"Who are you, young lady?" Her grandfather would often ask.

The old carp had chosen to live alone in a cave ever since his memories started to fade, and eventually even his mind. He knew staying close to them while they were already facing problems would just make them suffer more. And so he took it upon himself to travel far through passages and trenches....

Until he got lost in this maze, unable to return.

But Princess Jinzhu still tried to find him before they went to the surface, to be aided by the Snake demons. The Xi clan had promised them protection from those who harmed them.

Only now did Mina realize that the very people that lead them to the Xi clan....

Were the ones responsible for her parent's death.

"I am Jinzhu." She would try to remind her grandfather.

"Ah... Shanhu." Her grandfather patted her head. "It's nice to see you again, son..."

His hearing and eyesight had deteriorated so badly that he could not even tell that she was a woman, and not her father.

Yet Mina just let him see someone else, let him pretend that he was still embracing his child who wasn't even able to say goodbye to him.

Being forgotten like this was painful. She never wanted to experience it again with Harker, that was why she tended to hold on to him tightly.

As she and her grandfather parted from the hug, she asked him a favor.

"Grandfather Jian... You are a seer, aren't you? I need your help. I want to see what the humans who attacked my family were like."

"Those pesky humans have attacked you again?" He asked. "Hold on, let me have your palm, then."

He took her palm, and started drawing something in her fingers. Soon, a symbol glowed in golden light in it.

It was the tattoo of the man earlier. That symbol was a circle with a dot inside, and a ring of crimson surrounding it. It resembled a large, round and bloodshot eye.

Her grandfather told her. "You are looking for the eyes that belonged to those whose heart was dark as it was cruel. Be careful, my child."

And now that she remembered this memory....

He called the heart as 'An', instead of 'Hei' , which meant black. It was instead dim, concealed, in secret.

An Xin.

--------------------------------------

Mina gasped for breath as she woke up.

She could not believe that she was actually aware of this 'An Xin' all along. It was just hidden in the recesses of her other memories, forming a cloud around the sun.

But just like how the sun rays always shine through, the truth was revealed within her reverie.

"Mina, are you alright!?" Harker exclaimed. "Here's some water! Drink slowly... Fuck, I'm so glad you're responding now. You were saying things in Chinese that I don't understand."

Was she asleep? Was she actually awake and simply delirious from the heat stroke? She couldn't tell anymore, but what's important was that....

While she still remembered what she had dreamed about, she must tell it all to Harker. It didn't matter if people were surrounding them and listening. They would think it was all fantastical drivel about mermaids and demonic sects by someone who was still light-headed and out of her wits.

Harker listened to it all with a serious expression. Eventually, Mina had enough strength to prompt herself up, and she stood up as she finished speaking:

"Whoever this man was that I saw... He's related to my parents' death and An Xin. He killed them, and he is part of this cult that was also something G.G. Faust was affiliated with."

Harker looked up at the sky, and it was getting closer to sunset soon. He wondered if there was some kind of person watching over them and seeing all these transpired too conveniently. All it took for them was a date to meet the man Mina was hunting for so long.

Those were truly low odds that one could only call it 'fate'.

It was just the right moment, and they were at the right time and place. But now, what else could they do? He didn't even see what this man looked like, or where he was headed.

And Mina also chased him on impulse after seeing the tattoo, that's why she wasn't able to observe him properly.

"Let's go for now, and wait for Roland to ask help on investigating this. Maybe the CCTV in Queen's farm caught this man with the tattoo, and we could trace him from there."

Mina clenched her fist. "But... I can't rest while knowing that bastard who sold my people was just nearby. Here in New York. I need to find him, Harker."

"And we will, we will. I promise," Harker cupped the sides of her face and assured her.

Mina tried to not cry here in public, especially since she never learned how to control her tears to be 'normal' for a human and not golden pearls. It seemed that she never could due to the limitations of the effectiveness from the SS cells she received.

It was the only give-away to her identity as a mermaid, and she doesn't really hate it.

Since she was young, she was defined by such inexplicable sorrow for always seeing her parents be troubled by taking care of the kingdom. They do their best, yes, but they could only spread themselves so thin in managing thousands of jiaorens while also keeping a close relationship with their family and children.

She doesn't blame them, but Mina had always felt an unbearable loneliness. Such loneliness was something she had accepted. It felt like there would be no one on her side, and she could only call out to them like a maiden lost at sea. Yet she knew they would never return.

And it was partly her fault, so she had to live with the guilt of it all too.

For many years, she had felt that no one would ever be by her side. Until Harker came along, and made her see through that darkness that solitude had enclosed her in and held her captive.

However, she must make a very difficult decision.

She knew she could still chase after that man. She had to. But Harker had to avenge his family too, and if they would both pursue the path of vengeance, they would have to be separated.

And so, either she would have to give up the chase now, knowing she may never have a better chance as fate has given her today.... Or she becomes alone again, in exchange of ridding this guilt that burdens her over the death of her family and her people.historical

She bit her lip, and her chest hurt as she picked the latter.

"Harker... We will meet again. I promise. But for now..."

She started running.

Harker called out and tried to follow her. "Mina! Let's talk about this, you could always follow him later—"

But as soon as he did, he felt drops of golden pearls hitting his face like rain.

"I'm sorry.... I have to get justice for my family now matter what it takes."