Chapter Text
„Alhaitham?“
The boy flinched as he heard his mother’s voice close behind him, his focus breaking suddenly. He raised his head to look behind him, the woman’s long silver hair falling over her shoulder as she crouched down to talk to him.
“We’ll have lunch soon, please finish whatever you’re doing, alright?”
“But dolphins are about to come back soon… I don’t want to miss greeting them…”
His mother let out a quiet chuckle, followed by a familiar, soft smile. “If you hear them splashing or making noises, you can get up, alright?” she calmly suggested, ruffling boy’s fluffy bangs with her long fingers.
Alhaitham frowned at the suggestion, scrunching his nose in the process, only to eventually nod.
“What are we eating?” he asked, still not getting back on his feet.
“The grown-ups will eat the tuna stew, you know, from the one the crew caught earlier. And the chef prepared you sabz stew pie, I told him it’s your favorite”
The boy could suddenly feel and hear his stomach growl, making him finally get back up.
“Oh, but chef also said your dish will come a little later, it’s still baking”
“Oh…” Alhaitham acknowledged, immediately turning his back towards the sea “Then I’ll wait here until it’s done”
He could hear his mother sigh deeply, but she didn’t say anything else afterwards. Her voice grew quieter and slightly shaky in the undertone, a tone which Alhaitham knew all too well…
“Alright. But when I call you, better be at the table in a matter of seconds”
The boy hummed in response, not even looking back at his mom as she walked away towards the main deck of their vintage vacation yacht. Alhaitham kept his eyes focused on the deep blue of the ocean surrounding him, the water as calm and clear as a mirror.
These week-long cruises became a tradition for Alhaitham’s family in recent years, especially since his father got a new job outside of Sumeru. Sure, he was absent for the longest time, but he never failed to shower his son with rare items he found all over the globe. Books about the ocean, various replicas of underwater spaces the boy could build by himself, movies, books and booklets on a specific marine animal, Alhaitham wanted them all.
But despite his busy schedule, his father always seemed to find the time to spend a whole week with his family when on these cruises, even buying this vintage yacht two years ago.
Alhaitham understood buying this boat was probably a matter of status for his father, but the boy never saw anything valuable in it aside from one thing: the yacht’s huge back deck.
The boy would find himself sitting at the back deck for hours, usually under a massive parasol and with various snacks his mom or grandmother would bring him. He could stare at the ocean forever if anyone would let him, the clearness of the water and a colorful edge of the massive Ormos coral reef always booming with life he could observe. And this year, he even got a special camera which he could put into the water to take a picture of all living things under or behind the boat.
Hence why, despite not being a fan of vacation cruises which broke his usual routine, Alhaitham lived for this one week every single year, his mother not being fond of an idea of him going out to sea if she’s not present otherwise. Here, he had some freedom to do what he liked the most…
And now, at the age of twelve, he knew exactly what he wanted to do once he finally graduates Akademiya’s middle school branch…
A strong gust of wind suddenly hit the boy in the face, making him raise his head towards the sky with wide eyes.
The clouds on the horizon didn’t seem too sinister at the moment, the sun still setting nicely over the horizon. But the sudden wind gusts were probably the last warning the ocean gave before a strong storm hit, those not being unusual during the summer considering Port Ormos’s tropical and humid climate.
Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Alhaitham turned towards the main deck of the boat, the wave of immense disappointment washing over him. He won’t be able to greet the dolphins, after all-
The yacht’s engine abruptly started, startling the boy and making him stop dead in his tracks. The wind was slowly picking up as the once clear sea became murky and wavy, the clouds slowly approaching and getting darker.
“We’re leaving!” he could hear the captain yell out, the engine only getting louder.
Alhaitham had no time to react, anything he could hold onto way far out of his reach.
Still, he leaped forward, hoping to catch onto one of the wooden railings of the side stairs… only for the yacht to fly forward, making him slip.
Alhaitham landed on the deck with a grunt, both his knees and elbows pulsing with pain as he started crawling across the back deck, the winds whipping at his face as the yacht rushed forward.
But just as he opened his mouth to call out for help, the boat made a sudden, sharp turn to the left.
The boy lost his balance once again, his body thrown to the right with no way for him to grab onto anything and a single yelp escaped his mouth before he was violently thrown overboard.
The ocean water was rather refreshing on his damp skin, his limbs unable to move for a moment or two as his brain struggled to process the severity of his current situation.
Luckily, the boy’s survival instinct and all those years of swimming practice finally kicked in, making him pedal with his hands and feet towards the surface.
The waves were much bigger as he resurfaced, his knees starting to sting as the ocean water coated his newly-obtained cuts. Alhaitham tried to relax as much as possible, but as the waves whipped him around more and more, it became harder and harder to stay up float.
And yet, the boy didn’t even have time to properly process his new predicament as the panic and horror washed over him in an instant.
The yacht was gone… and his parents and grandmother along with it.
Alhaitham let out a desperate yelp as he continued to kick his legs under water, the sound cruelly swallowed by the growing waves.
He started to look around for any type of direction, the sky suddenly turning darker shade of gray as the sound of distant thunder rang out over the horizon. He was ten miles away from shore, with waves that were becoming bigger by a minute and submerging him viciously despite his best efforts to remain on the surface.
Why would this happen?! What did he do to deserve such death? To be forgotten by his own protective parents in the middle of the sea.
He was always aware of ocean’s immerse power, and how unpredictable it could become. And yet, he still loved it, and all creatures that lived in it, no matter their size or species.
But at this moment, as his legs are getting tired and heavy, as his lungs are getting filled with salty water and his body is rocked from side to side without any mercy, Alhaitham was convinced he did something to displease this vast body of water he respected so much.
He got greedy, he didn’t listen to his mother… and now he will die because of it…
***
When any member of merfolk turns fourteen years old, it is believed they’re finally ready for their first venture to the surface.
Many young merfolk cannot wait for the said opportunity, but the truth is they still need to be accompanied by an older family member to ensure they’re not seen by surface-dwellers. For some youngsters, this fact can spoil the excitement they had about their first surface venture, prompting most of them to wait four more years so they could finally venture to the surface alone.
But for Kaveh, having his mother with him on his first trip to the surface was not only reassuring, but the best possible outcome.
As the two of them approached the edge of Ormos bay area, where two strong tidal currents met and created many vicious whirlpools on the daily basis, the young merman couldn’t contain his excitement.
The guards greeted them warmly upon their exit, Kaveh squeezing his mother’s arm as they swam under the tidal currents to reach the surfacing area.
“You’re trembling so much, dear, are you sure you’re alright?” Faranak asked, the young merman’s eyes widening with even more excitement and conviction as he answered:
“I’m trembling because I can’t wait, mama! Are we there soon?”
The older mermaid chuckled, continuing to lead the youngling forward and across incredibly lively coral reef. Kaveh greeted every single fish, crab, eel and octopus he’d see, some of them joining them on their swim towards their destination.
Eventually, the mother and son duo reached a deep opening in the reef, right above the entrance to a gigantic underwater cave.
“Do you remember what I’ve told you before we came here?” Faranak questioned, facing her son and taking his hands into hers.
The young merman nodded enthusiastically “Swim slowly towards the surface, and when you’re out, don’t breathe in right away. The lungs will sting for a moment or two, but that is normal.”
“Good job” the mermaid praised “And what else?”
“Keep your head close to the surface of the water”
“And why is that, Kaveh?”
The youngster frowned, the excitement seemingly wiping his memory clean “Uh… because of surface dwellers?”
“Correct again” Faranak gave her son a wider smile “Even though we’re almost ten miles off shore, many surface dwellers still come into this area for fishing and cruising. We ought to be careful to not be seen”
“And why is that, mama?”
The mermaid hesitated, Kaveh feeling her grip strengthening for only a moment.
“Surface dwellers… have a lot of tales about us. Some are good, some paint us in a rather unfavorable light. Thus, it is the best decision to stay clear of them”
Kaveh frowned again and wanted to ask even more questions, but seeing how tense his mother’s face suddenly became made him drop the idea. Not many merfolk he knew wanted to speak much of surface dwellers for one reason or another, but that mystery only made them and their world that more interesting to Kaveh.
“Ready, dear?”
Kaveh’s mind once again exploded with excitement upon his mother’s question, his head nodding enthusiastically before he allowed to be pulled upwards.
Allowing the water current to carry them, the pair soon reached the unsteady surface of the water, Kaveh feeling slight stinging upon opening his eyes above the water.
As instructed, he held his breath for ten seconds before taking the first breath of surface air.
“OH!” he exclaimed, a strong sense of discomfort overtaking his lungs “Mama, air really stings a lot!”
Faranak could only giggle “Yes, because surface air is much thinner than the water we filter through our gills. Don’t worry, your body will adjust after a few breaths”
Kaveh wanted to whine some more, but all discomfort seemed to disappear as his eyes focused on the horizon above and in front of him.
Only knowing the deep blue color of the ocean, the young merman was astonished by the fact the surface sky could vary in so many shades of white, silver and gray. Strange formations floated across the sky, making the surface of the ocean gain a metallic glow. The waves rocked his around as if they wanted to lull him into sleep and strange and cold water droplets suddenly started falling onto his face.
“Oh, it seems we chose a bad day to surface” Faranak noted as she looked around “It seems like a summer storm is approaching”
“Storm?”
“Yes, like when the surface of the water becomes murky and we are sometimes getting rocked back and forth underwater”
“Oh, so that’s it!?” Kaveh exclaimed “We should stay! I want to see what the storm looks like on the surface!”
His mother didn’t seem pleased with the suggestion, but she still nodded, her voice becoming authoritative:
“Alright, but only for a couple of minutes! We can return later once the storm passes, I don’t want to risk your safety!”
The young merman seemed satisfied with the deal, his eyes immediately focusing on the horizon around him.
The sky was gradually getting darker, wind blowing into his eyes that still struggled to adjust to the surface air. But despite all of that, and with the waves crashing onto his head every so often, Kaveh couldn’t help but chuckle. Despite being allowed to swim wherever he wanted underwater, this new sensation made him want to jump in the air with joy.
A piercing sound rang out from the sky, Kaveh catching a sight of lightning for the first time in his life.
“Whoa, what was that, mama!?”
“A lightning” she answered in a rather stern tone “And that is our sign to get back under water. Lightning is dangerous even for us”
“But why is it danger-” Kaveh’s words trailed off as he noticed something on the horizon that wasn’t there before.
A small speck of silver, in the middle of dark gray waves, barely floating above the surface.
The merman steadied himself as much as possible, his eyes slowly focusing on that one, small point. Maybe it was a debris from a surface boat, a seagull maybe?...
But then, two small hands emerged from the water, their waving frantic and uncoordinated…
A surface dweller!
Kaveh could hear his mother talking to him, but he didn’t understand a single word. All of his attention was on that creature obviously struggling to keep up float.
The merman was moving before his own brain could register it, his body going underwater to get more speed and momentum. Even under the surface, he was rocked around like a patch of seaweed, but that didn’t deter him from swimming towards the person he just saw.
A minute later, he was right under the person, only for his heart to skip a beat upon noticing two frantically-flapping, small legs…
“Mama, it’s a human boy!” he called out, Faranak barely managing to catch up to her son.
“I noticed, Kaveh, and I told you not to approach a surface dweller!”
“But, he seems to be struggling, mama!” Kaveh pleaded, his eyes constantly shifting between the boy and the older mermaid’s clearly angry expression “Is it normal for them to be at sea when the storm is starting?”
“No, it’s not” Faranak retorted “He was probably thrown overboard from a ship. That could sometimes happen…”
A horror gripped at Kaveh’s chest, noticing the boy’s legs starting to flap around less and less, his hands being more underwater than above it.
“That means he can drown, right, mama?”
Faranak seemed to be taken aback by her son’s question, the paleness of her complexion showing that she knew exactly where her son’s question was leading…
“We cannot do much, Kaveh… He was just unlucky…”
Kaveh could feel his chest become heavy, the merfolk rules and laws that he was taught since he was a young merman suddenly making no sense, especially in a dire situation like this.
As his eyes looked up again, he noticed the boy stopped moving altogether, his silver head completely submerged.
Panic overtaking his entire body, the young merman chose not to listen to his logic and allow his tail to move instead, completely disregarding his mother’s frantic plea.
With two strong strokes, Kaveh outstretched his arms and cradled the drowning boy into his arms, using his tail to launch them towards the wavy surface. As he used all of his strength to stay up float, he could feel the boy’s head slump over his shoulder, his body becoming heavy in his arms.
“Hey, human!” he called out, shaking him and using one of his hands to grasp at the boy’s cheeks “Can you hear me!? Hey! We’re on the surface now, you have to breathe!”
After getting no response for a moment or two, merman started to panic, not sure what he was even supposed to do when a human almost drowns in the sea.
But then, the boy in his arms started coughing, water coming out of his mouth and nose. Kaveh sighed with relief, allowing him to lean back onto his shoulder. He could feel the boy’s body tensing up, his hands instinctively grabbing onto his torso and hugging him. The boy was much smaller than him, his outstretched legs barely reaching the top half of Kaveh’s tail.
“Mom… dad…” he could hear the boy mutter, his voice hoarse and trembling.
On the verge of tears himself, Kaveh wrapped his hands around him with even more strength, not even the storm at its full strength being able to pull the boy away from him.
“Kaveh!” his mother’s voice suddenly reached the young merman, a new type of horror settling into his chest. “Why would you do this!? And you promised to behave! I cannot believe you’re disrespecting my wishes-”
“Mama…” he said with a quivering voice as he turned to her, his own tears rolling down his damp cheeks “He’s calling for his parents… I can’t leave him, mama…”
Faranak opened her mouth to say something, but as her eyes flew between her son and the boy he held, she slowly approached them.
“He’s very young…” she noted as she observed the human further “The poor thing must be freezing”
“Can we do anything, mama?” Kaveh asked as the tears continued to flow, his voice becoming shakier and more contorted.
Faranak shook her head with a heavy expression “Not really, dear. Closest land is almost an hour away… we cannot swim in these conditions. And surface dwellers won’t search for him until the storm passes-”
A familiar chirp suddenly rang out from underwater, even though the heavy rain and the merciless sounds of thunder. The merfolk duo exchanged looks, a new sense of hope making Kaveh’s chest full.
“Mama, isn’t that-”
“Azra and her pod” Faranak confirmed, momentarily disappearing under the wavy water.
With a newly-found urgency, Kaveh cradled the boy into his arms, completely ignoring the sudden feeling of tiredness and stiffness in his tail.
“You’ll be alright, human, I promise you’ll be alright…” he mumbled as he slid his hand up and down the boy’s soaked back, the only response he was given being an even stronger grip of the younger around his torso.
A moment later, Faranak resurfaced, a familiar silver head accompanying her.
“Azra!” Kaveh exclaimed with the widest smile, the dolphin matriarch chirping and bobbing her head in greeting.
“She and her pod will help us bring the boy closer to the shore. They’re much faster than you and I and have headed towards Port Ormos anyway.”
Merman’s eyes widened as the new tears threatened to roll down his face, one of his hands reaching out and patting the dolphin’s forehead.
“Thank you, Azra…” he uttered with a hoarse voice “I don’t want him to die…”
The dolphin bobbed her head once again before letting out one of her chirpy calls, two more dolphins suddenly resurfacing close to them.
Azra soon got closer to Kaveh, prompting him to put the boy on her back with subtle nuzzles of her long snout. The merman hesitated for a moment, unsure how to handle a fragile human boy that clung so desperately to him.
“You can let go now, human…” he said gently “I’ll hold your hand, but I have to move you…”
This seemed to reach the young boy, his grip slowly loosening and allowing Kaveh to prop him onto Azra’s back, right above the fin. The boy’s body once again became limp and slouched over dolphin’s back, Kaveh slowly placing his hand onto the dolphin’s fin.
“I need you to hold onto this as strong as you can. I will hold your other hand, but you have to help me, alright?”
The boy’s eyes were barely open at that point, but he still managed to nod in response, his small fingers closing around Azra’s fin.
Two other dolphins offered their own fins to Kaveh and Faranak, the two merfolk holding onto them so they could swim at the same speed as the pod. And even with his own transportation secured, the young merman never let go of the human boy’s hand.
The pod soon set out on their frantic and tedious journey, the massive waves and rain whipping them with all strength ocean could offer. In spite that, Azra never went underwater, the young human clinging onto her as best as he could.
And Kaveh never let go of his hand, not even for a second…
The shore came into view in about half an hour, Kaveh’s body suddenly washed with relief. The storm itself started subsiding, the sky clearing up as they got closer to the place Kaveh assumed was Port Ormos.
“The dolphins can’t go further than this…” Faranak explained once the pod made their final stop “Many underwater rocks surround this area, there is a high chance of them getting stranded”
“Oh...” Kaveh uttered before reaching Azra and prompting the boy to wake up. “I’ll take him closer, then”
“Kaveh, no!” the older mermaid protested “I’ve allowed this much, but you will NOT get that close to the shore!”
Knowing this tone in his mother’s voice, the young merman knew there was no point in arguing with her at that point. In search of a solution, Kaveh started looking around, a tall rock in the middle of the bay suddenly falling into view.
“And… if I take him there, mama?” he questioned, pointing his finger at the rock.
Faranak didn’t seem too pleased with that idea either, but at least she let out a sigh of defeat, meaning she could still be negotiated with.
“Fine… but get back here as soon as he’s on the solid ground, understood?”
“Yes, mama!” the merman chirped enthusiastically.
Kaveh didn’t lose any time and sprang into action, Azra helping both him and the boy to get a good grip on each other. The little human was fading in and out of consciousness, his survival instinct doing most of the work. The merman could hear him mumble something, but he couldn’t understand a single word.
A minute later, the duo reached the tall rock and Kaveh used the last ounce of strength in his tail to launch himself and the boy on the hard surface, both of them landing with a grunt.
Remembering some lessons about human anatomy, Kaveh flipped the boy onto his side and raised his head slightly, the little human cracking both of his eyes slightly open.
“You’re almost at the shore… regain some strength and then call for help from one of the boats around here. I promise, you’ll be fine”
The boy opened his mouth slightly, a croaking sound coming from his throat before he started coughing again. Kaveh patted his back, taking one final look at now almost conscious human boy before he slid back into the sea.
“I have to leave now, little human” he said with a quivering voice “Please be good and don’t get into trouble, alright? Dolphins will oversee you and make sure you’re rescued”
The boy slowly propped his exhausted body against the rock, trying desperately to sit up, but Kaveh knew that if he stayed any longer, his mom and him will be in even more problems.
Thus, with one final wave, the young merman dove under the surface, meeting up with his mother and the pod of dolphins that had helped them rescue a young boy.
He knew he will be in trouble and grounded for a foreseeable future, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t allow this young human to die before his eyes… and he will never apologize for what he did, not even if the ocean itself decided to deal its own punishment.
All he wanted was for the boy to be alright… and survive….