NSFW Nudity Warning

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Once upon a time, far across the shimmering sea, there lived a sad and lonely young girl.

All the others who lived beside her in the floating kingdom were so full of joy. They were whole. Day after day she watched as they sailed by her in their huge, beautiful ships while she drifted aimlessly in her little rowboat, all alone.

For a long time, things seemed so hopeless. Would anyone ever come to save her? Was she doomed to drift away forever?

Eventually, she came to realize that she was not quite as alone as she had thought. There were others who drifted too. Others who felt lost, or lonely, or out of place. And they welcomed her into their boat with open arms.

For the first time she could remember, the girl was happy. She wasn’t afraid or alone anymore. She could finally be herself. And every day she spent with these new friends, she felt herself growing stronger. More confident. Transforming into the person she always wanted to be.

And for a long time, she thought that was enough.

Until she met him.

He emerged one day from beneath the crystal blue waves. Handsome. Charming. Perfect.

Each day he rose from the depths and sang to her of a beautiful, perfect life beneath the sea. His words intoxicated her. Enchanted her.

How could she possibly resist this beautiful siren’s call?

Her friends begged for her to resist his charms. They pleaded with her to stay with them. They warned her of the terrible darkness that lurked below — of the poison that flowed within his veins.

But she did not listen.

And finally, one day, he reached for her hand and pulled her down below the surface of the sparkling waters. She did nothing to resist as he carried her with him into the darkest depths, opening her eyes to a world she never even knew existed.

Her lover breathed fresh life into her lungs. He made her stronger. He transformed her. He brought out something from deep within her. Something confident and powerful and beautiful.

But he brought something else out of her as well. A darkness. A poison. For unbeknownst to her, the very poison that flowed within him had been flowing within her veins too.

The dark poison slowly seeped from their pores. It encapsulated them, trapping them within its thick, impenetrable walls. It was suffocating… But the two lovers clung desperately to one another, both too afraid to let go. Both pulling each other deeper into the darkness.

The girl thought it would consume them. She believed that they would both be destroyed beyond repair.

But then, something incredible happened.

The darkness slowly began to melt away. There was a warmth that hadn’t been there before. A light. And, as her eyes finally adjusted to the brightness before her, the girl realized that her lover was nowhere to be found. Instead, he’d been replaced by the most amazing creature she had ever laid her eyes on.

As toxic and poisonous as it had been, their love had created something beautiful. Their child was a miracle, perfect in every way.

But she did not deserve him.

A pain ripped through her entire body as the cruel current of fate wrapped itself around her, pulling her away from her precious gift. No matter how hard she fought or struggled against it, she could do nothing to escape its clutches.

There was nothing she could do but watch as the bright light of her child’s face faded from view, and the darkness enveloped her once more.

Was this the end? Would she ever see her child again? Was she doomed to perish here beneath the waves?

She awoke to the sharp taste of salt on her tongue and the feeling of coarse sand beneath her cheek.

She heard voices then, soft and gentle… almost comforting. But the girl could not fully shake the fear and loneliness in her heart. She knew that the tides had carried her far away from home.

And she was right. The island she found herself on was completely alien to her, locked in on all sides by tall, rocky cliffs in the middle of a blue lagoon.

But at least she was not alone.

As she rose shakily to her feet, she was greeted by the familiar face of an old enemy… And the enchanting smile of a new friend.

They both shared her fear and confusion, she soon learned. The tides had carried them here as well — countless miles from home, separated from the rest of the world.

“This is our punishment,” they told her. They both suffered from the same terrible affliction as her own — the darkness and poison within their souls that had caused harm to so many. Including themselves.

“But how will we ever find our way home?” The girl asked. “Can we escape the darkness? Will we ever be free?”

Her old enemy smiled. “Of course,” she said. “But first, we must find the light… together.”

And so they did.

It was impossible to tell how long the three of them spent on the island. Was it weeks? Months? Years?

The answer mattered little. But in the time they spent together, the girl could feel a change in her soul once more, just as she’d felt with her friends on their rickety old boat, and her handsome lover beneath the waves.

The darkness no longer called to her the way it used to. She could feel it evaporating from within her veins, replaced by… something else.

It filled her with the hope that she would one day see her friends again — and, more importantly, the precious child she’d left behind.

And her hope only grew stronger on the day the little rowboat appeared on the shore. But the moment she set her eyes on it, she knew it was not meant for her.

It was meant for someone else.

Her former enemy’s darkness had been expelled from her at last, and fate saw fit for her to return home.

Despite the sadness that filled her heart as she said farewell to her friend, it filled her with so much happiness too.

“If she can do it, so can I,” the girl told herself.

But there was still so much work to do. And luckily, she still had someone to help her through it.

Before long, that friendship she and her companion shared grew into so much more.

For so long, she had thought she understood what love meant. She had believed the beautiful words of her handsome siren’s song. She’d let herself fall under his spell…

But there was no magic at work here. This was something deeper. Better. Real.

It was unlike anything she’d felt in her entire life.

She felt confident. Strong. In-control. Her new lover helped to fill her with so many things that had been missing from her life.

Including the strength and light she needed to finally earn her passage home.

But it was a journey she would have to make alone.

Her beautiful new lover told her not to worry. “We will see each other again one day,” she promised. “When I have found the light myself.”

Encouraged by her lover’s promise, the girl made her way into the waiting boat, and back into the loving arms of her precious child.

She knew she had left a piece of her heart behind on that island… But she had faith that it would be returned to her one day, when she and her lover were reunited once more.

But it was a promise neither of them were able to keep.

Alone on the island, it was impossible for her lover to resist the sweet whisper of the darkness.

It called out to her. It drew her close. It made false promises of joy, and freedom.

And she wasn’t strong enough to resist.

The news of her lover’s fate did not take long to reach the girl’s ears.

And hearing it changed everything.

That was when the girl realized that she was truly cursed. The darkness that had poisoned her soul would continue to mock her for the rest of her life. She could never escape her punishment. She could never be happy.

The darkness called out to her more than ever after that.

Every day, its whispers would rise up from the shimmering waves, begging for her to dive in once more. To find release from her torment. To join her beautiful lover in the depths of oblivion…

And, as time went by, it became more and more difficult to ignore.

She tried desperately to find ways of staving off the darkness. She wanted nothing more than to be free of it. She longed for the happiness and light that fate so cruelly stole from her. But finding it proved impossible.

At first, she sought comfort in the arms of one of her dearest friends. He was one of her very first companions, and perhaps the one person in her life who knew her better than anyone.

Even after all the ways her long journey had changed her, he alone knew the shy, terrified girl who lay beneath. He understood her. And, despite it all, he loved her too.

But he helped her see that she was not worthy of him. He deserved better than to be used as a means for comfort. To fall victim to her vicious poison.

But there was another.

Another whose heart was less fragile, and whose body was more than willing to give the girl what she so desperately needed.

This time, her friend’s protests and uncertainty were so much easier to overcome… Before long, the two women’s bodies melted together.

And, for a few fleeting minutes, everything finally felt okay again.

If only it were enough.

But it never is.

She’s crawled back to her companion’s eager arms more than once since that first night. And no matter how may times she does, nothing gets better. Nothing changes.

After coming so far, she’s right back where she started.

She can feel herself changing… Becoming cruel and selfish again. Impulsive. Bitter. Angry. Empty. Just as she was before.

She wants nothing more than to transform once again… To rediscover the strength her beautiful lover had given her, and free herself from the darkness forever.

But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t.

She’s trapped. Lost and adrift at sea.

Empty. Alone.

And this time, she knows no one will come along to save her.

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That was probably the most bizarre A2A chapter I’ve ever done… but I wanted to do something kinda different/special, because it’s also our 450th chapter, if you can believe it! (I know I can’t! Haha) Here’s a sweet little picture of all our heirs to celebrate!

Thank you all so much for your support and love through these past 450 chapters! The Rosebrooks and I truly appreciate it, from the bottom of our hearts ❤