Blame You

The moonlight gently spills over the vast expanse of the sea, casting a soft, pearlescent glow upon the undulating waves that stir without a breath of wind. A beautiful fish tail, adorned in hues of blue and indigo, emerges from the water, splashing through the surface and creating rippling circles, only to vanish again into the dark depths of the ocean.

In an instant, the water settles, leaving only the faint traces of disturbed ripples.

Before long, a face strikingly similar to Lu's, yet more handsome and robust, appears at the water's edge, its gray-blue eyes surveying the surroundings. He has traversed nearly half the ocean since the mermaid's last appearance.

Furrowing his brow, he transforms his powerful tail into human legs beneath the water, a luxurious robe concealing his ankles, as he steps onto the sandy beach, which is lightly covered with shallow seawater, under the dim night sky.

"Wait—"

An enormous octopus emerges from the depths, its massive head surfacing, followed by its long tentacles, which carefully place the mermaid's grandmother beside him.

"Oh, my dear grandson, it has been far too long!" The mermaid grandmother languidly swishes her tail in the water, offering a warm smile to the handsome mermaid prince.

Then, under the gaze of the gray-eyed youth, she raises her hand to pat the octopus's tentacle, signaling it to depart, while nostalgically reflecting, "I remember when you were just this small. Who would have thought that only a few years later, you would be a fully grown merman?"

Though her face bears a few more fine lines, the mermaid grandmother does not appear overly aged. Her countenance, softer and more gentle than the vibrant beauty of the mermaid queen, carries a familiar light smile, now tinged with playful teasing towards her younger kin, a departure from her usual composure.

Her demeanor is markedly more relaxed than when she had been alone in the depths of the sea.

The prince remains silent for a moment. "...Grandmother, I have been busy lately and have not had the chance to visit you. It is my fault."

"I do not hold any blame against you, dear. This is merely a fault you recognize yourself."

The mermaid grandmother skillfully morphs her form into human legs, stepping gracefully onto the sand, her gaze lifted to the brilliant, starry sky. "...You children, Little Lu is the only one who truly cares. He often comes to visit this old woman, preventing me from feeling too lonely."

The prince watches her, silent.

Unable to contain herself, the mermaid grandmother clears her throat and narrows her eyes at him in mild discontent. "You, my child, after all these years, why are you still so reserved?"

Logically, while her son was also quiet, the queen was lively and cheerful; it made little sense for her grandson to be more taciturn than her son.

Look at Little Lu, so cheerful and carefree... and now, he has truly been swept away by a human.

Reflecting on this, the mermaid grandmother feels a twinge of guilt for her role in it all.

"Surely, your purpose in coming here is not merely to see me and reminisce?"

The prince meets her gaze steadily, a faint smile gracing his lips. "Grandmother, you need not beat around the bush. If I am not mistaken, you must be aware of Little Six's recent arrival on land."

The mermaid grandmother pauses, her expression shifting to one of resignation as she blinks. "You are quite perceptive; your father would surely be proud."

"...You flatter me, Grandmother."

"Tell me, is this journey to the surface your father's wish?" The mermaid grandmother inquires after a moment of contemplation.

The prince raises his gray eyes slightly. "It is not solely my father's concern; we are all worried. Little Five has left the depths of the sea without warning. I cannot rest easy, which is why I decided to come and see for myself. Grandmother, you should have informed us beforehand about your plans. Little Six must not come to harm."

Little Six's carefree nature has always led him to disregard rules, and even if the human who took him away has no ill intentions, there is no guarantee that all humans he encounters are benevolent.

"Thus, I wish to accompany you in finding Little Lu."

The mermaid grandmother smiles. "In truth, I have yet to see the human who occupies Little Lu's thoughts day and night; this is a perfect opportunity to join you."

"However, Little Lu is not as fragile as you imagine; there are certain matters... she is still aware of." 

The mermaid grandmother gazed fondly at her grown grandson, her eyes filled with affection as she remarked, "You children all have your own thoughts, and Little Lu is no exception. Some things, after all, should be let go." 

The prince met her gaze, his gray eyes unwavering, and after a long pause, he replied, "...What about you, Grandmother?" 

"If you yourself cannot let go, how can we expect to do so?" 

The mermaid grandmother's smile faded slightly as she regarded her remarkably mature grandson, ultimately shaking her head and sighing with a smile, "Oh, you dear child." 

"...Your grandfather has already departed. If you were to let go, there would truly be no one left in this world to remember him." 

A gentle night breeze swept by, lifting the strands of their long hair. 

"Very well, then, come with me," the young man finally conceded. "But you must promise not to cause any more trouble on land. Jack has already gone to find Lu before me, and if Lu continues to resist him, he may act rashly." 

"Furthermore..." The prince hesitated for a moment. "Now that more than a century has passed, if you harbor any lingering feelings, you could seek out your grandfather's reincarnation for a meeting." 

It need not be with a completely unfamiliar human. 

But simply meeting to put those feelings to rest is certainly not an issue. 

"Your grandfather is unique; any reincarnation bears no relation to him." 

The grandmother waved her hand dismissively and began to walk toward the distant, tranquil village. "Enough of that; let us hasten to find Lu. Little Five's temperament is not easy to manage. If he ends up entangled with the sluggish and stubborn offspring of the snake family, it might very well explode." 

Meanwhile, 

Lu had dozed off, leaning against the rocky wall of the cave, her sleep restless— 

If one were to count carefully, she had gone an entire day without food. Although she was not faint with hunger, it was certainly uncomfortable. 

She had hoped that perhaps Jack would not be so heartless as to leave her starving, yet she found herself waiting in vain for his return. 

Thus, the little mermaid, feeling both hungry and weary, drifted back into slumber. 

Even her dreams were filled with visions of roasted fish and rabbit, as well as the various delicacies she had enjoyed in the palace over the past few days— 

Unfortunately, she was a mermaid, confined to the depths of the sea, unable to reach them. 

An inky figure had unknowingly taken position outside the cave, its golden phoenix eyes resting upon the massive stone before it, pausing momentarily before slowly placing a hand atop it. 

... 

When Jack returned, frowning and dragging along a certain burden, only to find the cave empty, his expression darkened instantly. 

The roasted duck he had painstakingly procured was carelessly tossed to the ground as he turned and exited the cave, which had already been opened. 

Prince Five crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow, completely unfazed by Jack's exceedingly grim demeanor. "Hey, where's Little Six? Where have you hidden her? Don't think you can deceive me." 

Jack stared intently at the scattered stones outside the cave, squinting slightly as he coolly replied, "If you wish to find her, why not contact her yourself? It would be far more convenient than relying on me." 

The last time he had communicated with Lu, he had used the conch shell he had taken from Prince Five. 

At this, Prince Five grew irritable. "How can you even say that? Last time, you stole my conch shell! After it returned, it went into a shell of silence! No matter how I tried to coax it, it remained as unresponsive as a dead shell—oh, wait, it was a dead shell to begin with. It doesn't even budge now; let alone communication, I can't even make it respond! Isn't this all your fault?!" 

"Otherwise, I would have gone to find Little Six myself long ago instead of following you around!" 

Jack cast a heavy glance at him. "Little Lu was indeed here with me." 

"But now, she has vanished." 

"What?" Prince Five paused, then frowned in displeasure. "You actually left Little Six alone in this wretched place?" 

He had known this water snake had ill intentions! 

Jack had already withdrawn his gaze, staring silently at the stones at his feet.

"Who exactly took Little Six away?" Prince Five glanced at the stone but found nothing amiss, then continued, "Do you have any leads?" 

"…You are quite loud." 

Jack bent down to pick up a fragment of stone, staring at it for a moment, his sleepy phoenix eyes half-closed. "…The entrance to this cave was originally blocked." 

"Someone shattered the stones." 

"And the lingering power that remains…" 

It was merely a trace, yet it sent a chill through him. 

Something was amiss. 

Jack gathered the stones in his palm and crushed them into powder, then opened his hand, watching impassively as the dust was carried away by an unseen breeze, his lips pressed together. 

…Indeed, it was unmistakable. But why? 

Hadn't they retreated from the world? When had they emerged, and why had he received no news? 

For the first time, Jack felt a profound sense of crisis. 

"Why are you speaking so unclearly?" Prince Five rolled his eyes in irritation. "You call me noisy, yet why don't you go find Little Six for me? She's my little sister; am I not allowed to be concerned?" 

"You blocked the door, preventing Little Lu from leaving… I won't hold that against you. But you lost her and still have the audacity to complain?!" 

Jack's brow twitched as he shot him a glance. "I have not absolved myself of responsibility." 

"Furthermore, if you hadn't been pestering me in town, I would have returned with the roasted duck by now, and perhaps Lu would not have been taken by someone else." 

"Wasn't it you who asked me a couple of questions, only for you to ignore me completely? If you had just acknowledged me, who cares what you were doing? I only want to find Little Six, alright?" Prince Five scoffed. 

It was ridiculous that their father and mother trusted this water snake to take care of Little Six—he had not only failed to care for her but had outright lost her! 

Moreover… Prince Five cast a glance around the cave, which contained little more than a pond, and unconsciously furrowed his brow even tighter. 

It was almost unimaginable that the pampered mermaid princess had ended up in such a place— 

"What is this place? Is it your temporary residence on land?" 

Prince Five expressed his disdain, "You let Little Six stay in such a place?" 

It was no wonder he thought this way; after all, a water snake was still a snake… just looking at this dark, damp cave was enough to align it with Jack's preferences. 

"Oh, right, wasn't she brought here by a human? How did she end up with you instead? Did you manage to persuade Little Lu so easily?" 

Prince Five was filled with questions. 

"Who would be idle enough to take her away? Don't tell me she was abducted for sale; I've heard humans are quite cunning." 

Jack: "…" 

"Aren't mermaids bound by laws? How did you manage to come out?" Jack shot him an expressionless glance. 

He didn't believe that the mermaid king and queen would allow such a fifth prince to roam freely. 

Prince Five hesitated, then straightened his face. "…Regardless, I came out, so don't change the subject—answer my question." 

Jack looked up at the sky and then turned to walk down the mountain. 

"—Where are you going?" 

"To find Lu." 

"…Wait for me!"