Love and Deepwater • A Rafayel story

The First

Rafayel was being dragged with the carrier, feeling like a fish out of water about to be sold and eaten. All his being called for him to flee or defend himself, but he decided to keep his charade on point.

He kept his mask of weakness, eyes shut and mouth hanging half open, weak breaths coming in puffs. He was a good actor.

Under the lights of the corridors, the guards and their trusted hunter chatted amiably about their respective families and daily routines, sharing stories and laughter as they walked. However, once they thought that Rafayel had drifted off into a deep slumber, too weak, the tone of their conversation shifted. They began discussing more pressing and sensitive matters that they were hesitant to discuss when they believed Rafayel was awake.

'Do you think that we will get attacked tonight as well?' One of the guards asked, looking at the Hunter with fear in his eyes.

The Hunter shrugged, looking ahead.

'It is highly probable that we will be subjected to an attack tonight.' He spoke in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the corridor ahead. His eyes then shifted to Rafayel, who lay motionless, his breathing slow and steady. The man seemed relieved that Rafayel was unconscious.

'Does the Lord know who did the attacks?' Rafayel paid attention to the discussion that was taking place between the two guards, keenly listening to what the other guard had to say.

'Yes, sir, It's strange that suddenly eight Lemurians disappeared and the families who kept them appeared murdered in cold blood' The other guard stated.

The Hunter shrugged again.

'It was expected to happen someday' He said. 'The question is to know if it was a human attack or...' He side-eyed Rafayel. 'a Lemurian one'

The guards marched forward, their footsteps echoing in the silence alongside the rumble of the carrier until they finally came to a stop in front of a grand metal door. One of them stepped forward and reached for the handle. With a swift motion, he pulled it open, revealing a vast open space beyond. The room was dimly lit, but the faint glow from a central water tank illuminated the area. The tank was massive, big enough to accommodate at least ten Lemurians, and its surface rippled gently in the low light. The guards exchanged glances, clearly impressed by the scale of the chamber before them. Only the Lord, The Hunters, or the Keepers were permitted entrance into the First chambers.

As they approached the water tank, the guards and the Hunter looked up to see a figure staring back at them. It was the first merman, distinguished by his flowing white hair and curious, bright green eyes. Despite his pale complexion, the merman's tail was a sight to behold - massive and covered in shimmering pale green and white scales that caught the light. Even though many years have passed, he still managed to possess colors instead of having a full white tail. As they drew closer, they could hear the sound of water sloshing around in the tank, and the merman's expression remained stoic yet watchful. He was beautiful, even though he had been with them for hundreds of years. His face was still young and alive, a little bit pale though. Still, the most precious and powerful mermen that Humankind had captured. At least until... the one they were carrying, who still had all of his colors intact, not paled away by dirty water and years of abuse.

As they approached the tank, Rafayel noticed a smaller tank nestled beside it. It looked ridiculous compared to the bigger one.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was designed specifically for Lemurians, resembling a large bathtub in size, where the whole of his fail would be able to fit inside. Rafayel surmised that the Humans found it more convenient to transport him in the smaller tank whenever they needed to take him to Enoria for a temporary stay instead of keeping him on the bigger one and trying to fish him every day. He suspected that in the future when they no longer needed to move Rafayel around, they would put him inside of the bigger, with a roommate.