Page 77 of Storm and Sea

You don’t know that.

“Oh, but I do.

I know what you are, Atreus.

For I am you, and you are me.”

I’m nothing like you. I don’t think like you.

“You are me.

A freak.

A mutt.”

I’m not.

“Halfling. Bastard. Monster.”

Stop it.

The words echoed, bouncing in a chasm of his own making, distorting and multiplying until they became a horde—a macabre choir whose sole purpose was to inflict insurmountable pain.

“It’s your fault.

It’s always been your fault.

You ruin everything you touch.”

“STOP IT!” Atreus screamed, clutching his head as he dropped to his knees in the sand. The voice beat against his skull like a creature trying to claw through tissue and bone.

“PLEASE JUST STOP!”

“Atreus?”

Nyel knew this night would stay with him forever. The festival was a whirlwind of sights and sounds, a world so vibrant and alive it made every celebration he’d known before pale in comparison.

Everywhere he looked, something called for his attention, leaving him dizzy, unsure which way to run first. But more than the stalls of goods and food, the festival was about the people. For the first time since his arrival, Nyel saw who the villagers of Baia Vita truly were. The heavy lines on the fishermen’s faces had softened, their defeated voices replaced with laughter, their weary sighs gone with the empty nets of yesterday. Baia Vita was more than just an island—it was a people, a way of life. And tonight, as their hearts beat in time with the push and pull of the tides, they were allowed to just be.

Men and women spun in the square and cheered over carnival games while children ran underfoot, screeching with delight. Nyel was sure he’d never seen this much joy in Corallina, even when their crop yields were good. His people, the Sireni, were too scared.

Scared of the world. Scared of the humans.

Maybe scared of themselves.

He thought of his parents, terrified to let Marvassa change their bodies.

They’re missing so much.

With a pang, Nyel wished he could bring Sonia here. She’d love this. Guilt twisted his insides at the memory of his aunt.

The baby will be here soon.

Nyel should be there for her as the baby’s due date approached. He should go back and tell his parents the truth—explain that he couldn’t live the life they had so carefully laid out for him. That his existence couldn’t revolve around a Lifebond and nothing else. He snorted, already imagining his mother’s response.

“You only say that because you’ve never experienced it. You’ll take back those words once you find the right girl.”

But would the right girl ever come? He and Chel were very close, yet Nyel felt nothing. No sparks. No blossoming of light. Empty.