Miean🧜‍♀️

Art

Fiend Sylus

Phaidei fallen angel x archangel

Mydei's most devoted believer

Mydei can take two

Phaidei last encounter

It's a date, Mydeimos

Hua Cheng from Merman x Siren au

Naughty merman Hua Cheng

Siren Xie Lian got a meal

Beefleaf dress incident

Hua Cheng's bday gift (XL in a ribbon)

Yoonminkook hybrids short comic

Jm x Jk merman cottage core

Writing

The merman clenches his hands around San Lang's palm that he's been holding, clearly panicking. 

“Little merman,” the siren speaks up, trying to ground the other one. “What's on your mind? Talk to me.”

“San Lang, it's all my fault,” the merman clicks in distress. “Qingxuan is in danger!”

“Calm down, I'm here,” the siren pushes his tail gracefully to swiftly pull the merman closer to himself and hug him in an attempt to put him at ease. “No innocent creature will ever get hurt in my territory.”

“San Lang… I've mentioned him briefly when I was talking to Yizhen while you were diving. Jun Wu must have been lurking around and heard me. I'm so stupid, I should have kept my mouth shut!”

“It's okay, you couldn't have known,” the siren caresses Xie Lian’s back. “Let's not waste time. It's best we catch him before he reaches the island. He teases us to follow him, so let's give him what he wants for now.”

Xie Lian nods and without further discourse he gets on the siren's back to travel faster at San Lang’s full speed. The siren takes off as soon as Xie Lian wraps his arms tightly around his neck and chest. 

They swim past the coral reef and head straight to the islands. They have a few advantages in this situation - first, Jun Wu is, or at least seems to be, injured, which gives San Lang an upper hand in combat; second, there's a few small islands in the area. It would be truly fortunate for Jun Wu to find the one with the human right away, unless Qingxuan happens to be on the beach at the moment. 

However, Xie Lian cannot help but worry, because what if they don't make it in time? The shape-shifting nature of tentacle monsters gives the merman an idea that he can probably not only merge his tentacles into a graceful tail, but also produce legs. Even without those, most octopus have no trouble traveling through sandy beaches. It's the opposite for merfolk - Xie Lian has no chance on land, he wouldn't even be able to chase after the former Emperor of the pod. 

When it comes to San Lang, the merman can't be sure and has no opportunity to ask at the moment. Taking into account that Black Water was able to develop legs and even pass as a human, San Lang might be able to do the same. However, Xie Lian also remembers the siren has admitted that only some sirens have this unique ability of shape-shifting. 

Their advantage can be cut short quickly if they don't catch up with the monster soon enough.

It doesn't take long for them to get in the area of the archipelago. However, as they approach, Xie Lian stops feeling the faint hints of Jun Wu’s presence. When they slow down, San Lang also admits that the monster must have gone into hiding, or, worse - he has gone onto one of the islands. 

“San Lang, what do we do?” the merman clicks, subconsciously tightening his grip on the siren's body. “If we go to Qingxuan, we will blow his cover completely.”

The siren nods, agreeing.

“We cannot split either. He might take the opportunity to seize you again, which I believe is his main goal,” San Lang speaks up, pondering over what to do. “Let's swim around the island, near the surface. We might be able to spot any of them that way, without pointing out the exact place the human is in. How does that sound?” 

“Yes, let's do it. Jun Wu probably is doing the same if he's still underwater, so we might bump into him. I will try my best to be one with the water,” the merman promises, letting go off San Lang. 

As decided, they start circling the islands. Xie Lian keeps hoping that Qingxuan doesn't pick this moment to come to the beach, so that Jun Wu has a harder time choosing a land to go onto. 

Xie Lian pays especially strong attention to any sounds from above the water when they get to the right island. San Lang swims a little in front, leaving the merman around a meter or two behind - so that he's not on the front in case of an encounter, but also to make sure he doesn't get attacked from the back if he was too far away. 

It seems like an endless loop, trying to come across the monster who might have already gone onto the island and might be tormenting the poor human now. However, Xie Lian knows they can't give in yet - this might be exactly what the monster is waiting for. 

Xie Lian can't help but grow more and more anxious. He would never forgive himself if the innocent human got hurt just because of his stupid mouth. Everyone has already suffered enough. No need to add more. 

The second the merman wants to ask San Lang if he thinks they should push forward with their strategy, he feels it. 

He feels the movement of something he has felt before only a few times and it terrifies him. Just around the corner of the rock formation. The same rock formation Xie Lian once used to hide from Black Water once. 

The rock formation that is right underneath Qingxuan’s favourite part of the beach on the desert island.

San Lang seems to have felt it as well, because he doesn't think twice before shooting forward, almost disappearing from Xie Lian’s sight. Just when the siren turns the corner, the merman meets Jun Wu’s gaze for a split second. 

The monster is clearly surprised, maybe a little startled. His eyes widen as the siren approaches him at the speed of light. However, he manages to smirk as he swiftly dodges San Lang’s deadly grip that was about to seize him. 

Xie Lian spots dozens of nasty wounds and burns all over the monster’s body, but it clearly doesn't make him any less dangerous. What's even worse, he is quick to flee up to the surface as the siren chases after him.

In only a few seconds both the monster and the siren break the water surface, jumping out of the water and landing heavily on the sharp rocks. However, on the land, not only is San Lang blinded by the sunlight, but he's also useless as a fighter. 

Xie Lian follows them a little less harshly, only sticking his head out of the water.

“San Lang!” Xie Lian yells once he spots the siren on the rocks and the tentacle monster only on arm length from him, already squirming on the sandy bitch. 

The commotion scares some of the birds that were singing in the tree branches. What's worse, it also attracts the attention of the human, who unfortunately happened to be nearby, hoping for his underwater friend to appear soon.

It only takes a few moments for Qingxuan to be visible in between the trees, as Xie Lian panics and San Lang struggles to pull his whole body weight on his elbows to reach the stunned monster. 

However, Jun Wu seems to adapt to the land conditions way better than the siren. Spotting a barely visible figure of the human approaching the beach gives him a boost of energy that helps him get up, supporting his weight on the strong tentacles. 

The monster smiles at Xie Lian, pleased with this turn of events. Just a moment later he turns around to face the forest, in which the surprised Qingxuan stops dead in his tracks, watching three different species of underwater creatures all around the beach. 

“Xie Lian…?” Qingxuan speaks up, uncertain of what is happening. 

However, instead of Xie Lian, Jun Wu speaks up in human language.

“Poor thing, like a seal surrounded by orcas,” he sums up Qingxuan's situation. “Will your friend be able to help you before it's too late?”

Qingxuan blinks, fear growing in his chest as he understands that the enormous octopus with the human upper half of its body is not an ally. 

“Qingxuan! Run into the…” Xie Lian starts screaming, just as he sees the human taking a few steps back. However, before he can finish, Qingxuan already takes off into the forest, leaving the last words of the merman unheard. “...water!”

Jun Wu laughs out loud at this turn of events. His voice is even more chilling on land than it was underwater, oozing with cruel satisfaction.

“He can run. He cannot hide,” the monster says and without further ado slides on his tentacles deeper into the island with the intention of following the human. 

“Wait, please!” Xie Lian yells, almost getting on land himself. “Don't hurt him!”

“Try catching up and stopping me. You have it in yourself, Xie Lian,” Jun Wu speaks up, without stopping his slow, terrifying chase. “You're one of us.”

With those words, Jun Wu reaches the first trees, which helps him move even faster, as his tentacles catch on the trunks and use them to push him forward. It looks terrifying enough from where Xie Lian is. He cannot imagine how the human would feel looking behind his back and spotting this monster following him.

He bites his lips and slips out of the water in one smooth motion that he's already mastered from so many encounters with the human. 

He's desperate. He wants to save Qingxuan at all costs, but he knows it's a lost fight already. He cannot match Jun Wu underwater - there's no way he would stand a chance on land, even with San Lang on his side. 

He has to try, though. He focuses his mind and frowns, looking at his tail to figure out just how he would be able to change its form. Just when he lets out a frustrated groan when nothing happens, he sees a familiar hand reaching out to pet his delicate, white scales. 

Xie Lian looks up, finding the siren's worried eyes. His elbows are bleeding from the hard crash he had after jumping onto the rocks and then sliding across them to first reach Jun Wu and then Xie Lian. His left side and some parts of the tail are bruised as well, but it doesn't stop him from smiling gently at his beloved merman.

San Lang is trying his best to not squint, still having trouble with adjusting to the brightness on land. However, the emotions he wants to convey are clear before he even speaks up.

“Little merman, don't fall for his provocation. I will go. You have to stay in the water and hide. I am going to seek you out once it's over,” the siren says, hoping to calm down the other one.

“But, San Lang… I… Are you sure you can do it? Can you shape-shift?” Xie Lian asks, catching the siren's hand and squeezing it affenctionetly. “You're already hurt. I can't… I can't let you…”

The siren looks back at his tail and he changes his position to lie on his not injured side. He smiles at the merman and closes his eyes. 

The following sounds make Xie Lian instantly get a good hold of the siren, fearing for the other one's life. The crack of the bones, the splitting of the red scales, the low groan of pain. It's unbearable to the merman.

“San Lang! Stop!” Xie Lian tries, but the siren doesn't seem to catch on or want to catch on. “San Lang, please!”

It takes only a few horrifying moments, but it makes Xie Lian wish he had never asked the siren about shape-shifting. San Lang is lying in front of him now in the pool of red scales, blood and shed skin. The siren has no tail anymore. In its place, there are two bare human legs.

The siren has clearly thought it through - he has lied down in a way that prevent the merman from seeing his strategic parts, which, unfortunately, for humans are all out in the open. 

“I didn't think I could pull it off,” the siren speaks up finally, sounding a lot better than minutes ago. His vocal cords must have adapted to the land conditions alongside the lower half of his body. He's also not squinting anymore, his eyes more clear now. 

“San Lang, I swear—,”

“It's okay, my little merman,” San Lang is quick to interrupt whatever the merman wanted to say. “Let me protect you one more time, won't you?”

Xie Lian glurps, not keen on the idea. However, what can he really do? He has no clue how to make his own body change shape like the sirens or tentacle monsters. He's stuck with his useless tail, wishing he could for once aid people important to him in battle. 

“San Lang, you haven't done this before, ever?” 

“No,” the siren says, wiggling his toes, amused by the stupidity of their looks. 

“San Lang, how did you do it? I will try myself. Then we can both go and—,”

“Little merman, you came back to me only a while ago. Won't you give this monster a chance to prove himself as worthy of your company?” San Lang smiles at the merman again, reaching out to cup his face with one of his hands. 

“You're no monster, San Lang,” Xie Lian is quick to reply, leaning into the siren's touch. “You don't need to prove anything to me. I'd spend the rest of my life with you without any more confirmations. Please, be careful.” 

San Lang nods and changes his position to lie flat on his stomach. Slowly, he attempts to stand up just like the humans do but it turns out to be a task way more difficult than it seems.

He feels a little stupid turning his back on the merman right now, but it's better than letting him see his genitalia in broad daylight. He hoped it would be only a moment of embarrassment and then he would chase after the tentacle beast, but…

…he literally cannot stand up. 

He huffs, frustrated, crawling a little closer to the higher rocks, looking for some support. The merman doesn't speak at all, probably watching San Lang’s sorry attempts in silence. The siren is actually grateful for that - if Xie Lian has said anything, he would probably burn down in embarrassment immediately.

Rocks soon prove themselves very useful. San Lang clumsily gets on his feet, struggling to keep his back straight. He's so much smaller now, he can tell, but his body feels ridiculously heavier. Moreover, his throat quickly goes dry, as he tries to speak and breathe like humans do.

“San Lang,” the merman chimes in, earning the other’s attention. “Are you sure you can do it?”

No. He's absolutely not sure. However, what kind of provider and host would he be if he couldn't protect his merman and the innocent human in his own territory?

Besides, he still longs for vengeance. After only a glimpse, San Lang immediately recognised Jun Wu - it was the leader of the pack of monsters that tried to finish him off. He was the one to gauge his eye out. What is more, he abused his beloved. It feels like San Lang’s duty to get rid of that maggot.

“I will come back soon, little merman. Please, be careful. Remember that you're probably his main target, okay?” San Lang chooses to avoid the question instead of bluntly lying in the merman's face. 

He still doesn't feel fine with it, but it's the best option.

“Okay. San Lang, come back to me in one piece. Promise,” Xie Lian requests, looking at the siren with his big doe eyes. 

San Lang looks back at the merman through his shoulder, not daring to turn around fully. 

“I will always find my way back to you, my beloved merman,” the siren says with a smile, before starting to clumsily walk away through the sand into the forest. 

He really hopes his words will turn out to be truthful.

***