I decided to offer my heart to Pearl.
Pearl approached with a dagger in one hand. She grabbed me by the collar with her left hand. I felt like I was exerting too much force for no reason. What was this feeling? Even though my life was in danger, it felt like I was watching from afar. It lacked a sense of reality, unlike any other anxiety I’d felt before.
She probably wouldn’t kill me quickly and cleanly. She would deliberately miss the vital points, making it hard for me to die. She could have killed me easily earlier. And yet, she deliberately shot water at me, not hitting me. At least, that’s how I felt. She was avoiding it unconsciously.
Looking up, Pearl’s brow was furrowed, and she was breathing heavily. Whether it was sweat or seawater, water droplets flowed down her flushed cheeks.
I gently grasped her left hand, which was gripping my collar.
“Hey, why don’t we calm down for a moment? Let’s think together if there’s any other way.”
“Tsk, you’re just saying that to trick me.”
I saw a flicker of doubt in her wavering eyes. Besides, could a human heart even be transplanted? I wouldn’t be able to die in peace if I offered it just to find out it was unusable.
“I won’t trick you. Can I see Brother for a moment?”
“Huh? No! Don’t come any closer! If you enter that room, I’ll kill you!”
I was racking my brain for a solution, but suddenly Pearl seemed like a child. She looked like someone who had lost what she relied on and was flailing her sword wildly in the darkness.
“Don’t you want to save Brother? I suspect that even if you kill me and take my heart, Brother won’t be saved.”
“Ugh…”
Leaving Pearl with her pale face, I stepped into the adjacent room. Brown bloodstains remained on the floor. There were worm-like scars from her chest to her arm. And a greenish crystal was growing from her heart. Pearl had said she put him in a state of suspended animation, but would taking out this crystal revive him?
I gently touched the skin. It was cold and hard, like an ornament. Could she be dead already?
“We Ancient Species are called Mermaid Princesses. I think our beautiful fins are the reason why. We are magical creatures.”
Pearl seemed to have calmed down a bit and came up beside me on the water.
“Magical creatures, like fairies?”
“Yes, like animals, but closer to fairies. That’s why our bodies don’t remain after death. Brother is currently stopped from functioning. But his body will perish soon.”
Magical creatures, huh? That meant a human heart would even less likely be a substitute.
“Hey, did Brother’s heart get crushed?”
“Yes. An arrow lodged in it, and it tore when I pulled it out. So I patched the wound.”
“Can’t recovery magic do something about that?”
Piercing the heart with an arrow. I could have Cecilia come and seal the wound with recovery magic. But Pearl shook her head.
“Just a Healer holding their hand over it won’t fix it. Oh, what about transferring Brother’s soul into you? The vessel would be different, but you’re alive, after all.”
“W-wait, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
I’d never done it before, but I had a strong premonition that it would go terribly wrong. For the time being, I draped the cloak she had given me over her.
“Hey, speaking of which, what exactly is this cloak?”
“It’s a convenient cloak that makes water appear just by shaking it. It seems to gather water mana.”
Pearl then snatched the cloak she had draped over her brother with both hands. She then felt its texture with a crumpled touch.
“Amazing, this cloak. How could you possibly have something like this?”
When Pearl touched the cloak, water gushed out from it. It was as if a faucet had been hidden. I was amazed at how powerful it was with such an affinity for the water attribute.
“With this, I might be able to live on land too! Maybe this will fix him!”
“Really? Try it.”
I didn’t understand the principle, but it was better than using my heart. Pearl placed the cloak over her fallen brother’s chest and then placed her hands over it. A crystal beneath the fabric emitted a dull glow.
The water gathered in her palm swirled.
“F-ffff, uuuuh… please…”
Her dress-like fins floated gently. The water at my feet also began to create waves on its own. Sparks flew from the crystal, and a small lightning bolt was visible between her hands and the cloak. Then, crackling sounds began, and an indescribable burnt smell stung my nose.
The sound of electricity popping and Pearl’s rough breaths echoed in the cave illuminated in emerald green. Gradually, the crystal piercing her heart began to melt and shrink. Greenish liquid flowed out from the gaps in the cloak and mixed with the water at our feet.
I could do nothing but watch the spectacular sight. Pearl pressed both hands to cover the wound.
“Come back… come back…”
As if a battery had run out, Pearl collapsed on top of her brother. Her beautiful scales were dry and had lost their luster. Touching her shoulder, her skin was also dry and rough. I picked her up and hurried back to the sea. I placed Pearl at the entrance of the cave.
“Hey, snap out of it!”
Even after putting her back in the water, her dry skin and the luster of her scales did not return. I scooped up water with my hands and poured it over her several times. Should I find everyone now and have them treated? But there was no time. If that was the case, only one person could save her now.
