The things of the sea, being so accustomed to water, never made such heavy sounds.

So this must have come from outside.

His gaze fell on the doorway where pearls had settled. The waves, the presence, and the scent drew closer.

As Triton’s hardened eyes flashed with interest, his lips twisted into a subtle smile.

“…….”

A disheveled woman dragged her weary body into his room. Her bloodless, pale face was marked by bloodshot eyes glaring at him as if she intended to kill.

“Uh… ugh…!”

The woman ground her teeth, and although harsh words seemed to form, her tongue was stiff, resulting in only unclear mutterings escaping.

“You managed to pass the first trial, human.”

His words, spoken with an air of excitement, seemed to provoke her. Grinding her teeth in frustration, the woman stomped her feet and let out a rough groan as she charged at Triton.

With hands torn and nails missing, she grasped at his neck. Her hands, limp like old, worn-out cloth, lacked any strength.

Barely managing to hold onto Triton’s neck, the woman burst into tears.

“Ugh, uh…! Ugh!”

Her desperate eyes, trying to strangle him somehow, looked pitiful.

Her bloodshot green eyes blocked Triton’s view.

The color of lush greenery, soaked in tears, wavered and faded right before his eyes, only to flare up again.

The green that resembled the earth, the sunlight akin to joy, the flame burning fiercely because it was finite….

Everything the sea could not possess was reflected in her eyes. Her diamond-like sparkling eyes captivated Triton’s gaze.

She was merely a human. A frail human who had barely overcome a single trial.

Arrogant enough to claim she would destroy him, she attempted to strangle him with her clumsy hands.

Yet, was there anything more amusing?

Had he ever wanted to toy with something so much?

Triton’s lips twisted into a broad grin, and he finally burst into laughter.

“This, this… ugh…. ugh!”

The woman’s eyes widened as she watched him laugh. Like he was witnessing something unbelievable, Triton’s image was etched in her tightly constricted pupils, gazing at her with a mist-like smile.

In her moist, glistening green eyes, a myriad of emotions swirled like the waves at sunset. The unrefined emotional turmoil that only humans could feel and enjoy….

For a moment, Triton wanted to carve out those green eyes and keep them. The urge was so strong it made his lower abdomen tingle.

Ah, what would it taste like if he rolled them around in his mouth? They seemed like they would fit perfectly in a box made of pearls and jewels. Common as they might be, those eyes were different somehow.

What was it? What made them different? As he laughed for a while, he reached out and gently touched the tears pooling in her eye sockets.

“……!”

Her face flinched, turning pale and rigid, but Triton paid no mind.

He felt the round eyes beneath her thin eyelids. The thought of plucking them out persisted in his mind. But he knew he shouldn’t. If he took those eyes out, he would never see those fiercely shining eyes again.

The more he thought he shouldn’t, the more tempting it became. A ravenous hunger stirred within him. Feeling that thirst-like craving, he laughed fiercely. As he licked his dry lips and smacked them, the woman’s brow furrowed even more.

However, her fierce gaze didn’t last long. The strength in her hands, which had been choking his neck, gradually waned. Her eyes, once filled with determination, trembled and then suddenly rolled back.

As the slender woman’s body collapsed to the floor, Triton swiftly pulled her by the waist.

Her red hair, draped over her shadow on the ground, swayed like tattered rags.

Very, very red hair.

***

Livia suddenly lifted her head and looked around. The familiar scenery captured her weary eyes.

Where was this place?

Flowers bloomed wildly in the fields, the vast sky glowed at sunset, and a faint scent of the sea lingered in the air….

A slow expression of joy spread across Livia’s face as she looked around, her mind still blank.

Finally, she was free from that dreadful place. She had returned!

Tears welled up before she even realized where or from what she had returned. She laughed through her sobs.

It had been a dream! All of it was just a nightmare! She felt so delighted that she wanted to dance with joy.

“…Livia!”

A familiar voice called from afar. It was Lete, announcing that it was time for dinner.

Livia wiped her tears and quickly turned around, waving at her younger brother. “I’ll be there soon!” she shouted, hoping her voice reached him. Lete waved back, urging her to hurry.

With a joyful heart, Livia ran toward the home where her family awaited.

Thank goodness, thank goodness…. I’m so relieved!

She thought about how she needed to tell her family during dinner. That she had a truly terrible dream. That the villagers had burned them, and she had made a pact with a witch to seek revenge against the sea god.

And that she had even gone to the underworld and been struck by some madman’s arrow. Everyone would be shocked, wouldn’t they?

They would probably say, “What a ridiculous dream,” and tell her not to go out tomorrow, but to rest at home if she was tired.

Then she would playfully demand to sleep in the next day, telling them not to wake her up. Just thinking about it made her feel happy and content. With a broad smile, she flung open the door to the cabin where everyone was waiting.

“Dad, Ia…!”

But the scene inside the cabin was not what she had imagined. Livia’s face turned pale, frozen as if she had met Medusa’s gaze.

…What is this? Why, why is this here?

The cozy home was filled with food waste and a foul stench. The floor was sticky with oozing filth, rotten meat lay scattered, and maggots and flies swarmed everywhere.

Livia recognized this scene.

“Eat.”

And that eerie voice as well.

Before she realized it, Livia found herself trembling on the maggots.

“Eat.”

The voice urged again, and without thinking, she grabbed a moldy piece of meat.

“Don’t eat me! You mustn’t eat me!”

The bubbling food waste wept like pus-filled tears, pleading with her.

“Please don’t eat me! If you do, I’ll vanish, I’ll die!”

What on earth was this? What was this horrific thing that clung so desperately?

It was hard to identify the crumbling flesh that couldn’t possibly be eaten. No, she didn’t even want to know.

“Eat.”

“Don’t eat!”

“Devour it!”

“No, please, I’m begging you!”

“Eat!”

“No!”

The two voices clashed. Livia covered her ears, denying reality.

Why was this happening to her? Why did she have to endure such a horrible experience? Why, why!

She wanted to escape. From this nightmare, where rotten meat screamed and clung to her ankles like piranhas in the abyss of darkness.

…But no. Leaving meant failure.

Tears of frustration filled her eyes, turning them bloodshot. She glared defiantly at the ground.

She hadn’t even seen the last of her father and brothers. They were chased off a cliff, and not even a handful of their remains could be recovered.

Their only crime had been trusting their neighbors. Taking in a wandering orphan girl as family.

Wasn’t it her kind-hearted father who shed tears when letting go of an old sheep, and her brothers who helped him, never wasting a single piece of flesh or hide?

Livia crawled through the muck, grabbing the screaming piece of meat, and opened her mouth wide.

***

“…Huh!”

She shot up in bed, gasping for breath. The damp air filled her lungs.

Panting heavily, the remnants of the dream flashed through her mind.

The disgusting, horrifying memory made her want to cut out her tongue and vomit her insides.

Suddenly pale, Livia hurriedly covered her mouth. She tried to empty her mind, but the memory rebounded, twisting her stomach.

“Ugh…!”

She quickly covered her mouth and bolted out of bed. Grabbing onto any wall she could see, she retched, and a dreadful voice came from behind her.

“Oh dear… it seems my trial didn’t suit your taste.”

Her blood ran cold in an instant.

Forcing her stiff neck to turn, she saw him leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, smirking crookedly.

Triton. The damned sea god. The very man who had subjected her to this trial.