Chapter 10: Long, Lost And Forgotten
As Rachael sat alone in the underwater cave, surrounded by the soft glow of the bioluminescent creatures that inhabited the space, the lonely girl couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sorrow within her soul.
The beauty of the underwater world that surrounded her only seemed to amplify the weight of her sadness, and as she gnawed on the sweet berries that the merman had thrown at her, she felt an overwhelming sense of isolation.
The girl's eyes drifted closed as she savored the taste of the berries, the sweet and sour tang of their juice filling her mouth. The vivid colors of the underwater landscape swirled behind her eyelids, and she could hear the soft, soothing murmur of the water as it rushed past her ears.
It wasn't until she felt a light splash on her arm that she opened her eyes, startled back to reality. Looking down, she saw a cluster of berries floating in the water beside her, their bright red skins glowing in the soft light of the cave.
Rachael's heart leaped in her chest as she realized that the merman had returned with more fruit for her. She knew that she shouldn't be surprised - the kind-hearted creature had been coming to visit her for weeks now, bringing her food and keeping her company in this lonely underwater world.
Slowly, Rachael reached out to take the berries from the water, her fingers barely brushing against the surface of the liquid. Rachael felt a flutter in her chest as she realized that the merman was likely watching her from somewhere out in the darkness, waiting to see her reaction to his gift.
With a sense of gratitude coursing through her veins, Rachael bit into one of the berries, savoring the juicy sweetness of the fruit. As she chewed, she found herself lost in thought, her mind wandering to memories of a life that felt like a lifetime ago.
As Rachael sat there, lost in thought, the merman appeared out of nowhere, his lithe body slicing through the water with grace and ease. The girl couldn't help but stare in awe at the majestic creature, her eyes drinking in the iridescent greens and blues that shimmered across his scales.
He was close enough that she could see every single detail on his face, letting her take in each feature of him from his sharp jawline to his piercing green eyes. Rachael found her gaze lingering a little longer on the merman's eyes, getting lost in his hypnotic and alluring beauty.
For a moment, they simply looked at one another, a silent understanding passing between them. Rachael felt a deep sense of connection with the merman, an unspoken bond that she couldn't quite put into words.
Finally, Rachael cleared her throat, breaking the silence. "Who are you?" she asked in a soft voice, her eyes never leaving the merman.
The merman tilted his head slightly as if considering her question. Rachael could see the intelligence in his eyes and could sense that he was far more than a simple aquatic creature.
Rachael wondered if the merman could understand what she had said. He continued staring at her, making the curiosity in her chest swell at each second.
"I'm the one meant to ask such a question and not the other way round," he said at last, his voice deep and musical. "It's surprising at how quickly you forgot your own pedigree, Rachael".
Rachael's eyes widened at his words, her curiosity piqued. "You know my name?... How is it possible when I barely know you and I'm held captive in a place I know nothing about?" she asked, her voice tinged with wonder.
He hesitated for a moment as if trying to decide how much to reveal.
"How could I forget you when your peculiar fragrance had already blanketed my existence for centuries" he finally said at last.
Rachael gasped at the sudden revelation. Her senses were on overdrive as she tried to absorb all the information in her brain.
"You must be mistaken," she tilted her head and took a few steps back from the pool. "I…just met you by chance… It was something that brought me here-''
"Chance?" His deep baritone voice bore a hint of ridicule in them.
"The same chance brought you here to free me from my eternal prison after all these years you seemed to have forgotten about me, Rachael?" he stared at her, giving her a look of betrayal that seemed to break her heart into a thousand pieces.
"You… You were the stone statue that mysteriously disappeared the night before? she pointed at him, feeling confused at the reality that was unwrapping before her.
Did she free him? How? When?.
When the realization of what she had done knocked on the door of her brain, she flinched internally. Rachael finally remembered the night she stumbled into a cave hidden mysteriously from hers. She remembered how bittered she was when she saw him brutally chained…Frozen for eternity…. And that scene alone sent her heart into a tailspin.
Something about him pulled her to him. He stirred millions of emotions within her that she never knew were there. Then, she had also sat for hours on the edge of the pool, speaking to his stony statue as if he could hear her.
Of course, another force was at play here. Rachael thought she was finally crazy the moment she placed her warmed lips on his cold ones. And after that encounter, he disappeared the following day, leaving her stunned.
The thought of how she freed him lingered in the back of her heart for days. She never thought of it when this merman mysteriously appeared before her for the first time.
"What was I thinking? I could have suspected it was him," she thought. Maybe Rachael already found herself triggered and spellbound by this creature that made her lose her sanity for once.
As the merman swam closer to the edge of the pool, he pulled himself out from the waters, and with a little snap of metamorphosis, he assumed the shape of a man with legs.
Tiny droplets of water fell from his pointed nose, while some ran down his almost white skin. With each step he took towards her, coral weeds on the floor of the cave glowed in their brightest light.
He was a jarring shock to the senses. Rachael felt like she was in a place called heaven on earth. She was already captivated by this creature before her. Whisked away by his inhuman beauty.
The merman reached up to her and traced a finger lightly across the delicate skin of her cheek.
Rachael was frozen in glory at his touch.
His eyes were filled with a sense of tenderness that the girl had never seen before as if he was trying to put into words what he felt for her. Rachael felt herself blushing beneath his touch, losing herself in the moment once again.
His grip on her chin loosened. She felt
disappointed in losing the contact. But the disappointment soon turned into surprise when he gripped the back of her neck and leaned into her, pressing his cold lips to her warm ones.
Bliss.
She didn't know the meaning of true
bliss till she felt his icy lips caressing
hers. He trapped her bottom lip
between his teeth and started sucking
gently.
The force of it made her already healed wound reopen, and her warm blood started flowing inside his mouth over again.
It was at this moment Rachael knew what transpired that night. She was so preoccupied with the thought of her captivity that she failed to notice she had a small cut below her bottom lip. The reason was because of the slap the village head had given to her when she tried to defend herself.
The slap jammed her bottom lip to her teeth, creating a little cut in them.
Could it be that her blood….her blood had…?
A low moan escaped the back of her throat as he sucked a bit harder trying to get more blood out of the wound.
She could feel the metallic taste of it mixed with his sweet kiss.
"Do you know the meaning of your name in our language?" he stopped his onslaught and stared into her eyes.
"You... You mean Rachael?" she returned the look, captivated at how his blue eyes pierced through her soul, searching for the darkness within her.
"Yes, Reginà Màe..." his melodious voice swept away the last bit of sorrow that lingered within her tortured heart.
"It means... God's blood is the sweetest nectar."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Celestial_prince
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Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone