Curses

Prolouge

the last time I worked on this chapter was July 3, 2021 and forgot to publish this. It was written after the rest of the story. I'm not sure if its done but I honestly don't care. If you have any questions just comment and ill explain.

Ranina raced alongside a coral reef, a net following close after her. The reef was beside a small cliff, if she could just go lower, she would make it, but she could also get stuck.
Ranina makes a quick turn into the pink, blue, and green coral. The net would ruin her home, but they can't actually see her go into it.

Soon after she thinks she in the clear, another net comes heading her way. Ranina Swims down into a hole her father dug out. It swiftly passes over her.
Ranina goes to her left, hoping to find someone else from her pod.

She sees harpoons fly into the ocean, chasing after someone. The person swims up, singing the song of her people. It was a last ditch effort in hopes that these were just insane fishermen, and not siren hunters.

Ranina swims towards her, she recognized the siren singing, it was Loach, her friend. Once Loach was almost to the surface, Ranina watched as a harpoon cut through her chest. Blood spread out, and her body being dragged up out of the water.

The next week was silent, and Ranina was the loneliest she has ever felt. Everyone was gone, her parents, her friends, even the family that was always had something to be angry about, they were all gone, she was the last of her pod.

Ranina swam up to the surface, breaking surface tension(?), she cried out. "Take me away from the dead, the death, and destruction!"
She did that for months, even calling out to Realm again and again.

She wants to know if there are more sirens like her, but it's too dangerous for one to go alone. Out there in the dark wine, almost black colored sea- she'd be torn to shreds by a shark, the currents, hell, hunted by more humans than she could imagine.

So she kept on, on, and on. Day turned to night, and the stars twinkled brighter than possibly ever, like it was a good thing, like it was meant to happen.

So when she cried out again, and the stars, as big as they were, seemed to shrink, everything did. It was like Ranina was being pulled from the waking world, she closed her eyes tightly, having heard that the shifting can cause blindness.

Once she opened her brown eyes again, her vision was distorted. Ranina felt dizzy, as she lay there on the temple floor. Her vision was enveloped by gold, and wealth of all sorts, with a glowing orb seemingly waiting for her to speak.

"Take me away from where I live, take me overseas," she paused to take in a breath. "Where I can find more of my kind, so I know I'm not the last of my kind, so I'm not the last my my pod."

There was silence, and Ranina's words seemed to echo in the walls. Ranina looked down, thinking that maybe it was just some strange light.

The voice spoke, they're voice was much louder than Ranina's, but there was no echo. "You are too late."

It hit Ranina in the gut, but maybe Realm meant of her pod.

"No, you are the last of your kind."

Sicken with guilt, she flopped closer. "No, no that can't be true, this isn't true."

"I detest liars."
Salt fell out of Ranina's eyes,  for what seemed like the twentieth time this month.
"No, how could this be true."

Realm stayed quiet, they've been through this countless of times, for a human, actually it had been one hundred eighty seven thousand, and nine times, including this one.

"You told my pod, specifically that our species would live for how a melania." Ranina stuttered.

"It was your neighbor pod."

"Yeah, whatever." Ranina shouted, "the point is my kind was supposed to live for a long hatch time."

"Why do you speak to me that way?" Realm asked. "I'm your creator, am I not?"
They still held their place amongst the riches.
"Well yes," Ranina didn't even get to say but before Realm shouted, "then why speak to me that way, I can take your life just as easily as I gave you yours."

Fear constructed in Ranina, never once had she thought Realm would be like this. But an idea struck the siren like lightning to the horizon.
"Please, all mighty Realm." She begged, "let me keep sirens alive, let me walk amongst those I hate, let have have legs."

Ranina thought the idea had satisfied Realm, but there was something wrong. "Alright, but you can not reproduce, you'll be neutered (WHATS THE WORD)."

"Neutered?" Ranina repeated, "how will sirens survive?" Her brown hair had dried by now, all clamped together and waving as she talked.

"One life for another." Realm said.

Ranina repeated the phrase before she said, "that doesn't seem hard, just one life? Realm's hatchet, I could get that done in a second."

"One, once a month." Realm said.
"Still, too easy." Ranina laughed.
"I'm thinking about long term here Ranina, I know all, past, present, and the possible long future ahead for you." Then went on about something she didn't understand

"Oh." Ranina looked down, not sure what the strings of time, all possibilities, of whatever. But with all honesty, Ranina didn't care, her species was going to survive.