Chapter 1
A loud blast rang out through the deserted underwater cavern. Followed by a strenuous sequence of swear words, verbalized by a middle aged man residing in the murky waters. Like most men his age, he was well built with strapping muscles that stretched up and down his shirtless figure. But, where most men featured two seperate legs, a single broad blue tale stretched down from his waist line, extending well past the length of any ordinary human limbs. Normally an occurrence like this, would be rather strange and thought only to exist in supernatural versions of the universe. But, in this case it was quite normal. For this man was a merman, and not just any merman, he was King, of all ocean life that inhabited the deep blue waters, under the sea.
The King continued to meddle with the elements presented before him. Now, desperately mixing random solutions together, praying for a result other than the previous combustion he had just unintentionally constituted.
To his dismay, another deafening detonation trembled through the cavern, creating a series of rippling waves in its wake. But this time, instead of cursing in frustration, the King lifted his mighty fist above his head, before violently striking whatever had caused him such repulsion.
Fragments of various material instantaneously dispersed from his clenched fist only to tediously sink to the bottom of the cavern before resting completely still all together.
The King let out a heavy sigh. Then slowly, he relaxed his fist before reluctantly glancing behind him to a second mermaid who inhabited the small cavern. Only, she laid unconscious, propped upward on the opposite end of the cave.
From a single glance, one could tell she was extremely sick. For her face was several shades paler than normal, large black bags framed her soft eyelids from lack of sleep, and the skin on her body was shriveled down revealing the outline of her frail skeleton. Still, aside from all this disfigurement the King could not help but admire the woman's stunning beauty.
He sighed. With nothing left to do he silently approached her unresponsive body. Softly encasing her fragile hands in his own, he whispered three quiet words,
"Goodbye, my love."
As soon as the words vacated his tender lips he paused a long moment, hopefully, waiting for a response. But when he was met with silence, he lowered his head in misery.
Furious, ashamed, but above all, heartbroken that he was unable to brew a concoction powerful enough to save his beautiful wife and mother of his seven young daughters.