Threads of the Soul

Chapter 495 - 495: Blood is thicker than water

Jimmy let out a wistful sigh, which bubbled upwards through the water, as he stared at Bell. His eyes were filled with stars, which were likely just the sparkles reflecting off the scales of her tail.Jimmy had once been the squire to a very popular hunting group, and had been striving to gain his own abilities one day. It was this desire for power, to become a knight himself, that drove him to push for a biological mutation.

He had hoped for strength to shatter mountains. Instead, he got gills. That was it really, as well as the ability to see well in the murky depths, but that was more of a side effect than a true mutation.

In the end, his dreams had ended before they could come true. But, he didn't let it get him down. He transferred to the Loch city, as one of the defenders and a honorary envoy, and worked his way up from there.

Bell, a woman who had turned into a mermaid and could only survive in water, had quickly caught his eye and he was infatuated with her ever since. It was a classic love story, in his eyes, and he still strived to become a true knight in shining armour to properly win her heart.

But for now, he was happily working in the stables, taking care of the Fishmen's Kelpie mounts.

It was on this particular day, as he was feeding one of the Kelpies while admiring Bell from a respectable and not at all creepy distance, that Jimmy heard a powerful voice spreading throughout the water of the Loch, it's tone dripping with condescending amusement.

"A city of slaves? How adorable, it's like they think they are people. Such notions must be corrected."

This irritating voice belonged to an unassuming man in plain clothing, who was slowly descending through the water. A Trident, that slightly glowed with a golden light, was clutched in his hand while another individual rode on a Kelpie behind him, surrounded by a bubble of air that allowed him to breathe.

"Who the hell is this joker?" Jimmy scoffed, turning to his friend and fellow stable hand, who happened to be one of the fishmen that populated the majority of this city.

However, when he looked at his friend, he saw a look of absolute horror on the fishman's face, before he swiftly turned towards the Kelpie he was tending to. His friend, Glub, had cared for that Kelpie since he first arrived. They had fought together, been injured together and were practically inseparable.

Which was why it completely shocked Jimmy when Glub took out a bone dagger and plunged it into his favourite Kelpie's throat without so much as a second of hesitation.

Jimmy could see the pain in Glub's eyes, yet he didn't stop stabbing until it was dead before turning to Jimmy with the knife still dripping with blood. Glub launched himself through the air, forcing Jimmy to stumble back in shock.

A good thing too, as a moment later the Kelpie had had been feeding snapped at the space where his throat had been, before Glub's leap sent him crashing into the Kelpie.

More stable hands rushed out. The mutated human's trying their best to calm the strangely and suddenly aggressive Loch Horses, while the Fish-men simply slaughtered them without mercy and started to bark orders for the humans to do the same.

High above, the Trident wielding man spun his weapon with amusement, before sweeping it through the air. With just a casual swing, he created a massive blade of water that surged through the city, decimating everything in its path.

It carved through half of the city before it finally lost momentum and rejoined the water surrounding it.

Jimmy watched in horror, his face completely pale, as clouds of thick crimson floated upwards from the destruction, mixing with the water in a sickeningly beautiful display. His body moved before he could even think about what to do, as he abandoned his post and the chaos of the Kelpies, and instead hurried over to where he had last seen Bell.

He swam through the blood, coughing and choking on the thick, metallic taste that was filling his lungs making his movements sluggish and difficult. Yet he pushed forwards regardless until he found Bell trapped under the rubble of her favourite scale accessory shop.

His arms strained as he heaved the massive blocks of stone off of her before dragging her out. Bell practically collapsed into his arms as they floated there, hugging each other softly in the rubble of the city.

Some might have called it a perfectly romantic moment, yet Jimmy couldn't help but look up at the Trident wielding man.

The man in question was glaring at his own hand in irritation. Jimmy's eyes narrowed, piercing through the gloom and obstruction within the murky water, as he saw what the man was so annoyed by.

His hand was shrivelled up, as if just the hand alone was aging rapidly.

"He's weakened by his own power... He might be strong, but I might actually have a chance.

Don't worry Bell... I'll save you this time. Just you watch."

With a sad smile, Jimmy gently kissed Bell's forehead before resting her down. He took one last look at her, before launching off the Lake bed and soaring through the water once again.

Bell remained where he had left her, crimson liquid flowing from her torn torso where her tail had once been attached, as her lifeless eyes stared upwards at the retreating Jimmy.

Summoning a cutlass Requital into his hand and wreathing his body in armour, Jimmy carved through the blood filled water like a torpedo. Using the life wine of others to hide his approach.

He circled around, getting behind the floating man, before launching himself out of the blood cloud, his cutlass already slicing through the water like the blade of the executioner.

He was silent, he was perfectly hidden in his approach. Yet his blade stopped far from the man's neck, as the prongs of the Trident erupted from his back. The strange man didn't so much as spare Jimmy a glance before flicking his Trident, launching Jimmy's body through the water.

Jimmy's only regret, as he lay there with three garish holes bore through his chest, was that he didn't get to ask Bell out.

'In my next life... I'll definitely get the courage to do it next time... I just hope you can wait for me that... long...'

Jimmy thought to himself, before his head fell forwards, a soft smile still gracing his lips as the life drained from his body and joined the swirling, crimson display within the waters of Loch Ness.