The heart break

Noah clutched the seashell necklace Thalassius had given him, feeling its cool surface press against his palm. His chest tightened as a wave of unease washed over him. Thalassius had disappeared without a word, and now Noah needed to know why. Without hesitation, he stepped into the water, his body shivering slightly as the ocean embraced him.

The moment the necklace rested against his skin, his legs tingled, shifting into a shimmering mertail. With powerful strokes, he swam through the depths, the water gliding smoothly around him. He had to find Thalassius.

After what felt like hours, Noah finally spotted a gathering near a large rock formation above the water. He slowly surfaced, hiding behind a jagged piece of coral, and his breath hitched at the sight before him.

Thalassius sat high on a throne-like rock, his long, glistening tail draped elegantly over the edge. A crown of golden coral rested atop his wet, flowing hair, making him look more regal than ever. His expression was calm but filled with authority as he spoke to a group of mermen and mermaids surrounding him, their eyes gleaming with admiration.

Noah’s stomach twisted when he heard the words spilling from Thalassius’s lips.

“Our plan is already working,” Thalassius declared, his voice smooth and unwavering. “Since I met that human, things have already begun falling into place.”

A murmur of approval rippled through the crowd.

“We will reclaim what is rightfully ours,” Thalassius continued, his tail flicking the water as he gazed at his people. “Humans have ruled for too long. It’s time for the ocean to take its place above them. And thanks to my bond with Noah, we are one step closer to that goal.”

Noah’s breath caught in his throat. His fingers curled around the seashell necklace as his mind reeled. Had everything been a lie? Had Thalassius only approached him as part of some grand scheme?

His heart pounded against his ribs as he stared at the merman who had held him, kissed him, and whispered to him in the dead of night. The same merman who now spoke about using him as a pawn in a plan he hadn’t even known existed.

Noah felt cold, despite the warm sun above the water. His chest ached with betrayal, but most of all, he felt a sickening sense of dread.

Because if Thalassius was telling the truth… then Noah was already caught in a war he never asked to be a part of.

Noah’s chest felt tight as he forced himself to swim away. The voices of the merfolk faded into the crashing waves, but Thalassius’s words echoed in his mind, each syllable cutting deeper than the last.

"Since I met that human, things have already begun falling into place."

Tears blurred his vision as he reached the shore. With trembling hands, he yanked the seashell necklace from around his neck. The moment it left his skin, his tail shimmered and morphed back into legs. He stumbled onto the sand, barely able to stand, his body heavy with exhaustion and heartache.

By the time he reached his small home, his breath came in ragged gasps. His fingers fumbled with the door handle, and when he finally got inside, he collapsed onto the wooden floor. A broken sob tore from his throat.

He had feelings for Thalassius. He had let himself believe, for just a moment, that maybe the merman felt something too. The way Thalassius held him at night, the way his lips lingered on his skin—it had all felt real.

But it wasn’t.

Noah buried his face in his hands, shaking as fresh tears slipped down his cheeks. It felt like his past love all over again.

He had loved before. And he had been betrayed before.

He should have known better.

The pain in his chest twisted into something unbearable, something suffocating. Thalassius had never cared about him. He had only been a tool, a step in some grand scheme to take over the human world.

Noah clenched his fists. His heart wanted to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was more to it—that perhaps Thalassius had been lying to the others, that his feelings weren’t entirely fake.

But deep down, Noah knew the truth.

Thalassius had used him. And Noah had been foolish enough to let him.

To be continued

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