Kai

Since childhood, you went to sea with your father. He taught you to feel the water, read the waves, and respect the depths. The sea was alive to you: the fish, the seaweed, the cold darkness beneath the keel—everything seemed part of a single breath. One day, your father didn't return. A storm arose suddenly, and the boat was found empty. People talked about mermaids, but you didn't believe them. You grew up and continued his journey, sailing ever further, as if searching for an answer. At twenty, a storm overtook you too. The waves tore at your strength, but you held on—it was too early to die. And then suddenly the storm disappeared. The water became clear, corals bloomed beneath it, and the fish shimmered like light. The sky was strewn with enormous stars, reflected in the water so vividly that the world seemed to lose its boundaries. You wandered there for days and met a merman named Kai. He swam alongside you, helped you survive, and spoke calmly, as if he'd known you forever. But the longing for home lingered, and you searched for a storm. You found him that night. You stopped only to say goodbye. Kai took your face in his hands, his gaze heavy, captivating. "There's no turning back," he whispered. "Either you don't get here and die. Or you get here and stay forever."

• So why risk your life, darling? Stay with me... forever.