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Short filmTranscript
00:01Please, let me see Grandfather one last time.
00:04You're the one who killed Sienna.
00:06But he had gone mad.
00:07You're going to the grave with her!
00:09Sienna is my sister! I would never kill her!
00:11I tried to explain, but Hunter wouldn't listen.
00:14I could only struggle desperately toward the shore.
00:17Yet Hunter dragged me back in the end.
00:21And tortured me to death.
00:25When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the pearl draw.
00:30Those who drew a red pearl would become the first female commander of the Royal Title Guard.
00:36Those who drew a white pearl would be sent to the Abyss Trench to serve as low-ranking scouts.
00:42In my previous life, I drew red and married Hunter Sloane, the son of the Merman King.
00:49What followed was ten years of betrayal.
00:51Every night while I slept, they tangled together in the guest chamber next to mine.
00:56Between my sister and me, whose body do you prefer?
01:02Is that even a question?
01:03Come here, baby.
01:06Later, my sister was ambushed during a mission.
01:09Abyssal demons tore her scales apart.
01:11Hunter blamed me for choosing the red pearl, claiming it led to her death.
01:15He falsified a wartime report and sold me out.
01:18The Abyssal demons captured me and ripped my tail in.
01:23Then he used his family's power to frame my grandfather for treason.
01:27My grandfather died in chains.
01:29Now, staring at the two shells holding the pearls, I already knew my answer, lowering my head.
01:35Tail curled beneath me.
01:37In the most respectful posture, I said,
01:39I choose the Abys.
01:40Let Sienna be the commander.
01:42My grandfather stared at me in shock.
01:44Giving up the command means giving up your marriage to Hunter.
01:47Are you sure?
01:48Before I could answer, the door was slammed open.
01:51Hunter slipped in without warning.
01:53He pulled Sienna straight into his arms.
01:55Sienna, thank the gods you're alive.
01:58Hunter Sloane's voice was hoarse.
02:00He looked at her like she was a priceless relic he had nearly lost.
02:03In front of my grandfather, Hunter dropped low, tail coiled tightly beneath him.
02:08His forehead touching the ground three times.
02:11Lord Calloway, the one I truly want to marry is Sienna.
02:15I know I'm already engaged to Quinn, but I don't love her.
02:19Please, let me form a true bond with Sienna.
02:23That was when it hit me.
02:24Hunter had been reborn too.
02:26Even hearing it from his own mouth, my chest still burned as if scorched by salt water.
02:30I hid my shock and reached out to help him up.
02:33He slapped my hand away, his voice thick with disgust.
02:36Don't touch me.
02:38I've only ever loved Sienna.
02:40Don't get the wrong idea.
02:41My grandfather cut in.
02:43Quinn is going to the Abyss.
02:44You two can set a date for the ceremony.
02:47Hunter froze for a moment, then broke into a wide smile, pulling Sienna closer.
02:52I can finally bond with you!
02:54The tenderness in his eyes was so full it was almost overflowing.
02:57I watched silently.
02:59That warmth had once been mine fine.
03:01It didn't matter.
03:02I already had a better plan they'd see soon enough.
03:05Once the hall fell quiet, I escorted my grandfather back to his room.
03:09Grandfather, if I meet someone suitable on the front edges, I'll marry there.
03:14He was silent for a long time.
03:16Just stay safe.
03:17He finally said.
03:18That's all I ask.
03:19I looked at his bent back, and before I could stop it, my eyes began to sting.
03:24In my last life, he'd kept me close after the wedding so he could look after me.
03:29This time, I was the one who was going to protect him.
03:33I quickly completed my registration with the National Guard.
03:37On my way home, I stopped by the coral market to buy my grandfather's favorite sweets and
03:42began planning what came next.
03:44A war was about to erupt in the abyssal trench, with heavy casualties.
03:48I had to use my memories from my past life to change the outcome, and the key to that
03:53was finding the fat shark working in the seaweed kitchen, Jess Sheridan.
03:57Just as I was wondering how to locate him, I ran into Hunter and Sienna at the open market.
04:02When Sienna fawned over the newest Tide Mirror, he didn't complain once.
04:07In my previous life, I had begged him for weeks to come pick out a wedding dress with me.
04:12Every time, he brushed me off, saying he was busy serving the guard.
04:16In the end, I bought everything myself and carried it home alone.
04:20Yet here he was, leisurely strolling through the market with Sienna.
04:25Hunter, nobles shouldn't show off.
04:27But I love these veils so much.
04:29What should I do?
04:31Hunter's expression was gentle, without the slightest resistance.
04:34Sienna, if you like them, I'll buy them all.
04:37I gave a bitter smile everything I had done for him before, completely worthless.
04:42I turned to leave, but Sienna spotted me.
04:45She pulled Hunter along, a smug smile on her face.
04:49Quinn, what are you doing here?
04:51Grandfather already picked the wedding date.
04:53You're my sister.
04:55You have to come.
04:56I avoided looking at their clasped hands and kept my tone steady.
04:59I still need to prepare for deployment.
05:01I think if you don't come, I'll burn your mother's memorial conqueror.
05:06My vision went dark.
05:07Sienna and I shared the same father, but not the same mother.
05:10After my mother died, that conch was the only thing I had left of her.
05:14Sienna knew that.
05:15That's why threatening it always worked.
05:18I nodded.
05:19Just as I was about to leave, she called out again.
05:21Her gaze flicked to the pearl pendant at my neck.
05:25Hunter doesn't quite have enough for the moon prism.
05:28Why not use your little pendant as collateral?
05:31My face went cold, my voice hoarse.
05:33If you can't afford it, don't buy it.
05:35This pendant is old.
05:37It's worthless.
05:38Hunter spoke up.
05:40Sienna, we can use a shell harp instead.
05:43Same effect.
05:45So Hunter wasn't completely without feeling toward me.
05:48He knew exactly what that pendant meant to me.
05:50Quinn, are you upset because Hunter and I are close?
05:55But Sienna's eyes welled with tears.
05:57I just wanted a gift from you to bless our bond.
06:00Her voice trembling.
06:01You can't even give me that?
06:03She turned away, shoulders trembling.
06:05A heartbreaking sight.
06:06Hunter couldn't stand to see her upset.
06:08His expression turned cold instantly.
06:10Ordered me.
06:11Give it to her.
06:12I refused instinctively.
06:14Hunter lashed out with his tail, striking my ribs.
06:17I crashed into the coral.
06:19He ripped the pendant from my neck and shoved it into Sienna's hands.
06:23A cold smile curled at her lips.
06:26She opened it, took out my mother's photograph, and crushed it into powder right in front of me.
06:32I lunged forward, but it was too late.
06:35My mother's image flickered in the current, then scattered into nothing.
06:39Something inside me snapped.
06:40I slapped Sienna hard.
06:42She clutched her cheek, feigning shock, then began spinning lies.
06:47Quinn!
06:48Why would you give me a memorial photo as a wedding gift?
06:51I know you love Hunter, but you can't use something like that to sabotage us!
06:55A crowd gathered, as whispers, pointing fingers.
06:58She's after her own sister's fiancé?
07:01Disgusting!
07:02What kind of mermaid curses her sister's engagement day?
07:04I heard none of it.
07:05I collapsed to the ground, scooping up the drifting dust with trembling hands.
07:10Hunter stood over me, looking down.
07:12Don't think I'll pity you, Quinn.
07:14You know what I'm capable of.
07:15I didn't answer.
07:17Slowly, I lifted myself into the water and addressed the crowd.
07:20I, Quinn Calavan, swear here and now, I have no feelings for Hunter Solon.
07:25I'm going to the Abyssal.
07:26From this day forward, we go our separate ways.
07:30I went to a healer to have my wounds treated.
07:33By the time I returned home, Sienna was already in the dining hall.
07:37Grandfather wasn't there.
07:38He had gone to the Sloan estate to handle the marriage arrangements.
07:42Sienna looked up at me as if nothing had happened.
07:45She looked happy, as though the scene she had staged at the market an hour ago didn't exist at all.
07:50I walked straight back to my room.
07:52The pearl cabinet stood open.
07:54A sense of dread hit me instantly.
07:56The conch was gone.
07:57I lost control.
07:58I rushed out.
07:59Grabbed Sienna by the collar and slammed her to the ground.
08:03My vision went black.
08:04I punched her once, twice again.
08:06I screamed.
08:07My hands clamped around her throat.
08:09I wanted her dead.
08:09Where is my memory, Conant?
08:11Burned it.
08:12Blood traced a thin line from the corner of Sienna's mouth.
08:15Threw it into the seaweed furnace.
08:16But her eyes gleaned with triumph.
08:19Your mother was such a kind woman.
08:21Even when she was dying, she still lit fires to keep me warm.
08:26Rage flooded me.
08:27Why?
08:28I've already given you everything!
08:30It felt like my blood was burning.
08:32What more do you want?
08:34Sienna shoved me off and gasped for air.
08:37What I want?
08:37Do you want to know what I went through in my last life?
08:40You deserve to suffer what I did.
08:42One hundred times over!
08:44So she had been reborn, too.
08:45I spat out blood and glared at her.
08:47Last time, grandfather didn't cheat.
08:49You died because of your own stupidity.
08:52Still talking tough, huh?
08:53Sienna forced out a twisted smile.
08:56Before I could react, she yanked me closer.
08:59And struck me hard across the face.
09:02Before I could pull back, a kick slammed into my spine.
09:05I crashed onto the reef.
09:06A heavy stool came down on my head.
09:09Blood ran down my face.
09:10Hunter's eyes were bloodshot as he loomed over me, cursing.
09:13I couldn't hear a word.
09:15He pulled Sienna into his arms, his hands trembling as he checked her injuries.
09:19Then he slammed a shell bowl onto the table, pressed a jagged edge against my throat.
09:24The dizziness faded.
09:25At last, I could hear him.
09:27Quinn, don't fool yourself into thinking I still love you.
09:31Touch Sienna again and I wouldn't mind killing you again.
09:33I lay on the floor, watching them cling to each other.
09:37Nausea churned in my stomach.
09:39I crawled toward the furnace.
09:40The seaweed flames had already gone cold.
09:43Hunter dragged Sienna over and stomped hard on my already broken hand.
09:46Did I say you could leave?
09:49Apologize to Sienna.
09:50Now.
09:51The pain was unbearable.
09:53I lifted my head, looking at Hunter's twisted face.
09:56I muttered.
09:57The bandage on my head was soaked through.
09:59My conch.
10:00He didn't hear me.
10:01He just kept demanding that I apologize.
10:03I gave up.
10:04I collapsed.
10:05Darkness swallowed everything.
10:07Eventually, Hunter lost interest.
10:09He left me in the ashes and swam away with Sienna.
10:12When I woke, grandfather still hadn't returned.
10:15I did everything I could to bandage myself, then dragged my battered body into the current,
10:20rushing toward the abyssal trench.
10:22Time was running out.
10:23I had to find Jess Sheridan.
10:25The current carried me to the trench outpost, and then I blacked out again.
10:29When I came around, an ugly overweight shark man was sitting beside me.
10:34My heart pounded as I called his name.
10:36Jess Sheridan.
10:37The shark flinched.
10:38Its dark eyes fixed on me warily.
10:40Who are you?
10:41How do you know my name?
10:43Catching my breath, I told him about the coming war, describing it as visions from a dream.
10:48In my last life, I had learned from Sienna that he was the son of the sea god.
10:53An accident had drained him of his power and sealed him inside the body of a shark man.
10:58To keep him safe, the sea god had arranged for him to blend in among the frontline kitchen
11:03crew while a solution was sought.
11:05Nobody here knew his true identity.
11:08Behind his back, they called him Fat Fin, or just the Pudgy One.
11:11Right now, the most important thing was to earn his trust, and get him to take me to the true
11:17god of the sea.
11:18Will you marry me?
11:19The moment the words left my mouth, Jess narrowed his eyes.
11:22The next second, he turned to call for the guards, panicking.
11:25I grabbed him, and fell off the bed.
11:28My wound split open, but I didn't care.
11:30My name is Quinn Calloway.
11:32My mother was an ocean witch.
11:34I know a way to restore your true form.
11:36Jess studied me with suspicion, and put me through question after question until he was
11:41satisfied I wasn't an enemy agent.
11:43I'll need to think about it.
11:45A few days later, Sienna and Hunter's wedding took place.
11:48Hunter sat in the room, distracted, constantly asking who had arrived.
11:52After the guests had left, he went to find Grandfather, trying to keep himself composed.
11:57Lord Calloway, where is Quinn?
11:59Today is her sister's engagement ceremony.
12:01Why didn't she come?
12:02Grandfather looked around the empty hall and sighed.
12:06You expect her to sit here and watch the man she loves being intimate with her own sister?
12:11Hunter's heart dropped.
12:13He suddenly remembered that night, the argument, the way I had crawled toward the furnace.
12:18Before he could ask anything else, a messenger fish rushed in, waving a scroll wrapped in
12:23the current.
12:23Lord Calloway, official orders from the Abyss Command.
12:28Quinn is married!
12:30Hunter could hardly believe it.
12:31He snatched the scroll.
12:33Who is married?
12:39The little courier fish grinned, innocent as ever.
12:42Why Big Sister Quinn's?
12:43There's a command seal on it and everything.
12:47Brother Hunter, what are the odds, both your weddings on the very same day?
12:52Hunter felt his heart skip.
12:53He turned the scroll over and over, read that name again and again, then collapsed onto the
12:59coral floor.
13:00The girl who had once sworn she would never love anyone but him, had turned around and
13:05bound herself to someone else.
13:07He remembered that night.
13:08Me on the floor, covered in blood, dragging myself toward the seaweed furnace with a sickly
13:13look on my face, and in a flash the image overlapped with one from his last life.
13:18Me on the ground, my torn tail trailing behind me, prostrating in front of him and begging.
13:24She has someone she loves now.
13:25Hunter sat there muttering to himself, dazed.
13:27She was my wife!
13:28How can she marry someone else?
13:30Hunter cut his own finger and sent the blood out.
13:34A forbidden tracking spell.
13:36But the ocean didn't answer.
13:38He'd forgotten that I was the daughter of an ocean witch.
13:41The forbidden tracking spell was one I'd taught him in our last life, and I had long
13:45since erased my own traces.
13:47And then, while Hunter sat there in despair, he saw Sienna.
13:51Sienna was drunk, her eyes glassy.
13:53She pulled him up off the floor with a soft voice.
13:56What's wrong?
13:57What are you doing sitting down there?
13:59Hunter stared at her, dazed.
14:01Then something cool flickered in his eyes.
14:04The next second, his hand cracked across her face.
14:07Quinn's mother's memory, Conch.
14:09Where is it?
14:09It can find Quinn!
14:13Sienna sobered up instantly.
14:15She held her cheek, staring at Hunter in disbelief.
14:18What?
14:19Hunter?
14:19I've never even seen that thing!
14:21Hunter knocked her hand away and slapped her again.
14:24I'm asking you where the memory Conch is.
14:26Where did you hide it?
14:27Sienna was speechless.
14:29She covered her face.
14:30Tears poured down.
14:32Why would I ever touch anything of Quinn's?
14:34She said this place wasn't her home anymore.
14:36She must have taken it with her.
14:38Hunter's vision blacked out.
14:40He pressed a hand to his chest.
14:42She...
14:43She isn't coming back.
14:45Suddenly, he staggered to his feet, didn't even go back to the bridal chamber, swam straight
14:50to the Sloan estate, grabbed a travel pack, and tore off for the Tideway Station.
14:54Sienna chased after him in a daze and threw herself in his path.
14:58Hunter, where are you going?
15:00This is our wedding day.
15:02Hunter wouldn't even spare her a glance.
15:04Move.
15:05I want to see with my own eyes who Quinn married.
15:07A flash of resentment crossed Sienna's eyes.
15:10She clamped onto his tail fin and refused to let go.
15:13You're still thinking about her?
15:14You regret marrying me?
15:16Hunter shook her off impatiently.
15:17I don't have time for this.
15:19Move!
15:20When force didn't work, Sienna changed her face in a heartbeat and started packing his
15:24bag for him.
15:26Fine.
15:26I'll go with you.
15:28Sienna sobered up instantly.
15:29She held her cheek, staring at Hunter in disbelief.
15:32What?
15:33Hunter?
15:33I've never even seen that thing!
15:36Hunter knocked her hand away and slapped her again.
15:38I'm asking you where the memory conok is.
15:40Where did you hide it?
15:42Sienna was speechless.
15:43She covered her face.
15:44Tears poured down.
15:46Why would I ever touch anything of Quinn's?
15:48She said this place wasn't her home anymore.
15:51She must have taken it with her.
15:53Hunter's vision blacked out.
15:54He pressed a hand to his chest.
15:56She...
15:57She isn't coming back.
15:59Suddenly, he staggered to his feet, didn't even go back to the bridal chamber, swam straight
16:04to the Sloan estate, grabbed a travel pack, and tore off for the Tideway station.
16:09Sienna chased after him in a daze and threw herself in his path.
16:12Hunter, where are you going?
16:14This is our wedding day.
16:16Hunter wouldn't even spare her a glance.
16:18Move.
16:19I want to see with my own eyes who Quinn married.
16:21A flash of resentment crossed Sienna's eyes.
16:24She clamped onto his tail fin and refused to let go.
16:27You're still thinking about her?
16:29You regret marrying me?
16:30Hunter shook her off impatiently.
16:32I don't have time for this.
16:34Move.
16:34When force didn't work, Sienna changed her face in a heartbeat and started packing his
16:39bag for him.
16:40Fine.
16:41I'll go with you.
16:42I was wanting to see Quinn myself anyway.
16:44At that, Hunter's face softened.
16:47He let her come along, but they'd barely reached the entrance to the Tideway station when
16:51a squad in silverscale armor stopped them.
16:54At the head of the squad was Hunter's father, General Sloan himself, the general's quiet
16:59authority made Sienna shrink her tail back, and even Hunter didn't dare open his mouth.
17:04Go home.
17:04I won't say it twice.
17:06Hunter didn't dare defy his father.
17:08He and Sienna had to slink back home, frustrated.
17:12Soon after, the front in the abyssal trench grew so unstable that they couldn't have gone
17:16even if they'd tried.
17:17Meanwhile, Jace and I were spending busy but fulfilling days down in the abyss.
17:22In the beginning, marrying Jace really had been a partnership and nothing more.
17:27It was the fastest way I could think of to earn the Sea God's trust.
17:31That war in my last life had killed half of our kind down here.
17:35I had to save them.
17:36Marriage of convenience or not, Jace still gave me a grand ceremony.
17:40After we wed, I told the Sea God every detail I remembered about the coming war.
17:45He was skeptical at first, but I correctly predicted several events in a row, and eventually he
17:50chose to believe me.
17:51In the end, we won decisively.
17:54After that battle, I was made battalion commander of the Northwest Forces.
17:57The Sea God set up a coral cottage just for the two of us, so Jace and I could look
18:02after
18:02each other.
18:03I took the risk of going down into a deep sea volcano to find a fairy herb that blooms only
18:08once every hundred years, and I poured power into it using my witch's soul pearl.
18:13Day after day of treatment, his shark seal broke, and his Sea God's power slowly returned.
18:19I had never seen a more perfect male mermin in my life.
18:22That kind of sea witchcraft tears at the body especially hard, and I took the backlash from
18:27treating Jace.
18:28I needed a full month of recovery to come back to myself.
18:32Through all of it, Jace stayed by my side, day after day.
18:35Jace was careful and gentle.
18:37The sea greens chowder he made tasted like nothing else.
18:40I only learned later that he had been secretly feeding me a sacred elixir, one meant only for
18:46the Sea God.
18:47Under his care, I grew stronger, and my battlefield record kept getting better.
18:52When we first married, people at the front called us the Beggar and the Fat Pig, but
18:56no one laughed at us anymore.
18:58Now they all said we were meant for each other.
19:01The nickname for Jace had gone from Fat Shark to Big Bro.
19:04I was still not entirely thrilled with that one, but Jace just laughed.
19:08Don't worry about them.
19:09In my eyes, you're a goddess.
19:11Quiet days like that went on for half a year, until I happened to see Hunter and Sienna outside
19:16the outpost.
19:17I'd just picked up medicine from the healer when I ran straight into the two of them,
19:22prowling around outside the outpost, our eyes locked.
19:25Hunter sprinted toward me at once.
19:27He didn't spare a thought for the Sienna right beside him.
19:31He just pulled me into his arms.
19:32Quinn!
19:33I knew you weren't married.
19:35You still care about me.
19:36Sienna's face went dark in an instant.
19:39Hunter didn't notice a thing.
19:41I stepped back quickly, putting space between us.
19:44Sorry.
19:45My husband is at home waiting.
19:47I need to go.
19:48Hunter's body locked up.
19:49He stared at me, blank.
19:51Just then a few of my comrades swam past.
19:53They spotted me and grinned, throwing me casual salutes.
19:56Commander Quinn, who are these two?
19:59Big Bro wasn't feeling well today, so he wasn't in the kitchen.
20:02I am dying for that sea greens chowder of his.
20:05The moment Sienna heard Big Bro, she clapped a hand over her mouth like she'd seen a ghost.
20:11Sis, your husband isn't the... that fat shark from the seaweed kitchen, is you?
20:16I frowned.
20:17Watch how you speak.
20:18He is not a fat shark.
20:20Sienna scoffed, her eyes dripping with contempt.
20:23Quinn, everyone knows there's a fat shark in the seaweed kitchen.
20:26Grinning like an idiot all day.
20:28Came out of nowhere, some country nobody.
20:30Sure, it stings that you didn't get to marry Hunter.
20:33But is it really worth degrading yourself like this?
20:36My expression hardened.
20:37The comrades who'd been passing by stopped walking.
20:40They didn't look pleased.
20:41And who exactly are you two?
20:43How do you even know Big Bro?
20:44These two are newlyweds.
20:46They're happy together.
20:47Don't you think you're going a little too far?
20:49Watching everyone take my side, Sienna ground her teeth in fury.
20:53Hunter stepped forward, his voice catching.
20:55You really did marry someone else?
20:57You're really not coming home?
20:59I looked at his wounded little face and felt nothing at all.
21:02Hunter, my parents are gone.
21:04This is my home now.
21:05You're the one who said you only ever loved Sienna.
21:08So what are you doing here?
21:09Last life and this life both.
21:11He never knew what he actually wanted.
21:13Hunter clamped down on my arm and wouldn't let go.
21:16Just as we were locked in that standoff, a comrade swam up supporting Jace, who was burning
21:21with fever.
21:22When Jace saw me hemmed in like that, he tensed up at once and pushed his way over.
21:27The Jace of today had long since shed the bloated body the seal had given him.
21:31He stood tall and lean, sharp-featured with a brilliantly shimmering tail.
21:35I touched his still-hot forehead, my chest aching with worry.
21:39You're sick.
21:40And you're out wandering around?
21:42Sienna rushed up and stared at the tall, broad-shouldered, sharply-chiseled Jace.
21:47So shocked she could barely speak.
21:49Who are you?
21:50Where's the fat shark?
21:52Jace fixed her with a wary stare.
21:54And who are you?
21:55You forced your way into the outpost.
21:57You're crowding the battalion commander.
21:58I am well within my rights to treat you as a spy.
22:01Sienna seemed to crack right there, screaming in disbelief.
22:04You're the battalion commander?
22:06How are you the commander?
22:08You should have been caught by the Abyss Demons, torn apart, broken.
22:12How can you possibly be the commander?
22:14Everyone stared as Sienna came apart, her ranting growing more deranged.
22:19Their faces darkened.
22:20Hunter looked at Jace standing beside me and turned green with jealousy.
22:24Quinn.
22:25You.
22:26My husband is sick.
22:28You'll have to excuse us.
22:30Jenny, could you deal with these two for me?
22:32I'm taking Jace home.
22:33With that, I took Jace's hand and turned for home.
22:36Hunter tried to follow, but the others closed in around them with practiced ease.
22:41Armed and ready, mindful of his father, Hunter didn't dare push it.
22:45Back home, I brewed up Jace's medicine and fed it to him a careful spoonful at a time.
22:49He blinked at me, sneaking glances, testing the words out before he spoke.
22:53Those two who came today, are they relatives of yours?
22:56My hand stilled.
22:57I nodded.
22:58Yes, my sister and her husband probably came up from back home.
23:01Jace hesitated.
23:03But you said you didn't have any family.
23:05I was quiet for a long moment, those terrible scenes from my last life crowding back in.
23:10I didn't know how to explain.
23:12Jace saw my mood drop, just pulled me gently into his arms and told me it was alright.
23:17I tilted my chin up and kissed the corner of his mouth.
23:20Thank God I have you.
23:21Right then, a commotion broke out beyond the door.
23:24I tucked him in and swam out to look.
23:26The guards had let Sienna and Hunter into the courtyard.
23:29Both of them were looking at me with that smug tilt of the chin.
23:34Commander, Officer Sienna says she'd like to see you.
23:36It was only then that title registered.
23:38Sienna was in the Royal Tide Guard now too.
23:41Hunter glanced toward the window, then took up that won't be questioned tone again.
23:46Quinn, you can't be eating well or sleeping hell in the abyss.
23:50Come home with me.
23:51What good can a quarter-man man from the seaweed kitchen possibly do for your career?
23:56I'll talk to my father.
23:57Get you transferred back.
23:58You'll live with us.
23:59I looked at him in disbelief.
24:01The whole thing was absurd.
24:03I turned to walk away, and Sienna sidled up and gripped my wrist, whispering against my ear.
24:08Mom's memory conch.
24:10Don't want it back anymore?
24:12My gaze sharpened.
24:14I turned my head and stared her down.
24:16You said last time you'd burned it.
24:18You were lying?
24:18Sienna straightened up and pitched her voice back to normal.
24:22When you've made up your mind, come to the Black Coral Forest.
24:25I'll be waiting whenever you're ready to come home, sis.
24:28She took Hunter's arm to leave.
24:30Hunter cast a complicated look at me, but in the end he followed Sienna out.
24:34I stood rooted there, my thoughts running in a thousand directions.
24:38I glanced back in at Jace, fast asleep, dropped a soft kiss on his forehead,
24:43and turned in the direction of the Black Coral Forest.
24:46The whole way there the water was empty.
24:48Hardly a soul in sight, I gripped the trident Jace had forged specially for me.
24:53Pushing forward by the moonlight filtering down through the surface, every nerve tight,
24:58I reached the mouth of the Black Coral Forest.
25:01Still no one in sight.
25:02Just as I was about to turn back, something heavy slammed into my tail fin.
25:07My body twisted on instinct to dodge, and I tumbled down into a wide coral pit.
25:12I looked up, and there was Sienna, that eerie smile on her face, and the waterblade spear she
25:17had leveled at me.
25:18I made myself sound calm.
25:20What do you think you're doing?
25:22Killing a fellow officer this close to command?
25:25Do you understand what they'll do to you?
25:27Sienna stared down at me, the jealousy and disgust in her voice impossible to hide.
25:33You should have been dead in the first place.
25:35Why is it that even with a second life, everything still comes easy for you?
25:40Hunter is still thinking about you.
25:42What is so special about you?
25:43All I need is for you to die, and everything is mine!
25:48She swung the spear and the currents around her twisted hard, fish scattered.
25:52The water churned at the reefs and pulled itself into a blade that lanced toward me.
25:59I twisted aside and stared at her in shock.
26:02Are you out of your mind?
26:04Doing this could pull the enemy right down on us!
26:07I could see clearly now.
26:09Sienna's hatred for me had reached its peak.
26:11The most important thing for me to do right now was get my mother's memory conch back.
26:16I'll ask one more time.
26:19Where is the concha?
26:21Sienna laughed coldly and crouched down so she could look at me from above.
26:25You actually believed that?
26:28The conch was burned that very day.
26:30Oh, and by the way I should mention,
26:33Grandpa hasn't been doing too well while you've been away.
26:36Hearing about Grandpa made me see red.
26:39This life, I've given you everything you wanted!
26:42Why would you go and hurt Grandpa?
26:45Sienna's face turned dark in an instant, her eyes burning.
26:48Not enough.
26:50You know what I was thinking right as I died last time?
26:53If I can't be happy, none of you get to be happy either.
26:56So I used my last breath to write a forged letter to Hunter.
27:01I told him you and Grandpa had been pulling strings together just to get the Sloan family to hand you
27:07a rank.
27:08I told him the reason Hunter's grandfather died expectedly was that you switched out his medicine!
27:15Sienna, you've lost your mind!
27:18Is there one word of truth in your mouth?
27:20Sienna laughed almost manically.
27:22So what if there isn't?
27:23So what if I did it?
27:25I was jealous.
27:27I was jealous of you.
27:29Why should every single person love you and worry about you?
27:34In any case, Hunter has always believed every word out of my mouth.
27:39I listened to her rave, my heart aching for the Grandpa of my last life, and pulled in a deep
27:45breath.
27:45You think Grandpa didn't know it was you?
27:48You think General Sloan couldn't have tracked you down if he'd wanted to?
27:53Grandpa specifically sent you to the Abyss as a scout, so the Sloans wouldn't be able to reach you.
28:00And this is how you repay him?
28:02You have no idea how much my father and Grandpa left behind just to keep you alive.
28:09You know nothing.
28:10You haven't come home a single time to ask.
28:13Sienna listened, slowly going still.
28:15I was panting.
28:17Do you have any idea where Hunter dragged Grandpa in my last life to torture him?
28:23How dare you!
28:25She wrapped her arms around her head and shook it desperately.
28:27But it didn't last.
28:29She slid right back into that sneering look.
28:31Her eyes full of murder.
28:33I don't care!
28:34I never imagined Jace would turn out so good-looking this time around.
28:39Once you're dead, I'll divorce Hunter and marry him!
28:43Her water pistol leveled at the center of my forehead.
28:46I raised my trident too, our eyes locked.
28:49Sienna, we're sisters.
28:52Does it really have to come to this?
28:53She laughed wild and loud.
28:55Sisters?
28:56Fine!
28:57Then surely Big Sister wouldn't mind paving the way for her little sister!
29:03The moment she said it, the currents twisted again.
29:07I shut my eyes tight, but in the end I couldn't bring myself to strike her.
29:13And yet the one who fell was Sienna.
29:15She crumpled stiffly into the coral pit, blood spreading from between her scales like ink
29:20through water.
29:21I stared frozen, calling her name over and over.
29:25But the one who pulled me up out of that pit was Hunter.
29:28Sienna!
29:30In his hand was a bow, the same bow I had once made for him by hand at the Ocean
29:35Academy.
29:35The one I'd worked at until my fingers were raw, just to win his favor.
29:40Watching Sienna's blood keep flowing, I scrambled to lift her and get her back to the outpost
29:45medical bay.
29:46Hunter blocked my way.
29:47Quinn, she owes you a life.
29:50She doesn't deserve to be saved.
29:51I glared at him, my eyes broke.
29:53You're the one who owes me a life!
29:55Why isn't it you lying there?
29:57In that moment, I looked at him with the same kind of hate Sienna had aimed at me.
30:02By the time Jace and a few of my comrades arrived, Sienna had already stopped breathing.
30:07I sat on the coral floor, cradling her body.
30:10The eyes that had been so steady a moment ago were full of tears.
30:13Jace came over.
30:14He didn't say a word.
30:15He just pulled me gently into his arms.
30:18My comrades pinned Hunter to the ground, ready to deal with him right there on the spot.
30:23I shook my head and looked up at Jace.
30:25I want to see the sea god.
30:27Jace blinked, then he nodded.
30:28Our whole group moved as one, swimming for the royal court.
30:32Meeting Jace's father this way was a scene I had never pictured.
30:35I told the sea god everything, start to finish.
30:38I also told him who Hunter really was.
30:41The sea god stepped forward and looked Hunter in the eye.
30:44What came out of his mouth surprised everyone.
30:46You have failed your dead mother, Hunter.
30:50Hunter stared at the sea god and broke apart completely, sobbing.
30:54It wasn't until later that I learned.
30:56The sea god General Sloane and Lady Sloane had been comrades through life and death.
31:00In one of their fiercest battles, Lady Sloane had thrown herself bodily in the way to save
31:06the sea god's life.
31:07He'd meant to visit General Sloane ever since.
31:10But court affairs and constant reassignment had kept him from it.
31:14Who could have imagined that when he finally laid eyes on Lady Sloane's only son again,
31:18it would be to send him to judgment in the sea god's own court.
31:22I watched Hunter quietly.
31:23In the end, I didn't speak a single word in his defense.
31:27Whatever else she was, Sienna had been my flesh and blood sister, two lifetimes.
31:32And in both of them, she had died because of him.
31:35The day Hunter was executed, Jace and I watched from far away.
31:39He seemed to sense me there.
31:41He lifted his head, his gaze searching me out.
31:43The next second, the smile at the corner of his mouth froze in place forever.
31:48A few years later, the abyss war finally quieted down.
31:51I brought Jace back to my old home.
31:53Grandpa was more stooped than he had been a few years ago.
31:57He spent a lot of time alone in the coral courtyard,
32:00holding an old picture of me and Sienna, just staring at it.
32:03Not long after, Grandpa slipped away quietly one morning.
32:06And just like that, the great old house held only me again.
32:10I bowed before each tablet in the family shrine,
32:13my eyes touching every one of their names.
32:15Father, mother, grandpa, sister.
32:17All of them, left behind in yesterday.
32:20Jace was waiting outside the door.
32:21When I came out from offering incense, he wrapped me up in his arms.
32:26This time, they really are all gone.
32:28I buried my face in the curve of his neck and spoke into it, voice muffled.
32:33He shook his head and led me by the hand into the small room.
32:37Our daughter lay sound asleep in a seashell cradle.
32:40You still have a home.
32:41You still have me and our daughter.
32:44I met Jace's gentle eyes and couldn't help smiling.
32:47My eyes were brimming.
32:48Yeah, I still have a home.
32:50The day Hunter was executed, Jace and I watched from far away.
32:55He seemed to sense me there.
32:57He lifted his head, his gaze searching me out.
32:59The next second, the smile at the corner of his mouth froze in place forever.
33:04A few years later, the abyss war finally quieted down.
33:08I brought Jace back to my old home.
33:10Grandpa was more stooped than he had been a few years ago.
33:13He spent a lot of time alone in the coral courtyard,
33:16holding an old picture of me and Sienna, just staring at it.
33:19Not long after, Grandpa slipped away quietly one morning.
33:22And just like that, the great old house held only me again.
33:26I bowed before each tablet in the family shrine,
33:29my eyes touching every one of their names.
33:31Father, mother, grandpa, sister.
33:33All of them, left behind in yesterday.
33:36Jace was waiting outside the door.
33:38When I came out from offering incense, he wrapped me up in his arms.
33:42This time, they really are all gone.
33:45I buried my face in the curve of his neck and spoke into it, voice muffled.
33:49He shook his head and led me by the hand into the small room.
33:53Our daughter lay sound asleep in a seashell cradle.
33:56You still have a home.
33:57You still have me and our daughter.
34:00I met Jace's gentle eyes and couldn't help smiling.
34:03My eyes were brimming.
34:04Yeah, I still have a home.
34:28I still have a home.
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