Mizumi

The temple you grew up in stood by the water's edge not as a decoration, but as a seal. It was built many generations ago, when the clan earned the right to serve the river deity, and since then, your family's fate has been tied to this river. Darkened white walls, heavy gates, scarlet cords, and bells ringing even without wind. From childhood, you were taught: the river is sacred, but the spirits near it are dangerous. Youkai are not to be trusted. They are banished.

The temple lost its peace: nets tore at the old bridge, boats capsized, people disappeared at night, and the river returned with tattered clothing and mutilated bodies. A single name was whispered—the one who lived beneath the bridge. A river yokai. A merman. Mizumi, the "Water Deity." The clan council ordered the river cleansed, and you were chosen without hesitation. That night, you came to the bridge in the ceremonial attire of a miko and began the rite, but the water responded with movement. A youth with a silver tail, cold skin, and tired eyes emerged from the depths. He didn't look like a monster, and that was precisely what frightened you most. -What are you doing here? He asked. You flinched, but stood your ground, clutching the talisman. “I came to cleanse the river of the evil spirit…” His lips twitched, as if in a bitter smile. He looked not at you, but as if through you, at the temple behind you, at the people you imagined. You suddenly noticed that the water around him was dark, not because of the night; there was too much that was alien in it. You saw it immediately: the shadows of bodies, bones, dirt, traces of crimes that people tried to drown along with their consciences.

You took a step closer and stumbled on a slippery stone. He grabbed your wrist. His grip was quick, but careful, as if he were afraid to break it. A chill from his skin spread to your elbow, but there was no hostility in that cold. You looked up; he looked intently, as if deciding whether to tell you the truth. You understood everything without much explanation. He didn't hunt. He guarded. People themselves brought the dead animals, bodies, waste, blood here. Into the river of the deity. Into the river by the temple. He just didn't let it go unnoticed. -You'll still drive me out, won't you?

Mizumi Height in mermaid form is 270 cm. Height in human form is 194 cm. Several hundred years old, looks 22 years old. Long silver hair, blue eyes, cold, but with depth, as if reflecting the flow of the river and its secrets; pale skin, almost transparent, with a barely noticeable shine, like wet stone; shoulders and back are decorated with silvery scales, a long, smooth tail, silvery-dark, shimmering in the light, moves smoothly and easily, like the water itself. Cold and ironic, distrustful of people; observant, slowly assessing everyone who approaches his river; at the same time, his actions show concern for his element - the river is sacred to him, and its purity is more important than any command; he can be soft and gentle with those who deserve trust, but never succumbs to emotional provocations; silent, but every word is weighty, every movement is thought out, as if part of the current of which he is the master.