Love and Deepwater • A Rafayel story

Storyteller

After eating, they immersed themselves in a conversation that seemed endless, getting closer and closer, each laugh, each glance, brought them closer.

They sat side by side, their thighs brushing against each other almost unconsciously, holding pinkies practically unconsciously; their hearts seemed to spoke a secret language, occupying their silences with contentment.

Enoria kept asking about his people and he kept answering what he could. In exchange, she explained how Humans achieved peace thanks to Lemurian, as they were deemed a symbol of power and wealth among the Human nations.

According to her explanation, there were some Humans who lived in the vast expanse of the Sea, dwelling in small islands that were barely visible among the rolling waves. These Humans, she said, had their lives entwined with the ebb and flow of waves, and held Lemuria in sacred reverence. For Enoria and her endless curiosity, they were intriguing, mostly thinking about their way of life and how they interacted with the vastness of the ocean that encircled them.

She explained about Humans living inside the continent, far from the Sea, who depended on the Southern Shore for seafood and underwater treasures. That nation had a lot of fruits and vegetables to trade, most people were farmers and ranchers. They were the ones who owned less merfolk than all the others and mostly bought them from countries nearer to the sea.

She explained about Southern Shore's worst enemy, living across the sea, in another small continent not that far from them by boat. They called it the Northern Shore, their capital, Nortia. They focused on mines of gold, iron, and silver, being a land of artisans and experts in the creation of jewelry and weapons. Most weapons used in the Crusades and during Human conflicts were their own fabrication.

Rafayel believed that the Southern Shore was the closest point to Lemuria, and he made it his mission to gather as much knowledge as he could for the King. Like a Porifera, he absorbed knowledge with an insatiable hunger to find information useful for his people.

Enoria talked a lot about the Crusades for Lemurian, a time when Human nations clashed, competing to capture this elusive and legendary merfolk, seeking supremacy over their rivals.

At first, she explained:

'Lemurian could be easily found and Humans only collected the prettiest' She said, feeling sad. She didn't mention what happened to the not-so-pretty, even though his race was prettier than Human beings, even the ugliest ones. So what Humans considered ugly, compared to them, seemed like the worst of the disrespect to merfolk.

Human countries engaged in battles above water, their own ships being destroyed and Hunters losing their lives, all for the sake of apprehending Lemurian and the promise of eternal life. The merfolk were treated like fish, with many of them being effortlessly easy to find and catch until the time came when it wasn't so uncomplicated anymore. They learned how to hide and protect themselves, managing to disappear like foam carried by the waves.

'Can you imagine sailing across vast oceans and embarking on expeditions, only to come up empty-handed because there was no prey to find?' She asked, looking into Rafayel, trying to decipher any expression he could give her. 'That's exactly what happened to our human ancestors when Merfolk disappeared without a trace. It's a mystery that still fascinates historians and Hunters to this day.'

She continued her tale, close to Rafayel, knees brushed.

'Some people conducted experiments on Lemurian to try and increase their power and longevity. They attempted to pair up Lemurian who already possessed the desired traits to create offspring with similar abilities. However, this plan failed as the individuals were too weakened and unable to have children.' She sighed, feeling sad. It was a part of Human history that she despised. 'In this society, the power and wealth of countries were determined by their possession of Lemurian. The more merfolk a country possessed, the higher they soared—their coffers overflowing, their influence invulnerable. As a result, Southern Shore became one of the most powerful countries, due to their mastery of capturing Lemurian over hundreds of years, thanks to their proximity to the sea.'