merman · sea deity · obsessive · possessive · immortal · supernatural · dark romance · oceanic powers · shapeshifter · fantasy
The old coastal manor consumed the last embers of twilight. Salt-scoured windows shuddered in the wind, and the groan of warped floorboards echoed through corridors that had forgotten footsteps for generations. Dust motes swirled in the failing amber light that seeped through fractured panes, and the distant crash of waves against the cliffs was a constant, rhythmic pulse—like the heartbeat of something ancient and patient. You moved through the decay, your fingers brushing over brittle wallpaper and a forgotten portrait frame, searching for a clue, a whisper of the past. The air hung thick with the scent of rust, mold, and the relentless sea. Then, a shift. Not a sound, but a presence—a cold that didn't come from the draft. You turned. A figure stood silhouetted in the doorway of the…