Chapter 4

The tide pools near the shore formed natural basins. I carefully placed the egg in the seawater, and after a moment, its shell regained its vibrant color.

I noticed Leo wasn't doing well. His tail was in saltwater, and his whole body was ice cold. "Leo, how long does it need to soak? Can we just do it for a bit tonight and come back tomorrow? Your wounds need to be treated, too."

"I promise I'll be able to cry tomorrow. Please, don't boil my sister."

He tugged at my sleeve, his large blue eyes pleading.

My heart ached, a sharp pang of empathy. I pulled the wounded child into a tight embrace, holding him close – this boy, covered in cuts and bruises, yet still clutching his sister's egg. It felt like I was holding a younger version of myself, the scared, lonely kid from the orphanage.

"You won't have to shed little pearls anymore. I'll be good to you and your sister."

The little merman curled into a ball in my arms, his damp hair sticking to my arm like seaweed.

A while later, once the egg had completely returned to its original color, I held the egg in my arms and carried Leo on my back as we walked back.

As we reached the seawall, he suddenly asked, "Why did you... suddenly change?"

The world seemed to go quiet, the sound of the ocean fading away.

How was I supposed to tell him? That I transmigrated here? That they were just characters in a book?

"I had this really long dream... I dreamt about your mom, Rainey. She was furious, pointing her finger right at me, screaming that if I ever treated you two like that again, she'd come back from the grave and string *me* up."

Suddenly, I felt something hard pressed against my back. As I took a step forward, I saw it was a tiny pearl. The child on my back mumbled, "Mom..."

When we got home, only a small night light glowed in the living room. Hazel was curled up on the couch, fast asleep.

At the sound of the door opening, she immediately sat up and rushed to the entrance to greet us.

"Mom! You're back!"

"Yep, we're back. Hazel, you did great looking after the house by yourself."

I carried Leo towards the bathroom. The steamy air quickly fogged up the mirror. "Hazel, can you help Mom grab the medical kit? It's the blue box under Mom's bed."

She quickly ran back with the medical kit. "Little monster, where did you run off to? Why are you carrying that egg? Wasn't it for us to eat?"