The wound

Noah’s breath was still shaky, his mind spinning from the merman’s words. You are mine now.

He barely had time to process it before something caught his eye.

Chains.

Thick, rusted chains wrapped tightly around the merman’s wrists and torso, disappearing beneath the surface of the water.

Noah’s chest tightened. Why was he chained? Who had done this to him?

Before he could ask, the boat lurched violently.

“Ah—!” Noah’s body jerked forward, and he lost his balance.

With a loud thud, he collapsed onto the wooden floor of the boat—but pain instantly shot through his stomach.

A sharp, burning sensation.

Noah gasped, his fingers flying to his belly. When he looked down, his breath hitched—a deep cut stretched across his skin, fresh blood staining his shirt.

No—he must’ve scraped against something when he fell.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to push the boat away, using all his strength to put distance between himself and the merman. He couldn’t deal with this right now.

But before he could even catch his breath—

A hand shot out of the water.

Cold. Wet. Strong.

It wrapped around Noah’s wrist, yanking him back into the sea.

Noah choked on a mouthful of saltwater. He kicked and thrashed, but the merman held him close, his grip unyielding.

The ocean was dark, endless. Noah felt like he was sinking—until suddenly, the merman’s gaze locked onto his stomach.

“The cut,” the merman murmured.

Before Noah could react, the merman lowered his head… and pressed his lips to the wound.

Noah’s body froze.

His mouth parted, a soft “Hmm…” escaping before he could stop it.

The merman’s tongue slid against his skin, warm and wet, tracing the edges of the wound with an almost soothing touch.

A strange, tingling sensation spread from where the merman’s lips met his skin.

It was… working?

“It’s… tingling,” Noah mumbled breathlessly, his body relaxing. “It’s… itchy.”

The merman hummed, his hands resting against Noah’s sides, holding him in place as he continued.

Noah’s fingers twitched. His head felt light, his breath unsteady.

It was wrong—it had to be wrong.

But… it felt good.

When the merman finally pulled away, Noah blinked, shaking himself back to reality.

No. No, he couldn’t believe this.

This—all of this—was impossible.

“I still don’t believe mermen are real!” he blurted out. Denial clawed at his chest, desperation creeping into his voice.

He raised his hand, pressing it against the merman’s face as if trying to push away reality itself.

The merman didn’t stop him. He just stared.

Then, slowly—deliberately—he leaned forward… and kissed Noah’s palm.

Noah’s breath hitched.

The merman’s tongue flicked out, tracing a slow, deliberate line across his skin.

A shudder ran through Noah’s body.

His lips trembled. “That t-tongue… just touched my hand…”

Panic flared in his chest, and he shoved both hands against the merman’s face.

“Stop! I—I feel much better now, okay?!”

The merman chuckled, his deep voice rumbling through the water.

But as Noah caught his breath, his eyes flickered back to the chains.

They were still there. Tight. Heavy. Restricting.

And—pulling.

The merman’s body jerked slightly, his arms strained against the weight dragging him down.

Noah’s heart clenched.

Something about those chains… felt wrong.

But before he could question it, the merman suddenly turned.

His glowing eyes darkened.

And then—he vanished beneath the waves.

Noah floated there, his breath shallow, his body still trembling.

Had he… just let him go?

Or had the ocean taken him back?

To be continued

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