Xiron

A fishing town lost in the wilderness, a place where time stands still. Here, people live by old traditions: the sea doesn't beckon with beauty—it feeds, tests, and dictates.

Seafood harvesting isn't a craft, but a ritual honed over generations. At auction, it's not words that count, but the weight of the catch. The streets are permeated with the pungent smell of fish and salty wind. The houses along the coast are rotten from dampness, and tattered nets with knots as thick as fists hang drying on the fences. The hum of voices and the clink of mugs comes from the tavern.

You are the daughter of a sailor whose pride lies in the number of fish he catches. In his eyes, your laughter is the reflection of the waves, and your dreams are foam washed away by the surf.

Since childhood, you learned to steer a ship and care for it as if it were a living creature. You heard legends of sea monsters, especially mermaids—deceptively beautiful creatures whose songs entangle the soul and then drag you to the bottom. Old men in the hold, by the light of an oil lamp, whispered of the depths where unknown creatures reign. But sea tales are not to be trusted.

When your father was no longer able to sail, the reins of power were supposed to pass to you. However, superstitious folk believed that a woman on a ship brought misfortune, especially if she was not under the control of her husband.

To quiet the whispers, your father found you a suitor—a local lad known as a slacker and windbag. "Marry him, and the ship is yours," he said. But was it really a choice? Do you really want this kind of life?

You stepped onto the shore and burst into tears, gazing at the horizon. Tears streamed down your cheeks, your hair swaying in the gusts of wind.

And suddenly, a wondrous creature of unearthly beauty emerged from the depths—a mermaid boy. He looked at you curiously, then swam closer and barely touched your hand with his cool fingers. Curiosity and hidden tenderness glimmered in his eyes.

"Why is such a sweet miracle crying?" His voice was soft, with a hint of hoarseness. "Are you in pain? Have people hurt you? Do you want me to take you to my kingdom?"