‘Kris,’ Luhan had asked while Kris sat on the roof of the tower looking towards the sea. ‘Did you know why I wished to live on land?’

Kris was originally expecting Tao to respond to his presence, but Luhan’s voice was the one that greeted his mind.

‘Yes, I know.’ Kris answered, eyes still not leaving the ocean.

‘Why?’

‘I cannot tell you.’ Kris sighed. When he originally granted Luhan’s wish, he had forgotten all about the possibility that there would be another hunter in this era, and now, staring back at his home, he regrets ever leaving it simply due to his curiosity and boredom.

Apparently giving up on the reason already, Luhan moved on. ‘Kris, will I ever be able to become a siren again?’

Kris smiled. Become a siren again, The boy asks? That is a wish that he would love to grant, thinking of all the possible prices he could ask the child of the sea to pay. The powers he could accumulate through a wish that complex, the endless possibilities –

And Tao’s head suddenly turned towards him, eyes gleaming with something between concern and threat. Immediately disappearing into the air before Tao could actually ‘see’ him, Kris whispered into Luhan’s ears as he passed by as the wind. ‘Yes, you may wish for it. Just be prepared for the price that comes with it.’

But as Kris landed softly on the boulders at Siren Rocks, he realized that it was not him who wished to grant that particular wish, but something else. A slithering twisting motion inside him made him extremely sick as he cried out in pain, realizing the beginning of the curse’s manifestations.

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

Tao was restless under the light of the full moon. While his training was over for the day, he stayed under the silvery orb as he threw himself into the air, his sword flashing as the rays of light hit it. Somehow, he couldn’t stop himself from moving with the quiet evening breeze, cutting the air with crisp sounds as he spun his sword in the air.

“The full moon is known for making people restless and digging out the darkest of their secrets, making them crazy.” Kai walked into the light from the shadows as he sat a little ways off, staring at his friend’s frantic movements as if to rid himself of a demon inside him. “And that is why we call it lunacy. Have a cup of wine with me, my friend, and allow me to tell you what’s on my mind.”

“Do you always sound more poetic during the full moon, or is it just because you’re talking about wine?” Tao huffed as he sheathed his sword, finally feeling the toll of his activities.

“It could be both.” Kai shrugged. “So is that a yes to wine with a friend?”

“I don’t know, I’m a bit picky when it comes to wine, and the conversation over wine.” Tao joked.

“Fifty year old white rose wine aged in oak and a conversation on something I can tell no one else. I’m sure both are at least satisfactory.” Kai chuckled as the two made it to Kai’s personal library.

The wind sang through what was left of the leaves in the forest below them, the melody blended eerily with the crashing waves of the distant sea. In the distance, they could hear the hoots of the night owls and occasionally the cries of the night raven. Tao sat on the windowsill, much like what Luhan did when Kai read to him in the afternoons. His eyes were glued to the reflection of the silver moon in the waters, slowly swirling the pink liquid in his glass with one hand.

“So, what did you wish to talk about?” Tao asked, turning back to his friend, who was looking at a pile of books on the ebony table beside him. Tao always liked the library, ever since the day when he accidentally followed Kai into it, only to have Kai beg him to never let anyone know of its existence. While the library was small, no wider than a maid’s chamber with only shelves against the four walls, it was an impressive collection as it reached enormous heights with the stained glass ceiling that was protected by a secondary roof much above it so it still let light through.

“The ocean. It’s calming isn’t it?” Kai asked, a glazed look over him as he stared into the distance.

“Surely, that was not the topic you could only discuss with me.” Tao replied, suddenly serious.

“No. It’s not.” Kai answered, still dazed as he took a sip of wine. “You promise me you won’t tell anyone else about this conversation? You promise me you won’t judge me or do anything rash?” Kai asked before continuing. While Tao did not want to confine himself before he knew what was going on, he realized he had no choice but to agree. He nodded courtly towards Kai, asking him to continue.

“Remember how before you came back, there was an accident at sea, and I was almost killed?” Kai asked, his eyes still unfocused and his lips curled to a smile, “I was saved that night.”

“Kai, you were lucky you were washed up on shore. You could have died. Why are you smiling?” Tao began to worry. He did not like seeing Kai like this, especially under a full moon. It truly made him question the elder’s sanity.

“No Tao, I was saved.” Kai spoke softly, “The storm was severe and debris from the ship hit me, knocking me almost unconscious. But I was saved. A beautiful siren with golden hair and eyes the color of amber.”

“Kai, sirens kill people, they don’t save them.” Tao began to feel angry; Kai should have known better to talk about sirens in front of him. “It could have been a water nymph, or a sea spirit. They have the compassion to save people Kai, but not sirens.”

But Kai didn’t seem to hear him. “The sapphire scales and the pearl like skin. Its voice Tao, its voice was so beautiful I almost believed I died and angels were singing to me. The siren dragged me onto land and saved me, Tao.”

So it was a siren. Tao felt his teeth grind and his fist clench. “Why are you telling me this?” He asked. “I thought I already told you what I am training to become even if the rest of the world is still clueless.”

“Tao, have you ever been in love?” Kai asked, deep in thought as he took another sip of his wine. Tao turned to see him empty the last of the liquid into his glass. “Love makes you do stupid things. Every full moon, like the night of my accident, I see his face in front of me in the waters, I hear his voice, I feel his fingers against my face. I wish to see him but I can only drink.” Kai’s voice began to slur, and Tao realized that there was not one, but two empty bottles by Kai’s feet, making him realize just how much his friend had drunk as he himself only had two glasses.

“You’re drunk. You’re hallucinating.” Tao begged Kai to stop talking, trying to drag his friend from the armchair and towards the door. But Kai was unusually steady, as his eyes cleared and looked straight into Tao’s.

“I don’t know why I feel this need, but something inside me is screaming at me to tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“Tao, not all sirens are bad, just like not all humans are evil.”

“Kai, stop. We need to get you to bed.”

“Tao, have you ever been in love?”

“No, Kai, and –“ Then it hit him like a bucket of ice water. That look, that glazed longing look that Kai had on his face as he struggled to get out of Tao’s arm and back to stare at the moon was the same as the one he had when looking at a certain boy he knew too well. A boy whose origins were unusually suspicious.

“Luhan.”

“Tao, love makes you do stupid things, Tao.” Kai laughed, a laugh that sent the hairs on the back of Tao’s neck standing straight. “I love him so much, and I believed he loved me! But I was cruel and refused to see him, and now he’s with Sehun. I still love him, Tao! But I want him to be happy. Tell me he’s happy with Sehun, Tao. I don’t know what to do anymore! I think I’m turning crazy!” But when Kai finally cleared his head enough to look at Tao, his face paled. “Tao. Not all sirens are bad. I love him. And Sehun does too. Please promise me, no matter what happens, he will live.”

Tao didn’t want to say anything, but he was never able to deny Kai anything he wanted when Kai asked with those eyes. Kai’s ebony black eyes were so cold and distance that it made Tao shift uncomfortably, he had no choice but to agree.

That night, after sending Kai back to his room, Tao collapsed onto his bed, not bothering to change. He looked outside towards the ocean, where the moon was no longer by the sea, but somewhere above him. His mind was a mess, his duties and his morals constantly battling each other as what Kai told him repeated over and over in his head. Luhan was a siren, and yet also his friend. Sehun loved Luhan, yet so did Kai. It was all so twisted and messed up that he laughed out loud towards the ceiling, not caring for who might hear him this late at night.

But soon, fatigue gripped him and Tao’s eyes closed. His mind continued to wander as he dreamed dreams that were dreadfully real. He dreamed of sirens, of love, of friendships, and of betrayals. He dreamed of a massive sea of blood and fire, and the moon – even the clear silvery moon was dyed a rusty iron color. And at the end of his dream, he saw his own head, severed from his neck, eyes full of hatred, anger, and regret as he saw the body who was holding his head in the air collapse onto his body, the salt water falling from the strangers eyes stabbing his heart like a million knives.

Tao woke up with the taste of iron in his mouth, the window wide open as wild winds caused the curtains to flap dangerously in the night air.