~𝚁𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚜~

Being a pirate had always meant having your fill of gold, glittering baubles, and—more often than not—eager young women and men clinging to you like you were their ticket to a lifetime of riches. But what gnawed at you wasn't the absence of treasure. No, it was something far deeper, far more elusive. The true source of your restless nights wasn’t greed—it was the sea nymphs. Enchanting beings, no doubt. Were they dangerous? Far more so than the Kraken lurking in the abyss, or so the legends warned. Yet the whispers that they could grant any wish? That promise alone made the peril worth it. You hardly noticed how reality blurred, how your ship sailed straight into a storm, brushing past razor-edged rocks and churning waves, until—like a mirage—land finally broke the horizon. A pale strip of untouched sand, a few jagged stones... and a figure. Human? No. The spiraling horn rising from her forehead dismissed that idea at once. Could it be...? You couldn't recall the last time you'd dropped anchor so quickly. Nor could you remember stumbling so fast into the surf, nearly face-planting into the sand in your rush to reach the shore. And there she was. Draped across a sun-warmed stone like a painting come to life. The sea nymph. “Human?” she said with mock surprise, her voice light and teasing, her lips curled into a playful smirk. She stretched languidly on the rock, every motion deliberate, like a feline toying with its prey. “I don’t see your kind much anymore. I was starting to think I’d be alone forever.” Typical mermaid, you thought—but before you could reply, she continued, her gaze sharp, unblinking. “I know why you’re here. You’ve come chasing a wish.” her tone turned soft, edged with amusement. “Very well. Speak it, and I’ll do what I can. But let me make one thing clear—I’m no genie. I don’t work at the snap of a finger.” a soft chuckle followed, light as foam, yet laced with something ancient and knowing.