I Was The Only Omega In The Beast World-Chapter 80: CP: Meeting A Merman

Alex looked at the river—wide and dark, flowing steadily toward the coast.

Then he looked back upstream—where Bear Territory was miles away through dangerous terrain, where his mates were probably mobilizing a search party, after his telepathic message to his mates.

"If I go downstream," Alex said slowly, "I need a way to stay safe. To float without drowning. To signal my location somehow."

[WAY ahead of you!]

[PURCHASING:

Flotation Raft - Compact (100 SP): Self-inflating, stable, includes basic supplies

Signal Flare - 3 Pack (30 SP): Magical flares visible for miles, color-coded]

[Total: 130 SP]

[Current SP: 363 → 233]

[Deploying now!]

A small package materialized—when Alex pulled the cord, it exploded into a surprisingly sturdy raft. Big enough for him to lie down comfortably, with raised sides to keep him from rolling out, and a small covered section to protect from rain.

The signal flares were simple tubes—red for danger, green for safe, blue for location marker.

[Your mates will feel the marks on your body like a compass pointing directly at you. They’ll know you’re alive and which direction to travel.]

"Okay," Alex said, feeling slightly less panicked.

"Okay. This... this might actually work."

He climbed carefully into the raft, arranged the thermal blanket around himself, and placed the emergency beacon in the center where its light pulsed steadily.

Then he pushed off from the bank.

The current caught the raft immediately—gentle but insistent, carrying him downstream at a steady pace.

Alex lit one of the blue flares and held it aloft for a few minutes—a bright magical light shooting into the sky, marking his position for anyone watching.

Then he lay back, one hand on his belly, and watched the stars wheel overhead as the river carried him toward the ocean.

[This is actually kind of peaceful,]

System observed.

[You know, ignoring the whole ’almost died’ part.]

The babies kicked—not panicked now, just... present. Reminding Alex they were there, that he wasn’t alone.

"We’re okay," he whispered to them. "Daddy’s got this. Uncle System’s got this. And your other fathers will find us soon."

[UNCLE SYSTEM?! I’m getting promoted to family member?!]

"You saved our lives tonight," Alex said. "That makes you family."

[...I don’t have tear ducts but if I did, I’d be crying right now. That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.]

System said its ears flicking frantically and wiping away its invisible tears.

"You’re welcome, Uncle System."

They floated in comfortable silence for a while—the river wide and calm now, the night sounds of the forest accompanying them: owls, distant wolves, the rush of water over stones. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Alex must have dozed off at some point, because when he opened his eyes again, the sky was lightening toward dawn.

And the river had changed.

The water was brackish now—still flowing but tinged with salt. The air smelled different. Sharper. The sound of waves in the distance.

[HOST! WAKE UP! We’re approaching the coast!]

Alex sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes.

Ahead, the river widened dramatically—spreading into a delta where freshwater met ocean, creating a complex maze of channels and sandbars.

And beyond that...

The ocean.

Vast. Endless. The bright moonlight painting it in shades of silver and white.

Alex had never seen the ocean before—not in this world, anyway. It was breathtaking.

[ALSO,] System added, [we have company.]

Alex looked down.

In the clear water beside the raft, something was moving.

No—someone was moving.

A face broke the surface—pale skin, aqua green eyes that were glowing under moonlight, hair like flamboyant red that seemed to move of its own accord. The body shimmering from iridescent scales on his back and below the waterline was sleek and powerful, more fish than human but undeniably breath-taking.

The only thing that came to Alex’s mind when he saw the mer-person is...

Beautiful.

The mer-person’s aqua green eyes studied Alex with intense curiosity—tilting his head in a way that seemed distinctly non-human.

Then he smiled.

Sharp teeth. Not threatening, just... predatory. A reminder that despite the beautiful face, this was an apex predator of the ocean.

"Well, well," the mer-person said, voice carrying a melodic quality like water over stones. "What do we have here? A land-dweller in a raft, floating into our territory at dawn, looking absolutely exhausted and..."

He sniffed the air then his eyes dropped to Alex’s belly.

"And...pregnant."

[ALERT: Mer-person detected!

Species: Unknown variant (those colors suggest royalty or high status)

Threat level: UNKNOWN

Mood: Curious, not hostile (yet)

Recommendation: Be polite, don’t make sudden movements, DO NOT FALL IN THE WATER]

"I’m Alex," he said carefully, keeping his voice steady despite his racing heart. "I had an... accident. Fell in the river upstream. The current brought me here."

"An accident," the mer-person repeated, swimming closer to circle the raft lazily.

"How unfortunate. And how fortunate that you survived."

His gaze sharpened. "Most land-dwellers who fall in rivers at night don’t make it to morning. What protected you?"

Shit. He’d seen the barrier shield, or at least sensed its magic.

"My spirit guide," Alex said, opting for honesty. "It deployed a protective shield when I fell."

"Spirit guide," the mer-person murmured, fascinated. "How interesting. We don’t have those in the ocean. Must be a land thing."

He surfaced fully now—upper body humanoid and breathtaking, lower body a powerful tail covered in scales that caught the light like jewels. Red hair cascaded over his shoulders, and those aqua eyes seemed to see straight through Alex.

"I am Zale," he said with what might have been a slight bow. "Prince of the Mer-Tribe, guardian of the coastal waters, and currently very curious about why a pregnant land-dweller is floating into my territory looking like he’s had the worst night of his life."

[PRINCE. He’s a PRINCE. HOST, you have a GIFT for running into high class people!]

"It’s a long story," Alex said. "But the short version is: I was pushed off a cliff by someone who was upset about tribal politics, fell in the river, got carried downstream, and now I’m here. Unintentionally."

Zale’s expression darkened. "Someone pushed you? While pregnant?"

"It was... complicated," Alex said. "He was grieving. He made a terrible choice."

"Terrible choices deserve terrible consequences,"

Zale said flatly. "In the ocean, harming a bearer—especially a pregnant one—results in immediate exile or death. No exceptions."

"I don’t want him executed," Alex said firmly. "I just want to get back to my mates and continue my journey."

"Your mates," Zale repeated, swimming even closer now.

"Yes," Alex confirmed. "A serpent lord and a lion warrior. Both probably losing their minds trying to find me right now."

Zale’s eyebrows rose. "A serpent and a lion? Natural enemies mated to the same bearer? That’s..." He paused, considering. "Actually that’s incredibly rare. And impressive. What are their star ratings?"

"Five stars each," Alex said.

Zale’s eyes widened dramatically. "FIVE—both of them?! That’s—that’s statistically impossible! The odds of even ONE five-star bond are minuscule, but TWO—"

He swam a complete circle around the raft, clearly reassessing Alex entirely.

[QUEST UPDATE: "Survive the River"

Status: SUCCESS (barely)

Rewards: +50 SP for creative problem-solving

Current SP: 418 → 468

New Location Unlocked: Mer-Tribe Territory

Romantic Complications: Still at 95% probability

Mate Panic Level: MAXIMUM]