Standing Next To You-Chapter 554: The Myth- The Cry of Mermaid III

Bei Sangyun paused as tears fell down her cheeks. It was just a story, but she couldn’t help feeling emotional. She wiped her tears. She wasn’t the type to cry over sad stories or tragic ones. This one wasn’t even particularly tragic, yet here she was, shedding tears.

Her tears fell and fell... she couldn’t stop crying.

Why... why had he made that stupid decision and gouged his eyes out for her?

Why trade his lifelong wishes for those fleeting moments?

Why was this story so absurd?

"This doesn’t make sense," Bei Sangyun muttered. Her eyes were red as she looked over the file, wishing that this mermaid had ascended.

However, the Queen’s journal that her team had found ended there, as the rest was said to have been torn and burned by the king. Still, there were descriptions her team had managed to piece together based on the various versions of the story that had been circulating.

It was said that the little mermaid had been reborn, and unlike others, she carried fragments of her past memories. Her hand was always clenched as if glued shut, only opening when her memories of her previous life fully returned. In her palm, she found the blue gems—the ’eyes’ of her beloved.

She was reborn on the other side of the world, in another tribe, faraway from where she had been born in the past. This time, she was not weak like in her previous life; she grew stronger, farther stronger than her peers. When she became strong enough to cross several territories, she began swimming toward the far end of the globe, where ’he’ was waiting.

It took her several years to cross boundaries and oceans, but it was nothing compared to the hundreds of years that had passed since her ’rebirth.’ Finally, after traversing countless territories, she reached the old, abandoned kingdom.

However, ’he’ was not there. No matter how much she called for him, searched for him, or waited for him, ’he’ did not appear.

Anxious and desperate, she expanded her search to the surrounding territories—until she finally discovered the reason why ’he’ had never appeared.

The little mermaid learned that a hundred years after she was gone, several kingdoms discovered that the most exalted race—once thought to exist only in legend—was not yet extinct.

Myths spoke of how the eyes of this superior race were gifts that held memories; whoever possessed them would retain their sense of self despite undergoing ’rebirth.’ Their scales were powerful artifacts that enhanced strength and abilities, while their precious hearts could bestow gifts—even allowing the inferior races to break the cycle of rebirth and ascend.

With such a tempting existence, several kings set their sights on the mighty mermaid. In the past, no one would have dared challenge a member of the superior race. But now, he was alone—facing thousands of mermaid soldiers with no one to stand by his side.

With his eyes gone and the aura of ascension fading due to his ’flaw,’ he was much weaker. Yet, even in his final moments, he did not go down easily. Of the seven kings and thousands of soldiers who besieged the superior mermaid, only one king survived. The rest—along with the mermaid himself—perished.

His scales were distributed among those who had contributed the most. His heart was carved out and claimed by the last surviving king.

Upon learning what had transpired, the little mermaid was consumed by rage. She prepared for war, summoning the sacred beasts that lurked around the abandoned kingdom and wielding the spells she had learned from ’him’ in her previous life.

With the power of the ’eyes’ she possessed and her sharp wit, she tamed the sacred beasts. She nurtured them into a formidable army and marched upon the king’s kingdom. Those who stood in her way perished beneath the weight of her vengeance. Anyone who dared to resist paid the price—with their silver blood and life.

For the first time in Paradise, peace was shattered.

The little mermaid—now feared as the ’Witch’—led her army of sacred beasts to victory. She tore the necklace from the king’s neck and cursed him- not allowing him to enter the cycle of rebirth.

Her triumph marked the darkest era of Paradise. The ocean turned silver with the blood of her revenge. But she was hailed as Queen—the strongest of them all. With the eyes and heart of the most favored mermaid of the gods, none dared to stand against her.

Then, one day, she vanished.

Along with the ’eyes’ and ’heart’ of her beloved.

There were many versions of what happened afterward. Some said the Queen went to the abandoned temple to prepare for ascension. Others claimed she traveled to different parts of the seas. Some believed she was still searching for any trace of ’him.’

As for the ’eyes’ and ’heart’ of the superior mermaid, they were said to be the origin of the Tears of the Mermaid—at least, according to the Queen’s journal. However, this claim was baseless and might have been nothing more than the Queen’s imagination. After all, this version of the story existed only in her writings.

There were no clear records of where the necklace and earrings had truly come from, and there was no way such a thing could exist and merge with reality.

Bei Sangyun fell silent as she finished reading the file. A storm of emotions churned within her. She still couldn’t move past the fact that ’he’ had made such an immense sacrifice for the little mermaid. And the thought of the little mermaid searching for him, only to find him gone—it made her heart ache with unbearable pain.

She was just reading a story, yet she could feel the heartbreak, the anger, and the deep remorse of the little mermaid.

What if... she went back in time, only to find that Fei Chuan was gone? What if he had been skinned, his heart dug out?

She wouldn’t just be devastated—she would feel as if her rebirth was meaningless. She would be consumed by rage. Just like the little mermaid, she would paint the sea with blood and ensure that those who had hurt him paid with their lives.

Bei Sangyun remained still for a long time. She wasn’t the type to get emotionally invested in stories, especially fictional ones. But this one... this one made her feel everything. Her blood boiled, rushing to her head, making her mind go blank. The suffocating intensity of her emotions made it hard to breathe.

Outside, the sun had set in silence.

Zhong Cheng entered the office several times, glancing at her. But he didn’t disturb her, only checking on her from time to time.

When the sky had turned completely dark, Zhong Cheng came in again and softly knocked on the door.

"Boss, should we get dinner together?"

Bei Sangyun exhaled and looked up. Her voice was hoarse.

"...Yeah. Handle the reservation for me, please."

Zhong Cheng nodded and immediately called a restaurant.

Bei Sangyun glanced at the file once more before slowly closing it. Her mind was blank, but her heart was in turmoil.

This myth might have been fictional, but there were too many coincidences—things that struck too close to home. The ’rebirth.’ The ’memories.’

And, most importantly, the necklace and earrings that had both come into her possession.

She didn’t yet know what role they played in her rebirth, but one thing was clear.

She had to find the entire set of the Tears of the Mermaid.

Maybe then, she would uncover the truth.

"I’ve made the reservation. Shall we go?" Zhong Cheng popped his head in again.

Bei Sangyun stood up.

"Let’s go."

......

Additional Story:

"Queen Rafaella, I beg you to eat. The King is worried about you."

The Queen’s sister, Marchioness Alljona, held a golden spoon, trying to feed her bedridden sister.

"...He is not in this world. What’s the point of living?"

Queen Rafaella’s beautiful face was pale, her lips trembling from weakness.

The Marchioness looked horrified. She glanced around and shushed her urgently. "Please, don’t say that. What if the King hears you?"

"Then he can have my head," the Queen whispered with a weak smile. "I shouldn’t have been born in this timeline. He is not here with me."

With trembling hands, she reached under her pillow, pulling out a necklace and earrings. She gazed at the beautiful blue gems embedded in them.

"I could live blissfully in ignorance before... but now, after learning the truth, I can’t anymore." She clutched the gems to her chest, her nightgown draping over her frail figure.

The Marchioness stared at her sister—the woman she had once envied. She had hated her for being so breathtakingly beautiful, for possessing everything it took to become Queen. She had been so incredible, so admirable, that despite her resentment, the Marchioness couldn’t help but be in awe of her.

But now... looking at her, she seemed like she was about to disappear.

Tears suddenly welled up in the Marchioness’s eyes. "You worked so hard to become Queen, yet you’re throwing it all away! Are you really letting yourself be possessed by these things?!" In a sudden burst of desperation, she reached out and snatched the earrings and necklace from the Queen’s hands. "This should be thrown away!"

"No!"

From the depths of her weakness, the Queen suddenly found strength. She shoved the Marchioness away and clutched the gems tightly, refusing to let anyone take them.

"If you’re going to throw these away... then throw me away too."

The Marchioness bit her lip, her hands shaking as she wiped her tears. "This is enough. You’ve lost your mind. I... I will tell the King. He will find you a healer—someone who can help you."

She turned and left the room.

Silence fell.

The Queen slowly lowered her gaze to the gems resting in her hands. They sparkled brightly, their beauty almost surreal.

"...It doesn’t matter," she whispered. "Because now I know. I remember."

There was no going back to the life she had before.

Her eyes drifted toward the window, where the sun was setting. The sky was breathtaking.

"But the moon we once watched together was far more beautiful... wasn’t it, Fei Chuan?"

Her eyes softened as she gazed down at the gems, filled with a deep, aching fondness.

Then she moved.

She walked toward the door and locked it. The King would come soon. He might try to take these precious gems from her.

She wouldn’t let him.

She picked up a pen and opened her journal. A strange feeling stirred inside her—an instinct that this would not be her last life. If she were to be reborn again, if her memories were to awaken once more, she needed to leave a record. She had to ensure that her future self remembered everything—her past, her origin.

Her hand moved swiftly across the paper.

[In a mythical place far beyond human reach...]