Everyone thought he was gone. Drowned. His body likely torn apart by the scavengers of the abyss. But for Shane Hogan, this was not the end.
The light that had once burned his eyes was fading into a crushing, bone-chilling cold. He was falling—descending into the infinite, silent darkness of the deep.
Shane awoke in a place of dim, pulsing light. For a fleeting second, he felt a wave of relief, hoping the storm and the shipwreck had been nothing more than a fever dream. But as he turned his head, his breath hitched. Standing before him was a nightmare: a creature with the head of an octopus and a powerful, human-like body.
He froze like a statue, terror radiating from his core.
The creature moved closer, its voice echoing not in the air, but in his mind. "So... you are alive, Human."
The sound made the hair on Shane's neck stand up. Without a word, he scrambled to his feet and ran. He bolted through the dimly lit cavern, his legs trembling. The shadows made it impossible to see clearly, but he didn't care. He ran blindly until—splash—he plummeted into the dark pool at the cave's entrance.
Once again, he was drowning. He thrashed wildly, bubbles escaping his throat as he sank deeper. But his struggles were futile. As the suffocation took hold, his eyes began to drift shut.
Then, a strange sensation washed over him. The crushing weight, the burning in his lungs—it all vanished. He knew he was underwater, yet the fear kept his eyes clamped shut.
"Open your eyes, Human," the creature's voice returned. "You will neither drown nor suffocate here."
Shane opened his eyes with hesitation. The murky darkness from before was gone. He looked at his hands and gasped; thin, translucent webbing had formed between his fingers. His entire physique had shifted into something leaner, more powerful.
"My guess was correct," the octopus-like being said. "That is why you survived so long beneath the surface." He paused, his large eyes searching Shane's. "You likely have many questions. Do not fear. You are no ordinary human. You are a hybrid—a Son of the Sea-Men."
Shane swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "A... what? What is that?"
Shalka, the creature, tilted its head. "You truly know nothing? Interesting. You lived all this time without realizing what you are?"
"I never went near the ocean," Shane whispered. "I never swam."
Shalka let out a sound that might have been a laugh. "That explains your reaction. You are a fascinating specimen. Let me be blunt: despite being a hybrid, you are the last of the Sea-Men."
Shane looked confused. "What does that even mean?"
"To the humans of Earth, we—the Sea-Men and my kind—are 'aliens.' We are not of this world. We fled a dying planet, 13 light-years away, escaping a celestial collision. We sought refuge in the nearest habitable world: Earth."
"So... all the fish on Earth are from space?" Shane asked, stunned.
"No," Shalka replied. "Only the Sea-Men and a few other races, including mine. We thought we could live in peace, but the native inhabitants of these waters were not so welcoming. The real disaster happened recently."
A dark shadow crossed Shalka's features. "A pack of semi-intelligent, primitive monsters attacked us. They call themselves Atlantisians. We had spent all its energy on survival and flight; we weren't prepared for war. Only a few of us survived that slaughter. Including you."
Shalka looked at him intently. "Your parents... they told you nothing?"
"I was adopted," Shane said. "My foster father found me on a Caribbean beach one night."
"They must have left you there during the escape," Shalka mused. "But it is strange..."
"How is that the strange part in all of this?" Shane asked, overwhelmed.
"Pure-blooded Sea-Men cannot survive outside of water for long," Shalka explained. "I guessed you were a hybrid because you lived on land for eighteen years. One of your parents was definitely human. The Atlantisians, unlike us, can never leave the water at all."
The creature straightened its mantle. "I have not asked your name, boy. I am Shalka. And you?"
"My name is Shane. But... yours is truly a strange name."
"It is a name not belonging to this planet," Shalka said. Then, his eyes narrowed. "But it is still so strange that they left you. Very stran—"
Suddenly, Shalka's body shivered violently. His skin rippled into a jagged, dark pattern. He let out a deafening shout that vibrated through the water:
"RUN, BOY! RUN!"