Dying light from the setting sun flickered over the Lost Island of Andross. An apparition walked along the beach, staring out at the stormy sea.
"Trouble brews in the deep," She whispered and reached out, wishing with all her might that she could help the worlds the way she had once been able to. Sighing, she turned and glided along the water's edge, her white dress billowing like fog against the sad. Shading her eyes against the light, a flash of violet caught her eye.
Hurrying to the shallows, she spotted what appeared to be a man. He was unconscious, and half-submerged in the water, his purple hair billowing around him as it floated in the water. Unfortunately, that was not the only thing clouding the water around him, there was also an ugly cloud of blood surrounding his broken body.
Gasping, the apparition splashed through the salty water, wincing as the salty water burned her feet and ankles. Grabbing hold of the man, she lifted him out of the water and jumped into the air, beating her wings to get away from the burning water.
"Oh no," She mumbled as she looked down at the man in her arms, "He is mer." He will dry out if he is kept out of the water too long. Her thoughts ran as she lay the merman upon the white sand of the beach. Pressing her ear to his chest, she mumbled, "Oh goodness, he's not breathing!"
Letting power grow in her palm, she pressed her hands to his chest and shot the energy down into his heart. Gasping, the merman's body spasmed and he took a deep breath. Breathing in a sigh of relief, she leaned over to listen to his heart beat, which was now beating steadily..
Gathering him up into her arms, she flew the short distance inland to where she knew was a deep cave. The cave was dark inside with glowing rocks embedded in the walls. The rocky ground was dry enough to where she could walk through it without getting her feet wet, but there were also deep potholes which were nearly invisible in the dim light. A fresh water spring was located somewhere underneath the cave and pumped clear water up through the holes in the cave floor. In some places, there were pockets of sulfer hidden in the rocks which mixed with the spring water to make tiny hot springs. The cave was an anomaly, filled with both hot water springs and water so cold, it was almost painful to touch.
Striding to the back of the cave, the apparition knelt next to one of the shallower dips in the stone floor, this one holding clear, cold water. Holding the merman in her lap, she carefully ran her partially see-through hands over his broken body, looking for where all the blood she had seen in the water had come from. She quickly found three gaping wounds on his body, which were caked with sand and filthy pollution. One of the wounds was down his arm, another across his back, and the last, down his rib cage.
"Poor thing," She murmured, "What could have happened?"
Looking from the wounds on the merman to her own hands and feet which had acquired angry red welts, she sighed. Easing the unconscious merman into the shallow water, she ran her hand over his silky green tail as she murmured,"I will be right back," And raced out of the cave.