My head hurts.
That was the first thing I noticed.
A dull ache throbbed behind my eyes as consciousness slowly returned to me. For a moment, I refused to open my eyes.
Maybe if I stayed still…Maybe all of this would disappear.
Because the last thing I remembered was terrifying.
I was inside the ocean talking and two human-like sharks were staring at me before everything went black.
I inhaled carefully.
I could breathe.That alone confused me.
Wasn't I supposed to be dead?
My lashes fluttered open.
Blue light greeted me again.
Not the chaotic ocean from before but something calmer… grander.
I blinked repeatedly, trying to focus.
The first thing I saw was the familiar curved surface surrounding me.
My fingers lifted weakly, touching the smooth transparent wall around me.
It was still there.
Still trapping me.
Earlier, when I first woke beneath the ocean, I didn't even understand what this thing was. I had panicked so badly that I barely remembered anything before fainting.
Now that my mind was clearer, fear returned slowly instead of all at once.
I was inside a round… shining container.
Like a giant glass marble.
Or…A crystal.
My throat tightened.
Okay… not a dream.
Definitely not a dream.
I slowly sat upright.That was when I noticed the environment had changed.
This wasn't the open ocean anymore.
I was inside an enormous hall.
Huge pillars stretched upward, glowing faintly blue. The floor shimmered like polished pearls, and soft currents of light moved through the air as if the entire space lived underwater.
Yet strangely…I wasn't drowning.
My gaze shifted nervously.And then I saw them again.
My body stiffened instantly.
The human-like sharks.
They stood nearby watching me.
My heart began racing.
Don't faint again.
Please don't faint again.
One of them moved closer…the taller one with sharper eyes.
I instinctively scooted backward inside the crystal sphere.
"O-Okay… stay there," I muttered quickly.
"No sudden movements. I'm fragile."
They exchanged a glance.
A real glance.Like they understood me.
"It has awakened again," the female one said softly.
Her voice was gentle… surprisingly gentle for someone who looked capable of biting my head off.
"It fainted earlier," the male added.
Excuse me?
I did NOT faint.
…Okay, maybe I did.
My eyes moved between them nervously.
They didn't attack.
Didn't growl.
Didn't bare teeth.
Which somehow made this situation even stranger.
"What… what are you?" I asked cautiously.
The two looked slightly confused.
Then the male spoke.
"We are Mermen."
Mermen?
My brain froze.
Mermen?
Like… fairy tales?
Like mermaids?
I stared harder.Their upper bodies were undeniably human, powerful and elegant but beneath them moved massive aquatic tails instead of legs.
My mouth slowly fell open.
Oh no.
I wasn't hallucinating.
Fairy tales were real.
Which meant…I might truly not be human anymore.
The female tilted her head kindly.
"And you," she said, gesturing toward my prison, "are inside a Crystal Sphere."
Crystal Sphere.
So that was its name.
I swallowed hard, pressing my palm against the barrier again.
Crystal Sphere.
Great.
I was officially an exhibit.
Fear still lingered, tightening my chest.
Even if they sounded calm…I didn't know their intentions.
My gaze moved past them and that was when I noticed where they had brought me.
At the far end of the hall stood a throne.
Not just any throne.A terrifyingly magnificent one carved from glowing blue crystal and dark coral. Power radiated from it so strongly that even looking at it made my stomach twist.
Why bring me here?
My heartbeat quickened.
Am I being presented…?
Like an offering?
The thought made me hug myself.
The two mermen suddenly straightened.
Their expressions changed instantly to being serious and respectful.
Then…the atmosphere shifted.
I felt it before I saw anything.
Pressure filled the hall…heavy and dominating.
The kind of presence that made instinct scream:Something powerful has arrived.
Both guards bowed deeply.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
My pulse exploded in my ears.
Your Majesty?
Someone important was here.Slowly… cautiously… I turned toward the throne.
And my breath stopped.He was already sitting there.
I hadn't seen him appear.
One moment it was empty and the next occupied.
My entire body froze."Oh Buddha…"
The whisper escaped me without permission.
He wasn't like the others.
He was different,stronger, terrifying.
More… overwhelming.
And…and so dripping hot damn.
His gaze landed on me instantly.
He has silver eyes, terrifying silver eyes.
My back pressed against the crystal sphere as fear and awe tangled violently inside my chest.
This had to be their king.
No…their emperor.
Everything about him screamed absolute authority.
He didn't move nor speak.
He simply watched me.
Studied me like I was the mystery.
And somehow…Instead of fainting again…
I found myself staring back.
My traitorous eyes wandered over his powerful figure, the sharp perfection of his face, the dangerous beauty that made my heart beat faster for reasons completely inappropriate for a life-or-death situation.
Why was he so handsome?
Why was a terrifying ocean ruler allowed to look like that?
I gulped.If this was being meant to judge me…
I was in serious trouble because alongside fear…curiosity bloomed.
And embarrassingly…so did fascination.
I swallowed nervously.
My palms pressed against the crystal again.
"Um…" My voice came out smaller than intended. "Are… are you going to eat me?"
The words slipped out before my brain approved them.
The two guards stiffened.
I froze.Why did I say that?!
Why?!
His expression didn't change.
But something flickered briefly in his eyes.
Interest?
Confusion?Amusement?
I couldn't tell.And somehow that was even scarier.
I swallowed nervously, forcing myself to sit up straighter despite the trembling in my limbs.
If I was about to be judged… at least I should face it properly.
Still… my eyes betrayed me again, drifting toward him.
Toward the overwhelming aura surrounding him.
Toward the terrifying beauty that made my chest tighten.
Damn it.If this magnificent creature dragged me straight to hell…
I wasn't entirely sure I would resist.
And that realization frightened me almost as much as him.