Standing Next To You-Chapter 552: The Myth- The Cry of Mermaid

With the existing proof that the monk was telling the truth, Bei Sangyun focused her attention on finding the "answer."

Soon, she received an email from her investigation team.

They had compiled numerous stories about the legendary myth. There were many versions in different languages, making it difficult to trace the myth’s true origin and uncover a detailed account.

Fortunately, they had found a lead—one that had been nearly lost to history. The King of that era had burned most of the records, blaming the myth for possessing his Queen. Yet, despite the difficulty, the team had managed to gather fragments of the story and compile them into one. Specifically the Queen’s journal that only had few fragments left.

Bei Sangyun clicked on the email. There, attached, was the myth of The Cry of the Mermaid—a story her team had painstakingly researched and pieced together. With another click, the file opened, and the tale unfolded before her.

The Cry of the Mermaid – From the Queen’s Dream

[In a mythical place beyond human reach, there exists a paradise known as the Sea of Life. Mermaids, blessed by the gods, reign over this sanctuary. Their beauty surpasses that of fairies, and their lives extend far beyond those of elves...]

Bei Sangyun read carefully. It was a fairy tale—mythical creatures, a world where humans could not exist, and descriptions that defied reality.

The tale was said to have originated from the Queen’s dream, which detailed the legend of The Cry of the Mermaid. This dream was the inspiration behind the name Tears of the Mermaid, which the Queen had bestowed upon a set of earrings and a necklace.

Most would dismiss it as nothing more than a fantasy—a story born from the Queen’s imagination, shaped by the various versions she had heard. However, Bei Sangyun read it seriously, searching for hidden messages or clues that might lead her to the truth.

There was no sickness, no pain, and no concept of death—only the cycle of rebirth in this said paradise. When a mermaid’s life ended, they would transform into a pearl and be born again, once more gaining thousands of years of existence.

With such a gift from the gods, this paradise was peaceful, untouched by war.

However, light cannot exist without darkness.

There was once a particular race of mermaids, the most favored of all—the superiors among their kind. They were incredibly gifted and talented, so much so that most of them ascended, breaking free from the cycle of rebirth, an act that defied the natural order. One by one, they left, until their numbers dwindled to a single mermaid.

This last mermaid had chosen to remain behind, ensuring that each of his kin successfully ascended to the heavens.

As he prepared for his own ascension—a process that would take thousands of years—his slumber was disrupted by an unexpected visitor.

A little mermaid, with pale blue scales, had entered his long-abandoned kingdom. She belonged to an inferior race, and even among them, she was considered the weakest.

Unlike the others, who avoided this empty kingdom, believing its inhabitants to have gone extinct thousands of years ago, the little mermaid was fearless. Every day, she visited the temple, undeterred by the silence that surrounded her.

She was smaller and weaker than her peers, yet her ambition was greater than all of them combined. She wished to be like the extinct race—to break the cycle of rebirth, to ascend, and to join the ranks of the heavens. fгeewebnovёl.com

Many mermaids mocked her, calling her ridiculous. The cycle of rebirth was their ultimate fate—why would she go against it?

But she paid them no heed. She was captivated by the lost race and longed to follow their path. So, every day, she prayed. She begged the gods to take pity on her, to grant her the strength to break free.

Unbeknownst to her, her prayers woke the slumbering superior mermaid beneath the temple. Every day, at the same time, her voice disturbed his rest.

At first, he was annoyed. He tried to scare her away—closing the old kingdom’s gates, destroying the temple’s entrance, blocking the paths that led to it. But the little mermaid was stubborn. Each time, she found a way through, no matter how injured or exhausted she became.

Days passed. Then years. Then decades. Then centuries. Yet, the little mermaid remained devoted.

Over time, the superior mermaid grew accustomed to her presence.

And then, one day, after growing only an inch over the course of hundreds of years, the little mermaid finally spoke—not in prayer, but directly to him.

"Are you a god? No, you couldn’t be. The gods live in the heavens."

Her voice echoed through the temple, reaching the deepest abyss below.

The superior mermaid, who had kept his eyes closed all this time, finally opened them.

A brilliant shade of blue shimmered in his gaze, like the reflection of the endless ocean under the moonlight.

"I know you exist," she continued. "You’re the one who blocked my way, aren’t you? The one who tried to keep me from coming here? You’re also the one who healed me when I passed out from exhaustion in the temple. If you’re not a god... then, maybe... you’re one of the extinct race?"

The superior mermaid’s dark blue eyes glistened. He swam upward, gazing at the silhouette of the little mermaid above the dome he had created.

"It doesn’t matter if you don’t answer," she said. "I just wanted to thank you."

She placed her usual offering—the tribute she always left for the gods—before him.

"This is for you."

She smiled. But this time, something about her smile felt different.

"This is my last visit," she said softly. "The gods didn’t hear my prayers. But I know you did. Thank you for letting me come here every day. This place feels lonely... I hope you ascend, like the rest of your family. And when you do, can you write my name in the clouds?"

Silence was the only thing that answered her.

Then, suddenly, she laughed.

"...What am I doing, talking to myself?" she muttered. Her glassy eyes lowered.

She had always believed someone else was here, but she never truly knew if they were listening.

The gods had never heard her.

So how could anyone?