I started to breathe heavily clutching the dirt underneath me as the feeling got worse and worse. Ikko then fell laying down resting his hand behind his head. "Oh wow. Thank you Silvera, this feels amazing." I got annoyed. 'He's enjoying this?! That perv, I need to stop it.' I tried but couldn't stop. Then Arine turned to Ikko angrily. "Hey! Stop feeling her!!" Ikko closed his eyes. "I couldn't if I wanted to. And I really don't want to." He arched his back and smiled opening his mouth a little.
Arine turned back to Cienar. "I don't like this! It's like they're doing it without even being near each other! Who did this to her?!" Hearing him say that made me even more afraid. 'Me and Ikko??!! Ahhhhh!!!'
Cienar stood up and examined the tracks. After he was done anger flickered in his eyes. "A mermaid was here." Arine stood up. "A mermaid? Aren't you like a mermaid?" Cienar turned to Arine quickly, his eyes contracted in thinner slits than before. "No!"
I was surprised. That was the first time I had ever heard him raise his voice, and Arine was shocked as well. Cienar turned away angry. "Sirens are nothing like those stupid fish-tailed ugly eels. Mermaids are the goodie goodie, annoying as hell, sexual serpents of the ocean." Arine smirked. "Don't act like you're not a whore either pal." Cienar continued to look at the lake clenching his fists. "What I can't figure out is why one would come and make Silvera eat the fruit." He returned to his calm self and Arine's eyebrows slid into a crease.
"How can we stop it?" Cienar turned to look down at me then to Arine. "We can't. We have to wait until it wares off which will probably be in a few hours." I gasped shaking more. 'A few hours?! But I can barely handle the feeling I'm having right now and it keeps getting worse!!' Then the feeling increased again and I turned my face into the ground to prevent me from moaning. Ikko covered his mouth with his hand and began to shake.
Awhile had passed and Cienar and Arine had layed me by Ikko away from the river while they left to find something that I didn't hear over my brain screaming. 'Don't blame me! I have other things to worry about!' I was at a point that I couldn't hold back my voice anymore so I just face planted in the dirt so Ikko couldn't hear me scream.
Surprisingly, Ikko was way more relaxed than I was, and was laying on his stomach resting his head on his arms facing me. Even though he was calmer, he was still feeling just as good. "W-Why are you fighting it? J-Just let go already." It was so hard to speak. "I-I can't. W-Why in the w-world would I let g-go?" He jolted a little, and his lip quivered. "B-Because after all t-the pain you went through, don't y-you think you deserve to f-feel good?" I knew he only wanted me to let go because he wanted to feel better, but I couldn't help but think he was right. Then a moment later I let go without my brain's consent and felt so good I passed out.
When I woke up again it was mid-day and Ikko was still passed out beside me. There were birds chirping and sounds in the forest around me. I felt really relaxed and when I sat up I felt like noodles in a warm soup. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing, but I also noticed that Cienar and Arine were still gone. 'They should've been back by now, I hope they're okay.'
I tried to stand up, but my legs were jello, and I fell back down. 'Why the heck does a fruit like that exist?! And why did a mermaid make me eat it?!' I thought as I crawled over to the river. I put my feet in to cool off and relaxed some more. 'I can't believe I'm saying this, but Ikko was right. I haven't allowed myself to relax in a long time, and I deserve it. I've been through a lot, and I've never had any time to clear my thoughts.'
I sighed and waited a bit until something brushed up against my leg. I jumped startled, and then something splashed out of the water and came close to my face, grabbing my thighs. "Ah-!" I tried to pull away but it wouldn't let me, and I got a closer look at it. It was a merman. His skin was slimy, fins were in between his fingers and his tail was long and a shiny bright red reflecting off of his scales. His hair and eyes were red and his hair pointed up despite being wet. His skin was also red but it was lighter than his tail, his teeth were pointed and his pupils were slits like Cienar's.
He scared me at first, but a second later I got lost in his eyes, and noticed the beauty in him as the light reflected off of his glossy skin. He leaned to my ear. "Enjoy my gift?" His voice was low, and didn't sound human. 'So he's the one who gave me the fruit? Why did he do that?!'
I wanted to ask him but I was too afraid to speak. He then pulled away from my ear slowly. "You're coming with me." I gasped as he started to pull me into the river. I struggled but that only made him hold on tighter. "Hey! Wait! I can't-!" He pulled me under and I quickly held my breath. He held me close to him and started to swim away. I struggled more as my lungs began to burn from lack of air. 'No! He's going to kill me!'
Then suddenly, he stopped. I turned to see what he was looking at. It was Cienar. But he didn't look like he did when he was out of water. He was completely transparent and looked like he was a silhouette of water. His eyes were glowing green and his teeth were visible and sharper than before.
It was obvious that the merman knew who he was and glared at him. I was shaking. I needed air, my throat was on fire and my head hurt. I struggled again but the merman kept his grip. Then Cienar let out a powerful scream that shook the entire river. The merman let me go to cover his ears and I covered mine as well. 'It's so loud! And it's like nails on a chalkboard! Sirens have such a powerful voice!' Realizing I couldn't breathe, I started to swim up but the merman grabbed my ankle. 'Ah! I can't hold my breath any longer!' Then Cienar punched the merman in the face and he let go.
I immediately swam to the top and gasped the moment I reached the surface. I swam to the side of the river and pulled myself on land coughing my head off. I let myself rest on the sand and tried to catch my breath. 'Is Cienar okay? He saved me. I hope he's alright.' I sat up and watched the water. I studied it for a few minutes waiting to see who would come out. Then suddenly something splashed out of the river beside me making me jump.