Kui gulped, gazing at the length of the spear. It was quite short with a hemp rope tied to the end. He had seen spears like this used in deep sea fishing which could only mean he had to dive deep for this said stone fish.
"Ah… my head hurts…. Can I join you guys tomorrow?"
Chao raised his head. "Really? Old doc said you were doing good," he shot up and grabbed the back of his head gently. "You don't have that bump."
Kui froze. 'Too close...' he awkwardly pushed him away. "But it still hurts?"
"a cool dive in the sea will make it all better," he cheerfully chuckled and dragged him out.
and started to head towards the cliff.
Kui dragged his feet behind, hoping to dissuade Chao. 'Gods what am I going to do?' he can easily freight ignorance but the fact is swimming is inherently in the body. even if he forgot about everything, his muscles will remember.
Four middle-aged men waited by the cliff with wooden canoes with them. The Canoe looked like it was made up of chopped wood and had a few holes in it.
'Can that even hold our weights?'
"Dad, I brought Kui. He has a headache, it seems," Chao pounced toward the oldest-looking man in the group. he looked about forty years old with a few silver hairs mixed in with his braids.
the man simply patted his back warmly, welcoming back to the group.
Kui awkwardly nodded and smiled.
By the end of the greeting, they were standing close to the cliff, which was about ten stories deep. The chill wind was not helping his fear either.
He slowly backed away. "aren't we heading down?" he headed to the other side.
The other looked at him questionably.
"Umm… aren't we going this way?" he pointed to the other end of the village.
Chao chuckled. "Oh my god I forgot that you got your head messed up. We climb down this way," he grabbed him by his shoulders and dragged him to the edge of the cliff.
"Huh?" Kui froze. "d-down?"
"Yeah,"
Saying so the men started to descend the cliff with huge canoes tied to their backs.
That did not look light, either. A single Canoe looked like it weighed at least fifty kg. Yet the men carried it on their back like it weighed like a feather. They simply jumped down to a huge bounder down below and started their descent.
Kui froze up. 'Nah ah, no I'm not going down this way.'
"Come on let's not drag behind. The pinwheel bees like to attack strays," Chao grabbed him around his shoulders and pulled him down to the huge boulder without giving a warning.
"AHHH!!!"
The next second, he landed on the smooth boulder safely.
Kui went down to his knees, clinging to the rock for his dear life. "Fuck…" The descent from there looked even more steep and vertical. The men simply climbed down gripping the rocky walls. From this height, it simply looked like a few monkeys casually climbing down a cliff.
"no... can't do that. no…"
Chao pouted. "it's okay. It's not that far," he once again grabbed him by his shoulders.
But Kui pushed him away.
"Kui stop. this rock is slippery."
None of the man's protests fell into his ears. his desperate need for survival pushed him to the edge.
"Calm down!"
"Let go! I'm going up!" he screamed, pushing him away, but that push tipped his gravity and soon he was falling straight down.
wind gushed through his hair as he toppled down.
"AHHHHH!!!!! GOD!!!!!" he flayed around like a dying bird. Wind pushed against his face, making it hard to breathe. And below him was the expanse of beautiful blue ocean.
Only one thought rang in his head as he was about to hit the surface.
I'm dead for real...'
The cold surface slapped against his face and his body. his weighted body sunk down like a rock. The fall really made him despaired. He could barely make out the top or the bottom. The waves didn't help either. the current rolled him around like a freaking toy.
Breathing became difficult.
'I… if I die, will I wake up in my world?'
Kui closed his eyes tiredly, unable to fight off the current. If there was a chance to return back to his world, he would save his grandma. His life never meant any value anyway.
The burning sensation in his chest became much more apparent.
Bubbles after bubbles gurgled out of his mouth, leaving him airless.
Soon he would become a lifeless driftwood being carried by the current.
Kui closed his eyes tiredly.
But the imminent end he expected did not occur. The burning sensation in his chest retreated, leaving behind a refreshed cooling feeling. Soon he felt oxygen coursing through his body.
Startled, he gazed at his own hand. the small web-like membrane had formed between the fingers.
"What the fuck…."
"Fuck I can talk…" Kui touched his neck. Three long slits had opened up, acting as gills. Not only that, his blurry vision had also cleared up. he can see everything in 5k. beautiful yellow fishes swam close to his face nibbling his nose.
"haha, they miss you," a voice whispered softly.
Chao, who guided him here, swam up to him and grabbed a hold of his wrist. "Are you hurt?"
Kui shook his head in a daze. "We can breathe underwater?"
"Hmm," wordlessly he dragged him to the surface.
"Kui! Are you okay, kid?" the group leader shouted at him from the small shore.
"Yes…" he shouted back.
The group of men chuckled.
"Be careful next time, the waves really do a number on our gills," casually talking, the guys started to place the canoe in the ocean. Against the raging waves, they casually proceeded to row it close to him.
Kui was thankfully dragged out of the cold water onto one of the men's canoes.
"Are we Mers?"
The young man who had gotten in after he let out a chuckle. "of course not. We are hybrids, you idiot. Seriously, you became much duller after your accident,"
Kui glanced at his palm. The ember had melted away, leaving his rough fingers. 'Hybrids… they only transform when underwater…. it's the best of both lives.'