the garments he wore was something else entirely. Most merfolk did not wear anything at all. Chongyun was so busy staring that he momentarily forgot the human in his arms was in fact dying. A sense of panic quickly settled in as he raced towards the surface.
The ocean air’s pungent scent stung his nose. Chongyun only ever came up to the surface to breath after a couple hours. The orca struggled a little as he tried to position the human in some way where his head would stay out of the water. In the end he opted to just carry him on his back. Chongyun swam along the surface, scanning for some sort of landform nearby. He seriously did not consider the amount of energy it’d take to carry this human and the shark he still had tied to his waist. Suddenly, a familiar head popped out beside him.
“Of course you chose to save this one.” Xiao gave a sigh.
“What? Is he special?” Chongyun asked, eyes shining with curiosity.
“No, it’s the fact that you chose the young fair human dressed like royalty.”
“He’s very pretty. His skin is very soft.” Chongyun stated.
“Right…” Xiao does not want to hear that.
They quickly found a little jagged piece of rock sticking out above the sea water. Chongyun swiftly placed the pretty human on it.
“Is he okay now? What should I do next?” Chongyun’s gaze was fixed on the human as he asked the questions.
“He’s fine, you just have to get the water in his lungs out,” Xiao stated.
“How do I do that?”
“You need to give him compressions. Press on his chest like this.” He put his palm over Chongyun’s chest, one hand over the other. “Do it a few time then breathe into his mouth twice.”
“Breathe into his mouth?”
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
After a moment of thought Chongyun decided to approach. Chongyun untied the reef shark from his waist, handing it over to Xiao. He slowly clambered onto the rock with great difficulty seeing as his orca tail was highly not fit for this. The rock was a bit small, the slightest bit of movement would cause him to slip off. Chongyun leaned over the human, settling his hands over their chest with slight nervousness. A warm tingly sensation stirred inside of him. He quickly suppressed it. Warm feelings were dangerous for people with such high Yang energy. Chongyun collected himself as he finally started doing what Xiao had called “compressions”. Apparently he was supposed to do this at least thirty times but he didn’t know how to count that high. Such a thing was never needed in his life of shark killing.
Once Chongyun did what he thought was enough, he moved on. Now he had to breathe into the other's mouth. The orca paused, gazing at the human boy’s soft lips. The tingly feelings danced a little inside him. Chongyun reached his hands out to his chin letting his mouth part a bit. Taking a big breath, Chongyun put his mouth against the human’s, letting the air in him trickle into his body. He parted for a second to take another breath as Xiao had instructed. Then the human started coughing. Chongyun jolted away so fast it caused him to slip off the rock and plummet into the water.
For some reason his insides burned as he fell. Maybe it was the human who had done this to him. His body twitched as his Yang energy started acting up. The water around him started freezing up shards of ice started forming from his skin. Chongyun’s heart raced as he struggled to keep his energy under control. His head pounded. A prickling sensation crawled through his arms as ice spears started forming at the tip of his hand. The panic that set in only further fueled his rampant energy.
Then something hit him on the back. The hard slap of someone’s palm against behind him and everything was back to normal. The ice dissolved and the heat reduced to nothing. Xiao gave a mutter of annoyance as he withdrew his hand.
“I’d advise you to focus on training that energy. You are lucky that I was here this time around.”
Chongyun was still shaken badly. His hands trembled and his eyes were glazed over. He hardly ever let his emotions take over so much that his energy would burst. He gave a quick thanks to Xiao, though the senior didn’t seem to acknowledge it.
“Is the human okay?” Chongyun’s hands still shook as he signed.
“You are so very strange. Your energy just bursted and you care about that thing more.” Xiao pressed on some of Chongyun’s Qi points, allowing his body to relax, and his emotions to come to a flat line. “He is fine now. It shouldn’t be long until someone comes searching for him.”
Chongyun sighed in relief. Xiao handed him back his shark corpse.
“We better get moving to your pod now,” he stated. Chongyun replied with a nod. “You should stay away from that human. He has caused you more harm than good.”
“But he hasn’t done anything?”
“Clearly he was the cause of your surge in emotion which caused that energy burst. Stay away from people who do that to you. Unless you want the both of you to be hurt.”
“Do you speak from experience, 前辈[Qiánbèi]?” Chongyun asked.
Xiao turned away and ignored the question, letting the two fall into an uneasy silence. Chongyun still can’t get the human out of his head. His perfectly serene and calm face. The feel of his lips. His skin. A familiar heat crept from inside him again. Chongyun shook his head. Xiao was right. He needed to forget the human or his energy would act up. He needed to avoid him. Lest he wanted both of them dead.