Chapter Text
Nikola knew that everyone thought he was crazy. Thomas Edison, his oldest friend and colleague, had told him to stick to what he already knew. But the young scientist was not the type to trap himself in a single idea.
The entire brotherhood of scientists had laughed at it. Nikola had to finance the project with his own funds. Who would want to risk searching for a creature that only existed in children's tales? Certainly not sensible men.
However, his assistant Göndul had promised to help him if the professor needed it. And his friend Sasaki, a veterinarian, could also lend a hand if he found an injured specimen.
So yes, he didn’t really know what he was doing here… or rather, deep down he did know. He was certain he would find mermans, also called “Mala morska vila” in his native country.
He had spent thousands of euros on this laboratory capable of submerging itself under the sea. Nikola had designed the plans himself, with ingenuity. He was convinced that in this special bay, he would eventually encounter one of these specimens. A trusted team would then help him study them. He absolutely did not want anyone to harm them. He was against any form of animal violence and poaching. He would never hurt them.
He couldn’t help but smile as he performed his first dive. The materials he was using were not harmful to marine life, which made him proud. He was not like those pseudo-scientists obsessed with glory who didn’t care about ecosystems.
Once he entered through the hatch that closed behind him, he found himself in a basin. He swam to the ladder, climbed up to the metal surface, and breathed in the air of his new workplace. A big smile appeared on his face at the view offered by the immense windows.
“I feel like this will be a big step for my research. Even if I don’t find any Syreni sapiens specimens, I might discover other fascinating aquatic animals,” Nikola muttered, talking to himself.
Nikola turned toward his computer when Qin called him on video conference. The network worked perfectly despite the depth, thanks to the electricity he managed himself.
“Qin!” Nikola enthused.
“Oh my god, you’re not dead!” exclaimed his friend, almost in tears. “Sasaki explained your crazy idea to me! You, such a brilliant man, are going hunting for mermaids?”
“I’m not hunting them. Except maybe if the mermaids migrate. But at this season, this place is excellent: they look for waters rich in food and warmer, safer reproduction zones.”
“I know what migration is, thank you. But still, Nikola… mermaids? Have you gone mad?”
“I’m not! There is more and more evidence proving that—”
“Nikola, you can easily find nonsense generated by artificial intelligence,” Qin sighed. “Listen, I don’t doubt you. And I’m willing to help you financially, but don’t obsess over hypotheses. That’s not like you.”
“I promise you. If I don’t find anything concrete, I’ll study another species,” Nikola reassured him.
“Good. Don’t tire yourself too much. Take care of yourself.”
“I’ll take care of my health. Goodbye Qin.”
Nikola ended the video conference. He decided to take his friend’s advice seriously and went to his room to rest. A meal and then a well-deserved nap. There was no rush. It wouldn’t be today that he would find mermans.
As soon as his head touched the pillow, fatigue seized him. He fell asleep without difficulty.
---
Beelzebub was returning with the pod toward the warm waters, nothing extraordinary. He was eager to return to his cave that he had left during the cold period, as Zeus the chief called it. The schools of fish and shrimp were coming back in large numbers. It promised a delicious meal after days of swimming.
But the pod suddenly stopped, wary. Beelzebub, equally confused, tried to understand why they were stopping in the middle of such a good journey. Were there predators? Or those beings Zeus called “humans”? Demonic beasts that ripped out hearts to devour them.
Beelzebub was not the type to scare easily. He had already saved Adamas from a shark. But humans seemed like atrocities. They lived on the surface and walked on their fins.
“Hades, what’s going on?” he asked quickly while joining his friend and checking that the pod stayed together.
“There’s a strange sea monster,” Hades replied. “I need to make sure everyone is here, then I’ll go scout with Poseidon and Zeus.”
“I’d like to come.” Beelzebub had always been too curious. And a bit weird according to his kind, even though he was respected for his ideas against predators and his food caches.
“I don’t know… Someone has to take care of our own. You and Adamas would be perfect for that role.”
“Very well…”
Yet the twisted and obsessive desire of curiosity did not let him go. While Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus went ahead of the monster, he went around from the back.
The skin of the gigantic animal was of total strangeness: very hard and smooth scales, with no smell. Beelzebub continued his exploration and came upon a surface that showed the inside of the beast. What was this? This thing was so confident that it exposed itself like that? Maybe a trap?
He backed away as a precaution. The beast was breathing loudly. Another spot still showed the inside. Beelzebub quickly touched the surface. No reaction. He stuck his head between the transparent scales and glimpsed a body inside…
Was it one of their own? From another pod? But he straightened up, exiting that strange nest.
No fins?! He walked upright — he turned toward Beelzebub, who barely had time to see his sea-colored eyes before being pulled back.
“Quick Beelzebub, swim!! Zeus discovered that it’s an underwater boat that humans use!” Hades dragged him toward the safe bay, terrified at the idea that the land demons might pursue them.
“You got him?” Adamas asked worriedly.
“Yes!” Hades assured.
“But what were you thinking!” Poseidon yelled. “You weren’t part of the reconnaissance.”
“Everyone got scared,” added Zeus. “It seemed empty but humans could have been inside.”
“I…” Beelzebub was breathing in gasps because of the fast swim and the anguish. He had just realized that what he had thought was one of their own was a surface man. “I… I saw one.”
“Of what?” Adamas grumbled.
“A human!” said Beelzebub.
The bay became silent. Everyone was worried and putting the little ones to safety in the caves.
“A human?” Apollo said, shocked. “What does it look like?”
“Does it have long teeth?” Loki asked.
“Does it have strange fur?” Zerofuko asked worriedly.
“I… I didn’t see it much,” Beelzebub replied. “Its skin has no scales, its hands have no claws, brown hair, eyes the color of the sea. The human was a male specimen.”
Zeus crossed his arms, his face hard.
“A male human here, in our bay… This is not a coincidence. They’ve been coming closer and closer these last seasons.”
Beelzebub remained silent, but his heart was beating hard. He couldn’t forget those sea-colored eyes that had stared at him for a brief moment. This was not the monstrous beast described by the elders. It was something else. Something… different.
Adamas placed a hand on his shoulder. “You took a stupid risk. If that human had seen you longer, who knows what would have happened.”
“But he didn’t attack me,” Beelzebub murmured. “He was just… there. Motionless.”
Poseidon growled. “They are cunning. They build traps. Tomorrow, we will post lookouts around that thing. If the human comes out, we’ll know what to do.”
Beelzebub lowered his head in obedience, but deep inside, curiosity burned even stronger. He wanted to see that human again. He wanted to understand why he had come here, into their territory.
---
Meanwhile, in the submerged laboratory, Nikola remained standing motionless. He had thought he saw a dark shape pass in front of one of the large windows during his awakening. A reflection? A hallucination due to fatigue?
He got up and approached the thick glass, scrutinizing the black water.
Nothing.
Yet he felt that something had decided to make his experience even more fun. He was going to discover what had appeared to him as a black shadow.
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