Chapter Thirteen: The Banshee

“Fortunately, my lord... you have just witnessed our transformation.”

Hugh paused for two seconds before realizing someone was speaking to him.

He felt a ringing in his ears and his vision was still somewhat blurred. Rubbing his temple, he noticed a slight headache.

He must have been knocked out by the shockwave earlier. Indeed, explosions underwater were far more powerful than those on land.

This was due to the density of water being much greater than air, making it incompressible, Hugh mused absentmindedly.

He groped around his body but found no obvious injuries. Only then did he lift his head to look around.

It was Ash who had been speaking to him. He could see that her swollen form had lessened, and nearby, the swollen creatures...

Well, now they were neither overly swollen nor quite monstrous.

In any case, they seemed very happy. Noticing that Hugh had awakened, they appeared even more jubilant.

“Fellow kin, our god has arrived. Under His gaze, let us complete our transformation!” Ash cried out, and the other cursed ones responded in kind, swiftly plunging deeper into the abyss.

Surrounded by them, the currents around Hugh carried him downward as they excitedly raced toward the deep ocean.

Warm seawater rapidly flowed past his body, white bubbles trailing behind like ribbons. The cursed ones cheered as they surged into the deeper abyss.

Instinctively, Hugh raised his hand before his face. When he lowered it, the current gradually slowed, and the cursed ones around him halted. He suddenly realized that the creatures beside him had changed.

Their bloated, hideous skin slowly receded, revealing smooth, statue-like bodies. Limbs once distorted by swelling began to regain their original form.

Soon, before Hugh’s astonished eyes, their true appearances emerged.

Their upper halves resembled human women but with three pairs of arms, while their lower halves were serpent tails. When swollen and hunched, their size was comparable to a human’s, but now standing upright, they towered over Hugh.

“M-Mermaids?!” Hugh gasped, initially thinking these swollen monsters might be walrus-like creatures. He never expected them to be a group of mermaids.

No, they were not the mermaids of old legends from his previous life. Hugh calmed himself. Though their faces were beautiful, they lacked traditional fish tails and the number of arms didn’t match.

“What are mermaids?”

A strange face approached, and Hugh instinctively stepped back before sensing the familiar presence of the symbiotic bond.

Looking at the lovely face before him, Hugh whispered in disbelief, “You are... Ash?”

She swished her serpent tail and looked at him with some confusion.

For the first time, Hugh carefully examined this “swollen monster” with whom he had made a contract.

Her tail was long, covered with beautiful pale gray scales that shimmered like metal. Her six arms were slender and strong, her features resolute. Her long hair and eyebrows were silver-white, gently flowing in the water like dazzling jewels under sunlight.

There was an otherworldly beauty to her.

If one ignored that she was substantially taller than himself, she could be called a beauty... well, half a beauty.

Hugh had little mind to judge the appearance of his symbiote. He turned to look around. Though their features and scale colors varied, they all shared this general form.

Regaining his composure, Hugh looked at Ash, who was still awaiting his response, and spoke slowly:

“Mermaids are mythical, beautiful beings somewhat like you. When I first saw you, I instinctively thought you were mermaids, but upon closer inspection, there are differences.” Hugh glanced at their serpent tails, thinking this form more closely resembled the naga of old legends from his past life.

Curious, he asked, “What is your tribe called? You can’t just keep being called ‘the cursed ones.’”

In truth, he had always thought of them as swollen monsters, Hugh reflected, his gaze passing over Ash’s slender figure, which was anything but swollen.

“We are the Banshees,” she said slowly, her tone both mournful and reverent.

“We are the Banshees, the wailing spirits of the seven seas,” she suddenly raised her voice. The other Banshees looked over. Ash straightened her body and, facing their gaze, declared, “Kin, the ancient prophecy has been fulfilled. A new god has led us to complete our transformation and break the curse. We are no longer pitiful cursed ones but Banshees who roam freely beneath the seven seas!”

The Banshees gathered slowly. Long years of enslavement had almost made them forget what freedom tasted like. To break the curse was nothing less than a rebirth.

Ash’s tone grew more fervent.

“We once lost our god, our home, everything. When we had nothing left, a new god descended here, guiding us to shatter the curse and reach the promised land. Kin, let us pledge our loyalty to the new god!”

The Banshees’ eyes shone brightly, their fanatic devotion fixed on Hugh. Ash twisted her serpent tail and glided to his front.

Hugh looked up to Ash, noticing for the first time just how... tall his contracted partner was.

Ash lowered her gaze, then folded her three pairs of arms across her chest. Her tail slid backward as her tall form inclined forward, kneeling before Hugh.

“My lord, you have saved us. The Banshees pledge our loyalty to you. Speak your name, and the Banshees will make it resonate throughout the seven seas!”

Her thick silver-white hair danced in the seawater, and Hugh suddenly felt as if he stood within a river of silver.

He looked around; the Banshees all bowed deeply. The fervent, devout atmosphere was like a stirring battle hymn, making his heart pound and his throat go dry.

Hugh knew that if he spoke his name here, or even silently consented, he would become the god of these Banshees, able to command this tribe at will.

He needed do nothing, merely maintain an ambiguous stance. The Banshees themselves would fill in the rest of the story—he would have done no wrong.

Moreover, his arrival perfectly matched the prophecy. Was he truly not a god? Perhaps that golden throne was his divine kingdom, and these bodies merely toys for his earthly descent.

There was no downside. Look at these Banshees—they themselves awaited the coming of a new god. This was helping them.

His heart raced, his resolve wavered, his reason flickered like a candle in the wind.

Hugh gritted his teeth.