Shattered Memories

The turquoise fins moved in a hurry.
Rayan, who gently swung his tail and crossed the dark blue surface, smiled at the silver light reflected on the water surface in the distance.

“If Mer knows, she’ll be angry.”

The killer whale, who had been named his guardian from the moment Rayan was born, stopped Rayan with a worried expression.
Even though this secret departure was not just one or two occasions.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go back now?”

The killer whale urged him to return to the palace before it was not too late.

“What if you get caught?”

“Everyone’s asleep.”

“Mer might find Rayan.”

“Alle.
Mer won’t look for me.”

He knew.
At the words he added, the killer whale, Alle, made a groaning sound and then grumbled a little.
Laughing at his grumpy dissatisfaction, Rayan finally broke the surface of the water and poked his face out.
The sky was dark like the deep sea, but there were many other things such as the moon that illuminated the dark sky, and the stars were like that.
And Rayan liked those things.

“Promise me, Rayan.
You’ll go back after looking for a moment.”

“Alright.”

Since three years ago, the day of his coming-of-age birthday, there have been so many instances of this.
Alle was worried and anxious every day even though he had never been caught.

“Alle, do you see? The moon is round.”

At Rayan’s exclamation, Alle slapped the surface of the sea with his tail.
Drops of water scattered in the light.
It was his own pet peeve.
What makes such a thing so special that he admires it every time he sees it?

Rayan smiled brightly and rubbed Alle’s smooth hair in a circular motion.
His expression loosened up as if the touch felt good.

The mermaids would laugh and wonder how he knew it, but it would be questionable if Rayan did not know.
As if to prove that right, the tail that he had been swinging a while ago became gentler.
He nuzzled against the hand that was rubbing the hair as if he wanted to get even a little closer.
At times like this, it was doubtful whether it was a clan of killer whales famous for their fierce temper.

“Alle.”

“Yes, Rayan.”

“Have you ever seen the sun?””

“No way.”

He was very adamant.
It was obvious that Alle, who breathed heavily, wanted to start nagging.
Oh god.
After hearing it dozens of times, Rayan could now picture what words he will emphasise, what facial expressions he will make, and even where he will breathe in a sigh.

“I didn’t say anything.
I know that I shouldn’t be seen by humans.”

After intercepting Alle’s words, Rayan pouted his lips.

“I’m just asking if you’ve ever seen the sun.”

Unlike Rayan, who had restrictions on his behaviour until a few years ago, Alle was free.
Nevertheless, he had never told Rayan what the sky was like during the day.
He was afraid that it’ll awaken Rayan’s curiosity.

“It is not different from the night.”

“But Yuri said the sun was a very beautiful golden colour.
They said that the surface of the water sparkles blue in the sun.”

He could hear Alle swearing at Yuri in a low voice.

‘Dear Prince.
The sun is shining gold.
It’s very beautiful and dazzling.
To the point where it’s blinding.’

Yuri of the dolphins, who had to come to the surface to breathe while swimming in the deep sea, was the one who informed Rayan of the outside world.
Rayan knew nothing except the royal palace in the deep sea, even though he was ordered to be protected in such a way.
That wasn’t sufficient, and it made him long for the outside, so Yuri felt sorry for him.

Alle glanced at Rayan.

His black hair, which was as dark as the deep sea where there was no light, made the pale skin stand out even more.
Whenever he blinked his emerald eyes, his wet eyelashes fluttered.

As a member of the killer whale clan, he was not very interested in and did not intend to understand the beauty of mermaids, but he agreed that if Rayan grew up fully, no mermaid in the royal palace would be comparable to him.
When Rayan, who doesn’t come up half the time, put on a face like that, he wanted to grant his wish to see the sun as well.

He shoved the young master, whom he had been looking after since birth by Mer’s orders, with his snout.

On the other hand, it was comforting.

“It tickles.
Alle.”

Rayan twisted his body as he squirmed and burst into laughter.
He used to laugh a lot.
He was sweet and thoughtful.
There were times when he was dissatisfied with the fact that Rayan was the son of the king1, Mer, who dominated the sea with a stern face with a trident in one hand and a royal sceptre in the other, who was quite different from him.

“Shall we go back?”

“Already? It’s still this dark.”

“Humans sometimes hold banquets on ships even at night.”

Rayan’s green eyes twinkled at the casual words.
He was just trying to rush him, but made the mistake of igniting his curiosity.

“Really?”

“Rayan.
Maybe Mer