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The vast sea stretched out before Ping in all of its glory. The cerulean water sparkled under the sunlight and then drank the moonlight as night fell to create a void of obsidian. How many days had it been since she’d last seen land? It seemed as if the voyage would never end.
The sea was a second home to her. As a child, it would call to her, singing its enchanting melody; now, she sang with it. Yet there were times when she would wonder if she was missing something. There was always one flat note in their duet, an absence of sorts as if someone else should join in.
Ping leaned over the edge of the ship staring out at the sea. Her eyes followed the water crashing against the wooden boards of the ship, waves splitting as they made contact. The lively chatter of the crew was quiet for once; the morning sun barely painted the horizon. If Ping wanted to, she could venture down below the deck and be met with the loud and obnoxious snoring of the crew still fast asleep.
Only a skeleton crew joined her on the deck, keeping the ship moving at a snail’s pace and an eye out for any danger. She didn’t have long left of this tranquil moment. The rest of the crew would wake soon to begin another day.
Something sparkling just below the surface caught her attention. Moonlight. It looked like spilt moonlight. Ping tightened her grip, leaning further over to get a better glimpse.
As a little girl, her mother had always warned Ping of the dangers of the sea. She was told tales of sea monsters as big as a ship that could decimate a crew in a matter of seconds, of vortexes that would swallow up a ship and sink it to the bottom of the ocean. But what had always captured Ping’s attention the most were sirens. The lovely sea creatures had voices so beautiful they could make sailors willingly drown with only a few notes sung. It was told that a siren’s song was magical, that they would weave words of one’s own sorrows and tragedies, of one’s own dreams and nightmares.
It made Ping wonder; how beautiful a melody could be if created not by the musician themselves but by the magic they possessed. Music was something precious created by emotions. It was something that only a being with a soul could create. If a siren’s melody was created using magic, just how authentic was it?
Ping had never come across a siren in all her years as a pirate. She had never been privy to their songs.
Now she was certain that the moonlight she saw was the silvery hair of a siren, swimming beside their ship. Her tail was an ombre of twilight, shimmering under the new sun as it propelled her through the water. The railing creaked underneath Ping’s weight.
Curiosity gripped her. What was her name? What was her story? What would her own song be? Her hand reached out. She wanted to know. She wanted to hear the siren’s song. She wanted—
A rough hand clasped over her shoulder, pulling her away from the sea with fervency.
“Watch it.” Cloud Retainer’s voice was quiet as she dragged Ping away from the railing. “Sirens will do anything to claim their prey. Their song is not the only thing to fear. You were seconds away from your impending death.”
Ping’s cheeks warmed. She didn’t even get to see the siren’s face. “I was not.”
Cloud Retainer raised her brow in disbelief and clicked her tongue. “Be more careful next time.”
Like a moth drawn to a flame, Ping couldn’t help her eyes being dragged back to the ocean—searching for moonlight.
The stars greeted Ping as she awoke with a jolt. She lay on a makeshift pillow of sand, her hand clutching an empty bottle of beer. Her head pounded as she recalled her hazy memories.
They had just had one of their most successful heists since Ping had joined the crew. They were rich with jewels and mora, the ship herself barely able to store their new wealth. They sailed onward for a few days before docking at a small island to hold a celebration. After being kicked from the local bar for being too loud, the crew continued their party at the beach. Ping must have fallen asleep at some point. She looked around, noticing that everyone else had also followed suit, their eyes closed and their chests rising gently as they slept.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Ping decided to take a stroll down the sandy shore. She grabbed her zither, slinging it over her back, and made her way down the beach. Her feet sank into the sand, her footprints only remembered momentarily before the water washed them away.
A rock sat up ahead, overlooking the vast void of the sea. Ping climbed the formation, situated herself into a comfortable position, and pulled her instrument onto her lap. Her fingers danced over the strings to create a quiet melody that played out into the night. It was a song she had been working on for quite some time, but the ending gave her pause. No matter how many times she rewrote it, it was never satisfying.
It was a personal song. One that she held close to her heart. Perhaps the truth behind the tune was too much for her to bear. It was a fight that had gone on for so long, freezing her feet to the ground. She was stuck—unable to progress. All she could do was play what she had started, fated to falter at the end.
The soft sounds of the zither filled the silence of the night, swirling with the gentle crashes of waves against the shore. It was a melody Ping had played one too many times. Her eyes fluttered shut as memory allowed her to continue.
She could have continued until the sky turned golden with a new day beginning, but something made her fingers pause on the stings. Humming. A beautiful drone rang out from the sea. Ping looked up only to be met with darkness. The humming had stopped, but she wasn’t convinced she was alone. Her fingers plucked the strings, starting the song over from the beginning.
Just as she had expected, the humming resumed. Her eyes scanned the shadowy waters looking for unusual movements. Then, for only a moment, Ping’s breath caught as a blue fin appeared above the water for only a flicker of a second.
It was her.
She wasn’t sure how she knew. The colours of the fin were hard to make out in the darkness correctly, but Ping was certain—it was the same siren she had seen before.
Cloud Retainer’s warning flashed before her. She shut her eyes tight and focused on the sound of her zither.
A lovely duet echoed across the morning haze, welcoming the start of another day.
When the rest of the crew finally rose for the day, trying their best to wash away their hangovers with leftover beer, Ping’s melody faded. She pulled the zither over her shoulder and jumped off the rock, hesitating before she raised her hand to her hair and pulled out a long blue hairpin.
It had been something she had gotten on her first pirate heist—her first treasure. Yet something came over her at that moment. Her long hair fell down her back in cascading waves. She bent down, placing the hairpin in the sand, and watched as the waves picked it up, stealing it out towards the ocean.
“Thank you for the lovely song,” she whispered into the sea foam.
The sea had a mind of its own that night. Dark grey clouds angrily covered the skies raining down their frustrations in heavy droplets. Waves crashed violently, rocking the ship dangerously from side to side. The crew had secured everything as best they could, but it didn’t stop the large containers from sliding across the deck. Multiple times Ping narrowly avoided being squashed as she jumped out of the way of the incoming crates.
“A big one is coming! Hold on tight!” Cloud Retainer’s voice called out to the crew.
Ping grabbed onto a nearby rope with both hands. She braced herself for the tumbling and screams. What she was not expecting was for her world to tilt as the rope she held onto snapped in half as the wave collided with the ship. The force sent her flying.
The hourglass of time slowed, the sand trickling down as Ping watched chaos erupt around her. Cloud Retainer’s face morphed—panic-stricken. She called out to Ping, her voice lost to the storm as water crashed over her and swallowed her up.
Ping was helpless as her body was launched over the edge of the ship. She hit the water, the rough landing sending a shock of pain jolting through her body and momentarily stunning her. Waves crashed over her, the loud clapping sound was nothing short of a funeral hymn. She had no chance in hell at surviving, already being pulled down into the depths. She closed her eyes, hoping her death would be painless and quick.
Being a pirate, becoming one with the sea, there had always been a small clause at the bottom of the invisible contract. Once you sold your soul to the sea, you would die at her hands. Ping had accepted the consequences long ago. She knew her time would come. But never had she expected it to be so soon.
She felt something loop around her waist, and in a moment of panic, Ping opened her eyes to see moonlight floating around her. She gasped, only to realize a second too late as water rushed into her lungs. Air bubbles escaped past her lips as she struggled. The presence around her waist tightened. She watched, paralyzed, as sharp teeth slowly appeared. Fear, something Ping had forgotten was so utterly terrifying, crept around her latching itself around her like a necklace.
It was a flash of blue that caught her attention. Something study, something she knew well. She took a chance, reaching out to pull the hairpin from the puddle of starlight. It was heavy in her hand as she pulled it close to her chest.
She allowed her fear to take over, following it all the way down into Davy Jones’s Locker.
Something soft and plush pressed against Ping’s lips. It was warm, filling her with life as her mind swam, searching for answers. She was forgetting something. Something important. Yet she couldn’t push past whatever was against her lips.
A deep unsettling feeling grew in the pit of her stomach. Her eyes shot open just in time for her to roll over, coughing up a lungful of water. Memories came shooting back rapidly. Ping gasped, coughing as more water left her body. She had almost drowned. She should have drowned. How was she still alive?
She was drenched, her clothes clinging to her body in uncomfortable curves and crevasses. The storm had subsided, the sun now shining brightly overhead. The ground underneath Ping was uneven and sharp. She realized she had pulled onto a cluster of rocks.
“You’re awake!” a voice exclaimed.
Ping turned, startled. She was met with a treasure she could have only conjured in her dreams. Silvery hair, dripping starlight, pinned up with the long blue hairpin she had watched float away. Sky-grey eyes that filled with worry. Plush red lips that were downturned—lips that were seconds ago on Ping’s.
She raised her hand to her mouth subconsciously in awe as realization struck.
Her eyes continued downward, taking in the pale skin that shimmered under the sunlight and the iridescent blue tail that shifted colour whenever it moved. Beautiful. It was all so enchanting.
“It’s you,” Ping whispered, her voice hoarse.
“Guizhong,” the siren said. “That’s my name.”
Guizhong. The way her name pulled at Ping's lips made her want to say it over and over until her voice was raw.
“You saved me.”
Guizhong nodded. She looked away sheepishly. “I was following your ship when I saw you go over.” When she saw Ping look at her with confusion, she leaned forward, her hand reaching out before she hesitated and dropped it. “I was almost too slow. The currents—they're terrible to swim through during a storm. You had been unconscious for so long I wasn’t sure… I’m just glad you’re okay,” she continued with a small smile.
Ping’s heart pounded in her chest, a new melody she was unattuned to. “Y-you were going to kill me,” she replied. She vividly remembered those sharp teeth. She was positive they weren't a hallucination.
Guizhong tilted her head, a sly smile replacing what had once seemed gentle, “I was. But not anymore.”
The answer didn't calm Ping down in the slightest. “No?”
“I’ve been following your ship for a while. Your crew is… healthy. You have no idea how poor our selection has been lately. Scurvy, the Plague, any disease you can think of, these sailors have it!” Guizhong’s face scrunched up in disgust. “You have no idea how terrible they taste.”
This time when Guizhong reached out, she placed her hand delicately over Ping’s. Her hand was small; her fingers webbed together. It was surprising how much warmth she emitted. It felt like a fire was lit under their hands. Then her hand wrapped around Ping’s wrist, and the fear that Ping had felt in Davy Jones’s Locker returned. The fire had been extinguished, replaced by a bitter cold.
“I have nothing to offer,” Ping replied, swallowing her fear as best she could.
Guizhong shook her head. “I’m not going to kill you… yet. There’s something I want first.” She tapped her fingers against Ping’s wrist, her long nails scratching against her skin—a threat.
“What is it?”
“That song. The one you played early morning off the coast of Mondstadt. I want you to finish it.”
Ping stared at Guizhong in disbelief. “My song?”
Nails dug deeper into her skin. “Make a deal with me. I saved your life. In return, you finish that song.”
“That’s hardly a fair deal.”
“Did you know siren’s nails hold a poison that if it gets into your bloodstream will paralyze you?” Guizhong said casually, her index finger tapping, a countdown that Ping didn’t know when it would strike zero.
Ping swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. “Why do you want to hear it finished?”
Guizhong bit her bottom lip, rolling her teeth over the crimson skin. Ping swallowed another lump, heat rising to her cheeks.
“Music made by mortals intrigues me. Us sirens, we sing with our magic. We don't create our music; it's created by the fears and dreams of our targets. Humans are different. You can convey your exact emotions and your true feelings within your music. I find that astounding. I want to really hear the difference, and you're the closest to helping me achieve that.”
Ping mulled over Guizhong’s explanation. Her words were not so different from the ones that Ping had often wondered about. Perhaps this was her chance to answer her own questions. “I’ll do it, but with one condition.”
“You’re in no position to request anything.”
Ping didn’t back down. She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath. “I want to hear your song.”
Guizhong looked taken aback by Ping’s demand. Her grip loosened momentarily. “Our song is a death sentence. Do you wish to die that badly?”
With her off guard, Ping leaned into Guizhong’s space. Up close, the siren was even more beautiful. Ping had always wondered if they hid behind a veil of illusions, but Guizhong was perfection. “I would prefer not to die. But here's a fun fact: I haven’t written a single note for that song in months. I'm completely blocked on the ending. Let me hear your song. It'll give me the motivation I need."
Guizhong didn’t react. Ping’s heart faltered. Her overconfidence had never failed her before. She wasn't sure if hearing Guizhong's song would help her break through her problems or if her looming death would also be a factor. Either way, she was willing to try.
“Fine. It’s a deal,” Guizhong replied finally.
Relief flooded through Ping’s body before she pulled forward. Guizhong’s warm breath danced over her lips. They were so close!
“Sirens seal their deals with a kiss,” Guizhong said, the smirk returning to her lips.
It was easy to bring her hand up, cupping Guizhong’s cheek as Ping closed the distance between them. Her lips were even softer from what Ping had remembered in her cloudy state.
Guizhong tasted like salt water and stolen dreams.
“Is this really going to ensure my safety?” Ping asked skeptically, looking down at the mess of ropes that circled her body.
“Do you have a weapon on you to escape?” Guizhong asked in return, tightening the ropes. She tugged once, then twice, watching as Ping flinched. She smiled.
“No. My stuff washed away when I fell overboard.”
“Then you should be fine.”
They had decided that tying Ping to a tree that hung over the edge of the water was the best option to protect her from the lure of the siren’s song. Ping knew she was crazy for suggesting to hear their song, but since she had first laid eyes on Guizhong, she had been drowning in curiosity.
Guizhong took one last look at Ping, who nodded firmly before pushing herself back into the water. Ping braced herself for the song.
She was nowhere near ready.
Guizhong opened her mouth, and a haunting melody passed by her lips. It was dark, harrowing, and depressing. It tugged at Ping’s heartstrings. It cut deep—right to the bone. Tears began to well in her eyes, falling freely down her face. She let out a choked sob as her emotions began to weigh her down. The song was familiar, threading a childhood lullaby she had been extremely fond of with her fears.
The world around Ping shifted. She blinked, the sea disappearing from her view. Instead, she was back home, the cabin she once called home. She saw her mother weeping and begging for her to stay home. To not heed the call of the ocean.
I’m sorry, Ping said, taking a step forward. The floorboards creaked underneath each step.
It had been years since she’d been home. Years since she last saw her mother. It was another sacrifice she had made when she sailed out to sea. She’d send letters from different ports, yet she never received a reply. Eventually, the letters started to be addressed to the fire she would toss them into. At this point, she hadn’t the faintest clue if her mother was even alive. It was a pain she would hold onto forevermore.
Her mother only cried harder, twisting her body away from Ping.
You are no daughter of mine.
Lightning crackled down from the ceiling, splitting the floor open. Ping fell through the open floorboards, looking up to catch a glimpse of her mother walking over to the edge, vacant eyes staring down at her. She hummed the song that Ping had been unable to finish on her lips. It was soft, but to Ping, the sound was deafening.
The void swallowed her up, and Ping landed on a hard surface. When her eyes adjusted, she noticed she had returned—her body still tied to the tree. She was still alive! Guizhong had stopped singing, staring at Ping with interest.
Ping took a shaky breath calming herself down. She knew sirens played to their prey's weaknesses. The tips of her fingers were raw and bloodied, the skin rubbed away from her scratching against the tree. The rope had shifted around her body, the rough texture cutting into her exposed skin.
“Can you… can you see them? The illusions?” Ping asked, her voice shaky.
Guizhong shook her head. “No. I can only hear the song. Though if I truly cared about what was luring my meals towards me, I could piece together what’s happening by the lyrics.”
Which in their case, most definitely happened. Ping wasn’t proud of what she saw. She knew she broke her mother’s heart the day she left. She left that mountain where she grew up the first chance she got and never looked back. If her mother saw her now, would she even recognize her own daughter? It was something that Ping had wondered about often.
Luckily, Guizhong didn’t seem too interested in what would lure Ping to her death.
“Was it to your liking?” Guizhong asked, swimming up to Ping. She propped herself up against the edge of the water and produced a knife, the exact one Ping had lost to the sea, and pressed it into her hand. Ping shot her an annoyed look as she struggled to saw at the rope that tied her arms down.
“It was terrible,” she answered.
Guizhong froze. “How so?”
“You prey on others’ emotions to make them feel something. It doesn’t evoke emotions because you're able to form a true connection—it steals it.”
Guizhong’s voice was beautiful. It could easily hit any high note she wanted. Her technical skills weren’t the issue. It lacked a purpose. It lacked a soul.
“Most people would say it’s breathtaking. Literally,” Guizhong replied, frowning.
When Ping failed to laugh, Guizhong pouted, puffing out her bottom lip cutely as her eyes followed the ropes that fell from Ping’s body, landing around her in a heap. She pushed herself off the cliffside, falling back into the water with a splash. At first, Ping thought Guizhong had left until she emerged from the water—minutes later—only to poke her head above, water dancing along her lips. Her silver hair sprawled out around her, a puddle of stars shimmering under the sunlight.
“I almost forgot, if you head towards town, you’ll find a certain group of pirates recovering from a rough trip. If that's all, I'll leave you to it! Good luck!”
“Wait!” Ping cried as Guizhong dipped below the surface. Grey eyes reappeared, staring at her with frustration. “How will I contact you once the song is ready?”
Guizhong dipped below the surface again. Ping rushed to the edge of the cliff, falling to her knees as she searched the clear water, worried that Guizhong had left when the siren popped up, almost giving Ping a heart attack. She stumbled back, falling onto her butt as Guizhong laughed.
"Oh! That was a good one," Guizhong said, covering her mouth with her hand. It did nothing to hide her wide smile as she giggled.
Ping sighed, pushing herself back onto her knees and brushing off the dirt from her body. She winced as dirt covered her injured hands. She'll have to tend to her wounds as soon as she makes it to the town.
"Let me help you with that."
Guizhong reached out and grabbed Ping’s hands. Water snaked up Guizhong’s arm and swirled around Ping’s wounded fingers. The red skin slowly faded—the water healing her injuries. There was no pain, only a slight tickle as the water trailed over her skin. Ping stared at her healed fingers in disbelief, her mouth open in shock.
“You look impressed.” Guizhong smirked, running her fingers over Ping’s. They left a blazing heat on Ping’s skin wherever they touched. Ping was almost certain her heart would burst from her chest at any moment.
“Is there anything sirens can’t do?” she asked.
“Create music apparently.”
Ping looked away, a flush dancing across her cheeks. She had been telling the truth. The sirens’ music was soulless. It was an opinion she would stand by firmly.
Something heavy pressed into the palm of her hand as Guizhong slowly closed each one of Ping’s fingers over it. Once they were closed, Guizhong pulled away. Carefully, Ping opened her palm to reveal a gold bell.
“Ring it when you’re ready and I will find you,” Guizhong instructed with a wink. “Think about me while we’re apart, will you?”
Ping could only let out a jumbled mess of noises as she watched Guizhong disappear.
Water washed over Ping’s toes as she stared down at the ground. The bell was in her hand, gripped tightly as she worked up the courage to ring it.
Guizhong had been right. When Ping finished her trek into town, she was met with the weeping faces of the crew, tackling her with hugs and drunk slobbering. Cloud Retainer stood off to the side, watching with amusement as Ping tried her best to calm everyone down. It was then that she learned that they were stuck on the island while the ship went through repairs. It had been damaged heavily during the storm and would need some major repairs before it would set sail again.
The positive was that it gave Ping time to work on her song. Luck had been on her side when she found her zither in perfect condition on the ship.
Her first attempt was an easy failure. Guizhong’s song overpowered anything she tried to come up with. It had such a haunting sorrow, one that Ping still had a hard time shaking. She tried again and again, becoming increasingly frustrated as the other song overtook hers. Time ticked by slowly as Ping found herself watching the sun move across the sky.
Ping wanted to showcase the true differences between their songs. The fears that trapped her, the ones that would lure her to her death, were the ones she had to face head-on. Those emotions, the ones she was too afraid to dig into were holding her back. She had to let them go.
She allowed her emotions to ricochet off of her as she poured herself fully into her music. She started playing different notes, experimenting until the story started to finally weave itself to completion. The final bricks that made up the wall that blocked her came tumbling down.
Ping’s mind had never been clearer. Her fingers flew over the strings as she played, the notes coming together effortlessly. It was perfect!
As the final note played, Ping let out a deep sigh. She had done it. The song was finished.
Which meant she was left with one final decision. She started down at the bell clasped at her waist. Guizhong hadn’t set a time limit. The feeling of her nails around Ping’s wrist, tapping away was a ghost that haunted her daily. They reminded her that her life hung a thin thread, one that could easily snap like a string on her zither.
The ship would be fixed soon, and then they would be on their way. She saw the burning hunger in Guizhong’s eyes when she mentioned how healthy Ping’s crew was. If she waited until they boarded the ship, she could endanger them all.
It’s why, once the moonlight shined brightly overhead, she snuck out of the inn and made her way down to the shore, where she now stood. Her zither was secured on her back. The bell was heavy between her fingers as she raised it in front of her face, watching as she gently shook it, the light chimes echoing across the sea.
It took only a few minutes before Guizhong appeared, her face poking out of the water.
“That was quick,” she remarked.
Ping tilted her head, motioning the cluster of rocks to her right. Guizhong understood and pulled herself up onto the formation. Water dripped off her body, making Ping’s mouth go dry. She was still as beautiful as the images Ping had committed to memory were. How many artists had made her their muse? Her hair remained tied up with Ping’s hairpin. It made her heart twirl and jump in her chest, seeing something of hers on someone so beautiful.
She joined Guizhong on the rocks, finding the smoothest spot to set her instrument down. She refused to look at the siren as she began, her fingers flying over the strings. The song was personal to her. It had started as a lullaby her mother sang to her every night as a child. From there, it grew into something else, her journey across the sea, the triumphs and defeats, and now… a feeling she had never expected to feel—something she shouldn’t be feeling yet it excited her, sending a thrill running through her veins.
It showcased her fears, her happiness, and her true self. The song was authentically Ping, her name written all over the piece.
Guizhong listened intently, her breathing quiet as Ping continued her story. When she finished, Guizhong was silent. She stared at the zither; her eyes wide, sparkling like a child who received a shiny new toy for their birthday.
“Was it to your liking?” Ping asked nervously.
If Guizhong hated it, she could very easily decide to end Ping’s life right then and there. Ping’s knife was strapped to her thigh, its presence pressing into her skin. She was skilled, having to fight her way out of tough situations, but never had she fought a magical creature who could easily render her defenceless by simply opening her mouth.
Ping was busy calculating how many seconds she would have before the first sound left Guizhong’s mouth to be able to deal a killing blow when two hands cupped her face gently. Grey eyes locked with Ping’s. “I want to make another deal,” Guizhong said, ignoring her question. “Compose another song for me, and I won’t kill you or any of your crewmates.”
“You could have just said that you enjoyed it,” Ping laughed, watching a red flush appear on Guizhong’s cheeks.
“It was… enjoyable,” she admitted.
At this point, dying at the hands of someone so beautiful was certainly one way to go. There were worse fates than that. Though Ping would rather be alive to enjoy Guizhong’s presence than end up as her lunch. The way the siren reacted around her made her want to know more. She wanted to learn the different sides of her personality, the way she did her hair, and listen to her stories. She wanted to continue their debate on music with her proving that humanity was superior.
“I’ll write you another song.”
Guizhong leaned in, her breath warm against Ping’s lips. “So, it’s a deal?”
Ping responded by pressing her lips to Guizhong’s. She’d make as many deals as she had to if it meant she could kiss those soft lips again and again.
“It’s a deal,” she whispered, kissing Guizhong again.
This time Guizhong tasted like salt water and a promised future.