Author's Notes

At the bottom of the sea...

A-ji promises...

Chapter 9 - Promise

"I couldn't stand idly while watching injustices."

The three look at each other, questioning how long her heart will remain with this noble ideal.

After all, one or the other may have had that ideal in the beginning. But over time, he got lost. Seeing them, it was a matter of time for that girl to resemble them when she grew up.

In the meantime, dozens of kilometers away, more precisely where A-ji and Chang Yi were, the princess replies after finding a satisfactory answer while still struggling hard against the blush on her cheeks, "As friends. I care for mine friends" she says that because she wasn't sure if her feelings were in fact love or were motivated only by the act of him having saved her, comforting her afterwards, to later show the beauties of the ocean.

After all, the young woman feared that she was mistaking immense gratitude and guilt over his injury for love when considering her life story. It wasn't fair to either of them and even her thoughts towards the jiaoren's body could only be seen as lust and not love. Chang Yi deserved more.

The prince of the ocean tribes nodded as his face expressed his understanding of the answer she gave, agreeing that it was best for both of them considering the obligations he had and what he did to his father by tailing him.

"Although there is friendship between the two of us, it is not love between a male and a female. Therefore, it is better to pay attention to your words and actions" the merman spoke in a serious tone as he looked at the human, effectively suppressing the immense sadness and pain that hit him because his feelings for her were deep.

After all, he was taught to respect females and if the human didn't respond to his feelings, the jiaoren couldn't do anything. He should just respect her decision and maintain proper treatment and distance.

Furthermore, he was reserved and conservative regarding issues between men and women.

So, the young woman decided to play a little with the merman when she saw how seriously the prince treated this subject, "You are like an irreducible guardian of the rules of etiquette between men and women" she pauses, "With you he developed his temperament? As I've witnessed through your acts, actions, and speech, even though you're simple and innocent, you still have an etiquette and view of female and male defense that may be considered an outdated view by many, but I like. Know who you are much more thoughtful than I am in terms of men's and women's defense. Unfortunately, many people don't have that vision."

"I seriously consider this matter because my species only recognizes one mate for its life. In fact, there is another action between us before making the union official and that after being official, will make me stay forever under the gaze of the God of the abyss. "

The princess confessed that she was surprised to learn that they believed in Gods and that they even had one who supervised the ocean and who lived in the abyss.

From what Chang Yi said, the union between a couple was for life because it wasn't just words like it was between humans when they got married. The jiaoren confirmed what she suspected. It was an unbreakable promise for life. Probably, there was a magical pact or something like that in their conception in the way of making the union official and when thinking about it, he confessed that he was very curious to know how it was done and if it was private only to his species or if other species of demons also had it something similar to that while wanting to know more about the world as a whole and that of demons. The only knowledge about this race came from the vision of the Demon Masters and it was limited, besides she didn't believe in some things that were said about them.

She was relieved by the answer she gave earlier to the prince's question because she wasn't sure if her feelings were really love or just fascination with his beauty along with the fact that he had saved her life, in addition to the guilt she felt for what he was going through. There was also everything that she had experienced in her life that could interfere with her judgment, making her reach an erroneous conclusion. They were serious about the subject of mates and she now understood why. It wasn't fair to Chang Yi to live for a feeling that might not be reciprocated.

After all, if it was just a motivation of fascination, it wouldn't be right to give hope to the jiaoren and even if it was reciprocal, the princess didn't want to see him hurt anymore or suffer even more after saving her and showing him his fascinating world she.

Furthermore, for the first time in her life, the princess had experienced indescribable happiness, as well as having forgotten the suffering she had experienced in her life since she was a baby. The merman had given her so much, with the young woman feeling that she would never be able to repay even a sixth of that even if she gave her life in tribute because the prince hadn't just saved her life. Chang Yi had given the world to her considering her life up to that point, with the noblewoman being aware that for other people with normal lives, gratitude would not be on the same level as she felt and that could be considered exacerbated by others.

After all, only someone who has experienced the life she led would be able to understand her.

Furthermore, the sight of the horrible injuries the jiaoren suffered were still fresh in his mind, as well as the pain and sadness of having injured his father. It wasn't fair to make him suffer whether or not his feelings towards the merman were reciprocated, just the fact that he had an unpayable debt, with the princess doubting whether it was possible to pay even in two lifetimes.

In the end, both, for different reasons and circumstances, ended up not being sincere with their own hearts.

Suddenly, a thought arises in her mind when she remembers his words, making her look again at her huge and beautiful tail with fins in the shape of lotus flowers and that spread beautifully on the ground, with the princess seeing the reflection of the pearl light on the scales, making them shine, making it an extremely beautiful tail that was also imposing and equally strong.

Her thinking was how the jiaoren managed to have sex with each other. It was something A-ji didn't know and when she realized where her wandering and equally perverted thoughts were going again, the young woman blushed intensely while her heart was beating fast.

Promptly, she coughs twice, wanting to regain her thoughts, with the prince of oceans becoming curious about her actions because the demon master blushed intensely when looking at her tail and seemed to be thinking about something. But, she couldn't figure out what the human female was thinking.

After taking a deep breath, managing to calm her heart, the princess comments with visible admiration in her voice, "You really are a stubborn species, even more so when it comes to a couple."

But, if she was honest with herself, Chang Yi was not only devoted, but also sincere and unyielding as he lived for his own heart.

The princess confessed that she was envious of the way his kind lived while agreeing that it was so brilliant that she felt ashamed, "I really envy you, jiaoren, because you live the virtues that we humans only write in books."

After a few minutes, the merman asks, "Why can't humans live that way, too?"

A-Ji is thoughtful for several minutes until she replies after thinking, "I don't know why because there could be many answers to your question. However, the only answer I can think of is that we human beings as a whole we want too much and because we want too much we often don't get what we want. I'm sorry I don't have the exact or correct answer."

"All good."

"Thank you." the demon master responds with a smile.

When he saw her smile, he felt her heart warm, and then he was sad when he remembered that she only saw him as a friend and savior.

"I would like to see your true form again!" the princess exclaims excitedly, then looks expectantly at him, "Could you show me again? Please?"

The prince is surprised, then remarked, "I saw you weren't scared."

"Why would I be? I knew it was you" she feigns a worried face and exclaims, "Have you changed your mind?! Are you going to attack me?"

Then, the young woman smiles awkwardly when she sees that the jiaoren displays a face that was a mixture of concern and indignation because she took seriously, again, what the young woman said in a joking tone.

"Of course it wouldn't hurt you! Even in my true form, I still retain my consciousness. Only my appearance changed when I transformed before."

He wears a confused expression when he sees her smiling because the princess thought his confusion was cute, "I know you won't hurt me. You take everything seriously, big-tailed fish. I didn't mean it seriously."

Then, A-ji notices Chang Yi sigh, then put on a serious face while the annoyance in his ice blue eyes that made her arch her brows was visible.

"We hate lying. You practically lied to me. I thought you were scared." the merman spoke as he crossed his arms over his well-defined chest.

She sighs as she remembers that they hate lies and says, visibly upset with herself, "I'm sorry. We humans usually play these games for fun. We even have something called acting. So it's something common among us. I forgot you it's very serious. I was just kidding."

He becomes thoughtful and then asks, undoing his arms that return to normal position while showing a confused face, "So, it's something of human culture? Do you take lies in a relaxed way? Do you even take them as jokes?"

"Not all of them. It depends on how it's used and the purpose. There are also other aspects we judge. Among friends it's normal to have jokes like that. I apologize if I offended you or something. We have different views on many things."

The young woman bows in apology, making Chang Yi look at her, then sigh, then speaking with his baritone voice, "It's okay. It's just that it's difficult for us to see the lie the same way you do. In fact, I I need to be more open about it."

"No need. You have your customs and your culture. We humans have our customs and culture. What we can do is avoid judging harshly. I promise that next time I'll let you know when it's a joke. Also I promise not to lie to you anymore. It's a promise" A-ji raises her pinky finger towards him.

Chang Yi looks at that gesture, trying to understand what it was, with the demon master explaining how he should do it.

Even not understanding, the merman repeats the gesture and they cross their pinkies, with the princess speaking with a smile after letting go, with the jiaoren doing the same, "That's it. It's a promise" she smiles immensely, with the prince smiling too, " Is the reason why you hate lies just culturally?"

"No. Of course, there's the cultural aspect because we jiaoren never lie. But, there's another reason."

"Does it have to do with the fact that the rare cases of capture of members of your species occurred because they were tricked by us humans to approach the coast?"

"Yes. How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, it is known by many that even the fastest imperial ship in the fleet could never catch one of you and in the ocean, your species is very powerful. In the accounts that comprised the record of these captures, these mermaids were only captured because they were deceived, making them vulnerable, causing the demon masters to catch them as they approach the beach."

"That's right. These cases only intensified our anger at lies and we all learned that it's in the nature of your race to lie. In fact, we're told to stay away from you. That's why you rarely get to see one of us and even when we dare to approach, it is done at a distance and in our true forms."

"This fits with reports of sea monsters being jiaoren in their true forms."

"Yes."

"Isn't there another species of sea demon?"

"The predominance is jiaoren. Only one that's different. You find other types of underwater demons in fresh water."

"Which one is different?"

"He is considered a hermit. He lives secluded in the depths of the abyss and enjoys silence. He is one of the legendary demons belonging to the legendary demonic quartet."

"Wait. The legendary demonic quartet consists of the Jade Phoenix, Diamond Tiger, Sapphire Dragon, and Ruby Turtle. Of the four, the first two are still sealed away. The Sapphire Dragon managed to break free with the destruction of the Demon Island where was sealed. What is in the depths of the abyss is the Ruby Turtle?"

"You named them based on color, it seems. Their respective names are Qing Ji, Shangguan Jing, Yuan Ying, and Song Wu. Only the last one is male. The first three are female. The fourth one that is male is the hermit who is in the abyss. He said he couldn't stand their chatter that gave him a headache along with the fact that he found the human world chaotic. There is another reason besides these two and it refers to alcoholic beverages. The first three love to drink and a lot while that Song Wu prefers tea and hates alcoholic beverages. He was fed up with their drinking. For these reasons, he preferred the seclusion in the depths of the ocean where there is only silence and tranquility. His last interaction with them dates back to five hundred years ago, if not I am mistaken, according to what my father told me."

"Well, I've seen drunk people and considering the fact that he likes tea and hates alcohol, it must be very difficult for him to stand them. Who would have thought that the last of them would be in the depths of the abyss?"

"He has been sleeping soundly for some centuries and is in his true form. The ruby color of his shell provides a beautiful illumination in the dark."

"You could show me?"

"Only from a distance. After they were sealed, he hates demon masters immensely and being in that place for so long, he might awaken if he senses their presence. Hence, I can only take you to a safe distance. Furthermore, if Song Wu rising up in a rage could trigger a huge tsunami by triggering a huge earthquake that would level the coasts, leading to the deaths of thousands of people, in addition to the intense tremors that would destroy everything in its path. Triggering tsunamis is not difficult. Including me and my father can cause tsunamis. With ocean cedar, my father can produce a colossal tsunami."

"Thank you. Indeed, it's good we keep a safe distance."

"Don't worry I know the safe distance."

Suddenly, she remembers a story she read and asks, "What if I stay hidden inside your mouth in your true form? I would peek through the gap in your teeth. I don't think he would be able to identify me inside his mouth and could misjudge that you devoured me and how your kind can attack humans if it's hungry, wouldn't that be weird. I'd hide behind one of your teeth."

He is taken aback by her suggestion and after reflecting for a few minutes, the prince says, "Indeed, he would not be able to identify you and even if he could detect something, he would think that I devoured you because there would be no other way in his conception that someone would survive an attack on our kind from the ocean, even if they were a demon master. It's a creative and unusual solution."

"It's just that I really wanted to see this legendary demon with my own eyes. It must be amazing to see a colossal tortoise. It sure is pretty big."

"Yes. It is slightly larger than my size in its current true form while it is smaller than my father's true size. When the time comes, we will take the pearl from that shell and take it between my teeth. allow you to see it and not risk waking it up because it won't use spirit power near it whereas the magic I used for you to survive in the depths is undetectable."

As she says this, her eyes seem to sparkle with excitement, reminding him of a puppy looking forward to seeing something amusing or fascinating, making him smile at the thought.

He snaps out of his thoughts upon hearing her question, "So, could you show your true form again?"

"Yes. I want to know why you want to see her again."

"Well, I didn't have a lot of time to pet it and observe it in more detail. You undid it quickly."

In fact, the princess wanted him to transform again because she wanted to see him better, besides riding even on his snout and when she thought about riding, her traitorous and equally perverted mind ended up remembering a position with a name in the little book which she had access to by accident, with the young woman cursing the day she discovered by chance that perverted little book with sexual positions that made her mind become indecent.

A-ji begins to mentally slap himself for his inappropriate thoughts regarding his savior while questioning himself how he could be so close to a male specimen, if she had been close to other men and did not have the same reactions and even the same thoughts he was experiencing towards Chang Yi.

"Is it because he's a jiaoren? Does his species cause any attraction to the opposite sex? Are the legends about them luring with beauty true? Or is it because they possess an unattainable beauty and, consequently, an intense attraction? " The princess asked herself mentally why she never acted that way or had such indecent thoughts before meeting him.

Then, the young woman comes out of her thoughts with his baritone voice, "I broke it because I could detect in that form a mermaid spying on us. It was from the octopus or squid clan. I can't say exactly."

She shows a surprised face and keeps imagining a huge version of a squid and an octopus, considering the size of it in its true form, and then asking, "You couldn't detect it earlier?"

"No. She's proficient at it. I don't doubt she's a professional. When I assume my true form, my senses are more refined and equally keen. I'm glad you asked me to reveal my true form."

"I'm really sorry big-tailed fish. You're practically being hunted."

He sees her sad face and says, "Don't blame yourself. I knew this would happen."

The guilt that always followed her like a shadow takes over A-ji and starts to eat her from the inside.

After all, it wasn't fair in her view for the merman to go through all that while the thought arose that, perhaps, she was born cursed, in addition to the fact that she shouldn't have survived on the three occasions her life was at risk. If she had died the first time this happened, the jiaoren wouldn't be suffering. Not just him. Most people who had contact with her.

Seeing her still sad, the merman takes her hand and gently pulls her out of the shell, heading with the human to a deeper part and after making her sit on one of the rocks, the prince moves away and concentrates.

Blue-white light enveloped him and grew larger and larger as he took on the shape of a huge shark, making her stare in pure fascination again to the point where she forgot her self-deprecating thoughts.

Then, the glow ceases and again reveals a colossal white shark that stands in front of her, with it lowering its snout, making the young woman see herself reflected in the ice-blue irises.

She didn't understand much about sharks, but she had seen drawings and size comparisons. The white shark was considered the biggest shark in the ocean according to what she read in a book on marine animals.

The princess swims up to his snout, and then sits on top of the powerful jaws, with the young woman noticing that he was standing still, analyzing her reactions who is surprised to see that the jiaoren could see because she had read that sharks are blind.

"So, you see that way!"

"Yes" the demon master hears his baritone voice empowered by his size and resounds like thunder, "I don't lose my senses. In fact, they are much more sensitive in this form. I'm glad to see you're not afraid."

"I consider myself so lucky! I saw the ocean and now I'm sitting on top of a colossal white shark. Thank you so much."

"You're welcome"

"Your skin is smooth in this form too. It feels like I'm stroking silk." she spoke as she ran her hand over the softness of his skin.

The princess notices that the merman was enjoying being petted by her and with a crooked smile, the young woman asks in a confirming tone, "You are enjoying it, right?"

"Yes. It's nice."

Then, the human notices something coming from behind him and exclaims, pointing behind her, "Watch out!"