Noxland, Riverfalls Town, 1991
Jimin lay on a cold metal bed, his body drenched in sweat. Thick iron chains with cuffs bound his hands and feet, leaving him completely helpless. A metal tool forced his mouth wide open, making it impossible for him to scream or speak.
The dark basement room had only one dim light hanging from the ceiling. The light swayed slightly, casting shaky shadows on the cracked, damp walls. Water dripped from a broken pipe in the corner, creating a steady, echoing sound.
The cold, uneven floor was covered in patches of dirt and dried blood. The air smelled of mold and iron, making it hard to breathe. The room felt small and suffocating, with no windows or doors visible except for a heavy, locked door in the corner.
Jimin panicked, his eyes filled with terror as he struggled to breathe. Every attempt to break the chains failed. He felt too weak, his entire body burning with a strange sensation. "What's happening to me?" he thought, but his mind stopped working. He couldn't comprehend anything—where he was or who had brought him there.
Exhausted and hopeless, Jimin recalled his last memory of freedom—when he was under the sea, breathing in nature. As usual, Jimin had come to the surface of the Veyrith Sea near Riverfalls Town, where his family had died during the war that ended twenty years ago, in 1971. He wanted to pay his respects before the people of his clan migrated.
Suddenly, Jimin noticed a group of men swimming around him. He tried to swim away, but one of the men raised a strange device and aimed it at him. Before he could react, a sharp, glowing projectile shot out and struck him in the chest.
Pain surged through his body, freezing his muscles. Blood seeped from his wound, blending into the sea. He couldn't move or scream. The water around him grew heavier, pressing down on him as his vision blurred and he lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in this dark, strange place.
Jimin swallowed the lump in his throat. He remembered his mother's warning about humans before she died, after being attacked by them. "Humans are dangerous. Don't go to their world," she had told him.
But now Jimin felt helpless. He couldn't protect himself. Tears filled his eyes and streamed down the corners. His heart ached, and fear tightened with every passing second. He looked down at his chest; the wound hadn't healed yet. It was still seeping fresh blood, sending sharp, shooting pains through his body.
Jimin had no choice. He couldn't predict the future, but a part of him knew that his fate had already stored a long, agonizing torment for him, now that the humans had captured him.
Suddenly, the heavy iron door opened with a loud creak, and a tall figure stepped inside. The man wore a white coat, his hair neatly styled with gel, and a malicious smirk carved on his face. "Welcome to hell," said Professor Ben Christopher, an American marine scientist who was working for a secret organization established in 1972, after the bloody war between humans and Aquanis had ended.
Jimin's eyes widened in terror as Professor Ben stepped closer. He breathed in panic, trying to speak, to beg, but the metal tool in his mouth distorted his words.
"Mmmph… mmph-leee… mmph-lone!" Jimin mumbled, his voice unclear and broken. Tears streamed down his face as he struggled against the chains, his body trembling.
The professor's cold smile only deepened Jimin's panic. He tried again, his voice desperate and muffled, "Mmmph… pleee… stahhh!" But the words came out unclear, swallowed by the tool and the suffocating silence of the room.
Professor Ben widened his smile. "I know you must be afraid, but don't worry. I won't kill you. I'm going to study you so that I can find out everything about your kind," he replied stubbornly, refusing to show any sign of remorse.
Jimin protested more, shaking his hands and trying to break free. His heart thudded loudly in his wounded chest.
Professor Ben stood over him, holding a long, thin pipe with a camera attached to the end. He leaned closer to Jimin, his voice cold and clinical. "We're going to perform stomach surgery now," he said. "Let's see what's inside you and how your body works." He pushed the pipe into Jimin's stomach, ignoring his muffled cries of pain.
Jimin's body jerked violently as the pipe pierced his stomach. A sharp, searing pain shot through him, and he let out a muffled scream, "Mmmph! Mmmph-nooo!" Tears poured down his face as he thrashed against the chains, but they held him firmly in place. His breathing turned ragged.
The burning sensation in his stomach grew worse, and he felt like he was being torn apart from the inside.
Professor Ben ignored Jimin's muffled cries and continued to push the pipe deeper. Jimin's vision blurred as the pain overwhelmed him. He felt weak, dizzy, and utterly defeated. His thoughts turned to his family, his home under the sea, and the freedom he had lost. He wished he had listened to his mother's warning. Now, he was trapped in a nightmare with no way to escape.
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Present Day
Jimin woke up with a long gasp as he sat in a bathtub. His heart pounded loudly in his chest, and the brutal memory made him shiver with terror. The pain and agony he felt during the days when he was captured by the secret organization were still fresh in his mind, as if everything had happened just yesterday.
Jimin stepped out of the tub and covered his drenched body with a bathrobe. He walked to the mirror and stared at his reflection. His hands trembled as he touched the old scar on his chest, a reminder of the pain he had endured. His breathing was still uneven, and his heart raced as the memories flooded back. He clenched his fists, trying to push the fear away, but it clung to him like a shadow.
Jimin was an Aquanis, a human-like sea creature who once lived under the sea. Long ago, the Aquanis were peaceful, immortal beings with magical abilities. They lived in a beautiful underwater city and thrived in harmony.
The Aquanis looked almost like humans, but they had fish-like fins on their backs, knuckles, and the edges of their ears. These fins helped them swim effortlessly underwater. They also had the power to transform into complete human forms when needed.
One day, humans discovered the Aquanis and turned their lives upside down. For years, humans attacked the Aquanis, claiming they were afraid of them. The Aquanis fought back using their magical powers, but they lost thousands of lives in the process. Eventually, the war ended, and many Aquanis migrated away from the Veyrith Sea. However, a few clans foolishly believed that humans had accepted their defeat and chose to stay behind.
Jimin belonged to a clan that refused to leave their home and decided to fight when needed. Since Jimin couldn't refuse the order of the clan's leader, he remained stuck in the Veyrith Sea for years, where his family had died.
Meanwhile, the humans and folks of Noxland had apparently ended the war, but they created a secret organization whose main purpose was to find an Aquanis and discover their magical powers. To capture an Aquanis, they created more powerful weapons and serums to control them.
Soon after the war ended, the Aquanis started disappearing. When all the clans could not find a solution, they chose to migrate and abandon the Veyrith Sea completely. The day the humans captured Jimin was the same day his clan was leaving their home, and he decided to pay his last respects to his family and home.
The Aquanis kept all their powers hidden in their hearts. When the people from the secret organization injured Jimin's heart, he grew weak and developed a permanent wound that ached from time to time. To ease the pain and use his magical abilities, Jimin needed to feed on a human heart. Now, driven by revenge, Jimin hunted the people of the town, feeding on them and preparing for his ultimate revenge.
"I'm going to make you all pay," Jimin muttered. He gritted his teeth and broke the mirror with his fist.