The Ocean's Secret

The waves crashed gently against the shore as the moonlight shimmered across the water. Deep beneath the ocean's surface, where no human had ever dared to venture, lived a being who had never belonged to either the sea or the land.

Siren, the merman, had always felt a strange pull toward the human world. His kind spoke of the dangers of humans—how they were cruel, selfish, and capable of destruction beyond imagination. Yet, he couldn't ignore the yearning in his heart, the feeling that something, or someone, awaited him beyond the water.

He often swam to the surface at night, watching the land from afar. The bright city lights flickered in the distance, so different from the dark blue depths he called home. He longed to understand their world, to experience it himself, even though he knew it was forbidden.

One evening, as he rested on a hidden rock near the shore, a sound reached his ears—soft, gentle laughter. His piercing blue eyes followed the voice until he saw her. A girl with a smile as bright as the moon.

She stood at the edge of the beach, letting the waves kiss her bare feet. Her eyes held a sadness he couldn't explain, and yet, when she laughed, it was as if the ocean itself stilled just to listen.

For the first time in his long, lonely existence, Siren felt something stir within him. He shouldn't be watching her. He should turn away. But he couldn't.

Fate had already begun its cruel game.