AWITTGABAGIWOBAFOAP Chapter 54
by VolareSong Ningwan stopped in his tracks. It turned out that Hydra had been hiding beside them all along, disguising his identity, fabricating stories, and luring them into Landis.
What exactly did Hydra want to do?
This ancient marine relic had been swallowed and submerged in the dust of history, unseen for ten thousand years.
Gradually withdrawing from his sorrow, Hydra’s smile faded into silence. Especially when staring at his riddled lover, the hatred in those blue eyes almost overflowed, yet it was tinged with an unspeakable heartache.
How could it be so painful…
“Hydra,” Song Ningwan said, looking at the hideous and unsightly monster. Was this the once infinitely glorious Siren King?
“What do you want to do?”
Song Ningwan’s simple question easily shattered Hydra’s psychological defenses. Hydra twirled the blue glowing Siren Pearl in his hand, his expression strange.
The Siren Pearl had always been in Hydra’s possession. Only now did Song Ningwan realize this, his gaze traversing ten thousand years of solitude, landing on Xie Xiaoyu’s face.
It was a profound grief and sorrow, like savoring a cup of rich black coffee, its initial taste bitter and unforgettable, yet with an endless aftertaste.
But that painful memory was not coffee, but a blood-stained blade, slashing open flesh, dripping with fresh blood.
Every time he thought about it, his heart felt like it was being twisted.
Pain at its extreme left only silence. Xie Xiaoyu didn’t dare to look at Song Ningwan. He suddenly heard the Siren calling him, whispering his name over and over again in a hoarse, unpleasant voice.
“Hy…dra…” Even though the King’s sweet words were once so beautiful, they had now turned into the sounds of a creature that was neither human nor ghost. Hydra paused slightly, looking at the Siren Pearl in his hand.
“Hy…dra…”
There was no reply; the air was silent.
The Siren had no reason, only able to pronounce his name through instinct. “Hy…dra…” It was as if this name was engraved on his heart along with life and death, impossible to erase for all eternity. Even without memories, he had to call it out, stubborn and with a love as deep as the sea.
For the Siren, it was just an unconscious pronunciation.
But Hydra felt the name was a curse, unbearable. “Don’t call me!” Hydra covered his temples, closing his eyes, afraid to listen to any sound. He couldn’t bear any stimulation; his emotions had been suppressed for too long, piled up into a disease.
“Don’t… call…”
But the monster didn’t understand anything. It stood up, searching for the treasure in his heart, only able to shout hoarsely out of instinct, “Hy…dra…” Where was it? The King’s treasure was gone.
Just like on the day of the sacrifice, Hydra was unable to protect himself, forced to call out in despair, but no matter what, he couldn’t wait for the Siren.
Was it fate playing tricks, or was it a tragic destiny?
Did any of this matter?
It didn’t seem to matter. Hydra had been acting for so long, today he only had one purpose. He lowered his hands, sweeping his gaze over the three bedraggled figures, only lingering on the Siren. “Don’t you want the Siren Pearl? Kill the Siren, the source of the contamination will be completely destroyed, and I’ll give you the Siren Pearl.” Even one more glance would cause Hydra to collapse.
Song Ningwan was considering the truth of the matter. He always felt that Hydra had another purpose, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was strange.
“Hydra, do you really want to kill the Siren?” Through his brief contact and eye contact with Hydra, Song Ningwan knew that Hydra’s nature was not evil. Even when he imitated the Siren and created a fish tail, he would be shy…
Hydra, what do you want to do?
A single sentence completely snapped the taut bowstring. “Why wouldn’t I want to?! The Siren is a hypocritical liar!!! You’ve seen my memories, do you also want to laugh at me, laugh at Hydra for being such a stupid monster, being deceived so miserably?” Hydra walked towards the Siren step by step, the Siren Pearl he held suddenly crushed.
“No!” Iris screamed.
Song Ningwan was stunned. The Siren Pearl… shattered?
What would happen to Ka’lier then?
“Laugh at my pitifulness, being toyed with in the palm of his hand… Without the Siren Pearl, the Siren King can only become a prisoner. Siren, give me the Siren Pearl, and I will destroy it with my own hands. You are a liar! Your love is a lie!!!” As Hydra spoke, tears streamed down his face. He raised the blade in his hand and charged towards the Siren!
The speed was so fast that Song Ningwan only came to his senses just in time to see Hydra’s emaciated body pierced by sharp claws.
Drip—
Drip!!!
Blood droplets fell continuously. Having lost the protection of the Siren Pearl, Hydra’s skin instantly ulcerated. He had used the Siren Pearl for so many years, finally he could be himself for once.
“Ugh!” Fresh blood spurted out, splattering onto the Siren’s face. The warm sensation made the Siren tremble for a moment.
The Siren was delirious, only knowing how to fight back. He could distinguish the scent of strangers, and he felt that he had killed the enemy.
“Hy…dra…” The Siren only wanted to find his lover quickly, so he pulled out his claws from the bloody flesh. With a thud, the corpse fell down, the sound heavy, so heavy that the Siren was confused for a moment.
“So, you wanted my spiritual power to cover up your own aura, you wanted the Siren to kill you.” Song Ningwan’s breath hitched, and he spoke with a regretful tone: “Hydra, it’s not worth it for him.”
“Cough cough cough! Is that so… but I’m so tired. I hate the Siren, I want him to kill me with his own hands and regret it for the rest of his life… cough cough!” Hydra coughed up blood as he laughed, reaching out his hand towards Song Ningwan.
“Li Ming, it wasn’t me… the destruction of Landis wasn’t my doing, the Siren’s madness wasn’t my doing either… but no one believes me…” Hydra felt the countdown to his life rapidly ticking away. He tried his best to explain certain things, looking into Song Ningwan’s eyes, almost drowning.
“I hate the Siren… but I love him… I’m so pathetic, right? I actually love him… it wasn’t me… I’m so tired…”
“Hate… hate… hate… I, I love—him, the crown, pearls, tears… I love you.” Hydra was already delirious. He couldn’t distinguish between love and hate. Before his death, he heard the Siren calling him. What was love? Siren, it hurts so much.
Song Ningwan’s heart thumped, and he murmured: “I believe you.”
!
“Believe me?” Hydra spat out a mouthful of blood, suddenly raising his head. He instantly realized how ugly he was, and quickly lowered his head, not daring to let Song Ningwan see him. “Don’t… look at me…”
Song Ningwan’s tone was gentle: “Close your eyes, you’re tired, rest well. Oh right, I’m not Li Ming, my name is Song Ningwan. My… adoptive father once said that peace might come late, but it will come.”
“You… you, Song Ningwan, you are the best human I have ever met. If, I hadn’t met the Siren… if you were willing to take me away…” His voice grew lower and lower, until nothing could be heard. Song Ningwan was speechless, wanting to go over and see Hydra’s last moments.
Iris’s eyes were cold. “The Siren Pearl is destroyed, what do we do, Lan?” She intended to stand up but was stopped by Pulan grabbing her arm.
“This is his ending.” Pulan interrupted Iris’s movement, revealing a comforting smile: “This is also my ending, there is no need to force it.”
“Lan…” Iris’s eyes were full of heartache, only gently hugging Pulan into her arms, feeling the warmth coming from her chest. She sighed: “Never mind, we’ll figure out a way when we get back to the Underground City. We’ll go to the main city area, we’ll definitely cure you.”
With the destruction of the Siren Pearl, the Siren seemed to sense something, his temper becoming increasingly volatile.
He first started circling the sacrificial altar, then charged against the walls, not caring about stepping on Hydra’s body in the process.
“Hy…dra…” The Siren had gone mad. With the destruction of the Siren Pearl, he knew that this meant his lover was gone.
Bang bang bang!
The impact caused the ground to shake, and gravel rolled down, smashing onto the sacrificial altar, instantly shattering the fish bones.
Not good!
“The Siren has gone mad, get out of here!!!” Song Ningwan suddenly shouted, but it was already too late. Feeling pain from his shoulder, he abruptly turned his head, his eyes meeting with a withered face.
In the instant their eyes met, the surroundings shattered like fragments. After a flash of white light, the space suddenly solidified, forming the familiar, tranquil Landis Palace.
Another illusion?
Song Ningwan frowned. Why was he always falling into illusions recently?
He carefully observed his surroundings, discovering that the Crystal Palace was still magnificent and beautiful, dazzling and eye-catching.
Last time it was Hydra’s illusion, what was this one?
Amidst his confusion, Song Ningwan heard voices echoing in the vast palace, the voices strangely familiar.
“I’ve said it’s impossible for me to marry you. Landis doesn’t need any help.” The Siren’s indifferent voice echoed.
Song Ningwan instantly locked onto the source of the voice, seeing the Siren standing under the dazzling lights, his appearance exquisite, every smile and frown possessing an arrogant beauty. On the other side, the mermaid princess’s face was blurred, but she tiptoed and said something in the Siren’s ear.
Song Ningwan wanted to get closer to hear clearly what she said, but the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.
Subconsciously closing his eyes, when he opened them again, only the mermaid princess remained in a red robe, with mermaid guards standing beside her, trembling with fear.
“Princess, do you really want to do that? Will the King be angry if he finds out?”
The mermaid princess’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “So what? The Siren has already agreed that I will be his queen. A monster is all he is, he will only bring endless curses to Landis.”
“Using blood to commemorate the heroic souls of Landis is the Siren’s wish, are you going to defy the King’s will?”
The guards collectively lowered their heads: “We dare not.”
At this time, the Siren’s voice suddenly came out, gentle and affectionate, “Let’s go. Go and announce to the people that you are the queen of Landis.”
The mermaid princess seemed to notice something and turned back to smile, putting on a sweet smile, taking the Siren’s arm, and said softly: “Okay.”
Seeing the King’s attitude, the guards finally believed that what the mermaid princess said was true, Hydra should be sacrificed.
!
So, this was really the Siren’s wish…
Song Ningwan immediately followed, but he heard a shocking secret. He stared at the Siren’s blue pupils, knowing that the other party couldn’t see him, but still stubbornly spoke: “Siren, quickly… save him, he’s in a lot of pain.”
“Siren, what is your love?”
“Siren, have you forgotten what you promised him? You said that when he calls your name, you will go. Siren, he is in a lot of pain…” Song Ningwan’s hand passed through the phantom, but his voice dissipated with the wind. Perhaps this was the will of heaven, no one could hear good advice, and tragedy would always happen.
The Siren only lowered his eyes, looking at the mermaid princess: “After the ceremony is completed, remember what you promised me.” He paused, seeming to think of something, and the corner of his mouth raised in a faint arc, continuing to speak.