A small light glowed in the distance, similar to an ember sparking to start a fire. As the waters drew the fish in closer, one could observe that the light composed of many small lights, glowing together to cast light into the deep dark waters of the ocean. The current drew out faint singing from beyond the wall of reef, that covered the trench. No human dared to venture beyond the dark reef. Sailors avoided this route, fearing stories of sirens who lured them to their death.

These stories had been passed over many generations and many generations has always been enough time to confuse the origins of the mythos. This story can be considered a myth in itself, for the rational mind will never believe the events that unfold from this point. It is perhaps the narrow minds of trivial beings restricted to land, that prevents them from realizing the true wonders of the world they are part of. Powers and abilities then become magic and mysteryto the midn that cannot comprehend simply because they have never been exposed to the likes of it before. But these fantastical powers do exist, and our story begins with the birth of another such extra ordinary being.

Once upon a time, deep in the Pacific Ocean, amongst the coral reefs nested within the deep trenches, lay the majestic castle of Coruscanth. The castle stood in the middle of the deepest trench, rising a hundred feet from the ocean floor. It was surrounded by the merpeople's village, small houses built out of parts of ships wrecked over centuries. The castle was cut out of a large reef that continued to grow year over year and it stood in sharp contrast to the wooden exteriors of the village. In many places, the ocean had started to reclaim the wood with sea weeds growing on the walls. Small jelly fish trapped within bubbles of air gave light to the homes, that added up to bright nights in the village.

Up amongst the highest levels of the castle, lay the chambers of the king and queen. The king merman swam the length of the corridor before tucking his tail, turning and swimming to the other end. The exercise was repeated again for every moment he was made to wait. The futility of the exercise only added to the frustration of helplessness. His wife was in the birth chambers, expecting the borth of their first born and he had been asked to wait in his study.

"My lord" a young merman bowed. The king instantly recognised him as the fin-man of the Prophetess Aki. "Do you bring word from the prophetess?" the king asked hastily. "I come bearing a message King Yuuki. But it's sealed and I was asked to deliver it in the strictest confidence" he told the king. Yuuki nodded. He accepted the message, taking a simple scroll of reed from the fin-man. He waited till he was alone to open the scroll. He closed his eyes, letting the power flow through him. At once, images started to flood his mind.

The ocean turned from blue to red and to dark green. There was debris of wood and metal striking across the depth and into the heart of Coruscanth. It shone brightly for a moment before everything was enveloped in a murky cloud. The final image was that of a dying reef that slowly lost its colour and strength, mixing away into the sea lifelessly.

"Your eldest will bring ruin upon your waters, king of the seas. They will tie you to your throne by the tail and cut your scales, selling your soul and bringing destruction upon the seas. But your youngest will be your salvation. They will bring the light of hope to dark times. Your blood has started you on a dark path. Wade carefully through treacherous waters"

Yuuki cried out on hearing the prophecy. There was so much pain and darkness in the future. But this couldn't be true. His child was merely a baby. He or she hadn't even been born yet. The time was upon them, surely, but this foretelling could simply not be true. The queen was in her chamber with the merwife assisting her in aiding to the baby cocoon. They were expecting a birth soon...

Frantic knocking on the doors startled Yuuki. "Enter" he commanded smoothly, hiding his feelings. "I come bearing bad news my lord. The queen has been injured" the page said. "How?!" Yuuki demanded to know. "We do not know my lord. I was sent to call for you as soon as possible" the merboy told him. "Curse to the unforgiving heavens. Lead me there immediately" Yuuki said, leaving the scroll behind.

The two swam up the corridor to the level above them where the birth chamber lay. The fin-maidens and the servants gave way to him. "Syrena! Syrena!" Yuuki called for his wife. "You must hurry my lord. She's in critical condition" one of the ladies said. It was Hanhee, the merwife and one of Syrena's oldest friends.

"What happened?" Yuuki asked as he swam into his wife's chambers. She lay on her bed, convulsing slightly every now and then. "It was the baby, my lord" Hanhee said hesitantly. "It was in pain. A lot of pain. We could hear shrill cries. And when the queen tried to comfort it, the pain transferred to her. The prince or princess to be must have extraordinary powers."

"Powers you say?" Yuuki asked sharply. "I'm afraid so" Hanhee said. "I can cure this. I can heal her" he nodded to himself. He took Syrena's hand. The pulse of life power was weak but Yuuki wouldn't let that stop him. He gathered all the healing energy he could and fed them to Syrena's body. Syrena twitched as her body resisted the attempt and threw the energy back at the king. He tried multiple times with the same result.

"Syrena no" he cried helplessly as her life force ebbed away slowly. Hanhee said a small prayer before stepping away. "I'm afraid she is one with the sea mists now" Hanhee said. "This is all that thing's fault" Yuuki said angrily. "The child is powerful" she said warily. "It is already an omen of evil. I want it dead" Yuuki growled. "Your Majesty, you are not thinking straight" Hanhee said. He looked away.

"You're in pain... you’re hurting but I can make that go away" Hanhee said, leaning in. Her voice had become slow and musical, like the chime of waves on surface rock. "Leave the child to me" she comforted him, holding him by his shoulders. He looked at her, eyes half lidded from the exhausting emotions of the night. Enchanted by the smooth voice, he nodded. His eyes closed and he fell by the side of his wife's bed. His cries were loud enough to be heard all over the castle.

Which gave Hanhee the perfect cover for carrying a newly born and crying mer-child away.