Chapter 1: Whisper of the Waves

2017, Somewhere near Weston-super-Mare

It was an ordinary summer day. In England, summers are usually not too hot, but this time was different.
To escape the stifling heat, a group of friends decided to spend the weekend at the beach outside the city.
If it weren’t for their shouts, we could have enjoyed the cries of seagulls and the soothing sound of the waves—there weren’t many people around today.

- Run faster!

- The last one pays for the drinks!

- Wait up!

Tom arrived last. Looks like he’d be footing the bill for the alcohol today.

- Ugh, what a brilliant idea to hit the beach in this heat.

- Absolutely! I’d have lost my mind at home.

- Well, for our climate, this heat is an anomaly, so at least we get a break from the rain.

- True enough…

Tom agreed. He was glad to be here today. He was fed up with being stuck at home with his younger sister, who could never play on her own.
It was a relief that his parents let him join his friends at the beach.
It should have been a perfect day, yet Tom’s mood felt… off.
Nothing particularly wrong, but perhaps it was his conscience nagging him—his sister had so badly wanted to come along—or maybe an insatiable desire mixed with despair, unable to fully seize the day, that kept gnawing at him.

- Hey, how about we jump off that cliff?

- I was just about to suggest that! Let’s go!

- You guys are crazy…

- It’s my chance to dodge paying! If you’re scared to jump, you pay!

Tom instantly latched onto the idea of cliff jumping. It was his chance to chase away those strange thoughts that had plagued him all day with a surge of adrenaline. Plus, he could shift the financial burden of the drinks onto someone else—a win-win!

- Me, scared? Keep dreaming.

Climbing a bit higher, the group caught a breathtaking view of the ocean—a perfect spot to shed their worries and, for a moment, soak in the stunning hues of nature’s artistry.

The setting sun, the cries of seagulls, the sparse crowd, and the deep blue sea, hiding a dark unknown in its depths.
An unknown that surely held the answers to every question a teenager could ever have.

The cliff wasn’t too high, and Tom had jumped from here last summer, or so he thought.
Everything should have gone perfectly.

- I’ll go first!
His friend shouted. A second later, he was in the water, leaving only tiny ripples of foam behind.

- How are you down there?

Clearly, his friend was fine, but despite the pleasant atmosphere, Tom’s anxiety only grew. Somewhere in his chest, his heart began to race faster and faster.

Faster and faster.

- That was incredible! Your turn now!!!

- Ready? Or are you the one who’s scared?

Another friend teased, likely trying to mask his own fear by urging Tom to go first.

The friends had noticed Tom had been off all day, but none of them knew what to do about it. Of course… it’s hard to come up with a solution when you’re just a 15-year-old teenager on an incredibly pleasant sunny day.

- I’m not scared…

But Tom couldn’t jump. Or rather, he simply couldn’t move… His body refused to obey, especially his legs, which felt rooted to the cliff, as if they’d pierced through its protective shell.
Every cell in his body screamed, “Go back!” “Don’t do it!” “Stop!”

Some sixth sense was desperately trying to tell Tom that this jump was a terrible idea…

- Hey, why are you just standing there…!?

There was no response…

- Tom? Tom! Are you okay?

- What’s in the water? Can you see anything?

- Where?

- Over there… It feels like someone’s down there…

- I don’t see anything. At least, I don’t think so… Maybe he’ll finally admit—

- Fine! I’ll jump.

3… 2… 1…

- Yahoo!! How’s that, Tom?

- …

- He’s taking his time coming back… Tom!!!

…
But Tom could no longer hear his friends. Through the thickness of the water, sounds no longer reached him. Slowly, centimeter by centimeter, the depths pulled him in.
So enchanting, so mysterious, those depths.

- Damn it…

Tom’s greatest ally—his body, which had tried so hard to stop him from jumping—now froze, as if betrayed, while the air in his lungs dwindled.
Now Tom would learn his lesson. Now he’d understand that sometimes, you really should listen to your instincts.

- Damn… Is this the end?

Some unknown force dragged Tom downward, giving him no chance to fight back. Perhaps something down there had been waiting… waiting for Tom… for his step into the blue abyss that would finally settle its score with him… But for what?
What had an ordinary English schoolboy done to it? How could he have wronged it?

- To die such a senseless death… A member of a seafaring dynasty… drowning at a public beach… How… utterly… stupid…

Somehow, through his nearly closed eyes, Tom managed to glimpse what had been watching him through the water’s depths for so long.
Perhaps it was sheer luck, or maybe the strength of his ancestors, who centuries ago had battled the sea on wooden ships, granting him their final burst of power to fight for his fragile life.

But did it even matter now?
The blue abyss swallowed Tom. Terrifying and deep…
Yet so enchantingly alluring.

Tom wasn’t the first to succumb to its call, nor the only one to meet his end in the deep blue sea.
He found his end here, just like thousands of boys before him.
The only thing that could save him now was a miracle, magic, or a fairy tale.
Ha, but those don’t exist in our world.
Do they?

- I’m almost out of air…

The last seconds of life… They might truly feel like hours, maybe even years… Tom thought of his sister—he no longer found her annoying. He thought of his parents, his friends, and Jane, to whom he never confessed his feelings.
But no matter how long those seconds felt, time would eventually run out.

- Goodbye, Tom…

But what was that…? Tom’s fading consciousness caught… the sound of a violin…
An enchanting melody reached him far better than his friends’ voices ever could.
It sounded so clear… And the musician—how masterfully they wielded the bow…
It must have been his imagination. There was no way a dark silhouette could play the violin so skillfully underwater.

And it was impossible for that silhouette to wrench his small body from the jaws of the blue abyss that had nearly dragged him to the bottom, carrying him toward the shore.
It was simply impossible.
Tom lost consciousness.

But the struggle of this stranger—or strangeress—had only just begun.
They pulled Tom’s nearly lifeless body toward the shore with all their might.
But the sea… resisted!
As if with dark claws, it clung to the boy’s heart, refusing to let go.

- He belongs to me!

Something roared from the depths through the waves.

- You’re breaking our deal! Do you really want this? Do you understand that your actions will change everything? Everything you wanted to achieve will be destroyed!

But the dark silhouette remained silent… They had no time for chatter. They had made their decision long ago, and now the most important thing was to save this innocent boy.
A boy who, in those moments, meant more to them than anything in the world—even more than their own life.

- I’m inspired by your desperation! But this is madness… Pure madness to fight for him… You’ll just… die…

They could no longer stay silent…

- He fought for me all this time. All the time I was blind… All the time I couldn’t see the obvious. Besides, I’m not afraid of death! After everything I’ve done, it should have happened long ago…

- You did what you thought was right! And I supported you! All that’s left is to finish him!

- That won’t happen! Take me instead!

- But I can’t…

- This is my final wish! Let him go, and my soul will be yours in return.

- Do you really think he’d do the same for you!?

- I told you… He already has. Perhaps unknowingly, he’s saved me more than once. So my little soul is a small price to pay for all the pain he’s been through.

- Are you sure? There’s no going back. I won’t be able to undo this.

- I’m sure!!! Give me TOM!

- …

The entity from the depths fell silent. It hadn’t expected this small, fragile mermaid’s body to resist so fiercely, but what struck it more was the strength of her heart, which she so willingly gave up for an ordinary boy who didn’t even realize the role he played in this millennia-old drama.

- Fine… Let it be your way, Tess.

- Let him go!

- But this will be your last wish… I won’t be able to do anything more for you.

- So be it! You’ve already done enough for me! I’m grateful, but the boy must live!

The sea released Tom, and the mermaid swiftly carried him toward the shore, where his friends were waiting.
In that short time, they had experienced unimaginable stress and were utterly terrified.
I wouldn’t blame them for not jumping in to help—how could they have known what was happening, let alone how to save their friend?

- Tom!!!

I’m not sure Tom can hear anyone right now…

- TOM!!!

- Just five more minutes, Mom…

- TOM! Wake up!! Tom!!! It’s time.

16XX, Bristol, Great Britain

- Tom, darling, wake up! It’s already two in the afternoon. This won’t do.

- Mmm… I’m waking up, I’m waking up… Sorry, Charlotte.