The Demon Lord And His Hero

Inside a cavernous vaulted chamber, a deep sonorous sound quieted to a hum when Syryn entered the kingdom of Silisia.

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The mermen guards formed a protective tight circle around him as he was led through narrow gaps of arching coral systems. There were fewer and fewer merpeople to be seen as they moved along, avoiding largely populated areas.

Swimming for such an extended period hadn't tired him out much but Syryn was feeling the burn in his muscles from having had to swim alongside the mermen. Their powerful arms and tails cut through the water like knives, and while Syryn was no slouch at swimming, he was like a weak guppy beside its parents.

The group soon arrived at a large fort built out of solid black sea rocks. A small rectangular section of Lunar rock was jutting out from the highest central point at the top of the fort. He wondered if this was to be his prison.

When led inside, Syryn was surprised to find a bright and pleasant ambience that contrasted the severe image that its exterior presented. The central chamber of the dark fort was a hollow cavern that was pierced through his centre by the tallest Lunar stone he had seen yet. It lit up the beautiful rose-pink marbled interior.

"You will wait here," the leader of the mermen guards declared before taking away Syryn's satchel and shutting the doors of his prison with a heavy booming sound.

Disoriented by his loss of memories, the mage felt a well of loneliness spilling its waters into his chest. He looked around himself and settled down beneath the soft glow of the lunar stone.

His head was hurting right in the middle of his forehead but it was the dull aching pain that was left behind in the aftermath of a migraine. The mage placed his hand on the glowing stone and pressed his ear to it. It was smooth but also unbearably silent and cold. Feeling a hollowness that mirrored the chamber he was imprisoned inside, the mage curled up into a ball and fell asleep at the foot of the stone.

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The opening of the prison door awoke its prisoner with a start. Syryn forgot where he was and accidentally inhaled water through his nose. His vision whited out and the teen let out a wet cough.

"Stupid human," a soft female voice stated.

"That's food for you," another much lower-pitched voice joined.

"Not all of us eat land dwellers, Enkansh," a third voice said with disgust. "You can't eat this one till they figure out what's wrong with him."

The mage raised his head to look at the mermen who had come to antagonise him. They were colorful and eye catching. Silver and mother of Pearl jewellery adorned their bare bodies.

"What a pretty thing you are," cooed the third one when they saw his face.

The merman that spoke to him had a light smattering of beautiful silver-blue scales above his eyelids. "Enkansh, do you still feel like eating something this pretty?"

"Never thought there would be a day when you called a land dweller pretty," the mermaid with gold scales glittering like crowns said to the silver-blue merman.

The one at the centre though was not a merman. He was a siren, a dangerous creature that preyed on humans. He was a rich gold maroon in colour. The creature smiled at him and it displayed a row of razor-sharp teeth that didn't look out of place on his face. Somehow he managed to look wickedly attractive despite the shark like teeth.

"It will be a pleasure to eat a human so delicious looking as this one," he crooned to Syryn.

The mage was oddly calm despite the horror of what was being said to him. He maintained a placid look through the conversation.

"A brave one," silver-blue said, impressed.

"No," gold haughtily corrected silver blue. "I heard from the guards that he is mentally deficient, a fool who forgets even his own name."

The male siren named Enkansh glanced at gold and back at the human. "Are you really a fool?"

The human nodded.

Gold laughed and it sounded like a melody.

"He would make for good entertainment," silver said to his companions.

"What's your name?" The siren asked.

"Syryn."

Silver blue chuckled. "Siren... Syryn. Whoever named you fated you to get eaten by a siren."

"This pathetic creature is important to father for some reason," gold said while curling her lips. "You won't get to eat him till they verify that-" she paused. "That he's not the one foretold to liberate Silisia."

Silver blue looked at her askance. "He can't be the savior of Silisia. A land dweller and a fool. What is father thinking?"

Gold maroon's sharp gaze pierced the teen with its inhuman slitted eyes. He was sizing up the prey purported to be a saviour.

"A saviour locked away in the Basaltic Fort." The siren could see a certain irony in it.

Gold was affronted by the siren's tone. "It is not our place to question the actions of the ruler."

Enkansh turned to smile at gold. "Princess Gaia, say that to me again when you're bitching about how your queen mother has ruined your day with another matchmaking session you don't care for."

The human in their presence realised in shock that they were now speaking fish tongue and he had understood it. He wondered about the implications of knowing the language. Did it mean that he was heavily involved with the merpeople? And what did they mean by him being a saviour? He didn't believe it for a second.

"That's different," she snapped at the siren.

"I see, so your queen mother isn't a ruler."

"Enkansh, know your place," Silver blue lightly told the siren.

Gold maroon was unaffected by the verbal cuffing. Being much longer than Syryn, he curled his thick tail on the marbled floor and stooped so he was at eye level with the human.

Clear violet eyes looked back into his slitted black ones. Enkansh was not a creature ruled by the carnal urges of his body. And neither was he a weak-willed siren that gave into the pangs of his stomach when faced with a soft-looking meal that he could tear into with his fingers. Syryn was a sight for his sore eyes, that much he would admit to. But he would never let any of his urges take hold of him.

"Syryn," he blinked slowly at the foolish human. "Good luck."

The siren drew back, already bored and ready to leave the prison fort.

"Let's leave," gold told the others. "Our time is up."

Silver blue's gaze was the last to linger. He smiled gently at Syryn and turned away to leave with his companions.