Abyssal (ManxMan)

The Catalyst

The Catalyst

The blood drained from Kai's face.

Kai never thought he'd ever not want to see his best friend, but as Hakan approached the scene, he couldn't help but suspect an oncoming disaster.

"Kai? Kai! It's you, brother! Where have you been?! I've been coming here everyday hoping to-"

"Stay where you are!" Kai barked, startling Hakan and making him halt in his steps.

Kai wanted to say, "Get the hell out of here before you see something you're not supposed to see and it puts your life in danger!" But he didn't have the time to say that, so instead he said, "Hakan, get the hell out of here!"

"What? You asshol- Wait, who are these people?"

"Just get the hell out of here! This doesn't concer- HAKAN, WATCH OUT!"

A dark orb of light the size of a basketball shot out of Zolban's outstretched palm, headed straight for Hakan like a bullet train.

Hakan dodged it, but barely. "What the hell!"

Kai glared at Zolban and roared, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

His inner pool rippled with unbridled rage. How dare he attack Hakan right in front of his eyes? How dare he?!

"The human has seen us. I am simply disposing of him."

"Simply dispos-!" Kai sputtered, his rage flying out in the form of spittle. "Leave him out of this! He doesn't know anything!" he hissed and took a threatening step forward.

"It is the law, Prince Kai. We are forbidden from exposing our existence to humans. But I suppose you wouldn't know, would you?" Beneath the lawful facade and carefully-selected words, Kai easily spotted the power-crazed merman eager to hurt Kai now that he'd found a chance -if only to avenge his foiled plan to kill Kai. He'd sunk his vampiric teeth into this and was not ever letting it go, Kai could see that with crystal clarity.

This vile, vile merman.

Not even Marius had threatened him with the lives of his loved ones. The Spirit should have killed him when it had the chase, not just restricted its teleportation abilities. Heck, Kai would have rather he escaped if he knew him staying meant jeopardizing his best friend's life!

"He wouldn't have thought you anything but human if you hadn't gone and tried to kill him with magic. Don't you touch him." Kai said, his voice dipping low until it was the warning rumble of an enraged beast.

At the mere mention of Zolban being a human, he made a face of utter disgust and disbelief, as if Kai had compared him to a cockroach.

The rippling in the pool increased, the once still water turning into splashing waves.

If Zolban lifted his arm and aimed it at Hakan again, he'd hack it off. He knew he would. He could feel it.

For the first time, power was surging through him.

****

Easmus watched his Prince pulse with unprecedented magical power. This power was unlike any power their people knew. Unlike their people's magics, this power was pure and untouched, like clean water from a spring. It was not manufactured, not mer-made. Of course, it made perfect sense knowing that Kai was a Source housing the Spirit of the Sea, the very source of aquatic power.

Chills raked Erasmus' body as the familiar power hit him in pulsing waves. The last time he'd felt this power was in King Kaerus' presence. He thought he'd never get to experience it again.

Finally, Kai was assimilating with the merman.

Threatening his family and friends was what had gotten him to finally accept -or at the very least- begin accepting the Spirit of the Sea. Kai had an interest in keeping them alive, and the fickle Spirit had an interest in keeping Kai alive. The result was a beneficial relationship.

In Erasmus' experience, those were the kind of relationships that most succeeded. When both parties had something to gain or, in this case, lose, they both did their best to make it work.

But Kai's assimilation was only halfway, if that. He hadn't yet been pushed to the point of full assimilation; complete acceptance of the Spirit as another subconscious inhibiting his body. He needed a little nudge, it seemed.

Erasmus looked at the human, a dear friend of Kai's from what it looked like. His death might be just the catalyst needed to complete the assimilation.

He was being forced to make a moral decision here: Intervene and save the human friend, or let him be killed.

What guarantee did Erasmus have that Kai would ever accept the Spirit on his own? And all while he was burdened with literal inner turmoil, much like its prince, Astria also faced inner turmoil that threatened to tear it from the inside out. The threat grew ever bigger the longer Kai took to grow into the power they needed him to be for their purposes. The corrupt Zolban could no longer be allowed to reign. He'd failed to install himself a beloved ruler, and now the kingdom was split into two factions; his corrupt faction and King Kaerus'.

Really, the decision had been made for him. Oftentimes, morality needed to be abandoned. This was one of these times.

In the end, what was a human's life against their great cause and his Prince's survival?

*~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Abyssal Book 2 has started on my Patreon for all tiers! If you'd like to finish Book 1 and start Book 2, consider joining my Patreon! You can read ahead, get early access to chapters as well as exclusive NSFW Abyssal short stories and content!

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