Epilogue : The end of the fairy tale is…
“I hate that man.”
Ayla glared at Erich as she paced in circles around Rayan, dissatisfaction written all over her face. Alle and Yuri, who had stayed behind, nodded in agreement and began to chime in to make their dissatisfaction known.
“Here, there are people who care about Rayan.”
Yuri whined,
“But he doesn’t care about you at all. Despite nearly dying because of that person, he mustered up the courage to wake up and immediately push himself to go outside.”
Ale was referring to Rayan’s death and Erich, and his voice was scathing.
“Mmm.”
Rayan laughed. He’d learnt from experience that the more he tried to defend Erich, the harsher the glares would be. Even if he didn’t, he didn’t want to hear the nagging, worry-based voices. Even now, every moment of his life felt like a miracle.
He was ready to be annihilated by a terrible pain that shot through his entire body. The sensation of the bottomless pit of life being gnawed away was still vivid in his mind.
Rayan remembered the moment he woke up. When he opened his closed eyes, he saw a ceiling he had seen for decades. Until then, he hadn’t realized he was alive.
“…Rayan?”
This place, and even Ayla’s familiar voice, he only considered them as the last scenery to behold before entering eternal rest. That’s why it was regrettable. If Ayla could read his thoughts, she would probably find it pathetic, but still, it would have been better if the last thing he saw was Eric.
Rayan smiled faintly at Ayla, then closed his eyes tightly. There was a long way to go, and regret only made the steps heavier. But Rayan couldn’t help but open his eyes. Ayla, seeing him close his eyes, sidled up to him, grabbed him by the shoulders, and jostled him hard.
“Don’t go back to sleep!”
It sounded almost like a howl. How could a dream be so real? Ayla bustled about while Rayan blinked. She shouted outside, calling for Alle and Yuri.
His floating senses slowly found gravity and sank down.
“Ayla…?”
The sensation sharpened as he watched Alle and Yuri’s complexions change at the sight of him. This was not what one saw before one went to an eternal rest. Rayan was confused.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Ejsjc rtbbx boo atf rbyylcu uejgvljcr milculcu ab tlw jcv wbnfv, tlr ybvs rb kfjx atja tf ofii yjmx vbkc yfobgf tf mbeiv mbwqifafis ufa eq.
‘P’nf yffc jkjxf obg atgff sfjgr, jcv P mjc ralii wbnf.’
Ayla’s eyes were blue, but her tone was prickly and sour.
“Do you know how you survived? Mer brought you and breathed life into your shattered guardian stone.”
He didn’t have a guardian stone; it had been given to Erich as part of his original vow to Asha, and he vaguely remembered the pieces being sucked back into his body at the last moment.
‘Thanks to you, Mer had to shut herself away for a while… I saved your life, so please think of your body, Rayan.’
From the Trident to life preservation, how and why Mer had granted him such leniency he did not know, but the thought of waking up after three years was too much to pry into, and it cut to the heart.
Rayan had to go. He had to tell Erich, he had to let his lover know he was alive.
‘…I have to go. No, I have to go right now.’
‘I was caught off guard and had no choice but to let you go then, but do you think I will do so again?
‘Ayla.’
‘I remember what it was like to send you away like that, only to have you come back three years later, and… do you think we can bear to see that again? No. No. Maybe the others could, but I can’t, Rayan.’
Ayla squeezed his hand as he staggered away despite her admonition. For a moment, she wondered if she should plead with her, burning with the will to make him stay.
‘Let him go, Ayla.’
A cold voice coolly broke the tense atmosphere.
“I’m much better, though.”
It had been a few days since he’d been to see Erich. He still needed to recover, but he was definitely better than when he first woke up. Ayla’s eyebrows shot up as he cautiously pointed that out.
“If only Mer hadn’t told me to let you go.”
“…”
“You’d never be able to take a step out of here.”
There was not the slightest hint of humor in her grim, bitter words.
“If you’re Simer, you deserve tolerance…”
“Rayan?”
He tried to lighten the mood, but it wasn’t easy to soothe the intensely provoked Ayla. He looked toward Alle and Yuri for help, but each only averted their gaze.
“I don’t know for whom exactly I’ve taken on this troublesome responsibility.”
The more Ayla thought about it, the more annoyed she became.
“But who else but you could be the king’s heir?”
Rayan added with a wry smile, knowing it would backfire.
After Rayan was exiled, it was Ayla who took his place. Instead of selecting a new mermaid, as she did every breeding season, Mer had made Ayla her Simer.
It was a radical decision, but no one could argue with it. Putting aside the fact that she was the daughter of an elder, it was undeniable that she was the most accomplished mermaid of her generation.
Ayla had tried to relinquish the position to Rayan after his return, claiming it was too much of a burden, but he couldn’t honor her wish. No matter how much Mer’s care had nurtured him, Rayan’s guardian stone had been broken, and he would never be the same.
He wasn’t upset that his rightful place had been taken by someone else. Rather, he was glad that Ayla had taken over in his stead. Even if he were whole, he had no intention of staying in Atisa. He loved this place, loved the beings who inhabited it, but in the end, it was always Erich who would be Rayan’s ultimate choice.
“I can’t believe this… what am I supposed to do?”
It felt harsh to be tough on a friend who had woken up after three years, and just enduring it felt like getting increasingly annoyed even though they’ve lived the same number of days, he’ve become tougher than that kid, so… but she still found it a little sad that he’d missed out on all the glory he could have had because of this human. Ayla’s tail swayed ferociously, torn between patience and impulse.
“I’m going to go, see you again.”
Instead of fueling Ayla’s anger, Rayan, who had been watching quietly, slipped out of sight.
The law against interaction with the outside world hadn’t been lost to history, but for whatever reason, the king had allowed him to go outside, and they couldn’t stop him without a good reason.
“I’ve been raising him for so long…”
Alle bemoaned the fact that that insignificant guy had won over Rayan as he quickly left as if fleeing the scene.
* * *
Slipping through Atisa’s protective circle without any resistance, Rayan swam slowly through the depths, his tail flicking behind him. The often uneasy silence of the deep was now quite calm. It wasn’t exactly a place for a young mermaid who hadn’t yet reached adulthood, but it was better than nothing.
Three years ago, the unspoken pact between the Black Sea and Atisa was abruptly broken. The first year had been chaotic apparently, but now peace was restored.
“But why did it happen so suddenly, as if we’d lost our stronghold?
Ayla shook her head in disbelief as she recounted the events that had transpired while Rayan was unconscious. The image of a being who had ruled the Black Sea for centuries flashed through his mind, but she was silent. She did not need to be reminded of Asha now.
His life, perhaps even annihilation.
He didn’t want to know anything. He would wipe hatred or resentment of him clean. Not even that sharp sensation of piercing someone’s flesh and the tiny sliver of guilt that flashed through her for a moment…
And even the freedom from the vows that had bound his actions for years.
His tail flicked frantically as he tried to shake off the onslaught of memories and emotions that lingered like murky residue.
His mind was instantly occupied with numerous thoughts. This miraculous reality was too much like a dream to dwell on negative emotions. What a marvelous and priceless thing it was to see a loved one alive again.
Rayan stirred the water with his hands. It was slow at first, but as they moved upward, the dark hue of the sea grew paler and paler. The moonlight’s reflection on the surface of the water made the sea shimmer a beautiful golden. Like Erich’s hair. A smile quickly settled on Rayan’s face as he thought of his lover.
He emerged from the foam of the waves, a little impatient.
A hot breeze tickled his bare face as he strode out into the open.
“Rayan.”
Erich, who was already waiting for him, his eyes fixed on the sea the entire time, smiled slightly. He stretched out his hand toward him.
Pr/editor: Helen, Agneya
Thanks for the update 🌹