There must be something strangely sacred about salt, it is in our tears and the sea.

a pearl
© rieberly, 2024

NERIAH'THE||  AQUALASS, TSUNAMI

✶

KALDUR'AHM || AQUALAD, AQUAMAN II

✶

A PEARL IS A BEAUTIFUL THING THAT IS PRODUCED BY AN INJURED LIFE. It is the tear that results from the injury of an oyster[Stephen Hoeller].

A firm string within Neriah'the is pulled tight with the weight of expectation. She believed she knew what she wanted—to be better than her father, to make him proud. It was all that ever mattered.

But now, the Atlantean drowns in her own flooded mind. She dreams of breaking free, yet she's grown too accustomed to the pressure. The water in her hands drips slowly, mingling with the crimson liquid surrounding her legs.

Her pearlescent scales are cracked, her father's trident stained by the colored liquid pooling at her feet. To any eye—even the blind—uncertainty is written across her form. Protector or peril?

She must be a hero at all costs. She will be a hero at all costs. Her actions must be precise, her eyes ever-watchful, her heart cold in battle. Strength is earned, and she's willing to break herself again and again to find it.

She wants [needs] to be a hero. But what kind? The only example she had left her with nothing but teachings and the ghost of old promises.

She is her father's [mother's] daughter. 

Neriah'the loves; so dearly, she knows the familiar ache. But her affection will never be returned—she's certain of it. Yet the touch of trials keeps her both at peace [and at war].

And she despises vulnerability—it feels like weakness wrapped in silk. Strength is all she clings to, for everything else has slipped through her fingers.

❖ DISCLAIMER// This book contains canon violence, spoilers, major character deaths, mentions of grief and abandonment, themes of ptsd and other mental illnesses. Warnings will be added as time goes on.

❖ COPYRIGHT// Young justice belongs to Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman. I do not own the show, the characters nor its plot. I only own my character— Neriah'the, additional original characters and deviations from the show's plot.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Ring... ring

Hello?

Hey! You've reached rieberly!

❖ I have been dying to release this book, especially after I rewatched young justice recently. Don't worry I'm not abandoning my Jujutsu Kaisen fic, but I really wanted to get this out before the new year begins. 

❖ A pearl will follow the Young Justice canon from season one to four, there will be slight changes but not too significant. Updates on this book will be a bit slow due to upcoming exams so please bear with me.

❖This book is dedicated to the watchtower, so many lovely people who support and encourage each other. Thank you all for being so kind and accommodating!

❖So sit tight and enjoy !