But in that moment of triumph…
Kaya's body jerked.
A cold pressure squeezed her chest. Her eyes widened.
She reached for her throat.
The last mark—the third small gill-like line—was gone.
She couldn't breathe.
A sharp gasp escaped her lips, but no air came in. Just water.
She choked.
Her limbs flailed for a second—then slowed.
The ocean around her blurred, moonlight flickering faintly above.
And Kaya began to sink.
The little lord and a few mermaids rushed forward, panic in their eyes. But the moment they got within 200 meters of Kaya, it hit them.
A burning sensation—sharp, deep, searing through their skin like fire in the water.
They gasped. Groaned. Forced to retreat, they clutched at their bodies, unable to get any closer.
Kaya was drifting now—eyes closed, breath gone.
She was sinking, slowly, her body limp in the darkening ocean.
And then… something impossible happened.