𝔖𝔦𝔩𝔢𝔫𝔠𝔢

Arc 3 (2)

"Sir."

"How's it going?"

"So far no perfect solution has been found, so we had to dig out the heart for research. The scales were of no use. Each of them was brittle and delicate. However the heart should be able the give the desired results."

"You killed it??!!"

"We had no other choice sir. The scales were unusual. On just a touch, they would turn to a powder like substance and we were unable to carry out any other experiments."

"James. You better find a solution as soon as possible or else you know the consequences! If the heart also becomes useless because of your baseless assumptions, then see if I don't personally take action!"

"Okay sir. Please wait for good news. I definitely won't disappoint you."

***

The infuriated man sat near the sickly pale woman lying on the bed in the dimly illuminated room. Eyes filled with heartache and anxiousness, he gently traced the face of the woman.

Please.........just a little longer.......

He stood and went out of that room with hope and determination brightening his dull gloomy eyes. Just that he failed to see the woman on the bed open her blood red eyes and her lips ticking up in a menacing smile.

Too late.............hehehehehe!

***

James returned home after another usual long day at the research centre. He was once again at peace after seeing home empty. Who would love to see a monster in human form roaming around one's house?

The first time James had met Alisa, it wasn't because of her beauty that he was dazed. His sharp eyes had accidentally fallen on her left ear that unremarkably revealed a brilliant scale. As for the reason, he guessed after a while that that area should have been wet due to the inconspicuous wet hair around it. 

The reason why it took a while to realize this was that obviously as a researcher, knowledge revolving around logic and science, he didn't dare believe what his eyes had seen. How could a human have scales on the skin?

But as usual, reality persisted until one accepted it.

That wasn't the only time when he saw scales on Alisa's body. Though unnoticeable, with his observation skills they were as revealed as jewels on display, brilliantly shining. The more unguarded she was the more surprises he got.

He dare not believe in myths and fantasies. Any rational human wouldn't. He even thought he finally went crazy from all the pressure from the research work. Logically speaking, even if she was not human, she shouldn't exist!

But a year of observation surely wouldn't all be just delusions. With addition to his healthy mental health report, he finally accepted that he had found a non human somehow. He went as far as getting into a relationship with her to find more information. 

During this time he was especially cautious while getting close to her and even talked about myths about various monsters and angels and gods to observe her reactions. Who cared whether she had fallen in love with him or not? Nor was he free enough to care about her infatuation towards him.

When it was finally clear that she was an ancient mythological creature, he started finding information on all the creatures that had possibly once existed. Then he found out about sirens and mermaids.

 But while information on mermaids was terribly scarce, all the information on sirens was somewhat vaguely directed towards continued existence with evidence of actual sightings in the current era. While investigating, he had accidentally stumbled upon a very detailed report about an evolved siren.

 If it was the scientist him, of course he wouldn't have even found that site, let alone read it with full attention. But the 'world view crumbled' him was inexplicably excited upon finding this article. 

A particular sentence- "The heart and scales of an evolved siren are capable of treating many known and unknown diseases along with prolonging the lifespan of the consumer."- had aroused his curiosity and he didn't even bother reading the whole article as he excitedly thought of a plan. If he were to really produce a magical medicine that cured any and every disease, the fame he would acquire was as tempting as gold and diamond.

But if he had read what the next paragraph of the article had said, he wouldn't have dared dream big.

"The scales are to be taken with the permission of the siren and only the shed ones are to be used or else one can only wait for demise. The heart of a siren is never to be sought after even with its benefits. If done so, 'by who' to 'for whom' not a single one would be spared from a siren's curse." Even seeking the heart was a death flag.