The voice was… deeper than Viren had imagined. Richer. And it had now been nearly a month since he had spoken to another.
"It's been some time since I saw a mer in my Sanctum," the voice continued from the mirror, "Won't you speak with me, little fish?"
Viren huffed at the amused superiority, what little respect he'd gained for the man dying as he turned back to the mirror.
The cecaelia smirked at him, having moved closer to what was likely another mirror on his end.
"My name is not 'little fish,'" he groused, without moving back to the object.
"Then what is it?" the cecaelia asked - too obligingly to be honest.
Viren glared - obviously, he couldn't tell an unknown magic-user of however many centuries his name.
The man chuckled, "Little fish it is."
"And you would reveal your name, carnivore?" the mer huffed, hesitantly swimming back to the mirror.
"I could, but since you don't already know it," the cecaelia gave him a cursory once over with his eyes, "I doubt it would be of much use to you."
"Try me," Viren said, crossing his arms. The smug tone was doing the other man no favors with the exiled mer - in fact, the only reason he was continuing the conversation was because of his exile. As much as he wanted to say he could easily go without other people for the rest of his life, the reality of actually living on his own was… changing that view.
The cecaelia's smile widened just a fraction, "Very well, little fish - I will tell you my name. If you agree to do the same."
"No," the mer snorted.
"That's not very fair," the carnivore's brow arched, though he still appeared amused, "Then tell me this - how is it you came to my old Sanctum?"
"I don't owe you any answers, carnivore," Viren said, not wanting to bend so easily.
The cecaelia chuckled, "You use my Sanctum and yet believe you owe me nothing?"
"This place has clearly been abandoned," the mer scoffed, "And for some time."
"True enough," the carnivore's eyes were mesmerizing, making Viren feel uncomfortably laid bare in their intense gaze, "Did you come seeking a cure, I wonder?"
"A cure?" Viren arched his own brow.
"To your dark magic corruption," the cecaelia tilted his head, "No, I suppose not."
The mer started - he'd forgotten that he no longer had a glamour to hide his decaying body. He cleared his throat and recrossed his arms to cover the flinch, "There is no such cure."
"If you say so," the cecaelia said, with a tone that suggested he did not agree.
He is just attempting to fool me with false promises of aid, Viren thought, and the thought angered him.
"I don't need this," he said aloud, and swam out of the room.
This time, only the cecaelia's chuckle followed him.
It only took a week before Viren's curiosity got the better of him. Of course it was his curiosity - there was certainly no way he was lonely enough to seek the company of a carnivore.
"Ah, there you are little fish," the cecaelia greeted him - as if there had been no doubt Viren would return.
It irked him enough that just left again without a word.
He managed to hold out for another month. He spent the time really searching the dormitory area. He found a few stray memory crystals - though they were just as faded as those above. These seemed to be more stray memories of family, rather than those of lectures.
Viren wondered what the cecaelia had taught, then banished the thought. He didn't need the company of a smug carnivore. After all, this was something he had accepted for the good of Kotalis - it wasn't a punishment, merely a compromise.
Clearing the common room kept him occupied as well. It wasn't really necessary - as fastidious as Viren was, it was hardly like he had much reason to spend time there. Still, it was something to do.
After that was tidying the kitchen and garden - and once he ran out of things to do, he found himself drawn back to the room with the mirror.
The cecaelia wasn't on the other side of the mirror when he entered, so he took the time to explore the room itself. There was a small wall of memory crystal shelves that had been emptied, with a soft patch of sand in front for comfortably meditating while one watched. A sleeping alcove sat in another part of the wall - the algae here was bioluminescent, giving off a soft blue glow Viren had missed behind a dark curtain. More shelves contained various magical supplies the mer sorcerer was familiar with.
The only odd part about finding them was that there should be no need for a carnivore to resort to dark magic.
"Do you normally go poking around other people's rooms," the cecaelia drawled in amusement, "Or am I just special?"
Viren glared over his shoulder at the mirror.
The cecaelia smirked at him from the other side, with no telling how long he'd been there.
"You practice dark magic," the mer said, swimming to the mirror.
The carnivore tutted, "Come now, you can't expect me to give out information for free, little fish."
Viren sighed at the moniker, "What do you want?"
The cecaelia hummed thoughtfully, eyes trailing down the merman's form before returning to his face, "How were you injured?"
"You won't believe me," Viren huffed, crossing his arms.
"Try me," the carnivore replied, copying the mer's cadence - with no small amount of amusement.
The exiled sorcerer considered for a moment more before simply saying, "I killed Thunder."
For a moment, the cecaelia watched Viren. He tilted his head, amber eyes assessing the truth of the statement - then he suddenly grinned with wide eyes, showing off a mouth full of sharp teeth, "You did."
The carnivore laughed - it was manic in intensity, his upper set of hands clasping either side of his head as a third hand covered his eyes.
Viren found it… disturbing, and considered leaving - but that felt like a sign of weakness he wasn't willing to show.
And just as quickly it was gone, though the cecaelia's grin was still too wide as he carded his hands back through his hair, the third dropping from his eyes, "I apologize - but the thought of the proud Thunder brought low by a dark magic mer sorcerer… oh, I wonder how painful the irony was in his final moments. Tell me, how was it accomplished? How did you slay Thunder, little fish?"
"And what do I get for that information?" Viren asked, fighting his own smirk. He had not relished killing Thunder - he had been avenging Sarai, and protecting Kotalis. It had not been for glory, and so there was no need for pride - even if his statement was so easily believed.
The cecaelia's grin relaxed back into a smirk, only one hand remaining to smooth his hair back, "I invented dark magic."
The mer startled, mouth opening - then he closed it and glared, "You can't expect me to believe that."
"And why not?" the carnivore asked.
"I have yet to hear of a carnivore that could live for thousands of years," Viren snorted, "At least, not one that wasn't a dragon."
The cecaelia chuckled, "Yes, they did a fine job of making sure the mer would no longer hear of me."
"If you did invent dark magic," the mer started, "Then why-"
"Ah, you have yet to answer my question, little fish," the carnivore reminded him darkly, "Tell me how Thunder died."
Viren sighed, "I turned him to stone. What remains of him lies at the bottom of the Trench, I suspect."
"You killed Thunder with dark magic," the cecaelia practically purred in approval, "Is that why you are in my Sanctum?"
The mer arched a brow, waiting - and certainly not at all pleased or embarrassed by the implicit praise.
"Ah, yes," the carnivore said, clearly having not forgotten there was a previous question, "I taught mer because mer were the ones willing to learn. Unlike my brethren, I never saw mer as lesser - merely skilled in different ways."
Viren scoffed, but rather than voice his disagreement, he said, "I'm in your 'Sanctum' because after slaying Thunder, I stole his son. Or at least, the egg that will become his son."
"And why would you do that, little fish?" the cecaelia asked in more ineffable amusement, "That is a terrible place to hide - the enchantments are far weaker than they were eons ago."
"Why is a different question," the mer returned, "In any case, sharks came to assassinate the King of Kotalis, and the egg was discovered. As part of peace negotiations between Kotalis and Xadia, I was exiled from the Reef."
The carnivore cupped his chin, tilting his head as he regarded the mer with that all-knowing smirk for a few minutes before saying, "My name is Aaravos."
Viren swallowed - he hadn't expected to get a name so soon - nor for an answer that was not his own in return. Shifting his arms to clasp them behind his back, he replied, "As for the why - I wish for the mer to flourish, without a knife at their throat. I thought a dragon egg could provide the power necessary to accomplish that."
Aaravos chuckled, "Prudent, if cold-hearted. Are you sure you were not aiming higher?"
"What do you mean?" the mer frowned. They were breaking pattern, but he honestly did not know what the carnivore was implying.
"I saw the pride you harbor at killing Thunder - pride well earned, I might add," the cecaelia waved a four-fingered hand in front of himself, "Certainly you have entertained the idea of reaching further than just… making the mer formidable enough to keep Xadia from being a threat."
"I have not," Viren replied, "Thunder killed my best friend's mate when we only-" the mer realized he was revealing too much, and retracted, "Thunder had been a direct threat for years. His death was necessary to keep Kotalis - and the other mer kingdoms - safe. "
"And what better way is there than to eliminate your enemies entirely?" Aaravos shrugged nonchalantly.
"I may dislike carnivores," the mer half-growled, "But I do not support genocide."
"Naturally," the cecaelia held up all four hands disarmingly, "I would never suggest something so… extreme."
"Then what were you suggesting, exactly?" Viren asked.
"Conquering Xadia," Aaravos said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Viren huffed, shaking his head as he turned to leave, "I did not intend to become the jailer Xadians once were to mer."
"I have more answers, little fish," the cecaelia said.
"And yet I have no more questions," the mer replied, deciding to go for a swim to burn off the sudden anger.
It was always this way - always others reading malicious intent to his most sincere desires. The way Harrow had glared at him for suggesting a soul swap - and how that glare had hardened when Callum interrupted their chat to reveal his theft of the egg. Viren supposed he should be grateful the King had enough goodwill to only banish him, rather than have him executed - but it was hard to tell if Harrow had thought it a mercy or worse fate for one such as the sorcerer.
And yet here he was - he had not fought the exile. When he saw the way it could lead to peace, he accepted his role as the villain in their story - regardless of the truth. He let Harrow shine by being an honest repentant. He did not seek a way to change his fate - it was what was best for Kotalis. What was best for his children.
Viren could play this part of the vanquished evil, if it kept his family safe. That didn't mean he had to like it.