xn:

Hi, thank you so much for your feedback on my previous updates. I'm so flattered and happy reading your comments. Your reactions gave me back my motivation in writing.

If you wish to share your thoughts on this novel on other social media platforms, just use these hashtags so I can read them later: #everafterserieswp #wavesofscales

btw, some of you were asking about the pronunciation of the terms and names, so here:

Sercean (n.) /sir-se-yan/ - a mermaid.

Serceana (n.) - a female mermaid.

Serceano (n.) - a male mermaid.

Asceia /as-she-ya/ - daughter of the Crown of Order or Mother of Sirencean; a powerful mermaid.

thank you so much!

here's another page. enjoy reading!

°°••°°

ASCEIA ENDED UP wearing a gray shirt, paired with fitted jeans, and black rubber shoes. While riding a pump boat or a "motor bangca" driven by Zarro of Family Faunaceans, she felt the strong breeze of cold air blowing away her brown curly hair and easing the heat of the sun. Her eyes were fixated on the view of the buildings and other constructions on the land that became more visible as they came closer and closer. With the noise of the engine filling her ears, she drowned herself in her thoughts. She imagined the things waiting for her and the answers she was about to discover.

She had thought of horrible scenarios that were likely to happen, given the situation they were in. A secret kind hiding in the depths of the ocean and blending discreetly with humans, a lot of things could go wrong with one reckless move. But why now? She can't point out the reason why after thousands of years of living covertly with humans her kind lost connection in just a snap like someone flicked the switch to sever everything.

She never thought of stepping into the land of humans. All she did in her life was to study humans based on the gathered and sent information by her kind on land. But now, she's here. In her generation, she was the first one to return, and that weighs a lot of pressure. Her actions will reflect the future of her species. That's why she felt the need to make them proud by finding out the truth.

After a twenty-minute ride, she got out of her thoughts as they reached the docks just beside the crowded beach. As a sercean who just stepped into another world filled with different species, she instantly felt uneasiness. There was this uncomfortable feeling growing inside her and her senses were heightened as if she was detecting danger.

"That's natural. Being introduced to another group of species, you will feel anxious. That's fine. Just remember that we are much higher than them. Use your voice. And please, be careful," he vocally said after sensing what she felt, "You'll get used to this."

They docked beside the seawall, where stairs leading to the top were located. He quickly stood and aided her as she stepped out of the boat and jumped to the stairs.

"I wish you well in your mission, Asceia of Family Sirencean. Find them all."

"I will...and I will bring them all back," she answered telepathically.

The pump boat left. She climbed to the top of the wall and stood there for a while. She watched Zarro turn smaller and smaller each second. Her sight roamed around the sparkling sea until her focus was fixated on the families of humans on the beach at the end of the seawall enjoying the water. She closed her eyes and let her mind expand or extend around her radius of influence. For a second, she didn't find anyone just like her. She let out a sigh and walked her way down to the other side of the wall.

Standing on the roadside, when she saw the tricycle coming, she quickly extended her arms to signal the driver. The vehicle slowed down until it stopped in front of her. There were no passengers inside. She stepped in and sat beside the driver.

"Where to, ma'am?" the man asked, making her freeze for a second.

But she pulled herself together and grabbed a paper from her right pocket. She handed it over to the driver and watched him read the location written on it.

"Ah...Flores' Apartment. That's on Poblacion. A ten-minute ride," the man answered and the vehicle started moving. "Do you want music, ma'am?"

She shook her head. Right now, she can't let any song or music cloud her mind and block her hearing. She needed to scout everything around in the hope of finding her kind. But this encounter made her realize something. Her first interaction with humans turned out to be good, the man was kind and she sensed no danger around him. Despite those terrible reports of humans harming the marine environment, still there are good people on land.

•••

THE VEHICLE FINALLY stopped in front of a four-story building with a very dry painting. She took out the money from her back pocket and gave the hundred peso bill to the driver. He accepted it and opened his old chest bag for change. But before he could take out the money, she left him with no word and just turned around, making her way to the entrance of the building.

She pushed the glass door and was welcomed by a handful of busy people. No one noticed her as she took the elevator. She entered alone and quickly pressed the button for the third floor. The door closed and she felt the room rise. Two floors passed the elevator ding and opened its doors to the hallway of a silent floor. She stepped outside and slowly walked while her eyes were focused on checking the numbers engraved on the doors. Until she stopped in the middle, in front of Room 28.

She held and twisted the knob but it was locked. She stepped back and kicked the door down with enough force. The noise she made surely attracted unwanted attention, so she quickly entered the room. She closed the door, pulled the chair near her, and put it against the door to keep it shut. She reached for the light switch and in one flick, the colors flooded the messy room.

She was in Leyrosa's room. With just one look, she certainly knew something happened here. A shattered table in the center. Fruits and vegetables that started to rot were scattered everywhere. Drag marks on the carpet. And bloodstains. She was worried and furious. She knew someone attacked Leyrosa, and now either she was held captive or she was already dead. She can't help but feel anxious about the thought of Leyrosa lying on a metal table with her body open and her insides on a jar.

She decided to look around, to check every corner of her apartment room in the hope of finding any clue to her whereabouts. But she stopped when she heard something. She gave her full focus on the stairs on the second floor and her enhanced hearing confirmed several boots moving in a hurry --- several people were climbing up. On the other hand, she also heard the elevator ding and the boots of another smaller group heading to her location.

She immediately ran back to the main door and pressed herself against the wall beside the doorway. In a blink of an eye, the door was busted open. On her right wrist, a barbed stinger with a length of approximately one foot was extended. She immediately stabbed the exposed neck of the first to step in. There she felt how the man's flesh was torn as her spine impaled through the other side of his neck. She retracted her barbed stinger and the blood spurted out. She jumped in front of the shaking man and held his body erect, serving as a shield against the bullets coming from the men behind.