Luhan remembered when he first saw the boy. He had wanted to keep the boy in the water with him, as the boy was perfect. His black hair flowing around his head like a beautiful halo, his skin shone as the lightning above illuminated it, the outline of his muscles showing through the thin white fabric, and his lips that put even the most beautiful of the sirens to shame. He was perfect and Luhan wanted him. But no matter how much Luhan wanted him, the boy was a creature of the land and could never strive in the sea, so Luhan didn’t hesitate to pull the boy out of the stormy ocean and to the nearest land he could see. Even if the merpeople felt no emotions, he wanted the boy to live, and he wanted the boy to live badly.

Luhan remembered how the moon shone and highlighted the boy’s cheekbones, his jaws. He remembered how he didn’t mind the wind passing him by, drying his shimmering skin and fins, leaving cracking lines due to the lack of moisture. He remembered how he was curious, so curious about this son of the earth, and pressed his ears to the boy’s chest to see if there really was a “heart” that allowed the humans to love. He remembered himself almost falling asleep, listening to the steady but weak thumping sound inside the boy’s chest when he heard human voices and smelled human torches. He remember how he scrambled towards the sea, salt water stabbing his skin like a thousand sea urchins as it greeted him, but he didn’t mind, because he was able to look upon perfection.  

Later, he heard from a river nymph that the boy who he had saved was the prince of the costal nation near Luhan’s home. Curiosity shook Luhan and he followed the river to the castle, and he was once more captivated by the perfection of the boy. While the boy was beautiful under water, he was even more majestic on land. His tanned skin shone in the light of the sun, his black hair tickled by the ocean breeze, and his eyes shone brighter with the youth and vitality only nymphs should possess.  As a precious offspring of the merpeople, Luhan could not feel love, but he felt a longing to be with his “perfect” being stronger than anything he has felt before.

So he went to see the monster that took refuge in the deepest parts of the sea, for he knew the ancient being knew of spells that could grant him anything he pleased for a price. Through water hotter than fire and colder than ice he swam, concentrating only on his longing to be with the perfect boy. When he arrived, the ugly creature turned his head towards the young merman and laughed histerically.

“The son of the merpeople wishes to live amongst humans?” It scorned,  “You have everything a human wants – immortality, wisdom, magic, wealth – yet what you crave is to live in a world full of jealousy, ignorance, suffering, and greed?”

Poor Luhan simply nodded, as he lacked the words to explain his unusual longing.

The creature laughed even more. “Then tell me, little prince, what is your wish?”

For the first time in centuries, Luhan felt there was no need to think over his decision. “I wish to be able to live on land, and be with him.”

And the monster granted him his wish and took the boy’s beautiful siren voice inherited from his mother. “You would have paid me enough by your wish alone,” it cackled, “It has been centuries since I seen something this entertaining. I will watch over you little prince, as I am bored here and your stories will do more than chase away my boredom. But I cannot make something from nothing, so your voice will be payment enough.”

And once the two reached land, the monster took a sharp rock from the boulders by the sea and sliced Luhan’s tail in half. The amount of pain shocked Luhan, but multiplied as the monster sprinkled sand over the open flesh and muttered his spell. Luhan’s head spun as he saw his beautiful sapphire scales crack and fall from his skin and turned into white grey ashes, and when the wind blew the ashes away, pale human limbs greeted his eyes. Luhan’s eyes began to tear, and eyelids began to fall as he saw the monster slithering back into the sea. A laugh rang in his head as he heard the voice of the ancient spirit singing delightfully: I may have granted your wish, but things may not end the way you wanted things to be.

~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~

Luhan/ Little Prince:

Age: 415 (17 human age) at the beginning of the story

Type: Merpeople, Child of the Sea

One of the merpeople and one of the youngest son of over 500 children of the King of the Sea. Sirens, mermaids, merpeople alike are all children of the sea, creatures granted immortality, wisdom, magic, and wealth beyond human imagination. They normally fear humans and tend to wish destruction upon humans who venture too far into the ocean as they fear human emotions and greed will contaminate their living, thus making humans believe the creatures of the sea feed on human heart and souls. While creatures of the sea should feel no emotions, Luhan developed an unusual attachment to Jongin, or Prince Kai, when the young prince fell into the ocean in a shipwreck accident. His curiosity and longing for the young prince drove him to wish for human attributes, which eventually drives him insane.

Jongin/ Crowned Prince Kai:

Age: 19 at the beginning of the story

Type: Human, Child of the Land

The crowned prince of a seaside kingdom called Clearwater. Once a positive and energetic prince, his personality took an extreme change after a near death experience during a storm at sea. After developing an extreme fear for water, the prince became cold and distant towards everyone, including his close friends and his brother. While Jongin seems cold and distant, he is actually extremely lonely and protective to those around him in fear of loosing someone he loves. He develops an obsession with immortality after reading books on the children of the sea, and wishes it for himself and all those close to him. He also has a reoccurring dream of a beautiful siren who saved his life on the dreadful night of the storm, and develops a crazed obsession/love for "her" as well.

Sehun/ Prince Sehun:

Age: 17 at the beginning of the story

Type: Human, Child of the land

Raised as a prince of the kingdom, Sehun is actually the child of the king and a mistress. Trying to cover her husband’s shame, the queen raised Sehun as her own and forbade anyone to reveal the secret of Sehun origin while the whole castle already knows of the secret. Being raised in Jongin’s shadow, Sehun never really felt jealousy towards anything his brother had and loved his brother dearly until he realized Luhan’s longing for Jongin. Torn by envy and rage, yet blinded by his love for Luhan, Sehun begins to loose his mind.

~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~

Minor characters:

Tao:

Age: 17 at the beginning of the story

Type: Human Magician/Hunter, Child of the land and air

Bodyguard and childhood friend of the princes, Tao is a young human Magician and Hunter of an ancient beast that guarded the treasures of the sea.

The Monster/ The Ancient One/ The Guardian of the Sea/ The Beautiful one/ Kris:

Age: Unknown

Type: Unknown, Origins of the Sea and Air

A mystical being that has existed since the beggining of time that held tremendous magic and powers. In the ocean, he is cursed to stay in his dragon form, hideous and menacing, hiding in the deepest corners of the ocean and guarding it's precious treasures. In his form above the water, he is nearly human, a kin of the magicians and ancestor of the humans.

Possibly other exo members as well.