Nikolai's emotional connection to the mermaid didn't cause him pain, nor was there a devastating sense of loss to see her fading without a chance.
However, Amphitrite brought him here and taught him about this room.
Without her help, no matter how twisted and unfair, he could never have found a suitable vessel for his mother's revival so soon. No, if he became honest… Nikolai might find one, but would that body compare to the ones standing before him?
'What am I even considering here? There's no way—!'
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration flickered through his mind.
When he defeated her in the past, he took an item that, although it didn't contain her blood, was something created within her body.
He gazed back at the fading figure sitting on the cold steel gurney, kicking her feet like a fussy child. This woman was a monster he barely knew, yet somehow, he couldn't quite accept the fact she would just vanish after helping him.