A Child of Air - Post Story #2

It's funny how everything is.
You do one bad thing and everyone hates you.

It's not like they ever loved me before, but still it hurts.

I still hear the sad pleas and sorrows of the sea.

I hear the dangerous words and how the sea still despises me.

Those who dwell from the sea still call me a monster even though they haven't seen me in years.

Pitiful really.

I left that much of an impact on them.

It just makes me laugh I caused that much of an uproar.

How terribly amazing.

They fear me still.

But who can blame them.

I live in a cave where the sea is not even out of reach.

Many of the rocks are painted scarlet.
Dead bones are all around.
It's incredibly treacherous.

A perfect place for a Seawitch like myself.

Thought the proper term is Ardizevepa, I go by Seawitch now.

A being that causes pain and cruelty to others.

I trick them and put spells on all who cross my path.

I spilled the blood of humans that destroyed my one reason for living.

And I cannot die no matter how many times I tried.

At this point I don't recommend it.

I once consider myself good, but that's not me anymore.

I killed my best friend and brought her to her downfall.

You could even say I loved her, I loved her so much I smothered her to pieces.

All that remains now are these little seafoam that are kept in this glass bottle I keep at my side.

Some say it is like keeping the ashes by your side.

I live in a cave I lost everything I loved and cared about.

Sure I could go back to my old home, the caves of abyss, but I haven't been there since I left all those years ago with her.

And Laiken, I'm sure I know how he feels about me.

I killed her.

She died in my arms and I did nothing to save her.

Yet, here I am at the edge of the waters and by a near cave the reaches above the waters.

Where the sun would still shine by the entrance and wind would blow on your skin.

That was when she came.
...

She had this look of pity, selfishness, like she didn't care anymore to live if she couldn't get this.

She stared dully at the ground filled of bristly stones of rocks and light ocean sea that only went up a few feet.

Her hair was silver golden as another I once saw.

It reminded me of her.

I smiled sadly, was it his.....

Yes, it must be?

"Please help me..." She whispered, "I heard you've done it before."

"Oh," I raised my eyebrows, "Then tell me dear child, what have you heard about me?"

She twiddled her fingers, "Everyone calls you a witch.  You perform magic to trick mermaids like myself from loosing their lives entirely."

I laughed, they never changed do they.

And now after all these years they just call me a witch.

I have quite the ugliest reputation and I love ever bit of it.

"If I'm a witch that could easily trick you, then why are you here?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Because I don't believe that.  I heard a tale about an aunt of mine." The girl told me, "And if you were truly friends why would you purposely try to make her fail and take her life."

The truth hit me like nothing else.

I just have been listening to others and what they thought, but actually I done nothing.

It wasn't my fault.

It wasn't....

She was going to no matter what.

And now a generation later, I finally saw that.

"What is it you came here for?" I shook my head, "You know obviously want something?"

"I want to be human!" She held a look in her eyes that reminded me too much of her.

I stared at her and just laughed.  "But why would you want to be human when everything about the sea is better than the dull life of theirs?"

"I saved one.  I must see him again," She gave me words that reminded me of hers, "And what does your father think of this?"

She turned her head, "It's not like I won't see him again."

"Dear princess," I whispered, "The closest spell for you to be a human requires such a great sacrifice, I'd think it is rather impossible and to win the love of a human that too," I told her gently,"is a difficult task to do."

She frowned, "What do I have to be not as pretty?  I don't care about that.  You can make me ugly." I looked at her sadly.

"No, this spell requires a voice like yours to be given up." I laughed, "Men are stupid, not realizing what's in front of them in the best treasure of all."

"Oh.." She looked down, "Yes, I heard about this."

"Oh an also you can never return to being a mermaid with this spell." I shrugged, "So it is likely you could never see your father or the rest of your family again."

She turned away, "Father is the only one I care about.  I don't like any of my relatives or aunts.  They are all stuck up snobs." I chuckled at this.

She would say something like that.

"Most mermaids are like that," I shrugged my form, leaning my head back into some rocks. "They don't see pass the physical form you bring.  They don't see any of the true you even when you try to get them to see.  And all they spread is superstition and false rumors." I told the girl flatly.

"I guess you had encountered a fair amount of them." She smiled.

"Yes..." I drew my word out, "Those relatives you speak of are most likely the ones I encountered over a decade ago."

"So now that you know how I feel would you help me?" She leaned down shyly, "I know the risks, but I think I can do it.  Maybe you can even help me."

"Silly girl, do you know what keeps me here." I laughed dryly,  "What do you think bounds me here?  The blood of another.  They call me a witch for a reason." I smiled, "Well rather I went mad.  I went so mad that even after I couldn't do anything I killed those humans who took part of ruining her.  The girl who married the man she saved and the man who never saw her as anything more." I looked down.

"I don't understand."

"If the man will not love you, but instead chooses another then before the next sunrise pierce his heart with a knife and with his blood soak your feet in his blood." I looked down when tears fell from my eyes, "Then your tail will surely become one.  That is the only way to save yourself and become a mermaid."

She refused to do any of that.

A good kind mermaid like her...

"Don't worry," she stated confidently, "I won't need to do that.  He will love me."

"Arrogance won't help you," I told her calmly, "Besides what would you do if he pretended not to know you?"

"I.." She stuttered at a loss for words, but then she took a deep breath, "He wouldn't do that.  He is kind and nice.  I watched him a lot and he helped others."

I smiled sideways, "Well when you are a human it will feel as if your tail is being ripped opened by a knife within every step you take.  As a human, the ocean is no longer yours and will be against you.  You will no longer be able to swim freely." I told her, "Now with all of this in consideration, go back a do something better than get yourself killed.  I will not be the cause of another death."

She looked up at me and pouted, "But I understand those terms and will follow through even if I won't do it.  I,  Princess Laiyka daughter of King Laiken agree."

I shook my head, "Call me selfish if you want.  Those of the sea continue to curse my name and existence even when most of them think I am long gone."

The girl stared at me and frowned, "But I heard you do spells and enchantments for others!  This is no different." Laiyka exclaimed.

"I can't ask anyone else.  The Ardizevepa clan has died out.  The mermaids punished and killed them!" She exclaimed again, "But I don't know why.  I don't know anything.  All I know is that you were once friends with a mermaid and you gave her a spell to be a human.  But she somehow died..." She sighs softly, "No one talks about what happened when I ask.  It's forbidden to."

"So it's forbidden to speak of what happened too?" I shook my head back laughing, "And that's how they make me a villain.  Don't blame them after all I done after I killed her."

The mermaid widen her eyes, "You killed her?"

"We were the best of friends.  I was lonely before I met her doing pointless things at the caves of the Abyss.  She reached out her hand and showed me the light.  From that point on we became inseparable.  We gone on adventures and just explored everywhere." I laughed dryly remembering the memories, "But I.. I would do anything for her.  Let's just say I loved her."

"And everyone hates that you were both friends..." She whispered mysteriously.  "And my father and Aunt Lysandria we're the only ones that accepted and truly understood.  You both even caused entertaining chaos together.  You performed spells and changed anyone just for fun," Laiyka told me.

I widen my eyes, "How did you know that?  I thought you said you weren't told basically anything."

The girl stared at me in equal curiosity, "I... I'm not sure.  It just kinda came to me."

"Many mermaids despised me for superstitions.  But I didn't care and snuck over anyways." I told her more, "However she was sent abroad.  And for the next several years we wrote letters.  I only saw her once when she invited me."

She then took over again, "And all the friends I... Levias made didn't like how close you were.  But you were also jealous that she made other friends that could have been better than you.  So you put a spell on many of them for jokes.  No one liked it except for Levy."

How did she knew this?

"Yeah that's right.... I don't understand how you know this, though." I was confused, "Soon those years went by and she returned.  She visited the abyss I lived in and everyone I knew loved her.  Levy also sweet talked the Keth who can be scary when they are mad at you. Levias still had studies and I didn't see her for awhile so you sneaked in."
     " I surprised her and began talking to each other during the evening.  However some servants tricked me and made me feel like we weren't supposed to be close at all.  The only way was to sink a ship.  I did that and right afterwards I saw Levy."

Laiyka nodded her head, "And she was surprised to see you.  She had no idea what happened but assumed it was some mermaids trying to cause chaos and wanted to save a human.  However upon saving it she thought she loved him.  She even sang a song and then he awoke with a praise that her voice was beautiful.  It meant the world to m...Levias and she would continue to see him."

I nodded my head, "Then she asked me to turn her into a human because she wanted to be with him and see the human world so much.  And I did it so she would be happy despite that the consequences sounded bad if she failed.  However he tricked her.  He didn't love her but the other princess.  And that princess didn't even love him but another."

The girl turned to me once more, "You tried to find a way so she will live when you realized it was hopeless.  But I..." She messed up, "Levias couldn't do that.  Who would want to live when they know someone died because of you.  My father gave some of his blood and Aunt Lysandria gave up her hair.  Together a knife was made from magic which could save her if Lucino was killed before she faded away."

I began to speak, "But she would not have that either.  I even tried to do it without her knowledge but failed.  It was the wedding and I lost it.  She was the only one who calmed me down.  But the hour before the sunrise I told her everything how I felt."

"But I..Levias felt the same way since years before too!" The girl told me before smiling softly, "And now you're here."

I shook my head and looked at the girl who reminded me of Levy and knew all of those stuff somehow.

"How did you know all of this?" I exclaimed at the girl, "Some of these things no one knew.  And some of it I don't even remember if it was true myself."

She lowered her head and shrugged, "I... I'm not sure.  I know I never heard it before but it all sounds... Somehow familiar.  Is that weird?"

I shook my head, "No.  Not at all.  I just don't understand."

Laiyka then turned to the glass bottle with seafoam stored inside.

The girl widen her eyes and suddenly felt her head, "I think... I think understand why.  Mermaids live up to 600 years never to go to an afterlife, they say... But that's not entirely true."

It was Levy's seafoam inside.

She touched it and suddenly a light appeared.

It was like a ghost or hologram.  She had longer hair and red, almost pink eyes instead of blue.

Levithias...

"Levy...?" I whispered in shock.

The figure smiled, "Hello Lehz.. It's been awhile hasn't it?" She smiled so gently again, "After 600 years a part of us are reborn and our remaining spirit is as a child of air always watching and looking after you."

"Is it really you?" I asked again.  I didn't understand what was going on.

"Lehz, I'm always watching you from above.  Please watch over this girl for she was reborn and reincarnated from a part of me."

She started to fade away once more.

"WAIT LEVY!" I exclaimed, "Don't go..."

Don't.

"I'll always be with you, Lehz... Forever"

So when you have something special, keep it and treasure it forever because one day it will be too late.

And remember those moments, cherish it cause it shall too, soon end before anyone realizes it.

~True Ending~

//Play emotional music credits

Legend here! 😆 🤫🥺

Wow.  That was a journey.

Basically I started off with a plan ✍️ to end it tragically because I just wanted a tragic story.  But I also wanted it bittersweet because it was going to be a beautiful ending.

This ending wasn't planned until last minute when I had an excellent idea that would be so bittersweet.

I originally wanted to be like the cycle continued with Laiken's daughter, but then I decided wait what if instead it is actually Levy but reborn and stuff.

Disclaimer: All of this is fiction and I don't actually believe people can be reborn, it's just in this story

I wanted a tale that would build up their friendship and then at the halfway point "the little mermaid" story would begin.

I was adding things along the way so much.

But then I had several breaks.

And I related to this story without meaning too.

(Bit of an emotional rant/load)

So one of my online friends (and this is the last time I will mention this) decided to end our friendship for mental health reasons and being online just kinda affected them so they decided to end everything.

And it took a huge toll on me during July so I took a major break 💔 😓, but I begin to relate to this story because of it, which I didn't plan to do 😢😔

However I kinda felt like utter crap and that I wasn't good enough.

I kinda came terms with it wasn't my fault and I couldn't do anything to help them~

But because of that I couldn't do anything I enjoyed anymore because I had no motivation or anything.

I never understood why people were sad over ending relationships until then.

And basically I told them all about my stories and drawings.  So that's why I kinda couldn't do it anymore because writing by yourself without an editor kinda sucks.

All except for this story.

I wasn't able to show my friend this story because they were busy and traveling so they weren't able to see it.

By the time they eventually talked to me again when I was going to tell them about this, they dropped the I'm going to end all my online friendships bomb.

(EMOTIONAL RANT DONE)

So yeah.

Just a little explanation.

I want to say thank you for reading this if you did. 🎉

And I had fun 😊 and really loved writing this. 😘

I loved the characters and they had really distinct voices that I never had in another story.

Also this is an Alternative Universe from my other mermaid stories.  They aren't related at all and have different lore and rules about them.

Now this is over, I'm going to be doing two/three things.

I'll be finishing writing my Mermaid Adventure Stories

The Atlantic Legend - Kaisa's story

The Aleutian Delta - Miracine/Seivon's sequel book

His Mermaid Kiss - Kaida/Izeivra's story