“You want us to help you get your revenge? On who exactly?” Erebus asked Yaq-Il.

The siren thumped her tail. “As I said, the ones who put me in this state of mind.”

“Why would we help you?”

“You’re bored, aren’t you? Wouldn’t this be fun?”

Erebus gave her an exasperated look. “We have somewhere to be in a week or so.”

“It’ll only take a few minutes. It won’t be that hard for an original dragon, right?” Yaq-Il was obviously baiting him. Erebus narrowed his eyes at the siren as if to tell her to learn her place in this world.

And that place was below him.

Yaq-Il smirked. “Feisty, I think I quite like that look on your face. He resembles you in some ways.” Yaq-Il’s manner of speaking to them had changed from one of hostility to a more friendly banter.

“Who is he?”

She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to. The look on her face told them all they needed to know.

Erebus sighed heavily. “We have some time to spare; I suppose that we could help you exact your petty revenge on whoever. I assume it’s the ones who took your lover away from you?”

Yaq-Il screamed, “Petty? You think my feelings are of the same caliber of some schoolgirl?”

“Are they not?” Erebus tilted his head. “We’ve all held our petty grudges before, haven’t we? In the long run, does any grudge seem significant? Do the feelings we feel hold any significance? I’m aware of this. Everything we do is in vain, and Death has already placed its grip on us.”

Erebus’ words created confusion by those surrounding him. He never spoke like this, much less said such morbid things. The carelessness that he acted with was nowhere to be seen. The tone of voice belonged to that of one who had lived far too long, one who had experienced far too much pain.

There was sadness in his voice.

It even silenced the sharp-tongued Yaq-Il.

A heavy mood settled over.

“What? Why have you gotten all silent?” Erebus looked around in wonder. “I already said that we’ll help Yaq-Il on her quest for revenge. Don’t tell me, your feelings were so paltry, after all? Are you unwilling to dirty your hands, girl?”

Yaq-Il spoke slowly, “I will do whatever it takes to make them feel what I felt. I want them to suffer.”

A dark smile spread on Erebus’ face. “So it shall be, then.”

“I want to take revenge on my clan for killing my lover. The only love of my life. I want them all dead.”

“Lead the way,” Erebus said along with a mocking bow at Yaq-Il. The siren snorted in response.

His subordinates acted accordingly.

“I know many methods of torture,” Vyne said.

“I can make them experience such embarrassment before their death,” Tear supplied.

“With my magic, I can bring them back over and over and you can kill them each time.”

Yaq-Il laughed delightedly. “This is great, so very great.” She clapped her hands together, excitement radiating off of her body. “Let’s head out immediately, then!”

“Wait, wait. Surely, you owe an explanation to what is going on?” Vyne said harshly just as the siren jumped into the water.

She blinked in confusion. “Oh, I apologize, pretty boy. I wasn’t expecting you to be so nosy.” Yaq-Il pushed herself up onto the rocky ground and kept the lower end of her body in the cool water. “How much do you want to know?”

“Isn’t that obvious? We want to know all of it. If it turns out to be stupid, we won’t help you,” Vyne answered, deciding the last part on his own.

Though, since his words held truth in them, Erebus did not speak any protest.

Yaq-Il rolled her eyes, tossing her damp hair over her shoulders. “Everything, eh? Could it be you’re interested in me?” she spoke in a flirtatious manner that earned her a look of disgust from Vyne.

“I prefer my women more refined than you, fish.”

“I was just joking, no need to be so rude.” Yaq-Il playfully splashed water on Vyne. “Anyway, my story’s a rather long and dull one. But since you absolutely insist, I’ll tell you.”

Yaq-Il took a breath. “His name was Byron; he was the bastard son of a noble from a rival clan, the Silvertails...”

She began to tell them about who she was, what she had done, and what they had done to her.

The four listened to her story silently, none of them judging her. This fact was very surprising to Yaq-Il, she was expecting a more violent response. It wasn’t any secret that dragons didn’t take too kindly to those who broke the law and betrayed their race, yet Erebus’ expression showed none of this anger.

“My family did everything they could to hurt me, and I want to do the same to them. That is why I want your help. I already know the path I walk down will only give me small peace, but that is better than no peace at all. I want their blood to spill just like his did.”

Yaq-Il had finished her tale.

“Is that so?” was all Erebus said.

The other three didn’t even speak.

She opened her eyes, the hopefulness bright in them. “So you will help me after all?”

“I don’t see why we wouldn’t. As you said I’m bored, and nothing is a better pastime than slaughter.”

Yaq-Il continued to look at Erebus with distrust in her eyes. “My clan is prestigious. The Goldentails are majorly important in the world of the seafolk. You still hold no qualms about killing them? Won’t you get in trouble?”

Erebus laughed. “After you said all of that, you’re starting to doubt us? Child, if I wished for all of humanity to be exterminated, it would be carried out. And no one would dare raise a word of it. The Council will get over it quicker than you would think, they like to complain about what I do, but in the end they would have done the same.”

Yaq-Il was thoroughly surprised by his words. She opened her mouth to say something, and then opted out of the deed.

“Follow me then, I shall guide you to where I used to live. You will have to venture underwater for an extended period, so I hope you can hold your breath for a while.” She winked at them.

Erebus snorted. “Do not be concerned about our wellbeing. There are multiple types of magic that allow one to breathe underwater.”

The siren shrugged. She already knew that they’d be fine with going underwater, and if they weren’t, they certainly weren’t cut out for the task of dealing with a clan of powerful sirens who had existed from centuries.

She had confidence in Erebus’ strength, as he was a dragon. But for the others? She couldn’t be sure.

“I’ll wait for you, jump into the pool when you’re ready,” she said just as she dove back into the dark waters.

Erebus and his subordinates came shortly after, Erebus easily casted a sphere of protection around their bodies, they all stood inside of it. Since he was basically the only one capable of keeping up magic for such a long time, Erebus was charged with being in control of their movement and keeping the shield up.

The transparent sphere lifted into the air and lazily drifted over the pool of water before slowly submerging itself. Waiting in the depths, Yaq-Il was tracing circles out of oxygen bubbles with her fin.

Her voice cut into all of their heads, Follow me, if you please.

Vyne’s eyes twitched in annoyance. He hated how telepathy felt, it was as if something else was in your mind. You could feel it there, invading the inner sanctum of your conscious.

He muttered incoherently to himself as they followed the rapidly swimming siren.

It’s quite a distance from here, so it’s best if we hurry.

Yaq-Il’s glowing tail was swishing back and forth at an alarming rate as she propelled herself through the water.

We’re located near the Capital of the Searealm. It’s a journey there, but it’s rather easy to find. There’s never any shortage of seafolk making their way to the Capital. To be honest, if you simply followed anyone you’d find yourself there.

She found it to be her duty to explain her world to the land-dwellers. Yaq-Il continued to talk about the Searealm, not caring at all that the others were doing anything but listening to her.

Yaq-Il found it comforting to talk about her homeland, as much as she claimed to hate it.

“She hasn’t shut up since we entered,” Vyne thought to himself distastefully. In all honesty, he despised the woman.

She had dared speak to his master in such a derogatory way then had the audacity to request his assistance in her quest for revenge. If it wasn’t for Erebus’ nonchalant attitude, Vyne would’ve had her head on a platter a long time ago.

“I rather enjoy her explanation, I’ve never been here before,” Tear said in disagreement to Vyne’s words.

“How sweet, a pig and a fish relating to each other,” he drawled.

Tear turned her head away from him, refraining from getting in another fight with Vyne.

“Must you call them out of their names constantly?” Lilian reprimanded Vyne.

The demon chuckled. “What? Are you upset that I’m leaving you out of the name-calling, Lilian? Shall I refer to you as rabbit from now on?”

“No, I was simply wondering if you could speak without the maturity of a seven year old boy who has a crush.”

“Are you implying that I would feel anything other than the utmost contempt and loathing for that woman?”

Vyne and Lilian continued to go back and forth. Soon enough, Tear, feeling the need to defend herself, joined in.

Erebus kept his eyes on Yaq-Il and whistled softly.

He heard nothing. Nothing at all.