Once the announcement of Mingi's coronation spread throughout the pod, a few volunteers came forward to go with Wooyoung as an escort. Most of them simply wanted the adventure, but some because they had distant relatives in other pods that they were interested in visiting.

A royal summons was always a big deal, so they would end up spending a few days with each pod once they were received by the royal family.

There was usually a large feast, a night of celebration, and time was given to gather gifts from the pod. Any crafters or artisans would push aside all other projects to prioritize making something for the coronation.

And this was going to be an even bigger deal because there had not been a coronation in any pod for over one hundred years. With their lifespan, coronations were either few and far between, or they all happened in a small clump once one generation was ready to pass on the responsibility to their children.

Mingi's was a rare case given the condition of his father.

This also meant that Yunho was going to be busy preparing to receive so many strangers in their midst. Security was going to be extra high just in case, although Mingi wasn't too worried since they were a peaceful race.

The guard still insisted on having extra staff on hand so that way Mingi was always close to someone.

A few of his most trusted mermen were also assigned to go with Wooyoung. They would be equipped to handle any kind of predator they may come across on their journey.

Wooyoung watched as the four guards started to strap pieces of armor made from sea turtle shells and infused with magic to their bodies for protection. The only thing they couldn't cover was their tails, but they were trained to protect those so it wasn't a concern.

"Woo, I'd feel better if you put on some armor too." Mingi said from where he was leaning against a wall and chewing nervously on a nail. Now that this was actually happening, he had tried to convince Wooyoung to stay, but Yunho was the voice of reason and reminded him that this was his idea in the first place.

"I've never worn it before, it'll only slow us down." Wooyoung eyed the guards again and one of them sent a nod of agreement before fastening a large piece over his chest. "These guys will protect me, everything will be fine." He turned to his friend and smiled.

If he was being honest, Wooyoung was really looking forward to this. It would give him time to clear his head and be, somewhat, on his own for a little bit. He was planning on using the time to think about everything too.

Wooyoung glanced at Mingi and Yunho as they did a final inspection of the coronation committee. They moved almost in perfect sync and always seemed to know where the other was or what the other was going to do next.

He didn't know if he would ever fit in with that, but he knew that the way he felt things for others had changed since San left, and... he didn't want to be alone.

So he had already decided that if he couldn't come up with a good enough reason to say no, Wooyoung would accept the bracelet waiting for him once he came home. It would make a nice coronation present for Mingi.

A smile tugged at his lips at the thought and he knew that he would be able to find happiness with them.

He just needed to work on letting San go completely. Hopefully this journey would do the trick. The closest pod was already a several days swim away, and that was just the first one.

Overall, they anticipated that the committee would be gone for almost two months, but as a safety net they were planning on three.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of Mingi's father surviving longer than that was very slim.

When Wooyoung had gone to say goodbye, the merman's tail was frail and a sickly grey color. Very few scales remained, and they had lost the glorious orange hues he used to be blessed with.

"Come here, my boy." The King said, holding up a shaking hand.

Wooyoung hurried forward to take it while bowing his head in respect. The King, even in his current state, still resembled Mingi in many ways. They had the same thinner eyes and longer face. And when he managed a shaking smile, there was the same glow to their swirling brown eyes.

"Thank you." He whispered, lifting his other hand up to pat the back of Wooyoung's hands. "Stay safe. For me. And Mingi." The King had to pause a lot when he spoke, but he still managed to hold the kind but authoritative tone that his people loved.

"I will." Wooyoung did his best to give a hope-filled look. He wanted to leave a good, final impression with one of the mermen that practically raised him, just in case... "Thank you for everything." He added, feeling his chest tighten a little as awful thoughts started to fill his head.

The King just shook his head in response and patted his hands once more. "You grew into... a fine young merman... I'm proud of you."

Wooyoung's lower lip trembled a little at the high praise and he felt himself sinking down a little to settle into the sand beside the King's bed. He watched as the merman gave him one more weak smile before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

Only when he had watched the King's chest rise and fall several times to show he was just sleeping did Wooyoung slowly slip away.

And now it was time to say goodbye to his friends. Although they promised not to say those words.

As was their habit, Mingi pulled Wooyoung to his chest and Yunho hugged him from behind. None of them spoke, all they wanted to do was enjoy each other's presence for as long as they could.

But even that had to come to an end.

The entire pod gathered to wish them a safe journey. Wooyoung waved goodbye to the children and Mer Kim, who had an are wrapped around Mera Kim's waist. The two of them had given him a small seal skin pouch so he could carry some potions and salves with him as a parting gift, which Wooyoung had slung over one shoulder it hung right where his tail started.

After a few minutes, the traveling group all turned away from their home and swam into the deep dark blue of the open ocean.

A few of the volunteers, and Wooyoung, held special rods that had preserved jellyfish wrapped around the end. It was a special species gifted with fluorescent light. They used it as a way to ward of predators, but for merfolk, it was used as a light so they could see the surrounding area.

The guards kept their tridents ready at all times. The uptick in sharks were still a problem and some of the faster species could strike without any warning.

This first leg of the journey would also involve crossing a wide trench that went even deeper into the ocean.

Ancient creatures were said to dwell there, but it was another forbidden place for the pod to go. They weren't equipped to handle what was reported to roam the darkest spaces of the ocean.

Wooyoung found himself looking around for any signs of sea life besides themselves. Sometimes he forgot just how big the ocean really was. It was several hours before they came across a dark mass rising from the deep.

The group paused, except for the guards, who all moved to attack positions, and waited to see what mystery was coming.

A look of wonder crossed Wooyoung's face when he recognized what it was.

A gigantic sperm whale.

It watched them with wary eyes as it moved its powerful tail back and forth to propel its massive body toward the surface for air.

"I've never..." One of the volunteers, Wooyoung recognized her as one of their animal experts, said with her hand over her mouth. Her soft pink tail swayed gently below her

The creature opened its mouth, revealing sharp teeth, then a series of loud clicks started to come from the creature before it turned to expose its stomach to them.

One of the guards looked like he was preparing to attack but the mermaid placed a hand on his arm. "Don't, she's just using her echolocation to check us out. They aren't naturally violent." She spoke with a smile and never looked away from the massive creature.

Several more started to appear as well, and many of them had what looked to be large squid in their mouths.

"I bet they have calves waiting for them at the surface. Let them pass in peace."

The group did as the mermaid instructed, even when one of the whales moved closer to check them out. For her size, Wooyoung was impressed by how graceful she was. She got as close as she possibly could but exercised great caution to never actual touch them, even when she used her tail to propel her toward the surface once she was done.

It was truly a beautiful moment that Wooyoung couldn't believe he got to see.

"They will be at the surface for a little bit to get air before they dive once more. Let's go." The mermaid nodded to the guards and everyone started to swim forward again.

The pod of whales started sending off several clicks all at once and a few stopped to turn and look at them.

"What are they doing now?" One of the guards asked.

The mermaid tilted her head, then shook it. I don't... I don't know. I-" Her words were cut off by a bloodcurdling scream when something long, thin, and sharp shot through her arm.

Panic immediately set in and the four guards looked around to find the attackers.

Wooyoung's jaw dropped when a large, round creature appeared in the distance. It had the same rounded nose of a sperm whale and two fins that seemed to of its side, but the dorsal fin was all wrong... it was flat and rounded on the creature's back.

Suddenly two beams of light blasted them and the entire group lifted their arms to cover their eyes.

The mermaid was still crying out in pain, and then there were a few other horrified screams.

Wooyoung lowered his arm to try and see what was going on. He knew right away that were in a worse situation than they could have ever prepared for. The lights were something that no creature could make.

So whatever the thing was in front of them... it was made by humans.

And this was confirmed when a hole opened underneath it and sever humans encased in something black and carrying large yellow cylinders on their back appeared from within it.

They were all carrying what looked to be a weapon and had large flat things on their feet that propelled them forward much faster than normal.

"Human!! Swim!" Wooyoung shouted. His heart was racing as he spun around and swam for the injured mermaid to grab her around her waist. "Come on, swim!" He urged.

She whimpered and held her arm close to her chest, but did her best to push her tail back and forth to move forward.

Wooyoung glanced over his shoulder to see the guards swimming toward the humans with lightning speed. One of them managed to stab a human right in the stomach right away and his body started to sink into the black abyss below them.

He could see that his pod-mates had the speed and agility, but the humans had power. One of them fired the contraption in their hands and another object shot through the attacking merman's shoulder. This caused him to drop his trident and he spun around to try and protect himself.

But this caused him to get tangled in whatever cord was still attacked to the bold now protruding from his shoulder on both sides.

The human holding the weapon started swimming backward, dragging the struggling merman with him.

Several more screams came from his right, and Wooyoung saw the volunteers all being attacked by humans.

They were completely surrounded.

And there was another problem...

The water was filled with clouds of blood.

"Wooyoung!" One of the guards came over to him and pulled the wounded mermaid from his arms. "Go, tell Prince Mingi! You're the fastest one here."

"Bu-"

The guard opened his mouth to say something else, but he was interrupted when the mermaid screamed once more and was yanked from his arms.

Wooyoung immediately swam up once he saw the jaws of a large shark enclosed around her tail. The beast was big enough that her tail was already in shreds before he started to drag her down.

Her screams could still be heard even after she was swallowed in the blackness.

"Wooyoung, go!!" The guard shouted once more. He spun around and used the weight of his tail to strike an oncoming shark to stun in, then swam forward to try and attack another human.

He didn't need to, though.

The sharks were on neither side, so one sped up from the depths and grabbed the human's arm. It clamped down hard enough that with one jerk of it's head, the arm came off right above the elbow.

It was a massacre.

And more and more sharks were coming every second.

Soon there would be no escape.

Wooyoung did one final glance around and his heart started beating even faster when he realized there was no hope for the others... He covered his mouth with his hands to muffled the sob that ripped from his throat.

He gave into his instincts and started swimming toward the surface, praying that none of the sharks would follow him and that they would take care of the rest of the humans.

How had everything gone from so magical to complete tragedy in a matter of minutes?

In his panic, all he could focus on was the fact that the water was slowly getting lighter around him. The surface was his goal, or at least close to the surface as he dared to go.

He didn't know if it was his imagination or not... but Wooyoung swore he could still hear the screams of his pod coming from below him. They were in pure agony and there was nothing he could do.

But he had to let Mingi know.

The young merman tried to gather his bearings so he could get home as fast as possible. This was too close to home.

He had no idea where he was, though... and all the traveling gear was now either in the stomach of a shark or on the sea floor.

So he swam the rest of the way to the surface so he could see where the sun was.

He broke through the surface so fast that he flew out of the water and landed on his side with a hard smack. Wooyoung grabbed his side and tried to shake off the pain as he glanced up at the sky.

It was late enough in the day that the sun was close to the horizon.

Wooyoung knew where he needed to go.

He would get home.

He had to.

He had promised Mingi and Yunho that he would get home safe.

Wooyoung dove below the surface of the water, slapping his glistening tail against the surface from the force of the flip.

And swam straight into a barbed net.