I can't believe this! Thought the man as his unconscious body slowly sunk to the bottom of the sea. How could I have let this happen? I have betrayed everyone!
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**A week prior … **
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The calm sky was pale blue while the rolling tides were peacock blue. The warm sand was a pale blonde color while the patchy grass bordering the area was shamrock green. A young man, barely twenty, was sitting atop a dry, crumbly section of umber colored brick wall. The boy stared out into the horizon with his abnormally large, amethyst purple eyes while the wind blew over his shaved head which had some light cerulean hair growing out and the sunlight, cast upon the land, made his sandy beige face look radiant. Despite the very warm weather, the man was wearing a pair of baggy, pale beige pants and a matching, long sleeve top. He wore a long string of reddish brown, wooden, sienna beads wrapped around his neck with two loops. The only parts of his body that weren't covered were his face, neck, hands, and feet. The back of his hands and feet were covered in teal green scales while his neck had closed slits, two on each side. His fingers looked like those of an average human while his toes had teal green webbing in between that was about a couple inches long and his ears had matching green fins on them that were also about a couple inches long.
A man, around six feet tall, approached the younger man. This man had honey brown skin and hazel eyes. His face and head were both cleanly shaven. He was wearing a marigold orange robe with a maroon red shawl and a long string of wooden, sienna beads around his neck. The barefooted man stood next to the younger man.
"Zi," said the older man in a soft tone, "What are you doing out here? Why are you still in your pajamas?"
The younger man looked over at him, "I couldn't sleep last night so I came here."
"Oh yeah?" The older man then stood in front of him, "How long have you been sitting here?"
Zi thought for a moment, "I got here a little bit after dawn ended and some time after twilight began."
"So you came here during the midst of twilight?" Hakue raised an eyebrow.
"Oh," Zi rubbed the back of his head and looked down as he blushed a light shade of flamingo pink, "I guess you're right, Father."
Hakue chuckled, "Mind if I join you?"
Zi nodded and scooted over as the man sat down next to him on the wall.
"Father Hakue?" Said the young man as he faced him.
The man looked at Zi, "Yes, my son?"
"Please tell me the story of when you first found me."
"Again? Zi, I have told you that story numerous times."
Zi nodded, "I know. But I really like that story. Please tell me again."
Hakue chuckled, "Alright, my son." He took a deep breath as he turned to look at the small tides, "Almost twenty years ago, in this exact same spot, I found a fairly large pile of seaweed. To my surprise, there was a little boy, barely two years old, entangled in the seaweed." He faced Zi and placed his hand on his shoulder, "He had bright blue hair and purple eyes. Fins on his ears and gills on his neck." He then faced the horizon, "The abbot said it was a sign from the universe and that it was our duty to take you in. So we did and here you are today." He smiled.
Zi sighed, "I know that part, Father. I was wondering if there was anything interesting you witnessed around that time. Perhaps a woman leaving me there or a pod of dolphins carrying me around like they did with Brother Baki."
"Hmm," Hakue looked down for a moment as he attempted to regain his thoughts on the events that had occurred many years ago. "Well," he began, "A few nights prior to finding you, there was a group of angry siyokoy men who emerged from the sea. While growing up in the Philippines, I've heard many stories about these bipedal, fish-like beings and how they enjoy eating humans. However, I never thought I would one day encounter not one, not two, but an entire mob of them. They ran into the nearby village and began to cause havoc. The other monks and I helped the villagers fight them off." Zi looked at the man as he paid close attention to his story, eyes widened in suspense.
"At one point," said Hakue, "We found out that the leader of this mob wasn't a siyokoy at all." He leaned forward and placed one of his elbows on his lap, "In fact," he scratched his chin, "He was a kataw. I was surprised since I've heard tales about these creatures as well and I couldn't believe that I got to see two different aquatic beings in one night. The strange thing, however, is that kataws are very peaceful compared to siyokoys. Kataws help humans while siyokoys harm them, therefore, these two creatures are not known to work together. Anyways, we tried to fight him but he was too fast and slippery for us to grasp. Then we set up a trap where we placed a net on the ground with leaves covering it and dumped a pile of living frogs on it since kataws really enjoy eating amphibians. Once the kataw walked into the net to eat the frogs, we were able to capture him. Afterwards, we tied his limbs together and threw him back into the ocean which caused the siyokoys to follow their leader. That's how we got them to finally leave the village."
"Oh," said Zi in a slightly unsatisfied voice, "That sounds fascinating and it must have been very intense. But," he looked down and frowned, "It's not what I was hoping to find out."
"Really?" Hakue faced him as he raised an eyebrow, "Then what were you hoping to find out, my son?"
Zi looked up at him, "From whom did I come from, Father?"
"Huh?" Hakue looked at him in confusion, "Why would you care much about that? Many of your peers at our monastery don't know who their birth parents are."
"That is true. However, most of them know what they are. Humans, elves, dwarves, teufels, lizardmen. I am the only one here, in this region, who has fins and gills."
Hakue frowned and shook his head, "My son," he began, "Don't say that. Taiwan is a vast and diverse place. You are very likely to meet someone here who looks similar to you. Maybe one day you will come across another aquatic person and you two will be able to bond over that."
Zi looked down again for a moment, "I suppose you're right, Father." He took a deep breath, "Do you think I might be a siyokoy? Or maybe a kataw?"
Hakue smiled, "It's very likely."
Later that night, Zi was outside, sweeping the front steps of the monastery. It was the night of a new moon and the area was nearly pitch black. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a twig snapping. He quickly looked around, without any trouble seeing in the dark. The only things he could see were forest vegetation and limestone, animal statues surrounding the long, cobblestone path that lead to the monastery. He squinted his eyes as he saw one of the larger bushes in the distance shaking. He just shrugged and continued sweeping the steps. A few seconds later, he heard another noise. This one sounded a lot like footsteps. Zi looked around and noticed that he was alone. He took a few steps forward, leaving the cement stairs, and walked towards the shrubbery where the noise was coming from. He stood a few feet away from the forest and gripped the broom with both hands, preparing to fight, while looking down at the large bush that was still shaking.
"I know you're in there," said Zi with an assertive tone, "Show yourself or else I'll have to attack." The bush slowly began to shake less as a cloaked figure stepped out from it. Zi took a step back, still holding onto his broom, as he kept his eyes on this mysterious figure. The person's face was covered by the hood of their hickory brown cloak and their arms seemed to be crossed under their long, baggy sleeves.
"Who are you?" Asked Zi in an assertive tone, "What are you doing here?"
The figure grabbed their hood and unveiled their face. The person was revealed to be a woman with periwinkle purple hair, rose pink eyes, and sandy beige skin. Her hair seemed to be soaking wet while there were a few drops of clear liquid on her face. Despite this, her cloak seemed to be as dry as a bone. Zi's expression softened as he noticed a frightened look on her face, causing him to loosen his grip on the broom.
"I am Yala," said the woman in a shaky voice, "I need help." Zi lowered his broom when he also noticed that she was shivering and seemed to be very weak.