Mermaid’s Forbidden Mate

Chapter 4: Who is the Prey?

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The moment that thought surfaced, the mermaid dipped his head toward my stomach. My clothes had split open during the struggle, exposing a large patch of my abdomen. He seemed extremely interested in my bare skin.

I watched in astonishment as his face drew close to the tear in my shirt. He inhaled deeply, his nostrils flaring, smelling me with such intense intoxication that my body could have been a fine, alluring wine. If it had been a beautiful female mermaid doing this, the scene would have been incredibly erotic.

But reality was different. I was facing a male mermaid with unpredictable motives, ready to attack at any moment.

All I felt was terror. I watched helplessly as his head dipped even lower. He let go of my legs, planting his hands on either side of my body, his long, powerful arms forming a cage that trapped me completely.

His nails were long and sharp, with a translucent web stretching between his parted fingers. Pointed shoulder blades jutted out from his arched back, like the unformed wing bones of a demon.

In the deep sea, he was undoubtedly a terrifying apex predator. Up here on land, he remained a natural-born killer.

Never mind figuring out how to tame him—getting out of this alive was the immediate priority.

My temples throbbed. As he lowered his head, his eyelids drifted upward, locking onto my gaze unblinking. His expression was utterly malevolent. I didn't know if the bizarre power Shinichi had said the Night Fiend possessed was real, but in that moment, I felt cursed. Pinned in place, I couldn't move.

I watched, paralyzed, as his thin, sharp lips parted beneath the curtain of thick, falling hair. A crimson tongue darted out. He lowered his head against the frayed edge of my shirt and, as if tasting his prey, began to lick down along my groin.

He licked meticulously and recklessly. The wet, icy touch slipped into my marrow like a python, sending shudders through my entire body. My fear hit absolute rock bottom.

My nerves buzzed as if they had exploded, but my body went entirely rigid as my sensitive areas were assaulted. My arms trembled violently, barely supporting my precarious weight.

As he reached the root of my thigh, the mermaid lifted his head. His eyes had changed. He licked his lips, as if savoring my taste, and stared fixedly at my lower body, acting as if something incredibly enticing was hidden in my pants.

...Because it was a bestial, starved look, brimming with instinctual desire.

I had no doubt that in the next second, he would open his mouth and swallow my testicles whole.

If I didn't act now, God knows if that horrifying guess would become reality!

Given how freely he was moving, the anesthetic I injected a few hours ago had clearly worn off. The creature had a highly accelerated metabolism. Hitting him with another dart wouldn't threaten his life.

With that thought, I bit down hard on the tip of my tongue. The sharp pain instantly snapped me out of my paralyzed state. Without hesitation, I took action, pulled the trigger, and shot the tiny tranquilizer dart straight into the mermaid's neck.

His shoulders jerked. He raised his head, his dark pupils boring into me.

In that split second, I felt an indescribable horror creep over me. I even thought the anesthetic had failed and that I was about to die beneath his claws.

But, unexpectedly, that didn't happen.

The mermaid swayed. His sharp, slippery hand lost its grip on the floor, and he collapsed sideways. I seized the opportunity to pull myself up, but my foot slipped on his slick lateral fin. I pitched forward, throwing my hands down to brace myself against the floor, unable to shift my weight in time. I ended up straddling his massive, python-like tail.

The sudden weight snapped the mermaid back to consciousness. The eyes that had been half-closed shot open. My gaze violently collided with his deep pupils. The muscles in my lower back contracted sharply; I could feel the sharp tips of his webbed claws piercing the fabric on my back, as if intending to tear me in two.

In desperation, I raised the tranquilizer gun and aimed it squarely at his skull. "Hey, buddy. Listen. I really don't want to hurt you, but you need to let me go first. You know what this thing does."

I didn't hold back. Mustering all my courage, I glared down at him, lowering my head to deliver the warning word by word. At the same time, I jabbed the barrel of the gun against his head.

I didn't expect him to understand English, but given his intelligence, I assumed he could grasp the threat. If I wanted to tame a highly intelligent beast like a mermaid, make him obedient and cooperate with research, I had to take a different approach.

I had to make him realize that I was stronger and smarter than him. I had to conquer him first.

Whether it was the drug taking effect or not, the tactic seemed to work immediately.

The mermaid obediently loosened the grip on my back, letting his hand rest there lightly. He slowly half-closed his eyelids, his pale lashes drooping like wet wings. The predatory look from moments ago softened. In its place was a docile, almost bewildered expression.

Aside from his innate, sinister aura, I had to admit he looked incredibly gentle right now—more harmless than a dolphin. The dose was meant for a dolphin, after all. It might not knock him out completely, but it was enough to slow him down and make him drowsy.

Besides, he must be afraid of the tranquilizer gun. Despite the terrifying feeling his smile gave me, without concrete proof, I found it hard to believe a mermaid possessed the intelligence to play mind games with me.

I breathed a sigh of relief, finally in control of the situation.

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Chapter 5 Near Violation

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I waited until his breathing grew steady and drawn out. Only when I was certain the paralysis had taken hold did I free my hands, digging through the medical kit I had tossed aside earlier to find the antiseptic. I needed to clean and examine his wound.

The laceration on the mermaid's shoulder was severe. A layer of translucent membrane covered the exposed muscle, effectively preventing blood loss but simultaneously delaying the healing process. Beneath that thin film, I noticed an unnatural bulge. I carefully administered a local anesthetic and snipped the membrane open. Just as I suspected, I extracted a broken shark tooth from deep within the wound.

Even split in half, it was the size of my thumbnail, its edges lined with vicious serrations.

This belonged to an adult tiger shark. Sometime in the last few hours or perhaps a day ago, the mermaid had engaged in a violent clash with one. Judging by the fact that he was still alive and healthy, and given the sheer fracture of the tooth, the shark's fate must have been far more tragic than his.

Could it be...

To test my theory, I could not resist reaching down to press against the mermaid's stomach. It was indeed bulging; whatever food lay inside had yet to be digested. He might have been fighting the shark for prey, or perhaps the shark itself was the prey.

I marveled inwardly at the creature's offensive capabilities. Imagining him grappling with a tiger shark in the abyssal depths painted an incredibly perilous picture in my mind.

The mermaid, of course, had no idea what I was thinking. He merely lay there with his eyes half-closed, watching my every move like a detached observer. He arched an eyebrow slightly and glanced down at the hand resting on his stomach, a look of distinct amusement surfacing on his face.

It was as if I were nothing more than an entertaining, clumsy child who had accidentally offended him.

The thought triggered a strong wave of discomfort. I quickly withdrew my hand, intending to fetch the sutures, but my wrist was suddenly pinned down by his other webbed claw.

Alarm bells rang in my head. I instantly snatched up the tranquilizer gun and pressed it against his forehead in a clear warning. The mermaid lifted his eyelids and cast a lazy glance at the barrel. He seemed entirely unbothered. He showed no fear, nor did he display any intent to attack. He simply remained sprawled on the floor like a sunbathing seal, the grip on my wrist remaining surprisingly light.

My strained nerves eased slightly. The mermaid's wet, cool, webbed palm shifted to cover the back of my hand, pressing my palm flat against the rock-hard, undulating muscles of his abdomen and moving it in a slow friction. His tail gave a gentle swish beneath me; he seemed perfectly content. His gaze focused squarely on my face. Beneath the calm surface of his eyes lurked a dark undercurrent, waiting, implying, expressing some complex, unspoken demand.

If I was going to understand this mysterious biological anomaly, I figured it might be best to try coexisting with him peacefully right now. It could yield better results than trying to tame him by force. Mustering my courage, I yielded to his guidance. I relaxed my palm against his abdomen and gently stroked along the contours of his muscles, keeping my touch as light and friendly as one might offer a dolphin.

Just as I had hypothesized earlier, the mermaid's skin was as smooth and fine as high-quality silk, yet substantially thicker and more resilient than human skin. Touching him felt like letting a massive tiger shark glide right beneath my hand. An inexplicable thrill of excitement began to rise from the depths of my chest.

Much like a dolphin, the mermaid seemed to greatly enjoy the physical contact of a human. He tilted his long, powerful neck back in pleasure. The hand that had reached behind my back wrapped around my waist, his rough yet slick palm mimicking my own actions as he stroked my spine. The great fish tail undulated beneath me in a swimming motion, lifting my hips and gently rocking me in a rhythmic bump.

This bizarre behavior instantly gave me the terrifying illusion that I was copulating with the creature. Right at that moment, I felt a warm, hard object suddenly prod against the root of my thigh.

I jerked away from the mermaid's body with lightning speed and scrambled to my feet. An unbelievable anatomical shift unfolded right before my eyes.

The scaled skin just beneath the mermaid's pubic bone had split open into a slanted, gaping slit. The lower abdomen now revealed a triangular region identical in structure to the lower half of a human male. An organ, no different in shape from a man's, stood highly erect. The swollen, purplish head oozed a smear of glistening fluid, aggressively declaring its presence as it pointed directly at my face.

I had never anticipated that my actions could arouse the mermaid sexually. Not only was my previous touch meant strictly as a friendly gesture, but I was also a man. To the mermaid, I was a male.

Did I possess some strange scent or physical trait that made this creature mistake me for a female?

I sensitively sniffed at my sleeves and body. My eyes flicked down to the broken buckle on my belt, reminding me of Rhine's behavior earlier that night. I furrowed my brow, struck by a wave of deeply awkward displacement.

I believed my personality and appearance would never give anyone the illusion that I was a woman. I was merely somewhat lean due to a sedentary life of theoretical research. Was this why both the mermaid and Rhine perceived me as weak, subconsciously driven by hormones to treat me as a female?

This was absolutely atrocious. I loathed being viewed as the weaker party.

My mood plummeted to rock bottom. The sheer exhaustion from a sleepless night took the opportunity to strike, turning my brain to mush. I abruptly decided that tonight's observation was over.

In this mental state, I was entirely incapable of making objective records or judgments.

However, just as I bent down to drag the mermaid's tail, intending to heave him back into the water, a string of low, indistinct rumbles tore from his throat. It sounded like the roar of a wild beast under threat. Startled, my grip slipped. The tail snapped on the ground and then curled around my calf, squeezing with measured force.

The mermaid propped his upper body up, one hand snatching the fabric of my trousers. His chest heaved as that low, pre-attack vibration continued. His movements were clearly hindered by the anesthetic, the muscles in his arms and abdomen bunching like a praying mantis ready to strike, but the explosive strength was no longer enough to completely immobilize me.

I could easily break free.

But as my gaze landed on his throbbing erection, a wildly audacious idea leaped into my mind, snapping my chaotic brain back to an eerie calm fueled by sheer academic curiosity.

If I could obtain a sample of the mermaid's semen, I could conduct a DNA analysis. I could study his genetics, his physical condition, his age, his lifespan, and perhaps even deduce the reproductive patterns of his entire species. I might finally unlock the secrets of this eternally unfathomable creature!

What a monumental discovery that would be!

My mind raced at breakneck speed, even as my body locked up in uncontrollable stiffness.

Driven by some phantom force, moving like a remote-controlled automaton under the mermaid's dark, arresting gaze, I dropped into a half-crouch. I reached out a faintly trembling right hand and wrapped it around that thick, dark red shaft. The very instant I gripped it, the thing pulsed excitedly against my palm, thrashing like a slick, monstrous electric eel.

I forced myself to mentally isolate the organ from the mermaid's upper body. Otherwise, the grotesque illusion that I was servicing another man's sexual desires would shatter my nerve.

I pumped my hand up and down his shaft, mimicking the way I would handle my own needs, all while feeding myself deceptive, objective observations to maintain distance.

The mermaid's anatomy possessed subtle yet impossible-to-ignore differences from a human's. The surface skin clung fiercely to the center of my palm, gripping it with the tenacity of a squid's tentacle. If this were actual copulation, the male mermaid would undoubtedly latch firmly onto the vaginal walls of the female, rendering her incapable of escape—a characteristic shared with shark mating.

I tried desperately to maintain a cold, scientific detachment. But things did not go as planned. As the mermaid's webbed claws climbed my spine and his entirely muscular upper body closed in against mine, an overwhelming wave of revulsion crashed over me. I wanted nothing more than to turn and run, yet I knew the price of fleeing would be the loss of this priceless biological sample.

So, I tightened my grip and increased my pace, hoping he would finish quickly. The organ in my hand swelled and burned like a red-hot iron rod. His breathing grew heavy and erratic. The tail beneath my hips began to thrust again, the undulations growing so violent they knocked my upper body off balance.

A sickening cocktail of emotions threatened to drown me in an instant.

Shame, moral transgression, and sheer terror assaulted my nerves all at once. Not only was I suffering the delusion that I was having sex with him, but I also felt as though I had morphed into a female mermaid being violated by a predator.

What kind of nightmarish experience was this! Every nerve in my body coiled tight. The mermaid drew even closer, practically pressing against my ear. The damp, hot waves of his breath sprayed over my neck, a predatory lust threatening to invade my body, slipping down my collar like a pervasive, dark current...

My body grew inexplicably feverish. I couldn't help but turn my head away.

Supporting himself on the tail below his hips, he was still a full head taller than my crouching form. His arms had entirely engulfed me. I caught a glimpse of his throat bobbing in a heavy swallow of satiation. His thin lips parted into what could only be described as a wicked, lewd grin, his sharp teeth gleaming with a chilling light.

"A...ga...res..."

The mermaid murmured against my ear. The voice was deep and hoarse, like the grinding currents of a deep oceanic trench.

That broken string of syllables immediately brought to mind Agares, the demon of lust from The Key of Solomon. And the mermaid's voice seemed to carry that very same demonic magic. I felt bewitched. I lost even the strength to twist my neck away, leaving him free to catch my earlobe between his lips. His tongue curled out, sucking greedily at the flesh.

The low murmur continued to echo deep within my eardrums. My mind spun into a heavy vortex. I swayed, leaning heavily against his body. His sharp claws sliced right through the clothing on my back. A freezing chill dragged down my spine, diving straight toward my lower half, while the wet, thick, leathery tail forced its way violently between the roots of my thighs, prying my legs apart.

I perceived it all in a sluggish daze, utterly powerless to fight back. It was like being trapped in a nightmare. Everything around me was shrouded in an illusory black mist. The world had lost its truth, leaving only the increasingly heavy, undeniable lust pooling in my lower abdomen as the one absolute reality.

Just as my consciousness began to slip away, I suddenly heard a shout echoing from a distance: "Desharow!"

"Desharow!"

The voice grew closer, sharper, piercing straight through the fog and striking my deadened nerves. I snapped out of my possessed stupor. The crushing weight on top of me vanished in an instant. Before I could even clear my vision, the mermaid uncoiled from the floor like a snake, shifting into a long, dark silhouette that vaulted into the water column and vanished among the aquatic plants.

I stayed frozen in panic for a second or two before I realized I was entirely drenched. The clothes on my upper body were in tatters, a massive tear exposing my back, water dripping steadily to the floor.

What just happened?

My brain felt completely formatted, a blank slate. I couldn't recall the events of the last few seconds, remembering only my attempt to extract the mermaid's semen.

Looking at the situation now, my attempt had clearly failed. Perhaps my behavior had simply frightened the creature, causing him to flee so rapidly.

I stared at the placid surface of the water, feeling a twinge of frustrated disappointment.

"Desharow, where are you!"

It was Rhine's voice! He sounded like he was on the deck right above my head. My scalp prickled. I hurriedly scrambled to gather the scattered medical kit and the DV camcorder, blindly fleeing the lower cabin.

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Chapter 6 Emergency!

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I hurried back from the lower deck to my private cabin. Before Rhine could catch up, I shoved everything under the bed, stripped off my soaking wet clothes, and rushed into the bathroom.

This way, if he asked, I could say I was in the shower and didn't hear him. It was a flimsy excuse, but it would have to do.

My heart pounded as I listened for any noise outside and turned on the faucet. Hot water poured down from the showerhead. I hastily rinsed myself off, but I couldn't calm down no matter how hard I tried. The strange, lingering scent of the mermaid seemed impossible to wash away. The smell alone made my head spin, and beyond that, it was causing another unbelievable reaction—

I slumped weakly against the tiled wall and looked down.

The thing between my legs had pitched a tent at some point, and it was painfully hard.

What terrible timing.

I frowned in frustration, reached down to grasp the restless ache, and leaned back against the wall, finding a more comfortable angle as I began to rub it with shallow, uneven strokes.

I've always had a habit of taking care of my physiological needs in the shower; it's perfectly normal for a twenty-year-old man. But this time, the desire felt violently overwhelming. With every stroke, the pleasure hit me so fast I was caught off guard. My thighs trembled and went soft, and a muffled, shameful groan slipped uncontrollably from my throat. I had to bite my lip just to hold it back.

The escalating pleasure quickly drowned my rational thoughts. I tilted my neck back, letting the water hit my face. My consciousness seemed to rise with the curling steam, soaring high before flowing out into the ocean. My vision filled with the deep, shifting blues of seawater. I was sinking into the depths, sinking deeper and deeper, down to the abyssal trenches where light couldn't even reach.

Then, a long, slender shadow swam out from the darkness, parting the water. Its silhouette peeled itself from the edges of my hallucination. It grew clearer and clearer, closing in on me.

Next, something wet and slippery tangled around my legs, coiling all the way up to my thighs, and a low, bewitching voice murmured in my ear: "A...ga...res..."

Agares... What language was that string of syllables, and what did it mean?

I felt like I had heard it just last night. I tried hard to remember, but there was a small fracture in my memory that I simply couldn't piece together. It was a bizarre sensation, as if someone had deliberately snipped a piece of videotape and spliced the ends back together.

The water beat against my forehead, seemingly washing my chaotic brain into even greater chaos, leaving only the sheer ecstasy of an approaching climax. Yielding to pure instinct, I stroked myself a few more frantic times, and amidst the voice echoing endlessly in my eardrums, I hit the peak, spilling completely into my own hand.

There is always a brief mental crash after a release, but this time, clarity returned exceptionally slowly. For a long time, I remained dizzy, unable to even stand straight.

It must be because I didn't sleep at all last night.

I turned off the shower, shook my dripping wet head, and turned around to lean against the slick wall. I gasped weakly, trying to use the cold air to wake myself up. The residual water ran down my neck, dripping steadily from the ends of my hair, obscuring my vision like seaweed. It invariably reminded me of the mermaid's thick, long hair, and I couldn't help but recall the sensation of being watched by those dark, bestial eyes. A layer of goosebumps immediately erupted across my skin.

Just a few minutes ago, I had actually harbored a sexual fantasy about that mermaid.

I actually had a sexual impulse toward a non-human creature!

God. Desharow, have you driven yourself insane with your research?

I pressed my fist against my mouth, opened my jaws, and bit down viciously on the back of my hand. Feeling it wasn't enough, I slammed a heavy punch into the wall.

Blood trickled slowly between my fingers. The sharp pain cleared my head significantly, but the immoral sense of shame only grew stronger. My mind even replayed the hallucination from moments ago: the mermaid and I, completely naked, tangled together, his tail driving powerfully between my thighs, as if we were...

Mating.

How could I have such a hallucination?

I have devoted my entire life to biological research and have zero sexual experience. But my knowledge of biology told me exactly how men copulated, and since the mermaid's anatomical structure was so similar to a human's, the sexual act would surely be similar as well. At just a moment's thought, I felt utterly mortified, my ears burning hot. I couldn't help but feel thankful that it was just an absurd hallucination, something that could absolutely never happen in reality.

I must just be too exhausted. I patted my forehead, comforting myself silently. I grabbed a nearby towel, and just as I wrapped it around my lower half, I suddenly heard a click behind me. The door, which I had clearly locked, was somehow opened.

My heart jumped, and a familiar voice spoke up from behind: "Wallace, why are you here?"

Rhine's voice carried an undeniable edge of anger.

I couldn't let Rhine see the blood on my hand. Keeping my hand braced against the wall, I tried to feign the lazy demeanor of someone fresh out of the shower, turning my head halfway back. "Hey, what's up man? What's the rush so early in the morning?"

Through the hazy steam, I saw Rhine's expression was dark, almost livid. His gaze scraped down my spine like a razor, stopping at the upper edge of the towel wrapped around my waist. My spine tightened instinctively, and a bad premonition clawed its way up from the bottom of my heart.

Knowing now that Rhine had improper designs on me, I bitterly regretted not grabbing my bathrobe!

I felt like there were needles in my back. Extremely uncomfortable, I fanned my neck and tried to bypass him, rushing toward the door. "Hey, man, it's pretty hot in here. Why don't we talk outside?"

As I spoke, I lunged to grab the bathroom door beside him, but he was ultimately faster. His much larger frame pivoted to block my path, and with a casual flick, he locked the door with a sharp click.

My eyes trailed up his vein-popping wrist and slammed right into the sharp, searing gaze in his brown eyes. That threat he had spoken before flashed through my mind like a blade. I took a subconscious step back, clutching the slipping towel tight against my waist.

"Rhine, I..."

I swallowed hard, trying to explain, but before I could form a complete sentence, a massive force yanked my body forward. Rhine pressed me from behind against the door, his hard chest pinning my spine securely in place. I immediately felt a suffocating pressure.

"What did I say last night, Desharow? Hm?"

His hand slid down my side, grabbing the edge of the towel. I never expected Rhine to suddenly become so terrifying. Unless it was an emergency, he always appeared gentle and humorous, the quintessential professor and scholar. He was nothing like the man he had been since last night. I almost suspected he had split-personality disorder.

And right now, I had to admit, I was caught off guard and truly scared.

I was starting to believe his threats weren't just jokes.

A cold sweat broke out down my back. "I don't know what you're talking about, Rhine, calm down!"

Rhine let out a scoffing laugh, though the sound of it only made my skin crawl more. "You forgot? Then do you want me to use my actions to help you remember? I warned you not to approach that dangerous creature on your own, so whose glowstick was left in the water tank?"

My breath hitched sharply, and I felt the urge to bash my own head into a wall over my carelessness. Lying was useless, but I still couldn't bring myself to confess. "Then maybe, maybe I dropped it on the deck today. I swear I didn't go down there!"

"I won't believe your vows, Desharow. You are an absolute... little liar." Rhine suddenly used my real name, his deep voice vibrating through my spine and numbing my chest. He handed down this verdict on me like he was presenting a concrete biological appraisal.

His right arm tightened around my sides, firmly locking my arms in place, while his other hand grabbed my towel and violently ripped away the only thing shielding my body.

I finally realized Rhine was completely serious. There wasn't a single person on this ship who could save me!

"Rhine, don't mess around, I'm your student!"

I roared, thrashing and jumping wildly like a cornered rabbit, but the gap in our muscle strength was too massive. Every inch of my mobility was restricted to practically nothing, save for my bare ass, which could still wiggle. But I'd rather not move it at all, because the friction felt no different than an outright invitation.

"If you're willing, Desharow... I've held back for a long time," Rhine said, in a tone that was half-threat, half-negotiation. He pinned my hands behind my back like a cop arresting a criminal, freeing one hand to brush the hair away from the nape of my neck. "From the day you chose me as your mentor, I've liked you. If you submit to me, I can get government support for the mermaid research project. You will become world-famous... become a biologist even greater than Wallace and Darwin."

I froze for several seconds at those words. Not because I was tempted, but because I had never imagined that my brilliant, outstanding mentor and partner, a man I looked up to, would try to bribe me so nakedly. And the ridiculous part was that he was trying to buy the body of his student, another man.

I had spent my whole life in the academic world, completely ignoring the filth and cruelty of reality.

"You're agreeing through silence, Desharow?" Rhine stroked my chest, his tone tainted with the smugness of getting his way. He lowered his head to kiss my neck and sighed. "You smell so good, so good I can barely stand to just taste you."

I dodged my head away like I'd been electrocuted. A wave of humiliating nausea sent me into a blind rage, and I struggled frantically. "I refuse! Rhine, I refuse this dirty deal, and I refuse to stay your student! I'd rather drop out! You shameless bastard!"

"But right now, have I given you the room to refuse?"

Rhine suddenly burst into loud laughter. He seized my arms, dragging me around so I faced him, his large hands gripping the back of my neck and my head, forcing me to look up. I stared him straight in the eyes without shrinking back, clenching my jaw to harden the contours of my face, making sure he clearly understood I was not weak.

I was a scholar who stood high enough above him spiritually and morally to look down on him. "I refuse. Rhine. Don't make me despise you."

His predatory, threatening smile slowly faded under my glaring stare, replaced by a look of suppressed tension. His brow twitched, and he leaned in close to my ear. "Desharow, you're too naive. One day, the nobility you believe in will collapse in the face of cruel reality, and you will bow to me. And I'll be waiting for that day. You're so cute like this, it makes me almost want to fall in love with you..."

Rhine turned his face, as if moving in to kiss my lips.

I turned my head sharply to dodge, hitting the door behind me so hard my skull flared with pain, and the room spun around me. Just then, the floor beneath us genuinely lurched violently. A familiar, strange scent drifted through the air, and with a sharp crack, the bathroom went pitch black.

I couldn't see anything, but I felt Rhine leave my body—it was so sudden it felt as if he had been physically yanked away by an unseen force. Immediately after, in the pitch blackness, he let out a muffled grunt, as if he had been severely startled by something.

"Storm! Storm!"

The distant shouts of the sailors echoed from outside.

I didn't care what had just happened. I slammed the bathroom door open, not even stopping to pick up my towel, and ran completely naked back into my cabin, locking the door tight behind me.

A raging storm was tearing through outside. The sudden gale whipped wildly, making the entire ship pitch violently. The glass was plastered with streaking, chaotic lines of rain, making it impossible to see a thing.

I held onto the bedrail, sat down on the mattress, and hurriedly threw on some clean clothes. But just as I was pulling my shirt over my head, I suddenly saw a dark shadow flash past in the rainy fog outside the window. It moved at an inhuman speed. I figured it was just something on the ship blowing away in the wind, but after I got my shirt on, in those brief few seconds, I noticed a terrifying anomaly on the windowpane.

A blurry outline was pressed into the condensation on the glass.

It was the handprint of a person, but the spaces between the fingers were connected.

It was the webbed claw of the mermaid.

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